RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Monoclonal antibodies such as rituximab can locate cancer cells and either kill them or deliver cancer-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy combined with rituximab in treating patients who have recurrent or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
OBJECTIVES: * Determine the chemosensitivity rate in patients with recurrent or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (ICE) in combination with rituximab. * Determine whether the addition of rituximab changes the toxicity profile of the ICE chemotherapy regimen in these patients. OUTLINE: Patients receive rituximab IV on days 1, 8, and 15 and ifosfamide IV over 1 hour, etoposide IV over 2 hours, and carboplatin IV on days 2-4. Treatment continues every 21 days for 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients who are not candidates for autologous stem cell transplantation may receive 1-4 more courses of chemotherapy without rituximab. Patients are followed at 1 month. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 19-39 patients will be accrued for this study within 2 years.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Purpose
TREATMENT
University of Nebraska Medical Center, Eppley Cancer Center
Omaha, Nebraska, United States
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.