Frontline rituximab monotherapy induction versus a watch and wait approach for asymptomatic advanced-stage follicular lymphoma: A cost-effectiveness analysis

Cost-Effectiveness of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel for Adult Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma in the United States

OBJECTIVES

The results of a recent single-arm trial (ZUMA-5) of axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) for relapsed/refractory (r/r) follicular lymphoma (FL) demonstrated high rates of durable response and tolerable toxicity among treated patients. To quantify the value of axi-cel compared with standard of care (SOC) to manage r/r FL patients who have had at least 2 prior lines of systemic therapy (3L+), a cost-effectiveness model was developed from a US third-party payer perspective.

METHODS

A 3-state partitioned-survival cost-effectiveness model was developed with a lifetime horizon. Patient-level analyses of the 36-month ZUMA-5 (axi-cel) and SCHOLAR-5 (SOC) studies were used to extrapolate progression-free and overall survivals. After 5 years of survival, an estimated 40% of the modeled population was assumed to experience long-term remission based on literature. Results include the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) measured as incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. One-way sensitivity analysis, probabilistic sensitivity analysis, and scenario analyses were performed. All outcomes were discounted 3% per year.

RESULTS

Axi-cel led to an increase of 4.28 life-years, 3.64 QALYs, and a total cost increase of $321 192 relative to SOC, resulting in an ICER of $88 300 per QALY. Across all parameters varied in the one-way sensitivity analysis, the ICER varied between $133 030 and $67 277. In the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, axi-cel had a 99% probability of being cost-effective across 5000 iterations using a $150 000 willingness-to-pay threshold.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the robustness of the model results and sensitivity analyses, axi-cel is expected to be a cost-effective treatment in 3L+ r/r FL.

Sensitivity Analysis in Economic Evaluations of Immuno-Oncology Drugs: A Systematic Literature Review

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to review, assess, and report the characteristics and strategies of sensitivity analyses (SAs) that were performed in the context of published economic evaluations of immuno-oncology drugs.

METHODS

The systematic literature search was conducted in Scopus and MEDLINE for articles published from 2005 to 2021. Study selection, based on a predefined set of criteria, was performed by 2 reviewers independently. We included economic evaluations of Food and Drug Administration-approved immuno-oncology drugs that were published in English and assessed the accompanying SAs on a set of items, including the range justification of the baseline parameters within the deterministic SA, the provisions for the correlation/overlay between parameters, and the justification of the chosen parameter distribution for the probabilistic SA, among others.

RESULTS

A total of 98 of 295 publications met the inclusion criteria. A total of 90 studies included a one-way and probabilistic SA and 16 of 98 studies had one-way and scenario analysis, alone or together with probabilistic analysis. Most studies provide explicit references as to the choice of parameters and values; nevertheless, there is a lack of a reference of correlation/overlay between parameters in most of the evaluations. In 26 of 98 studies, the most influential parameter for the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was the under-evaluation drug cost.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of included articles contained an SA that was implemented according to commonly accepted published guidance. The under-evaluation drug cost, the estimates of progression-free survival, the hazard ratio for overall survival, and the time horizon of the analysis seem to play an important part in the robustness of the outcomes.

The Potential Value-Based Price of a Multi-Cancer Early Detection Genomic Blood Test to Complement Current Single Cancer Screening in the USA

BACKGROUND

Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) testing could increase detection of cancer at early stages, when survival outcomes are better and treatment costs are lower, but is expected to increase screening costs. This study modeled an MCED test for 19 solid cancers in a US population and estimated the potential value-based price (the maximum price to meet a given willingness to pay) of the MCED test plus current single cancer screening (usual care) compared to usual care alone from a third-party payer perspective over a lifetime horizon.

METHODS

A hybrid cohort-level state-transition and decision-tree model was developed to estimate the clinical and economic outcomes of annual MCED testing between age 50 and 79 years. The impact on time and stage of diagnosis was computed using an interception modeling approach, with the consequences of cancer modeled based on stage at diagnosis. The model parameters were mainly sourced from the literature, including a published case-control study to inform MCED test performance. All costs were inflated to 2021 US dollars.

RESULTS

Multi-cancer early detection testing shifted cancer diagnoses to earlier stages, with a 53% reduction in stage IV cancer diagnoses, resulting in longer overall survival compared with usual care. Addition of MCED decreased per cancer treatment costs by $5421 and resulted in a gain of 0.13 and 0.38 quality-adjusted life-years across all individuals in the screening program and those diagnosed with cancer, respectively. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per quality-adjusted life-year gained, the potential value-based price of an MCED test was estimated at $1196. The projected survival of individuals diagnosed with cancer and the number of cancers detected at an earlier stage by MCED had the greatest impact on outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

An MCED test with high specificity would potentially improve long-term health outcomes and reduce cancer treatment costs, resulting in a value-based price of $1196 at a $100,000/quality-adjusted life-year willingness-to-pay threshold.

Lifetime Costs for Treated Follicular Lymphoma Patients in the US

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to estimate the lifetime costs of patients receiving treatment for follicular lymphoma (FL) in the United States.

METHODS

A Markov model was programmed in hēRo3 with a 6-month cycle length, 35-year time horizon (lifetime projection), and health states for line of treatment, response, receipt of maintenance therapy among responders, transformation to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), development of second primary malignancy (SPM), and death. The model was used to estimate the expected lifetime costs of FL (in 2019 USD), including costs of drug acquisition and administration, transplant procedures, radiotherapy, adverse events, follow-up, DLBCL, SPM, end-of-life care, and indirect costs. Model inputs were based on published sources.

RESULTS

In the US, patients with FL receiving treatment have a life expectancy of approximately 14.5 years from initiation of treatment and expected lifetime direct and indirect costs of US$515,884. Costs of drugs for induction therapy represent the largest expenditure (US$233,174), followed by maintenance therapy costs (US$88,971) and terminal care costs (US$57,065). Despite the relatively advanced age of these patients, indirect costs (due to patient morbidity and mortality and caregiver lost work time) represent a substantial share of total costs (US$40,280). Treated FL patients spend approximately 6.9 years in the health states associated with first-line therapy. Approximately 66 and 46% continue to second- and third-line therapies, respectively. The mean (95% credible interval) of expected lifetime costs based on the probabilistic sensitivity analyses was US$559,202 (421,997-762,553).

CONCLUSIONS

In the US, the expected lifetime costs of care for FL patients who receive treatment is high. The results highlight the potential economic benefits that might be achieved by treatments for FL that prevent or delay disease progression.

Positron-emission tomography-based staging is cost-effective in early-stage follicular lymphoma

The objective was to assess the cost-effectiveness of staging PET/CT in early-stage follicular lymphoma (FL) from the Canadian health-care system perspective. Methods: The study population was FL patients staged as early-stage using conventional CT imaging and planned for curative-intent radiation therapy (RT). A decision analytic model simulated the management after adding staging PET/CT versus using staging CT alone. In the no-PET/CT strategy, all patients proceeded to curative-intent RT as planned. In the PET/CT strategy, PET/CT information could result in an increased RT volume, switching to a noncurative approach, or no change in RT treatment as planned. The subsequent disease course was described using a state-transition cohort model over a 30-y time horizon. Diagnostic characteristics, probabilities, utilities, and costs were derived from the literature. Baseline analysis was performed using quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), costs (2019 Canadian dollars), and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Deterministic sensitivity analyses were conducted, evaluating net monetary benefit at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/QALY. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis using 10,000 simulations was performed. Costs and QALYs were discounted at a rate of 1.5%. Results: In the reference case scenario, staging PET/CT was the dominant strategy, resulting in an average lifetime cost saving of $3,165 and a gain of 0.32 QALYs. In deterministic sensitivity analyses, the PET/CT strategy remained the preferred strategy for all scenarios supported by available data. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, the PET/CT strategy was strongly dominant in 77% of simulations (i.e., reduced cost and increased QALYs) and was cost-effective in 89% of simulations (i.e., either saved costs or had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio below $100,000/QALY). Conclusion: Our analysis showed that the use of PET/CT to stage early-stage FL patients reduces cost and improves QALYs. Patients with early-stage FL should undergo PET/CT before curative-intent RT.

Cost-effectiveness and drug wastage of immunotherapeutic agents for hematologic malignancies: a systematic review

Introduction: Novel immunotherapeutic agents (e.g. monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific T-cell engagers) as treatment options for hematologic malignancies continue to emerge. These agents have been used as the standard of care in specific disease states and are associated with high costs. Value assessment of these therapies is of critical importance for coverage and reimbursement decision-making.Areas covered: We identified 15 immunotherapeutic agents through the U.S. FDA approvals for hematologic malignancies until 2018 and systematically reviewed related cost-effectiveness studies. Additionally, we examined whether drug wastage was accounted for in these studies.Expert opinion: We reviewed 51 studies for 14 identified immunotherapeutic agents that met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Three studies were observational-based, one study was model-based and incorporated observational data. The remaining studies were model-based with the majority of the model parameters extracted from randomized control trials (RCTs). Among 43 model-based economic evaluations, 13 studies accounted for drug wastage. Most of the studies showed favorable incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of immunotherapeutic agents-containing regimens when compared with no immunotherapeutic agents-containing regimens. Alemtuzumab, brentuximab vedotin, and daratumumab were not considered cost-effective across all the studies. Further investigations are warranted to establish the value of recent immunotherapeutic agents for hematologic malignancies.

Cost-Effectiveness Analyses, Costs and Resource Use, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Follicular or Marginal Zone Lymphoma: Systematic Reviews

BACKGROUND

Follicular lymphoma (FL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) are types of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that develop in the B lymphocytes (also known as B cells).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive review of studies relating to cost effectiveness, costs and resource use, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with FL or MZL.

METHODS

Three separate systematic reviews were conducted to identify all published evidence on cost effectiveness, costs and resource use, and HRQoL between 2007 and March 2017 using the MEDLINE^®, MEDLINE in-process, E-pubs ahead of print (Ovid SP^®), Embase (Ovid SP^®), NHS EED, and EconLit databases. Select congress proceedings were also searched. Two systematic reviewers independently reviewed titles, abstracts, and full papers against eligibility criteria. Relevant data were extracted into bespoke data extraction templates (DETs) by a single systematic reviewer; these data were then validated for accuracy by a second reviewer against clean copies of the relevant publications.

RESULTS

A total of 25 cost-effectiveness studies (24 in FL; 1 in FL and MZL) met the eligibility criteria. Markov models were the most utilised cost-effectiveness model. US FL studies reported an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $28,565/QALY for first-line rituximab-cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CVP) versus CVP, and $43,000/QALY for second-line obinutuzumab plus bendamustine (G + B) followed by G maintenance versus B. In the UK, ICERs were £1529-10,834/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) for first-line rituximab + chemotherapy versus chemotherapy, £27,988/QALY for second-line G + B + G-maintenance versus B, and £62,653/QALY for second-line idelalisib versus chemotherapy and/or rituximab. Five costs/resource use and four HRQoL studies were identified in FL, and none in MZL. US mean lifetime costs in first-line patients ranged from $108,000 (rituximab) to $130,300 (rituximab-cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine and prednisolone [CHOP]), and from £2185 (watch-and-wait) to £17,054 (chemotherapy) in the UK. In a multinational study, more rituximab-refractory patients receiving G + B + G-maintenance reported a meaningful improvement in total FACT-Lym scores compared with patients receiving B. In the UK, total FACT-Lym scores were meaningfully higher for newly diagnosed patients compared with patients with progression (136.04 vs. 109.7).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

We found a small body of evidence of quality of life, and potentially cost-effective treatment options for FL; however, no evidence was reported on MZL specifically. The significant data gaps in knowledge in these diseases demonstrate a marked need for further studies.

Treatment Patterns and Health Care Costs in Commercially Insured Patients with Follicular Lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Few studies have estimated the real-world economic burden such as all-cause and follicular lymphoma (FL)-related costs and health care resource utilization (HCRU) in patients with FL.

OBJECTIVES

This study evaluated outcomes in patients who were newly initiated with FL indicated regimens by line of therapy with real-world data.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted among patients with FL from MarketScan^® databases between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013. Patients were selected if they were ≥18 years old when initiated on a FL indicated therapy, had at least 1 FL-related diagnosis, ≥1 FL commonly prescribed systemic anti-cancer therapy after diagnosis, and did not use any FL indicated regimen in the 24 months prior to the first agent. These patients were followed up at least 48 months and the outcomes, including the distribution of regimens by line of therapy, the treatment duration by line of therapy, all-cause and FL-related costs, and HCRU by line of therapy were evaluated.

RESULTS

This study identified 598 patients who initiated FL indicated treatment. The average follow-up time was approximately 5.7 years. Of these patients, 50.2% (n=300) were female, with a mean age of 60.7 years (SD=13.1 years) when initiating their treatment with FL indicated regimens. Overall, 598 (100%) patients received first-line therapy, 180 (43.6%) received second-line therapy, 51 received third-line therapy, 21 received fourth-line therapy, and 10 received fifth-line therapy. Duration of treatment by each line of therapy was 370 days, 392 days, 162 days, 148 days, and 88 days, respectively. The most common first-line regimens received by patients were rituximab (n=201, 33.6%), R-CHOP (combination of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride [hydroxydaunomycin]; n=143, 24.0%), BR (combination of bendamustine and rituximab; n=143, 24.0%), and R-CVP (combination of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone; n=71, 11.9%). The most common second-line treatment regimens were (N=180): rituximab (n=78, 43.3%) and BR (n=41, 22.8%). Annualized all-cause health care costs per patient ranged from US$97 141 (SD: US$144 730) for first-line to US$424 758 (SD: US$715 028) for fifth-line therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The primary regimens used across treatment lines conform to those recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network clinical practice guidelines. The economic burden for patients with FL is high and grows with subsequent lines of therapy.

Initial Treatment of Early Stage and Low Tumor Burden Follicular Lymphoma

Patients with early stage follicular lymphoma frequently have prolonged overall survival and 40% may remain progression-free 20 years after receiving radiation therapy alone. Thus, such an approach is often considered in this population. Patients with advanced-stage disease but low tumor burden do not achieve a survival benefit by initiation treatment but early therapy with rituximab can improve quality of life and prolong time until need for further treatment and/or chemotherapy. Patients with advanced-stage follicular lymphoma who have low tumor burden should be managed in a personalized fashion taking into account individual feeling regarding treatment, toxicity, and long-term goals.

A Generic Model for Follicular Lymphoma: Predicting Cost, Life Expectancy, and Quality-Adjusted-Life-Year Using UK Population-Based Observational Data

OBJECTIVES

To use real-world data to develop a flexible generic decision model to predict cost, life expectancy, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for follicular lymphoma (FL) in the general patient population.

METHODS

All patients newly diagnosed with FL in the UK's population-based Haematological Malignancy Research Network (www.hmrn.org) between 2004 and 2011 were followed until 2015 (N = 740). Treatment pathways, QALYs, and costs were incorporated into a discrete event simulation to reflect patient heterogeneity, including age and disease management. Two scenario analyses, based on the latest National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines (rituximab induction therapy for newly diagnosed asymptomatic patients and rituximab maintenance therapy for patients between treatments), were conducted and their economic impacts were compared to current practice.

RESULTS

Incidence-based analysis revealed expected average lifetime costs ranging from £6,165 [US$7,709] to £63,864 [US$79,862] per patient, and average life expectancy from 75 days to 17.56 years. Prevalence-based analysis estimated average annual treatment costs of £60-65 million [US$75-80 million], accounting for approximately 10% of the United Kingdom's annual National Health Service budget for hematological cancers as a whole. Assuming that treatment effects reported in trials are applicable to all patient groups, scenario analyses for two recent NICE guidelines demonstrated potential annual cost savings for the United Kingdom that ranged with uptake frequency from £0.6 million to £11 million [US$0.75-2.75 million].

CONCLUSIONS

Costs, survival, and QALYs associated with FL vary markedly with patient characteristics and disease management. Allowing the production of more realistic outcomes across the patient population as a whole, our model addresses this heterogeneity and is a useful tool with which to evaluate new technologies/treatments to support healthcare decision makers.

Unmet needs in the first-line treatment of follicular lymphoma

For the majority of patients with newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma (FL), current treatments, while not curative, allow for long remission durations. However, several important needs remain unaddressed. Studies have consistently shown that ∼20% of patients with FL experience disease progression within 2 years of first-line treatment, and consequently have a 50% risk of death in 5 years. Better characterization of this group of patients at diagnosis may provide insight into those in need of alternate or intensive therapies, facilitate a precision approach to inform clinical trials, and allow for improved patient counseling. Prognostic methods to date have employed clinical parameters, genomic methods, and a wide assortment of biological and biochemical markers, but none so far has been able to adequately identify this high-risk population. Advances in the first-line treatment of FL with chemoimmunotherapy have led to a median progression-free survival (PFS) of approximately 7 years; creating a challenge in the development of clinical trials where PFS is a primary end point. A surrogate end point that accurately predicts PFS would allow for new treatments to reach patients with FL sooner, or lessen toxicity, time, and expense to those patients requiring little to no therapy. Quality of response to treatment may predict PFS and overall survival in FL; as such complete response rates, either alone or in conjunction with PET imaging or minimal residual disease negativity, are being studied as surrogates, with complete response at 30 months after induction providing the strongest surrogacy evidence to date. A better understanding of how to optimize quality of life in the context of this chronic illness is another important focus deserving of further study. Ongoing efforts to address these important unmet needs are herein discussed.

Management of untreated advanced stage follicular lymphoma: Role of patient discernment

Follicular lymphoma is the most common indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Advanced stage disease is common at diagnosis. The timing of treatment for follicular lymphoma is best approached by considering the combination of presence or absence of symptoms along with estimation of tumor burden. Upfront treatment strategies should take into initial presentation variables, pace of disease progression and goals of care after discussion with the patient. Treatment approaches remain diverse and patient discernment is paramount.

The cost-effectiveness of immediate treatment or watch and wait with deferred chemotherapy for advanced asymptomatic follicular lymphoma

Recent evidence has shown that immediate treatment with rituximab induction, with and without maintenance, substantially reduces the need for further treatment in patients with advanced asymptomatic follicular lymphoma. This analysis estimates the cost-effectiveness of immediate treatment approaches in comparison to a watch and wait approach from the perspective of the UK National Health Service. A Markov decision model was developed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of treatment strategies in patients with asymptomatic follicular lymphoma. The model was populated using effectiveness data from a systematic literature review with the key clinical data sourced from a randomised trial, in which the treatment strategies were compared. Costs were estimated using UK national sources. In comparison to watchful waiting, both rituximab strategies were found to be more effective and cost saving. In comparison to rituximab induction, the addition of rituximab maintenance marginally increased effectiveness but substantially increased costs, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of £69 406 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, rituximab induction was found to have a 68% probability of being cost-effective at a threshold of £20 000 per QALY. In conclusion, active treatment with rituximab induction is a cost-effective strategy to adopt in patients with asymptomatic follicular lymphoma.

Retrospective analysis of first-line treatment for follicular lymphoma based on outcomes and medical economics

BACKGROUND

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), with indolent progression. Several treatment options are selected, based not only on disease status, quality of life (QOL), and age of patient, but also on recent increasing medical costs. We retrospectively analysed the first-line treatment of FL with regard to treatment outcomes and medical economics, and discuss the appropriate strategies for FL.

METHODS

Data on a total of 69 newly-diagnosed patients with FL was retrospectively collected from 2001 to 2015.

RESULTS

The median age of the patients was 60 years and the median follow-up was 58 months. A total of 25 cases with FL were treated with R monotherapy, and 28 cases were treated with R-CHOP as first-line treatment. The factors affecting the decision of physicians to use R or R-CHOP treatment were serum level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and disease stage. The first-line treatment-associated survival did not show any statistical differences between R and R-CHOP. The average hospitalization and average of all medical costs during the first-line treatment were 4.1 days (R) versus 55.7 days (R-CHOP), and JPY 1,707,693 (USD 15,324) (R) versus JPY 2,136,117 (USD 19,170) (R-CHOP), respectively.

CONCLUSION

R monotherapy for patients whose diseases show low tumor burden and who are not candidates for local treatment has benefits as a first-line treatment compared to R-CHOP, based on the patients' QOL and medical economics.

Rituximab in B-Cell Hematologic Malignancies: A Review of 20 Years of Clinical Experience

Rituximab is a human/murine, chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody with established efficacy, and a favorable and well-defined safety profile in patients with various CD20-expressing lymphoid malignancies, including indolent and aggressive forms of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Since its first approval 20 years ago, intravenously administered rituximab has revolutionized the treatment of B-cell malignancies and has become a standard component of care for follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and mantle cell lymphoma. For all of these diseases, clinical trials have demonstrated that rituximab not only prolongs the time to disease progression but also extends overall survival. Efficacy benefits have also been shown in patients with marginal zone lymphoma and in more aggressive diseases such as Burkitt lymphoma. Although the proven clinical efficacy and success of rituximab has led to the development of other anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies in recent years (e.g., obinutuzumab, ofatumumab, veltuzumab, and ocrelizumab), rituximab is likely to maintain a position within the therapeutic armamentarium because it is well established with a long history of successful clinical use. Furthermore, a subcutaneous formulation of the drug has been approved both in the EU and in the USA for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. Using the wealth of data published on rituximab during the last two decades, we review the preclinical development of rituximab and the clinical experience gained in the treatment of hematologic B-cell malignancies, with a focus on the well-established intravenous route of administration. This article is a companion paper to A. Davies, et al., which is also published in this issue.

FUNDING

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland.

Addition of Rituximab to Involved-Field Radiation Therapy Prolongs Progression-free Survival in Stage I-II Follicular Lymphoma: Results of a Multicenter Study

PURPOSE

Rituximab (Rit) therapy added to involved-field radiation therapy (RT) has been proposed as an effective treatment for stage I-II follicular lymphoma (FL). The results of an observational multicenter study on the Rit-RT combination in limited-stage FL are here reported.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Data have been collected from 2 consecutive cohorts of 94 patients with stage I-II FL treated between 1985 and 2011 at 5 Italian institutions. All patients had grade 1-3a FL, a median age of 54 years (range: 25-82). The first 51 patients received RT alone (control group), while the subsequent series of 43 patients received 4 rituximab courses (375 mg/m(2), days 1, 8, 15, 22) before RT (Rit-RT). Molecular disease was evaluated by nested bcl-2/IgH PCR or clonal IgH rearrangement was available in 33 Rit-RT patients.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up of 10.9 years (range: 1.8-22.9), the 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) projections for the whole cohort were 57% and 87.5%, respectively. The 10-year PFS was significantly longer (P<.05) in the Rit-RT group (64.6%) compared to RT alone (50.7%), whereas the 10-year OS projections were not significantly different. On bivariate analysis controlling for stage, there was only a trend toward improved PFS for Rit-RT (HR, 0.55; P=.081). Follicular lymphoma international prognostic index and age were associated with OS but not with PFS on Cox regression analysis. Bone marrow molecular analysis showing PCR positivity at diagnosis was strongly associated with relapse risk upon univariate and multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

This multicenter observational study suggests a potential benefit of adding rituximab to radiation therapy for stage I-II FL. The results of the currently ongoing randomized studies are required to confirm these results. The study underlines the importance of molecular disease monitoring also for patient with limited-stage disease.

Rituximab for indolent lymphomas before and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The most substantial advancement in the treatment of indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), since the advent of combination chemotherapy, has been the introduction of the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab. However, the optimal schedule, timing, and duration of rituximab therapy remain controversial.

RECENT FINDINGS

Since its initially reported single-agent activity in 1997, the role of rituximab has greatly expanded and it is now ubiquitously integrated in all treatment phases of indolent NHL. Yet, several questions remain to be addressed: should asymptomatic patients be treated at diagnosis with single-agent rituximab or still kept in watchful waiting, what are the optimal first-line treatments to combine with rituximab, what is the role of maintenance therapy, and is there a benefit in incorporating rituximab in autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation schemes for these diseases? Recent and ongoing clinical trials tackling these relevant issues will be presented and critically discussed in this article.

SUMMARY

Excellent outcomes are reported with rituximab therapy in indolent NHL, both early and late in the disease course. Continued study of this most valuable therapeutic agent is warranted to set the optimal treatment approach leading to cure the majority of patients.