Primary Rituximab and Maintenance

Exclusion Criteria

• •Transformation to high-grade lymphoma (secondary to "low-grade" follicular lymphoma).
• •Grade 3b follicular lymphoma.
• •Presence or history of CNS disease (either CNS lymphoma or lymphomatous meningitis).
• •Patients regularly taking corticosteroids during the last 4 weeks, unless administered at a dose equivalent to \< 20 mg/day prednisone.
• •Patients with prior or concomitant malignancies except non-melanoma skin cancer or adequately treated in situ cervical cancer.
• •Major surgery (excluding lymph node biopsy) within 28 days prior to registration.
• •Poor renal function: Serum creatinine \> 2.0 mg/dl (197 μmol/L),
• •Poor hepatic function: total bilirubin \> 2.0 mg/dl (34 μmol/L), AST (SGOT) \> 3 x the upper limit of normal unless these abnormalities are related to lymphoma.
• •Known HIV infection or active HBV or HCV infection.
• •Serious underlying medical conditions, which could impair the ability of the patient to participate in the trial (e.g. ongoing infection, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, gastric ulcers, active autoimmune disease). Judgment is up to the investigator.
• •Life expectancy \< 6 months
• •Known sensitivity or allergy to murine products
• •Treatment within a clinical trial within 30 days prior to trial entry
• •Adult patient under tutelage.