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Rituximab can be useful as treatment for minimal residual disease in bcr-abl-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 27, pages 225–227 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

We report the results of administering CD20 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) in a 32-year-old man with bcr-abl-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Morphological complete remission was achieved after two lines of chemotherapy with persistence of blast cells (2%) in flow cytometric analysis of marrow cells. Since no HLA-matched donor for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was found, anti-CD20 MoAb therapy was administered for in vivo marrow purging, prior to autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) harvest and transplantation. After MoAb therapy <0.1% of blast cells were observed and the molecular abnormality (bcr-abl gene rearrangement) disappeared. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2001) 27, 225–227.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Hematológico Torre Vilana, Centro Médico Teknon, Barcelona, Spain

    BM Jándula & P Vivancos

  2. Department of Hematology, Hospital de la Sant Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    J Nomdedeu

  3. Cryobiology Laboratory, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain

    P Marín

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  1. BM Jándula
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  2. J Nomdedeu
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  3. P Marín
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  4. P Vivancos
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Jándula, B., Nomdedeu, J., Marín, P. et al. Rituximab can be useful as treatment for minimal residual disease in bcr-abl-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Bone Marrow Transplant 27, 225–227 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1702706

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1702706

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