The five-drug combination does not include chemotherapy. Rather, it simultaneously zeroes in on several molecular pathways that diffuse large B-cell lymphomaThis clinical trial, conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health, included 50 patients with DLBCL whose prognosis was grim.
terogenous forms of cancer, and as a result we don't have the ability to identify exactly which combination of drugs would be most effective for any given patient," Melani explained in an NCI news release. But by combining five drugs, researchers say some combo -- two, three or more drugs -- is likely to prove especially effective against a particular patient's tumor.
In the phase 1b/2 trial, responses to six cycles of the ViPOR regimen varied by cancer subtype. Complete responses were concentrated in two subtypes. That included in 62% of people with non-GCB DLBCL, and 53% of those with a form of that's known as high-grade B-cell lymphoma double-hit.had higher rates of overall survival and survival without tumor progression than other participants. Researchers said those cancers depend on the survival mechanisms that ViPOR targets.
Compared to standard treatments, side effects from the five-drug regimen were described as mild to moderate. Researchers said additional drugs could potentially be added to the regimen. Further research is needed to develop therapies for GCB DLBCL subtypes that were less responsive to ViPOR.