Author(s)

Xiangjun Fu, Li’e Lin, Hongxia Yao, Li Huang, Can Meng, Shuwen Wang, Dan Liu, Li Guo^*, Mengling Duan

Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China.

Rituximab is a mouse and human chimeric CD₂₀ (anti-B cell) specific monoclonal antibody that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of lymphoma. The expression of CD₂₀ antigen is expressed in the whole ontogeny of B cells, starting from the premature B cells in bone marrow to the differentiation of plasma cells in secondary lymphoid tissues. The wide distribution of CD₂₀ molecules allows rituximab to eliminate a large number of B cells. Rituximab is the core drug for the treatment of hematological diseases, often combined with drugs as a first-line treatment. Long-term hormone therapy often results in serious adverse reactions, and new therapies, which can avoid widespread immunotoxicity, have great potential for treating diseases of the blood system.

Rituximab, Malignant Lymphoma, Leukemia, Multiple Myeloma, Autoimmune Diseases, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Fu, X. , Lin, L. , Yao, H. , Huang, L. , Meng, C. , Wang, S. , Liu, D. , Guo, L. and Duan, M. (2021) Progress in the Treatment of Hematological Diseases with Rituximab. Open Journal of Blood Diseases, 11, 6-14. doi: 10.4236/ojbd.2021.111002.