UNLABELLED We assessed the feasibility of a rapid infusion of rituximab with or without steroid-containing chemotherapy. INCLUSION CRITERIA previous infusion of rituximab without grade 3 or 4 toxicity, lymphoid cells <5 x 10(9)/L and rituximab dose of 375 mg/m(2). Seventy patients were treated with a total of 319 rapid rituximab infusions [126 (40%) with and 193 (60%) without steroids]. Overa...

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder, for which rituximab has been proven to be an effective treatment. The response rate was reported to be approximately 60% in refractory ITP patients. However, the response time is slower than expected, and the mechanism of action of rituximab in ITP is still unclear. Thus, sometimes, the use of a combination therapy with rituximab ...

Natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity involving FcγRIIIa (CD16) likely contributes to the clinical efficacy of rituximab. To assess the in vivo effects of CD16 polymorphisms on rituximab-induced NK activation, blood was evaluated before and 4 hours after initiation of the initial dose of rituximab in 21 lymphoma subjects. Rituximab induced NK activation and ...

Rituximab has been extensively used in the treatment of CD20-expressing B cell neoplasms in the last two decades. Despite that, its dose and scheduling are still being questioned as they are inadequately supported by data. Our retrospective study of patients with indolent B cell lymphoma showed that older males and patients with higher weight had worse outcomes when treated with first line ritu...

INTRODUCTION Bone marrow (BM) is an immunologically privileged site where activated autoantibody-producing B cells may survive for prolonged periods. We investigated the effect of rituximab (anti-CD20 mAb) in peripheral blood (PB) and BM B-cell and T-cell populations in active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS Active RA patients received rituximab (1,000 mg) on days 1 and 15. PB (n ...

Rituximab is the first antibody-based therapy approved in cancer. The role of this treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has evolved significantly since its introduction. We aimed to systematically review the literature on rituximab in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and provide consensus guidelines as to the rational use of this agent. Validated methodology from the Cancer Care Ontario Program in Eviden...

To determine the effect of gender on outcome, the male hazard ratio for progression-free survival (HRPFS-male) was determined in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In young patients (MapThera International Trial study), HRPFS-male was 1.3 (P = .092) without and 1.1 (P = .660) with rituximab. In elderly patients (RICOVER-60 study), HRPFS-male was 1.1 (P = .348) with CHOP but in...

3. Thatayatikom A, White AJ. Rituximab: A promising therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus. Autoimmun Rev. 2006;5:18--24. 4. Boye J, Elter T, Engert A. An overview of the current clinical use of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab. Ann Oncol. 2003;14:520--35. 5. Cohen SB. Targeting the B cell in rheumatoid arthritis. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2010;24:553--63. 6. Fatourechi MM, el-...

B-cell depletion may impair vaccine responses and increase infection risk in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). We investigated the effects of rituximab on antibody and cellular responses to Streptococcus pneumoniae polysaccharide and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines in ITP patients. Of 60 patients in the main trial, 24 patients received both vaccines 6 months after rituxi...

OBJECTIVE The most cost-effective dosing regimen for rituximab treatment in RA is currently unknown. The objective of this study is to determine whether low rituximab serum levels are associated with progression of structural damage in RA patients. METHODS Sixty-two RA patients were treated with rituximab in three different centres. Structural damage was assessed on radiographs of hands and f...