Rituximab use

Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to a surface protein in non Hodgkin’s lymphoma cells and induces complement-mediated lysis, direct cytotoxicity, and induction of apoptosis. It is currently used with conventional anticancer drugs (eg, cyclophosphamide plus vincristine plus prednisone) in low-grade lymphomas. Rituximab is associated with hypersensitivity reactions and myelosuppression Rituximab was the first monoclonal antibody to be approved for the treatment of cancer. It is a genetically engineered, chimeric monoclonal antibody directed against the CD20 antigen that is found on the surfaces of normal and malignant B lymphocytes. CD20 plays a role in the activation process for cell-cycle initiation and differentiation. The CD20 antigen is expressed on nearly all B-cell nonHodgkin lymphomas but not in other bone marrow cells. Rituximab has proven to be effective in the treatment of posttransplant lymphoma and in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.