The role of transplantation in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: the impact of rituximab plus chemotherapy in first-line and relapsed settings

Management of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: focus on adoptive T-cell therapy

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) represents a heterogeneous group of malignancies with high diversity in terms of biology, clinical responses, and prognosis. Standard therapy regimens produce a 5-year relative survival rate of only 69%, with the critical need to increase the treatment-success rate of this patient population presenting at diagnosis with a median age of 66 years and many comorbidities. The evidence that an impaired immune system favors the development of NHL has opened the stage for new therapeutics, and specifically for the adoptive transfer of ex vivo-expanded antigen-specific T-cells. In this review, we discuss how T-cells specific for viral-associated antigens, nonviral-associated antigens expressed by the tumor, T-cells redirected through the expression of chimeric antigen receptors, and transgenic T-cell receptors against tumor cells have been developed and used in clinical trials for the treatment of patients with NHLs.

Surgical decompression improves recovery from neurological deficit and may provide a survival benefit in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma-associated spinal cord compression: a case-series study

BACKGROUND

Malignancy-associated spinal cord compression is generally treated by surgical decompression, radiotherapy or a combination of both. Since diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is highly sensitive to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the role of surgical decompression in the treatment of DLBCL-associated spinal cord compression remains unclear. We therefore conducted a retrospective review to investigate the impact of surgical decompression on recovery from neurological deficit caused by DLBCL-associated spinal cord compression and patients' overall survival.

METHODS

Between March 2001 and September 2011, 497 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients were reviewed, and 11 cases had DLBCL-associated spinal cord compression. Six cases were treated surgically and five cases nonsurgically.

RESULTS

The rates of complete recovery from neurological deficit were 100% (6/6) and 20% (1/5) for patients in the surgical and nonsurgical groups, respectively (P = 0.015), while the median survival for patients in the surgical and nonsurgical groups was 48.6 months and 17.8 months, respectively (P = 0.177).

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that surgical decompression can improve recovery from neurological deficit in patients with DLBCL-associated spinal cord compression, possibly providing these patients a survival benefit.

Treatment of primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) following successful treatment of systemic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL): a case series

Management of PCNSL occurring after successful treatment of systemic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is poorly defined. Illustrate a treatment approach for PCNSL following prior treatment of a systemic NHL. A retrospective case series of 6 patients (mean age 60 years; range 46-65) diagnosed with a diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the CNS following prior successful treatment of a systemic NHL (low-grade in 2; high-grade in 4). Mean interval to diagnosis of PCNSL after diagnosis of systemic NHL was 12 months (range 7-18). In 4/6 patients in whom genetic analysis could be performed, the PCNSL and NHL differed. Treatment utilized high-dose methotrexate and rituximab (immunochemotherapy) followed in patients with a radiographic complete response by autologous peripheral stem cell transplant (ASCT) with total body irradiation (TBI) and multi-agent conditioning chemotherapy (BEAM: carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan). 5/6 patients had a radiographic complete response to immunochemotherapy and were treated with ASCT. 4/5 patients were free of disease following ASCT with a mean follow-up of 3 years (range 0.5-4 years). There were no toxic deaths and all patients transplanted successfully engrafted within 28 days (mean 18). Using a treatment paradigm similar to that utilized for recurrent systemic NHL (induction chemotherapy followed by ASCT) for PCNSL occurring metachronously after successful treatment of systemic NHL appears safe and effective.

The role of allogeneic haematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation in patients with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (DLBCL)

Despite the undoubted improvement in the prognosis of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) with the addition of rituximab in the front-line treatment, a significant proportion of patients still relapse. Salvage immune-chemotherapy followed by high-dose therapy with autologous haematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) remains the treatment of choice for such patients, especially in those who demonstrate chemosensitive disease. In recent years, allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) has increasingly been used for patients who are resistant to salvage treatment or relapse after an auto-HCT. Strategies using reduced intensity conditioning regimens have allowed application of this approach to a broader range of patients. PFS is up to 55% with a risk of relapse up to 80% depending on different studies. In multivariate analysis, several factors have been associated with favourable outcome including chemosensitivity of the disease, younger age and Karnofsky performance status at the time of the transplant being the strongest ones. DLIs have shown to induce durable responses in relapsed or progressed disease; however, its role remains controversial as the results are inferior to the responses seen in other haematological malignancies. More recently, the addition of MoAbs in the non-myeloablative conditioning regimens has shown encouraging results. In conclusion, allo-HCT is a feasible option in selective patients with chemosensitive DBCL, as it reduces the risk of relapse; however, this is achieved at the cost of significant non-relapse mortality.