Rituxan® (Rituximab)

Rituxan/Rituximab

Rituxan is the first monoclonal antibody therapy approved in the United States for the treatment of cancer.

Rituxan has been used widely and studied extensively since its approval by the federal Food and Drug Administration in 1997

OK, what does that mean? (this is me now) Monoclonal antibody therapy only attacks certain kinds of cells. It means that the treatment only selects cancer cells, then it attaches itself to them, and destroys them. (back now to the official description)

What is Rituxan

Rituxan is a drug that was made to treat certain types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Rituxan is not like chemotherapy. Chemotherapy targets and kills cells that divide rapidly.

Rituxan is not like radiation therapy. Radiation destroys any cells with which it comes in contact.

Rituxan is different. It was designed to target B cells, the cells most often involved in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It leaves other cells and tissues alone.

Rituxan kills all B cells, whether they are healthy or involved in cancer.

Once the treatment is over, new B cells are made by the body.

B-cell levels usually return to normal within 6 to 12 months.

How does Rituxan kill cancer cells

Rituxan singles out B cells, a type of white blood cell.

In people who have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, some B cells are normal and some are cancerous. B cells are found in the blood and in the lymph nodes.

B cells, whether they are healthy or involved in cancer, have a protein called CD20 on their outer wall. Rituxan goes after the CD20 protein on B cells. When Rituxan finds a CD20 protein, it connects to the cell and kills it.

Scientists believe that Rituxan may use the body's own immune system to help it kill the B cell. The binding of Rituxan to the B cell may turn on a "switch" that causes the cell to kill itself.

Will Rituxan work for me?

No cancer treatment works for every person but Rituxan has been shown to be effective in patients who have relapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular, CD20 positive, B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It has also been shown to be effective in people whose NHL tumours are large and in those whose NHL came back after they had been treated successfully with the drug.

What side effects can I expect with Rituxan?

Rituxan therapy does involve risks.

Serious side effects have occurred in patients treated with Rituxan.

Death related to Rituxan therapy has been rare. In general, most deaths have occurred after the first administration. Other rare causes of death have been kidney failure following rapid killing of tumour cells, as well as severe skin reaction to Rituxan.

The problems in serious first-administration reactions usually included shortness of breath, lung congestion, abnormal heart rhythm, and low blood pressure. If a serious reaction develops, stopping administration temporarily can reduce the reaction.

Most patients treated with Rituxan have side effects while the drug is being given. The most common ones are fever, shaking chills, tiredness, headache, and nausea. You may feel some pain where you have a tumour.

Most of the time, side effects with Rituxan are mild to moderate and easy to treat. They occur in the first 30 minutes to 2 hours after the treatment is started and go away before it is finished. Side effects are less common after the first treatment.

How long will my treatment take?

Your first Rituxan treatment may take 6 or 8 hours, or longer. You should set aside the whole day to receive it. After the first dose, treatment may take less time. But, every patient is different, and your treatment may be shorter or longer.