title: Rituximab combined with a small dose of melphalan for a refractory follicular lymphoma patient.
abstract: A 48-year-old male patient with follicular lymphoma, grade II, stage IV, was treated with CHOP, ESHAP and MACOP-B, resulting in partial remission. After 9 months, the disease progressed and several chemotherapy agents, including three courses of rituximab combined with etoposide, sobuzoxane or methotrexate, only resulted in a stable disease response. However, the fourth course of rituximab combined with a small dose of melphalan produced excellent results and the complete response continued for more than 15 months. It is possible that these two drugs may act synergistically.
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Division, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, Japan. saigo@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Katsuyasu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saigo
authors.forename: Yasuyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okumachi
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Tadanobu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chinzei
authors.forename: Akiharu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takenokuchi
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumagai
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012074:Remission Induction; D000069283:Rituximab; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000069283:Rituximab; D008558:Melphalan