Dose Augmented Rituximab and ICE for Pts With Primary Refractory and Poor Risk Relapsed Aggressive B-Cell NHL

Summary

The purpose of this research is to study a treatment program for patients with aggressive lymphoma that has come back after initial or first therapy (called relapsed) or that has not responded to first therapy (called refractory). Since 1993, we have used a combination of chemotherapy known as ICE (Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, and Etoposide) for your type of lymphoma. In many patients, this treatment helps the disease to shrink before giving high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Only patients who respond to these types of treatments have a chance of their disease going away (remission) with an ASCT. In 1999, we studied the same treatment but added another medicine for your type of lymphoma, Rituximab (Rituxan), to the ICE treatment (RICE). More patients had lymphoma shrinkage from this treatment (chemosensitive disease) than with ICE alone. These patients then received high dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplant and have an improved chance of having a remission. ICE chemotherapy is standard chemotherapy used at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. However, it is different in this study because of the higher doses. We are testing higher doses of RICE treatment for patients in this study. In our current study in Hodgkin's lymphoma, we are giving these higher doses of ICE (called augmented ICE) to patients who also have higher risk. We hope to show in this study that by using Rituximab and augmented ICE that we can improve your ability to achieve a remission (that is, to have the disease go away).

Timeline

Start

2003-10

Primary completion

2010-03

Completion

2010-03

Drugs

Indications