Bendamustine/Treanda w/ Rituximab

tgyphilly

Will be going on Bendamustine+Rituximab as second line for recent NLPHL relapse.   Any tips going into treatment for those who've been on B/R?   I have heard that constant hydration is a must.   

Thanks, 

Tom in Philadephia

po18guy

You heard right

Rituximab can produce allergic reactions, so you will probably receive pre-infusion benadryl, either orally, or perhaps via I.V. I have not had Rituximab, but rather  its cousin, Arzerra (Ofatumumab). No real problem with it, but I am still B-Cell depleted over two years later. I did have three infusions of Bendamustine, and it was not that much of a problem. It was combined with Carboplatin, which produced the bulk of the side effects, and Etoposide - which I had received some years prior. My advice would be to ask the infusion nurses at your facility. They know virtually everything about its use and countering side effects. 

tgyphilly

po18guy said:

You heard right

Rituximab can produce allergic reactions, so you will probably receive pre-infusion benadryl, either orally, or perhaps via I.V. I have not had Rituximab, but rather  its cousin, Arzerra (Ofatumumab). No real problem with it, but I am still B-Cell depleted over two years later. I did have three infusions of Bendamustine, and it was not that much of a problem. It was combined with Carboplatin, which produced the bulk of the side effects, and Etoposide - which I had received some years prior. My advice would be to ask the infusion nurses at your facility. They know virtually everything about its use and countering side effects. 

Thanks Po

I'm a two-year veteran of Rituxan (as second line treatment), which didn't work all that great against my lymphoma on its own, but also luckily didn't trigger any problems.   Glad to hear that the Bendamustine wasn't too bad as far as you could isolate its effects.  Hopefully third line is a charm!  

po18guy

The combo seems to work

The combo seems to work synergistically. Indeed, a lot of progress has been made by simply mixing up well-establixhed drugs for new effects.

Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3

http://chemocare.com

http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/bendamustine.aspx