Sequential R-CHOP and Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin(R)) Regimen Produces Impressive Survival Rates in High Risk Elderly Patients With Untreated Aggressive Diffuse Large B-cel...( Oral presentation at internat...),Health

Oral presentation at international lymphoma conference shows investigational regimen resulted in 82 percent overall survival and 78

percent progression-free survival rates in patients receiving

radioimmunotherapy Confirmatory phase III clinical trial is presently being conducted in this

patient population

LUGANO, Switzerland, June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In an oral presentation today at the 10th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma in Lugano, Switzerland, Paul A. Hamlin, M.D., of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, presented results of an investigator-sponsored trial of the investigational regimen consolidating rituximab-CHOP (R-CHOP) with 90Yttrium Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin(R)) radioimmunotherapy in high risk, elderly patients with previously untreated high-intermediate and high risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) (Nasdaq and MTA: CTIC) markets Zevalin in the United States.

"In a high risk, elderly patient population with significant comorbidities, sequential R-CHOP followed by radioimmunotherapy resulted in excellent complete response and overall and progression-free survival rates," concluded Hamlin. "This approach is now the focus of an international phase III study."

"Improvement of relapse-free survival in these patients is an important unmet need since the outcome is poor for patients who relapse with this disease and who cannot tolerate intensive salvage therapy and stem cell transplantation," said Jack W. Singer, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at CTI. "The survival data from this study are highly encouraging compared to historical data and provide the rationale for a registration-directed randomized trial of Zevalin consolidation in higher risk patients with DLBCL."

Results of the Study

Historical studies provided as background in the presentation indicate that approximately 50 perc
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