Rituximab for the treatment of thymoma-associated and de novo myasthenia gravis: 3 cases and review.

Objectives: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an immune-mediated disorder associated with autoantibodies against postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors at neuromuscular junctions. Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody specific for CD20, is used primarily to treat B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Although it has been used for treatment of a number of autoimmune diseases, there is limited experience in MG.