{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.04727272727272727, 'fraction_numerical': 0.02, 'mean_word_length': 5.424124513618677, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Treatment of gastric marginal zone B‐cell lymphoma of the mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone

There is no standard treatment for patients with gastric marginal zone B‐cell lymphoma of the mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) who are resistant to, or ineligible for, anti‐Helicobacter pylori (anti‐HP) therapy. In this study, we investigated the activity of the rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone (R‐CVP) regimen in patients with gastric MALT lymphoma. Patients were included provided they had untreated gastric MALT lymphoma (except for anti‐HP therapy) and were resistant to, or ineligible for, anti‐HP therapy. Treatment plan consisted of six to eight 21‐day cycles of the R‐CVP chemotherapy regimen. Toxicity, response, relapse and survival were evaluated. Twenty patients (12 women and 8 men) were included in the analyses with median age of 59 years. Thirteen patients (65%) had stage I tumours, and seven patients (35%) had stages II–IV tumours. The overall response rate was 100%, with 19 (95%) complete responses and one (5%) partial response. Regimen toxicity was mild and mainly hematological, and no cases of gastric bleeding or perforation occurred. After a median follow‐up of 56.3 months, three patients had relapsed, and 19 patients remained alive (specific lymphoma survival 100%), of whom 17 had no evidence of disease. In our experience, the R‐CVP regimen is a well‐tolerated and effective treatment for patients with gastric MALT lymphoma who are resistant to, or ineligible for, anti‐HP therapy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.