Which role for rituximab in hairy cell leukemia? Reflections on six cases.
Acta Haematol
; 123(2): 110-6, 2010.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20051682
Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare, chronic, B-cell, lymphoproliferative disorder. Treatment has been revolutionized by the advent of interferon (IFN)-alpha and purine analogs (PA). First-line therapy with PA yields complete response rates of 75-100%, with many long-lasting remissions. In the event of profound neutropenia and/or infectious complications, a short sequence of IFN-alpha may precede PA treatment. Because of the excellent results achieved with PA therapy, the potential role of rituximab (an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that is highly effective against most B-cell lymphomas) in HCL has yet to be elucidated. Six HCL cases treated with rituximab are reported herein with a view to elucidating the potential role of the drug in HCL. The indications essentially consist of relapsing or refractory disease, avoiding the cumulative toxicity of PA, consolidation therapy in order to eradicate minimal residual disease, and first-line therapy for patients with contraindications to PA and IFN-alpha.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Health context:
6_ODS3_enfermedades_notrasmisibles
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Leukemia, Hairy Cell
/
Antibodies, Monoclonal
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Acta Haematol
Year:
2010
Document type:
Article