Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies have provided new promise for patients with B-cell malignancies. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody against B-lymphocytes that express CD20; it is used for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Very few data are available regarding the treatment of children with non-Hodgkin lymphoma with rituximab. In this article, we reported three children with primary refractory/relapsed B-cell-non-Hodgkin lymphoma, who were successfully treated with a combination of intensive chemotherapy protocol plus rituximab. In all three of our cases, the patients are still in complete remission. Our aim is to emphasize the importance of use of rituximab in the treatment of childhood B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dormann S, Duffner U, Martini C et al (2002) Brief report: chronic myelopathy after combined chemo-radiotherapy in a patient with relapsed mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. Med Pediatr Oncol 38:442–444
Sandlund JT, Downing JR, Crist WM (1996) Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in childhood. N Engl J Med 334:1238–1248
Griffin TC, Weitzman S, Weinstein H (2009) A study of rituximab and ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide chemotherapy in children with recurrent/refractory B-cell (CD20+) non-Hodgkin lymphoma and mature B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a report from the Children’s Oncology Group. Pediatr Blood Cancer 52:177–181
Attias D, Weitzman S (2008) The efficacy of rituximab in high-grade pediatric B-cell lymphoma/leukemia: a review of available evidence. Curr Opin Pediatr 20:17–22
Kimby E (2005) Tolerability and safety of rituximab (MabThera). Cancer Treat Rev 31:456–473
Shabbat S, Aharoni J, Sarid L et al (2009) Rituximab as monotherapy and in addition to reduced CHOP in children with primary immunodeficiency and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 52:664–666
Manolopoulos L, Gomatos IP, Leandros E et al (2009) Use of rituximab in combination with conventional chemotherapy for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the head and neck. In Vivo 23:475–478
Bay A, Dogan M, Acikgoz M et al (2007) Rituximab in a child with relapsed Burkitt lymphoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 49:218
Corbacioglu S, Eber S, Gungor T et al (2003) Induction of long-term remission of a relapsed childhood B-ALL with rituximab chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and autologous stem cell transplantation. J Pediatr Hematol/Oncol 25:327–329
Vries MJ, Veerman AJ, Zwaan C (2004) Rituximab in three children with relapsed/refractory B-cell ALL/Burkitt NHL. Br J Haematol 125:405–417
Culic S, Culic V, Armanda V et al (2003) Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab) for therapy of mediastinal CD20 positive large B-cell NHL with a local tumor extension into lung of a 10-year-old girl. Pediatr Hematol Oncol 20:339–344
Ozsahin H, Fluss J, McLin V et al (2002) Rituximab with IL-2 after autologous bone marrow transplantation for ALL in second remission. Med Pediatr Oncol 38:300–301
Heath JA, Broxson EH, Dole MG et al (2002) EBV associated lymphoma in a child undergoing an autologous stem cell rescue. J Pediatr Hematol/Oncol 24:160–163
Meinhardt A, Burkhardt B, Zimmermann M et al (2010) Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster group. Phase II window study on rituximab in newly diagnosed pediatric mature B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Burkitt leukemia. J Clin Oncol 28:3115–3121
Coiffier B, Haioun C, Ketterer N et al (1998) Rituximab (anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody) for the treatment of patients with relapsing or refractory aggressive lymphoma: a multicenter phase II study. Blood 92:1927–1932
Leget GA, Czuczman MS (1998) Use of rituximab, the new FDA-approved antibody. Curr Opin Oncol 10:548–551
Song KW, Mollee P, Patterson B et al (2002) Pure red cell aplasia due to parvovirus following treatment with CHOP and rituximab for B-cell lymphoma. Br J Haematol 119:125–127
Quartier P, Brethon B, Philippet P et al (2001) Treatment of childhood autoimmune haemolytic anaemia with rituximab. Lancet 358:1511–1513
Zecca M, Nobili B, Ramenghi U et al (2003) Rituximab for the treatment of refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia in children. Blood 101:3857–3861
Scheinberg M, Hamerschlak N, Kutner JM et al (2006) Rituximab in refractory autoimmune diseases: Brazilian experience with 29 patients (2002–2004). Clin Exp Rheumatol 24:65–69
Giulino LB, Bussel JB, Neufeld EJ, Pediatric and Platelet Immunology Committees of the TMH Clinical Trial Network (2007) Treatment with rituximab in benign and malignant hematologic disorders in children. J Pediatr 150:338–344
Vose JM, Link BK, Grossbard ML et al (2001) Phase II study of rituximab in combination with CHOP chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated, aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. J Clin Oncol 19:389–397
Wilson WH, Gutierrez M, O’Connor P et al (2002) The role of rituximab and chemotherapy in aggressive B-cell lymphoma: a preliminary report of doseadjusted EPOCH-R. Semin Oncol 29:41–47
Winkler U, Schulz HR, Klein TO (1999) Cytokine-release syndrome in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and high lymphocyte counts after treatment with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab, IDEC-C2B8). Blood 94:2217–2224
Stel AJ, ten Cate B, Jacobs S et al (2007) Fas receptor clustering and involvement of the death receptor pathway in rituximab-mediated apoptosis with concomitant sensitization of lymphoma B cells to Fas-induced apoptosis. J Immunol 178:2287–2295
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Akbayram, S., Doğan, M., Akgün, C. et al. Use of rituximab in three children with relapsed/refractory Burkitt lymphoma. Targ Oncol 5, 291–294 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11523-010-0161-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11523-010-0161-6