Neutropenia in Patients Treated with Rituximab

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Abstract
Rituximab is effective in B-cell lymphomas either as a single agent or combined with chemotherapy. Its toxic effects are generally mild and transient.1,2 We report eight cases of acute and severe neutropenia that occurred 8 to 23 weeks after the administration of rituximab for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. All patients had a normal polymorphonuclear-cell count before rituximab treatment ( Table 1 ). None of the known causes of neutropenia were found. Previous treatment with rituximab two to four months before the development of neutropenia was a common factor in these eight patients, which suggests that rituximab treatment was a potential cause of the neutropenia.