Rituximab, Fludarabine, and Cyclophosphamide or Observation Alone in Treating Patients With Stage 0, Stage I, or Stage II Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Summary

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some find cancer cells and kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Others interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Sometimes the cancer may not need treatment until it progresses. In this case, observation may be sufficient. It is not yet known whether giving rituximab together with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide is more effective than observation alone in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying rituximab, fludarabine, and cyclophosphamide to see how well they work compared to observation alone in treating patients with stage 0, stage I, or stage II B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Timeline

Start

2005-10

Primary completion

2007-07

Completion

2015-06

Publications

• Background Sachanas S, Pangalis GA, Fink AM, Bahlo J, Fischer K, Levidou G, Kyrtsonis MC, Bartzi V, Vassilakopoulos TP, Kalpadakis C, Koulieris E, Moschogiannis M, Yiakoumis X, Tsirkinidis P, Angelopoulou MK, Eichhorst B, Hallek M. Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma: Analysis of Two Cohorts Including Patients in Clinical Trials of the German Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Study Group (GCLLSG) or in "Real-Life" Outside of Clinical Trials. Anticancer Res. 2019 May;39(5):2591-2598. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.13382.
• Herling CD, Cymbalista F, Gross-Ophoff-Muller C, Bahlo J, Robrecht S, Langerbeins P, Fink AM, Al-Sawaf O, Busch R, Porcher R, Cazin B, Dreyfus B, Ibach S, Lepretre S, Fischer K, Kaiser F, Eichhorst B, Wentner CM, Hoechstetter MA, Dohner H, Leblond V, Kneba M, Letestu R, Bottcher S, Stilgenbauer S, Hallek M, Levy V. Early treatment with FCR versus watch and wait in patients with stage Binet A high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): a randomized phase 3 trial. Leukemia. 2020 Aug;34(8):2038-2050. doi: 10.1038/s41375-020-0747-7. Epub 2020 Feb 18.

Drugs

Indications