What is Rituximab?
Rituximab, often known as Rituxan, is a monoclonal antibody fighting cancer. It is a cancer treatment that works by signaling cancer cells to die. It does that by attaching to a protein on cancer cells called CD20. The cancer cell is killed when the immune system identifies this signal.
What types of Cancers is Rituxan used for?
Rituximab injection can be used either alone or in combination with other medicines. Rituxan is used to treat specific forms of non-lymphoma Hodgkin’s and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
How is Rituxan Administered?
Rituxan is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion that takes around 6 hours to complete. The duration of the infusion of Rituxan may be reduced depending on whether or not the person has previously this medication and how well they tolerate it. In addition, other characteristics, such as a person’s height, weight, or cancer type, will determine how much Rituxan can be administered.
What are the Side Effects of Rituxan?
Most people do not experience all of the Rituxan side effects described below, and it’s important to remember that their onset and duration are often predictable.
Patients taking Rituxan treatment may experience the following Rituxan adverse effects:
• Chills and fever
• Throat discomfort
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Headache
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Shortness of breath
• Sinusitis
Rituxan administration may be soon before the infusion to prevent the development of infusion-related symptoms.
Dr. Gary Frenette’s video describes and explains the Rituxan therapy plan and treatment for lymphoma, as well as a detailed examination of how Rituxan is able to attack and fight cancer cells in the body.
Medical Research about Rituxan
Rituximab is a crucial milestone in the age of immunotherapeutics.
According to a 2018 research study undertaken by a recognized multidisciplinary team of oncology experts, it was the first monoclonal antibody licensed for cancer treatment. It is currently used as a monotherapy or in combination with standard lymphoma medications to treat the majority of B-cell NHL (non-Hodgkin lymphoma). Its use has dramatically improved the results of all B-cell lymphoma patients.
Rituximab paved the way for immunotherapy biologic discovery, regulatory processes, and clinical practices, and it is currently impacting biosimilar development in oncology in an indirect manner.
Is Rituximab Effective?
Over 540,000 individuals have received rituximab worldwide.
Rituximab reduces inflammation, discomfort, edema, and joint pain by lowering the amount of B-cells. The majority of individuals who have had a good experience with rituximab report they started to detect a difference in their symptoms 8 to 16 weeks after starting treatment.
While substantial adverse reactions have occurred in a tiny percentage of patients, rituximab is considered safe and well-tolerated by most patients who have used it.
Is Rituxan Chemotherapy?
RITUXAN is not chemotherapy. It may be used on its own or in conjunction with chemotherapy.
