In the multinational, phase 3 RELEVANCE trial, 1,030 patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma were randomized to receive rituximab plus lenalidomide (R2; n=513) or rituximab-based immunochemotherapy (R-Chemo; n=517). In the final analysis, at 120 months of follow-up, median PFS was comparable between the treatment groups: 110.6 months with R2 versus 102.8 months with R-Chemo, according to Independent Review Committee assessment. The 10-year PFS rates were 46.4% and 46.6%, respectively. Median overall survival (OS) and time-to-next lymphoma treatment (TTNLT) were not reached in either arm; 10-year OS rates were 82.4% and 81.1%, respectively, and 10-year TTNLT rates were 62.2% and 66.3%, respectively. Overall, patients with POD24 had a poorer prognosis compared to those without POD24 (HR, 6.215; P<0.0001); however, no difference was observed between the study groups. The incidence of second primary malignancies (SPMs) was 2.11 cases per 100 patient-years (95% CI, 1.80-2.46). Only 9 transformations occurred after 24 months (3 with R2 versus 6 with R-chemo). In each study group, 87 patients died, mainly due to lymphoma progression and SPMs. This long-term follow-up of RELEVANCE confirmed that R2 provides a chemo-free alternative to immunochemotherapy in this patient population. Trial registration: NCT01476787 and NCT01650701; EudraCT: 2011-002792-42.
Gower et al. (Tue,) studied this question.