A trial of low intensity transplants for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL MiniAllo)

This trial is looking at having a stem cell transplant using lower doses of chemotherapy, in combination with alemtuzumab (MabCampath) for mantle cell lymphoma. This trial is supported by Cancer Research UK.

Doctors often treat mantle cell lymphoma with chemotherapy. This can work well and all signs of the lymphoma may disappear. This is called remission. But chemotherapy doesn’t usually cure mantle cell lymphoma and when it comes back, it can be difficult to get it into remission again.

Some people have high dose chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant for mantle cell lymphoma. But you usually have this after the disease has come back. In this trial, researchers are looking at stem cell transplants as part of the initial treatment.

They are using lower doses of chemotherapy than people usually have before a stem cell transplant. This is called ‘reduced intensity conditioning’ (RIC). You may also hear it called a mini transplant or mini allogeneic transplant (allogeneic means the stem cells come from a donor). Using lower doses of chemotherapy causes fewer side effects than the high dose treatment.

As well as having chemotherapy, you also have a drug called alemtuzumab. This is a monoclonal antibody. It attaches to lymphoma cells and can kill them. It also attaches to certain white blood cells in your body, reducing the risk of your body rejecting the transplant and the chance of a side effect called graft versus host disease (GVHD).

The aims of this trial are

• To see if a low intensity stem cell transplant is a safe treatment for people with mantle cell lymphoma

• To find out if it is better to have a transplant when people first go into remission, rather than waiting until the lymphoma comes back