National Comprehensive Cancer Network

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NCCN Updates Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Guidelines

JENKINTOWN, Pa., June 20, 2007 — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announces updates to the NCCN Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) Guidelines. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ are updated continuously by panels of world-renowned experts and are widely recognized and applied as the standard of care in oncology in the United States in both the community and the academic practice settings.

The NHL Panel added new guidelines for peripheral T-Cell lymphomas, a group of aggressive Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas that begin in mature T lymphocytes (T cells that have matured in the thymus gland and gone to other lymphatic sites in the body, including the lymph nodes, bone marrow and spleen).

The Panel also added new guidelines for Mycosis Fungoides/Sezary Syndrome (otherwise known as Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma [CTCL]), a disease in which certain cells of the lymph system (called T lymphocytes) become malignant and affect the skin. These guidelines include the use of recently FDA-approved vorinostat (Zolinza™, Merck) for the treatment of CTCL to be used when the disease persists, gets worse, or recurs during or after treatment with other medicines.

Testing for Hepatitis B has been added as “essential” to the work-up of all B-Cell Lymphomas because one of the drugs commonly used to treat them (Rituxan®, Genentech) can cause a dangerous interaction in Hepatitis B patients.

For certain patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma, alemtuzumab (Campath®, Genzyme) was added as a first-line therapy option. For Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma patients, the GDP regimen (gemcitabine (Gemzar®, Lilly), dexamethasone, cisplatin +/- rituximab) was added as a second-line therapy option.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ are available free of charge at www.nccn.org.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®), a not-for-profit alliance of 23 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives. For more information, visit NCCN.org.

The NCCN Member Institutions are:

• City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center
  Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
• Duke Cancer Institute
• Fox Chase Cancer Center
• Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center / Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
• The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
• Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• Moffitt Cancer Center
• The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
• Roswell Park Cancer Institute
• Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
• Stanford Cancer Institute
• University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center
• UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
• UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
• University of Colorado Cancer Center
• University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
• UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center
• The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center