title: Prolonged molecular and clinical remission after treatment of a patient with follicular lymphoma with rituximab.
abstract: Rituximab is a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that has approval for single agent therapy in the treatment of relapsed/refractory low grade or follicular non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In published phase II trials, molecular remissions of PCR detectable t(14;18) disease in the peripheral blood have been reported in up to 62% of patients by three months. We report a case of a patient who achieved prolonged clinical and molecular remission following a single four week course of Rituximab that has exceeded any previous remission achieved with chemo-radiotherapy. The implications of molecular remission as a surrogate of clinical remission and molecular relapse as a harbinger of clinical relapse are reviewed and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Therapeutics Program, Toronto Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre; Toronto, Ontario, Canada. rena.buckstein@tsrcc.on.ca
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Buckstein
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rimrie
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pennell
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spaner
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hewitt
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Berinstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002883:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D000069283:Rituximab; D014178:Translocation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab