Obinutuzumab- and Rituximab-Based Chemo Yield Similar HRQoL Outcomes in Advanced FL
Findings from the phase 3 GALLIUM clinical trial suggest that obinutuzumab- and rituximab-based chemotherapy yield similar improvements in lymphoma-related symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in treatment-naïve patients with follicular lymphoma (FL; Ann Hematol. 2020 Apr 20. Epub ahead of print).
According to lead investigator Andrew Davies, BSc (Hons), BM (Hons), MRCP, PhD, Cancer Research UK Centre, Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, United Kingdom, and colleagues, HRQoL was a secondary end point of the study comprising 1202 patients with untreated, advanced FL.
These patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive induction obinutuzumab- or rituximab-based chemotherapy.
Dr Davies et al evaluated HRQoL using well-being and lymphoma-specific subscales from the Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Lymphoma questionnaire administered at baseline, and during induction, maintenance, and follow-up (maximum 84 months). Minimally important difference values were used to define clinically meaningful responses.
Ultimately, 557 (92.7%) and 548 (91.2%) of all patients given obinutuzumab-based chemotherapy (n = 601) and rituximab-based chemotherapy (n = 601) completed all questionnaire scales at baseline.
Follow-up lasted for a median of 57.4 months, and mean baseline HRQoL scores were similar for both treatment arms, with all patients having some functional impairment and lymphoma symptoms. This similarity in mean HRQoL was observed over the course of treatment, with equal proportions of patients in both arms achieving minimally important differences according to the Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Lymphoma lymphoma-specific subscale and summary scales throughout induction, maintenance, and follow-up.
“In GALLIUM, similar improvements in [HRQoL] were seen with obinutuzumab- and rituximab-chemotherapy, suggesting that both treatments reduced lymphoma-related symptoms, and treatment-related side effects did not abrogate these improvements in well-being,” Dr Davies and colleagues concluded.—Hina M. Porcelli
