{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,8]],"date-time":"2026-03-08T03:28:21Z","timestamp":1772940501743,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,3]],"date-time":"2021-12-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1638489600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Rituximab plus bendamustine (BR), and rituximab, bendamustine, and cytarabine (R-BAC) are well-known induction therapies in elderly patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), according to clinical guidelines. However, a direct comparison between the two regimens has never been performed. Methods: In this multicentre retrospective study, we compared the outcome of patients with newly diagnosed MCL, treated with BR or R-BAC. Primary endpoint was 2-year progression-free survival (PFS). Inclusion bias was assessed using a propensity score stratified by gender, age, MCL morphology, and MIPI score. Results: After adjusting by propensity score, we identified 156 patients (53 BR, 103 R-BAC) with median age of 72 (53\u201390). Median follow-up was 46 months (range 12\u2013133). R-BAC was administered in a 2-day schedule or with attenuated dose in 51% of patients. Patients treated with R-BAC achieved CR in 91% of cases, as compared with 60% for BR (p &lt; 0.0001). The 2-year PFS was 87 \u00b1 3% and 64 \u00b1 7% for R-BAC and BR, respectively (p = 0.001). In terms of toxicity, R-BAC was associated with significantly more pronounced grade 3\u20134 thrombocytopenia than BR (50% vs. 17%). Conclusions: This study indicates that R-BAC, even when administered with judiciously attenuated doses, is associated with significantly prolonged 2-year PFS than BR in elderly patients with previously untreated MCL.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers13236089","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,5]],"date-time":"2021-12-05T20:59:33Z","timestamp":1638737973000},"page":"6089","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Rituximab and Bendamustine (BR) Compared with Rituximab, Bendamustine, and Cytarabine (R-BAC) in Previously Untreated Elderly Patients with Mantle Cell Lymphoma"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Giulia","family":"Bega","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jacopo","family":"Olivieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hematology and SCT Unit, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Santa Maria della Misericordia, 33100 Udine, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marcello","family":"Riva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cell Therapy and Hematology, San Bortolo Hospital, 36100 Vicenza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Greta","family":"Scapinello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rossella","family":"Paolini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oncohematology, Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, 45100 Rovigo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Silvia","family":"Finotto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oncology 1 Unit, Department of Oncology, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IOV-IRCSS, 35128 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Roberto","family":"Sartori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Onco Hematology Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IOV-IRCSS, 31033 Castelfranco Veneto, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elisa","family":"Lucchini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hematology Unit, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano-Isontina, 34148 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gianmarco","family":"Guandalini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Davide","family":"Facchinelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cell Therapy and Hematology, San Bortolo Hospital, 36100 Vicenza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria Chiara","family":"Tisi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cell Therapy and Hematology, San Bortolo Hospital, 36100 Vicenza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4263-9032","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Basso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Onco Hematology Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IOV-IRCSS, 31033 Castelfranco Veneto, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Ballotta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hematology Unit, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano-Isontina, 34148 Trieste, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2831-623X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Piazza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9867-8335","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isacco","family":"Ferrarini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2863-0883","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlo","family":"Visco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"511","DOI":"10.1200\/JCO.2008.16.8435","article-title":"Improvement of Overall Survival in Advanced Stage Mantle Cell Lymphoma","volume":"27","author":"Herrmann","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. 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