Oncology

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) consists of a heterogeneous group of malignancies that manifest as solid tumors in organs of the immune system, and more specifically in the lymphatic tissue.  Among the various malignancies classified as NHL, the most common subtype is the diffuse large Bcell lymphoma (DLBCL), which accounts for about a third of all lymphomas in adults.  DLBCL is characterized by tumors of B cells in the affected lymph nodes, like other types of lymphoma. Approximately 25,000 people in India are diagnosed with DLBCL every year. 

DLBCL is an aggressive (fast-growing) type of NHL. People who undergo initial treatment with the standard of care, Rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP), most relapses occur within 24 months of starting treatment. While DLBCL is generally responsive to treatment in the frontline, as many as 40% of people will relapse or have refractory disease, at which time salvage therapy options are limited and survival is short. Limited progress has been made in improving patient outcomes with standard of care in previously untreated DLBCL over the last two decades.

POLIVY (pronounced as “poh-LIH-vee”) is a type of targeted treatment made up of an antibody attached to an active anti-cancer agent (also known as an antibody-drug conjugate). Although POLIVY is designed to find and kill dividing B cells, it may also affect some healthy cells in your body.

More than 90 countries have approved this Polivy combination for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated DLBCL, including in the USA, EU, UK, Japan, Canada and China. Polivy in combination with R-CHP was recently added to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) as a category 1, preferred regimen for first-line DLBCL.