Rituximab-HCVAD in Patients With B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Overview[ - collapse ][ - ]

Purpose The overall goal of this clinical research study was to find out which of two different chemotherapy drug combinations, R-CHOP and R-HCVAD, is more effective in treating B-cell lymphoma. At this point, all participants will now be assigned to the R-HCVAD arm of the study. Researchers will study the safety and effectiveness of this drug combination.
ConditionLymphoma
InterventionDrug: Rituximab
Drug: Cyclophosphamide
Drug: Doxorubicin
Drug: Vincristine
Drug: Dexamethasone
Drug: Methotrexate
Drug: Cytarabine
Drug: Prednisone
PhasePhase 2
SponsorM.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Responsible PartyM.D. Anderson Cancer Center
ClinicalTrials.gov IdentifierNCT00290498
First ReceivedFebruary 10, 2006
Last UpdatedSeptember 3, 2013
Last verifiedSeptember 2013

Tracking Information[ + expand ][ + ]

First Received DateFebruary 10, 2006
Last Updated DateSeptember 3, 2013
Start DateAugust 2005
Estimated Primary Completion DateNot Provided
Current Primary Outcome MeasuresOverall Response [Time Frame: 4 Months] [Designated as safety issue: Yes]
Current Secondary Outcome MeasuresNot Provided

Descriptive Information[ + expand ][ + ]

Brief TitleRituximab-HCVAD in Patients With B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Official TitleRituximab-HCVAD Alternating Rituximab-Methotrexate-Cytarabine Versus Standard Rituximab-CHOP Every 21 Days for Patients With Newly Diagnosed High Risk Aggressive B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas in Patients 60 Years Old or Younger
Brief Summary
The overall goal of this clinical research study was to find out which of two different
chemotherapy drug combinations, R-CHOP and R-HCVAD, is more effective in treating B-cell
lymphoma.

At this point, all participants will now be assigned to the R-HCVAD arm of the study.
Researchers will study the safety and effectiveness of this drug combination.
Detailed Description
This study originally involved 2 different study drug regimens, R-CHOP and R-HCVAD. R-CHOP
is made up of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone, and is the most
common treatment for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This combination was compared
with R-HCVAD, which is made up of rituximab, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and
dexamethasone.

Rituximab (Rituxan®) is a humanized monoclonal antibody against CD20 (a receptor in the
surface of malignant B-cell lymphocytes). The drug has activity against aggressive and
nonaggressive NHL of B-cell origin, and has been used in combination with chemotherapy.
Cyclophosphamide is a type of drug know as an alkylating agent. Vincristine is a type of
drug called vinca alkaloids. It is typically used in lymphomas, leukemias, and other
tumors. Prednisone is a type of steroid. Dexamethasone is a steroid that may have activity
against lymphomas. Methotrexate is an anti-cancer drug and a folic acid antagonist. It is
used to treat solid tumors, lymphomas, leukemias, and autoimmune diseases.

When this study began, participants were randomly assigned (as in the flip of a coin) to 1
of 2 arms: Arm A (R-HCVAD alternating with a combination of rituximab, methotrexate, and
Ara-C) or Arm B (R-CHOP). From this point on, all new participants will be treated with
the Arm A combination, which has shown to be better.

If you are found to be eligible to take part in this study, you will be given the study
drugs in 21-day cycles. The cycles will alternate between R-HCVAD and a combination of
rituximab, methotrexate, and Ara-C. During Cycle 1 (the R-HCVAD cycle), you will receive
rituximab through a needle in your vein (intravenously, or "IV"), on Day 1. The infusion
will take about 1 hour. Cyclophosphamide will be given by IV every 12 hours for 3 days.
Each infusion of cyclophosphamide will take about 3 hours. Doxorubicin will be given as a
15-minute infusion on Day 5 with the supervision of a nurse. Your doctor may also choose to
give you the doxorubicin over 24-48 hours using a small pump that you will carry around your
waist in a "fanny pack." You will not have to stay in the hospital to receive this study
drug. Vincristine will be given by IV, on Days 5 and 12. Each vincristine infusion will
take about an hour. Dexamethasone will be given by mouth (as a pill, capsule, or tablet) on
Days 2-5 and 12-15. You will also be given other standard medications to help prevent
possible side effects of these medications (such as nausea, vomiting, or rash).

In Cycle 2 (the rituximab-methotrexate-Ara-C cycle), you will receive rituximab on Day 1.
You will receive methotrexate by IV (after finishing the rituximab) on Days 2 and 3. The
infusion will take about 24 hours. You will be given a small "fanny pack" with a pump
inside that will slowly infuse the drug. You do not have to stay in the hospital while the
drug is being given. You will be given Ara-C every 12 hours on Days 3-4 (a total of 4
doses). You will be given other standard medications to help prevent possible side effects
of these medications (such as nausea, vomiting, or rash) during this cycle also.

Leucovorin is given 12 hours after each methotrexate infusion. It is used to stop the
action of the methotrexate and to prevent/lessen any side effects that the methotrexate may
cause.

During treatment, you will have blood draws (between 2-3 tablespoons) every week for routine
tests. Every 4 weeks during treatment , you will be asked questions about your medical
history and have a physical exam to check for any side effects. Every 2 cycles (about every
8 weeks), you will have bone marrow biopsies performed (if they were positive before
starting on this study), until they come back negative. You will have a PET scan to see if
the tumor is responding. Once the PET scan comes back negative, it will be up to your
physician to decide if you need additional PET scan tests, and when. You will have CT scans
of the chest, abdomen, pelvis, and neck every 2 cycles, if they were positive at the
beginning of the study also. You may have additional testing done while on this study, if
your physician feels that it is needed (for example, if it is needed to check for side
effects).

You may receive additional medication called "CNS prophylaxis" before receiving the study
treatments. Your doctor will discuss these medications with you. The "CNS prophylaxis"
consists of an alternating dose of either doxorubicin or methotrexate. The methotrexate
will be given either by IV pump or by a "lumbar puncture" (a needle inserted into the space
between the vertebrae in your back to infuse the drug directly into the spinal area). The
doxorubicin will be given by IV. Changes in the dose level of CNS prophylaxis will be
approved if you are at risk for or are experiencing serious side effects.

You will receive the study drugs for up to 6-8 cycles on an outpatient basis. This means
you will not have to be admitted to the hospital to receive the study drugs. You may be
taken off study if the disease gets worse. If you experience intolerable side effects while
taking any of the study drugs, your study doctor may decide to delay your treatment for up
to 3 weeks (one study cycle) or to continue your therapy on the drugs at a lower dose. If
the side effects become very severe, your doctor may decide to take you off of the study and
stop the medication.

At the end of your scheduled treatments, you will be asked to return to the clinic for
follow-up visits every 6 months for the first, second, third, and fourth year after
treatment on this study. You will then be followed every year after that. If your doctor
feels it is necessary, you may have blood tests (about 3-5 teaspoons) performed at these
visits. You will have bone marrow biopsies every other year for the first 2 years, if they
were positive before you started on this study, and then every year after that. At these
visits, you will be asked about any side effects you may have experienced and whether or not
your cancer has come back. If your doctor feels there is a chance that the cancer has come
back, he or she may schedule x-rays or scans in order to check. You will also be asked
about any other therapies you may be having to treat your cancer, if it has come back.

If you are taken off study for any reason, you will be asked to come back to the clinic for
an end-of-treatment visit within 4 weeks from the last treatment. This visit will include a
physical exam, routine blood tests (about 5-8 teaspoons), a blood-pregnancy test for women
who are able to get pregnant, an ECG, and a chest x-ray.

This is an investigational study. All of the study drugs are approved by the FDA for the
treatment of lymphoma. Up to 66 patients will take part in this study. All of the patients
will be enrolled at MD Anderson.
Study TypeInterventional
Study PhasePhase 2
Study DesignAllocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment
ConditionLymphoma
InterventionDrug: Rituximab
Arm A: Rituximab 375 mg/m² by vein on day 1, Cycle 1 and alternating cycles. Arm B: Rituximab 375 mg/m² on day 1, Cycle 2 and alternating cycles.
Other Names:
RituxanDrug: Cyclophosphamide
Arm A: Cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m^2 by vein (IVPB) over 3 hours every 12 hours x 6 doses on Days 2-4, Cycle 1 and alternating cycles.
Arm B: Cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m² by vein day 1
Other Names:
  • Cytoxan
  • Neosar
Drug: Doxorubicin
Arm A: Doxorubicin 50 mg/m^2/day by vein over 15 minutes (12 hours after last dose of cyclophosphamide) on Day 5, Cycle 1 and alternating cycles.
Other Names:
  • AD
  • Hydroxydaunomycin hydrochloride
Drug: Vincristine
Arm A: Vincristine 1.4 mg/m^2 (maximum 2 mg) by vein (IVPB) on Days 5 (1-24 hours after last cyclophosphamide) and on day 12, Cycle 1 and alternating cycles.
Arm B: Vincristine 1.4 mg/m^2 (maximum 2 mg) by vein (IVPB) on Days 5 (1-24 hours after last cyclophosphamide) and on day 12 of each cycle.
Drug: Dexamethasone
Arm A: Dexamethasone 40 mg by vein or by mouth daily x 4 on Days 2-5 and on days 12-15 of cycle 1 and alternating cycles.
Other Names:
DecadronDrug: Methotrexate
Arm A: Methotrexate after finishing Rituximab, 200 mg/m2 by vein over 2 hours, then 800 mg/m2 by vein over 22 hours day 1 cycle 2.
Drug: Cytarabine
Arm B: Cytarabine 3 g/m^2 by vein over 2 hours every 12 hours X 4 doses on days 3 & 4, cycle 2 and alternating cycles.
Other Names:
  • Ara-C
  • Cytosar
  • DepoCyt
  • Cytosine arabinosine hydrochloride
Drug: Prednisone
Arm B: Prednisone 100 mg by mouth (as a pill, capsule, or tablet) once a day on Days 1-5, each cycle.
Study Arm (s)
  • Experimental: Arm A
    R-HCVAD + R-MTX/Ara-C ((Rituximab-HCVAD (rituximab, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and dexamethasone) alternating with Rituximab-Methotrexate-Cytarabine))
  • Active Comparator: Arm B
    R-CHOP ((Rituximab-CHOP (Rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone))
    No longer recruiting for this study arm.

Recruitment Information[ + expand ][ + ]

Recruitment StatusActive, not recruiting
Estimated Enrollment66
Estimated Completion DateNot Provided
Estimated Primary Completion DateAugust 2015
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Confirmed diagnosis of previously untreated large B-cell Non Hodgkin's, Large Cell
Lymphoma and B-Cell with high grade features. Other aggressive lymphomas such as
Primary Mediastinal large B-cell Lymphomas will be also allowed to be included.

2. Patients with performance status of 0-2 (Zubrod Scale).

3. Serum bilirubin <1.5 mg/dl and serum creatinine < 2.0 mg/dl unless due to lymphoma;
ANC >1000/mm^3 and platelets >100,000/mm^3 unless due to lymphoma.

4. Cardiac ejection fraction 50% or greater.

5. Ages 16 - 60 years (due to the fact that CHOP-R is not studied enough in younger
patients and is not considered standard of care).

6. Patients must be willing to receive transfusions of blood products.

7. Age adjusted International Prognostic Index Score of 2 or more

8. Previous steroids are allowed (if used to relieve some symptoms such as SVC, etc).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnancy (excluded due to the teratogenicity of the involved chemotherapy agents

2. Positive HIV serology because of poor tolerance to this intense chemotherapy regimen

3. Burkitt's lymphomas, and Mantle cell lymphoma, transformed follicular center cell
lymphoma, follicular grade III.

4. Any clinical or cytological diagnosis of CNS involvement

5. Any co-morbid medical, such as Child's Class C liver cirrhosis, end-stage renal
disease, and symptomatic congestive heart failure, or psychiatric illnesses that
preclude treatment with intense dose chemotherapy as determined by the primary
investigator.

6. Concurrent or previous malignancy whose prognosis is poor (< 90% probability of
survival at 5 years)

7. Active Hepatitis B or C. Chronic carriers for Hepatitis B will be excluded.
GenderBoth
Ages16 Years
Accepts Healthy VolunteersNo
ContactsNot Provided
Location CountriesUnited States

Administrative Information[ + expand ][ + ]

NCT Number NCT00290498
Other Study ID Numbers2005-0054
Has Data Monitoring CommitteeYes
Information Provided ByM.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Study SponsorM.D. Anderson Cancer Center
CollaboratorsGenentech
Investigators Principal Investigator: Luis E. Fayad, MD UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Verification DateSeptember 2013

Locations[ + expand ][ + ]

UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States, 77030