{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T03:05:54Z","timestamp":1792119954623,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,26]],"date-time":"2024-03-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1711411200000},"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>Rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) and R-bendamustine (R-B) are the most common frontline treatment strategies for advanced-stage follicular lymphoma (FL). After R-CHOP induction therapy, using rituximab for maintenance therapy notably improves outcomes; however, whether this can be achieved by using the same approach after R-B therapy is still being determined. This retrospective analysis compared 476 FL patients from 17 GELTAMO centers who received R-based regimens followed by rituximab maintenance therapy for untreated advanced-stage FL. The complete response rate at the end of induction was higher with R-B and relapses were more frequent with R-CHOP. During induction, cytopenias were significantly more frequent with R-CHOP and so was the use of colony-stimulating factors. During maintenance therapy, R-B showed more neutropenia and infectious toxicity. After a median follow-up of 81 months (95% CI: 77\u201386), the 6-year rates of progression-free survival (PFS) were 79% (95% CI: 72\u201386) for R-bendamustine vs. 67% (95% CI: 61\u201373) for R-CHOP (p = 0.046), and 6-year overall survival (OS) values were 91% (95% CI: 86\u201396) for R-B vs. 91% (95% CI: 87\u201394) for R-CHOP (p = 0.49). In conclusion, R-B followed by rituximab maintenance therapy in patients with previously untreated FL resulted in significantly longer PFS than R-CHOP, with older patients also benefiting from this treatment without further toxicity. Adverse events during maintenance were more frequent with R-B without impacting mortality.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers16071285","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,26]],"date-time":"2024-03-26T11:05:33Z","timestamp":1711451133000},"page":"1285","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Comparing R-Bendamustine vs. R-CHOP Plus Maintenance Therapy as First-Line Systemic Treatment in Follicular Lymphoma: A Multicenter Retrospective GELTAMO Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Mariana","family":"Bastos-Oreiro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n Sanitaria Gregorio Mara\u00f1\u00f3n (IiSGM), Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Mara\u00f1\u00f3n, 28007 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9062-077X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio","family":"Gutierrez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Son Espases, 07010 Palma de Mallorca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Almudena","family":"Cabero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Cl\u00ednico de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Javier","family":"L\u00f3pez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ram\u00f3n y Cajal, 28034 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paola","family":"Villafuerte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Pr\u00edncipe de Asturias, 28801 Alcala de Henares, 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