The following is a summary of “Clinical efficacy and safety of subcutaneous rituximab in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis,” published in the November 2023 issue of Hematology by Si et al.

The efficacy and safety of subcutaneous (SC) rituximab in treating non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) remain unclear.

Researchers initiated a retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous rituximab for NHL through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

They searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL (October 12, 2022) to locate pertinent studies on subcutaneous rituximab for NHL. Efficacy and safety parameters encompassed the combined complete response (CR) and unconfirmed complete response (CRu), adverse events (AEs), grade ≥3 AEs, serious adverse events (SAEs), administration-related reactions (ARRs), and rates of adverse reactions.

The results showed 758 studies with 9 trials. The CR/CRu rate for NHL patients receiving SC rituximab was 57%, with specific rates of 55% for Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and 54% for follicular lymphoma (FL). The safety meta-analysis revealed that AEs in NHL patients treated with SC rituximab were observed at 85%, grade ≥3 AEs at 38%, SAEs at 27%, and ARRs at 33%. Additionally, the analysis indicated a heightened risk of neutropenia and nausea associated with SC rituximab.

Investigators concluded that subcutaneous rituximab demonstrated comparable efficacy to conventional therapy for NHL patients, reducing hospitalization time and infection risk.

Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16078454.2023.2284047