Abstract
Treatment options for patients with indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma historically involved radiation or chemotherapy. Although initial response rates are excellent, treatment is increasingly less effective with each successive relapse. The advent of immunotherapy heralds a new era for the treatment of these patients. Radioimmunotherapy adds the benefits of cytotoxic radiation to immunotherapy and represents a significant addition to the treatment armamentarium. Various antigens for lymphoma have been targeted, of which anti-CD20 antibodies are the furthest in development. Ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin; IDEC Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA), a 90yttrium-labeled agent, and 131iodine-labeled tositumomab (Bexxar; Corixa, Seattle, WA) are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Both agents have shown utility in therapy for relapsed and refractory low-grade and transformed lymphomas. This review highlights features of radioimmunotherapy that are relevant to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, focusing on the two anti-CD20 antibodies.
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Pandit-Taskar, N., Hamlin, P.A., Reyes, S. et al. New strategies in radioimmunotherapy for lymphoma. Curr Oncol Rep 5, 364–371 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-003-0020-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-003-0020-z