National Comprehensive Cancer Network

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NCCN Updates NHL Guidelines Following FDA Approval of Pralatrexate

NCCN has added pralatrexate (Folotyn™, Allos Therapeutics, Inc.) to the NCCN Guidelines for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas as one of the options for second-line therapy for relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. The FDA approved pralatrexate for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma on September 25, 2009.

October 15, 2009

FORT WASHINGTON, PA — Upon the recent FDA approval of pralatrexate (Folotyn™, Allos Therapeutics, Inc.) for the treatment of relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has updated the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas to include pralatrexate as a suggested treatment regimen.

The updated NCCN Guidelines have added pralatrexate as a second-line therapy option for relapsed or refractory PTCL with a category 2A recommendation for patients who are not candidates for high dose therapy and a category 2B recommendation for patients who are candidates for high dose therapy.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma is a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that is particularly aggressive and challenging to treat. Pralatrexate recently became the first FDA approved single agent therapy indicated for patients with relapsed or refractory disease, meaning those whose disease has returned or has not responded to other types of therapy.

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ are developed and updated through an evidence-based process with explicit review of the scientific evidence integrated with expert judgment by multidisciplinary panels of physicians from NCCN Member Institutions. The most recent version of this and all the NCCN Guidelines are available free of charge at NCCN.org.

For questions about NCCN or for interview information, please contact Megan Martin 215.690.0576.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 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 Comprehensive Cancer Center
• 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
• H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
• 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 / University of Tennessee Cancer Institute
• Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center
• University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center
• UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
• University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
• UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center
• The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
• Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center