Rituximab/bendamustine/cytarabine for transplant-eligible patients with mantle cell lymphoma: A retrospective study

BackgroundMantle cell lymphoma is considered an aggressive B-cell lymphoma. The optimal induction regimen remains controversial as no randomized controlled trial has compared the efficacy of different induction therapies. MethodHerein, we performed a retrospective analysis of the clinical characteristics of 10 patients who received induction treatment consisting of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) and rituximab, bendamustine, and cytarabine (R-BAC) at Toranomon Hospital between November 2016 and February 2022. ResultAlthough one patient discontinued R-BAC therapy due to a rash, the other nine completed the scheduled chemotherapy. All patients achieved complete response, underwent high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, and maintained complete remission with a median follow-up of 15 months. Hematological adverse events (AEs) occurred in all patients; however, none developed documented infection. There were also no fatal non-hematological AEs specific to R-BAC. ConclusionR-CHOP/R-BAC may be a good induction therapy for transplant-eligible patients with mantle cell lymphoma.