Conditions: Lymphoma, Follicular
Keywords: Lymphoma Bevacizumab Rituximab
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 60
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility, efficacy and safety of adding bevacizumab to rituximab compared to rituximab alone in patients with previously treated follicular non-hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) whose disease has progressed following at least one previous chemotherapy regimen and not more than 2 previous chemotherapy regimens.

Detailed description:
Upon determination of eligibility, patients will randomly be assigned to one of two treatment arms:

* Rituximab
* Rituximab + bevacizumab

For every 2 patients randomized, 1 will receive treatment number 1 (rituximab), and 1 patient will receive treatment number 2 (rituximab + bevacizumab). This is not a blinded study, so both the patient and doctor will know which treatment has been assigned.

Arms:
arm 1: All patients will receive rituximab 375mg/m2 administered by slow IV infusion weekly for 4 consecutive weeks (days 1, 8, 15, and 22). Patients who have objective response or stable disease at week 12 reevaluation will receive 4 additional doses of rituximab (375 mg/m2) administered in months 3 (week 12), 5, 7, and 9. arm 2: All patients will receive rituximab 375mg/m2 administered by slow IV infusion weekly for 4 consecutive weeks (days 1, 8, 15, and 22). During the 4-week course of rituximab, all patients will receive 2 doses of bevacizumab 10mg/kg IV, given on Days 3 and 15. The first dose will be given on Day 3, following rituximab on Day 1. If both drugs are well tolerated during the first dose, rituximab and bevacizumab should be given on the same day for the Day 15 dose and all subsequent doses.

Interventions: intervention 1: Bevacizumab intervention 2: Rituximab
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: None intervention 2: None

Protocol document: