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This international, multicentre phase II study was conducted to assess ofatumumab, a human anti- CD20 monoclonal antibody, in patients with relapsed/progressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma ( DLBCL) who were ineligible for autologous stem cell transplantation ( TI) or who had relapse/progression after transplantation ( PT). Eighty-one patients received ofatumumab 300 mg intravenously ( IV) on Day 1, followed by seven weekly IV infusions of 1000 mg. Patients in the TI and PT groups had received a median of 3 (range, 1-7) and 5 (range, 2-7) prior therapies, respectively. One-third of patients did not respond to the last prior therapy, and 53% had failed two or more rituximab-containing therapies. Overall response rate was 13% for the TI group (seven partial responses) and 8% for the PT group (two complete responses). Median progression-free survival was 2·6 months, and median duration of response was 9·5 months. The most common Grade 3-4 adverse events were neutropenia (11%), leucopenia (6%), lymphopenia (6%) and thrombocytopenia (6%). Sixteen deaths have been reported, with disease progression as the most common cause of death. In conclusion, ofatumumab monotherapy was well tolerated and provided clinical benefit to some DLBCL patients in this study. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT00622388). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a research about the long-term results of the registered patients and their rate of histologic transformation (HT) rate to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). It states that 164 patients with nodular, lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) served as subjects of the study. Findings show that there was no significant difference in the overall survival rate after HT of patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and the others.

Myelosuppression, particularly febrile neutropenia (FN), are serious dose-limiting toxicities that occur frequently during the first cycle of chemotherapy. Identifying patients most at risk of developing FN might help physicians to target prophylactic treatment with colony-stimulating factor (CSF), in order to decrease the incidence, or duration, of myelosuppression and facilitate delivery of chemotherapy as planned. We present a risk model for FN occurrence in the first cycle of chemotherapy, based on a subgroup of 240 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) enroled in our European prospective observational study. Eligible patients had an International Prognostic Index of 0–3, and were scheduled to receive a new myelosuppressive chemotherapy regimen with at least four cycles. Clinically relevant factors significantly associated with cycle 1 FN were older age, increasing planned cyclophosphamide dose, a history of previous chemotherapy, a history of recent infection, and low baseline albumin (<35 g/l). Prophylactic CSF use and higher weight were associated with a significant protective effect. The model had high sensitivity (81%) and specificity (80%). Our model, together with treatment guidelines, may rationalise the clinical decision of whether to support patients with CSF primary prophylaxis based on their risk factor profile. Further validation is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary. Death during the induction phase of chemotherapy remains a common event in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). In a series of patients with aggressive NHL homogeneously treated with intensive induction chemotherapy [ACVB (doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, bleomycin, prednisone) regimen], we determined the clinical and biological parameters that were predictive of early death. Early death was defined as death, for whatever reason, occurring within 100 d of randomization. Predictive factors were identified by logistic regression and an index predictive for individual risk of early death was designed. Among the 2210 patients treated with ACVB, there were 162 (7·3%) early deaths. There was no significant reduction in the rate of early death between 1987 and 1998. In a multivariate analysis, age > 60 years, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status > 1, serum lactate dehydrogenase > normal, serum albumin < 30 g/l, leucocyte counts > 10 × 109 /l and haemoglobin levels < 8·5 g/dl were found to be independent predictive factors for early death. An early death index was designed, enabling the evaluation of the individual risk of early death in young (range 2–31% risk of early death) and elderly patients (range 5–53%). Clinical and biological parameters available at diagnosis can help physicians identify patients with aggressive lymphoma at low or high risk of early death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]