"I was delighted to take part in a clinical trial as it has the potential to really help others in the future.”
A trial looking at rituximab and high dose chemotherapy for follicular lymphoma that has come back or is proving hard to treat
Cancer type:
Status:
Phase:
This trial looked at rituximab (Mabthera) before and after
Follicular NHL is a type of low grade non Hodgkin lymphoma. It is usually possible to control this type of lymphoma for a number of years, but it is difficult to cure. It is usually treated with chemotherapy to get it into
Doctors have been trying to improve the outlook for people with follicular lymphoma by using high dose chemotherapy. But there is still a risk that the disease will come back because there may still be lymphoma cells left in the body when the disease is in remission.
The aim of this trial was to see if treatment with rituximab before and after high dose therapy improved the outlook for follicular lymphoma by ridding the body of more lymphoma cells and keeping the disease in remission for longer.
Summary of results
The trial team found that having rituximab after high dose chemotherapy is safe and significantly increased the amount of time it took before follicular lymphoma started to come back.
This was a phase 3 trial. It recruited 280 people. It was a randomised trial. The people taking part were put into 1 of 4 treatment groups by a computer
- 69 people had rituximab before and after high dose therapy
- 72 people had rituximab before high dose therapy only
- 69 people had rituximab after high dose therapy only
- 70 people had high dose therapy only
Of the 280 recruited, the trial team were able to look at the results of 200 people.
After an average follow up of just under 8½ years, the researchers looked at how many people were alive and free of cancer. Of those free of cancer, they found that
- 48 out of every 100 people (48%) had rituximab before high dose therapy
- 42 out of every 100 people (42%) didn’t have rituximab before high dose therapy
- 54 out of every 100 people (54%) had rituximab after high dose therapy
- 37 out of every 100 people (37%) didn’t have rituximab after high dose therapy
They also found that having rituximab didn’t make a difference to the total number of people who were still alive.
The most common side effects reported were
- Fever
- Diarrhoea
- Feeling or being sick (nausea)
- Tummy (abdominal) pain
- Infection
The trial team concluded that having rituximab after high dose therapy was safe and did significantly increase the amount of time it took for follicular lymphoma to come back.
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 (
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.
Chief Investigator
Dr Ruth Pettengell
Professor A.H. Goldstone
Supported by
European Foundation for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
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