MURAGAKI Yoshihiro
   Department   School of Medicine(Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital), School of Medicine
   Position   Visiting Professor
Article types Original article
Language English
Peer review Peer reviewed
Title Immunochemotherapy using rituximab (RTX) and high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX): an evaluation of the addition of RTX to HD-MTX in recurrent primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL).
Journal Formal name:Japanese journal of clinical oncology
Abbreviation:Jpn J Clin Oncol
ISSN code:14653621/03682811
Domestic / ForeginForegin
Volume, Issue, Page 47(10),pp.919-924
Author and coauthor MIYAKITA Yasuji†, OHNO Makoto, TAKAHASHI Masamichi , MURAGAKI Yoshihiro, KATAI Hitoshi, NARITA Yoshitaka
Publication date 2017/10
Summary Background:There is increasing evidence that MTX-based chemotherapy is superior to HD-MTX alone. Rituximab (RTX) is effective in a variety of B-cell lymphomas and may enter the brain. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the addition of RTX to HD-MTX in recurrent primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL).Methods:Patients diagnosed with recurrent PCNSL at our institution between 2004 and 2009 were treated with HD-MTX (3.5-5.5 g/m2) every 2 weeks. From 2010, RTX (375 mg/m2) was administered every 2 weeks along with HD-MTX.Results:Fifteen recurrences in 10 patients were treated with HD-MTX alone (MTX group). Another 15 recurrences in 10 patients were treated with RTX and HD-MTX (RTX group). In 13 (86.6%) of the 15 recurrences in both groups the pre-planned chemotherapy cycles were completed. In the MTX group, 10/15 (66.6%) recurrences achieved a complete response (CR/CRu), 2/15 (13.3%) recurrences achieved a partial response (PR) and 3/15 (20%) recurrences had progressive disease (PD). In the RTX group, the CR/CRu, PR and PD rates were the same as that in the MTX group. The median time to tumor progression (mTTP) was 9.1 months (range, 1.4-120.9 months) in the MTX group and 7.8 months (range, 0.9-52.3 months) in the RTX group. We found nosignificant difference in mTTP (9.1 vs. 7.8 months, HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.48-2.18, P = 0.94) between the two groups. All treatment-related toxicities were manageable without any severe events.Conclusions:The addition of RTX to HD-MTX may not be a promising strategy for recurrent PCNSL. A future study with a larger sample size, longer follow-up, or different RTX dosing/schedule is warranted.
DOI 10.1093/jjco/hyx095
PMID 28981729