title: Rituximab and subcutaneous cladribine in chronic lymphocytic leukemia for newly diagnosed and relapsed patients.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of combined treatment with rituximab and subcutaneous cladribine in patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Forty-three patients with active CLL or small lymphocytic lymphoma received rituximab 375 mg/m(2) on day 1 and cladribine 0.1 mg/kg subcutaneously on days 2-6. The treatment was repeated every 4 weeks for a total of four cycles. Sixteen patients were pretreated. The overall response rate was 88% (50% complete remission and 38% partial remission). The median time to treatment failure was 37.9 months. Grade 4 neutropenia developed in 5% of patients. The data indicate that combination therapy with rituximab and cladribine is a valuable and safe treatment for patients with CLL.
authors.affiliation: Hematoncology Division, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy. paola.bertazzoni@ieo.it
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bertazzoni
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rabascio
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gigli
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Radice
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calleri
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gregato
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Liptrott
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bassi
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nassi
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sammassimo
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laszlo
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Preda
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pruneri
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Orlando
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martinelli
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017338:Cladribine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D033721:Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter 1 / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D055104:Infusions, Subcutaneous; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000069283:Rituximab; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D033721:Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter 1; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C438649:SLC29A1 protein, human; C065171:cif nucleoside transporter; D017338:Cladribine; D000069283:Rituximab