Low-dose fludarabine and cyclophosphamide combined with rituximab in the first-line treatment of elderly/comorbid patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL): long-term results of project Q-lite by the Czech CLL Study Group
- PMID: 33618437
- DOI: 10.1111/bjh.17373
Low-dose fludarabine and cyclophosphamide combined with rituximab in the first-line treatment of elderly/comorbid patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL): long-term results of project Q-lite by the Czech CLL Study Group
Abstract
Therapeutic options used to be very limited for treatment-naïve elderly/comorbid patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) before the introduction of chemo-immunotherapy. Because dose-reduced fludarabine-based regimens yielded promising results, the Czech CLL Study Group initiated a prospective observational study to assess safety and efficacy of low-dose fludarabine and cyclophosphamide combined with rituximab (FCR) in elderly/comorbid patients. Between March 2009 and July 2012, we enrolled 107 patients considered ineligible for full-dose FCR (median age, 70 years; median Cumulative Illness Rating Scale score, 5; median creatinine clearance, 69 ml/min). Notably, 77% patients had unfavourable biological prognosis [unmutated immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable-region gene (IGHV), 74%; deletion 17p, 9%). Fludarabine was reduced to 12 mg/m2 intravenously (iv) or 20 mg/m2 orally on days 1-3 and cyclophosphamide to 150 mg/m2 iv/orally on days 1-3. Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 56% of the patients, but there were serious infections in only 15%. The median progression-free survival was 29 months, but was markedly longer in patients with mutated IGHV (median 53 months), especially in absence of del 11q or 17p (median 74 months). Low-dose FCR is a well-tolerated and effective first-line regimen for selected elderly/comorbid patients with CLL/SLL with favourable biology. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02156726).
Keywords: chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; comorbidity; fludarabine; low-dose FCR; rituximab.
© 2021 British Society for Haematology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
References
-
- Dores GM, Anderson WF, Curtis RE, Landgren O, Ostroumova E, Bluhm EC, et al. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma: overview of the descriptive epidemiology. Br J Haematol. 2007;139:809-19.
-
- Dreger P, Ghia P, Schetelig J, van Gelder M, Kimby E, Michallet M, et al. High-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the era of pathway inhibitors: integrating molecular and cellular therapies. Blood. 2018;132:892-902.
-
- Hallek M, Fischer K, Fingerle-Rowson G, Fink AM, Busch R, Mayer J, et al. Addition of rituximab to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2010;376:1164-74.
-
- Eichhorst B, Fink AM, Bahlo J, Busch R, Kovacs G, Maurer C, et al. First-line chemoimmunotherapy with bendamustine and rituximab versus fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab in patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL10): an international, open-label, randomised, phase 3, non-inferiority trial. Lancet Oncol. 2016;17:928-42.
-
- Shvidel L, Shtalrid M, Bairey O, Rahimi-Levene N, Lugassy G, Shpilberg O, et al. Conventional dose fludarabine-based regimens are effective but have excessive toxicity in elderly patients with refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Leuk Lymphoma. 2003;44:1947-50.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Associated data
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical