2008, Number 3
Gac Med Mex 2008; 144 (3)
Actualidades terapéuticas en el tratamiento de linfoma no Hodgkin
Hernández-Rivera G, Aguayo-González Á, Cano-Castellanosa R, Loarca-Piña LM
Full text
Language: Spanish
References: 7
Page: 275-277
PDF size: 36.93 Kb.
ABSTRACT
Lymphoma is a lymphoid cell cancer that originates in lymphoid tissues. Non Hodgkin (NHL) type represents 90% of cases. In Mexico, NHL constitutes the third most common cancer in males and the sixth among females. NHL treatment has achieved significant advances in the last decade and NHL is currently becoming a disease with a high probability of cure. Rituximab has become an alternative for the treatment of NHL. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that targets the CD20 antigen expressed in the mature malignant B cells. It induces NHL B cells destruction by complement-mediated citotoxicity, apoptosis and sensitization to the toxic effect of chemotherapy. Rituximab has revolutionized treatment results by offering patients with aggressive NHL a higher possibility of cure and in the case of the intractable forms of NHL it increases the disease free period. The standard treatment for a patient with NHL is rituximab-CHOP (immunotherapy). In addition, rituximab has pharmacoeconomic advantages as shown in various cost-utility and cost-effectiveness studies.REFERENCES
Van Oers MH, Klasa R, Marcus RE, Wolf M, Kimby E, Gascoyne RD, et al. Rituximab maintenance improves clinical outcome of relapsed/resistant follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma in patients both with and without rituximab during induction: results of a prospective randomized phase 3 intergroup trial. Blood 2006;108:3295-301.