TY - JOUR
T1 - Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of severe, immune-mediated, pure red cell aplasia and hemolytic anemia
AU - Zecca, Marco
AU - De Stefano, Piero
AU - Nobili, Bruno
AU - Locatelli, Franco
PY - 2001/6/15
Y1 - 2001/6/15
N2 - Immune-mediated, acquired pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare disorder frequently associated with other autoimmune phenomena. Conventional immunosuppressive treatment is often unsatisfactory. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody against the CD20 antigen, highly effective for in vivo B-cell depletion. An 18-month-old girl with both severe PRCA and autoimmune hemolytic anemia, refractory to immunosuppressive treatment, received 2 doses of rituximab, 375 mg/m
2 per week. The drug was well tolerated. After anti-CD20 therapy, substitutive treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin was started. The treatment resulted in marked depletion of B cells; a striking rise in reticulocyte count ensued, with increasing hemoglobin levels, finally leading to transfusion independence. The child is now 5 months off-therapy, with normal hemoglobin and reticulocyte levels. This case suggests a role of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody for treatment of patients with antibody-mediated hematologic disorders.
AB - Immune-mediated, acquired pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare disorder frequently associated with other autoimmune phenomena. Conventional immunosuppressive treatment is often unsatisfactory. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody against the CD20 antigen, highly effective for in vivo B-cell depletion. An 18-month-old girl with both severe PRCA and autoimmune hemolytic anemia, refractory to immunosuppressive treatment, received 2 doses of rituximab, 375 mg/m
2 per week. The drug was well tolerated. After anti-CD20 therapy, substitutive treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin was started. The treatment resulted in marked depletion of B cells; a striking rise in reticulocyte count ensued, with increasing hemoglobin levels, finally leading to transfusion independence. The child is now 5 months off-therapy, with normal hemoglobin and reticulocyte levels. This case suggests a role of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody for treatment of patients with antibody-mediated hematologic disorders.
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U2 - 10.1182/blood.V97.12.3995
DO - 10.1182/blood.V97.12.3995
M3 - Article
C2 - 11389047
AN - SCOPUS:0035877988
VL - 97
SP - 3995
EP - 3997
JO - Blood
JF - Blood
SN - 0006-4971
IS - 12
ER -