Abstract
Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) combines the targeting advantage of a monoclonal antibody with the radiosensitivity of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cells. There are now two radioimmunoconjugates (RICs) - ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin™) and tositumomab (Bexxar™) - that are approved by the FDA in the US for relapsed low-grade or follicular B-cell NHL. Both agents target the CD20 antigen on B-cell lymphoma cells. In relapsed disease, single doses of RIT produce an 80% overall response rate, with approximately 20% of patients achieving durable responses. RIT is very well tolerated and is delivered on an outpatient basis over 1 week. The only significant toxicity is reversible myelosuppression. Both RIT agents have demonstrated high anti-tumor activity in patients who are refractory to rituximab. Current trials are testing RIT as initial therapy with rituximab maintenance, as adjuvant therapy after chemotherapy, or in high-dose protocols with stem-cell support.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 655-668 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Best Practice and Research: Clinical Haematology |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2006 |
Keywords
- CD20
- NHL
- ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin™)
- radioimmunoconjugate
- radioimmunotherapy
- tositumomab (Bexxar™)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Clinical Biochemistry