Treatment strategies for nodal and gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma: Current status and future development

Table 2 Results of different randomized trials comparing chemotherapy with chemotherapy plus rituximab in previously untreated patients with follicular lymphoma

Study	No. of patients, pathological types, staging	Median age (yr)	Complete response rate	End point
				Median progression-free survival	Event-free survival	Median response duration	Time to treatment failure	Overall survival
CVP[40]	n = 321, FL, Stage II-IV	52	P < 0.0001b			P < 0.0001b	P < 0.001b	P = 0.029a
R-CVP	n = 162	Unknown	41%	34 mo		Prolonged than CVP alone (lower relapse rate than CVP alone)	Prolonged than CVP alone	83% (at 4 yr)
CVP	n = 159	Unknown	11%	15 mo				77% (at 4 yr)
GLSG[38,39]	n = 428, FL, Stage III or IV(advanced stage)	55	P > 0.05 (not significant)			P = 0.001b	P < 0.001b	P = 0.016a
R-CHOP	n = 223	54	20%	Not reached		Lower relapse rate than CHOP alone	28/233 (12.0%)	95% (at 2 yr)
CHOP	n = 205	57	17%	31 mo			61/205 (29.8%)	90% (at 2 yr)
FL2000[41]	n = 358, FL, 89% > stage II	61	P = 0.001b		P = 0.001b	P = 0.012a		P > 0.05 (not significant)
R-CHVP/IFN	n = 175	Unknown	67% (at 18 mo)	Not reached	53% (at 5 yr)	64% (at 4 yr)		84% (at 5 yr)
CHVP/IFN	n = 183	Unknown	50% (at 18 mo)	35 mo	37% (at 5 yr)	44% (at 4 yr)		79% (at 5 yr)
OSHO[42]	n = 201, FL, Stage II and IV	59	P = 0.0004b	P < 0.0001b	P < 0.0001b	P < 0.0001b		P = 0.0096b
R-MCP	n = 105	60	52/105 (50%)	Not reached	Not reached	Not reached		87% (at 4 yr)
MCP	n = 96	57	25/96 (25%)	28.8 mo	26 mo	35 mo		74% (at 4 yr)

^aP < 0.05,

^bP < 0.01, statistically significant. (R-)CVP: (Rituximab plus) cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone; FL: Follicular lymphoma; GLSG: German Low-Grade Lymphoma Study Group; (R-)CHOP: (Rituximab plus) cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone; (R-)CHVP/IFN: (Rituximab plus) cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, etoposide, prednisolone plus interferon-α2a; (R-)MCP: (Rituximab plus) mitoxantrone, chlorambucil, and prednisolone; OSHO: East German Study Group Hematology and Oncology.