Comparative Study of Chemotherapy for B-Cell Lymphoma

Name of the Trial

Phase I/II Study of Bortezomib Alone or With Etoposide, Prednisone, Vincristine, Cyclophosphamide, and Doxorubicin (EPOCH) in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (NCI-03-C-0096). See the protocol summary ¹.

Dr. Wyndham Wilson Principal Investigator

Principal Investigator

Dr. Wyndham Wilson, NCI Center for Cancer Research.

Why This Trial Is Important

B-cell lymphoma is a cancer caused by uncontrolled growth of B cells, white blood cells that produce the body's disease fighting antibodies. This common cancer strikes an estimated 41,000 Americans each year.

Bortezomib, one of a new class of targeted anticancer drugs called proteasome inhibitors, has shown effectiveness against relapsed (worsening after a period of improvement) or refractory (treatment-resistant) blood-cell cancers in other clinical studies. This trial will compare bortezomib alone against bortezomib added to a chemotherapy combination known as EPOCH (etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin) to see which is more effective in fighting relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

“Because bortezomib targets a pathway important in certain types of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, we hope that it will make these tumors more sensitive to chemotherapy and, perhaps, even cause tumors to shrink on their own” said Dr. Wilson.

“EPOCH already has been shown to be a very good regimen for people with this disease,” Dr. Wilson added. “With this study, the first to combine bortezomib and EPOCH, we hope to see the agents work in synergy to produce even better results.”

Contact Information

This trial is no longer accepting new patients. To locate other clinical trials for lymphoma, search the NCI database of clinical trials ² or call the NCI's Clinical Studies Support Center (CSSC) at 1-888-NCI-1937. The call is toll free and completely confidential.