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FCR or BR in Patients With Previously Untreated B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Phase III Trial of Combined Immunochemotherapy With Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide and Rituximab (FCR) Versus Bendamustine and Rituximab (BR) in Patients With Previously Untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00769522
Enrollment
564
Registered
2008-10-09
Start date
2008-10-02
Completion date
2018-01-31
Last updated
2024-12-31

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Keywords

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, stage 0 chronic lymphocytic leukemia, stage I chronic lymphocytic leukemia, stage II chronic lymphocytic leukemia, stage III chronic lymphocytic leukemia, stage IV chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Brief summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and bendamustine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. It is not yet known whether giving fludarabine and cyclophosphamide together with rituximab is more effective than giving bendamustine together with rituximab in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab to see how well they work compared with bendamustine and rituximab in treating patients with previously untreated B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Detailed description

OBJECTIVES: * To compare the therapeutic efficacy of fludarabine phosphate, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab vs bendamustine hydrochloride and rituximab in patients with previously untreated B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. * To compare the incidence of major side effects (e.g., myelosuppression) associated with these regimens in these patients. * To compare the rate of infections and secondary neoplasias in patients treated with these regimens. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to country and disease stage. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. * Arm I: Patients receive fludarabine phosphate IV and cyclophosphamide IV on days 1-3. Patients also receive rituximab IV on day 0 of course 1 and on day 1 of courses 2-6. Treatment repeats every 28 days for 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. * Arm II: Patients receive bendamustine hydrochloride IV on days 1 and 2. Patients also receive rituximab as in arm I. Treatment repeats every 28 days for 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients complete quality of life questionnaires (EORTC-C30 and EURO-QOL) at baseline and then at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 years, and then once a year thereafter.

Interventions

BIOLOGICALRituximab

cycle 1: 375 mg/m² i.v., day 0, q28d cycle 2-6: 500 mg/m² i.v., day 1, q28d

DRUGBendamustine

cycle 1-6: 90mg/m² i.v., day 1-2, q28d

DRUGCyclophosphamide

cycle 1-6: 250 mg/m² i.v., days 1-3, q28d

DRUGFludarabine

cycle 1-6: 25 mg/m² i.v., days 1-3, q28d

Sponsors

Roche Pharma AG
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Mundipharma Pte Ltd.
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
German CLL Study Group
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Confirmed diagnosis of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) meeting 1 of the following criteria: * Binet stage C disease or stage B or A disease requiring treatment * Binet stage B or A disease meeting ≥ 1 of the following: * B-symptoms (e.g., night sweats, weight loss ≥ 10% within the past 6 months, fevers \> 38°C or 100.4°F for ≥ 2 weeks without evidence of infection) or constitutional symptoms (e.g., fatigue) * Progressive lymphocytosis, defined as peripheral lymphocyte count \> 5 x 10\^9/L (i.e., \> 50% increase over a 2-month period or doubling of peripheral blood lymphocyte count \< 6 months) * Evidence of progressive marrow failure as manifested by the development/worsening of anemia and/or thrombocytopenia * Massive, progressive, or painful splenomegaly or hypersplenism * Massive lymph nodes or lymph node clusters (\> 10 cm in longest diameter) or progressive or symptomatic lymphadenopathy * No 17p deletion by FISH * No aggressive B-cell cancer, such as Richter syndrome PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * WHO performance status 0-2 * Life expectancy ≥ 6 months * Total bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (unless directly attributable to CLL) * AST and ALT ≤ 2 times ULN (unless directly attributable to CLL) * Creatinine clearance ≥ 70 mL/min (creatinine clearance is to be calculated only in patients with serum creatinine ≥ 1.1 mg/dL) * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 6 months after completion of study therapy * Hepatitis B and C negative * HIV negative * CIRS score \> 6 or a single score of 4 for one organ category * No active secondary malignancy requiring treatment, except basal cell carcinoma or malignant tumor curatively treated by surgery, or successfully treated secondary malignancies in complete remission \> 5 years prior to enrollment * No history of anaphylaxis following exposure to monoclonal antibodies * No active bacterial, viral, or fungal infection * No medical condition requiring prolonged use of oral corticosteroids (i.e., \> 1 month) * No cerebral dysfunction or legal incapacity * No circumstance that would preclude completion of the study or the required follow-up PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * No prior CLL specific-chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and/or immunotherapy * Prednisolone administered immediately prior to initiation of study therapy allowed for very high lymphocyte counts * No concurrent participation in another clinical trial

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Progression-free survival rate after 24 months2008-2015estimated time point when 198 needed events for the final analysis(PD or deaths) have occured.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Toxicity rates2008-2015done within the final analysis
Quality of life2008-2015done within the final analysis
Standard safety analysis2008-2015done within the final analysis
Minimal residual disease, complete response rates, and partial response rates2008-2015done within the final analysis
Response rates in and survival times in biological subgroups2008-2015done within the final analysis
Event-free survival2008-2015done within the final analysis
Overall survival2008-2015done within the final analysis
Overall response rate2008-2015done within the final analysis
Duration of remission2008-2015done within the final analysis

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 7, 2026