Should Systemic Therapy Be Given for Stage I Follicular Lymphoma?

Patients who received systemic therapy with or without radiation therapy achieved significantly better progression-free survival than those who received radiation therapy alone.

Involved-field radiation therapy (RT) is recommended for patients with stage I or II follicular lymphoma (FL) on the basis of multiple retrospective and single-institution reports. Now, to assess current patterns of practice and outcomes in newly diagnosed stage I FL, investigators analyzed patients prospectively accrued to a national FL registry from 2004 to 2007. Of the more than 200 centers that registered patients to the study, more than 80% were community-based practices.

Of more than 2700 FL patients in the registry, 471 were identified as having stage I disease. However, only 206 had stage status rigorously confirmed by negative bone-marrow biopsy plus computed tomography (CT) scans, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, or both…

Reviewing Author

Michael E. Williams, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAbbVie; AstraZeneca; Beigene; Janssen; Pharmacyclics

Grant/Research SupportJanssen

Editorial BoardsAmerican Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Hematology Longitudinal Knowledge Approval Committee

Michael E. Williams, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAbbVie; AstraZeneca; Beigene; Janssen; Pharmacyclics

Grant/Research SupportJanssen

Editorial BoardsAmerican Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Hematology Longitudinal Knowledge Approval Committee