Comparison Between Rituximab Plus Zanubrutinib Versus Rituximab Monotherapy in Untreated SMZL Patients (RITZ)

Phase 3, Interventional, Multicentre, Open-label, Randomized Study Comparing Rituximab Plus Zanubrutinib to Rituximab Monotherapy in Previously Untreated, Symptomatic Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma (RITZ)

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the efficacy and tolerability of the combination of two medicinal products, rituximab, and zanubrutinib, compared to rituximab monotherapy in patients with Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma (SMZL), previously untreated and who need systemic treatment.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Is the combination rituximab and zanubrutinib a more effective therapy than rituximab monotherapy?
• Is the combination therapy, rituximab and zanubrutinib, well tolerated?

Study participants will be put into one of the two treatment groups (rituximab and zanubrutinib or rituximab alone) for a maximum of two years and will undergo regular visits until three years from treatment start.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Rituximab; Drug: Zanubrutinib

Detailed Description

Phase III, interventional, multicenter, open label, randomized study to evaluate whether treatment with zanubrutinib in combination with rituximab will result in an improvement in Progression Free Survival (PFS) compared to treatment with rituximab in patients with previously untreated splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL).

Approximately 120 subjects will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive zanubrutinib and rituximab (Treatment Arm A) or rituximab (Treatment Arm B). The study will include a Screening Phase, a Treatment Phase, and a Follow-Up Phase.

Subjects with investigator-confirmed progressive disease (PD) according to the Lugano 2014 criteria or unacceptable toxicity, or investigator/subject decision must discontinue study treatment.

Patients who complete the treatment and patients who will discontinue treatment for any reason will enter the Follow-up Phase.

The Response Follow-up Phase will occur for subjects who complete the treatment or discontinue for reasons other than disease progression and will include efficacy assessments every 24 weeks until investigator-assessed disease progression.

Subjects with PD during the Response Follow-up Phase will continue to be followed in the Survival Follow-up Phase.

An Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) will be responsible for independent review of the interim safety analysis on the first 20 enrolled patients in the experimental arm.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 122
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Austria
  • Vienna, Austria
    • Medical University of Vienna
• France
  • Bordeaux, France, 33076
    • Institut Bergonie
  • Grenoble, France, 38043
    • CHU de Grenoble
  • Paris, France, 75475
    • Hopital Saint Louis
  • Pierre-Bénite, France, 69495
    • Hôpital Lyon-Sud
  • Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France, 54511
    • CHRU Nancy Brabois
• Italy
  • Bari, Italy, 70124
    • IRCCS Istituto Tumori Giovanni Paolo II
  • Bologna, Italy, 40138
    • IRCCS AOU di Bologna
  • Brescia, Italy, 25123
    • ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia
  • Catania, Italy, 95123
    • A.O.U. Policlinico G. Rodolico-S. Marco
  • Meldola, Italy, 47014
    • IRCCS IRST Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori "Dino Amadori"
  • Milan, Italy, 20122
    • Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
  • Milan, Italy, 20132
    • IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele
  • Milan, Italy, 20162
    • ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda
  • Novara, Italy, 28100
    • Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Maggiore della Carità
  • Palermo, Italy, 90146
    • Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia Cervello
  • Pavia, Italy
    • IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo
  • Ravenna, Italy, 48121
    • Ospedale Santa Maria delle Croci
  • Reggio Emilia, Italy, 42123
    • USL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova
  • Siena, Italy, 53100
    • Policlinico Santa Maria alle Scotte
  • Varese, Italy, 21100
    • Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi - ASST dei Sette Laghi
• Norway
  • Oslo, Norway
    • Oslo University Hospital
  • Trondheim, Norway
    • St Olavs hospital
• Spain
  • Barcelona, Spain
    • Hospital Del Mar
  • Barcelona, Spain
    • Hospital Vall d'Hebron
  • Barcelona, Spain
    • Hospedal Clinic de Barcelona
  • Barcelona, Spain
    • Istitut Català d'Oncologia, Hospital Duran i Reynals
  • Bilbao, Spain
    • Hospital Universitario Cruces
  • El Palmar, Spain
    • Hospital Virgen Arrixaca
  • Madrid, Spain
    • Hospital Ramon y Cajal
  • Madrid, Spain
    • Hospital 12 de Octubre
  • Madrid, Spain
    • Hospital Gregorio Marañón
  • Madrid, Spain
    • Clinica Universidad de Navarra
  • Pamplona, Spain
    • Clinica Universidad de Navarra
  • Salamanca, Spain
    • Hospital de Salamanca
  • San Sebastián, Spain
    • Hospital de Donostia
  • Valencia, Spain
    • Hospital Clinico de Valencia
  • Zaragoza, Spain
    • Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet
• Sweden
  • Stockholm, Sweden
    • Karolinska University Hospital
• Switzerland
  • Bellinzona, Switzerland, 6500
    • Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland
  • Bern, Switzerland, 3010
    • Inselspital, Bern University Hospital
• United Kingdom
  • Bournemouth, United Kingdom, BH7 7DW
    • University Hospitals Dorset
  • Cardiff, United Kingdom, CF14 4XW
    • University Hospital of Wales
  • Glasgow, United Kingdom, G12 0YN
    • Hospital Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre
  • Liverpool, United Kingdom, L7 8YA
    • Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
  • London, United Kingdom, NW1 2PG
    • University College London Hospitals
  • London, United Kingdom, SE1 9RT
    • Guy's Hospital - Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
  • Manchester, United Kingdom, M20 4BX
    • The Christie
  • Oxford, United Kingdom, OX3 7LE
    • Churchill Hospital
  • Sutton, United Kingdom, SM2 5PT
    • The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent in accordance with ICH/GCP regulations before registration and prior to any trial-specific procedures.
• Confirmed diagnosis of SMZL, including Matutes immunophenotype score <3. Evaluation of the following features is desirable: absence of CD103 expression by flow cytometry, absence of Cyclin D1, BCL6, and CD10 expression by immunohistochemistry, and absence of the MYD88 L265P mutation. Patients with prominent splenomegaly and involvement of the splenic hilar and/or extra hilar lymph nodes are eligible
• Previously untreated disease. Patients with prior hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who underwent HCV eradication and have persistent SMZL after 3 months post-eradication can be included.
• Treatment needs according to the ESMO guideline criteria
• Measurable lesions
• Age ≥ 18 years.
• European Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0, 1, or 2.
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.0 x 109/L, platelet count ≥ 50 x 109/L, Hb > 7.5 g/dl. Values below such thresholds are allowed if attributable to the underlying lymphoma. Transfusions are allowed if clinically indicated during screening.
• Adequate hepatic and renal function and coagulation parameters
• Patient able and willing to swallow trial drugs as whole tablet/capsule

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previous splenectomy.
• Any systemic therapy for SMZL.
• Patients with central nervous system (CNS) involvement.
• Prior malignancy (other than the disease under study) within the past 2 years, except for curatively treated basal or squamous skin cancer, superficial bladder cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix or breast, or localized Gleason score ≤ 6 prostate cancer.
• Clinically significant cardiovascular disease
• History of cerebrovascular accident or intracranial hemorrhage within 6 months before registration and known bleeding disorders (eg, von Willebrand's disease or hemophilia).
• History of confirmed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).
• Concomitant diseases that require anticoagulant therapy with warfarin or phenprocoumon or other vitamin K antagonists and patients treated with dual anti-platelet therapy. Patients being treated with factor Xa inhibitors (eg, rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban), direct thrombin inhibitors (e. dabigatran) low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), or single anti-platelet agents (eg. aspirin, clopidogrel) can be included but must be properly informed about the potential risk of bleeding.
• Malabsorption syndrome or other condition that precludes the enteral route of administration.
• Any uncontrolled active systemic infection requiring intravenous antimicrobial treatment.
• Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
• Active COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) infection or non-compliance with the prevailing hygiene measures regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Active chronic hepatitis C or hepatitis B virus infection
• Active, uncontrolled autoimmune phenomenon (autoimmune hemolytic anemia or immune. thrombocytopenia) requiring steroid therapy with > 20 mg daily of prednisone dose or equivalent.
• Known hypersensitivity to trial drugs or any component of the trial drugs.
• Concomitant treatment with strong CYP3A inducers or inhibitors
• Other severe acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition or laboratory abnormality that in the opinion of the investigator may increase the risk associated with trial participation or investigational product administration or may interfere with the interpretation of trial results and/or would make the patient inappropriate for enrolment into this trial.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• Concurrent participation in another therapeutic clinical trial.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm A - Rituximab + Zanubrutinib; Zanubrutinib (160 mg BID orally continuous dosing) is administered for 12 cycles of 28 days each. After cycle 12: Patients in Complete Response (CR) will stop treatment and enter the follow-up phase.; Patients in partial response (PR) will continue zanubrutinib treatment (160 mg BID orally continuous dosing) for 12 additional cycles of 28 days each for a total of 24 cycles.; Patients in stable disease (SD) or progressive disease (PD) will stop treatment and will enter the follow-up phase. Rituximab is infused at the dose of 375 mg/m2 iv on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of cycle 1 (28 days per cycle), then on day 1 of cycles 3, 6, 9, and 12 (28 days per cycle). After cycle 12: Patients in CR will stop treatment and enter the follow-up phase.; Patients in PR will go on with rituximab 375 mg/m2 IV on day 1 of cycles 15, 18, 21, and 24 (28 days per cycle).; Patients in SD or PD will discontinue treatment and will enter the follow-up phase.	Drug: Rituximab; Truxima concentrate for solution for infusion 500 mg/50 ml; Other Names: Truxima; Drug: Zanubrutinib; Zanubrutinib 80 mg hard capsules; Other Names: Brukinsa
Active Comparator: Arm B - Rituximab; Rituximab is infused at the dose of 375 mg/m2 iv on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of cycle 1 (28 days per cycle), then on day 1 of cycles 3, 6, 9, and 12 (28 days per cycle). After cycle 12: Patients in CR will stop treatment and enter the follow-up phase.; Patients in PR will go on with rituximab 375 mg/m2 iv on day 1 of cycles 15, 18, 21, and 24 (28 days per cycle).; Patients in SD or PD will discontinue treatment and will enter the follow-up phase	Drug: Rituximab; Truxima concentrate for solution for infusion 500 mg/50 ml; Other Names: Truxima

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progression Free Survival (PFS) rate at 3 years	PFS is defined as the time from the date of randomization until progression (assessed by the investigator per Lugano 2014 criteria) or death from any cause, whichever occurs first	From the date of randomization to the date of progression or the date of death from any cause until 3 years after randomization

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Complete remission rates - Lugano 2014 criteria	Investigator-assessed complete remission rates achieved at 12 and 24 months of treatment, assessed according to the Lugano 2014 criteria	At 12 and 24 months after treatment start
Best response	Investigator-assessed best response achieved at any time during the treatment period (24 months) assessed according to the Lugano 2014 criteria	From date of treatment start until 24 months after treatment start
Complete remission rates - Matutes criteria	Investigator-assessed complete remission rates achieved at 12 and 24 months of treatment, assessed according to the Matutes criteria	At 12 and 24 months after treatment start
Best response - Matutes criteria	Investigator-assessed best response achieved at any time during the treatment period (24 months) assessed according to the Matutes criteria	From date of treatment start until 24 months after treatment start
Time to next anti-lymphoma treatment (TTNT)	Investigator-assessed time to next anti-lymphoma treatment (TTNT) according to the Lugano 2014 criteria. TTNT is defined as time from the end of treatment until the start of the next therapy	From the end of treatment to the start of the next anti-lymphoma therapy until 3 years after randomization
Duration of response (DoR)	Investigator-assessed DoR according to the Lugano 2014 criteria	From the time when criteria for response (ie, CR or PR) are met to the first documentation of relapse or progression until 3 years from randomization
Overall Survival (OS)	OS according to the Lugano 2014 criteria. OS is defined as the time from random assignment until death as a result of any cause	From the time of randomization until death as a result of any cause until 3 years from randomization
Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (AEs)	Analysis of type and severity of adverse events (AEs) according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE) v5.0	From the time of ICF signature until 28 days after treatment discontinuation or until resolution of all treatment-related AEs, whichever occurs later, or starting of a new anti-neoplastic treatment up to 3 years from randomization

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group (IELSG)
• Investigators: Study Chair: Davide Rossi, MD, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland - Bellinzona (Switzerland); Study Chair: Emanuele Zucca, MD, International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group (IELSG) - Bellinzona (Switzerland); Study Chair: Luca Arcaini, MD, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 21, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 9, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 17, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): February 21, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 31, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Immune System Diseases; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Lymphatic Diseases; Lymphoproliferative Disorders; Immunoproliferative Disorders; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Lymphoma, B-Cell; Lymphoma; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Proteins; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antibodies; Immunoglobulins; Immunoproteins; Blood Proteins; Serum Globulins; Globulins; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; Rituximab; zanubrutinib
• Other Study ID Numbers: IELSG48; 2023-503755-10-00 (Registry Identifier: EU CT Number)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No