title: Radioimmunotherapy with (131)I-rituximab for patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy and safety of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) with radioiodinated human/murine chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab ((131)I-rituximab) for treating Korean patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL).
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients received unlabeled rituximab 70 mg immediately prior to the administration of a therapeutic dose (median dose: 7.3 GBq) of (131)I-rituximab. The tumor response was evaluated 1 month later by contrast enhanced (18) F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between May 2004 and October 2006, 24 patients received single treatment with (131)I-rituximab. The overall response rate (ORR) was 29%; 46% (three complete responses, two partial responses (PR) for patients with low grade B-cell NHL (LGL) and 9% (one PR) for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). After a median follow-up of 55 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) for all the patients was 2.2 months. The median overall survival (OS) was 11.3 months. There were statistically significant differences between the LGL and the DLBCL for the median PFS (4.5 months vs 1.3 months, respectively, P = 0.0007) and the median OS (30.3 months vs 6.5 months, respectively, P = 0.0295). Grades 3-4 thrombocytopenia and neutropenia occurred in 33% (8/24) and 21% (5/24) of the patients, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RIT with (131)I-rituximab seems to be effective and tolerable for patients with refractory LGL, although this treatment had modest activity in patients with refractory DLBCL. Further studies are warranted to determine the efficacy of (131)I-rituximab for treating the patients with DLBCL.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hye J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Seung S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyeong M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Gi J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cheon
authors.forename: Won S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Cheolwon
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Sung H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Sang M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy; D016499:Radioimmunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D000069283:Rituximab
chemical_list: D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D000069283:Rituximab