BR (bendamustine plus rituximab) versus R-CHOP for patients with indolent B-cell lymphomas: a systematic review and Meta-analysis

Bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) and rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of indolent B-cell lymphomas (iBCL). The survival outcomes and adverse events of BR and R-CHOP are still controversial, thus we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess them. We searched articles in Pubmed, Cochrane, Embase and Web of Science comparing BR to R-CHOP in patients with iBCL. A total of 3141 patients were included. The results of our meta-analysis revealed that BR has the potential of improving PFS (HR = 0.67, p = 0.03). No apparent benefit of BR was noted in patients with iBCL for OS (HR = 1.18, p = 0.04). Compared with R-CHOP, we found that BR regimen had the potential of prolonging PFS, minor toxicity, a better quality of life, and better cost-effectiveness. These results supported BR as a preferred first-line treatment option for patients (especially for elders) with iBCL.