expectancy with maintenance treatment
The protein Rituximab, a hope for patients with follicular lymphoma. This monoclonal antibody * is indicated in combination with chemotherapy in the treatment of follicular lymphoma. Used as a maintenance treatment, to prevent relapses of the disease. That's what shows the study led by Professor Gilles Salles, hematologist in the Lyons CHU, published in the January issue of the prestigious The Lancet.
The follicular Lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system, is the 2nd most common lymphoma. To date, it is unclear to cure him. The life expectancy of patients is close to fifteen years, with a treatment initial 6 months, based on the combination of chemotherapy with injections of Rituximab. The problem: nearly half of patients relapse after 3 to 5 years.
An international study at the Lyons CHU by the task force of the adult lymphomas (GELA) and coordinated by Dr. Gilles rooms has tested the benefits of an infusion of Rituximab in maintenance treatment, every two months during the two years that s uivent initial treatment of follicular lymphoma. 225 services were mobilised and 1019 patients enrolled in 25 countries. It is the largest study ever conducted on follicular lymphoma.
1019 volunteers in the study, 505 received Rituximab in maintenance treatment, and 513 received no treatment. After two years, 75% of the treated patients did not relapse, is a reduction of almost half of the number of relapses. Three years after the launch of the study (end of 2004), article published in The Lancet says the use of Rituximab as maintenance therapy allows to increase life expectancy without signs of illness of patients, regardless of age and the sex (95% of patients are alive 3 ½ years after the beginning of treatment).
In addition, the treatment is well tolerated by patients, despite a higher frequency of side effects, including type infections (37% of patients with Rituximab maintenance against 24% for others) including 26 patients with infections considered as serious. Maintenance treatment has no negative consequence on the quality of life of patients, which, for the most part, return to their professional activity at the end of maintenance therapy.
Today, this maintenance therapy is prescribed for all patients treated at the Lyons CHU for follicular Lymphoma, and tends to spread to all of the hospitals in France.
* Rituximab is a protein produced by genetic engineering currently administered by intravenous way. This protein is a chimeric antibody (a part derived from a human antibody, part derived from sequences of a mouse antibody) grateful for a very specific antigen CD20, which is present on the surface of cells of 85% of lymphomas (all lymphomas so-called B lymphomas) and on that of the normal B-cells. This antibody will fix itself on those cells which carry CD20 and cause their destruction. It is a form of immunotherapy (treatment based on the activity of the immune system).
Category: Cancer, Innovation, civil Hospices of Lyon
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