title: Rituximab for indolent lymphomas before and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The most substantial advancement in the treatment of indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), since the advent of combination chemotherapy, has been the introduction of the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab. However, the optimal schedule, timing, and duration of rituximab therapy remain controversial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Since its initially reported single-agent activity in 1997, the role of rituximab has greatly expanded and it is now ubiquitously integrated in all treatment phases of indolent NHL. Yet, several questions remain to be addressed: should asymptomatic patients be treated at diagnosis with single-agent rituximab or still kept in watchful waiting, what are the optimal first-line treatments to combine with rituximab, what is the role of maintenance therapy, and is there a benefit in incorporating rituximab in autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation schemes for these diseases? Recent and ongoing clinical trials tackling these relevant issues will be presented and critically discussed in this article.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Excellent outcomes are reported with rituximab therapy in indolent NHL, both early and late in the disease course. Continued study of this most valuable therapeutic agent is warranted to set the optimal treatment approach leading to cure the majority of patients.
authors.affiliation: aDivision of Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy bUniversità degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy cUniversità degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy dChair of Hematology, School of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cieri
authors.forename: Orazio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Di Bartolo
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corradini
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D000069283:Rituximab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab