Pentostatin and rituximab in the treatment of patients with B-cell malignancies.
Both pentostatin (Nipent) and rituximab (Rituxan) have single-agent activity in B-cell malignancies, including indolent and intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Pentostatin is also active in pretreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In spite of current treatment modalities, few patients with these diseases are cured. The combination of rituximab and pentostatin is an attractive treatment option because both drugs have a limited toxicity profile and can be delivered on an outpatient basis. We describe the design of a phase II multicenter study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pentostatin in combination with rituximab in patients with previously treated and untreated low-grade NHL and CLL.
Drapkin
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Department of Medical Oncology, Florida Community Cancer Center, Clearwater, USA. chemo@intnet.net
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015649:Pentostatin / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D000069283:Rituximab; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D015649:Pentostatin; D000069283:Rituximab