A case of irreversible bradycardia after rituximab therapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Nway Le Ko Ko; Nareg Minaskeian; Hicham Z El Masry

doi:10.1186/s40959-020-00077-5

A case of irreversible bradycardia after rituximab therapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Cardiooncology. 2020 Oct 13:6:22. doi: 10.1186/s40959-020-00077-5. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Nway Le Ko Ko¹, Nareg Minaskeian¹, Hicham Z El Masry¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, AZ USA.

Abstract

This is a case of a middle-aged woman with underlying cardiac conduction system with episodes of AV Wenckebach, who subsequently developed significant AV conduction system abnormalities after receiving one standard dose of Rituximab infusion for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Rituximab, being a monoclonal antibody against CD-20 antigen, is effective in treatment of B-cell lymphoma but may also cause bradyarrythmias likely due to the calcium ion channel property of CD-20 antigen.

Keywords: Bradyarrythmia; Complete AV block; Diffuse large B cell lymphoma; High grade AV block; Rituximab.

Publication types

Review