Treanda + Rituxan Wins Praise Over R-CHOP

Fewer side effects, a lower toxicity profile, and a better treatment outcome—all ideal hopes for cancer treatments, and according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting, all of them delivered by the Treanda + Rituxan combination against indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

The study, involving 514 patients with previously treated indolent NHLs were randomized to receive the Treanda combination, or standard chemotherapy care, which in this case is the R-CHOP regimen.

At a follow-up of about four years, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was over double for those on the two drug combo than those on R-CHOP on the dual-drug regimen (69.5 months vs. 31.2 months).

In addition to a better PFS, the two-drug combo gave patients fewer side effects than R-CHOP. One of the study researchers, Dr. Mathias Rummel of University Hospital Geissen in Germany, said that while nearly every patient receiving the R-CHOP regimen experienced hair loss, not a single patient from the combo arm experienced it.

That arm also had fewer episodes of infectious complications, and fewer peripheral nerve problems.

"This will likely become the new standard of care for these individuals," said Dr. Bruce Roth, a professor of medicine in the division of oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Source: ASCO