Effectiveness And Safety Of Subcutaneous Rituximab For Patients With Gastric Malt Lymphoma: A Case-Control Comparison With Intravenous Rituximab

To assess the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous rituximab in patients with gastric MALT lymphoma (GML), we included 100 patients with GML in a retrospective case-control study. There was no difference between the groups in complete remission or overall response rates at weeks 6, 25, and 52. Safety profiles were similar in both groups, with a significant decrease in postinduction grade 2 injection-related reactions and outpatient hospital length of stay in the subcutaneous rituximab group.Introduction: Rituximab is a standard treatment for gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma (GML). We sought to compare the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous and intravenous rituximab in a retrospective case-control study. Patients and Methods: All consecutive patients with GML treated with subcutaneous rituximab between January 2017 and December 2018 were included and compared to 3 matched control patients (based on Ann Arbor classification, presence of t(11;18) translocation, history of treatment, and type of current treatment) treated with intravenous rituximab between January 2000 and December 2018. Patients with t(11;18) translocation were treated with rituximab in combination with chlorambucil; the other patients were treated with rituximab alone. Effectiveness was assessed at week 52, and safety was assessed through weeks 0 to 52 and compared by the chi-square test. Results: Twenty-five patients were included in the subcutaneous rituximab group and 75 in the intravenous group. There was no difference between the groups in complete remission (78% vs. 76%, P = .99) or overall response rates (91% vs. 89%, P = .99) at week 52. Safety profiles were similar in both groups, with a significant decrease in postinduction grade 2 injection-related reactions and outpatient hospital length of stay in the subcutaneous rituximab group. Conclusion: In a small case-control study, we did not find any difference in the effectiveness or safety profiles between subcutaneously and intravenously delivered rituximab for the treatment of patients with GML. We found a decrease in postinduction grade 2 injection-related reactions and outpatient hospital length of stay in the subcutaneous rituximab group. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.