POLARIX
The trial that improved on R-CHOP for the first time in twenty years, by swapping vincristine for an ADC.
PFS at 2 years 76.7% vs 70.2% (HR 0.73); 5-year PFS 64.9% vs 59.1% (HR 0.77, JCO 2025). OS not significantly different (5-year 82.3% vs 79.5%, HR 0.85). Benefit concentrated in ABC-type and IPI 3-5 subgroups. Safety similar to R-CHOP. Basis for Pola-R-CHP as a frontline standard.
Setting
Untreated DLBCL, IPI 2-5, age 18-80: Pola-R-CHP vs R-CHOP
Phase
Phase 3
Sponsor
Roche
Registry
Headline result
2-year PFS 76.7% vs 70.2%, HR 0.73; 5-year OS HR 0.85 (NS).
Reported
2021
Enrolled
879
Replication
Consistent with the phase 1b/2 GO29044 cohort; POLAR BEAR (elderly) and real-world series broadly concordant; no OS benefit at 5 years.
In plain words
What these results mean for people, not percentages
Progression-free survival at 2 yearsprimarysurrogate endpoint
- 76.7 vs 70.2 out of 100 alive without the cancer growing at 2 years with Pola-R-CHP compared with R-CHOP; 6.5 more per 100.
- Roughly one extra person helped for every 15 treated. That is a rough figure taken from the two percentages, not a guarantee for any one person.
- Put another way, the treated group had about 27 percent lower chance of the event at any given time (hazard ratio 0.73, likely range 0.57 to 0.95).
- This is a surrogate endpoint: it measures the cancer being controlled or absent on scans and tests, which often, but not always, translates into living longer.
Progression-free survival at 5 yearssurrogate endpoint
- 64.9 vs 59.1 out of 100 alive without the cancer growing at 5 years with Pola-R-CHP compared with R-CHOP; 5.8 more per 100.
- Roughly one extra person helped for every 17 treated. That is a rough figure taken from the two percentages, not a guarantee for any one person.
- Put another way, the treated group had about 23 percent lower chance of the event at any given time (hazard ratio 0.77, likely range 0.62 to 0.97).
- This is a surrogate endpoint: it measures the cancer being controlled or absent on scans and tests, which often, but not always, translates into living longer.
Overall survival at 5 yearssurvival endpoint
- 82.3 vs 79.5 out of 100 alive at 5 years with Pola-R-CHP compared with R-CHOP; 2.8 more per 100.
- Roughly one extra person helped for every 36 treated. That is a rough figure taken from the two percentages, not a guarantee for any one person.
- Put another way, the treated group had about 15 percent lower chance of the event at any given time (hazard ratio 0.85, likely range 0.63 to 1.15).
- The likely range for the hazard ratio crosses 1, so the difference could be due to chance.
- Overall survival counts deaths from any cause, so it is the most direct measure of whether a treatment helps people live longer.
Be careful
- These results apply to the people the trial enrolled: Untreated DLBCL, IPI 2-5, age 18-80: Pola-R-CHP vs R-CHOP. People in a different situation may not see the same effect.
Numbers are from the trial as recorded here; see the source links in the table below. This is orientation, not medical advice: ask your team how closely the trial population matches you.
879 participants enrolled.
Progression-free survival at 2 yearsprimary
HR 0.73 (0.57–0.95) · p = 0.02
Pola-R-CHP76.7 of 100
n = 440
R-CHOP70.2 of 100
n = 439
| Endpoint | Arm | n | Value | HR (95% CI) | p | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progression-free survival at 2 yearsprimary | Pola-R-CHP | 440 | 76.7% | 0.73 (0.57–0.95) | 0.02 | link |
| R-CHOP | 439 | 70.2% | ||||
| Progression-free survival at 5 years | Pola-R-CHP | — | 64.9% | 0.77 (0.62–0.97) | — | link |
| R-CHOP | — | 59.1% | ||||
| Overall survival at 5 years | Pola-R-CHP | — | 82.3% | 0.85 (0.63–1.15) | — | link |
| R-CHOP | — | 79.5% |
Replication
Consistent with the phase 1b/2 GO29044 cohort; POLAR BEAR (elderly) and real-world series broadly concordant; no OS benefit at 5 years.