Rituximab After Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Enhances Survival of B-cell Lymphoma Patients: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Background. Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of rittudmab before autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but the few studies on rituximab treatment after ASCT have not established conclusively the clinical benefits of this particular treatment regimen. Patients and Methods. We conducted a metaanalysis of 3 comparative studies encompassing 407 lymphoma patients treated with rituximab after ASCT. Results. Combined results revealed a significantly higher event-free survival (EFS) in the rituximab-treated (R+) group compared with the R group (P = .003 at 1 year; P = .03 at 3 years; P = .001 at 4 years). Moreover, the R+ group also demonstrated higher overall survival (OS) and complete remission (CR) rates (P = .0006 and P < .0001, respectively, at 1 year) without a significant increase in adverse events. Conclusions. According to the included articles, there were no differences in CR, overall response, 3-year EFS, or 3-year OS between rituximab-naive patients and patients previously treated with rituximab before AS CT. Post-AS CT maintenance regimens including rittudmab show increased EFS, OS, and CR.