Cancer Treatment Today

Azerra (ofatumumab) is a new antibiody against Chronic lymphocytic leukemia( CLL).  Preclinical data suggest that it might be more effective than Rituxan in variety of lymphomas.  In early clinical trials, ofatumumab demonstrated single-agent activity against chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of CLL that is resistant to both fludarabine

Recent studies suggest that lenalidomide and rituxan are effective in relapsed or refractory lymphomas. Revlimid, in particular, shows effectiveness for maintenance in myeloma. Because both drugs are well tolerated, this created an interest in studying their effectiveness for maintenance. The idea behind maintenance therapy is to supress any remaining or dormant cells and to prolong time to the return of the diseae, or possibly to produce a cure.

Thalidomide, lenalidomide and rituximab have no direct effect on MCL cells. However, both indirectly affect peripheral blood mononuclear cell-mediated cytotoxicity,  and rituximab induces both complement-dependent and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against MCL cells. Rituximab-induced ADCC is enhanced by lenalidomide and thalidomide. In a 2004 series, thirteen patients of sixteen enrolled (81%) experienced an objective response,