Bendamustine in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Refractory Lymphoma

Bendamustine is a water-soluble, bifunctional chemotherapeutic agent with characteristics of both an alkylator and a purine analog. Bendamustine combined with rituximab in vitro shows synergistic effects against various leukemia and lymphoma cell lines. Clinical trials supporting these results show that bendamustine plus rituximab is highly effective in relapsed and refractory patients with indolent lymphoma. The results have been found in rituximab-naive, rituximab-pretreated, and rituximab-refractory patients with excellent response rates and toxicity profiles. Bendamustine is effective both with rituximab and as a monotherapy in rituximab-refractory patients. Interim results from a phase III, randomized trial comparing bendamustine and rituximab to a standard CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) and rituximab regimen suggest that combination bendamustine and rituximab may provide a viable alternative for treatment of many indolent lymphomas.