Repeated courses of rituximab in chronic ITP: Three different regimens. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • This study investigated responses to retreatment with rituximab in chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) patients. Treatment with rituximab in chronic ITP patients induces long-lasting responses in approximately 30% of patients but even these patients may relapse. Twenty patients who had achieved a response to rituximab and relapsed were retreated with rituximab (375 mg/m(2)x 4); this data was analyzed retrospectively. Subsequently, 16 patients were prospectively randomized to receive rituximab with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone (R-CVP) or double dose rituximab (DDR). Retreatment with standard dose rituximab demonstrated responses similar to initial rituximab treatment in 15 of 20 patients. Neither of the two more intensive regimens (R-CVP, DDR) induced responses in any patient who had previously failed to respond to rituximab nor induced substantially longer-lasting responses among previous responders. No additional toxicity was noted with the DDR regimen, whereas R-CVP was not well tolerated. These results suggest that retreatment with standard dose rituximab induces similar responses in 75% of previously responding patients and is well tolerated. Neither combining rituximab with CVP nor doubling the dose of rituximab increased the response rate.

publication date

  • October 1, 2009

Research

keywords

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Immunologic Factors
  • Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC2783818

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 70349496075

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1002/ajh.21512

PubMed ID

  • 19731307

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 84

issue

  • 10