Chemoimmunotherapy Group Research Articles

Real-World Effectiveness and Prognostic Factors Analysis of Stages I-III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Following Neoadjuvant Chemo-Immunotherapy or Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Purpose: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been successfully used in many clinical trials related to immunotherapy. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of ICIs and prognostic factors in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following neoadjuvant therapy in the real world.Methods: A total of 170 consecutive patients were finally selected and divided into two groups: the preoperative chemotherapy group (n = 91) and the chemo-immunotherapy group (n = 79). The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS). The secondary endpoints were pathological response, clinical response, pathological nodal disease, and ability of multivariate Cox regression analysis to predict survival. Survival was estimated using Kaplan–Meier method and compared using log-rank test.Results: There was a statistically significant difference in DFS between the two groups (log-rank test, P = 0.019). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that maximum tumor diameter (P = 0.016), higher lymph node stage (ypN1, P = 0.016; ypN2, P <0.001), and major pathological response not achieved (non-major pathological response [MPR], P = 0.011) were independent prognostic factors for worse DFS.Conclusion: Neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy yields better effects in pathological and clinical response than chemotherapy alone, which is also associated with longer DFS in the treatment of locally advanced NSCLC. Moreover, a larger tumor specimen diameter, higher ypN staging, and non-MPR after neoadjuvant therapy were associated with worse prognosis.

Clinical Outcomes Among Real-World Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Initiating First-Line Ibrutinib or Chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) Stratified By Risk Status: Results from a US Retrospective Chart Review Study

Clinical Outcomes Among Real-World Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Initiating First-Line Ibrutinib or Chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) Stratified By Risk Status: Results from a US Retrospective Chart Review Study

Chemo-immunotherapy combination after PD-1 inhibitor failure improves clinical outcomes in metastatic melanoma patients.

Management of PD-1 blockade resistance in metastatic melanoma (MM) remains challenging. Immunotherapy or chemotherapy alone provides limited benefit in this setting. Chemo-immunotherapy (CIT) has demonstrated favorable efficacy and safety profiles in lung cancer. Our pre-clinical study showed that in MM patients who have failed PD-1 blockade, the addition of chemotherapy increases CX3CR1+ therapy-responsive CD8+ T-cells with enhanced anti-tumor activity, resulting in improved clinical response. Here, we examined the clinical outcomes of CIT in MM patients after PD-1 blockade failure and the treatment-related changes in CX3CR1+ therapy-responsive CD8+ T-cells. We reviewed MM patients seen between January 2012 and June 2018 who failed anti-PD-1-based therapy and received subsequent CIT, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) or chemotherapy alone. Overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), event-free survival (EFS), and toxicities were assessed. Among 60 patients, 33 received CIT upon disease progression on PD-1 blockade. At a median follow-up of 3.9 years, the CIT group had a median OS of 3.5 years [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-NR] vs. 1.8 years (95% CI 0.9-2; P = 0.002) for those who received subsequent ICI (n = 9) or chemotherapy alone (n = 18), with ORR of 59% vs. 15% (P = 0.0003), respectively. The median EFS was 7.6 months (95% CI 6-10) following CIT vs. 3.4 months (95% CI 2.8-4.1; P = 0.0005) following ICI or chemotherapy alone. Therapy-responsive CX3CR1+CD8+ T-cells showed dynamic increase with successful CIT. CIT showed favorable clinical outcomes and acceptable safety profile in PD-1 blockade-resistant patients. CX3CR1+CD8+ therapy-responsive T-cells can be potentially used for monitoring disease response to CIT.

A Characterization of Bridging Therapies Leading up to Commercial CAR T-Cell Therapy

A Characterization of Bridging Therapies Leading up to Commercial CAR T-Cell Therapy

Ibrutinib–Rituximab or Chemoimmunotherapy for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

BackgroundData regarding the efficacy of treatment with ibrutinib–rituximab, as compared with standard chemoimmunotherapy with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab, in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have been limited.MethodsIn a phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned (in a 2:1 ratio) patients 70 years of age or younger with previously untreated CLL to receive either ibrutinib and rituximab for six cycles (after a single cycle of ibrutinib alone), followed by ibrutinib until disease progression, or six cycles of chemoimmunotherapy with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab. The primary end point was progression-free survival, and overall survival was a secondary end point. We report the results of a planned interim analysis.ResultsA total of 529 patients underwent randomization (354 patients to the ibrutinib–rituximab group, and 175 to the chemoimmunotherapy group). At a median follow-up of 33.6 months, the results of the analysis of progression-free survival favored ibrutinib–rituximab over chemoimmunotherapy (89.4% vs. 72.9% at 3 years; hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.22 to 0.56; P<0.001), and the results met the protocol-defined efficacy threshold for the interim analysis. The results of the analysis of overall survival also favored ibrutinib–rituximab over chemoimmunotherapy (98.8% vs. 91.5% at 3 years; hazard ratio for death, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.54; P<0.001). In a subgroup analysis involving patients without immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region (IGHV) mutation, ibrutinib–rituximab resulted in better progression-free survival than chemoimmunotherapy (90.7% vs. 62.5% at 3 years; hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.50). The 3-year progression-free survival among patients with IGHV mutation was 87.7% in the ibrutinib–rituximab group and 88.0% in the chemoimmunotherapy group (hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.14 to 1.36). The incidence of adverse events of grade 3 or higher (regardless of attribution) was similar in the two groups (in 282 of 352 patients [80.1%] who received ibrutinib–rituximab and in 126 of 158 [79.7%] who received chemoimmunotherapy), whereas infectious complications of grade 3 or higher were less common with ibrutinib–rituximab than with chemoimmunotherapy (in 37 patients [10.5%] vs. 32 [20.3%], P<0.001).ConclusionsThe ibrutinib–rituximab regimen resulted in progression-free survival and overall survival that were superior to those with a standard chemoimmunotherapy regimen among patients 70 years of age or younger with previously untreated CLL. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and Pharmacyclics; E1912 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02048813.)

Comparison of Costs and Health Care Resource Utilization (HRU) in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Patients Treated with Venetoclax (VEN) or Chemotherapy (CT)/Chemoimmunotherapy (CIT)

▪BACKGROUNDMost CLL patients in the US are treated with chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) or ibrutinib; rarely do patients receive chemotherapy (CT) alone. VEN is approved for relapse/refractory (R/R) CLL patients who received one prior therapy. While treatment selection is based on risk stratification, comorbidities, patient choice, and physician preference, the economic impact of selecting VEN versus CT/CIT in R/R CLL is unknown and in the absence of prospective comparative studies, could play a role in decision-making. We aimed to compare real-world HRU of VEN versus CT/CIT-treated CLL patients receiving therapy in the second line setting.PATIENTS and METHODSCLL patients initiating second line therapy (2L) between 01/01/2016-03/31/2018 were selected from the Symphony Health's Integrated Dataverse (IDV) dataset. HRU for patients receiving VEN or CT/CIT regimens were compared from the start of the first cycle of 2L and for 3 months after treatment and reported as per-patient per-month (PPPM). Patients were ≥18 years at diagnosis and were required to have treatment after CLL diagnosis. HRU was reported for the inpatient (inpt), emergency room (ER), physician office visit (OV) or other outpatient ambulatory visits (Outpt) settings. Time to initiation was assessed from CLL diagnosis to the start of the second line of therapy. P-values were generated using chi-square tests for categorical variables and Wilcoxon test for means, as utilization and cost outcomes are often non-normally distributed.RESULTSAmong the 385 CLL patients considered in this study, 154 were treated with VEN [median age 64 years (range: 21-79)], 121 were treated with CT (median age 70 years, min 19 and max 79) and 110 were treated with CIT [median age 65 years, (range: 33-78)]. CIT in this setting were only FCR (25 patients) or BR (85 patients). There were no significant differences in gender distribution between cohorts, but higher percentage of VEN-treated patients were on Medicare/Medicaid compared to CIT patients [61% vs 52% (CIT)]. Median follow-up from initiation of 2L was significantly shorter for VEN patients when compared to CT or CIT patients (7.7 months vs 16.2 and 18.6, p-value <0.0001); likely due to later uptake in prescribing VEN relative to study period initiation. Median time from CLL diagnosis to the initiation of 2L therapy was significantly longer for VEN patients when compared to CT/CIT patients (17.3 vs 11.3 and 10.5, p-value < 0.0001).VEN inpt costs were significantly lower than CT costs ($1,615.48 vs $2,592.52, p-value <0.05) however there were no statistically significant differences observed for inpt costs between the VEN and CIT. The costs of ER visits were significantly lower for CT and CIT patients when compared to VEN ($321.48 vs $147.52 and $181.03, p<0.0001). The cost of office visits was also significantly lower for CT/CIT patients when compared to VEN ($1,971.39 vs $807.96 and $776.10, p<0.0001). Outpt visit costs were higher for CT/CIT patients when compared to VEN ($1,437.12 vs $5,163.91 and $4,824.44, p<0.0001). The total cost of medical care was significantly higher in both the CT and CIT groups when compared to VEN ($6,075.81 and $5,514.52 vs $2,439.52, p-value <0.0001); (Table).CONCLUSIONS: In R/R CLL patients, total costs of care were significantly lower in VEN patients compared to CT or CIT patients potentially implying cost-effectiveness (considering equal efficacy/toxicity). This analysis may inform shared decision-making when deciding on second line therapy especially in a value-based care environment. DisclosuresNabhan:Cardinal Health: Employment, Equity Ownership. Mato:Medscape: Honoraria; Regeneron: Research Funding; Portola: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Acerta: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; Prime Oncology: Honoraria; Johnson & Johnson: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics, an AbbVie Company: Consultancy, Research Funding. Kish:Cardinal Health: Employment. Nero:Cardinal Health: Employment.

A randomized trial of TLR-2 agonist CADI-05 targeting desmocollin-3 for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

Randomized controlled trial to evaluate synergy between taxane plus platinum chemotherapy and CADI-05, a Toll like receptor-2 agonist targeting desmocollin-3 as a first-line therapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with advanced NSCLC (stage IIIB or IV) were randomized to cisplatin-paclitaxel (chemotherapy group, N = 112) or cisplatin-paclitaxel plus CADI-05 (chemoimmunotherapy group, N = 109). CADI-05 was administered a week before chemotherapy and on days 8 and 15 of each cycle and every month subsequently for 12 months or disease progression. Overall survival was compared using a log-rank test. Computed tomography was carried out at baseline, end of two cycles and four cycles. Response rate was evaluated using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria by an independent radiologist. As per intention-to-treat analysis, no survival benefit was observed between two groups [208 versus 196 days; hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63-1.19; P = 0.3804]. In a subgroup analysis, improvement in median survival by 127 days was observed in squamous NSCC with chemoimmunotherapy (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% CI 0.32-0.95; P = 0.046). In patients receiving planned four cycles of chemotherapy, there was improved median overall survival by 66 days (299 versus 233 days; hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% CI 0.41 to 0.98; P = 0.04) in the chemoimmunotherapy group compared with the chemotherapy group. This was associated with the improved survival by 17.48% at the end of 1 year, in the chemoimmunotherapy group. Systemic adverse events were identical in both the groups. There was no survival benefit with the addition of CADI-05 to the combination of cisplatin-paclitaxel in patients with advanced NSCLC; however, the squamous cell subset did demonstrate a survival advantage.

Superior efficacy of rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy as an initial therapy in newly diagnosed patients with B cell indolent lymphomas: long-term results from a single center in China

BackgroundRituximab has been confirmed to improve the survival of patients with B cell indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-iNHLs) in Western world as previously reported, however, it is rarely reported in Chinese cohort. This study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy and select subpopulations most sensitive to the regimen in Chinese B-iNHL patients.Methods334 B-iNHL patients from our center were retrospectively assessed.ResultsPatients received R-based chemoimmunotherapy showed significantly higher rates of overall response (OR) (93.0 % vs. 53.4 %, P < 0.001) and complete response (CR) (63.3 % vs. 16.0 %, P < 0.001) compared with the patients received other therapies. Survival analysis showed that rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy could obviously improve the progression-free survival (PFS) (110 vs. 49 months, P = 0.001) and overall survival (OS) (120 vs. 72 months, P < 0.001) in patients with B-iNHLs. Interestingly, in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients, we found that the patients with β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) < 3.5 mg/L, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) < 220 U/L, zeta-chain-associated protein kinase 70 (ZAP-70) negative, and non high-risk genetic abnormality could achieve more benefits from R-based regimens with higher CR rate (P = 0.003, 0.029, 0.013 and 0.038, respectively). Meanwhile, more CLL patients achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) negative after rituximab-based treatment (46.5 % vs. 10.3 %, P < 0.001). Moreover, CLL patients with MRD < 1 %, LDH < 220 U/L, complete remission (CR) or partial remission (PR), β2-MG < 3.5 mg/L and non high-risk cytogenetic abnormality showed superior outcome compared to the controls (P = 0.001, 0.000, 0.000, 0.001 and 0.013, respectively). No other side-effects increased in chemoimmunotherapy group except the elevation of grade 3–4 neutropenia.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate the superior efficacy of rituximab–based chemoimmunotherapy as an initial therapy in Chinese cohort with newly diagnosed B-iNHLs and further identify subpopulations that are more sensitive to R-based chemoimmunotherapy in CLL group.

Septic shock related to antibiotic-induced endotoxin release after major surgery for hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies

s / Pancreatology 15 (2015) S1eS141 S84 pancreatic cancer; however, ourprevious results showed thatGEMimproved the recurrence-free but not overall survival. Therefore, we have developed a combination adjuvant regimen using GEM and gd T lymphocytes. Aims: The aim of the study is to evaluate a combination adjuvant regimen using GEM and gd T lymphocytes. Patients & methods: The inclusion criteria was (1) pancreatic cancer patients receiving R0 or R1 resections, (2) PS 0-1, (3) maintained hepatic, renal, and bone-marrow function. After resections, patients’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were stimulated with zoledronate, and harvested gd T cells were given intravenously every 2 weeks for 12 times. The percentages of the accumulated gd Tcells were counted in each patient during the immunotherapy. The primary endpoints were safety of the therapy and recurrence-free survival. Results: During the study period, 28 patients received the combination chemo-immunotherapy (Group A), 37 patients received chemotherapy only (Group B), and 26 patients had no adjuvant therapy (Group C). The combination therapy was abandoned in 5 patients (4 for recurrence). No severe adverse event was observed. The recurrence-free survivals were similar in the three groups; however, significantly better outcomes were observed among patients in whom gd T cells were accumulated during the immunotherapy (> 20% of the PBMCs). Conclusion: Immunotherapy using gd T cells may have additional effect to the adjuvant GEMmonotherapy, and could be an option in patients with maintained immunological functions after resections of pancreatic cancer.

Gemcitabine and capecitabine with or without telomerase peptide vaccine GV1001 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer (TeloVac): an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial

We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of sequential or simultaneous telomerase vaccination (GV1001) in combination with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. TeloVac was a three-group, open-label, randomised phase 3 trial. We recruited patients from 51 UK hospitals. Eligible patients were treatment naive, aged older than 18 years, with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive either chemotherapy alone, chemotherapy with sequential GV1001 (sequential chemoimmunotherapy), or chemotherapy with concurrent GV1001 (concurrent chemoimmunotherapy). Treatments were allocated with equal probability by means of computer-generated random permuted blocks of sizes 3 and 6 in equal proportion. Chemotherapy included six cycles of gemcitabine (1000 mg/m(2), 30 min intravenous infusion, at days 1, 8, and 15) and capecitabine (830 mg/m(2) orally twice daily for 21 days, repeated every 28 days). Sequential chemoimmunotherapy included two cycles of combination chemotherapy, then an intradermal lower abdominal injection of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF; 75 μg) and GV1001 (0·56 mg; days 1, 3, and 5, once on weeks 2-4, and six monthly thereafter). Concurrent chemoimmunotherapy included giving GV1001 from the start of chemotherapy with GM-CSF as an adjuvant. The primary endpoint was overall survival; analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered as an International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial, number ISRCTN4382138. The first patient was randomly assigned to treatment on March 29, 2007, and the trial was terminated on March 27, 2011. Of 1572 patients screened, 1062 were randomly assigned to treatment (358 patients were allocated to the chemotherapy group, 350 to the sequential chemoimmunotherapy group, and 354 to the concurrent chemoimmunotherapy group). We recorded 772 deaths; the 290 patients still alive were followed up for a median of 6·0 months (IQR 2·4-12·2). Median overall survival was not significantly different in the chemotherapy group than in the sequential chemoimmunotherapy group (7·9 months [95% CI 7·1-8·8] vs 6·9 months [6·4-7·6]; hazard ratio [HR] 1·19, 98·25% CI 0·97-1·48, p=0·05), or in the concurrent chemoimmunotherapy group (8·4 months [95% CI 7·3-9·7], HR 1·05, 98·25% CI 0·85-1·29, p=0·64; overall log-rank of χ(2)2df=4·3; p=0·11). The commonest grade 3-4 toxic effects were neutropenia (68 [19%] patients in the chemotherapy group, 58 [17%] patients in the sequential chemoimmunotherapy group, and 79 [22%] patients in the concurrent chemoimmunotherapy group; fatigue (27 [8%] in the chemotherapy group, 35 [10%] in the sequential chemoimmunotherapy group, and 44 [12%] in the concurrent chemoimmunotherapy group); and pain (34 [9%] patients in the chemotherapy group, 39 [11%] in the sequential chemoimmunotherapy group, and 41 [12%] in the concurrent chemoimmunotherapy group). Adding GV1001 vaccination to chemotherapy did not improve overall survival. New strategies to enhance the immune response effect of telomerase vaccination during chemotherapy are required for clinical efficacy. Cancer Research UK and KAEL-GemVax.

Long Term Follow-Up Of De Novo Or Minimally Treated Burkitt Lymphoma/Leukemia (BL/B-ALL) After Frontline Therapy Per The Hyper-CVAD Regimen With Or Without Rituximab: 20-Year Cumulative Experience

BackgroundIncorporation of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab into intensive, multi-agent chemotherapy regimens has been widely applied as frontline therapy of BL/B-ALL. We previously reported significant improvements in disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates with the addition of rituximab to hyper-CVAD compared with the historical experience. We now report a cumulative update of the findings over a 20-year period. Methods52 patients (pts) with newly diagnosed non-HIV BL (n=12) or B-ALL (n=40) were treated with hyper-CVAD and rituximab from February 2000 to June 2013. Chemoimmunotherapy was administered as previously described (Thomas DA et al, Cancer 2006:106; 1569-80). A separate cohort (n=9) with bcl-2 expression was excluded since they represented the category of B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with intermediate features between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and BL as per the 2008 revision of the WHO classification. Median age was 41 yrs (range, 17–77); 11 (21%) were aged 60 yrs or older. Six of the 52 pts were inevaluable for response: 3 were enrolled in complete remission (CR) after pretreatment with one cycle of chemotherapy and 3 had surgical resection of the tumor mass without evidence of residual disease. Seven (13%) had CNS involvement at presentation. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level (ULN > 618 U/L) was elevated in 40 (77%). Outcome of the chemoimmunotherapy group was compared to historical experience with 44 pts treated with hyper-CVAD without rituximab from August 1992 to January 2000. ResultsAll evaluable pts responded; 42 of 44 (95%) achieved CR and 2 achieved partial response. All 11 pts aged 60 yrs or older achieved CR. After a median follow up of 90 months, 10 (19%) pts relapsed with only one survivor (late relapse after 7 yrs successfully salvaged with DA-EPOCH-R). Twelve (29%) pts died in CR from infections (n=4), other malignancies (n=4), other preexisting comorbid medical conditions (n=2), or unknown causes (n=2). Overall 5-yr DFS and OS rates were 70% and 70% respectively, improved compared with corresponding historical cohort rates of 60% and 51%. Six pts developed secondary dyscrasias (1 with acute myelogenous leukemia [AML] at 7 yrs, 1 with t(8;21) AML at 3 yrs, 1 with monosomy 7 AML at 3 yrs, 3 with myelodysplastic syndrome (range 1-8 yrs). Toxicity profile was similar to hyper-CVAD alone. In the cohort (n=9) of bcl-2 positive dual hit lymphoma/leukemia (DHL) typically associated with poor prognosis, the 5-yr DFS and OS rates were 71% and 56% respectively; 4 were long-term survivors beyond 5 years without disease recurrence. ConclusionsThe incorporation of rituximab into the hyper-CVAD regimen has improved outcomes for de novo BL/B-ALL, with achievement of respectable cure rates. Bortezomib has been incorporated for the DHL subset in an effort to improve the results. Later generation anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies such as ofatumumab have supplanted rituximab. Investigation of other novel monoclonal antibodies such as blinatumomab or inotuzumab for BL/B-ALL is clearly warranted. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Progress in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia: results of the German CLL8 trial

Until now, no approach that is able to improve overall survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients has been available. In the German CLL Study Group (GCLLSG) CLL8 trial, treatment-naive, physically fit patients (aged 30–81 years) with CD20+ CLL were randomly assigned in a one-to-one ratio to receive six courses of intravenous fludarabine (25 mg/m2 per day) and cyclophosphamide (250 mg/m2 per day) for the first 3 days of each 28-day treatment course with or without rituximab (375 mg/m2 on day 0 of first course and 500 mg/m2 on day 1 of second to sixth courses). The two groups were well balanced with respect to baseline characteristics. The study was stopped at the preplanned interim analysis owing to an advantage in the median progression-free survival in the chemoimmunotherapy arm (51.8 vs 32.8 months; hazard ratio: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.46–0.69; p < 0.0001). Furthermore, at 3 years after randomization, 87% of patients in the chemoimmunotherapy group were alive compared with 83% in the chemotherapy group (hazard ratio: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.48–0.92; p = 0.01). In terms of toxicity, chemoimmunotherapy was more frequently associated with grade 3 and 4 neutropenia (p < 0.0001). There were eight (2%) treatment related-deaths in the chemoimmunotherapy arm compared with ten (3%) in the chemotherapy arm. The CLL8 trial has demonstrated that an association of rituximab, fludarabine and cyclophosphamide is effective in prolonging progression-free survival and overall survival of patients with symptomatic CLL, therefore establishing the new standard of treatment for physically fit patients.

Addition of rituximab to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial

On the basis of promising results that were reported in several phase 2 trials, we investigated whether the addition of the monoclonal antibody rituximab to first-line chemotherapy with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide would improve the outcome of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Treatment-naive, physically fit patients (aged 30-81 years) with CD20-positive chronic lymphocytic leukaemia were randomly assigned in a one-to-one ratio to receive six courses of intravenous fludarabine (25 mg/m(2) per day) and cyclophosphamide (250 mg/m(2) per day) for the first 3 days of each 28-day treatment course with or without rituximab (375 mg/m(2) on day 0 of first course, and 500 mg/m(2) on day 1 of second to sixth courses) in 190 centres in 11 countries. Investigators and patients were not masked to the computer-generated treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00281918. 408 patients were assigned to fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (chemoimmunotherapy group) and 409 to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (chemotherapy group); all patients were analysed. At 3 years after randomisation, 65% of patients in the chemoimmunotherapy group were free of progression compared with 45% in the chemotherapy group (hazard ratio 0·56 [95% CI 0·46-0·69], p<0·0001); 87% were alive versus 83%, respectively (0·67 [0·48-0·92]; p=0·01). Chemoimmunotherapy was more frequently associated with grade 3 and 4 neutropenia (136 [34%] of 404 vs 83 [21%] of 396; p<0·0001) and leucocytopenia (97 [24%] vs 48 [12%]; p<0·0001). Other side-effects, including severe infections, were not increased. There were eight (2%) treatment-related deaths in the chemoimmunotherapy group compared with ten (3%) in the chemotherapy group. Chemoimmunotherapy with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab improves progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Moreover, the results suggest that the choice of a specific first-line treatment changes the natural course of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. F Hoffmann-La Roche.

The Effects of Intravesical Chemoimmunotherapy with Gemcitabine and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin in Superficial Bladder Cancer: A Preliminary Study

This prospective study investigated the long-term effects of intravesical chemoimmunotherapy with gemcitabine (GEM) and bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG; n = 36) versus BCG alone (n = 51) for the treatment of superficial bladder cancer. For the chemoimmunotherapy (GEM + BCG) group, GEM (1000 mg) was instilled immediately after transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) and again (2000 mg) 1 week later. From 2 to 7 weeks after TURBT, BCG was instilled into the bladder of all patients once weekly. The recurrence-free period of the GEM + BCG group (24.13 months) was significantly longer than that of the BCG monotherapy group (19.81 months). The overall recurrence rate was similar between the groups, although at 6 and 9 months post-TURBT, GEM + BCG produced a significantly lower rate of recurrence compared with BCG alone. This study suggests that intravesical chemoimmunotherapy with GEM + BCG is effective in reducing early tumour recurrence and in prolonging the recurrence-free period of superficial bladder cancer.

Interleukin-2/interferon-α2a/13-retinoic acid-based chemoimmunotherapy in advanced renal cell carcinoma: results of a prospectively randomised trial of the German Cooperative Renal Carcinoma Chemoimmunotherapy Group (DGCIN)

We performed a prospectively randomised clinical trial to compare the efficacy of four subcutaneous interleukin-2-(sc-IL-2) and sc interferon-α2a (sc-IFN-α2a)-based outpatient regimens in 379 patients with progressive metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Patients with lung metastases, an erythrocyte sedimentation rate ⩽70 mm h−1 and neutrophil counts ⩽6000 μl−1 (group I) were randomised to arm A: sc-IL-2, sc-IFN-α2a, peroral 13-cis-retinoic acid (po-13cRA) (n=78), or arm B: arm A plus inhaled-IL-2 (n=65). All others (group II) were randomised to arm C: arm A plus intravenous 5-fluorouracil (iv-5-FU) (n=116), or arm D: arm A plus po-Capecitabine (n=120). Median overall survival (OS) was 22 months (arm A; 3-year OS: 29.7%) and 18 months (arm B; 3-year OS: 29.2%) in group I, and 18 months (arm C; 3-year OS: 25.7%) and 16 months (arm D; 3-year OS: 32.6%) in group II. There were no statistically significant differences in OS, progression-free survival, and objective response between arms A and B, and between arms C and D, respectively. Given the known therapeutic efficacy of sc-IL-2/sc-INF-α2a/po-13cRA-based outpatient chemoimmunotherapies, our results did not establish survival advantages in favour of po-Capecitabine vs iv-5-FU, and in favour of short-term inhaled-IL-2 in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma receiving systemic cytokines.

Adjuvant Treatment With Interleukin-2- and Interferon-alpha2a-Based Chemoimmunotherapy in Renal Cell Carcinoma Post Tumour Nephrectomy: Results of a Prospectively Randomised Trial of the German Cooperative Renal Carcinoma Chemoimmunotherapy Group (DGCIN)

Adjuvant Treatment With Interleukin-2- and Interferon-alpha2a-Based Chemoimmunotherapy in Renal Cell Carcinoma Post Tumour Nephrectomy: Results of a Prospectively Randomised Trial of the German Cooperative Renal Carcinoma Chemoimmunotherapy Group (DGCIN)

Adjuvant Treatment With Interleukin-2- and Interferon-Alpha2a-Based Chemoimmunotherapy in Renal Cell Carcinoma Post Tumour Nephrectomy: Results of a Prospectively Randomised Trial of the German Cooperative Renal Carcinoma Chemoimmunotherapy Group (DGCIN)

J. Atzpodien, E. Schmitt, U. Gertenbach, P. Fornara, H. Heynemann, A. Maskow, M. Ecke, H. H. Woltjen, H. Jentsch, W. Wieland, T. Wandert and M. Reitz, DGCIN—German Cooperative Renal Carcinoma ChemoImmunotherapy Trials Group, Fachklinik Homheide an der Universitot Munster, Internistische Onkologie, Munster, Europaisches Institut fur Tumor Immunologie und Prevention, Bonn, Kreiskrankenhaus Aschersleben, Urologische Klinik, Aschersleben, Allgemeines Krankenhaus der Stadt Hagen, Urologische Klinik, Hagen, Klinikum der Martin-Luther-Universitat, Urologische Klinik, Halle o.d. Saale, Universitatsklinikum Leipzig, Klinik und Poliklinik fur Urologie, Leipzig, Stadtisches Klinikum Magdeburg, Urologie, Magdeburg, Klinikum Minden, Hematologie/Onkologie, Minden, Klinikum Ernst-von Bergmann, Klinik fur Urologie, Potsdam, and Caritas Krankenhaus St Josef, Urologie, Regensburg, Germany

The MRC Randomised-controlled Trial of Interferon-α, Interleukin-2 and 5-Fluorouracil vs Interferon-α Alone in Patients with Advanced Renal cell Carcinoma (RE04): Rationale and Progress

Renal cell carcinoma is diagnosed in over 6000 people, and accounts for about 2% of malignant disease annually in the UK [1]. For early stage disease, surgery with curative intent is the treatment of choice, although 30–40% of patients diagnosed with disease, apparently limited to the kidney, subsequently will relapse systemically [2]. A further 25% of patients have metastatic disease at presentation. The prognosis for metastatic renal-cell carcinoma is poor, with a median survival of 6–8 months [3]. Response rates to combination chemotherapy [4] and hormonal agents [5] have been around 5–10%. It has been known for some time that the immune system has a role in the natural history of renal-cell carcinoma. For example, spontaneous regressions are rare but well documented [6,7]. Immunotherapy with interferon (IFN) in metastatic disease produces response rates of around 10–20%, with median response durations of 3–16 months [8]. Retrospective data have also shown that patients with a performance status of 0 or 1 are more likely to gain benefit (i.e. increase in median survival) from immunotherapy than are patients with a performance status of 2 or worse [9]. Randomisedcontrolled trials have shown a survival advantage to IFN compared with non-immunotherapy. A randomised trial comparing IFN-a plus vinblastine (VLB) with VLB alone reported a median survival of about 16 months for the 79 patients receiving IFN plus VLB, and 9 months for the 81 patients treated with VLB (PZ 0.0049). Overall response rates were 16.5% for patients treated with IFN plus VLB and 2.5% for patients treated with VLB alone (PZ 0.0025) [10]. The

Adjuvant treatment with interleukin-2- and interferon-alpha2a-based chemoimmunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma post tumour nephrectomy: Results of a prospectively randomised Trial of the German Cooperative Renal Carcinoma Chemoimmunotherapy Group (DGCIN)

We conducted a prospectively randomised clinical trial to investigate the role of adjuvant outpatient immunochemotherapy administered postoperatively in high-risk patients with renal cell carcinoma. In total, 203 renal carcinoma patients' status post radical tumour nephrectomy were stratified into three risk groups: patients with tumour extending into renal vein/vena cava or invading beyond Gerota's fascia (pT3b/c pN0 or pT4pN0), patients with locoregional lymph node infiltration (pN+), and patients after complete resection of tumour relapse or solitary metastasis (R0). Patients were randomised to undergo either (A) 8 weeks of outpatient subcutaneous interleukin-2 (sc-rIL-2), subcutaneous interferon-alpha2a (sc-rIFN-α2a), and intravenous 5-fluorouracil (iv-5-FU) according to the standard Atzpodien regimen (Atzpodien et al, 2004) or (B) observation. Two-, 5-, and 8-year survival rates were 81, 58, and 58% in the treatment arm, and 91, 76, and 66% in the observation arm (log rank P=0.0278), with a median follow-up of 4.3 years. Two, 5-, and 8-year relapse-free survival rates were calculated at 54, 42, and 39% in the treatment arm, and at 62, 49, and 49% in the observation arm (log rank P=0.2398). Stage-adapted subanalyses revealed no survival advantages of treatment over observation, as well. Our results established that there was no relapse-free survival benefit and the overall survival was inferior with an adjuvant 8-week-outpatient sc-rIL-2/sc-rIFN-α2a/iv-5-FU-based immunochemotherapy compared to observation in high-risk renal cell carcinoma patients following radical tumour nephrectomy.

Clinical effects of chemoimmunotherapy for patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis

The present study was undertaken to determine whether chemoimmunotherapy using activated killer cells is better than chemotherapy alone for cancer patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. Thirty-one cancer patients received adoptive immunotherapy by activated killer cells and chemotherapy by anticancer drugs selected by a chemosensitivity test (chemoimmunotherapy group), and another 31 cancer patients received chemotherapy (chemotherapy group). The regimen of chemotherapy was determined by the results of a chemosensitivity test in both groups. The clinical effects including response rate and survival were assessed. Five patients (16.1%) achieved complete response (CR), and 17 patients (54.8%) partial response (PR) in the chemoimmunotherapy group (response rate: 22/31 patients = 71.0%), whereas 4 patients (12.9%) achieved CR, and 5 patients (16.1%) PR in the chemotherapy group (response rate: 9/31 patients = 29.0%). The response rate was higher in chemoimmunotherapy group than in chemotherapy group (p<0.05). However, no difference was observed in survival between the two groups. Therefore, it is necessary to develop methods to induce more potent killer cells for adoptive immunotherapy.