title: Rituximab treatment before reduced-intensity conditioning transplantation associates with a decreased incidence of extensive chronic GVHD.
abstract: Chronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGVHD) is the major cause of late morbidity and mortality after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. B cells have been reported to be involved in mediating cGVHD. To assess whether preemptive host B cell depletion prevents extensive cGVHD after allogeneic reduced-intensity conditioning transplantation (RICT), 173 patients treated with RICT for various hematologic diseases, who had or had not received Rituximab (Rtx) within 6 month prior to RICT, were analyzed retrospectively. Rtx treatment within 6 months prior to RICT reduced extensive cGVHD significantly from 45.8% to 20.1%. We hypothesize that most likely host B cells initiate cGVHD, and thus, host B cell depletion prior to RICT by Rtx might be a valuable strategy to reduce extensive cGVHD after RICT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Van Creveld Clinic, UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van Dorp
authors.forename: Floor
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pietersma
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wölfl
authors.forename: Leo F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Verdonck
authors.forename: Eefke J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Henk M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lokhorst
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martens
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Theobald
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Baarle
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuball
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000074323:Alemtuzumab; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015994:Incidence; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011292:Premedication; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000069283:Rituximab; D018401:Sample Size; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D000074323:Alemtuzumab; D000069283:Rituximab