Efficacy of rituximab combined with CHOP for treating patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

BACKGROUND This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) for treating patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS A total of 144 patients with DLBCL were randomly divided into intervention group and control group, 72 patients in each group. The patients in the control group received cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy, while the participants in the intervention group received R-CHOP. The primary endpoint was relapse-free survival (RFS) and the secondary endpoints were overall survival rate (OSR) and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS One hundred thirty-four patients completed the study. The intervention with R-CHOP did not show greater efficacy than CHOP in the estimated median follow-up time (intervention group 33 months vs control group 29 months, P = .15). In addition, no significant differences in the 5-year RFS (intervention group 81% vs placebo group 76%, P = .28) or the 5-year OSR (intervention group 93% vs placebo group 91%, P = .53) were found between the 2 groups. The AEs were also similar between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that R-CHOP, when compared with CHOP alone, could not improve the RFS and OS of patients with DLBCL. Additionally, both groups had similar safety profiles.