90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan in the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy of the immune system, with more than 53,900 new cases diagnosed in 2002. Conventional cancer therapies cure many, but not the majority of, cases of the aggressive forms of NHL, and the more indolent and follicular forms of the disease that affect nearly half of all patients with NHL are considered incurable. In the absence of cure or survival benefits, treatments such as radioimmunotherapy that induce remission and prolong time off therapy are considered valuable.

Administration guidelines for radioimmunotherapy of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with (90)Y-labeled anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody.

90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan is a novel radioimmunotherapeutic agent recently approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory low-grade, follicular, or CD20+ transformed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). (90)Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan consists of a murine monoclonal antibody covalently attached to a metal chelator, which stably chelates (111)In for imaging and (90)Y for therapy. Both health care workers and patients receiving this therapy need to become familiar with how it differs from conventional chemotherapy and what, if any, safety precautions are necessary.