Bendamustine in Combination With Rituximab as a First-line Therapy Followed by Maintenance Therapy With Rituximab in Patients With Follicular Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients with the diagnosis of follicular lymphoma confirmed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis in the reference laboratory
* Written informed consent for the use of personal data approved by Independent Ethic Committee
* Men and women patients, 18-75 years old
* ECOG performance status ≤ 3
* No previous treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy of follicular lymphoma

Exclusion Criteria:

* The patient is participating in any clinical trials and/or receiving the experimental treatment.
* Transformation of follicular lymphoma to large cell lymphoma (for example, follicular lymphoma IIIB graduation, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma).
* Central nervous system involvement.
* The presence of a second malignancy within the last 5 years prior to the inclusion into the study except for adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical cancer or prostate cancer.
* Clinically significant cardiovascular or cerebro-vascular disease in the past 6 months, such as acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, significant ventricular arrhythmia, severe heart failure (NYNA class IV), stroke, or uncontrolled hypertension.
* Renal impairment (serum creatinine \> 150 umol/L), except lymphoid infiltration of kidneys and tumor lysis syndrome.
* Liver failure (except leukemic/lymphoid organ infiltration), acute hepatitis (serum bilirubin \> 2 x ULN, the activity of ALT and AST \> 4 x ULN, prothrombin index \< than 50%).
* Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (serum glucose \> 15 mmol/L)
* Sepsis (septicopyemic focuses, hemodynamic instability, inefficiency of antibacterial therapy) or acute infectious diseases.
* HIV, hepatitis B and C (including the absence of the Hbc and Hbs antibodies).
* Life-threatening bleeding, except of bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract caused by neoplastic process.
* Severe mental disorders (schizophrenia, major depressive syndrome and other productive symptoms).
* Physical failure requiring constant care, cachexia (total protein \< 35 g/L).
* Known hypersensitivity to rituximab components.
* Known hypersensitivity to bendamustine components.
* Pregnant or currently breast-feeding woman
* Neutrophils count \< 1500/mm3 and/or platelets count \< 75000/mm3.
* Surgery prior 15 days before therapy initiation.
* In case of serious infectious complications relief, uncontrolled diabetes, hemorrhagic syndrome, hypertension patient may be included into the study