Rituximab maintenance overcomes the negative prognostic factor of obesity in CLL: Subgroup analysis of the international randomized AGMT CLL-8a mabtenance trial.

No data are available regarding obesity and outcome in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). We analyzed 263 patients from the AGMT CLL-8a Mabtenance trial for the impact of obesity. The trial included patients after rituximab-containing induction treatment in first or second line that had achieved at least a PR.

Prospective observational study in comorbid patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia receiving first-line bendamustine with rituximab.

Chemoimmunotherapy with bendamustine and rituximab is an alternative treatment for elderly patients with CLL. The aim of this observational multicenter study was to prospectively assess efficacy and safety of bendamustine and rituximab in front-line therapy in patients with CLL and significant comorbidities in real hematological practice. Eighty-three consecutive patients with cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS) >6 who received at least one cycle of BR as first-line treatment were included in the study.

Rituximab maintenance versus observation alone in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who respond to first-line or second-line rituximab-containing chemoimmunotherapy: final results of the AGMT CLL-8a Mabtenance randomised trial.

Background: In many patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia requiring treatment, induction therapy with rituximab plus chemotherapy improves outcomes compared with chemotherapy alone. In this study we aimed to investigate the potential of rituximab maintenance therapy to prolong disease control in patients who respond to rituximab-containing induction regimens.

Methods: In this randomised, international, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 clinical trial, we enrolled patients who had achieved a complete response (CR), CR with incomplete bone marrow recovery (CRi), or partial response (PR) to first-line or second-line rituximab-containing chemoimmunotherapy and randomly assigned them in a 1:1 ratio (central block randomisation in the electronic case report form system) to either intravenous rituximab 375 mg/m(2) every 3 months, or observation alone, for 2 years.