Expert review of anticancer therapy
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Expert Rev Anticancer Ther · Aug 2001
ReviewRituximab: review and clinical applications focusing on non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Rituximab (Rituxan) was the first monoclonal antibody approved for cancer therapy and the first single-agent approved for therapy of lymphoma. When combined with CHOP, rituximab is the only drug that has been shown to improve survival of a subpopulation of patients with diffuse large cell lymphoma during the last three decades. ⋯ Furthermore, it is currently being evaluated in several nonmalignant diseases, such as autoimmune disorders. This review will focus on the role of rituximab in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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Temozolomide is an imidazotetrazine with a mechanism of action and efficacy similar to dacarbazine (DTIC). However, it differs from DTIC in that it can be taken orally, degrades spontaneously to an active metabolite and penetrates the blood-brain barrier. ⋯ Investigations into other indications, in particular solid tumors with central nervous system metastases, are ongoing. Studies of new drug schedules and of drugs to ameliorate temozolomide resistance offer the prospect of increased efficacy.