Maintenance rituximab after autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with mantle cell lymphoma.
Ann Oncol 2015;
26:2323-8. [PMID:
26347113 PMCID:
PMC4621031 DOI:
10.1093/annonc/mdv364]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
High-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) improves outcomes for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), but relapse ultimately occurs in most patients. Recently presented interim results from a phase III prospective trial suggest maintenance rituximab (MR) after ASCT for MCL improves progression-free survival (PFS). The maturation of these data and any benefit of MR on overall survival (OS) remain to be defined.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
In this retrospective study, we examined a cohort of consecutive patients with MCL that underwent ASCT for MCL at our center and evaluated their outcomes according to whether they received MR after ASCT (n = 50) or did not (n = 107). MR was treated as a time-dependent covariate to account for variation in timing of its initiation.
RESULTS
MR was associated with an improved PFS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.44; confidence interval (CI) (0.24-0.80), P = 0.007] and overall survival (OS; HR 0.46; CI 0.23-0.93, P = 0.03) following a multivariate adjustment for confounding factors with a median follow-up of ∼5 years. Grade 4 neutropenia was increased (34% versus 18%, P = 0.04) in the MR group, but no effect on the rate of mortality unrelated to relapse was observed.
CONCLUSIONS
These data support that MR after ASCT for MCL confers a benefit in PFS and additionally suggest it may improve OS. General application of this strategy will require confirmation of benefit in prospective randomized trials.
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