title: Effects of pretransplantation treatment with rituximab on outcomes of autologous stem-cell transplantation for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the effects of preautografting treatment with rituximab (R) on stem-cell mobilization, post-transplantation complications, engraftment, disease-free survival, and overall survival in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-institution retrospective comparative outcome analysis in a cohort of 273 relapsed chemosensitive NHL patients of whom 127 (47%) received R pretransplantation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  R was administered a median of 3 months before autologous transplantation. When compared to the nonrituximab group, R patients were older (56 v 50 years; P < .001), and had delays in post-transplantation platelets recovery (39 v 27 days; P = .001). Pretransplantation R did not affect stem-cell mobilization, post-transplantation early complications, duration of hospitalization, or mortality rates at days 30 and 100. In contrast to patients with low-grade NHL, both disease-free and overall survival rates were significantly better when R was included in the pretransplantation salvage therapy for patients with intermediate-grade NHL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this large, single-center retrospective analysis, pretransplantation treatment with R was associated with improved survival in patients with intermediate-grade NHL, at the price, however, of a delay in platelet engraftment.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hoerr
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.forename: Divya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.forename: Kristie A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.forename: Vikram
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: Douglas R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Adkins
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Devine
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vij
authors.forename: Lawrence T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Goodnough
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dipersio
authors.forename: Hanna J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Khoury
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000069283:Rituximab; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab