Vol.97 No.6 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 97 No. 6 June 2004
The Clinical Experience of Rituximab for
Elderly Patients with MALT Lymphoma
Yasuomi Kunimoto
(Matsue Red Cross Hospital)
Takema Sakoda, Kensaku Hasegawa and Hiroya Kitano
(Tottori University)
Rituximab is a mouse/human chimeric monoclonal antibody that targets the CD20 antigen found on the surface of malignant and normal B lymphocytes. The cytotoxic effects of rituximab appear to involve antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, complement-dependent cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis. We treated two elderly patients having MALT lymphoma with rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, pirarubicin, vindesine and prednisolone chemotherapy. It seems that rituximab in combination with conventional chemotherapy is a safe treatment in elderly patients.
Key words : rituximab, elderly patient, MALT lymphoma