# Christian Gisselbrecht
Christian Gisselbrecht is a French hematologist and clinical trialist, the former head of the clinical hematology service of [Hôpital Saint-Louis](https://www.edgepedia.org/hopital-saint-louis) ([Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris](https://www.edgepedia.org/assistance-publique-hopitaux-de-paris)) in Paris, specialized in non-Hodgkin lymphomas.[1](https://www.edimark.fr/revues/correspondances-en-onco-hematologie/n-1-fevrier-2026-copy/lymphomest) According to the 2002 New England Journal of Medicine study, rituximab plus CHOP (standard four-drug chemotherapy regimen for lymphoma) chemotherapy established first-line treatment for elderly patients with diffuse large [B-cell lymphoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/b-cell-lymphoma).[2](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011795) According to Orphanet, he is registered as a principal investigator of clinical trials at the Service d'Hémato-Oncologie and the Institut Universitaire d'Hématologie, AP-HP.Nord – Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Saint-Louis.[3](https://www.orpha.net/en/institutions/professional/31767)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Field | Clinical hematology; non-Hodgkin lymphomas[1](https://www.edimark.fr/revues/correspondances-en-onco-hematologie/n-1-fevrier-2026-copy/lymphomest) |
| Main institution | Hôpital Saint-Louis, AP-HP.Nord – Université Paris Cité, Paris[3](https://www.orpha.net/en/institutions/professional/31767) |
| Signature work | GELA LNH98-5 trial of R-CHOP versus CHOP in elderly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, New England Journal of Medicine, 2002[2](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011795) |
| Cooperative-group role | Gisselbrecht became President of GELA[4](https://jle.com/fr/revues/hma/e-docs/compte_rendu_des_7es_journees_du_groupe_detude_des_lymphomes_de_ladulte_gela__140191/article.phtml) |
| Other landmark trials | Interferon alfa-2b in advanced follicular lymphoma (NEJM, 1993); lenograstim after bone-marrow transplantation (The Lancet, 1994); CORAL salvage program in relapsed DLBCL[6](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199311253292203) • [7](https://doi.org/10.3109/10428199709114168) • [8](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25193083/) |
| Recent activity | Co-author of the LYSA pragmatic guidelines for large B-cell lymphoma, European Journal of Cancer, December 2025[9](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2025.116070) |
## Career and appointments
The [Journal officiel de la République française](https://www.edgepedia.org/journal-officiel-de-la-republique-francaise) records Gisselbrecht as chef de service ou de département at the Centre hospitalier et universitaire de Paris (Lariboisière – Saint-Louis), from the service d'hématologie, oncologie adultes of Hôpital Saint-Louis, for a term of five years.[10](https://jorfsearch.steinertriples.ch/name/Christian%20Gisselbrecht) Conference coverage from the 2016 European Hematology Association Congress describes him as Professor of Haematology in the Haemato-Oncology Department of Hôpital Saint-Louis at Diderot University, Paris.[11](https://www.onclive.com/view/dr-christian-gisselbrecht-on-defining-refractory-disease-in-dlbcl) The same coverage reports his work on stratifying refractory disease in aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, defining groups of relapsed patients so that prognostic factors could be determined for specific populations.[11](https://www.onclive.com/view/dr-christian-gisselbrecht-on-defining-refractory-disease-in-dlbcl) His reprint address on a 2002 GELA paper was the Institut d'Hématologie, Hôpital Saint-Louis, 1 avenue Claude Vellefaux, Paris.[12](https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/10049/1/178.pdf)
## Representative work
The LNH98-5 trial is his signature work. In this first randomized study comparing rituximab plus CHOP (R-CHOP) with standard CHOP chemotherapy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 399 previously untreated patients aged 60 to 80 years received eight cycles every three weeks, 197 with CHOP alone and 202 with CHOP plus rituximab on day 1 of each cycle.[2](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011795) • [13](https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2951853) The complete-response rate was about 60 percent with R-CHOP versus about 50 percent with CHOP, and at a median follow-up of about two years the addition of rituximab reduced the risk of treatment failure and death (risk ratios of roughly 0.5 in each case), without significantly greater clinically relevant toxicity.[2](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011795) At a median follow-up of five years, event-free, progression-free, disease-free, and overall survival all remained statistically significant in favor of R-CHOP, and the long-term report concluded that the combination should become the standard treatment for elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.[14](https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2005.09.131) A later US intergroup trial in 632 patients confirmed the benefit (3-year failure-free survival 53 percent versus 46 percent) and cited the 2002 report as its precedent.[15](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16754935/)
## GELA and the trial program
GELA grew out of a decision in 1984 by hematologists and oncologists from France and Belgium to run prospective lymphoma studies together, beginning with the LNH84 trial of ACVBP; over twenty years the group conducted several phase II and III studies in aggressive lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and T-cell lymphomas.[16](https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/best-treatment-aggressive-non-hodgkins-lymphoma-french-perspective) Gisselbrecht served as president of the GELA, whose scientific meetings are held every 18 months; the 7th meeting was organized by the Saint-Louis team at Vaux-de-Cernay.[4](https://jle.com/fr/revues/hma/e-docs/compte_rendu_des_7es_journees_du_groupe_detude_des_lymphomes_de_ladulte_gela__140191/article.phtml) Orphanet lists him as principal investigator of the French trial "Traitement des lymphomes agressifs de l'adulte: LNH 98" and of the phase III randomized study of R-ICE versus R-DHAP in previously treated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma followed by rituximab maintenance.[3](https://www.orpha.net/en/institutions/professional/31767)
His earlier GELA trials set two other markers. In the 1993 New England Journal of Medicine study, designed in 1986, 242 patients with advanced low-grade follicular lymphoma received CHVP chemotherapy, with 123 randomized also to interferon alfa-2b at 5 million units three times weekly for 18 months; the interferon arm showed a higher response rate (85 versus 69 percent), longer median event-free survival (34 versus 19 months) and higher 3-year survival (86 versus 69 percent).[6](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199311253292203) He was a co-author of the placebo-controlled phase III trial of lenograstim in bone-marrow transplantation, published in [The Lancet](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-lancet) in 1994.[7](https://doi.org/10.3109/10428199709114168) He also led the international CORAL (COllaborative trial in Relapsed Aggressive Lymphoma) study comparing the salvage regimens R-ICE and R-DHAP in relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; the 2010 Journal of Clinical Oncology report showed that patients with prior rituximab exposure who relapsed or were refractory within 12 months of diagnosis had 5-year progression-free survival of 23 percent and overall survival of 34 percent.[8](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25193083/)
## Later research and current activity
He remained active through 2026. According to the "LYSA pragmatic guidelines", of which he is a co-author and which were published in the European Journal of Cancer on 3 December 2025, about 30 percent of patients are refractory or relapse within a short period despite frontline [immunochemotherapy](https://www.edgepedia.org/immunochemotherapy), and the guidelines integrate the immunotherapies, CAR T-cells, and bispecific antibodies, that have changed treatment of chemorefractory patients.[9](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2025.116070) In a specialist journal interview published on 28 February 2026 he discussed the evolution of peripheral [T-cell lymphoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-cell-lymphoma) care over the last two decades, describing PTCL as a heterogeneous group of rare malignant hemopathies.[1](https://www.edimark.fr/revues/correspondances-en-onco-hematologie/n-1-fevrier-2026-copy/lymphomest)
## Honors and professional roles
Beyond the GELA presidency, the Journal officiel records his appointment as expert to the conseil scientifique for 2012 and as a member of the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament working group on drugs used in oncology and hematology.[10](https://jorfsearch.steinertriples.ch/name/Christian%20Gisselbrecht) The 2002 GELA high-dose chemotherapy study received grant support from Amgen-Roche and Asta-Medica.[12](https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/10049/1/178.pdf)
## References
1. [Lymphomes T | Entretien avec le Pr Christian Gisselbrecht et le Dr Doriane Cavalieri (Edimark, February 2026)](https://www.edimark.fr/revues/correspondances-en-onco-hematologie/n-1-fevrier-2026-copy/lymphomest)
2. [CHOP Chemotherapy plus Rituximab Compared with CHOP Alone in Elderly Patients with Diffuse Large-B-Cell Lymphoma (NEJM, 2002)](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011795)
3. [Orphanet: Pr Christian GISSELBRECHT](https://www.orpha.net/en/institutions/professional/31767)
4. [Compte rendu des 7es journées du Groupe d'étude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte (GELA)](https://jle.com/fr/revues/hma/e-docs/compte_rendu_des_7es_journees_du_groupe_detude_des_lymphomes_de_ladulte_gela__140191/article.phtml)
5. [Un exemple de la recherche clinique locale : GELA](https://studylibfr.com/doc/8461865/un-exemple-de-la-recherche-clinique-locale---gela)
6. [Recombinant Interferon Alfa-2b Combined with a Regimen Containing Doxorubicin in Patients with Advanced Follicular Lymphoma (NEJM, 1993)](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199311253292203)
7. [Placebo-Controlled phase III Study of lenograstim in Aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (Leukemia, 1997)](https://doi.org/10.3109/10428199709114168)
8. [Futility of relapsed diffuse large B cell lymphoma transplantation? (Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 2014)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25193083/)
9. [Large B-cell lymphoma: The LYSA pragmatic guidelines (European Journal of Cancer, 2025)](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2025.116070)
10. [Christian Gisselbrecht - JORFSearch (Journal officiel de la République française)](https://jorfsearch.steinertriples.ch/name/Christian%20Gisselbrecht)
11. [Dr. Christian Gisselbrecht on Defining Refractory Disease in DLBCL (OncLive, EHA 2016)](https://www.onclive.com/view/dr-christian-gisselbrecht-on-defining-refractory-disease-in-dlbcl)
12. [Shortened First-Line High-Dose Chemotherapy for Patients With Poor-Prognosis Aggressive Lymphoma (JCO, 2002)](https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/10049/1/178.pdf)
13. [Long-term outcome of patients in the LNH-98.5 trial (Europe PMC)](https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2951853)
14. [Long-Term Results of the R-CHOP Study in the Treatment of Elderly Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (JCO, 2005)](https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2005.09.131)
15. [Rituximab-CHOP Versus CHOP Alone or With Maintenance Rituximab in Older Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (JCO, 2006)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16754935/)
16. [Best Treatment of Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: A French Perspective (CancerNetwork)](https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/best-treatment-aggressive-non-hodgkins-lymphoma-french-perspective)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Life and health scientists › Medical and health researchers › Hematology and blood disorder researchers › Lymphoma and CLL researchers*
*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026 · Last review: Sep 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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