Safety and Efficacy of Bendamustine and Rituximab (BR) Regimen in Indian Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Patients

AbstractWe investigated the safety and efficacy of bendamustine-rituximab (BR) in previously untreated symptomatic and advanced CLL patients, as there is no data available on BR from the Indian subcontinent.This retrospective study included 120 consecutive treatment na ïve patients with CLL without del (17p), who were registered at the Department of Medical Oncology, AIIMS between January 2010 and July 2018. Bendamustine was given at a dose of 90 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2, combined with rituximab 375  mg/m2 rituximab on day 1, every 28  days for up to 6 courses. Event-free survival (EFS) was defined as the date of treatment to date of relapse, disease progression, or death due to any cause.The median age was 57 years (range: 30–75 years). As per the clinical Rai stage, 30 (25%) patients were in stage II, 42 (35%) were in stag e III and 48 (40%) were in stage IV. ZAP70 was positive (>  20%) in 50%, CD 38 was positive (>  30%) in 33%, and CD49d was positive (>  30%) in 49% of cases. Beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) was elevated (≥ 3.5 mg/L) in 80% of cases. Fifty-five cases (50%, n = 110) were IGHV mutated. The mean number of cycles was 5 (1–6). The overall response rate (ORR) seen with BR was 90% and complete response was 45%. Median progression-f ree survival was 24 months with a median follow-up period of 29 months. Haemoglobin (<  10 g/dL), elevated B2 M, unmutated IGHV had a statistically significant adverse impact on EFS on univariate analy...
Source: Indian Journal of Hematology and Blood Transfusion - Category: Hematology Source Type: research