Interesting new anti-
cancer drug developed by
Genentech, Inc. and
IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Rituxan is one of the first general anti-cancer drugs to come on the market to work on the principle of
monoclonal antibodies to fight cancer; that is, it stimulates the body's
immune system to attack cancerous
tumors.
Rituxan was developed to fight B-Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, but it was never given to me. This is because
- It's used more often against low-grade or indolent forms of the disease, and I had a more aggressive type.
- It's been known to shrink existing tumors, but has not yet (11/2001) been proven as effective in eliminating them as existing chemotherapy regimens. My oncologist mentioned putting me on the drug if I get another lymphoma tumor in the future, but not for this round.
- Patients have been known to die within 24 hours as an allergic reaction to the first infusion of rituxan.
Thanks to www.rituxan.com and my oncologists