Professor Hervé Tilly, hematologist at the Henri Becquerel center, is at the origin of a major breakthrough in the treatment of aggressive lymphomas. The results of the Polarix study demonstrated a 27% reduction in the risk of worsening disease or death.
Professor Hervé Tilly, hematologist at the Henri Becquerel cancer center, is also president of the European Lymphoma Institute. – BH
Professor Hervé Tilly, hematologist at the Henri Becquerel cancer center, is also president of the European Lymphoma Institute. – BH
The sixth most common cancer with 250,000 new cases per year worldwide, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma has been treated with the same chemotherapy for twenty years. A major breakthrough has been achieved thanks to the international Polarix * study, which Professor Herve Tilly, hematologist at the Becquerel center, is the principal investigator.
What is lymphoma?
“It is lymph node cancer. There are several types, diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most common and this is the focus of the study. Each year at the Becquerel center, we welcome between 150 and 200 patients with this disease. The average age is around 65 years old. Currently we are using chemotherapy, six sessions every three weeks, which has not changed for twenty years. With this standard treatment, we are at 65% recovery. This leaves a large margin for progress. “
What does the progress illustrated by the Polarix study consist of?
“For several years now, we have had a drug: Polatuzumab, which is a coupled antibody. The antibody will thus attach to cancer cells and conduct chemotherapy specifically for them. This treatment is much more targeted than the current one. The frequency of sessions remains the same, but a component of the standard treatment regimen is replaced by this new molecule. The first publication on this antibody dates from 1993. It was used for the first time in humans in 2009 (phase I), alone and only on relapses of the disease. After a long period intended, in particular, to determine the dose, side effects, etc. and a phase II to measure the effectiveness of the coupled drug, phase III was able to be launched in 2017. “
How was the study conducted?
“Between 2017 and 2019, 900 patients, in 23 different countries, participated in the Polarix study. The aim was to make a comparison: half received the new treatment, the other half stayed with the standard. The results showed better efficacy with Polutuzumab: the relapses and the risk of disease progression were reduced by 27%, which is considerable, and without any more toxicity or side effects. As a result, relapse treatments which are often heavy and difficult to bear will also be less frequent if this new drug were used first-line. “
When will it be?
“We just got the results. Now, we need the marketing authorization, issued by the High Authority for Health; define the price… This process takes several months and long discussions must be concluded, but we are no longer in charge of this. “
* : This study was published in December 2021 in the New England Journal Of Medicine, the world’s leading health journal.
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