Erschienen in:
01.04.2013 | Original Article
Repeated radioimmunotherapy with 131I-rituximab for patients with low-grade and aggressive relapsed or refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
verfasst von:
Hye Jin Kang, Seung-Sook Lee, Byung Hyun Byun, Kyeong Min Kim, Ilhan Lim, Chang Woon Choi, Cheolwon Suh, Won Seog Kim, Seung-Hyun Nam, Soon Il Lee, Hyeon Seok Eom, Dong-Yeop Shin, Sang Moo Lim
Erschienen in:
Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology
|
Ausgabe 4/2013
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Abstract
Purpose
A single treatment of 131I-rituximab in patients with B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) showed a modest rate of response (29 %) in a relatively short duration (median 2.9 months). On the basis of this result, we investigated whether repeated treatment with 131I-rituximab could improve the response.
Patients and methods
Thirty-one patients with relapsed or refractory B cell NHL received unlabeled rituximab (70 mg) immediately prior to the administration of a therapeutic dose of 131I-rituximab. The tumor response was evaluated 1 month later by contrast-enhanced 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography. Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) was repeated at 4-week intervals.
Results
A total of 87 cycles of RIT were administered. Repeated RIT yielded twofold increases in response rate (68 %) and in median response duration (8.6 months). This protocol also induced a favorable response in patients with an aggressive histology compared to that induced by a single treatment (50 vs. 9 %, respectively, p = 0.063). The toxicities were principally hematologic with grade 4 thrombocytopenia occurring in 12 % and neutropenia occurring in 17 % of the 85 assessable cycles.
Conclusions
Compared to a single treatment, repeated RIT with 131I-rituximab increased the response rate and duration for patients with relapsed or refractory B cell NHL, including those with an aggressive histology.