Anti-CD20 in hematologic oncology

Twelve years ago, rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody, became available for the treatment of relapsing follicular lymphoma. It has resulted in an improvement of approximately 20% in survival for nearly all a cell lymphomas. In follicular lymphoma, rituximab combined with chemotherapy is indicated as first-line treatment when treatment is necessary. It is also on interesting option, alone or in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of relapses, after verifying the persistence of CD20 expression on the surface of malignant cells. As a maintenance treatment oiler chemotherapy with or without rituximab, it improves relapse-free survival and overall survival. The standard treatment for high-grade diffuse lymphoma, regardless of age and regardless of predicted severity, is now the combination of CHOP chemotherapy and rituximab. The combination of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab is currently the reference treatment for chronic lymphoid leukemia as first-line treatment for patients wily few comorbidities and for those with relapses. The role of this antibody in the treatment of more serious forms of lymphoma is under evaluation. The administration of rituximab, alone or in combination, in the treatment of low-grade non-follicular lymphoma must be decided os a function of existing protocols in multidisciplinary consultations. New-generation anti-CD20 antibodies, designed to improve still further the already remarkable efficacy/toxicity ratio, are now taking the road that rituximab opened.