Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
i know that the Rituxin wipes out your B cells and the C19 and C20 are lab tests that measure if your B cells are returning - I believe they are antigens attached to B cells if I understand correctly.
I completed my Rituxin Dec 18th and my CD19 and CD20 are 0 still at about 9 months out.
Wondering what other folks have experienced?
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
Just revisiting this thread as I found myself requiring another go at Rituxin. I had initial doses in Winter of 2015 when I was diagnosed and was put on MTX for maintenance along with varying doses of Prednisone few months later. Got down to 3 mg of Prednisone. New lung lesion turned up and PR3 came back positive after being negative for a few years. Found we can not go by my inflammatory markers as they are chronically elevated. First time I had Rituxin I was pretty sick so felt lousy anyway this time I was not as ill but am finding I am pretty tired after this 4th infusion and have a wicked dry mouth. The increased prednisone is making blood sugars crazy but at least I am functioning and working - need that medical insurance. RA is talking about using RTX as maintenance which I resisted before but I am reading more and more about this - wanting the B cells to develop amnesia sounds like a good thing.
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
Just had long talk with my Dr. about that today. He says they don't use those numbers to see where you are at. He goes by ANCA, CRP and sed rate. Just had mine done and all are fine. Been 7 months since last Rituxin infusion. I have decided to go with out until I have bad labs, or start a flare. He has several patients that are doing that. One has been 38 years. Diagnosed at 19. Anyway he did do the labs on my B cells but results are not back yet. Will try and let you know what they show when they come back. He said CD20 is what wiped out.
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
Sorry just read this after posting. I was diagnose in 2014 after lungs and kidneys were involved. Did the whole prednisone, plasma exchange and 4 weeks of Rituxin infusion 1 a week. I got off the prednisone in about 6 months of taper. It was a horrible 6 months. I have been using just Rituxin for maintenance since with no side effects or trouble with infusions. I hate pills so wouldn't do it any other way. Prednisone causes more side effects than the RTX. Good luck!!!
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
loisann11
Sorry just read this after posting. I was diagnose in 2014 after lungs and kidneys were involved. Did the whole prednisone, plasma exchange and 4 weeks of Rituxin infusion 1 a week. I got off the prednisone in about 6 months of taper. It was a horrible 6 months. I have been using just Rituxin for maintenance since with no side effects or trouble with infusions. I hate pills so wouldn't do it any other way. Prednisone causes more side effects than the RTX. Good luck!!!
thanks Loisann - will be having C19/20 done next month.
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
As I mentioned earlier in this thread I was of the “less is best” mind set and did not want the every 6 month infusion so we tried MTX however last year ended up with new lung lesion and had to go through induction therapy again. However in my case the “ less is best” mentality left me with more damage done - lesson learned. I finished the second Rituxin series in July and ended up back in Hospital 2 weeks later for an atypical lung issue. In fact one of the tentative diagnosises was pneumonitis due to the Rituxn! They did a bronch and felt that it was doubtful that this was the case based on the findings. Thankfully recovered from that and they felt it would be safe to go ahead with my maintenance dose (time will tells how that works out since I just had that Rituxin dose today)
My CD20/CD19 were still showing up in my blood work 3 months after that second infusion series although in very low numbers, repeat blood work done this month demonstrated these levels were 0. Because of my earlier experience I agreed to go ahead with the scheduled infusion. Lots of pros and cons of the every 6 month infusion vs the watch labs and sx and do not use Rituxin for maintenance. Confusing and frustrating and I know we are all different in our journey with GPA. I guess what I learned was as soon as my PR3 became positive and that lung lesion showed up I should have pursued Rituxan and not been reluctant. Foolish of me -
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
@Middlesista
Unfortunately, experience can be a tough teacher. Hope you continue to improve.
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
Thanks Pete- hope all is well with you and yours.
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
It would be easy if everything about this disease was in black and white, but its not unfortunately, I have been medication free for 10 months, luckily for me I have had monthly tests, and noticed that my PR3 was on the rise, went back on aza and have brought the numbers back down a bit, but still a way to go before the level is back to where it was, but I tried!! I hope you get back to where you were before soon, and keep up the info on this thread, as it is very informative.
Best of luck.
Regards Woz...
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
Thanks Woz. I thought it was odd that when my PR 3 went up the second time the ANCA was negative - did that happen to you or was your ANCA positive also? Have you ever had to use Rituxin?
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
I have always had a positive ANCA, and my PR3 reading was 4, anything under 2 was negative, the scale in Australia is a little different that everywhere else, and I cant go on Rituxin untill I flare, or pay a lot for it!!!!
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
I have read where folks say the manufacturer has some sort of program to help folks with payment of the Rituxin
Well I certainly hope you don’t flare! At one point my insurance wanted me to switch from Rituxin to Cytoxan but the Hospital I was getting the Rituxin infusion and my RA said nope and they have been paying for it thank goodness.
If the ANCA is positive my understanding is that the disease could well be causing damage? Isn’t that reason enough for them to cover the cost. I read what Rituxin costs to make and the markup to the people who need the med and it is ridiculous. Like a few hundred to manufacture with the end cost to the consumer over ten thousand - this was in the US I believe.
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
In Australia, if you are diagnosed with wegs, they treat you with Rituxin for most cases, this practice has been around for a year or so , i think it costs around $30 a treatment, and this is available to anyone, so my rheumy informed me, but for someone who has it already, they have to have a flare to be eligible to receive Rituxin at this price, I was close to being eligible as my Pr3 jumped to 51, from 4, but my inflammation markers were normal, and if there is no inflammation, no flare (so I'm to believe). My ruemy retired in December, she was just fantastic, and without her help, I wouldn't have the health I have now, hopefully my new rheumy can keep me on the right track.
Thanks for sharing and caring, keep fighting and most of all keep writing!
Regards Woz...
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Middlesista
i know that the Rituxin wipes out your B cells and the C19 and C20 are lab tests that measure if your B cells are returning - I believe they are antigens attached to B cells if I understand correctly.
I completed my Rituxin Dec 18th and my CD19 and CD20 are 0 still at about 9 months out.
Wondering what other folks have experienced?
@Middlesista
I had my 19th rtx infusion today. We moved it up a few weeks (usually do it in late October) because I had a small flare last month (clobbered it with a week each of 20,15,10,5 mg) pred blast.
Prior to that, Dr VF ordered a B-cell test to see where I was. My c19 was 0.1 and 2 is the bottom of the normal range. The test was taken about 10 months after last year's rtx. Ratio of c19 to c20 was 0. She was pleased. I continue to do pretty well. Hope things are going ok for you.
Re: Rituxin - C19 and C20 and length of B cell suppresion
Sorry you had to go through this tough time, sister. Thank God you are doing better.
When my pr3 is up, I know it means that wg is active. It can be up even when C-anca is negative. And I had a flare with only pr3 positive and C-anca negstive.
We need to look at the symptoms and not only at the numbers.
I wonder about the negative effects of rtx on the lungs. I had a disturbing dry coughing for more then a year which disapeared about 1-2 months after my last rtx. My last rtx was only 1000mg for the first time. Since 2013 it was 2000mg every 6 months exactly.
So maybe less rtx is better for the lungs ?
On the other side, it seems that 1000mg is not enough to hold the wg for me, my next rtx should be at the end of October and my joints are killing me for more then a month now.