Current medical research and opinion
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Rituximab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide has significantly improved outcomes for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and an improvement in overall survival has recently been shown for the first time in the history of CLL treatment. However, the chemotherapy portion of this regimen may be unsuitable for elderly patients or those with significant comorbidities. We investigated the safety and tolerability of single-agent rituximab in 23 consecutive patients presenting with CLL at a single institution. ⋯ Rituximab was well tolerated with no unexpected adverse events even at the highest dose. These results indicate that single-agent rituximab is effective and has a place in the treatment of CLL.