Researchers from Israel reported at ASCO this week that the use of Zevalin (Yttrium 90 Ibritumomab Tiuxetan) used with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant provides an effective
treatment option for patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) in first or subsequent relapse.
Zevalin is a combination of Rituxan attached to the isotope Yttrium 90. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zevalin for the treatment of patients with low-grade NHL that has stopped responding to standard therapies. The approval indicates that Zevalin must be used in combination with Rituxan®.
The trial presented at ASCO included 20 patients with a median age of 55 years whos NHL had become resistant to prior chemotherapy, with a median 3 prior regimens. NHL subtypes included mantle cell NHL, diffuse large cell and transformed follicular NHL.
14 patients achieved complete response (CR) and 4 achieved a partial response (PR).
Estimated one-year survival is nearly 60%.
Estimated one-year progression-free survival is 53%.
The day 100 treatment-related mortality was 10%.
The researchers concluded that the inclusion of Zevalin into high-dose chemotherapy regimens may improve disease-free survival and overall survival compared to high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation alone in patients with refractory, aggressive NHL.
ASCO.org
