Efficacy and safety of obinutuzumab for the first-line treatment of follicular lymphoma: a subgroup analysis of Chinese patients enrolled in the phase III GALLIUM study

GALLIUM is a global phase III study that demonstrated significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) for obinutuzumab plus chemotherapy (G-chemo) vs. rituximab plus chemotherapy (R-chemo) in previously untreated patients with follicular lymphoma (FL). This study aimed to report the results of a subgroup of patients in China.Patients were randomized to G-chemo or R-chemo. Responders received maintenance therapy for 2 years or until disease progression. The primary endpoint was investigator (INV)-assessed PFS. Secondary endpoints included the overall response rate (ORR) and complete response rate (CRR) at the end of induction chemotherapy, overall survival (OS), and safety.Overall, 58 patients with FL were randomized to the G-chemo (n = 25) and R-chemo arms (n = 33). The INV-assessed PFS rate at 3 years was 81.8% in the G-chemo arm, vs. 70.2% in the R-chemo arm (hazard ratio 0.35; 95% confidence interval: 0.09-1.34; P = 0.1120). The INV-assessed CRRs (without positron emission tomography [PET]) in these arms were 24.0% and 21.2%, respectively, whereas the ORRs were 80.0% and 90.9%, respectively. INV-assessed CRR-PET was 52.6% in the G-chemo, vs. 60.9% in the R-chemo. Median OS was not reached in either arm. Grade 3 to 5 adverse events were more frequent in the R-chemo arm (97.0% vs. 88.0%).The results of this subgroup analysis were consistent with those of the global population, and they suggest that G-chemo has a positive benefit-risk profile in patients from China with FL.ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT01332968.