Rituxan (Rituximab) for Leukemia

Overview
Rituxan is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and several types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults. It is also indicated for various autoimmune conditions. Rituxan is usually prescribed as part of a chemotherapy regimen in combination with Cytoxan and Fludara. Rituxan is also known by its drug name, rituximab.

Rituxan is used in immunotherapy for cancer. Rituxan is a biologic drug – a genetically engineered protein, or antibody – that attacks specific targets. In cases of leukemia, Rituxan is believed to work by attacking the CD20 antigen, a protein located on the surface of white blood cells called B-lymphocytes.

How do I take it?
Rituxan is administered as an intravenous infusion once every 28 days.

Rituxan comes in the form of a single-dose vial.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Rituxan lists common side effects including fever, chills, weakness, increased risk for infections, and infusion reactions.

Rare but serious side effects listed for Rituxan can include life-threatening cardiac events, kidney dysfunction, bowel obstruction or perforation, fetal harm in pregnant women, and tumor lysis syndrome (a potentially fatal metabolic condition caused when many cancer cells die at the same time). Additionally, individuals should refrain from live virus vaccinations before and during treatment with Rituxan.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Rituxan — Genentech
https://www.rituxan.com/patient/nhl.html

CLL: Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy — Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
https://www.lls.org/leukemia/chronic-lymphocyti...