Rituxan improves survival

Below are a variety of abstracts from the 2004 ASCO convention, and the 2003 ASH convention which give compelling evidence that Rituxan in combination with chemotherapy can increase the rate of cures for aggressive types of non-hodgkin's lymphoma, and extend the Time To Progression for follicular and other types of low grade lymphoma.

CHOP-R therapy overcomes the adverse prognostic influence of BCL-2 expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Author(s): K. S. Wilson, L. H. Sehn, B. Berry, M. Chhanabhai, J. M. Connors, C. A. Fitzgerald, K. K. Gill, R. Klasa, B. Skinnider, R. D. Gascoyne; BC Cancer Agency, Victoria, BC, Canada; BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada; BC Cancer Agency, Surrey, BC, Canada

Effect of the addition of rituximab to front line therapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) on the remission rate and time to treatment failure (TTF) compared to CHOP alone in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL): Results of a prospective randomized trial of the German Low Grade Lymphoma Study Group (GLSG).

Author(s): W. Hiddemann, M. Dreyling, M. Unterhalt, R. Repp, S. Hermann, A. Haenel, B. Metzner, C. Pott, F. Hartmann, R. Parwaresch; Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München, Germany

Randomized intergroup trial of first line treatment for patients <=60 years with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (DLBCL) with a CHOP-like regimen with or without the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab - early stopping after the first interim analysis.

Author(s): M. G. Pfreundschuh, L. Trümper, D. Ma, A. Österborg, R. Pettengell, M. Trneny, L. Shepherd, J. Waleswski, P.-L. Zinzani, M. Loeffler; Saarland University Medical School, Homburg, Germany; DSHNHL, Homburg, Germany; Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group ALLG, Sidney, Australia; Swedish Lymphoma Group, Stockholm, Sweden; Britsih National Lymphoma Investigation, London, United Kingdom; Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; NCI-Canada Lymphoma Group, Homburg, Germany; Polish Lymphoma Group, Warszawa, Poland; Italian Northern Lymphoma Group, Bologna, Italy

Randomized phase II study of concurrent and sequential combinations of rituximab (R) plus CHOP (R-CHOP) in untreated indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL).

Author(s): K. Tobinai, T. Watanabe, M. Ogura, Y. Morishima, K. Itoh, T. Igarashi, T. Hotta, T. Kinoshita, S. Mori, Y. Ohashi; National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya, Japan; National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan; Tokai University, Isehara, Japan; Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan; University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Results of E1496: A phase III trial of CVP with or without maintenance rituximab in advanced indolent lymphoma (NHL).

Author(s): H. S. Hochster, E. Weller, T. Ryan, T. M. Habermann, R. Gascoyne, S. R. Frankel, S. J. Horning, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, Cancer and Leukemia Group B; NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY; DFCI, Boston, MA; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; British Cancer Control Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada; University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD; Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA

Combined Immuno-Chemotherapy (R-CHOP) Significantly Improves Time To Treatment Failure in First Line Therapy of Follicular Lymphoma Results of a Prospective Randomized Trial of the German Low Grade Lymphoma Study Group (GLSG).

Wolfgang Hiddemann, Martin H. Dreyling, Roswitha Forstpointner, Michael Kneba, Bernhard Woermann, Eva Lengfelder, Rudolf Schmits, Marcel Reiser, Bernd Metzner, Norbert Schmitz, Lorenz Truemper, H. Eimermacher, Reza Parwaresch Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Munich - Hospital Grosshadern, Munich, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Heidelberg - Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Homburg/Saar, Homburg, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine II, Hospital Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine, St. Georg Hospital, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany; Department of Medicine, St Marien Hospital, Hagen, Germany; Department of Hematopathology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany