Clin Cancer Res
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Approximately 55,400 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are diagnosed each year, with the overall prevalence of the disease now estimated to be 243,000. Until recently, treatment alternatives for advanced disease included chemotherapy with or without external beam radiation. Based on the results of several clinical trials, the chimeric monoclonal antibody Rituximab has now been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory, low-grade or follicular, B-cell NHL. ⋯ To date, two Phase I/II Zevalin clinical trials have been completed in patients with low-grade, intermediate-grade, and mantle cell NHL. The overall response rate was 64% in the first trial and 67% in the later trial. Phase II and III trials are ongoing.
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Early attempts at preclinical model development for cancer drug development relied heavily on mouse leukemias and lymphomas to detect agents with antitumor activity. These models were applied clinically, and the concepts of combination chemotherapy, remission induction, and maintenance treatment all developed in leukemia. Subsequently, the predominant impact of cytogenetics on probability of response to treatment and survival was first illustrated in leukemia. ⋯ This agent has potent activity in acute T-cell leukemia. Because it shares many of the activities of Fludara in interfering with enzyme systems important in DNA and RNA synthesis and DNA repair, it is likely that this agent will also have a wider scope than is presently obvious. The unique accessibility of leukemia cells for study has allowed hematologists to understand more fully the range of activities of new agents and has led to important new concepts in the area of drug development.