BACKGROUND: Management of asymptomatic early stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) centered on expectant surveillance for active disease warranting chemotherapy. In CLL, elevated serum β-2 microglobulin (β2M) levels were associated with more rapid disease progression and shorter survival (OS). METHODS: An early intervention trial was designed to assess response, time-to-progression (TTP), and OS after immunotherapy with standard-dose rituximab (375 mg/m² intravenously weekly for 8 consecutive weeks) in 34 asymptomatic untreated early stage CLL with β2M level ≥ 2 mg/dL. RESULTS: Long-term follow-up and results are reported. The overall response rate in 34 patients was 82% (9% complete [CR]), median TTP in the 28 responders was 23 months, the median time to subsequent treatment was 43 months, and the 8-year OS rate was 74% (median follow-up, 102 months). CONCLUSIONS: Early treatment with rituximab was well tolerated and safe. Further studies are needed to determine if this intervention can decrease CLL-related morbidity and mortality.
BACKGROUND: Management of asymptomatic early stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) centered on expectant surveillance for active disease warranting chemotherapy. In CLL, elevated serum β-2 microglobulin (β2M) levels were associated with more rapid disease progression and shorter survival (OS). METHODS: An early intervention trial was designed to assess response, time-to-progression (TTP), and OS after immunotherapy with standard-dose rituximab (375 mg/m² intravenously weekly for 8 consecutive weeks) in 34 asymptomatic untreated early stage CLL with β2M level ≥ 2 mg/dL. RESULTS: Long-term follow-up and results are reported. The overall response rate in 34 patients was 82% (9% complete [CR]), median TTP in the 28 responders was 23 months, the median time to subsequent treatment was 43 months, and the 8-year OS rate was 74% (median follow-up, 102 months). CONCLUSIONS: Early treatment with rituximab was well tolerated and safe. Further studies are needed to determine if this intervention can decrease CLL-related morbidity and mortality.
Authors: J C Byrd; T Murphy; R S Howard; M S Lucas; A Goodrich; K Park; M Pearson; J K Waselenko; G Ling; M R Grever; A J Grillo-Lopez; J Rosenberg; L Kunkel; I W Flinn Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2001-04-15 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: G Dighiero; K Maloum; B Desablens; B Cazin; M Navarro; R Leblay; M Leporrier; J Jaubert; G Lepeu; B Dreyfus; J L Binet; P Travade Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 1998-05-21 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Michael J Keating; Susan O'Brien; Maher Albitar; Susan Lerner; William Plunkett; Francis Giles; Michael Andreeff; Jorge Cortes; Stefan Faderl; Deborah Thomas; Charles Koller; William Wierda; Michelle A Detry; Alice Lynn; Hagop Kantarjian Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2005-03-14 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: L D Piro; C A White; A J Grillo-López; N Janakiraman; A Saven; T M Beck; C Varns; S Shuey; M Czuczman; J W Lynch; J E Kolitz; V Jain Journal: Ann Oncol Date: 1999-06 Impact factor: 32.976
Authors: William G Wierda; Susan O'Brien; Xuemei Wang; Stefan Faderl; Alessandra Ferrajoli; Kim-Anh Do; Guillermo Garcia-Manero; Jorge Cortes; Deborah Thomas; Charles Koller; Jan Burger; Susan Lerner; Hagop Kantarjian; Michael Keating Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2009-02-17 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: Paolo Strati; Wei-Gang Tong; Candida Vitale; William G Wierda; Susan O'Brien; Jennifer R Brown; Wen-Kai Weng; Thomas Kipps; Michael J Keating; Alessandra Ferrajoli Journal: Leuk Lymphoma Date: 2014-11-20