The multicentre phase III CORAL study aims to guide choice of salvage 
chemotherapy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and assess the role of 
rituximab maintenance after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). 
Patients are first randomised between ICE (ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide) 
and DHAP (dexamethasone, ara-C and cisplatin), both combined with rituximab 
(R-ICE or R-DHAP). After three courses, responders are treated by ASCT with 
BEAM. A second randomisation then allocates patients to maintenance treatment 
with rituximab 375 mg/m(2), one injection every 2 months six times, or 
observation. Accrual to the study is now proceeding well and the planned 400 
patients are likely to be enrolled within the next 1.5 years. Results to date 
are very preliminary but suggest encouraging rates of response. However, they 
also indicate that initial exposure to rituximab may increase the difficulty of 
salvaging patients who fail first-line therapy.