A trial comparing ofatumumab with rituximab for diffuse large B cell or follicular lymphoma (ORCHARRD)

Cancer type:

Blood cancers
High grade lymphoma
Low grade lymphoma
Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Status:

Results

Phase:

Phase 3
This trial compared ofatumumab with rituximab for people with diffuse large B cell or follicular lymphoma.
 
 It was for people whose lymphoma had:
  • come back
  • continued to grow after treatment 

More about this trial

Rituximab and chemotherapy are the usual treatments for diffuse large B cell (DLBCL) or follicular lymphoma that has come back. Sometimes the lymphoma can come back again. Doctors may then treat it with rituximab alongside a combination of chemotherapy such as DHAP. This is followed by a stem cell transplant
 
But having rituximab a second time doesn’t always work. So, doctors are looking for ways to improve treatment. In this trial they looked at a drug called ofatumumab
 
Ofatumumab is a type of targeted drug called a monoclonal antibody. It is similar to rituximab but works in a different way. Doctors already use ofatumumab to treat some types of leukaemia.
 
The aims of this trial were to:
  • find out how well DHAP and ofatumumab worked compared to DHAP and rituximab
  • learn more about the side effects

Summary of results

The trial team found that DHAP and ofatumumab worked no better than DHAP and rituximab for people with DLBCL or follicular lymphoma that had come back. Or whose treatment had stopped working.

The researchers published the results in February 2017. The trial took place worldwide.

Treatment
447 people took part. They were put into treatment groups at random and:

  • 225 had DHAP and rituximab
  • 222 had DHAP and ofatumumab

83 people who had DHAP and rituximab went on to have a stem cell transplant. 74 people who had DHAP and ofatumumab went on to have a stem cell transplant. 
 
Results 
The researchers looked at:
  • how well the treatment worked
  • how many people were living before their cancer started to grow again
  • how long people lived after treatment
But they didn’t find a difference in any of these between the 2 groups. So, DHAP and ofatumumab was no better than DHAP and rituximab. 
 
Side effects
The number of people who had side effects was similar between the 2 treatment groups. 
 
For both groups, the most common included:
  • an increased risk of infection
  • bleeding and bruising
The most serious were:
  • an increased risk of infection with a fever (febrile neutropenia)
  • kidney problems
  • bleeding and bruising
  • being sick
People who had ofatumumab and DHAP had more problems with:
  • skin rash
  • changes to blood tests that show how the kidneys are working
Conclusion 
The trial team concluded there was no difference in how well DHAP and ofatumumab worked compared to DHAP and rituximab for this group of people. 
 
This trial has increased knowledge about what works and what doesn’t for follicular lymphoma and diffuse B cell lymphoma.
 
We have based this summary on information from the research team. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists (peer reviewed Open a glossary item) 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 Gustaaf W. van Imhoff
Dr Andrew McMillian (UK)

Supported by

Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
HOVON Dutch-Belgian Cooperative Trial Group for Hematology-Oncology
National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN)

If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses

Freephone 0808 800 4040

Last review date

CRUK internal database number:

5636

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.

Last reviewed:

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