Long-term responses in patients with recurring or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with yttrium 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan.

Author(s): Witzig TE, Molina A, Gordon LI, Emmanouilides C, Schilder RJ, Flinn IW, Darif M, Macklis R, Vo K, Wiseman GA

Affiliation(s): Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. thomas@mayo.edu

Publication date & source: 2007-05-01, Cancer., 109(9):1804-10.

Publication type: Clinical Trial, Phase I; Clinical Trial, Phase II; Clinical Trial, Phase III; Multicenter Study; Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Radioimmunotherapy with radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies to CD20 produces a high response rate in patients with recurring non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but the durability of those remissions is not well defined. METHODS: Data on patients with recurring NHL treated with yttrium Y 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan in 4 clinical trials were reviewed to identify patients with a long-term response, defined as a time to progression of 12 months or longer. RESULTS: Long-term responses were seen in 37% (78/211) of patients. At a median follow-up of 53.5 months (range, 12.7-88.9) the median duration of response was 28.1 months and the median time to progression was 29.3 months. A third of these patients had been treated with at least 3 previous therapies, and 37% of them had not responded to their last therapy. The findings in patients with follicular lymphoma (n=59) were similar to those in the overall population of long-term responders. The estimated overall survival at 5 years was 53% for all patients treated with 90Y ibritumomab tiuxetan and 81% for long-term responders. CONCLUSIONS: A single dose of 90Y ibritumomab tiuxetan can produce durable responses and prolonged overall survival in a substantial number of patients in whom previous therapies have failed. Copyright (c) 2007 American Cancer Society