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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.