Conditions: Lymphoma
Keywords: Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia Rituximab CHOP
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 16
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can locate cancer cells and either kill them or deliver cancer-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining rituximab with combination chemotherapy may kill more cancer cells.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving rituximab together with combination chemotherapy works in treating patients with newly diagnosed Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia.

Detailed description:
OBJECTIVES:

* Determine the response rate of patients with newly diagnosed Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone.
* Determine the associated toxic effects of this regimen, specifically the frequency of febrile neutropenia, in these patients.
* Determine the progression-free survival of patients treated with this regimen.
* Correlate baseline cytogenetic features and gene expression profiles with response in patients treated with this regimen.

OUTLINE: This is a pilot, multicenter study.

Patients receive rituximab intravenously (IV) over approximately 4 hours, cyclophosphamide IV over 5-30 minutes, doxorubicin IV over 5-15 minutes, and vincristine IV over 1 minute on day 1. Patients also receive oral prednisone on days 1-5. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 years, and then annually for 5 years.

ACTUAL ACCRUAL: A total of 16 patients were accrued for this study.

Arms:
arm 1: Rituximab 375 mg/m2 day 1 of a 21-day cycle, followed by:

Cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2 Doxorubicin 50 mg/m2 Vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 and Prednisone 100 mg/m2 daily

Interventions: intervention 1: rituximab intervention 2: cyclophosphamide intervention 3: Doxorubicin intervention 4: Prednisone intervention 5: Vincristine
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Rituximab is given intravenously. The initial rate is 50 mg/hr for the 1st hour. If no toxicity, the rate may be escalated in 50 mg/hr increments at 30-minute intervals to a maximum of 400 mg/hr. If the first dose is well tolerated, the initial rate for subsequent dose is 100 mg/hr, increased in 100 mg/hr increments at 30-minute intervals, not to exceed 400 mg/hr. If the patient experiences fever and rigors, the antibody infusion is discontinued. The severity of the side effects should be evaluated. If the symptoms improve, the infusion is continued initially at half the previous rate. Following the antibody infusion, the intravenous line should be maintained for medications as needed. If there are no complications after one hour of observation, the intravenous line may be discontinued. intervention 2: Cyclophosphamide will be given at a dosage of 750 mg/m² intravenously on day 1 of each cycle (1 cycle =21 days) for 6 cycles. Dose is based on surface area calculated based on actual body weight.

The drug should be administered as a rapid IV infusion over 5 to 30 minutes. intervention 3: Doxorubicin will be given intravenously at a dosage of 50 mg/m² on day 1 of each cycle for 6 cycles (1 cycle =21 days). Dose is based on surface area calculated based on actual body weight.

Doxorubicin should be administered as a continuous infusion into tubing of a freely flowing intravenous line for 5 -15 minutes. Avoid extravasation. intervention 4: Prednisone will be administered at 100 mg/m² orally, days 1-5 of each cycle for 6 cycles (1 cycle =21 days). Dose is based on surface area calculated based on actual body weight. intervention 5: Vincristine will be administered 1.4 mg/m² intravenously (Maximum dose = 2.0 mg) on day 1 of each cycle for 6 cycles (1 cycle =21 days). Dose is based on surface area calculated based on actual body weight.

Given as IV push over 1 minute, using extravasation precautions.

Protocol document: