LYMFKLIERKANKER. Non-Hodgkinlymfomen en ziekte van Hodgkin
Informatie over actuele ontwikkelingen in zowel reguliere als alternatieve en/of aanvullende behandelingen en middelen bij lymfklierkanker - non-Hodgkin lymfomen en ziekte van Hodgkin in alle stadia.
In linkerkolom staan recente artikelen min of meer op alfabetische volgorde gerubriceerd
Ervaringen van kankerpatienten met complementaire aanpak zijn te vinden onder ervaringsverhalen en er zijn op onze website ook een aantal video's van ervaringen van kankerpatienten met complementaire aanpak te zien. Aan te klikken via videoknop linksbovenaan op deze pagina. Of ga naar de website van het SNFK waar voorlichtingsfilmpjes zijn te zien over complementaire aanpak bij kanker.
Pixantrone zorgt opnieuw voor opmerkelijk goede effecten bij agressieve vorm van terugkerende non-Hodgkin, waar chemo faalde.
In een voorpublicatie meldt Novuspharma dat het middel pixantrone in een CHOP regiem (een combinatie van cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone and doxorubicin), waarbij de doxorubicin werd vervangen door pixantrone een reactie gaf te zien van meer dan 80% bij patiënten met een recidief van een agressieve vorm van
non-Hodgkin bij voornamelijk oudere patiënten en die al een of meerdere chemokuren achter de rug hebben. Volgens dit onderstaande persbericht gaf een eerdere fase I studie bij 16
patiënten 6 complete reacties te zien en 7 gedeeltelijke reactie. Let wel dit zijn geen genezingen, maar een reactie op de behandeling in de vorm van bv. stilstand en/of vermindering van de tumorgroei. Ter verduidelijking bij een eerstelijns standaard CHOP chemoregiem bij non-Hodgkin worden reacties gezien van 70% en kan genezing bewerkstelligd worden bij ca. 40%. Hoewel de prognoses voor patiënten met een recidief slecht zijn en genezingskansen erg mager, aldus ook dit persbericht. Het verschil is dan weliswaar niet zo spectaculair groot , maar afgezet tegen de kansen voor
NHL-patiënten met een recidief lijken deze resultaten toch wel opmerkelijk. 7 december a.s. worden de volledige studieresultaten van deze fase II trial bekend gemaakt.
-- PRESS RELEASE: Novuspharma Reports On Pixantronen CHOP Data --
Impressive data for Pixantrone in the CHOP-Variant Regimen to Be Presented At
the 2003 American Society of Haematology (ASH) meeting
Abstract Reveals a Response Rate of Over 80i In Relapsed Patients
MILAN, Italy, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novuspharma SpA (Nuovo
Mercato: NOV.MI and NOV IM), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing
new cancer therapeutics, today announces that the results of a clinical trial
using Pixantrone (BBR 2778) in a variant of the so-called CHOP regimen will be
presented at the 45th Meeting of the American Society of Haematology (ASH), in
San Diego, California. Preliminary results, published in abstract form,
demonstrate an overall response rate of over 80% in elderly multi-relapsed
patients. Complete and updated data will be presented at a poster session on
Sunday, December 7, 2003 at 5:45 p.m. Pacific Time.
The CHOP chemotherapy regimen (a combination of cyclophosphamide, vincristine,
prednisone and doxorubicin) is the standard-of-care in the treatment of patients
with newly diagnosed, aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Response rates
following CHOP in the front line treatment of aggressive NHL can reach 70% and
the regimen is potentially curative in up to 40% of patients. The prognosis is
poor for patients who have a recurrence of the disease (relapsed patients).
Despite its impressive anti-tumor activity, CHOP cannot be used to retreat
relapsed patients, due to the cumulative cardiotoxicity associated with one of
its constituent agents, doxorubicin; a chemotherapy agent which belongs to the
anthracycline family.
Pixantrone is an investigational drug that is being developed by Novuspharma,
which may possess greater anti-tumor activity and less potential for cardiac
toxicity than currently marketed anthracycline drugs. This trial examined the
safety and potential efficacy of Pixantrone when substituted for doxorubicin in
the CHOP regimen among patients who had failed prior doxorubicin containing CHOP
therapy for aggressive NHL. The majority of patients treated in this trial had
previously received the maximum amount of doxorubicin and as such would not be
eligible for further anthracycline therapy.
Preliminary results of this Phase I trial are available in an abstract on the
website www.hematology.org. These results demonstrate impressive activity for
Pixantrone in the CHOP-variant regimen, with 6 complete responses (38%) and 7
partial responses (44%) out of 16 evaluable patients. Furthermore, these results
were achieved in a population of patients who were elderly (mean age 66 years)
and had relapsed multiple times from prior chemotherapy treatment (median number
of prior regimens 2; range 1-7). Updated data on over 22 patients will be
presented at the upcoming meeting.
The recommended dose for Pixantrone in CHOP-variant was identified as
150mg/m2, with the regimen being well tolerated. The dose limiting side effect
was neutropenia. The regimen's cardiac safety profile was encouraging, taking
into account the level of prior treatment that patients had received with
doxorubicin and other anthracyclines.
At the same poster session on December 7th, updated results will also be
presented for a Phase I/II trial for Pixantrone in the BSHAP regimen in relapsed
aggressive NHL. These results were first presented in July 2003, at the 32nd
Annual Meeting of the International Society for Experimental Haematology. The
corresponding abstract is available on www.hematology.org
Notes to Editors
Novuspharma SpA and its merger agreement with Cell Therapeutics (CTI)
Novuspharma, based in Bresso, Milan, is an emerging biopharmaceutical company
leveraging its expertise in the field of oncology to discover and develop
innovative new treatments for cancer. It has three products in clinical
development and a dynamic research programme. Novuspharma was established in
1998 following the merger of Boehringer Mannheim and Hoffmann- La Roche, to
exploit the R&D team's proven track record in product development. On June 17th,
2003, Novuspharma announced it had signed a merger agreement with Cell
Therapeutics (CTI) (NASDAQ CTIC) of Seattle. CTI is a public biopharmaceutical
company, which markets TRISENOX(R) in the US and Europe and is developing
XYOTAX(TM) (CT-2103), which is in pivotal phase III trials for lung cancer. For
further information, please visit the Company's website at www.novuspharma.com
For an explanation of technical terms please see www.novuspharma.com/nov/glossary
