Leukemia & lymphoma
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Leukemia & lymphoma · Nov 2004
Clinical TrialA pilot trial of rituximab and alemtuzumab combination therapy in patients with relapsed and/or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
The treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who fail purine analogues is sub optimal. CLL lymphocytes express two antigens, namely CD 20 and CD 52, for which monoclonal antibodies are readily available. Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeted against CD 20, which has some activity in refractory CLL, with primary effect on nodal disease. ⋯ No CMV reactivation occurred. Additional studies are needed to investigate the clinical significance of such a combination in this patient population, and whether this combination can be administered safely with systemic chemotherapy. These studies are currently underway.
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Leukemia & lymphoma · Nov 2004
Case ReportsAutoimmune hemolytic anemia with myelodysplastic features followed by bilateral adrenal non-hodgkin lymphoma: a case report and review of the literature.
Primary adrenal lymphoma is a rare entity characterized mainly by bilateral involvement, presenting predominantly diffuse large B-cell histology, adrenal insufficiency and poor prognosis. Approximately 85 cases have been described in the literature. We report here a case of a 77-year-old man who presented with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), which preceded the diagnosis of lymphoma by more than 2 years. ⋯ He received hormonal replacement and chemotherapy, but he succumbed to his disease because of sepsis and multi-organ failure a few days post diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first case in the literature in which AIHA preceded bilateral adrenal lymphoma. We also provide a summary of the current data for the clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of primary adrenal lymphoma.