A trial looking at Zevalin and chemotherapy for follicular lymphoma that has come back (SCHRIFT)

The trial team found that having a shorter course of chemotherapy and Zevalin was a useful treatment for follicular lymphoma that had come back.

50 people had a shorter course of chemotherapy and rituximab. So everyone had

• R-CHOP or
• R-CVP

followed by Zevalin.

8 weeks after having Zevalin the researchers looked at how well treatment had worked. They found that for:

• 12 people their lymphoma went away completely (a complete response)
• 34 people the lymphoma went away a little bit (a partial response)
• 1 person the lymphoma stayed the same (stable disease)

For 3 people a complete response may have occurred but this was not confirmed.

The people who took part had regular check ups. At the check ups the trial team found that:

• 18 people who had a partial response after chemotherapy went on to have a complete response after Zevalin
• 7 people who had a partial response after Zevalin went on to have a complete response 12 to 18 months later

The researchers looked at the average length of time people lived without any signs of their cancer getting worse. This is called progression free survival. This was just under 2 years (23.1 months).

They also looked at how long people lived after treatment. At 5 years, around 8 out of 10 people (77.5%) were still alive.

The main side effects were easily managed. They included:

• a drop in blood cells causing an increased risk of infection, bleeding problems, tiredness and breathlessness
• infections

The trial team concluded that a shorter course of chemotherapy and Zevalin was a useful treatment for this group of people. And the side effects weren’t too bad. 

We have based this summary on information from the research team. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists (peer reviewed ) 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.