Rituximab Leads to Long Remissions in Patients with Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia
Objectives: To assess the response rate and duration of response in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) receiving rituximab. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 32 consecutive patients with chronic ITP who were treated in two tertiary centers in Oman. Response assessment was base...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oman Medical Specialty Board
2015-03-01
|
| Series: | Oman Medical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.omjournal.org/fultext_PDF.aspx?DetailsID=626&type=fultext |
| Summary: | Objectives: To assess the response rate and duration of response in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) receiving rituximab.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 32 consecutive patients with chronic ITP who were treated in two tertiary centers in Oman. Response assessment was based on the American Society of Hematology criteria.
Results: Nineteen patients (59%) had an initial response. However, six of the 19 patients lost their response leaving 13 patients with long-lasting remissions. The median age at diagnosis was 25 years (range 14–58). The median time from diagnosis to rituximab therapy was 21 months. The median follow-up after starting rituximab was 26 months. The overall cumulative response rate was 59% (complete response 44%, partial response 15%) and the median time to respond was 30 days with a response rate of 44% at four weeks. In all responders, the cumulative rate of loss of response was 32% with a median time to lose response of 54 months.
Conclusions: The use of rituximab in ITP achieves high response rate and long remission duration. Our study was limited by the small sample size and further larger prospective studies are recommended. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1999-768X 2070-5204 |