Top of page

People with low-risk, high-grade B-cell lymphoma may need fewer cycles of chemotherapy

Published on: 7 February 2020

The FLYER study found that four cycles of R-CHOP was no less effective than six cycles in people with stage 1 or 2 high-grade B-cell lymphoma and no risk factors.

Text that says Results

A clinical trial published recently in the Lancet has found that people with high-grade B-cell lymphoma who have a favourable outlook may need fewer cycles of chemotherapy than are typically given.

The FLYER trial included 588 adults with high-grade B-cell lymphoma who had a favourable outlook. This was defined as people who:

People with these features generally respond very well to standard treatment. However, there is a chance that they are being over-treated, putting them at risk of experiencing side effects unnecessarily. The FLYER trial aimed to find out whether it is possible to give fewer cycles of chemotherapy without affecting the outcome of treatment.

People who took part in the trial were allocated to have either six cycles of R-CHOP (rituximab plus CHOP chemotherapy – the standard treatment) or four cycles of R-CHOP plus two additional doses of rituximab.

The trial found that outcomes of treatment were just as good in people treated with fewer cycles of chemotherapy as in those on standard treatment. However, people who had fewer cycles of chemotherapy experienced fewer side effects.

The authors concluded that chemotherapy can be reduced without compromising outcomes in this population.

We consider these results to be potentially practice changing. Based on the current data, four cycles of CHOP combined with six doses of rituximab are non-inferior to six cycles of CHOP combined with six doses of rituximab in young low-risk patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma.

Study authors

To find out more about clinical trials for lymphoma, or to search for a trial that might be suitable for you, visit Lymphoma TrialsLink.

7 February 2020