Rituximab in Treating Patients Undergoing Donor Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant for Relapsed or Refractory B-cell Lymphoma

Addition of Pre- and Post-Transplant Rituximab for Patients Undergoing Non-myeloablative Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation With Relapsed or Refractory CD20+ B-Cell Malignancies

This phase II trial studies giving rituximab before and after a donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant in patients with B-cell lymphoma that does not respond to treatment (refractory) or has come back after a period of improvement (relapsed). Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Giving rituximab before and after a donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant may help stop cancer from coming back and may help keep the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine the effect of addition of peri-transplant rituximab on relapse rate at 18 months after non-myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) for cluster of differentiation (CD)20+ B-cell malignancies.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine overall and progression-free survival and non-relapse mortality.

II. To determine the incidence and severity of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

III. To determine the rate of graft rejection and graft failure.

IV. To determine the time to engraftment.

V. To determine the incidence of serious adverse events with the addition of rituximab.

VI. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of rituximab in the setting of non-myeloablative allogeneic HCT.

VII. To describe donor and host polymorphisms of the FC gamma receptor IIIa (FCg RIIIA) and CD32 and evaluate their impact on disease response and relapse.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive rituximab intravenously (IV), pre- and post-transplant, on days -3, 10, 24, and 38. Patients undergo donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant on day 0. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up periodically for 18 months and then annually for 5 years.

Inclusion Criteria:

• With a diagnosis of CD20-expressing B-cell malignancy of any histologic type or grade for whom non-myeloablative allogeneic transplant is considered an appropriate treatment option
• Who are enrolled on a non-myeloablative allogeneic HCT protocol employing total-body irradiation (TBI)-based conditioning of =< 4.5 Gy, with or without fludarabine; this protocol may be used as an adjunct to the allogeneic arm of a tandem autologous/allogeneic transplant protocol, provided the allogeneic conditioning meets the above criteria
• Receiving unmodified peripheral blood mononuclear cell graft products
• With an appropriate related or unrelated donor; human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-haploidentical donors are excluded
• Able to give informed consent (if >= 18 years of age), or with a legal guardian capable of giving consent (if < 18 years of age)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Ineligible for non-myeloablative allogeneic HCT
• Receiving an HLA-haploidentical allograft
• Who are fertile but unwilling to use contraception during and for at least 12 months after HCT
• Females who are pregnant or breast-feeding