Zevalin(R) Combined With High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation (ASCT) Produces High Overall Survival and Progression-Free Survival Rates in Patients With Relapsed Non-Hodgkin'...( Results underscore promise of rad...),Health

Results underscore promise of radioimmunotherapy in ASCT and warrant

randomized trial

SEATTLE, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) (Nasdaq and MTAX: CTIC) announced today that results of a phase II clinical study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology demonstrate that the addition of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) to high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) produced a high rate (70 percent) of progression-free survival at two years without a significant increase in the toxicity of the HDC regimen underscoring the potential role for RIT in ASCT. Total-body irradiation (TBI) has previously been shown to significantly increase progression-free survival when added to HDC followed by ASCT as compared to HDC alone. However, TBI has long term complications and not all patients are eligible to receive TBI as part of their preparative regimen. Radioimmunotherapy with Zevalin(R) (Ibritumomab Tiuxetan), approved for follicular, low grade NHL which relapsed following 1st line rituximab based therapy, allows high doses of lymphoma-targeted radiation with lower doses to normal tissues.

The study, conducted at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, used a single dose of Zevalin in patients undergoing ASCT following HDC with the BEAM regimen (carmustine, cytarabine, etoposide, and melphalan). Thirty-seven of the 41 patients had failed prior rituximab therapy. Seven of the ten patients transplanted in partial remission (70 percent) converted to complete remissions following the Zevalin-based regimen. The addition of Zevalin to the BEAM regimen did not appear to add to the toxicity of HDC; the day 100 mortality rate was zero (0) percent. Importantly the 2-year overall and progression-free survival estimates were approximately 89 percent and 70 percent, respectively.

"The promise of utilizing targeted radioimmunotherapy together with high-dose ch
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