Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2020 May;40:101980. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.101980. Epub 2020 Feb 4.
There are already numerous B-cell depleting monoclonal anti-CD20 antibodies which have been used to reduce the inflammatory burden associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). We describe here our experience of treating MS-patients with B-cell depleting rituximab.
All MS-patients (n = 72) who had received rituximab treatment for at least six months by January 2019 were identified from the patient charts at the Turku University Hospital. Information about MS disease subtype, disease severity, MR-imaging outcomes and B-cell counts were collected from the charts.
Rituximab was well received and well tolerated by the patients. There were no serious infusion-related side effects. The most serious adverse event that led to treatment discontinuation was neutropenia. After rituximab initiation the annual number of relapses was decreased in the relapsing remitting and secondary progressive MS groups and the mean number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions was decreased in relapsing remitting MS. Our study confirms the usability of rituximab treatment for MS in the Finnish health care environment.
Off-label rituximab-treatment can be successfully used to reduce MS disease burden for the benefit of MS patients.
已经有许多用于减轻多发性硬化症（MS）相关炎症负担的 B 细胞耗竭性单克隆抗 CD20 抗体。我们在此描述了使用 B 细胞耗竭性利妥昔单抗治疗 MS 患者的经验。
从图尔库大学医院的患者病历中确定了所有在 2019 年 1 月之前至少接受过 6 个月利妥昔单抗治疗的 MS 患者（n=72）。从病历中收集了 MS 疾病亚型、疾病严重程度、MR 成像结果和 B 细胞计数的信息。
利妥昔单抗受到患者的欢迎且耐受良好。没有严重的输液相关副作用。导致治疗中断的最严重不良事件是中性粒细胞减少症。利妥昔单抗治疗开始后，缓解复发型和继发进展型 MS 患者的年复发次数减少，缓解复发型 MS 患者的钆增强病变数量减少。我们的研究证实了利妥昔单抗治疗在芬兰医疗保健环境中对 MS 的适用性。
利妥昔单抗的治疗可以成功地用于减轻 MS 的疾病负担，从而使 MS 患者受益。
