Key clinical point: Compared with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CVP) or cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP), bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) improved survival but led to increased hospital admissions for infections in patients with indolent B-cell lymphoma (BCL).
Major finding: Patients receiving BR vs R-CVP or R-CHOP had a significantly higher 5-year overall survival (80% vs 75%; adjusted hazard ratio 0.79; P < .01) but increased hospital admissions for infections during the first 9 months (21.9% vs 17.3%) and 36 months (41.2% vs 33.6%) (both P < .01).
Study details: This retrospective real-world cohort study propensity-score matched patients with indolent BCL (mostly follicular lymphoma with other subtypes being marginal zone, lymphoplasmacytic, and small lymphocytic lymphoma, and hairy cell leukemia) who received BR (n = 2032) and those who received R-CVP or R-CHOP (n = 2032).
Disclosures: This study was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Long-Term Care, Canada. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Suleman A et al. Outcomes of patients with indolent lymphoma treated with bendamustine plus rituximab compared to rituximab plus CVP or CHOP chemoimmunotherapy in Ontario. Br J Haematol. 2023 (Jul 20). doi: 10.1111/bjh.18972