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Rituximab for the Treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia

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Abstract

Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that is widely utilized in the treatment of a number of B-cell-derived haematological malignancies. Rituximab, in combination with chemotherapy, has significantly improved survival outcomes for patients diagnosed with follicular lymphoma (FL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the two most commonly diagnosed subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Furthermore, chemoimmunotherapy containing rituximab has led to significant increases in complete response and progression-free survival rates for patients with both previously untreated and relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). This article reviews the efficacy data from clinical trials demonstrating the significant survival benefits associated with rituximab use in the treatment of FL, DLBCL and CLL.

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Acknowledgements

Support for third-party writing assistance from Eolas Communications for this manuscript was provided by Genentech, Inc. The author has received speaker’s honoraria from Genentech and Biogen Idec.

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  1. Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA

    Fredrick Hagemeister

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Hagemeister, F. Rituximab for the Treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia. Drugs 70, 261–272 (2010). https://doi.org/10.2165/11532180-000000000-00000

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