Conditions: Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 79
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This is an open, non comparative, multicentre phase II trial, to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a new sequential combination of HD-MTX-AraC-based chemoimmunotherapy, followed by R-ICE regimen, and by high-dose chemotherapy supported by ASCT.

Detailed description:
Treatment includes 6 courses of chemoimmunotherapy, the first three courses with an high dose methotrexate-based combination (MATRIX) followed by other three courses of R-ICE combination and finally a BCNU-thiotepa- containing conditioning and subsequent autologous stem cell transplantation.

MATRIX (courses 1, 2, 3):

Rituximab 375 mg/m2, Methotrexate 3.5 g/m2, Cytarabine 2 g/m2, Folinic rescue 15 mg/m2, Thiotepa 30 mg/m2, Intrathecal liposomial cytarabine 50 mg, rHuG-CSF 2,5 g/kg s.c.

R-ICE (courses 4, 5, 6):

Rituximab 375 mg/m2, Etoposide 100 mg/m2/d , Ifosfamide 5 g/m2, Intrathecal liposomial cytarabine 50 mg

Arms:
arm 1: MATRIX (courses 1,2,3): Rituximab 375 mg/m2 d0/Methotrexate 3.5 g/m2 d1/Cytarabine 2 g/m2 d2 \& d3/Thiotepa 30 mg/m2 d4/Liposomial Cytarabine 50 mg\* d5

R-ICE (courses 4,5,6):Rituximab 375 mg/m2 d1/Etoposide 100 mg/m2 d1,d2, d3/Ifosfamide 5 g/m2 d2/Carboplatin 5 AUC d2/Liposomial Cytarabine 50 mg\* d4

\*If liposomal cytarabine is not available, standard intrathecal chemotherapy with methotrexate 10 mg + cytarabine 40 mg + hydrocortisone 50 mg can be administered. Oral steroids are suggested for 2-3 days after intrathecal liposomial cytarabine delivery to prevent chemical or aseptic meningitis/ arachnoiditis.

Conditioning and ASCT: BCNU (carmustine)\*\* 400 mg/m2 d-6/Thiotepa 5 mg/kg d-5 \& d-4 ASCT: 5 x 106 CD34+cells/kg d0

\*\*In case of BCNU unavailability, the recommended conditioning regimen (Phase IV) is: Thiotepa 5 mg/kg d-6 \& d-5/Busulfan 3.2 mg/kg d-4,d -3,d-2/Clonazepam 2 mg/d d-4,d -3,d-2 ASCT: 5 x 106 CD34+cells/kg d0

Interventions: intervention 1: Methotrexate intervention 2: Rituximab intervention 3: Cytarabine intervention 4: Thiotepa intervention 5: liposomial cytarabine intervention 6: Etoposide intervention 7: Ifosfamide intervention 8: Carmustine intervention 9: whole brain radiotherapy
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: methotrexate 3.5 g/m2 on day 1 courses 1, 2,3 of MATRIX regimen intervention 2: Rituximab 375 mg/m2 as conventional IV infusion on day 0 courses 1, 2,3 (MATRIX regimen) and on day 1 courses 4,5,6 (R-ICE) intervention 3: Cytarabine 2 g/m2 every 12 hours, in 3-hr infusion on days 2,3 courses 1, 2,3 (MATRIX regimen) intervention 4: Thiotepa 30 mg/m2 in 30 minutes infusion on day 4 courses 1, 2,3 (MATRIX regimen) and 5 mg/kg in 250 ml of saline sol. in 2-hrs infusion every 12 hours on day -5 and -4 of conditioning and ASCT intervention 5: Intrathecal liposomial cytarabine 50 mg on day 5 courses 1, 2,3 (MATRIX regimen) and on day 4 courses 4,5,6 (R-ICE) intervention 6: Etoposide 100 mg/m2/d in 500 mL saline sol. in 30 minutes on day 1-2-3 courses 4,5,6 (R-ICE) intervention 7: Ifosfamide 5 g/m2 in 1.000 mL saline sol. in 24-hour infusion on day 2 courses 4,5,6 (R-ICE) intervention 8: BCNU (carmustine) 400 mg/m2 in 500 mL glucose 5% sol. in 1-hr infusion on day-6 of conditioning and ASCT intervention 9: whole-brain irradiation 36 Gy + tumor- bed boost 10 Gy in patients with residual disease in the parenchymal brain/cerebellum.

Protocol document:
Prot_SAP_000.pdf: