Randomized Trial of Fludarabine Versus Fludarabine and Idarubicin as Frontline Treatment in Patients With Indolent or Mantle-Cell Lymphoma

PURPOSE: A first comparative trial of fludarabine (FLU) alone versus FLU plus idarubicin (FLU-ID) for indolent or mantle-cell lymphomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From September 1995 to July 1998, 199 patients aged 25 to 65 years (median, 54 years) with newly diagnosed stages II to IV indolent or mantle-cell lymphomas (standard risk according to the International Prognostic Index) were enrolled onto a multicenter, 1:1 randomized study. Of the 199 patients who were able to be assessed, 101 were assigned to the FLU group (six monthly cycles of FLU 25 mg/m2/d on days 1 through 5) and 98 to the FLU-ID group (six monthly cycles of FLU 25 mg/m2/d on days 1 through 3 and idarubicin 12 mg/m2 on day 1). RESULTS: In the FLU group, complete response (CR) and partial response rates were 47% and 37%, respectively, whereas in the FLU-ID group, they were 39% and 42%, respectively. In-depth analysis of the CR rate with respect to histologic type showed that FLU seemed to be superior to FLU-ID in treating follicular lymphomas...