Summary
Rituximab is a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody active against normal and malignant
B cells which has proven to be effective in the therapy of CD-20 positive lymphomas.
Its B-cell cytotoxic action has also been exploited in many non-malignant autoimmune
disorders in which it has been used with the aim of interfering with the production
of pathologic antibodies. The present knowledge regarding the use of rituximab in
antibodyassociated disorders of hemostasis (i.e. idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura,
thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, acquired hemophilia A, congenital hemophilia
with inhibitors, acquired inhibitors against coagulation factors) is presented briefly
in this review. The results suggest that rituximab can be useful in the treatment
of disorders of hemostasis associated with inhibitor formation. Although collectively
the number of patients treated is now quite substantial, most of the data are drawn
from isolated case reports or descriptions of small, uncontrolled series. Large, prospective,
randomized trials are, therefore, needed to confirm the positive, preliminary results.
Keywords
Rituximab - inhibitor - coagulation disorders