An 80-year-old man with chronic renal failure (CRF) had pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) 9 months after starting the subcutaneous administration of recombinant human erythropoietin alfa (rHuEPO-α). Owing to the advanced renal failure, conventional immunosuppressive therapies were not practicable. It was decided to administer rituximab (4 cycles of 375 mg/m 2/wk). PRCA was treated successfully with rituximab. The administration of rHuEPO-α then was resumed via the intravenous route with a satisfactory correction of anemia (12 months after the EPO-α rechallenge the patient is still transfusion independent). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of (1) a successful treatment with rituximab with CD20 depletion in a CRF patient with PRCA and (2) a successful intravenous resumption of the same rHuEPO-α.
Successful resumption of epoetin alfa after rituximab treatment in a patient with pure red cell aplasia
ASCANI, Stefano;
2004
Abstract
An 80-year-old man with chronic renal failure (CRF) had pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) 9 months after starting the subcutaneous administration of recombinant human erythropoietin alfa (rHuEPO-α). Owing to the advanced renal failure, conventional immunosuppressive therapies were not practicable. It was decided to administer rituximab (4 cycles of 375 mg/m 2/wk). PRCA was treated successfully with rituximab. The administration of rHuEPO-α then was resumed via the intravenous route with a satisfactory correction of anemia (12 months after the EPO-α rechallenge the patient is still transfusion independent). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of (1) a successful treatment with rituximab with CD20 depletion in a CRF patient with PRCA and (2) a successful intravenous resumption of the same rHuEPO-α.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
