Skip Navigation


Annals of Oncology Advance Access originally published online on March 15, 2008
Annals of Oncology 2008 19(7):1331-1335; doi:10.1093/annonc/mdn044
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
19/7/1331    most recent
mdn044v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Arcaini, L.
Right arrow Articles by Lazzarino, M.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Arcaini, L.
Right arrow Articles by Lazzarino, M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

hematologic malignancies

Immunochemotherapy with in vivo purging and autotransplant induces long clinical and molecular remission in advanced relapsed and refractory follicular lymphoma

L. Arcaini1,*, F. Montanari1, E. P. Alessandrino1, A. Tucci2, E. Brusamolino1, L. Gargantini3, R. Cairoli3, P. Bernasconi1, F. Passamonti1, M. Bonfichi1, V. Zoli4, C. Bottelli2, S. Calatroni1, D. Troletti1, M. Merli1, C. Pascutto1, I. Majolino4, G. Rossi2, E. Morra3 and M. Lazzarino1

1 Division of Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, University of Pavia, Pavia
2 Division of Hematology, Ospedali Civili, Brescia
3 Division of Hematology, Niguarda Ca'Granda Hospital, Milano
4 Division of Hematology, Ospedale S. Camillo, Roma, Italy

* Correspondence to: Dr L. Arcaini, Division of Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, University of Pavia, Viale Golgi 19, 27100 Pavia, Italy. Tel: +39-0382-503595; Fax: +39-0382-502250; E-mail: luca.arcaini{at}unipv.it

Background: To evaluate the clinical outcome of patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma treated with immunochemotherapy, in vivo purging and high-dose therapy with autotransplant.

Patients and methods: Sixty-four patients were enrolled in the trial. Primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points were the in vivo purging effect on stem-cell harvest and the impact of molecular response on the outcome.

Results: At enrollment, 59% of patients were PCR+ for bcl-2 rearrangement in bone marrow (PCR-informative). After the immunochemotherapy, before mobilization, 97% obtained complete response or partial response and 87% of patients informative for bcl-2 were molecularly negative. Sixty-one patients proceeded to in vivo purging and peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mobilization with rituximab and high-dose AraC. The median number of CD34+ cells collected was 16.6 x 106/kg. Of 33 PCR-informative patients, the harvests resulted in PCR– in all. Fifty-eight patients received high-dose therapy and autotransplant of in vivo purged PBSC. After a median follow-up of 3.5 years, 41 patients are in complete remission. Five-year PFS is 59%.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that patients with advanced relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma treated with immunochemotherapy, in vivo purging and autotransplant may obtain long-lasting PFS. In bcl-2-positive patients, in vivo purging allows the harvest of lymphoma-free PBSC. Absence of the bcl-2 rearrangement after autotransplant is associated with persistent clinical remission.

Key words: autotransplant, follicular lymphoma, in vivo purging, rituximab

Received for publication October 9, 2007. Revision received January 25, 2008. Accepted for publication January 31, 2008.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.