The study is based on research from VCI Massey Cancer Center as well as other centers suggesting that combining two novel, recently approved drugs that have shown effectiveness in certain blood cancers may be active in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or mantle cell lymphoma. The study is intended for patients whose disease has progressed following treatment with other regimens.

The investigators hope to learn whether these types of lymphoma respond to treatment with the combination of bortezomib (marketed as Velcade) and vorinostat (marketed as Zolinza). They also intend to learn about the side effects of this drug regimen and whether certain features of these lymphomas might predict for response to this regimen.

Within the mantle cell lymphoma patient group, the study will assess whether patients who have previously received bortezomib respond differently from those who have never been treated with bortezomib. Bortezomib administered alone has recently been approved for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma, and was previously approved for patients with progressive multiple myeloma. Vorinostat has been approved for use in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

NCI 8064: Phase II Trial of Bortezomib and Vorinostat in Mantle Cell and Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphomas

PI: Kristy Richards, MD, PhD, 919-966-0374

Study Coordinator: Jennifer Whitman, RN, 919-843-7146, (toll free) 1-877-668-0683