Bendamustine & Rituxan Remission?

[LlHoot]

How long did Bendamustine & Rituxan keep you in remission?

[Shedman]

It may help you get more/better replies, if you lock you post....also, if you explain how BR treatment features/has featured/may feature in your CLL journey..

Are you diagnosed with CLL?

When were you diagnosed?

What are your markers - do you know.. are you mutated/unmutated, etc.?

Which country are you in? Are you able to see a CLL specialist?

Have other treatments been considered?

Is there a complication that sees you need urgent treatment?

You can lock your post by clicking the down arrow ‘More’ below your post and selecting lock to community only.

If you go to your post, you will see related B+R posts to the right (or below on some smart phones) in related posts..

If you click on ‘posts’, a search box appears to the right.. here you can search the forum for Bendamustine and rituximab .. etc.

[gardening-girl]

Hello LIHoot, I see that you've just joined the CLL Support site as well as the Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma Friends site. Welcome! Shedman 's advice is excellent, and I hope that you will check back in with more information.

In 2010 I received bendamustine without Rituxan because I didn't have any CLL cells that expressed its CD20 target. I had a partial remission that lasted 3 years. Take a look at my profile to see what treatments preceded, and then followed bendamustine.

gardening-girl

[Jacksc06]

Hi. Welcome to the family. I had four cycled of B + R in 2017. I posted my progress on here please feel free to browse. Every one of us gets a different remission from treatment. Best wishes.

[Clovelly]

My cycle of BR ended in Feb 2018 and I am still in remission with "robust" bloods.Best of luck

[humaniquarian]

one year partial remission

[IRN83]

I had FCR, BR, Ibrutinib and finally Venetoclax and Gazyva. I never got into remission with FCR, BR or Ibrutinib. FCR and BR made me very sick and I told my wife I’d rather die than take either of those again. I had extreme reactions to the Ibrutinib that put me in the hospital and out of work for several months. Venetoclax worked and I have been in remission for almost two years. Good luck

[oryoki]

FDA approval came in August 2015 and I had my infusions starting in March of 2016 at the VA. Scheduled for four months in a row after the first grouping of three days we had to wait an extra month as my reaction was severe. May and June went well but there was no “progress” between May and June so we skipped the fourth round in July. I had a late reaction in October that was down to the last blood lab before we would have gone to marrow transplant, but it showed progress and since then I’ve been on W&W with all the important blood numbers just below the normal levels. My labs have stayed consistent for these 5 1/2 years as I see my oncologist only twice a year. A whole lot better than treatment dated to 2008 when I was first diagnosed; at that time expectations were for 18 months after chemo before another round was needed. I am in the simplest and easiest to treat of the CLL categories. Be as strong as you can in body mind and spirit, it’s a battle where progress is being made in treatment and your future is bright.

[gte1973]

I finished 6 cycles of B & R in April 2016. My blood numbers have been good since then.

[Woodfield]

Hi there. I have unmuted CLL and unfortunately the BR I received in 2012 right after I was diagnosed only lasted about 1.5 years. I have been on Ibrutinib for the last seven years. It’s been very effective for me and wish it had been approved back in 2012!

[gardenman68]

Still getting treatments. Will update as I know more.

[gfreiman]

Can anybody compare the side effects of BR to FCR?

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to gfreiman]

You might find this summary from the final analysis of the German CLL Study Group's FCR vs BR trial helpful:

researchtopractice.com/site...

CLL10: FCR versus BR (patients without del[17p]) The updated data from CLL10 continue to support what clinical experience had already strongly suggested, namely that FCR yields clear-cut improvements in disease-related outcomes, including a statistically and clinically significant increase in median progression free survival (PFS) (55.2 versus 41.7 months) and rates of bone marrow minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity at final restaging (26. .6% versus 11.1%). However, with less than 3 years of follow-up, no overall survival benefit has been seen. Just as predictably, the data reveal that FCR produced considerably more toxicity, particularly in older individuals (>65 years) in whom the rate of infection was 47.7% compared to 20.6/% with BR. The

bottom line is that most investigators believe that both regimens have a role and the risk for toxicity must be carefully considered during patient selection.

Given you live in the USA, the only reason you should be considering treatment with one on these chemoimmunotherapy treatments is if you are hoping for a very long remission. That's only been shown to be possible with FCR in about 55% of those who are IGHV mutated. Unfortunately FCR also brings with it around a 10% long term risk of secondary blood cancer, AML or MDS. Targeted therapies are delivering better outcomes with less side effects and without the secondary blood cancer risk. Sadly, these treatments aren't as available in other countries.

Neil