• Chin Y Liu, Pranatharthi H Chandrasekar, Ashiq Masood, and Charles A Schiffer.
• Department of Pharmacy, Karmanos Cancer Center, Detroit, MI 48098, USA. liuc@karmanos.org
• J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2013 Mar 1; 19 (1): 18-23.

PurposeTreatment with rituximab can be associated with hepatitis B reactivation leading to fulminant hepatitis and sometimes fatal hepatitis. The manufacturer has recommended screening the high-risk patients and monitoring hepatitis B virus carriers during and several months after the therapy. Prophylaxis with lamivudine has been recommended to prevent reactivation in hepatitis B virus carriers receiving rituximab. An institutional guideline was developed and implemented. This study evaluated the adherence to these clinical guidelines of hepatitis B screening in patients receiving rituximab-based treatment, the use of lamivudine prophylaxis, and the prevalence of positive hepatitis B virus surface antigen in this patient population in southeast Michigan.MethodsA retrospective chart review of patients begun on rituximab therapy from January 2009 through June 2010 was conducted.ResultsTwo hundred and eighty patients who received rituximab were identified. Approximately 70% of patients had hepatitis B virus surface antigen screening test prior to rituximab therapy. Antibody to hepatitis B virus core antigen was detected in 11.1% of patients, although the hepatitis B virus surface antigen positive rate was only 0.6%. One patient had hepatitis B virus reactivation despite lamivudine prophylaxis, but fully recovered after antiviral therapy was changed to tenofovir.ConclusionThe prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen positivity is low in this study; however, antibody to hepatitis B virus core antigen positivity is high. Education to clinicians is warranted to increase awareness and further improve adherence to the clinical guidelines.

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