Guidelines for the use of Rituximab in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

The low-grade lymphomas are predominantly B-cell tumours. Low-grade NHL is usually diagnosed as systemic disease and approximately 90% will have Stage III or IV disease. The majority of patients with indolent B-cell lymphoma have progressive disease and cannot be cured presently. Drug development for the treatment of low grade NHL has mainly focused on cytotoxic drugs. The natural history of the disease is not altered despite continued interventions with conventional single agent chemotherapy, combination chemotherapy, bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation and/or radiation therapy.