Effects of rituximab on a patient with Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia with deletion 13q14.

The haematological and serological responses of Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia (WM) to rituximab have been recently reported, but there have been few reports examining the genetic responses of the drug in the treatment of WM. We report here a case of WM associated with deletion 13q14 and JH gene rearrangement that was successfully treated with rituximab alone. Three months after the therapy, the patient achieved haematological remission with the disappearance of constitutional symptoms and chromosomal abnormalities; however, the remission was partial, because the serum monoclonal immunoglobulin M and JH gene rearrangement persisted. Our case demonstrates that first-line therapy with rituximab is clinically and cytogenetically beneficial for WM.