
"I am glad that taking part in a trial might help others on their own cancer journey.”
This trial was for people just diagnosed with a rare type of non Hodgkin lymphoma called angioimmunoblastic lymphoma.
Cancer Research UK supported this trial.
Angioimmunoblastic lymphoma is a type of lymphoma that affects blood cells called T cells. You may hear your doctors call it angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma or AITL.
CHOP chemotherapy is the usual treatment for angioimmunoblastic lymphoma. But compared to other types of lymphoma the outlook () is poor and AITL sometimes comes back after treatment. So researchers are trying to find ways to improve treatment.
In this trial they looked at a combination of 2 chemotherapy drugs called fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. This drug combination has been used to treat other types of lymphoma. But doctors didn’t know how well it would work for angioimmunoblastic lymphoma.
They also looked at a type of called thalidomide. They wanted to find if having thalidomide after chemotherapy helped keep the lymphoma under control.
The aims of the trial were to:
The trial team found that fludarabine and cyclophosphamide followed by thalidomide shouldn’t be used as a for angioimmunoblastic lymphoma.
This was a phase 2 trial.
Everyone had fludarabine and cyclophosphamide followed by thalidomide.
15 people joined the trial. The team were able to look at the results of 13 people.
When the researchers looked at how well the fludarabine and cyclophosphamide worked they found that for:
7 people went on to have thalidomide after chemotherapy.
The average length of time people lived without their lymphoma coming back was 5 ½ months.
The average length of time people lived after treatment was just under 15 months.
The worst side effects of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide included:
The worst side effects of thalidomide included:
The trial team concluded that fludarabine and cyclophosphamide followed by thalidomide didn’t work well for people with angioimmumoblastic lymphoma.
There is no for this type of lymphoma. Further research is needed to improve the outcome for people with AITL and to decide the most effective treatments.
We have based this summary on information from the research team. 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 who did the research. 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 Claudius Rudin
Cancer Research UK
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
This is Cancer Research UK trial number CRUK/06/023.
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"I am glad that taking part in a trial might help others on their own cancer journey.”