Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28355276›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2017

Rituximab maintenance therapy for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: A meta-analysis.

Xuan Zhou, Tingting Ma, Yichan Zhang, Na Zhou, Juan Li

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Maintenance treatment and survival in patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma in the immunochemotherapy era: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Xuan ZhouDepartment of Hematology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Gulou District, Nanjing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4503-0732
Tingting MaDepartment of Hematology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Gulou District, Nanjing, China.
Yichan ZhangDepartment of Hematology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Gulou District, Nanjing, China.
Na ZhouDepartment of Hematology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Gulou District, Nanjing, China.
Juan LiDepartment of Hematology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Gulou District, Nanjing, China.
Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe addition of rituximab to standard chemotherapy has significantly improved survival in patients with lymphoma. Recently, maintenance therapy with rituximab has been shown to prevent relapse and provide survival benefits for patients with follicular or mantle cell lymphoma. However, the effects of rituximab in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remain unclear. Two new studies involving rituximab in the treatment of DLBCL were performed this past year. We performed a meta analysis to evaluate the effects of rituximab maintenance treatment of patients with DLBCL.

methodsSeveral databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) databases were reviewed for relevant randomized controlled trials published prior to May, 2016. Two reviewers assessed the quality of the included studies and extracted data independently. The hazard ratios (HRs) for time-to-event data and relative risks (RRs) for the other data were pooled and estimated.

resultsTotally 5 studies including 1740 patients were eligible for the meta-analysis. Compared to the observation group, patients who received rituximab maintenance therapy had significantly improved event-free survival (EFS) (HR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.65-0.98) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.54-0.94). However, there was no statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.27-1.29). A subgroup analysis suggested that male patients may benefit from rituximab maintenance therapy with a better EFS (HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.34-0.82-), while this advantage was not observed in female patients (HR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.64-1.52).

conclusionsRituximab maintenance may provide survival benefits beyond that afforded by first- and second-line chemotherapy alone, especially in male patients. However, maintenance rituximab treatment may cause more adverse events. It is recommended that both survival benefits and adverse events should be taken into consideration when making treatment decisions.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsDisease-Free SurvivalHumansLymphoma, Large B-Cell, DiffuseMaintenance ChemotherapyOutcome Assessment, Health CareProportional Hazards ModelsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRituximabRituximab

Identifiers

PMID28355276
PMCPMC5371376
OpenAlexW2602603902

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.