The emerging role for rituximab in the treatment of nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma

Abstract

Rituximab appears to offer a nonchemotherapy-based effective treatment option, which is well tolerated. Ongoing studies are required to further define the optimal patient population who may benefit from rituximab and evaluate its role in maintenance as well as in combination with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Long-Term Survival Rates of Patients with Stage III–IV Hodgkin Lymphoma According to Age, Sex, Race, and Socioeconomic Status, 1984–2013

“…The Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis demonstrated the same trend. The rapid development of modern medicine (e.g., the discovery of the prognostic significance of expression of the B‐cell marker CD20 as well as the approval of rituximab in 1997) may explain the substantial increase in long‐term survival rates and 120‐month RSR over these 3 decades. The survival improvement also may be attributed to early diagnosis, accurate assessment of the aHL stage, and early treatment of aHL complications .…”

Rituximab monotherapy in relapsed lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma

“…Therefore, clinical studies combining rituximab with AB-VD chemotherapy will be needed to investigate the synergic effect of a combined therapy that could allow dose reduction of cytotoxic drugs [12]. In our case, complete remission was achieved in a patient diagnosed with relapsed NLPHL after treatment with rituximab monotherapy at standard doses and extended rituximab.…”

Vanishing bile duct syndrome in Hodgkin’s lymphoma: A case report and literature review

“…Given the presumed immunological reaction causing VBDS, treatments targeting this response have been attempted. Rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody against CD20 frequently expressed in HL, has been used with positive outcomes[44,45]. Rituximab may have a therapeutic role in CD20-negative patients given this presumed immunological reaction causing VBDS[45].…”