Last year in the UK over 60,000 cancer patients enrolled on clinical trials aimed at improving cancer treatments and making them available to all.
A study looking at the way chemotherapy works in children and young people with B cell non Hodgkin Lymphoma (PK 2005 02)
Cancer type:
Blood cancers
Children's cancers
Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Status:
Results
Phase:
Other
This study aimed to find out more about the way cyclophosphamide chemotherapy works in children and young people with B cell non Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Cancer Research UK supported this study.
More about this trial
Non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is cancer of the lymphatic system. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for childhood NHL. This can work well, but lymphoma comes back (relapses) in some children and then it becomes more difficult to treat
Cyclophosphamide is one of the chemotherapy drugs used to treat NHL. Research has suggested that there might be a link between how well this drug works and the risk of the lymphoma coming back.
The researchers in this trial wanted to find out more about how cyclophosphamide works in the body once it enters the blood stream. They think there is a reason why it works differently in some children than others. This might be because of their genetic make up and the way their body breaks down and gets rid of the drug.
The aims of the study were to look at
- how much cyclophosphamide was in the body (
pharmacokinetics 
) - the role of
genes in how the body responded to the drug (pharmacogenetics )
Summary of results
The researchers found that cyclophosphamide worked differently in the individual children taking part but these differences did not change how well they did.
49 children and young adults took part in the study. They all had B-cell non Hodgkin’s lymphoma and had cyclophosphamide as part of their treatment.
In total the researchers collected 644 blood samples over 5 years. The samples were taken before and at set times after the children had cyclophosphamide.
The length of time it took them to process (metabolise) cyclophosphamide did not influence whether the lymphoma came back (relapsed).
There were genetic variations between the children and these had a role in how the body processed cyclophosphamide. But again this made no difference to how well the child did in the long term.
The researchers concluded that this study does not support a link between the way cyclophosphamide is processed and the risk of B-cell non Hodgkins Lymphoma coming back.
We have based this summary on information from the research team. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team who did the research. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Recruitment start:
Recruitment end:
How to join a clinical trial
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Please note - unless we state otherwise in the summary, you need to talk to your doctor about joining a trial.
Chief Investigator
Dr G. Veal
Professor Alan Boddy
Supported by
Cancer Research UK
Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG)
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre Network
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
North of England Children’s Cancer Research Fund
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Last review date
CRUK internal database number:
618
Please note - unless we state otherwise in the summary, you need to talk to your doctor about joining a trial.
Over 60,000 cancer patients enrolled on clinical trials in the UK last year.
