Low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) are very sensitive to a broad range of chemotherapeutic and biological agents. Relapses, however, occur even after aggressive cytostatic combinations in first-line therapy. Therefore, effective and well-tolerated salvage therapies are very important. In this single-institution trial, the efficacy and toxicity of bendamustine in the treatment of relapsed low-grade NHL was investigated. Fifty-eight patients with low-grade NHL pretreated with different cytostatic regimens were included. All patients received bendamustine at 120 mg/m(2) as a 1-h infusion on 2 consecutive days. The treatment was repeated every 3 weeks until complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR) or stable disease (SD) was confirmed on two consecutive cycles. Efficacy and toxicity were evaluated in 52 patients: CR was induced in 11%, PR in 62% and SD in another 10% of the patients. No response to treatment was seen in 17%. The median duration of remission was 16 months and the median survival time was 36 months. Side effects were generally mild, and restricted to myelosuppression, gastrointestinal toxicity and allergic reactions. Bendamustine proved to be very effective and was well tolerated in pretreated patients with relapsed or primary resistant low-grade NHL.

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7501 Background: This multicenter, randomized, phase III study compared B-R and CHOP-R as first-line treatment in patients (pts) with indolent lymphomas or mantle cell lymphoma and was first published in The Lancet in 2013. The final analysis demonstrated a significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) in the B-R group compared to the CHOP-R group, with a median PFS of 69.5 vs. 31.2 months, respectively. In the current analysis, we present updated results for overall survival (OS), time-to-next-treatment (TTNT), and secondary malignancies (sNPL) with a median follow-up of 113 months for patients with indolent lymphomas (excluding MCL). Methods: 447 pts with indolent lymphomas were randomized to receive B-R or CHOP-R for a maximum of 6 cycles. The primary endpoint was PFS; secondary endpoints included OS, TTNT, and sNPL. Results: Patient characteristics were well balanced between arms; median age was 64 years. The difference in OS between the two treatment arms was not statistically significant, with 60 deaths in the B-R group vs 68 deaths with CHOP-R (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.58 – 1.15, p = 0.249). The estimated 10-year survival rates were 71% for B-R and 66% for CHOP-R. TTNT was significantly prolonged with B-R compared with CHOP-R (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.38 – 0.69, p < 0.001). Median TTNT was not yet reached in the B-R group (95% CI 124.9 – n.y.r) vs. 56 months in the CHOP-R group (95% CI 39.1 – 82.0). Patients treated initially with B-R needed fewer second-line treatments due to disease progression compared to CHOP-R treated pts: 73 pts (34%) in the B-R group received salvage treatment compared with 106 pts (52%) in the CHOP-R group. For B-R pts, CHOP-R was used as second-line therapy 26 times (36%), whereas B-R was used for pts initially treated with CHOP-R 49 times (46%). 36 pts with sNPL were observed in the B-R group compared with 39 in the CHOP-R group, with 7 hematological malignancies in both groups to date. Conclusions: In pts with previously untreated indolent lymphomas, B-R demonstrates a PFS and TTNT benefit over CHOP-R. Clinical trial information: NCT00991211.

Background. Although current guidelines advocate early integration of palliative care, symptom burden and palliative care needs of patients at diagnosis of incurable cancer and along the disease trajectory are understudied. Material and Methods. We assessed distress, symptom burden, quality of life, and supportive care needs in patients with newly diagnosed incurable cancer in a prospective longitudinal observational multicentre study. Patients were evaluated using validated self-report measures (NCCN Distress Thermometer (DT), FACT, SEIQoL-Q, PHQ-4, modified SCNS-SF-34) at baseline (T0), at three (T1), six (T2), and twelve months (T3) follow-up. Results. From 10/2014 to 10/2016, 500 patients (219 women, 281 men; mean age 64.2 years) were recruited at 20 study sites in Germany following diagnosis of incurable metastatic , locally advanced, or recurrent lung (217), gastrointestinal (156), head and neck (55), gynecological (57) and skin (15) cancer. Patients reported significant distress (DT score ≥5) after diagnosis, which significantly decreased over time (T0: 67.2%, T1: 51.7%, T2: 47.9%, T3: 48.7%). The spectrum of reported symptoms was broad with considerable variety between and within the cancer groups. Anxiety and depressiveness were most prevalent early in the disease course (T0: 30.8%, T1: 20.1%, T2: 14.7%, T3: 16.9%). The number of patients reporting unmet supportive care needs decreased over time (T0: 71.8 %, T1: 61.6%, T2: 58.1%, T3: 55.3%). Conclusion. Our study confirms a variable and mostly high symptom burden at the time of diagnosis of incurable cancer, suggesting early screening by using standardized tools, and underlining the usefulness of early palliative care. Implication for practice. A better understanding of symptom burden and palliative care needs of patients with newly diagnosed incurable cancer may guide clinical practice and help to improve the quality of palliative care services. Our study results provide important information for establishing palliative care programs and related guidelines. Distress, symptom burden and the need for support vary, and are often high at the time of diagnosis. These findings underscore the need for implementation of symptom screening

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Little is known on symptom burden, psychosocial needs, and perception of prognosis in advanced lung cancer patients at the time of diagnosis, although early assessment is strongly recommended within the setting of daily routine care. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Twelve study sites cross-sectionally assessed symptoms and psychosocial needs of patients suffering from newly diagnosed incurable lung cancer. Assessment comprised NCCN distress thermometer, FACT-L, SEIQoL-Q, PHQ-4, and shortened and modified SCNS-SF-34 questionnaires. Additional prognostic information from both patients and physicians were collected. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 208 patients were evaluated. Mean age was 63.6 years, 58% were male, 84% suffered from stage IV lung cancer, and 71% had an ECOG performance status of 0–1. Mean distress level was 5.4 (SD 2.5), FACT-L total score was 86 (21.5), and TOI 50.5 (14.9). PHQ-4 was 4.6 (3.3), and shortened and modified SCNS-SF-34 showed 9 (8.7) unmet needs per patient. According to their physicians’ perspective, 98.1% of patients were reflecting on and 85.2% were accepting incurability, while 26.5% of patients considered the treatment to be of curative intent. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our findings emphasize substantial domains of symptom burden seen in newly diagnosed, incurable lung cancer patients. Oncologists should be aware of these features and address prognostic issues early in the disease trajectory to facilitate opportunities to improve coping, advance care planning, and appropriate integration of palliative care, thus improving quality of life.