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 to understand more about the growth and treatment of a rare type of non Hodgkin lymphoma (IELSG 26)
Cancer type:
Blood cancers
High grade lymphoma
Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Status:
Results
Phase:
Phase 2
This study looked at tissue samples and PET scans to learn more about ‘primary mediastinal diffuse large B cell lymphoma’ (PMBL) and the best way to treat it.
Cancer Research UK supported this study.
More about this trial
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a type of high grade non Hodgkin lymphoma. ’Mediastinal’ means it started in the glands (lymph nodes) in the centre of the chest (the ‘mediastinum’). Primary mediastinal diffuse large B cell lymphoma (PMBL) is a rare type of Non Hodgkin lymphoma.
PMBL can be treated with chemotherapy and a monoclonal antibody called rituximab. You could have one of several chemotherapy combinations. After this, you may also have radiotherapy to your chest.
In this study researchers looked a samples of lymphoma tissue. They also looked at PET-CT scans taken before and after chemotherapy. The aims of this study were to:
- understand more about PMBL and the best way to treat it
- see if PET-CT scans would be useful in showing how well the treatment had worked
Summary of results
The study team found that PET-CT scans could possibly be used to show how successful treatment for PMBL might be.
This was a phase 2/3 study. 125 people took part.
A 103 people had a scan before starting chemotherapy. Everyone had a PET-CT scan after finishing chemotherapy.
PET-CT scans show the activity of cancer cells. The researchers looked at 3 different activities to see if they could show how well the chemotherapy worked.
Total lesion glycolysis (TLG) was one of these activities. It shows how much sugar cancer cells uses in relation to its size.
After 5 years follow up, the team looked at the percentage of people who were still alive and the percentage of people who were alive with no sign of their cancer. They also looked the level of TLG in the 1st PET-CT scan of these people.
For those whose scan showed a low level of TLG they found:
- they were all alive (100%)
- 99 out of every 100 people (99%) had no sign of their cancer
For those whose scan showed a high level of TLG they found:
- 80 out of every 100 people (80%) were still alive
- 64 out of every 100 people (64%) had no sign of their cancer
The study team said that the TLG on the 1st PET-CT scan appeared to be a good predictor of how well treatment might work. They recommend further studies to confirm this.
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
Professor Peter Johnson
Supported by
Cancer Research UK
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
International Extra nodal Lymphoma Study Group (IELSG)
University of Southampton Clinical Trials Unit
Other information
This is Cancer Research UK trial number CRUKE/06/035.
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Last review date
CRUK internal database number:
2133
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.
