A trial looking at ofatumumab for diffuse large B cell lymphoma that has come back after treatment

Cancer type:

Blood cancers
High grade lymphoma
Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Status:

Results

Phase:

Phase 2

This trial looked ofatumumab for diffuse large B cell lymphoma that had come back or continued to grow after treatment.

It recruited people who either could not have a stem cell transplant using their own blood cells (autologous transplant Open a glossary item), or had already had a stem cell transplant.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a type of high grade non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Doctors often treat DLBCL with a combination of chemotherapy Open a glossary item and a drug called rituximab. This treatment is called R-CHOP. This is a successful treatment for many people. But if the lymphoma comes back and you can’t have a stem cell transplant, or you have already had one, your lymphoma can be more difficult to treat.

Ofatumumab (Arzerra) is a type of biological therapy called a monoclonal antibody. These can seek out cancer cells by looking for particular proteins which are found on the surface of particular cancer cells.

The aims of the trial were to find out

  • How well ofatumumab works for patients whose DLBCL has come back after treament
  • More about the side effects

Summary of results

The research team found that ofatumumab was useful for treating diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) that had come back or stopped responding to treatment.

This trial recruited 81 people with DLBCL.  Of these

  • 56 weren’t able to have a stem cell transplant using their own cells (an autologous transplant Open a glossary item)
  • 25 had already had a stem cell transplant but their lymphoma had come back

Everyone taking part had ofatumumab through a drip into a vein once a week for 8 weeks.

The trial team analysed the results in 2011. They had the results for 36 people who weren’t able to have a stem cell transplant using their own cells. They found that the lymphoma had

  • Got a bit better in 7 people
  • Stayed the same in 11 people
  • Got worse in 18 people

They had the results for 21 people who had already had a stem cell transplant but their lymphoma had come back. They found that the lymphoma had

  • Disappeared completely in 2 people
  • Stayed the same in 3 people
  • Got worse in 16 people

The most common side effects were diarrhoea, tiredness (fatigue), fluid retention, stomach pain and constipation a drop in white blood cells causing an increased risk of infection.

The researchers concluded that ofatumumab was a safe and useful treatment for DLBCL that had come back or stopped responding to treatment.

As ofatumumab helped some people in this trial when it was used on its own, the researchers suggested that future trials could look at giving it at the same time as chemotherapy for this type of 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 (peer reviewed Open a glossary item) and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. 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 Martin Dyer

Supported by

Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
Genmab

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

Freephone 0808 800 4040

Last review date

CRUK internal database number:

Oracle- 2687

Please note - unless we state otherwise in the summary, you need to talk to your doctor about joining a trial.

Last reviewed:

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