A trial looking at thalidomide for non Hodgkin lymphoma that has come back or is proving hard to treat

This trial was looking at thalidomide for diffuse large B cell non Hodgkin lymphoma (DLBCL).

Doctors usually treat high grade non Hodgkin lymphoma with chemotherapy, or possibly high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant. But sometimes the disease comes back, even after a transplant. So doctors continue to look for new and better treatments.

The aim of this trial was to see if thalidomide could help people with diffuse large B cell lymphoma

• Whose disease had come back within a year of having chemotherapy or chemotherapy and stem cell transplant

• Who did not get a complete remission with chemotherapy

• Who could not have high dose therapy with stem cell transplant either because their NHL was not responding well to chemotherapy or because they were not well enough