Current treatment options in oncology
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Curr Treat Options Oncol · Aug 2002
ReviewRadioimmunotherapy with yttrium-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan for patients with relapsed CD20+ B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The clinical development and US Food and Drug Administration approval in 1997 of the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab have been major treatment advances for patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Rituximab produces responses in approximately 50% of cases of relapsed, low grade NHL. Most of these responses are partial remissions; cure remains elusive. ⋯ The exact role of Zevalin in the therapy of NHL is undetermined. New studies are underway to explore whether patients can safely receive a second dose of Zevalin and to combine Zevalin with high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell rescue. The outcome of these studies will be helpful in deciding how best to integrate this new modality into the treatment paradigm of NHL.