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

Journal of Clinical Neuromuscular Disease

Volumn 10, Issue 4, 2009, Pages 170-177

  Nelson, Robert P ^a   Pascuzzi, Robert M ^b   Kessler, Kenneth ^c   Walsh, Laurence E ^b   Faught, Phillip P ^c   Ramanuja, Srinivasan ^a   Pescovitz, Mark D ^c   Loehrer, Patrick J ^a  

^a INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

^b Pediatric Neurology Section

^c INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

Author keywords

Immunomodulation; Myasthenia gravis; Neuroimmunology; Rituximab

Indexed keywords

ANTIBIOTIC AGENT; BEVACIZUMAB; CARBOPLATIN; CISPLATIN; CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE; DOXORUBICIN; ERLOTINIB; FLUOROURACIL; IMMUNOGLOBULIN; LEVOFLOXACIN; PACLITAXEL; PREDNISONE; PYRIDOSTIGMINE; RITUXIMAB; THIAMAZOLE; IMMUNOLOGIC FACTOR; MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY;

ADULT; ARTICLE; ASPIRATION PNEUMONIA; BRONCHIECTASIS; CANCER RADIOTHERAPY; CASE REPORT; CHILD; COMPUTER ASSISTED TOMOGRAPHY; DISEASE ASSOCIATION; FEMALE; HUMAN; HYPERTHYROIDISM; IMMUNOMODULATION; LOBECTOMY; MYASTHENIA GRAVIS; PLASMAPHERESIS; PRIORITY JOURNAL; SCHOOL CHILD; THORACOTOMY; THORAX RADIOGRAPHY; THYMECTOMY; THYMOMA; REVIEW;

ADULT; ANTIBODIES, MONOCLONAL; CHILD; FEMALE; HUMANS; IMMUNOLOGIC FACTORS; MYASTHENIA GRAVIS; THYMOMA; THYMUS NEOPLASMS;

EID: 68549085230     PISSN: 15220443     EISSN: 15371611     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1097/CND.0b013e31819a8403     Document Type: Article

References (36)

1. Thanvi BR, Lo TC. Update on myasthenia gravis. Postgrad Med J. 2004;80:690-700.
2. Giaccone G. Treatment of malignant thymoma. Curr Opin Oncol. 2005;17:140-146.
3. Bril V, Kojic J, Dhanani A. The long-term clinical outcome of myasthenia gravis in patients with thymoma. Neurology. 1998;51:1198-1200.
4. Tormoehlen LM, Pascuzzi RM. Thymoma, myasthenia gravis, and other paraneoplastic syndromes. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2008;22:509-526.
5. MacGregor GA. Azathioprine for myasthenia gravis. Lancet. 1972;1:1395.
6. Dewey CW, Coates JR, Ducote JM, et al. Azathioprine therapy for acquired myasthenia gravis in five dogs. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 1999;35:396-402.
7. Viets HR. Thymectomy in myasthenia gravis. Br Med J. 1950;1(4646):139-147.
8. Ciafaloni E, Massey JM, Tucker-Lipscomb B, et al. Mycophenolate mofetil for myasthenia gravis: an open-label pilot study. Neurology. 2001;56:97-99.
9. Sempowski G, Thomasch J, Gooding M, et al. Effect of thymectomy on human peripheral blood T cell pools in myasthenia gravis. J Immunol. 2001;166:2808-2817.
10. Keesey J. Caution on plasmapheresis for myasthenia gravis. N Engl J Med. 1978;298:1029.
11. Kornfeld P, Ambinder EP, Papatestas AE, et al. Plasmapheresis in myasthenia gravis: controlled study. Lancet. 1979;2:629.
12. Good RA, Maclean LD, Varco RL, et al. Thymic tumor and acquired agammaglobulinemia: a clinical and experimental study of the immune response. Surgery. 1956;40:1010-1017.
13. Pescovitz MD. Rituximab, an anti-cd20 monoclonal antibody: history and mechanism of action. Am J Transplant. 2006;6(pt 1):859-866.
14. Lee EJ, Kueck B. Rituxan in the treatment of cold agglutinin disease. Blood. 1998;92:3490-3491.
15. Ratanatharathorn V, Carson E, Reynolds C, et al. Anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody treatment of refractory immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in a patient with chronic graft-versus-host disease. Ann Intern Med. 2000;133:275-279.
16. Ahrens N, Kingreen D, Seltsam A, et al. Treatment of refractory autoimmune haemolytic anaemia with anti-CD20 (rituximab). Br J Haematol. 2001;114:244-245.
17. Quartier P, Brethon B, Philippet P, et al. Treatment of childhood autoimmune haemolytic anaemia with rituximab. Lancet. 2001;358:1511-1513.
18. Schmidt E, Hunzelmann N, Zillikens D, et al. Rituximab in refractory autoimmune bullous diseases. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2006;31:503-508.
19. Evans JT, Shepard MM, Oates JC, et al. Rituximab-responsive cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis in a patient with autoimmune hepatitis. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2008;42:862-863.
20. Feist E, Dorner T, Sorensen H, et al. Longlasting remissions after treatment with rituximab for autoimmune myositis. J Rheumatol. 2008;35:1230-1232.
21. Provan D, Newland AC, Amadori S, et al. Rituximab in the treatment of autoimmune haematological disorders. Br J Haematol. 2008;143:294.
22. Schmidt E, Brocker EB, Goebeler M. Rituximab in treatment-resistant autoimmune blistering skin disorders. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2008;34(1):56-64.
23. Gajra A, Vajpayee N, Grethlein SJ. Response of myasthenia gravis to rituximab in a patient with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Am J Hematol. 2004;77(2): 196-197.
24. Wylam ME, Anderson PM, Kuntz NL, et al. Successful treatment of refractory myasthenia gravis using rituximab: a pediatric case report. J Pediatr. 2003; 143:674-677.
25. Zaja F, Russo D, Fuga G, et al. Rituximab for myasthenia gravis developing after bone marrow transplant. Neurology. 2000;55:1062-1063.
26. Illa I, Diaz-Manera J, Rojas-Garcia R, et al. Sustained response to rituximab in anti-AChR and anti-MuSK positive myasthenia gravis patients. J Neuroimmunol. 2008;201-202:90-94.
27. Pescovitz MD. The use of rituximab, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, in pediatric transplantation. Pediatr Transplant. 2004;8(1):9-21.
28. Kosmidis PA, Iliopoulos E, Pentea S. Combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and vincristine in malignant thymoma and myasthenia gravis. Cancer. 1988;61:1736-1740.
29. Beghi E, Antozzi C, Batocchi AP, et al. Prognosis of myasthenia gravis: a multicenter follow-up study of 844 patients. J Neurol Sci. 1991;106:213-220.
30. Takagi K, Yoshida A, Iwasaki H, et al. Anti-CD20 antibody (rituximab) therapy in a myasthenia gravis patient with follicular lymphoma. Ann Hematol. 2005;84:548-550.
31. Fujimaki K, Takasaki H, Koharazawa H, et al. Idio-pathic thrombocytopenic purpura and myasthenia gravis after fludarabine treatment for chronic lympho-cytic leukemia. Leuk Lymphoma. 2005;46:1101-1102.
32. Hain B, Jordan K, Deschauer M, et al. Successful treatment of MuSK antibody-positive myasthenia gravis with rituximab. Muscle Nerve. 2006;33:575-580.
33. Thakre M, Inshasi J, Marashi M. Rituximab in refractory MuSK antibody myasthenia gravis. J Neurol. 2007;254:968-969.
34. Baek WS, Bashey A, Sheean GL. Complete remission induced by rituximab in refractory, seronegative, muscle-specific, kinase-positive myasthenia gravis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2007;78:771.
35. Lindstrom JM. Acetylcholine receptors and myasthe-nia. Muscle Nerve. 2000;23:453-477.
36. Schroder C, Azimzadeh AM, Wu G, et al. Anti-CD20 treatment depletes B-cells in blood and lymphatic tissue of cynomolgus monkeys. Transpl Immunol. 2003;12:19-28.