Efficacy and safety of rituximab in adults' warm antibody autoimmune haemolytic anemia: retrospective analysis of 27 cases.

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Date publication

mars 2009

Auteurs

Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr BONNOTTE Bernard


Tous les auteurs :
Bussone G, Ribeiro E, Dechartres A, Viallard JF, Bonnotte B, Fain O, Godeau B, Michel M

Résumé

To better assess the efficacy and safety of rituximab in adults' warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA), we conducted a retrospective study including 27 adults (mean age 49.7 +/- 21 years) with either primary (n = 17) or secondary (n = 10) wAIHA. On average, the patients received 2.1 +/- 1.4 treatment lines before rituximab and six had undergone splenectomy. Five patients were resistant to corticosteroids, 16 had a corticosteroid-dependent wAIHA and six had relapsed after an initial remission. Overall, 25/27 (93%) patients achieved an initial response from rituximab (eight complete responses and 17 partial responses). During a mean follow-up of 20.9 months after rituximab, five of the responders relapsed, three of whom were successfully retreated with rituximab. Two mild infusion-related-reactions occurred, one patient had a rituximab-related severe neutropenia and one case of pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia occurred in a severely immunocompromized patient. In conclusion, rituximab seems highly effective and relatively safe in adults with steroid-resistant or steroid-dependent wAIHA.

Référence

Am J Hematol. 2009 Mar;84(3):153-7.