• Side effects [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  
• Adherence to therapy regimens [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Antitumor effectivity [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the side effects of pegfilgrastim and cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) with or without rituximab in older patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Determine adherence to therapy regimens in these patients.
• Determine antitumor effectivity of immunochemotherapy.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

All patients receive prephase treatment comprising vincristine on day -6 and prednisone on days -6 to 0. Patients are then randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

• Arm I (without rituximab): Patients receive pegfilgrastim subcutaneously (SC) on day 2 or 4 and CHOP comprising cyclophosphamide IV, doxorubicin hydrochloride IV, and vincristine IV on day 1, and oral prednisone on days 1-5. Treatment repeats every 2 weeks for up to 6-8 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
• Arm II (with rituximab): Patients receive pegfilgrastim and CHOP for up to 6-8 courses as in arm I. They also receive rituximab (administered 2 hours before beginning CHOP) on day 1. Treatment with rituximab repeats every 2 weeks for up to 8 courses.

Patients with bulky disease or extranodal disease also undergo radiotherapy.