POLARGO: Randomized Phase III Study of Polatuzumab Vedotin Plus Rituximab, Gemcitabine, and Oxaliplatin in Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Background: Polatuzumab vedotin is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting CD79b on malignant B-cells. Polatuzumab vedotin in combination with bendamustine and rituximab (pola-BR) improved complete response (CR) rate and overall survival (OS) compared with BR alone in patients (pts) with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL; Sehn et al. J Clin Oncol 2020). Several treatment options for pts with R/R DLBCL are recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines (2021), including platinum-based chemotherapies such as oxaliplatin in combination with rituximab and gemcitabine (R-GemOx). Adding polatuzumab vedotin to R-GemOx (pola-R-GemOx) may improve outcomes for pts where an unmet need still exists. However, the safety of polatuzumab vedotin in combination with platinum-based therapies must be considered, as both are associated with neuropathy. The ongoing POLARGO study is assessing the safety and efficacy of pola-R-GemOx compared with R-GemOx alone in pts with R/R DLBCL who are ineligible for stem cell transplant (SCT).