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Prospective Study of Rituximab in Chemotherapy-Dependent Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Associated Multicentric Castleman's Disease: ANRS 117 CastlemaB Trial

Laurence Gérard, Alice Bérezné, Lionel Galicier, Véronique Meignin, Martine Obadia, Nathalie De Castro, Christine Jacomet, Renaud Verdon, Isabelle Madelaine-Chambrin, Emmanuelle Boulanger, Sylvie Chevret, Felix Agbalika, Eric Oksenhendler

From the Departments of Clinical Immunology, Pathology, and Infectious Diseases, Pharmacy, Laboratory of Virology, Paris VII University; Department of Biostatistics, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris; Department of Infectious Diseases, Hôpital Purpan, Toulouse; Department of Infectious Diseases, Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu, Clermont-Ferrand; and Department of Internal Medicine, Hôpital Côte de Nacre, Caen, France

Address reprint requests to Laurence Gérard, MD, Département d'Immunologie Clinique, Hôpital Saint-Louis, 1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France; e-mail: laurence.gerard{at}sls.aphp.fr

Purpose Single-agent chemotherapy is usually effective in HIV-associated multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD). However, in most patients, chemotherapy cannot be discontinued.

Patients and Methods To evaluate the efficacy of four weekly rituximab infusions (375 mg/m²) after discontinuation of chemotherapy in HIV-associated MCD, 24 patients were enrolled onto a prospective open-label trial.

Results At study entry, the median time from MCD diagnosis was 21 months. All patients had stable disease on chemotherapy and were dependent on chemotherapy for a median time of 13 months. The median CD4 cell count was 270 x 10⁶/L, and the plasma HIV RNA was less than 50 copies/mL in 18 patients. One patient died with progressive disease at day 15, and 23 patients completed the four cycles of rituximab. Sustained remission (SR) off treatment at day 60 (primary end point) was achieved in 22 patients (92%). From day 60 to day 365, one patient died with acute respiratory failure of undetermined origin, and four patients experienced relapse. Seventeen patients (71%) were alive in SR at day 365 without specific treatment, and the overall survival rate was 92% (95% CI, 71% to 98%). Rituximab was well tolerated, and the majority of adverse events were mild to moderate infections. Mild exacerbation of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) lesions was observed in eight of 12 patients with previous KS.

Conclusion Rituximab was both effective and safe in HIV-infected patients with chemotherapy-dependent MCD.

Supported by the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis, a public organization supporting research on AIDS and viral hepatitis.

Presented in abstract form at the 13th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, February 5-8, 2006, Denver, CO.

Authors’ disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and author contributions are found at the end of this article.

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