New hope on the horizon for lymphoma treatment
Preliminary study of follicular-lymphoma therapy offers patients the possibility of longer, cancer-free life
A new therapy for an incurable form of lymphoma induced remission in 98 percent of patients, according to a preliminary clinical trial led by Fred Hutchinson researchers. In addition, more than 80 percent of patients remain disease-free more than two years after treatment.
The therapy consists of chemotherapy followed by treatment with a radioactively tagged antibody to destroy cancerous cells. Researchers believe it could offer new hope to the 15,000 Americans diagnosed each year with follicular lymphoma.
Fred Hutchinson's Dr. Oliver Press, principal investigator of the trial, called the results of the preliminary study very promising.
"Patients undergoing this treatment fared better than we've seen with other therapies that have been tested in earlier clinical trials," he said. "More-definitive answers will emerge after we complete a larger study to compare this therapy to another that has shown good results in small-scale trials."
Lymphomas are cancers of the lymphatic system, which plays an important role in the immune system. Follicular lymphoma, the second-most common form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a slow-growing disease with few early symptoms. Most patients are at an advanced and incurable stage when diagnosed.
"This is a puzzling disease. It's not known to be curable with conventional chemotherapy, and patients do not feel very sick," said Press, who holds the Dr. Penny E. Petersen Memorial Chair for Lymphoma Research, which is endowed by James and Sherry Raisbeck (see story below).
"There are a lot of available treatments, but it's not clear whether any of them prolong survival. It makes the initial conversation with a patient a long, difficult one."
Treatments such as chemotherapy induce remission, although the cancer eventually recurs. Patients typically live about 10 years after diagnosis, with death occurring primarily from infections.
To test whether survival rates could be improved by combining two existing therapies, Press and colleagues conducted a clinical trial with 90 patients.
Patients first received six cycles of the most common type of chemotherapy for lymphoma. Next, they received an antibody that reacts against a protein found on the cancerous cells. The researchers used a modified form of the antibody tagged with radioactive iodine to destroy the diseased cells more effectively.
Eighty-one of the 90 patients achieved remission after treatment. After a two-year follow-up period, the overall survival rate was 97 percent and 81 percent remained free of disease.
Donors James and Sherry Raisbeck focus on lymphoma research
For James and Sherry Raisbeck, fighting lymphoma is a very personal matter. Three years ago, the Raisbecks lost one of their closest friends to the disease - Dr. Penny Petersen, who left behind her husband and two young daughters.
"This terribly debilitating and often-fatal disease must be understood, treated and conquered," James said. "We can think of no better place to help expedite this process than at Fred Hutchinson."
To support the center's lymphoma research, the Raisbecks established the Dr. Penny E. Petersen Memorial Chair for Lymphoma Research with a $1.5 million endowment. Dr. Oliver Press currently holds the chair and has recently made important breakthroughs in treatment of follicular lymphoma (see story above).
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