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Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 3INTERVENTIONAL

Adjusted High-dose Chemotherapy With Autologous Stem Cell Transplant vs. Conventional Immunochemotherapy in Elderly PCNSL Patients

Age-adjusted High-dose Chemotherapy Followed by Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation or Conventional Chemotherapy With R-MP as First-line Treatment in Elderly Primary CNS Lymphoma Patients - a Randomized Phase III Trial

Adjusted High-dose Chemotherapy With Autologous Stem Cell Transplant vs. Conventional Immunochemotherapy in Elderly PCNSL Patients (NCT06830421) is a Phase 3 interventional studying Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma, sponsored by University Hospital Freiburg. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

Most patients being diagnosed with primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (PCNSL) are 60 years or older. Elderly patients with PCNSL have a poor prognosis and there is a great medical need to improve outcome for this vulnerable population. In Germany and many international centres, there are currently two widely used strategies to treat elderly PCNSL patients who are eligible for high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) treatment, which have not yet been compared head-to-head. The R-MP regimen has been established by the Cooperative PCNSL Study Group as a "conventional" immunochemotherapy standard treatment for elderly patients with newly diagnosed disease and consists of Rituximab, HD-MTX and Procarbazine followed by maintenance therapy with Procarbazine. In contrast, another recently established protocol also includes HD-MTX-based induction therapy, but followed by consolidating high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (HCT-ASCT). This is an overall more intensive, but substantially shorter treatment approach, feasible for elderly patients being considered eligible for a more intensive treatment. The PRIMA-CNS trial aims to compare these two treatment approaches with respect to survival, response rates and toxicity.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 3 trials confirm efficacy and safety in large patient groups (often 300–3,000+) and form the evidence base for an FDA approval submission. For Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma, Phase 3 studies typically randomize participants between the investigational treatment and either a placebo or current standard of care. A successful Phase 3 result is the threshold most treatments need to clear before regulatory approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

A target enrollment of 340 participants makes this a sizable late-stage trial. Studies in this range typically have enough power to detect clinically meaningful differences from a comparator and to characterize less-common side effects.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: 1. Immunocompetent patients with newly-diagnosed primary DLBCL of the central nervous system. 2. Age \> 70 years or age 65-70 years if not eligible for more intensive treatment (e.g. OptiMATe trial). 3. Histologically or cytologically assessed diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma by local pathologist. 4. Diagnostic sample obtained by stereotactic or surgical biopsy, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology examination or vitrectomy. 5. Disease exclusively located in the CNS. 6. At least 1 measurable lesion. 7. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)-Performance Status (PS) ≤ 2. ECOG PS \> 2 accepted if due to PCNSL symptoms. 8. Patients possibly eligible for HCT-ASCT as judged by the treating physician. 9. Written willing to sign a consent form obtained according to international guidelines and local laws by patient or authorized legal representative in case patient is temporarily legally not competent due to his or her disease. Additional randomization criteria: 1. Patients eligible for HCT-ASCT defined by the EBL score (at most one of the 3 following conditions may apply: ECOG PS \> 1, Barthel Index of activities of daily living (ADL) \< 20 and Lachs geriatric screening \> 3), improvement of PS after pre-phase treatment or clinical judgement by the treating physician after discussion with the study expert team. 2. No evidence of disease progression after pre-phase treatment. Who Should NOT Join This Trial: 1. Congenital or acquired weakened immune system including HIV infection and previous organ transplantation. 2. Systemic lymphoma manifestation (outside the CNS). 3. Primary vitreoretinal lymphoma or primary leptomeningeal lymphoma without manifestation in the brain parenchyma or spinal cord. 4. Previous or concurrent malignancies with the exception of surgically cured carcinoma in situ or other kinds of cancer without evidence of disease for at least 5 years. 5. Previous systemic Non-Hodgkin lymphoma at any time. ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Immunocompetent patients with newly-diagnosed primary DLBCL of the central nervous system. 2. Age \> 70 years or age 65-70 years if not eligible for more intensive treatment (e.g. OptiMATe trial). 3. Histologically or cytologically assessed diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma by local pathologist. 4. Diagnostic sample obtained by stereotactic or surgical biopsy, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology examination or vitrectomy. 5. Disease exclusively located in the CNS. 6. At least 1 measurable lesion. 7. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)-Performance Status (PS) ≤ 2. ECOG PS \> 2 accepted if due to PCNSL symptoms. 8. Patients possibly eligible for HCT-ASCT as judged by the treating physician. 9. Written informed consent obtained according to international guidelines and local laws by patient or authorized legal representative in case patient is temporarily legally not competent due to his or her disease. Additional randomization criteria: 1. Patients eligible for HCT-ASCT defined by the EBL score (at most one of the 3 following conditions may apply: ECOG PS \> 1, Barthel Index of activities of daily living (ADL) \< 20 and Lachs geriatric screening \> 3), improvement of PS after pre-phase treatment or clinical judgement by the treating physician after discussion with the study expert team. 2. No evidence of disease progression after pre-phase treatment. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Congenital or acquired immunodeficiency including HIV infection and previous organ transplantation. 2. Systemic lymphoma manifestation (outside the CNS). 3. Primary vitreoretinal lymphoma or primary leptomeningeal lymphoma without manifestation in the brain parenchyma or spinal cord. 4. Previous or concurrent malignancies with the exception of surgically cured carcinoma in situ or other kinds of cancer without evidence of disease for at least 5 years. 5. Previous systemic Non-Hodgkin lymphoma at any time. 6. Inadequate renal function (creatinine clearance \<60 ml/min). 7. Inadequate bone marrow, cardiac, pulmonary or hepatic function according to investigator´s decision. 8. Active hepatitis B or C disease. 9. Concurrent treatment with other experimental drugs or participation in an interventional clinical trial with administration of study medication within the last thirty days before the start of this study. 10. Third space fluid accumulation \>500 ml. 11. Hypersensitivity to study treatment or any component of the formulation. 12. Taking any medications likely to cause interactions with the study medication. 13. Known or persistent abuse of medication, drugs or alcohol. 14. Active COVID-19-infection or non-compliance with the prevailing hygiene measures regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. 15. Patients without legal capacity and who are unable to understand the nature, significance and consequences of the study and without designated legal representative. 16. Previous participation in this trial. 17. Persons who are in a relationship of dependency/employment to the sponsor and/ or investigator. 18. Any familial, sociological or geographical condition potentially hampering compliance with the study protocol and follow-up schedule. 19. Fertile patients refusing to use safe contraceptive methods during the study.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

R-MP and Procarbazine maintenance

Firstline systemic treatment with conventinal immunochemotherapy (3 cycles of Rituximab-MTX-Procarbazine) followed by Procarbazine maintenance

DRUG

R-MTX/AraC (MARTA) induction followed by consolidating HCT-ASCT

Firstline systemic treatment with age-adjusted MTX based induction (2 cycles of Rituximab-Methotrexate-Cytarabin) followed by consolidating aged-adapted high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation

Locations (20)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

University Hospital Freiburg, Department Medicine I, Hematology, oncology and stem cell transplantation
Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Klinikum Stuttgart, Clinic of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care, Stuttgart Cancer Center / Tumor Center Eva Mayr-Stihl
Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
University Hospital Aachen
Aachen, Germany
University Hospital Augsburg
Augsburg, Germany
Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch
Berlin, Germany
University Hospital Berlin
Berlin, Germany
Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel
Bielefeld, Germany
Universitätsklinikum Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum GmbH
Bochum, Germany
Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig gGmbH
Braunschweig, Germany
Klinikum Bremen-Mitte gGmbH
Bremen, Germany
Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH
Chemnitz, Germany
Universitätsklinikum Köln
Cologne, Germany
Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum Dresden
Dresden, Germany
Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf, Germany
Universitätsklinikum Erlangen
Erlangen, Germany
Universitätsklinikum Essen
Essen, Germany
Klinikum der Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität
Frankfurt, Germany
Universitätsmedizin Göttingen Georg-August-Universität
Göttingen, Germany
Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale)
Halle, Germany
Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes Homburg
Homburg, Germany

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06830421), the sponsor (University Hospital Freiburg), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06830421 clinical trial studying?

Most patients being diagnosed with primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (PCNSL) are 60 years or older. Elderly patients with PCNSL have a poor prognosis and there is a great medical need to improve outcome for this vulnerable population. In Germany and many international centres, there are currently two widely used strategies to treat elderly PCNSL patients who are eligible for high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) treatment, which have not yet been compared head-to-head. The R-MP regimen has been established by the Cooperative PCNSL Study Group as a "conventional" imm… The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06830421?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06830421?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06830421. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06830421. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.