Anti-cancer drugs
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Clinical Trial
Semi-extended, six weekly rituximab infusions in pre-treated advanced low-grade B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a phase II study.
Either four or eight weekly rituximab infusions in relapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are well tolerated and efficacious. This phase II trial investigated the safety and efficacy of six weekly rituximab doses in chemotherapeutically pre-treated relapsed or refractory low-grade NHL patients. Sixty-eight patients (median age 64 years) received six i.v. rituximab infusions 375 mg/m2 weekly. ⋯ Median time to progression for all patients was 14 months and for responders 21 months. More than half the 42 patients evaluated for efficacy and more than 70% of the 25 responding patients still survived longer than 3 years after treatment. The safety profile and efficacy achieved in this study compare favorably with those seen with four or eight weekly doses in pre-treated low-grade NHL.