Phase I/II study of the rituximab-EPOCT regimen in combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma including evaluation of its cardiotoxicity using B-type natriuretic peptide and troponin T levels

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of BNP (Nesiritide), published as a clinical trial, phase ii.

Standard treatment for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma has not been established.

Doxorubicin is often given during the initial treatment.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 20 patients were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

The R-EPOCT (rituximab with etoposide, vincristine, pirarubicine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone) regimen, in which less cardiotoxic pirarubicine is used instead of doxorubicin, with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was administered to 20 patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma.

How the Study Was Run

As markers of cardiotoxicity, serum troponin T and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels were measured.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Antibodies, Monoclonal, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived, Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Etoposide and Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial, phase ii of BNP (Nesiritide) in 20 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 9 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2005 (Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research), a journal based in United States.

More context: the BNP (Nesiritide) compound page, all human trials.