Dr. Grossbard on the GALLIUM Study in Follicular Lymphoma

Michael L. Grossbard, MD, professor in the Department of Medicine, chief of the Hematology and Medical Oncology Inpatient Service at Tisch Hospital, and section chief of Hematology at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses the results of the phase III GALLIUM study in follicular lymphoma.

In the GALLIUM study, patients with newly diagnosed, advanced follicular lymphoma were randomized to receive chemotherapy plus the second-generation anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody obinutuzumab (Gazyva) versus rituximab (Rituxan) with chemotherapy followed by obinutuzumab or rituximab maintenance. Obinutuzumab targets the same antigen as rituximab, but it has enhanced efficacy in its ability to offer cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity to cells, says Grossbard.

The results showed an improvement in progression-free survival and responses with the obinutuzumab-based induction regimen. In November 2017, the regimen received regulatory approval for the treatment of patients with previously untreated stage II bulky, III, or IV follicular lymphoma.