Treatment with the Zevalin(R) Therapeutic Regimen as Sole Therapy Produces 83 Percent Complete Response Rate in Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (MALT) Orbita...( SEATTLE Jan. 22 /- Cell Therapeut...),Health

SEATTLE, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) (Nasdaq and MTA: CTIC) announced today results of a study published by Esmaeli, et al. online on January 15, 2009 in the Annals of Oncology demonstrating that rituximab followed by single agent Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan) in a front-line setting for patients with MALT lymphoma and low- grade follicular lymphoma that primarily involved the conjunctiva or orbit produced a complete response rate of 83 percent.

Ocular adnexal lymphoma (OAL) defined as lymphoma affecting the orbit, eyelid and conjunctiva is the most frequent primary malignant tumor of the orbit in adults, accounting for approximately 55 percent of all orbital tumors. MALT lymphoma is the most common histologic subtype of OAL, followed by low-grade follicular lymphoma. External-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) has been the most frequently used modality and is considered the gold standard for treating OAL that present with local disease. However, EBRT does not address systemic sites of involvement in OAL in patients with multifocal disease and therefore, systemic targeted radioimmunotherapy with Zevalin might offer an alternative to treating OAL.

"This study demonstrates the potential for Zevalin to provide an alternative to EBRT, the current standard of therapy for MALT lymphoma, which may result in lower ocular toxicity than EBRT and equivalent or better disease control," noted Jack Singer, M.D. and Chief Medical Officer of CTI.

In the study 9 patients with MALT lymphoma of conjunctiva or orbit and 3 patients with low grade follicular lymphoma of the orbit received rituximab and Indium-111 Zevalin and then approximately 1 week later received a second infusion of rituximab followed by single dose of Yttrium-90 Zevalin.

Results demonstrated an initial response rate for patients of 100 percent with 83 percent achieving a complete response. There were
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