EHA 2019 | MABCUTE study: Extended maintenance with subcutaneous rituximab vs observation in iNHL

At the 24th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Simon Rule, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth, UK, talks about MABCUTE phase III study with the Lymphoma Hub. The MABCUTE study compared the use of subcutaneous (SC) rituximab and intravenous (IV) rituximab, and also extended maintenance with SC rituximab compared to observation, in indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL).

Following two years of rituximab treatment, patients who remained responsive were randomized to either extended maintenance with SC rituximab, or cessation of treatment and observation.

The study found no additional toxicity associated with SC rituximab compared to IV, including in the extended maintenance vs observation portion. There was also no difference in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) between arms and near superimposable overall survival curves.

Statistically, it may be stated that longer follow-up is needed, but based on this study of over 300 patients, it can be concluded that extending maintenance does not improve outcomes and so patients can stop treatment after 2 years, as is currently the standard-of-care.