@article{Sergio Storti_Michele Spina_Emanuela Anna Pesce_Flavia Salvi_Michele Merli_Alessia Ruffini_Giuseppina Cabras_Annalisa Chiappella_Emanuele Angelucci_Alberto Fabbri_Anna Marina Liberati_Monica Tani_Gerardo Musuraca_Annalia Molinari_Maria Pia Petrilli_Carmela Palladino_Rosanna Ciancia_Andrea Ferrario_Cristiana Gasbarrino_Federico Monaco_Vincenzo Fraticelli_Annalisa De Vellis_Francesco Merli_Stefano Luminari_2018, place={Pavia, Italy}, title={Rituximab plus bendamustine as front-line treatment in frail elderly (>70 years) patients with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a phase II multicenter study of the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi}, volume={103}, url={https://haematologica.org/article/view/8556}, DOI={10.3324/haematol.2017.186569}, abstractNote={We conducted a phase II study to assess activity and safety profile of bendamustine and rituximab in elderly patients with untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who were prospectively defined as frail using a simplified version of the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). Patients had to be over 70 years of age, with histologically confirmed DLBCL. Frail patients were those younger than 80 years with a frail profile at CGA or older than 80 years with an unfit profile. Treatment consisted of 4-6 courses of bendamustine [90 mg/m<sup>2</sup> days (d)1-2] and rituximab (375 mg/m<sup>2</sup> d1) administered every 28 days. Other main study end points were complete remission rate and the rate of extra-hematologic adverse events. Forty-nine patients were enrolled of whom 45 were confirmed eligible. Overall, 24 patients achieved a complete remission (53%; 95%CI: 38-68%) and the overall response rate was 62% (95%CI: 47-76%). The most frequent grade 3-4 adverse event was neutropenia (37.8%). Grade 3-4 extra-hematologic adverse events were observed in 7 patients (15.6%; 95%CI: 6.5-29.5%); the most frequent was grade 3 infection in 2 patients. With a median follow up of 33 months (range 1-52), the median progression-free survival was ten months (95%CI: 7-25). The study shows promising activity and manageable toxicity profile of BR combination as first-line therapy for patients with DLBCL who are prospectively defined as frail according to a simplified CGA, as adopted in this trial (<em><a href="http://clinicaltrials.gov">clinicaltrials.gov</a> identifier: 01990144</em&gt;).}, number={8}, journal={Haematologica}, author={Sergio Storti and Michele Spina and Emanuela Anna Pesce and Flavia Salvi and Michele Merli and Alessia Ruffini and Giuseppina Cabras and Annalisa Chiappella and Emanuele Angelucci and Alberto Fabbri and Anna Marina Liberati and Monica Tani and Gerardo Musuraca and Annalia Molinari and Maria Pia Petrilli and Carmela Palladino and Rosanna Ciancia and Andrea Ferrario and Cristiana Gasbarrino and Federico Monaco and Vincenzo Fraticelli and Annalisa De Vellis and Francesco Merli and Stefano Luminari}, year={2018}, month={Jul.}, pages={1345-1350} }