From the Chief, Oncology/Hematology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 987680 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6705
Author's disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Address reprint requests to Julie M. Vose, MD, Neumann M. And Mildred E. Harris Professor, Chief, Oncology/Hematology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 987680 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7680; phone:402-559-3848; e-mail: jmvose{at}unmc.edu
Overview: Although the use of maintenance rituximab has become a common practice for patients with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the long-term effects of this practice are still under study. Most patients receive chemoimmunotherapy as their first therapy for follicular lymphoma, and the results of maintenance rituximab after induction with chemoimmunotherapy are still being evaluated in a large randomized trial. In addition, long-term toxicities such as B-cell depletion, hypogammaglobulinemia, episodic neutropenia, and reactivation of viral infections are still a concern. Further long-term studies are needed to answer these questions. The long-term improvement in overall survival of rituximab maintenance after chemoimmunotherapy is not known.
