The yttrium-90 –labelled ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) is an accepted therapy for relapsed, or therapy-refracter B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. In the first reports there is a new element: the inclusion of Zevalin in conditioning regimen given prior to auto SCT. In this study 10 pts were involved (mean age 46,5±9,8 years), 48,9±10,2 months from diagnosis. In case of 2 patients the histology was follicular lymphomas grade 3, grade 2, in case of 3 pts and grade 1 in case of 5 patients. All 10 pts engrafted in a mean 10,7±0,5 days after the auto-SCT. Sixty percent are in a complete remission 11,1±9,3 months after the transplantation. Five patients participate in a maintenance Mabthera therapy. One patient from the five has a CHOP, and one patient a DHAP therapy in the post transplantation relapse. Inclusion of Zevalin in the conditioning therapy prior to auto –SCT is safe and improves the outcome in pts with refractory follicular lymphoma.
Keywords: Zevalin, autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation, follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma