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Extended Follow-up of Patients Treated With Bendamustine for Lymphoid Malignancies
Mara Penne1, Maryam Sarraf Yazdy1, Kruti Sheth Nair1
1Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC.
Introduction:
Bendamustine, typically in combination with rituximab, is an effective treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Despite its acceptable short-term toxicity profile, long-term toxicities are less well established. This study investigated the long-term adverse effects of bendamustine and responses to subsequent treatments.
Patients And Methods:
Charts of 194 patients were retrospectively reviewed; 54% had received prior treatment (76% attained complete response [CR] or partial response [PR]).
Results:
Patients who did not achieve a CR or PR did not respond well to subsequent treatments. Malignancies following bendamustine were diagnosed in 11% (21) of patients (first line [7] and salvage [14]), including squamous (8) or basal cell (4) skin cancers; prostate cancer (3), renal cancer (3), bladder cancer (2), melanoma (2), lung cancer (1), and histiocytic sarcoma (1). There were no occurrences of therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myelogenous leukemia reported. Infections occurred in 63% of patients; however, no deaths were attributable to bendamustine.
Conclusion:
Bendamustine is an effective therapy with limited long-term sequelae in patients with lymphoid malignancies.
