
"I am glad that taking part in a trial might help others on their own cancer journey.”
This trial was comparing chemotherapy alone with chemotherapy and rituximab for people under 60 who had been recently diagnosed with diffuse large B cell non Hodgkin lymphoma.
Doctors often treat non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with chemotherapy. This works well but sometimes the lymphoma comes back. Researchers thought that having a monoclonal antibody called rituximab (Mabthera) as well as chemotherapy might help to stop the cancer coming back.
The people who took part in this trial had a type of NHL called diffuse large B cell lymphoma. They all had a ‘good prognosis’. This means that their doctors expected them to do well after treatment. The aim of the trial was to see if adding rituximab to chemotherapy would help to stop diffuse large B-cell NHL coming back.
The trial team found that lymphoma came back in fewer people in the group having chemotherapy and rituximab than in the group having chemotherapy alone.
The trial recruited 824 people in different countries around the world. Half the people taking part had chemotherapy, the other half had chemotherapy and rituximab.
After an average of just under 3 years of follow up, the researchers looked at how many people were living without any sign of their lymphoma having come back. They found this was
The number of people who had side effects, and how bad the side effects were, was about the same in both groups.
So, the researchers found that adding rituximab to chemotherapy worked well as treatment for people under 60 with good prognosis diffuse large B cell lymphoma.
We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. 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. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Ruth Pettengell
Haematology Trials Group
Roche
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"I am glad that taking part in a trial might help others on their own cancer journey.”