Guest guest Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 Hi Folks - you may recall that this is one of my pet subjects. Here is another article posted on NHL Low - I'm sure they will not mind me spreading the word here Reuters Health Posting Date: June 8, 2004 Last Updated: 2004-06-08 8:59:40 -0400 (Reuters Health) NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Studies show a top-selling cancer drug called Rituxan (rituximab) improves survival in two new groups of patients with non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL, according to the drug's makers -- Genentech Inc., Biogen Idec Inc. and Roche. The drug is already approved for certain types of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a disease affecting 1.5 million people worldwide, and these trials may lead to Rituxan being used by even more patients, said the companies, which funded the studies. " Rituxan is moving more and more to the front of therapy. We will see it used more in the practice of oncology in the U.S., " said Dr. Hochster, of the New York University School of Medicine. Hochster, who authored one of two phase III studies on non-Hodgkins lymphoma, spoke at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in New Orleans. In the study headed by Hochster, 401 patients received Rituxan as a maintenance therapy for indolent non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a slow- spreading form of the disease. They got four doses of the drug every six months for a two-year period. Preliminary results showed that 73% of the patients on maintenance therapy were free of disease progression and alive at two years, compared with 43% of those receiving no further treatment, the drug's makers, said in a joint statement. Rituxan is sold as MabThera outside the United States and Canada. Preliminary results of a second study showed that 95% of patients younger than age 60 with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma survived after receiving Rituxan and chemotherapy compared with 85% of those who got chemotherapy alone, the companies said. The patients in the study, which was halted early after reaching its objectives, were observed for a median of two years. Also, 81% of the patients treated with the combination were free from treatment failure -- meaning relapse, death or a failure to stop the disease -- versus 58% of patients treated with chemotherapy alone. Some 45% of non-Hodgkins lymphoma patients have indolent lymphoma and 55% have the aggressive form of the disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Many docs use R maintenance for CLL - Hard to tell whether or not it's helping, no conclusive evidence - Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 I have had two sessions of 4 treatments of R for maintenance six months apart for CLL and has shown improvement both times. WBC has come down both times.jb50192@... wrote: Many docs use R maintenance for CLL - Hard to tell whether or not it's helping, no conclusive evidence - Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year. Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Dan and others - this has been my opinion - it helps CLL, even thought the paper was on follicular - one concern may be overdoing it, developing a refractory situation - but I think that is relatively rare, especially if you do not exceed two years - Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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