Diagnostic value of anti-rituximab Ab in Iraqi patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Abstract

Patients who receive monoclonal antibodies are at risk of producing anti-drug antibodies (mAbs). Rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 mAb, is used to treat CD20-positive B-cell malignancies and autoimmune illnesses such chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Thirty patients were grouped according to the first diagnosis, the staging of the CLL, follow-up examinations to measure their exposure to Rituximab after 3-6 months of treatment, and to the excluding criteria another Thirty healthy volunteers age and gender-matched were utilized as a control group.The mean age between study and control groups was (61.0 ± 10.7 vs. 59.8 ± 9.7 years); Stage II was the most common type of CLL (53.3%) followed by III (35%) and stage IV (10%) in the control group. The male to female ratio was 2:1 in both groups, with no significant differences between the two.There was no significant difference between control and CLL in ARA levels, (0.050 vs. 0.053, p-value = 0.525) at the begging of the study.Median Rituximab antibodies (ARA) did not change significantly from baseline to the end of the study in CLL patients (0.053 to 0.055, p-value = 0.551).