Complete response in a patient with colonic mantle cell lymphoma with multiple lymphomatous polyposis treated with combination chemotherapy using anti-CD20 antibody and cladribine

Yatabe et al 5 claimed that cases with positive immunoreactivity for cyclin-D1 showed true MCL, and that cases showing negative immunoreactivity for cyclin-D1 should be included among lymphoma cases with low-grade malignancy as low-grade MCL-like B cell lymphoma. Recently, however, patients with MCL treated with a variety of new combination chemotherapies involving rituximab have shown high response rates 6 and prolongation of progression-free survival. 7 Additionally, other recent studies have found 2-CdA (cladribine) to be effective for a variety of indolent B cell lymphomas as the new purine analogues; the trial of this agent was moderately effective in the treatment of MCL. 8 A literature search using Japana Centra Revuo Medicina and Medline found only two patients 9, 10 effectively treated with anti-CD20 antibody (rituximab) for gastrointestinal MCL.