Key result
Polatuzumab, rituximab, and lenalidomide proves feasible in frail DLBCL patients, achieving 69% six-month progression-free survival.
Why the study?
Patients with DLBCL who are elderly, frail, or have cardiac comorbidities are frequently ineligible for anthracycline-based chemotherapy and underrepresented in trials, necessitating alternative chemotherapy-sparing regimens.
Does the combination of polatuzumab, rituximab, and lenalidomide provide a feasible, tolerable, and effective chemotherapy-sparing treatment for frail patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma?
Cohort (n=20)
No
Does the combination of polatuzumab, rituximab, and lenalidomide provide a feasible, tolerable, and effective chemotherapy-sparing treatment for frail patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma?
The chemotherapy-sparing regimen of polatuzumab, rituximab, and lenalidomide is feasible and shows encouraging early disease control in elderly, frail patients with aggressive DLBCL.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support regimen in frail elderly DLBCL; leaves open prospective randomized confirmation.
e19055 Background: Patients (pts) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who are elderly, frail, or have cardiac comorbidities are frequently ineligible for anthracycline-based chemotherapy and are underrepresented in clinical trials. Chemotherapy-sparing regimens incorporating antibody–drug conjugates and immunomodulatory agents may provide an alternative treatment strategy. Therefore, polatuzumab vedotin (Pola), rituximab, and lenalidomide (Pola-R 2 ) was evaluated in a real-world cohort of pts with aggressive DLBCL. Methods: A retrospective analysis of consecutive pts with DLBCL treated with Pola-R 2 at a single institution was performed. Pola at 1.8mg/kg and rituximab at 375mg/m 2 were administered on day 1 of each 21-day cycle with planned lenalidomide 10 mg on days 1–14. Interim response assessment was obtained after cycle 4 and end of treatment assessment after cycle 8. Response was assessed using 2014 Lugano criteria and Clonoseq MRD. The primary objective was feasibility and tolerability; secondary objective was early disease control. Kaplan Meir analysis was used for survival outcomes. Results: Twenty pts with median age of 81 yo (range 50–92) and median ECOG performance status of 3 (range 2–4) were included. Comorbidity burden was substantial, with 75% of pts having significant cardiac disease, 30% with renal disease and 30% with chronic pulmonary disease. 40% (n=8) received Pola-R 2 in the frontline setting and 60% in second line or beyond; 9 with anthracycline exposure. 85% of pts had stage IV disease and 70% had non germinal center B-cell. At a median follow-up of 7.7 months (range 2–13), median overall survival (OS) was not reached and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.6 months (95% CI 5.4- undefined). Estimated 6-month PFS and OS were 69% and 73%, respectively. Interim PET assessment after four cycles demonstrated CR in 50%, and PR in 25%. Of the 11 pts who completed treatment at time of submission, 90.1% achieved CR, of whom 81.8% had undetectable MRD. Improvement in performance status following treatment permitted consolidative treatment with stem cell transplant in 4 of these pts (1 autologous, 3 allogeneic). Overall, treatment was well tolerated, with only 2 discontinuations for quality of life. Neutropenia occurred in 80% of pts within the first 4 cycles leading to reduction of Lenalidomide to 7 days in 75% of pts. Only 1 hospitalization occurred while on treatment. Conclusions: In this elderly and frail population with high-risk DLBCL, Pola-R 2 was feasible with encouraging early disease control, including PET-defined complete responses and MRD negativity. While follow-up is shorter, these findings compare favorably with historical outcomes reported for attenuated chemoimmunotherapy regimens such as R-mini-CHOP. This supports further prospective evaluation of chemotherapy-sparing strategies for anthracycline-ineligible pts with aggressive lymphoma.
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Wallin et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (n=20). Polatuzumab vedotin, rituximab, and lenalidomide (Pola-R2) was evaluated on Feasibility and tolerability. Polatuzumab, rituximab, and lenalidomide was feasible in frail patients with DLBCL, with an estimated 6-month progression-free survival of 69% and overall survival of 73%.
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