title: Delayed-onset grade 4 neutropenia associated with rituximab therapy in a patient with lymphoma: case report and literature review.
abstract: A 53-year-old man developed delayed-onset neutropenia 6 weeks after completing first-line therapy with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone, vincristine, and prednisone for high-grade B-cell lymphoma. Bone marrow biopsy demonstrated hypercellular marrow with normal maturation. He also developed interstitial pneumonitis, an adverse event associated with rituximab use. Infiltrates of T cells were found in the patient's lungs. For the next 6 months, the patient required subcutaneous granulocyte colony-stimulating factor 300 mug twice/week to maintain a granulocyte count above 1000 cells/mm3. He also received oral antibiotics for mouth sores and thrush. Based on the existing evidence, monitoring blood counts for as long as 8 weeks after rituximab therapy may be advisable, although the literature reports that neutropenia can develop up to 1 year after treatment. The development of a registry and uniform testing may help uncover the cause of this delayed-onset neutropenia.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee 38163, USA. smotl@utmem.edu
authors.forename: Susannah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Motl
authors.forename: Reed C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Baskin
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011379:Prognosis; D000069283:Rituximab
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab