Clinical study of rituximab in treating B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Objective:To compare the efficacy of Rituximab with or without chemotherapy and CHOP alone on newly diagnosed patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL), and to analyze their toxicities.Method:A total of 51 newly diagnosed patients with B-cell NHL were divided into 2 groups prospectively with concurrent control: 24 cases in Rituximab group were administered Rituximab with or without chemotherapy, the remaining 27 cases in CHOP group were treated with CHOP regimen only. All cases were evaluated after 3~6 courses.Result:The complete remission (CR) rate and totol response rate in Rituximab group were 83.3%(20/24) and 95.8%(23/24) respectively, while those corresponding rates in CHOP group were 55.6%(15/27) and 66.7%(18/27), respectively. The therapeutic efficacy differences between two groups showed statistical significance(P0.05). The 2-year overall survival rate was significantly higer in Rituximab group than in CHOP group(70.8% vs. 40.7%, P0.05).Conclusion:Comparing with CHOP group, Rituximab group showed higher therapeutic effects and 2-year overall survival rate. Rituximab can be used with good tolerance.