A systematic review of low-dose rituximab monodonal antibody in the treatment of warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia / 基础医学与临床

ABSTRACT

Objective Standard dose of rituximab monodonal antibody(McAb)(375 mg/m2/week×4) has been recommended as a salvage regimen for refractory and recurrent warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA). The effect of low-dose rituximab in wAIHA needs more evaluation. Methods Through a compre-hensive literature search through PUBMED and CNKI databases, 13 articles of 172 cases were reviewed. Re-sults The current understanding of low-dose rituximab in wAIHA is limited. Based on the summary of these studies, the overall response rate was 87.8% with 62.8% complete response and 25% partial response. Since each study only enrolled several cases, the relapse rates markedly varied from 0 to 62.5%. Nevertheless, re-treatment of low-dose rituximab was still effective in some relapsed patients. No significant adverse event was reported. Conclusions Present literature analysis suggests that low-dose rituximab could be an effective and safe therapy for wAIHA.