not show significant differences in early infection risk compared with those recorded in the preceding (non–rituximab-containing) regimens. Similarly, in randomized prospective comparisons of fludarabine versus F-R, 6 fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and mitoxantrone (FCM) versus FCM-rituximab, 7 and fludarabine, mitoxantrone, dexamethasone (FND) versus FND-rituximab, 8 no excess in early infectio...

INTRODUCTION Evidence from a number of open-label, uncontrolled studies has suggested that rituximab may benefit patients with autoimmune diseases who are refractory to standard-of-care. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and clinical outcomes of rituximab in several standard-of-care-refractory autoimmune diseases (within rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology and neurology) ...

PURPOSE Ofatumumab is an anti-CD20 antibody recently approved for treatment of fludarabine and alemtuzumab refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL); it mediates much stronger complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) than rituximab. Human CD59, a key membrane complement regulator that inhibits CDC, is highly expressed in B-cell malignancies and its upregulation is an important determinant of...

High variability in patient outcome after rituximab-based treatment is partly explained by rituximab concentrations, and pharmacokinetic (PK) variability could be influenced by tumor burden. We aimed at quantifying the influence of baseline total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV0) on rituximab PK and of TMTV0 and rituximab exposure on outcome in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). ...

Although rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to CD20, has significantly improved the prognosis for diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), one-third of DLBCL patients demonstrate resistance to rituximab or relapse after rituximab treatment. Thus, a novel approach to rituximab-based treatment is likely to be required to improve the efficacy of DLBCL treatment. As com...

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is mostly attributed to the presence of an autoantibody against ADAMTS-13, a metalloprotease that degrades ultralarge von Willebrand protein multimers. Accumulation of vWF multimers and systemic platelet aggregation lead to microangiopathic thrombosis, hemolytic anemia, and end-organ ischemia. Most patients respond to therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), ...

Lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin disease (LPHD) is a unique clinical entity characterized by indolent nodal disease that tends to relapse after standard radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The malignant cells of LPHD are CD20+ and therefore rituximab may have activity with fewer late effects than standard therapy. In this phase 2 trial, 22 patients with CD20+ LPHD received 4 weekly doses of rituximab a...

Rituximab resistance has become increasingly common in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, the mechanisms involved remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of rituximab on interleukin (IL)-17A and to investigate the role of IL-17A in rituximab resistance and its prognostic value in patients with DLBCL. Our retrospective analysis revealed that ritux...

INTRODUCTION The use of rituximab has led to significant improvements in the outcome of both aggressive and indolent Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). It is the first targeted therapy to be developed for the treatment of lymphoma which has been widely adopted. AREAS COVERED This paper discusses the use of rituximab in NHL, mainly concentrating on diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicul...

In patients with follicular lymphoma treated with single-agent rituximab, single nucleotide polymorphisms in the FCGR3A gene are known to influence response and progression-free survival. The prognostic role of FCGR3A and FCGR2A polymorphisms in patients with follicular lymphoma treated with rituximab and chemotherapy combination remains controversial and has not been evaluated in the context o...