ArticleBMC infectious diseases2014
The risk of infections in hematologic patients treated with rituximab is not influenced by cumulative rituximab dosage - a single center experience.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bactrim Efficacy in Preventing Infections in Glomerular Diseases Receiving Rituximab.Kidney medicine · 2026Article
- Cytomegalovirus infection in patients with rheumatic disorders under rituximab treatment: a scoping review.Advances in rheumatology (London, England) · 2026Article
- Anti-IFN-γ Autoantibody Syndrome Presenting with Disseminated Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections: A Case Series of Therapeutic Implications and Review of Literature.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2025Article
- Systematic Literature Review on the Incidence of Herpes Zoster in Populations at Increased Risk of Disease in the EU/EEA, Switzerland, and the UK.Infectious diseases and therapy · 2024Article
- Infectious Complications of Biological and Small Molecule Targeted Immunomodulatory Therapies.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2020Review
- Additional Risk Minimisation Measures for Medicinal Products in the European Union: A Review of the Implementation and Effectiveness of Measures in the United Kingdom by One Marketing Authorisation Holder.Pharmaceutical medicine · 2017Article
- Risk of Infectious Complications in Hemato-Oncological Patients Treated with Kinase Inhibitors.Biomarker insights · 2015Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRituximab, a monoclonal antibody directed against CD20, is approved for the treatment of CD20-positive B-cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and rheumatologic disorders. Due to its potent activity in depleting CD20-positive lymphocytes, the influence on opportunistic infections is still under discussion. Thus, we analyzed the impact of rituximab either as monotherapy or in combination with other chemotherapeutic regimens to elucidate its role in contributing to infectious complications.
methodsThe records of consecutive patients (n = 125, 141 treatment episodes) treated with rituximab alone or in combination with chemotherapy and corticosteroids were analyzed retrospectively for the incidence, spectrum and outcome of infections during treatment and 6 months after the last course of rituximab. Univariate analysis of cofactors such as steroid medication, antiinfective prophylaxis, underlying disease and remission status were performed.
resultsAltogether 80 therapy episodes were associated with infections, the median number of infections per patient being 1 (range 1-7). The number of infectious complications was significantly higher in patients receiving a combination of rituximab and chemotherapy compared to rituximab monotherapy (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference regarding number of rituximab courses or cumulative rituximab dosage between episodes with and without infections, respectively.Mean cumulative prednisone dosage between the cohort with infections and the one without infections showed a trend towards higher dosage of prednisone in the patients with infections (mean difference 441 mg, p > 0.14).
conclusionsRituximab in induction treatment, either as monotherapy or combined with chemotherapy by itself does not increase the incidence or change the spectrum of infections in hematologic patients. However the possible influence of higher dosages of concomitant steroid medication on frequency of infections suggests that a heightened awareness of the potential for infectious complications should be applied to patients receiving higher doses of glucocorticoids in combination with other therapeutic regimens.
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