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Addition of Zevalin to Transplant Chemotherapy Improves Survival for B-Cell Lymphoma Patients: Presented at ASH

By Ed Susman

ORLANDO, FL -- December 13, 2006 -- The addition of yttrium 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) to a standard condition regimen for patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation improves overall survival and progression-free survival among older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, doctors said here at the American Society of Hematology 48^th Annual Meeting and Exposition (ASH).

The 2-year overall survival was 93% among patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who received Zevalin along with a conditioning regimen comprising carmustine, cytarabine, etoposide, and melphalan (known as BEAM), said presenter Amrita Krishnan, MD, associate professor and physician, the department of hematology and hematopoietic cell transplantation, City of Hope Cancer Center, Duarte, California, who led the research team.

Two-year overall survival was 43% among similar patients who just received BEAM, Dr. Krishnan said in her poster presentation on December 11^th. That difference in survival reached statistical significance at the P = .005 level, Dr. Krishnan said.

Patients who received Zevalin also appeared to have longer progression-free survival as well (P = .049), doctors said.

"Our study suggests that adding yttrium 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan to the BEAM condition regimen is feasible and well tolerated in older patients," Dr. Krishnan said.

The median age of the patients in the study was 64 years in the group that received BEAM alone (range 50-77 years) and 62 years in the group that received Zevalin (range 50-78 years). The difference was not significant (P = .39).

Patients were enrolled in the study between 1995 and 2005. Thirty-two patients received BEAM alone and 33 were treated with BEAM plus Zevalin. There were 34 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 18 of whom were treated with Zevalin and 16 who were treated with BEAM alone.

All patients who received BEAM plus Zevalin appeared to have better overall survival and disease-free survival. However, the differences did not reach statistical significance due to the small numbers of patients with different disease characteristics.

"The favorable outcomes in patients treated with Zevalin plus BEAM, especially patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, suggest that prospective study in a randomized trial is warranted," Dr. Krishnan said.

The study was supported by Biogen Idec, San Diego. California.


[Presentation title: A Comparison of BEAM and Yttrium 90 Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin) in Addition to BEAM (Z-BEAM) in Older Patients Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplant for B-Cell Lymphomas: Impact of Radioimmunotherapy on Transplant Outcomes. Abstract 3043]

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