Paclitaxel, topotecan and rituximab: long term outcomes of an effective salvage programme for relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Relapsed aggressive lymphomas are often treated with platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) followed by an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Response rates to PBC in patients with relapsed aggressive lymphomas are c. 60%, and non-responders have a dismal prognosis. Novel therapies for aggressive lymphomas, including those failing PBC, are needed. We performed a phase II study of paclitaxel, topotecan and rituximab (TTR) in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell, follicular grade IIIB, or transformed lymphomas, including those who previously failed PBC. The median age of the 72 patients enrolled was 54 years. Responding patients were offered ASCT after two courses. The overall response rate was 69% for all patients (n = 49/71) and 45% for those who previously failed PBC (n = 9/20). With a median follow up of 125 months for the censored observations, the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival at 5 years was 39% and 27%, respectively. Responding patients who received ASCT had an OS of 63% at 5 years. Our results demonstrate that TTR is an effective salvage regimen for patients with relapsed aggressive B-cell lymphomas, including those who previously failed PBC. Given the declining therapeutic outcomes of salvage PBC in the rituximab era, further evaluation of TTR is warranted.