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GALLIUM is a global phase III study that demonstrated significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) for obinutuzumab plus chemotherapy (G-chemo) vs. rituximab plus chemotherapy (R-chemo) in previously untreated patients with follicular lymphoma (FL). This study aimed to report the results of a subgroup of patients in China.Patients were randomized to G-chemo or R-chemo. Responders received maintenance therapy for 2 years or until disease progression. The primary endpoint was investigator (INV)-assessed PFS. Secondary endpoints included the overall response rate (ORR) and complete response rate (CRR) at the end of induction chemotherapy, overall survival (OS), and safety.Overall, 58 patients with FL were randomized to the G-chemo (n = 25) and R-chemo arms (n = 33). The INV-assessed PFS rate at 3 years was 81.8% in the G-chemo arm, vs. 70.2% in the R-chemo arm (hazard ratio 0.35; 95% confidence interval: 0.09-1.34; P = 0.1120). The INV-assessed CRRs (without positron emission tomography [PET]) in these arms were 24.0% and 21.2%, respectively, whereas the ORRs were 80.0% and 90.9%, respectively. INV-assessed CRR-PET was 52.6% in the G-chemo, vs. 60.9% in the R-chemo. Median OS was not reached in either arm. Grade 3 to 5 adverse events were more frequent in the R-chemo arm (97.0% vs. 88.0%).The results of this subgroup analysis were consistent with those of the global population, and they suggest that G-chemo has a positive benefit-risk profile in patients from China with FL.ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT01332968.

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a cell-surface receptor contributing to lymphocyte homing, adhesion and activation. The prognostic significance of the protein is unknown in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in post-rituximab era. We detected expression of ICAM-1 immunohistochemically in 102 DLBCL tissue samples. Overexpression of ICAM-1 was found in 28 (27.5%) cases. In patients with low ICAM-1 expression levels, the addition of rituximab to CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) chemotherapy resulted in an improved overall response rate, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) (P=0.019, 0.01, 0.02). In pre-clinical models, we found that chronic exposure of cell lines to rituximab led to downregulation of ICAM-1 and acquirement of a rituximab resistant phenotype. In vitro exposure of rituximab resulted in rapid aggregation of B-cells regardless of the ICAM-1 expression levels. MTT assay showed knockdown of ICAM-1 could cause rituximab resistance. Neutralization of ICAM-1 did not affect rituximab activity in vitro and in vivo. Our data illustrated that in post-rituximab era, R-CHOP significantly improved the ORR, PFS and OS in ICAM-1 negative subset patients. Downregulation of ICAM-1 may contribute to rituximab resistance, and that rituximab, by promoting cell-cell aggregation, may sensitize cells to the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy agents.

This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of interim positron emission tomography (iPET) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Among 53 enrolled patients, 39 had iPET-negative (iPET−) and 14 had iPET-positive (iPET+) scans. The objective response rate was 94.3%. The 3-year progression-free survival was 65.7% and the 3-year overall survival was 79.9%. The iPET− patients had significantly higher 3-year PFS rate (78.1% vs. 34.3%) and improved OS (87.1% vs. 62.3%) than iPET+ patients. In the univariate analysis, iPET− was the sole independent prognostic factor for PFS. In conclusion, PET/CT has a good prognostic value in patients with advanced-stage DLBCL. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT 01804127. Registered on March 5th, 2013, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01804127?term=01804127&rank=1 .

Background The optimal treatment strategies for extranodal natural killer/ T‐cell lymphoma (ENKTL) have not been defined. We conducted this prospective, open‐label, phase II, single‐center study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of radiotherapy followed by DICEP (Dexamethasone, ifosfamide, cisplatin, etoposide, and pegaspargase) regimen in the treatment of patients with untreated, stage IE/IIE, extranodal NK/T‐cell lymphoma. Methods Thirty eligible patients were enrolled in this study, receiving radiotherapy of 50Gy/25fx, and followed by chemotherapy with DICEP regimen for 3 cycles if tolerated. Median follow‐up time of this study was 70.8 months. We constructed Kaplan‐Meier survival curves for survival analyses. Results The most common manifestations at the onset of disease were nasal obstruction (80%), with or without fever, and pharyngalgia (20%). The overall response rate (ORR) was 96.7% (29/30). Four patients (13.3%) had progression of the disease (PD), the estimated 5‐year progression‐free survival (PFS) rate was 86%. Four patients (13.3%) died of disease, and the estimated 5‐year cumulative overall survival (OS) was 87%. The most common hematological toxicity was grade 3 or grade 4 neutropenia, which could be successfully managed via using growth‐stimulating factors or dose modifications. Hypoalbuminemia and decreased fibrinogen are the top two nonhematologic toxicities. No treatment‐related death occurred in this study. Conclusions Our present study showed that radiotherapy followed by DICEP chemotherapy could be an effective and tolerable treatment modality for newly diagnosed, stage IE/IIE ENKTL patients. Adverse events were predictable and manageable. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01667302. Registered: 1 July 2012, The current results indicated that radiotherapy followed by DICEP chemotherapy could be an effective and feasible treatment strategy for patients with stage IE/IIE ENKTL.

Objective Primary testicular diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PT-DLBCL) is relatively rare, and risk factors of this disease are still not well understood. This study aims to identify clinical features and prognostic factors of PT-DLBCL patients. Methods Thirty-two patients were included in this retrospective study who were diagnosed as PT-DLBCL and treated in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center between November 2010 and May 2018. The demographic details, clinico-pathological characteristics of the patients were summarized, and the impact on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was analyzed. Results The median age of the patients was 57 (range 36-76) years old. All patients received rituximab in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) for 4-6 cycles and central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis, with a CR rate 87.5% and an ORR 96.9%. Nineteen patients continued prophylactic contralateral testis radiation therapy (PCTRT) in our hospital. The 3-year PFS and OS rates were 79% and 92%, respectively. None of the 19 patients who received PCTRT experienced local recurrence. All three patients who suffered from CNS relapse were germinal center B-cell subtype. Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that PT-DLBCL patients with late-stage (Stage IV) (P =0.022), higher IPI score (IPI≥ 2) (P =0.017), B symptoms (P =0.004), and elevated LDH level (P =0.03) had a shorter PFS. More importantly, we found that patients with the ratio of the LDH level in serum to that in CSF ≥ 6.5 suffered from a worse PFS (P =0.028). Conclusion Our work revealed that staging IV, IPI score ≥2, having B symptoms and elevated LDH level were risk factors for PT-DLBCL patients. Significantly, the PT-DLBCL patients with a high ratio of LDH level in serum to that in CSF were indicated to have a worse PFS.

60th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH) -- DEC 01-04, 2018 -- San Diego, CA Jurczak, Wojciech/0000-0003-1879-8084; Johnson, Peter/0000-0003-2306-4974; ZINZANI, PIER LUIGI/0000-0002-2112-2651; Leppa, Sirpa/0000-0002-8265-511X WOS: 000468868300004 PubMed: 30901302 PURPOSE Ibrutinib has shown activity in non-germinal center B-cell diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). This double-blind phase III study evaluated ibrutinib and rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in untreated non-germinal center B-cell DLBCL. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients were randomly assigned at a one-to-one ratio to ibrutinib (560 mg per day orally) plus R-CHOP or placebo plus R-CHOP. The primary end point was event-free survival (EFS) in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population and the activated B-cell (ABC) DLBCL subgroup. Secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS A total of 838 patients were randomly assigned to ibrutinib plus R-CHOP (n = 419) or placebo plus R-CHOP (n = 419). Median age was 62.0 years; 75.9% of evaluable patients had ABC subtype disease, and baseline characteristics were balanced. Ibrutinib plus R-CHOP did not improve EFS in the ITT (hazard ratio [HR], 0.934) or ABC (HR, 0.949) population. A preplanned analysis showed a significant interaction between treatment and age. In patients age younger than 60 years, ibrutinib plus R-CHOP improved EFS (HR, 0.579), PFS (HR, 0.556), and OS (HR, 0.330) and slightly increased serious adverse events (35.7% v 28.6%), but the proportion of patients receiving at least six cycles of R-CHOP was similar between treatment arms (92.9% v 93.0%). In patients age 60 years or older, ibrutinib plus R-CHOP worsened EFS, PFS, and OS, increased serious adverse events (63.4% v 38.2%), and decreased the proportion of patients receiving at least six cycles of R-CHOP (73.7% v 88.8%). CONCLUSION The study did not meet its primary end point in the ITT or ABC population. However, in patients age younger than 60 years, ibrutinib plus R-CHOP improved EFS, PFS, and OS with manageable safety. In patients age 60 years or older, ibrutinib plus R-CHOP was associated with increased toxicity, leading to compromised R-CHOP administration and worse outcomes. Further investigation is warranted. (C) 2019 by American Society of Clinical Oncology Amer Soc Hematol Janssen Global Services; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Support Grant [P30 CA008748] Supported by Janssen Global Services, which also provided writing and editorial support, and by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Support Grant No. P30 CA008748 (A.Y.).

Risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation was assessed in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients with resolved HBV infection (hepatitis B surface antigen negative, hepatitis B core antibody positive) who received obinutuzumab- or rituximab-containing immunochemotherapy in the phase 3 GOYA and GALLIUM studies. HBV DNA monitoring was undertaken monthly to 1 year after the last dose of study drug. In case of HBV reactivation (confirmed, HBV DNA ≥29 IU/mL), immunochemotherapy was withheld and nucleos(t)ide analog treatment (preemptive NAT) started. Immunochemotherapy was restarted if HBV DNA became undetectable or reactivation was not confirmed, and discontinued if HBV DNA exceeded 100 IU/mL on NAT. Prophylactic NAT was allowed by investigator discretion. Among 326 patients with resolved HBV infection, 27 (8.2%) had HBV reactivation, occurring a median of 125 days (interquartile range, 85-331 days) after the first dose. In 232 patients without prophylactic NAT, 25 (10.8%) had HBV reactivation; all received preemptive NAT. Ninety-four patients received prophylactic NAT; 2 (2.1%) had HBV reactivation. No patients developed HBV-related hepatitis. On multivariate Cox analysis, detectable HBV DNA at baseline was strongly associated with an increased risk of reactivation (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 18.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.04-54.93; P < .0001). Prophylactic NAT was strongly associated with a reduced risk (adjusted HR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.02-0.41; P = .0018). HBV DNA monitoring–guided preemptive NAT was effective in preventing HBV-related hepatitis during anti–CD20-containing immunochemotherapy in B-cell NHL patients with resolved HBV infection. Antiviral prophylaxis was also effective and may be appropriate for high-risk patients. These trials were registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01287741 (GOYA) and NCT01332968 (GALLIUM).

BACKGROUND: To explore a more effective treatment strategy for newly diagnosed stage I and II extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL), nasal type, we conducted a prospective phase II study of sequential chemoradiotherapy with the L-asparaginase, dexamethasone, ifosfamide, cisplatin, and etoposide (DICE-L) regimen. METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed stage I and II ENKTL in the upper-aerodigestive tract were enrolled. Treatment was comprised of up to 4 cycles of DICE-L followed by 50 Gy of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to the involved field. The primary endpoint was the complete response (CR) rate. The secondary endpoints were the objective response rate (ORR), the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate, the 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate, and safety. RESULTS: A total of 81 patients were enrolled from June 2009 to May 2012 in Shanghai Cancer Hospital. Among these patients, 68 patients achieved CR and 1 patient achieved partial response (PR). The CR rate was 84%, and the ORR was 85.2%. With a median follow up of 88.1 months, the 5-year OS and 5-year PFS rates were 82.4% and 63.4%, respectively. The most common adverse events were grade 3 to 4 neutropenia (73.5%) and febrile neutropenia (21%). CONCLUSIONS: Sequential chemoradiotherapy using DICE-L followed by radiotherapy is an effective treatment modality for stage I to IIE ENKTL and is safe with acceptable toxicity.

GOYA was a randomized phase 3 study comparing obinutuzumab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) vs standard-of-care rituximab plus CHOP in patients with previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). This retrospective analysis of GOYA aimed to assess the association between progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) with positron emission tomography (PET)–based complete response (CR) status. Overall, 1418 patients were randomly assigned to receive 8 21-day cycles of obinutuzumab (n = 706) or rituximab (n = 712) plus 6 or 8 cycles of CHOP. Patients received a mandatory fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose–PET/computed tomography scan at baseline and end of treatment. After a median follow-up of 29 months, the numbers of independent review committee–assessed PFS and OS events in the entire cohort were 416 (29.3%) and 252 (17.8%), respectively. End-of-treatment PET CR was highly prognostic for PFS and OS according to Lugano 2014 criteria (PFS: hazard ratio [HR], 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19-0.38; P < .0001; OS: HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.08-0.17; P < .0001), irrespective of international prognostic index score and cell of origin. In conclusion, the results from this prospectively acquired large cohort corroborated previously published data from smaller sample sizes showing that end-of-treatment PET CR is an independent predictor of PFS and OS and a promising prognostic marker in DLBCL. Long-term survival analysis confirmed the robustness of these data over time. Additional meta-analyses including other prospective studies are necessary to support the substitution of PET CR for PFS as an effective and practical surrogate end point. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01287741.

Yizhen Liu,1 Yumei Liu,2 Ping Zhao,3 Qunling Zhang,1 Xiaojian Liu,1 Fangfang Lv,1 Xiaonan Hong,1 Junning Cao,1 Kai Xue1,4 1Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Endoscopy, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Biology, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL 35632, USA; 4State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Kai XueDepartment of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dongan Road, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 21 64175590Email xuekaishanghai@126.comBackground: Primary gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PG-DLBCL) is a common subtype of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP) as the commonly used treatment regimen. However, full cycles of standard R-CHOP present the risk of severe bleeding or perforation, even leading to emergency surgery, especially for those with deep lesions in their first 1– 2 cycles of treatment. This study aims to explore the safety and efficacy of fractioned R-CHOP (rituximab d0, 50% dose of CHOP d1 and d5) followed by standard R-CHOP cycles in PG-DLBCL patients guided by endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS).Patients and Methods: Thirty-one PG-DLBCL patients were analyzed in this retrospective study. All patients had lesions infiltrated to at least the 3rd layer of the stomach under EUS at baseline. Patients switched to standard R-CHOP if they showed the reduced infiltrated layers and restricted lesions after fractioned R-CHOP cycles.Results: The overall response rate, 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients in our study were 93.5%, 75% and 84%, respectively. No treatment delay or dosage reduction from gastric adverse event was observed. None of the patients in our study suffered from severe bleeding or perforation during the treatment. Kaplan–Meier analyses showed that PG-DLBCL patients characterized by multiple localization, lesions ≥ 3cm, having B symptoms, lower serum albumin level, and elevated LDH level were associated with worse PFS and OS.Conclusion: Our data indicate that it might be an effective approach in treating deeply infiltrated PG-DLBCL patients by switching fractioned R-CHOP to standard R-CHOP cycles guided by EUS.Keywords: primary gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, endoscopic ultrasonography, R-CHOP, prognosis

Rituximab in combination with chemotherapy has shown efficacy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) for more than 15 years. HLX01 was developed as the rituximab biosimilar following a stepwise approach to demonstrate biosimilarity in analytical, pre-clinical, and clinical investigations to reference rituximab. With demonstrated pharmacokinetic similarity, a phase 3 multi-center, randomized, parallel, double-blind study (HLX01-NHL03) was subsequently conducted to compare efficacy and safety between HLX01 plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (H-CHOP) and reference rituximab plus CHOP (R-CHOP) in a total of 407 treatment-naïve, CD20-positive DLBCL patients aged 18–80 years. The primary efficacy endpoint was best overall response rate (ORR) within six cycles of treatment in the per-protocol set (PPS). Secondary endpoints included 1-year efficacy outcomes, safety, and immunogenicity profile. The results showed difference in ORRs [H-CHOP 94.1%; R-CHOP 92.8%] between two treatment groups was 1.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], − 3.59 to 6.32, p = 0.608) which falls within the pre-defined equivalence margin of ± 12%. The safety profile was comparable between the treatment groups, with a similar overall incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (H-CHOP 99.5%, R-CHOP 99.0%, p = 1.000) and serious adverse events (H-CHOP 34.0%, R-CHOP 32.5%, p = 0.752). This study established bioequivalence in efficacy and safety between HLX01 and reference rituximab. The trial was registered at http://www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn on 26 August 2015 [#CTR20150583].

Summary Background In the LYM-3002 study, the efficacy and safety of frontline bortezomib plus rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (VR-CAP) and rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) were compared in transplant-ineligible patients with untreated, newly diagnosed, mantle cell lymphoma. We report the final overall survival and safety outcomes for patients in the long-term follow-up phase after the primary progression-free-survival endpoint was met. Methods LYM-3002 was a randomised, open-label, phase 3 study done at 128 clinical centres in 28 countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Adult patients with confirmed stage II–IV previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 2 or less, who were ineligible for bone marrow transplantation, were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive six or eight 21-day cycles of VR-CAP (intravenous rituximab 375 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, doxorubicin 50 mg/m2, and bortezomib 1·3 mg/m2, plus oral prednisone 100 mg/m2) or R-CHOP (intravenous vincristine 1·4 mg/m2 [2 mg maximum], rituximab 375 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, and doxorubicin 50 mg/m2, plus oral prednisone 100 mg/m2). Randomisation was done according to a computer-generated randomisation schedule prepared by the sponsor; permuted blocks central randomisation was used (block size of 4), and was stratified by International Prognostic Index score and disease stage at diagnosis. The primary endpoint of this final analysis was overall survival, which was analysed in the intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT00722137 , and is closed to new participants with follow-up completed. Findings Between May 22, 2008, and Dec 5, 2011, 487 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned. 268 patients (140 in the VR-CAP group and 128 in the R-CHOP group) were included in the follow-up analysis, which included patients with data available after the primary analysis clinical cutoff date of Dec 2, 2013. After median follow-up of 82·0 months (IQR 74·1–94·2), median overall survival was significantly longer in the VR-CAP group than in the R-CHOP group (90·7 months [95% CI 71·4 to not estimable] vs 55·7 months [47·2 to 68·9]; hazard ratio 0·66 [95% CI 0·51–0·85]; p=0·001). Three new adverse events were reported since the primary analysis cutoff (one each of grade 4 lung adenocarcinoma and grade 4 gastric cancer in the VR-CAP group, and one case of grade 2 pneumonia in the R-CHOP group). 103 (42%) of 243 patients in the VR-CAP group, and 138 (57%) of 244 in the R-CHOP group died; the most common cause of death was progressive disease. Interpretations Compared with R-CHOP, VR-CAP was associated with significantly longer survival, and had a manageable and expected safety profile. Our results support further assessment of VR-CAP in patients with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma. Funding Janssen Research & Development.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is one of the predominant histological subtypes of primary gastric lymphomas. Factors that contribute to precise stratification and guide the treatment of this disease are still not well understood. We analyzed 73 primary gastric diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients retrospectively, and found that patients characterized by late stage, multiple localization, B symptoms, lower serum albumin level and elevated LDH level had a shorter overall survival through Univariate Cox regression analysis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that ALB ≤ 35g/L, staging ≥ IIE and multiple sites localization were independent adverse prognostic factors. Significantly, in 35 patients who received endoscopy at diagnosis, Kaplan-Meier analyses indicated that patients with large (≥3 cm) and deep lesions (≥11 mm) had an inferior OS (p = .01 and .039). These findings implicated that tumor size and depth are two indicators of prognosis under ultrasonography. Further randomized studies with large number of cases are needed.

Background: Extranodal Natural killer (NK) /T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (NNKTL), a unique and aggressive neoplasm, is commonly observed in East Asia and Latin America. Even at early stages, NNKTL has a poor clinical outcome because intrinsic chemotherapy resistance, rapid local disease progression and distant metastasis. Despite the use of high dose radiation therapy with or without multiagent chemotherapy regimens, NNKTL has a high rate of relapse (25-40%). Moreover, the estimated 5-year survival on relapsed NNKTL is 52.3%. The identification and validation of readily available biomarkers that predict treatment outcomes can aid in the use of consolidation cellular therapy (i.e. allogeneic bone marrow transplant) and tailored surveillance programs. Elevated serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) had been associated with inferior outcomes in non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but their utility in NNKTL remains unidentified. Here, we examined sICAM-1 levels in patients of early-stage NNKTL and its correlation with clinical characteristics, response to the therapy and clinical outcomes. Material and Methods: This was a retrospective observation study conducted in patients diagnosed as Stage I/II NNKTL in the upper aerodigestive tract treated at Shanghai Cancer Hospital, Shanghai, China and for which biospecimens collected at diagnosis and at the end of therapy (EOT) (frozen serum) were available. The study was approved by the IRB (Protocol number). Baseline and EOT sICAM-1 levels were measured by ELISA (R&D systems, Minneapolis, MN, sensitivity =0.35ng/ml) according to the manufacture' s protocol. Differences of sICAM-1 expression between baseline and EOT were analyzed by paired t-test. Difference of sICAM-1 between complete response and non-complete response groups were determined by Mann-Whitney U-test. Comparing sICAM-1 among different clinical characteristics was determined by Chi square and Fisher's test. Differences in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) between patients with high and low sICAM-1 levels were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: A total of 74 patients were included in the study (18F/56M), the median age of the patients was 45.5 (19-73). Patients were treated with radiation therapy alone (N=34), or combined modality therapy (N=40). As previously noted in other studies, achievement of a complete response at the end of therapy was associated with a better PFS and OS (P The net change (EOT minus Baseline) of sICAM-1 levels (ΔsICAM-1) was significantly higher is patients with relapse disease (81.4+63.1 vs 33.5+81.2, p Conclusion: Higher sICAM-1 levels at diagnosis were associated with primary treatment failure in early stage NNKTL. In addition, an elevated ΔsICAM-1 in patients achieving a complete response to first like therapy were associated with relapse disease and shorter PFS. Together, our data suggests that sICAM-1 may be used as serological biomarker to monitor and predict clinical outcome of early stage NNKTL patients. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: SCT400 is a recombinant, human-mouse chimeric anti-CD20 IgG1 monoclonal antibody and has the same variable regions and antigen-binding site as rituximab. SCT400 has the heavy and κ light chain constant regions of human IgG1 allotype G1m (1,17), which is common in Asians. There is only one amino acid difference between SCT400 and rituximab (V219A in the CH1 domain of the heavy chain). The phase Ⅱ study showed that pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and safety of SCT400 are equivalent to rituximab in patients with CD20-positive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Objectives: This phase III study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of SCT400 plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) compared with rituximab plus CHOP in patients with treatment-naïve diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02772822). Methods: In this multicenter, randomized, single-blind, parallel active-controlled, non-inferiority, phase III study, patients were enrolled from 37 centers in China. Eligible patients were aged 18～75 years with histologically confirmed CD20-positive, treatment-naïve DLBCL; international prognostic index (IPI) 0～2; an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0～2. Patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive either SCT400 plus CHOP (S-CHOP) or rituximab plus CHOP (R-CHOP) every 21 days cycle treatment for six cycles. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) after six cycles of therapy, assessed by an independent review committee, with a non-inferiority margin of -12%. The secondary endpoints were complete response rate (CRR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. Results: Between October 19, 2016 and July 13, 2018, 534 patients were screened and 364 eligible patients were randomized to either the S-CHOP group (n=243) or R-CHOP group (n=121). Patient demographics and disease characteristics at baseline were well balanced between the two treatment groups. In the per protocol set (PPS), the best ORRs within six cycles of treatment were 94.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.8% to 97.0%) and 94.1% (95%CI, 88.2% to 97.6%) in the S-CHOP and R-CHOP groups respectively, with an intergroup difference of 0.4% (95%CI, -4.7% to 5.6%, P=0.6569) (Figure 1A). The 95%CI lay on the positive side of the prespecified non-inferiority margin of -12%, meeting the criterion for non-inferiority. The results of using the full analysis set (FAS) were consistent with the primary efficacy analysis in the PPS. No significant differences were observed in the secondary efficacy endpoints, in either the PPS or the FAS (Figure 1B and Figure 2). There were no significant differences were observed in ≥1 adverse event (AE, 97.9% vs. 99.2%), grade≥3 AE (85.2% vs. 86.0%), serious AE (35.4% vs. 38.8%), treatment discontinuation due to AE (7.8% vs.12.4%) between S-CHOP and R-CHOP groups, respectively (Table 1). AEs of special interest occurred in 63.8% of patients in the S-CHOP group and in 59.5% of patients in R-CHOP group, including infection (46.5% vs. 46.3%), infusion-related reaction (20.2% vs. 17.4%), cardiotoxicity (17.7% vs. 11.6%), hepatitis B virus reactivation (1.2% vs. 3.3%), ileus and enterobrosis (1.2% vs. 0.8%), tumor lysis syndrome (0.0% vs. 0.8%) (Table 1). A total of 51 deaths were reported in the S-CHOP group (n=35, 14.4%) and R-CHOP group (n=16, 13.2%), and 10 deaths were due to AE (S-CHOP group: n=7, 2.9%; R-CHOP group: n=3, 2.5%) (Table 1). After treatment, study-drug related anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) were detected in 11(10.9%) patients in S-CHOP group and in 8(16.0%) patients in R-CHOP group (Table 1). Conclusion: SCT400 plus CHOP showed non-inferiority of efficacy to rituximab plus CHOP in patients with treatment-naïve DLBCL. The safety and immunogenicity profiles of SCT400 were comparable with rituximab, with no new treatment-related AE occurred. SCT400 could be a therapeutic option for DLBCL. Funding source: This study was supported by the sponsor, Sinocelltech Ltd., and by grants from the China National Major Project for New Drug Innovation (No. 2018ZX09736002 and No. 2017ZX09304015). Conflicts of interest: Liangzhi Xie is an employee of Sinocelltech Ltd. and has ownership interests in the company. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Hu: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Research Funding. Xie: Sinocelltech Ltd.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

Background To evaluate the efficacy and safety of doxorubicin (ADM) combined with thalidomide (THA) as a first-line treatment for patients with refractory aggressive fibromatosis (AF). Patients and Methods Eligible patients were treated with ADM 30 mg/m2 on days 1-2 and THA 200 mg nightly on days 1-21 every 3 weeks for a maximum of six cycles. THA was then continued for a total of 1 year. The primary end point was response rate (RR). Results Fifteen patients were enrolled in the study. No patient had a complete response, but five patients had partial responses, resulting in a RR of 33%. Eight patients (53%) had stable disease and two patients (13%) had progressive disease, and the disease control rate was 87%. The median progression free survival (mPFS) was 20.6 months (95% confidence interval, 14.5-26.7 months). Patients with below normal baseline serum albumin levels had significantly inferior mPFS compared with those with normal baseline serum albumin (1.4 months versus 23.7 months, P = 0.045). Grade 3/4 toxicities included leukopenia (33%), neutropenia (60%), febrile neutropenia (7%), nausea (7%), and vomiting (6.6%). Conclusions ADM plus THA was well-tolerated and effective as a first-line treatment for patients with refractory AF. However, patients with hypoalbuminemia at baseline had inferior clinical outcomes, and further studies are needed to investigate this issue.

The pivotal LYM-3002 study compared frontline rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP) with bortezomib, rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone (VR-CAP) in newly diagnosed mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients for whom stem cell transplantation was not an option. This post hoc subanalysis of the VR-CAP data from LYM-3002 evaluated the effect of bortezomib dose intensity on OS in patients who completed ≥6 cycles of treatment. From the end of cycle 6, patients receiving ≥4.6 mg/m2/cycle of bortezomib had significantly longer OS (but not PFS) compared with those receiving

Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone plus rituximab (R-CHOP) is the standard treatment for patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, rituximab cannot be popularly applied in a considerable number of patients with DLBCL because of economic reasons. To develop a new regimen to improve the outcome of these patients is extremely important. In our study, sixty five patients with DLBCL were randomly assigned to thalidomide plus CHOP group (n=32) or to CHOP alone group (n=33). Objective response rates (ORR) and complete remission rates (CRR) were 96.7% and 80.6% in T-CHOP group versus 78.9 % and 57.8 % in CHOP group, respectively (P

Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity influences treatment selection and may negatively affect clinical outcomes in lymphoma patients. While epirubicin induced cardiotoxicity less often than the same dose of doxorubicin in breast cancer, higher doses of epirubicin are required in lymphoma regimens for equivalent efficacy. Whether a higher dosage of epirubicin also induces cardiotoxicity less often than doxorubicin in lymphoma remains unknown. We therefore administered 6-8 cycles of cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone (CEpOP) +/- rituximab (R) with either epirubicin (CEpOP) or doxorubicin (CHOP) to patients (N=398) with untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or follicular lymphoma grade 3 (FLG3). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and high-sensitivity serum cardiac troponin T (HsTnT) were assessed at baseline and after 4 cycles of treatment. Epirubicin (70 mg/m2/dose) was equivalent to doxorubicin (50 mg/m2/dose) in terms of 3-year progression-free survival. The risk of decreased LVEF was similar between the two regimens. CEpOP+/-R induced HsTnT elevation less often than CHOP+/-R. We conclude that CEpOP+/-R is a more acceptable regimen with short-term efficacy similar to CHOP+/-R in lymphoma patients. Longer follow-up is needed to monitor the risk of cardiac dysfunction and determine whether differences in the induction of elevated HsTnT between epirubicin and doxorubicin justify changes in clinical practice.

Jie Jin,1,2 Rumiko Okamoto,3 Sung-Soo Yoon,4 Lee-Yung Shih,5 Jun Zhu,6 Ting Liu,7 Xiaonan Hong,8 Lixia Pei,9 Brendan Rooney,10 Helgi van de Velde,11 Huiqiang Huang12 1Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University College of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; 2Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; 3Department of Chemotherapy, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center, Komagome Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 4Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 5Division of Hematology–Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; 6Department of Lymphoma, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China; 7Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; 8Lymphoma and GI Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; 9Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Raritan, NJ, USA; 10Janssen Research & Development, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK; 11Oncology Clinical Research, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Boston, MA, USA; 12Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China Introduction: This subgroup analysis of the LYM-3002 Phase III study (NCT00722137) investigated whether substituting bortezomib for vincristine in frontline R-CHOP (rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) therapy could improve outcomes in East Asian patients with newly diagnosed mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL). Materials and methods: A total of 121 East Asian patients from China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Republic of Korea with stage II–IV MCL who were ineligible or not considered for stem-cell transplantation were enrolled to six to eight 21-day cycles of R-CHOP or VR-CAP (R-CHOP with bortezomib replacing vincristine). Results: The primary end point was progression-free survival. After a median follow-up of 42.4 months, median progression-free survival in East Asian patients was 13.9 (R-CHOP) versus 28.6 (VR-CAP) months (HR 0.7, P=0.157; 43% improvement with VR-CAP). Secondary end points (R-CHOP vs VR-CAP), including complete response rate (47% vs 63%), duration of complete response (median 16.6 vs 46.7 months), and treatment-free interval (median 21 vs 46.5 months), were improved with VR-CAP. VR-CAP was associated with increased but manageable toxicity. The most frequent adverse events were hematologic toxicities. Conclusion: VR-CAP was effective in East Asian patients with newly diagnosed MCL, and could be considered for patients in whom stem-cell transplantation is not an option. Keywords: mantle-cell lymphoma, bortezomib, VR-CAP, R-CHOP

The standard treatment of waldeyer's ring DLBCL remains controversial. This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the role of consolidation radiotherapy (RT) in patients with stage I/II diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) limited in Waldeyer's ring (WR). We included 72 patients, 42 were treated with immunochemotherapy alone (CT group) and 30 were treated with immunochemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (CT + RT group). All patients received at least 3 cycles of R-CHOP regimen and achieved complete remission (CR) after immunochemotherapy. After 53 months median follow-up time, the 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates in CT + RT group vs. CT group were 93.3% vs. 92.5% (P = 0.896), the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 96.7% vs. 94.4% (P = 0.649). Patients with oropharyngeal primary had relatively better 5-year PFS and OS rates compared to nasopharyngeal primary (PFS: 98.2% vs. 73.3%, p = 0.001; OS: 100% vs. 79.0%, p 0.001). Moreover, the primary site was the only independent prognostic factor for PFS in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.012, HR 16.858 [95% CI: 1.883-150.933]).

BACKGROUND: Initial results from the ongoing GALLIUM trial have shown that patients with follicular lymphoma have a longer progression-free survival after first-line immunochemotherapy with obinutuzumab than with rituximab. The aim of this secondary analysis was to evaluate the prognostic value of PET-CT responses after first-line immunochemotherapy in the GALLIUM study.METHODS: GALLIUM is an open-label, parallel-group randomised, phase 3 trial, which recruited previously untreated patients with CD20-positive follicular lymphoma (grades 1-3a; disease stage III/IV, or stage II with largest tumour diameter ≥7 cm) who were aged 18 years or older and met the criteria for needing treatment. Eligible patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive intravenous administration of obinutuzumab (1000 mg on days 1, 8, and 15 of cycle 1, then day 1 of subsequent cycles) or rituximab (375 mg/m2 on day 1 of each cycle), in six 21-day cycles with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (known as CHOP; oral administration) followed by two 21-day cycles of antibody alone, or eight 21-day cycles cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (known as CVP; oral administration), or six 28-day cycles with bendamustine, followed by maintenance antibody every 2 months for up to 2 years. The primary endpoint of the trial, investigator-assessed progression-free survival, has been reported previously. This secondary analysis reports PET and CT-based responses at end-of-induction therapy and explains their relation with progression-free and overall survival outcomes in patients with available scans. As per protocol, during the trial, PET scans (mandatory in the first 170 patients enrolled at sites with available PET facilities, and optional thereafter), acquired at baseline and end of induction (PET population), were assessed prospectively by investigators and an independent review committee (IRC) applying International Harmonisation Project (IHP) 2007 response criteria, and retrospectively by the IRC only applying current Lugano 2014 response criteria. IRC members (but not study investigators) were masked to treatment and clinical outcome when assessing response. The landmark analyses excluded patients who died or progressed (contrast enhanced CT-based assessment of progressive disease, or started next anti-lymphoma treatment) before or at end of induction. GALLIUM is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01332968.FINDINGS: 1202 patients were enrolled in GALLIUM between July 6, 2011, and Feb 4, 2014, of whom 595 were included in the PET population; 533 (IHP 2007; prospective analysis), and 508 (Lugano 2014; retrospective analysis) were analysed for progression-free survival (landmark analysis). At end of induction, 390 of 595 patients (65·5% [95% CI 61·6-69·4]) achieved PET complete response according to IHP 2007 criteria, and 450 (75·6% [95% CI 72·0-79·0]) obtained PET complete metabolic response according to Lugano 2014 criteria. With a median of 43·3 months of observation (IQR 36·2-51·8), 2·5-year progression-free survival from end of induction was 87·8% (95% CI 83·9-90·8) in PET complete responders and 72·0% (63·1-79·0) in non-complete responders according to IRC-assessed IHP 2007 criteria (hazard ratio [HR] 0·4, 95% CI 0·3-0·6, pINTERPRETATION: Our results suggest that PET is a better imaging modality than contrast-enhanced CT for response assessment after first-line immunochemotherapy in patients with follicular lymphoma. PET assessment according to Lugano 2014 response criteria provides a platform for investigation of response-adapted therapeutic approaches. Additional supportive data are welcomed.FUNDING: F Hoffmann-La Roche.

s Background To evaluate the efficacy of cetuximab combined with modified FOLFIRI (mFOLFIRI) as a second-line treatment in metastatic gastric cancer patients and to identify potential biomarkers of clinical outcomes. Methods All 61 patients received an initial intravenous (IV) dose of cetuximab (400 mg/m2) and weekly doses (250 mg/m2) thereafter, starting on day 1. On day 2 of each 14-day period, patients received IV irinotecan (180 mg/m2), leucovorin (200 mg/m2), and an IV bolus dose of 5-FU (400 mg/m2) followed by a continuous infusion of 5-FU (2400 mg/m2) for 46 h. The primary endpoint was time-to-progression (TTP). Results The response rate (RR) was 33.3% among 54 evaluable patients. In the intention-to-treat analysis, median TTP was 4.6 months (95% confidential interval [CI]: 3.6-5.6 months) and median overall survival (OS) was 8.6 months (95% CI: 7.3-9.9 months). In univariate analyses, plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were correlated with clinical outcome. In patients with low (≤12.6 pg/ml) and high (>12.6 pg/ml) baseline plasma VEGF levels, RR values were 55.0% and 5.3%, respectively (P = 0.001); median TTP values were 6.9 months and 2.8 months, respectively (P = 0.0005); and median OS values were 12 months and 5 months, respectively (P

Purpose We compared the efficacy of ofatumumab (O) versus rituximab (R) in combination with cisplatin, cytarabine, and dexamethasone (DHAP) salvage treatment, followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Patients and Methods Patients with CD20+ DLBCL age ≥ 18 years who had experienced their first relapse or who were refractory to first-line R-CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone)–like treatment were randomly assigned between three cycles of R-DHAP or O-DHAP. Either O 1,000 mg or R 375 mg/m2 was administered for a total of four infusions (days 1 and 8 of cycle 1; day 1 of cycles 2 and 3 of DHAP). Patients who experienced a response after two cycles of treatment received the third cycle, followed by high-dose therapy and ASCT. Primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS), with failure to achieve a response after cycle 2 included as an event. Results Between March 2010 and December 2013, 447 patients were randomly assigned. Median age was 57 years (range, 18 to 83 years); 17% were age ≥ 65 years; 63% had stage III and IV disease; 71% did not achieve complete response (CR) or experience response for < 1 year on first-line R-CHOP. Response rate for O-DHAP was 38% (CR, 15%) versus 42% (CR, 22%) for R-DHAP. ASCT on protocol was completed by 74 patients (33%) in the O arm and 83 patients (37%) in the R arm. PFS, event-free survival, and overall survival were not significantly different between O-DHAP versus R-DHAP: PFS at 2 years was 24% versus 26% (hazard ratio [HR], 1.12; 95% CI, 0.89 to 1.42; P = .33); event-free survival at 2 years was 16% versus 18% (HR, 1.10; P = .35); and overall survival at 2 years was 41% versus 38% (HR, 0.90; P = .38). Positron emission tomography negativity before ASCT was highly predictive for superior outcome. Conclusion No difference in efficacy was found between O-DHAP and R-DHAP as salvage treatment of relapsed or refractory DLBCL.

Purpose Rituximab (R) plus CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) chemotherapy is the standard of care in previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Obinutuzumab (G) is a glycoengineered, type II, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. GOYA was a randomized phase III study that compared G-CHOP with R-CHOP in patients with previously untreated advanced-stage DLBCL. Methods Patients (N = 1,418) were randomly assigned to receive eight 21-day cycles of G (n = 706) or R (n = 712), plus six or eight cycles of CHOP. Primary end point was investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS). Results After median observation of 29 months, the number of investigator-assessed PFS events was similar between G (201; 28.5%) and R (215; 30.2%), stratified hazard ratio was 0.92 (95% CI, 0.76 to 1.11; P = .39), and 3-year PFS rates were 70% and 67%, respectively. Secondary end points of independently reviewed PFS, other time-to-event end points, and tumor response rates were similar between arms. In exploratory subgroup analyses, patients with germinal-center B cell–like subtype had a better PFS than did patients with activated B cell–like subtype, irrespective of treatment. Frequencies of grade 3 to 5 adverse events (AEs; 73.7% v 64.7%, respectively) and serious AEs (42.6% v 37.6%, respectively) were higher with G-CHOP compared with R-CHOP. Fatal AE frequencies were 5.8% for G-CHOP and 4.3% for R-CHOP. The most common AEs were neutropenia (G-CHOP, 48.3%; R-CHOP, 40.7%), infusion-related reactions (G-CHOP, 36.1%; R-CHOP, 23.5%), nausea (G-CHOP, 29.4%; R-CHOP, 28.3%), and constipation (G-CHOP, 23.4%; R-CHOP, 24.5%). Conclusion G-CHOP did not improve PFS compared with R-CHOP in patients with previously untreated DLBCL. AEs reported with G were consistent with the known safety profile. Biomarker analyses may help define a future role for G in DLBCL.

Background In February 2019, the National Medicinal Products Administration (NMPA) approved the first China-manufactured rituximab (RTX) biosimilar, HLX01, for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in accordance to the development of biosimilar guidelines with stepwise approach demonstrating bioequivalence. HLX01 was also developed as a novel drug for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) since the indication has not been approved in China. Studying pharmacokinetics (PK) in healthy volunteers as the most sensitive population is not ethically acceptable due to the safety concerns associated with rituximab. The NMPA approval was based on a comprehensive data package of extensive analytical characterization, non-clinical studies, clinical trials and the population PK (PopPK) model. Here, we report the Phase 3 confirmatory study aimed to establish equivalence in safety and efficacy of HLX01 and RTX in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and the PopPK model derived from the PK data of HLX01 and RTX in RA compared the PK data in DLBCL and the Caucasian RTX data in RA. Methods In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel active-controlled, Phase 3 study (NCT02787239), treatment-naïve adults aged 18-80 years with histologically confirmed CD20+ DLBCL were treated with cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-vincristine-prednisone (CHOP) and randomly assigned at 1:1 ratio to co-administer with HLX01 (H-CHOP) or RTX (R-CHOP) every 21 days cycle treatment. The primary efficacy endpoint was the best overall response rate (ORR) for HLX01 and RTX over 6-cycle therapy. The therapeutic equivalence was concluded if 95% confidence interval (CI) of the difference in best ORRs between the two treatments fell within the pre-specified range of ±12%. Additional endpoints included long-term efficacy outcomes, safety and immunogenicity profiles and sparse PK samplings for peak and trough levels comparison. The PopPK model was developed from the randomized, double-blind PK study (NCT03355872) of HLX01 and RTX in 196 patients with moderately to severely active RA (serum sample=4289) using non-linear mixed-effect modeling (NONMEM®) and the first-order estimation with interaction (FOCEI) method. The PK and PK-pharmacodynamic relationship being characterized with various covariates were tested on forward addition (p Results The best ORRs [95% CI] within 6 cycles therapy were 94·1% [89·77%, 97·04%] in H-CHOP and 92·8% [88·19%, 96·00%] in R-CHOP with the ORR difference (1·4% [−3·59%, 6·32%], p=0·608) fell in the pre-specified equivalent margin. Long-term efficacy and safety profiles, including the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (p=1·000) and serious adverse events (p=0·752), were similar in two treatment groups (Table 1). The best model fit for the PopPK was a two-compartment model with first-order elimination. The estimated clearance (CL), central volume (Vc), peripheral-compartment volume and clearance-of-distribution from the central-to-peripheral-compartment were 27·32%, 16·56%, 21·61%, and 40·79%, respectively. The correlation between CL and Vc was 0.02239. The observed concentrations and simulations for the corresponding model predicted all subjects in the dataset with no significant difference in area under the curve from zero to infinity between two clinical studies of HLX01 and RTX. The PK results were also similar to the existing model in Caucasian. Conclusion HLX01 demonstrated equivalent safety and efficacy to the reference RTX with no clinically meaningful differences in CD20+ DLBCL. The PopPK model successfully proved the PK similarity between HLX01 and RTX in patients with RA or DLBCL with no racial differences. Based on the totality of evidence with the results from this Phase 3 study and PopPK modeling, China NMPA approved HLX01 as the first China RTX biosimilar with the potential to provide alternative treatment option for patients. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first reporting the establishment of biosimilarity with RTX in DLBCL patient population. Disclosures Zhao: Certara Strategic Consulting China: Employment. Hong:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Ma:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Cheng:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Ting:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Li:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Jiang:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Liu:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Liu:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Zhang:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Chai:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Yao:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment. Luk:Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.: Employment.

Purpose: The results of the prospective multicenter phase III Collaborative trial in relapsed aggressive lymphoma (CORAL) study stressed the need to identify cellular pathways associated with poor clinical outcomes and to develop novel therapeutic strategies for DLBCL. We previously demonstrated that over-expression of HKII contribute to the acquirement of resistance to rituximab and chemotherapy agents in DLBCL B-cell lymphoma in pre-clinical models. Using gene expression profiling, we also demonstrated that higher mRNA levels of HKII correlated with a shorter progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in previously untreated DLBCL in the pre- and post-rituximab era. In current study, we aimed to assess HKII expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and analyze the prognostic significance in 97 diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients pre- and post-rituximab era treated in a different Country/Institution. Methods: We retrospectively identified 97 newly diagnosed DLBCL treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China from March 2009 to December 2012. Clinical, demographic and pathological characteristics for each patient were collected. Patients were treated with standard doses of CHOP (N=41) or rituximab and CHOP (N=56). Pathological archived material was submitted for immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the determination of cell of origin (COO) (Han's algorithm) and HKII levels. Co-relation between HKII expression and COO or impact on overall response rate (ORR), PFS and OS were analyzed. Result: Demographic and clinical characteristic of gender, stage and IPI score distribution were similar between patients treated with CHOP or R+CHOP. As expected, the clinical outcome of DLBCL patients treated with R+CHOP was superior than those treated with CHOP. HKII expression was observed in 62 DLBCL patients (63.9%). There was a correlation between HKII expression and COO. Expression of HKII was observer in 84.6% of non-germinal center B-cell (non-GCB) DLBCL and 60% of GCB DLBCL (P=0.027). There was no correlation between HKII expression and ORR or PFS in DLBCL patients treated with CHOP or R-CHOP. In patients treated with CHOP chemotherapy, HKII expression was associated with an inferior OS, 100% (HKII negative) vs. 67% (HKII positive) (P=0.025). In rituximab era, additionally rituximab to CHOP results significantly improved OS in HKII positive patient compared to CHOP only patients (91% vs 67%, P=0.05), but R+CHOP did not change OS between HKII negative patients. Conclusion: As previously observed, HKII expression is more prevalent in non-GCB DLBCL patients. In pre-rituximab era, HKII expression was associated with a poor clinical outcome after CHOP chemotherapy. The negative effect of HKII expression appears to be overcome by the addition of rituximab to CHOP. (This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81670177 and 81773203)). Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

7514 Background: Relapse is expected in treated indolent lymphoma patients, and an unmet need exists to prolong remission with effective therapies. Lenalidomide + rituximab (R2) may improve the efficacy of next treatment by their unique mechanisms. Methods: The AUGMENT phase III study evaluated patients with R/R FL gr 1-3a (82%) and MZL (18%) after ≥ 1 prior systemic therapy (not rituximab refractory). Randomization was 1:1 to R2 (lenalidomide PO 20 mg/d, d1-21/28 X12 cycles [c] + rituximab [R] IV 375 mg/m2/wk, c1, d1, 8, 15, 22 and c2-5, d1) and R/placebo (same dosing schedule). The primary endpoint was PFS by 2007 IWG; secondary/exploratory analyses were time to next antilymphoma/chemotherapy treatment (TTNLT/TTNCT) and response to next treatment. Per regulatory guidance, PFS2 was defined as time from randomization to first PD or death from any cause after next antilymphoma treatment, or initiation of a third antilymphoma treatment. Results: Median PFS was superior for R2 over R/placebo (39.4 vs 14.1 mo; HR = 0.46; P < 0.0001). As of 22June2018, median TTNLT, TTNCT, and PFS2 were not reached for R2, and were significantly longer than R/placebo (HR = 0.54, 0.50, and 0.52, respectively). For 49/178 (28%) R2 and 80/180 (44%) R/placebo patients receiving next antilymphoma therapy, response was generally higher with R2 (57% ORR; 31% CR) than R/placebo (36% ORR; 16% CR; Table). Conclusions: These analyses suggest that R2 (vs R/placebo) prolonged time to subsequent treatment and is associated with longer PFS2, enabling greater response to next therapy. Although patient numbers were modest, it is hypothesized that patients who received R2 were generally more sensitive to subsequent therapy than those treated with R/placebo. Clinical trial information: NCT01938001. [Table: see text]

Purpose: Identify subgroups of patients with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma deriving substantial progression-free survival (PFS) benefit with bortezomib–rituximab versus rituximab in the phase III LYM-3001 study. Experimental Design: A total of 676 patients were randomized to five 5-week cycles of bortezomib–rituximab or rituximab. The primary end point was PFS; this prespecified analysis of candidate protein biomarkers and genes was an exploratory objective. Archived tumor tissue and whole blood samples were collected at baseline. Immunohistochemistry and genetic analyses were completed for 4 proteins and 8 genes. Results: In initial pairwise analyses, using individual single-nucleotide polymorphism genotypes, one biomarker pair (PSMB1 P11A C/G heterozygote, low CD68 expression) was associated with a significant PFS benefit with bortezomib–rituximab versus rituximab, controlling for multiple comparison corrections. The pair was analyzed under dominant, recessive, and additive genetic models, with significant association with PFS seen under the dominant model (G/G+C/G). In patients carrying this biomarker pair [PSMB1 P11A G allele, low CD68 expression (≤50 CD68-positive cells), population frequency: 43.6%], median PFS was 14.2 months with bortezomib–rituximab versus 9.1 months with rituximab (HR 0.47, P < 0.0001), and there was a significant overall survival benefit (HR 0.49, P = 0.0461). Response rates were higher and time to next antilymphoma therapy was longer in the bortezomib–rituximab group. In biomarker-negative patients, no significant efficacy differences were seen between treatment groups. Similar proportions of patients had high-risk features in the biomarker-positive and biomarker-negative subsets. Conclusions: Patients with PSMB1 P11A (G allele) and low CD68 expression seemed to have significantly longer PFS and greater clinical benefit with bortezomib–rituximab versus rituximab. Clin Cancer Res; 19(9); 2551–61. ©2013 AACR.

Introduction: For patients with anthracycline-resistant metastatic angiosarcoma, currently there is no available standard for second-line therapy and there is a need for novel effective regimens to improve response rates. Case report: We reported here about a case of a primary angiosarcoma of both breasts in a 34-year-old woman presenting lung metastases. At the completion of 3 cycles of the MAID regimen including mesna, adriamycin, ifosfamide and dacarbazine, CT showed progression of the disease (PD). Subsequently second-line chemotherapy was started using GVP regimen consisting of gemcitabine, vincristine and cisplatin. Complete response (CR) of the lung metastases was achieved after 6 treatment cycles. Conclusion: In the absence of an effective therapy among patients with anthracycline-resistant metastatic breast angiosarcoma, a GVP chemo-regimen can be performed as a selective option.

Our aim was to retrospectively investigate the data from our institute the response rate and outcome in patients with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL) who received the rituximab in combination with CHOP (RCHOP) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) or RCHOP followed by involved field radiation therapy (IFRT).Sixty five patients with PMBL received RCHOP as first-line chemotherapy between January 2005 and December 2010. Forty of the 65 patients completed the planned subsequent IFRT after initial chemotherapy. Thirteen of the 65 patients received the front-line ASCT after RCHOP. Twelve patients received RCHOP alone.Thirty two of the 40 patients who received the RCHOP followed by IFRT have complete remission (CR) or CRu (CR/unconfirmed). All patients have CR or CRu after the ASCT. The progression free survival (PFS) and the estimated overall survival (OS) rate at 5 years for 32 CR/CRu patients in the RCHOP followed by IFRT group were 57 and 65%, respectively, as compared to RCHOP/ASCT group who were 94 and 100%, respectively. Twelve patients who received RCHOP alone had the same PFS and OS rate as the 40 patients who received RCHOP/IFRT (5-year PFS:62 vs. 65%, p = 0.068; 5-year OS:57 vs. 67%, p = 0.058). For all 65 patients, the age-adjusted international prognostic index (aaIPI) score remained the only predictor of a worse outcome.The PFS and OS rate of RCHOP/IFRT were found to be unsatisfied. RCHOP/ASCT showed a satisfactory PFS and OS rate.

CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone)-like chemotherapy, in combination with rituximab (R-CHOP-like), improves outcome in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We aimed to investigate the impact of rituximab on central nervous system (CNS) disease in adult patients. We studied 315 patients (aged 18–60 years old) from six hospitals between July 2003 and May 2008. All patients received CHOP-like (n=165) or R-CHOP-like (n=150) regimen every 3 weeks. With a median follow-up of 3.69 years, 10 patients (3.17%) developed CNS disease. The cumulative risk of CNS occurrence was not significantly different between the two treatment groups (P=0.871). We conclude that the addition of rituximab did not reduce the risk of CNS disease in adult patients with DLBCL.

Introduction DLBCL is an aggressive disease that can be classified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) into GCB and non-GCB or by gene expression profiling (GEP) into GCB, activated B-cell (ABC), and unclassified subtypes. RCHOP is the standard frontline treatment (tx) for DLBCL with a 60% cure rate. Ibrutinib (ibr), an oral covalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, showed activity in relapsed/refractory ABC DLBCL. This study aimed to analyze if the addition of ibr to RCHOP would improve efficacy in previously untreated patients (pts) with non-GCB DLBCL or the ABC subtype. Methods Pts with centralized IHC-confirmed non-GCB DLBCL were randomized 1:1 to standard RCHOP with either ibr (560 mg/d, po) or placebo (pbo) on a 21-day cycle for 6 or 8 cycles. Pts were stratified by revised International Prognostic Index, region (US/Western Europe vs rest of world), and number of prespecified RCHOP cycles (6 or 8). ABC DLBCL was retrospectively identified using GEP (HTG EdgeSeq cell of origin assay). Primary end point was event-free survival (EFS), defined as time from randomization to progression, relapse from complete response (CR), initiation of tx for PET-positive or biopsy-proven residual disease after ≥ 6 cycles of RCHOP, or death, in the intent-to-treat (ITT) or ABC population. Secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), CR rate, overall survival (OS), and safety. Results Overall, 838 pts were randomized to ibr + RCHOP (n = 419) or pbo + RCHOP (n = 419). Median age was 62 years (yrs) with 58.5% < 65 yrs; 67.7% had ABC subtype. Baseline prognostic factors were balanced; slightly more pts ≥ 65 yrs in the ibr + RCHOP arm (45% vs 38%). In the ibr + RCHOP and pbo + RCHOP arms, 80.8% and 90.7% of pts received ≥ 6 cycles of RCHOP; 22.4% and 13.6% discontinued tx (all drugs) with adverse event (AE) being the most common reason (12.2% vs 5.3%). All deaths rate was 16.5% vs 17.2% in the ibr + CHOP vs pbo + RCHOP arm, respectively. In pts < 65 yrs, 90.4% vs 91.1% of pts received ≥ 6 cycles of RCHOP in the ibr + RCHOP vs pbo + RCHOP arm, respectively. Fewer pts ≥ 65 yrs in the ibr + RCHOP arm (69.0%) received ≥ 6 cycles of RCHOP compared with the pbo + RCHOP arm (90.0%). Ibr pharmacokinetics with RCHOP was similar to other studies in B-cell malignancies where ibr was used as a single agent or in combination. Median follow-up was 34.8 months. Ibr + RCHOP did not improve EFS in pts with non-GCB (by IHC) or ABC (by GEP) DLBCL: The hazard ratio (HR) for EFS was 0.934 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.726-1.200) for the ITT and 0.949 (95% CI, 0.704-1.279) for the ABC subset. Multivariate analysis showed a significant interaction (based on SAP prespecified 1-sided α level p < 0.1) between tx effect and age as a continuous or categorical variable. Efficacy was a function of age: stable benefit seen in younger pts, with a decline with increasing age, and benefit no longer favorable in pts ≥ 65 yrs. Efficacy outcomes favored ibr + RCHOP-treated pts < 65 years with statistically significant risk reduction in EFS (30%), PFS (33%), and OS (43%; Table, Figure). A similar trend was seen in the ABC subset. Multivariate analyses, adjusting for other baseline covariates, confirmed the tx benefit in younger but not elderly pts. Grade ≥ 3 AE rates were 89.9% and 87.1% in the ibr + RCHOP and pbo + RCHOP arms, respectively. Serious AEs (SAEs) were greater in the ibr + RCHOP vs pbo + RCHOP arm (53.1% vs 34.0%), particularly febrile neutropenia and pneumonia, as were AEs leading to RCHOP discontinuation. In pts ≥ 65 yrs, there were more SAEs (67.4% vs 40.6%) and pts who received < 6 cycles of RCHOP (31.0% vs 10.0%) in the ibr + RCHOP vs pbo + RCHOP arm. In pts < 65 yrs, grade ≥ 3 AEs were similar; SAEs were numerically higher (41.5% vs 29.8%) in the ibr + RCHOP vs pbo + RCHOP arm, but the proportion of pts who received < 6 cycles of RCHOP was similar (9.6% vs 8.9%) between arms. Conclusions While the addition of ibr to RCHOP did not improve efficacy in the ITT population, there was a significant interaction between tx and age. Among pts ≥ 65 yrs, unexpected increased toxicity associated with ibr + RCHOP resulted in reduced RCHOP exposure, which may explain in part the worse clinical benefit/risk profile of pts in the ibr + RCHOP vs pbo + RCHOP arm. However, in pts < 65 yrs, the addition of ibr showed clinically meaningful improvement in EFS, PFS, and OS with an acceptable safety profile. Funding Source Sponsored by Janssen. Writing assistance was provided by Liqing Xiao of PAREXEL and funded by Janssen. Disclosures Younes: J&J: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Bayer: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Incyte: Honoraria; Curis: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria; Genentech: Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria; Merck: Honoraria. Sehn:Lundbeck: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche/Genentech: Consultancy, Honoraria; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria; Morphosys: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria. Johnson:Takeda: Honoraria, Travel, accommodations, expenses; Incyte: Consultancy; Celgene: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Epizyme: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Kite: Consultancy; Boeringher Ingelheim: Consultancy; Zenyaku Kogyo: Other: Travel, accommodations, expenses; Genmab: Consultancy. Zinzani:Verastem: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; MSD: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celltrion: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; PFIZER: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astra Zeneca: Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merck: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; TG Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; PFIZER: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; TG Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; SERVIER: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Lopez-Hernandez:Servier: Speakers Bureau; Roche: Research Funding; Takeda: Speakers Bureau. Dührsen:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria. Carey:Janssen Research & Development: Employment. Liu:Janssen Research & Development: Employment, Equity Ownership. Shreeve:Janssen Research & Development: Employment, Equity Ownership. Sun:Janssen Research & Development: Employment, Equity Ownership. Vermeulen:Janssen Research & Development: Employment, Equity Ownership.

Background: Reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is less common in lymphoma patients with prior resolved HBV infection [characterized by hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative/hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb)-positive status] compared with chronic HBV infection (HBsAg positive) when receiving chemotherapy alone. The use of rituximab in chemotherapy regimen might increase the risk of HBV reactivation in patients with prior resolved HBV infection. However, the incidence of HBV reactivation is uncertain, and prophylactic antiviral treatment for this group of patients during rituximab-containing chemotherapy is controversial. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of HBV reactivation in HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive patients diagnosed of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and treated with CHOP-like or RCHOP-like regimen. In addition, this study also aims to explore the relationship of HBV reactivation and HBV serology. Methods: Patients were identified using data from six university hospitals collected between January 1998 and November 2008. Four hundred and thirty-seven patients with complete data were selected based on the diagnosis of CD20+ DLBCL, availability of HBV serum markers prior to initiation of chemotherapy and during the development of hepatitis, completion of at least four cycles of chemotherapy using CHOP-like or RCHOP-like regimen, and follow-up for at least 6 months after completion of treatment. The characteristics of the HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive patients treated with CHOP-like regimen were compared to those treated with RCHOP-like regimen. Results: Eighty-eight patients of the total 437 patients had pretreatment serology of prior resolved hepatitis B, with a prevalence of 20.1%. Among them, 45 patients received CHOP-like regimen while 43 patients received RCHOP-like regimen. Five patients developed hepatitis during treatment, two from CHOP group and three from RCHOP group. Only one patient treated with RCHOP had hepatitis associated with HBV reactivation, while the other four patients did not have evidence of HBV reactivation. Those four patients also demonstrated positive HBsAb at baseline, while the only patient who suffered from HBV reactivation had negative HBsAb status. This patient was successfully treated with antiviral medications. There were no statistically significant risk factors predictive of HBV reactivation. Conclusions: The present study revealed a low HBV reactivation rate of 2.3% in prior resolved hepatitis B among DLBCL patients undergoing RCHOP-like therapy.

Overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) has been identified by a variety of methods in NK cells and NK malignancies. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical significance of P-gp in previously untreated extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type. Tumor specimens from 30 patients initially treated with CHOP or CHOP-based chemotherapy were examined by immunohistochemistry using JSB-1, a monoclonal antibody recognizing the intracellular epitope of P-gp molecule. Twenty cases (67%) were positive for P-gp expression. The complete response rate achieved in P-gp positive patients was significantly lower than in P-gp negative ones (20% vs. 60%, P = 0.045). With a median follow-up of 25 months, the 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates for all patients were 66 and 69%, respectively. Compared with both PFS and OS rates of P-gp positive patients, those of P-gp negative patients showed a trend of benefit that did not reach statistical significance for borderline P values (PFS: 90% vs. 54%, P = 0.1057; OS: 90% vs. 61%, P = 0.2028). Our results suggest that P-gp expression is related with poor treatment outcomes of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type.

Cisplatin kills tumor cells through DNA cross linking. Alterations in the function of DNA repair genes may affect DNA repair proficiency and influence cancer patients' response to cisplatin. The predictability of DNA repair XRCC1 (X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 protein) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for cisplatin-based grades 3 and 4 chemotherapy-related toxicity in patients with newly diagnosed advanced lung cancer was evaluated. The genotypes of XRCC1 at the Arg194Trp, and Arg399Gln sites were determined by PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods. There was no statistically significant association between either the Arg194Trp or the Arg399Gln polymorphisms and hematologic grade 3 or 4 toxicity. However, carrying at least one variant XRCC1 Arg399Gln allele (399Arg/Gln or 399Gln/Gln) was associated with a significantly increased risk of overall grade 3 or 4 toxicity (odds ratio, 2.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-4.10; p=0.04); and grade 3 or 4 gastrointestinal toxicity (odds ratio, 2.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-6.03; p=0.03). Our results suggested that patients carrying at least one variant XRCC1 Arg399Gln allele have a 2.5-fold increased risk of grade 3 or 4 gastrointestinal toxicity when treated with first-line cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

The dosing schedule of docetaxel may affect its clinical activity and toxicity profile. Although triweekly docetaxel has higher antitumor activity but more severe hematological toxicity, weekly docetaxel seems to have less activity or fewer adverse events. To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of biweekly docetaxel and mitoxantrone in patients with advanced breast cancer, the regimen consisting of docetaxel (60 mg/m 2 ), and mitoxantrone (8 mg/m 2 ) was administered intravenously to 59 patients every 2 weeks. Most (54.2%) of the patients experienced objective responses. The median time to progression for the whole group was 6.8 months. The median time to progression for patients with complete or partial response was 10.3 months, but only 3.6 months for patients with stable or progressive disease (P

To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of systematic treatment of unresectable advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (A/MGC) based on EOF5 regimen (the combination of epirubicin, oxaliplatin and 5-day continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil).Twenty-six patients (18 males, 8 females; age range, 35-72 years) with histologically confirmed metastatic (n = 23) or unresectable advanced (n = 3) gastric adenocarcinoma with (n = 6) or without previous chemotherapy (n = 20) were consented to receive EOF5 (epirubicin 50 mg/m(2) and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) on day 1, followed by continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil 375-425 mg/m(2) day(-1) on day 1-5), and the treatment cycle was repeated every 3 weeks. Responses to treatment and toxicity were evaluated every 2 cycles.In the first-line treatment group of 20 patients, complete (CR) and partial (PR) remission were observed in two (10%) and six (30%) patients, respectively with an overall response rate of 40%). Eleven (55%) patients showed stable (SD) and one (5%) progressive disease (PD). One-year survival rate, time to progression (TTP) and median overall survival (OS) were 45%, 9.7 and 12.5 months, respectively. In the second-line treatment group of six patients, the numbers of CR, PR, SD and PD were 0, 1, 4 and 1, respectively. Symptomatic response rates were 88.2, 76.9, 89.5, and 88.9% for abdominal pain, distention, anorexia and weight loss. The mean Karnofsky performance status score was increased (P0.001) and maintained after two and four cycles treatment. The major adverse events were nausea/vomiting, oral mucositis, peripheral neuropathy, phlebitis, constipation and myelosuppression. CTC grade 3 or 4 hematologic toxicities included leucopenia (7.7%), neutropenia (15.4%), thrombocytopenia (19.2%), and anemia (3.8%). No treatment-related deaths were recorded.EOF5 regimen shows good efficacy and an acceptable safety profile in A/MGC patients, and would be a suitable alternative regimen for this indication.