EMEA has approved 90Y-radiolabelled ibritumomab tiuxetan, Zevalin® , in Europe for the treatment of adult patients with rituximab-relapsed or -refractory CD20+ follicular Bcell non-Hodgkin´s lymphoma (NHL) in January 2004. The number of European nuclear medicine departments using Zevalin® is continuously increasing, since the therapy is often considered successful.
The Therapy-, the Oncology- and the Dosimetry Committees have worked together in order to define some EANM Guidelines on the use of Zevalin® , paying particular attention to the problems related to Nuclear Medicine. The purpose of this guideline is to assist the nuclear medicine physician in treating and managing patients who may be candidates for radioimmunotherapy. These guidelines also stress a close collaboration with the physician(s) treating the patient for the underlying disease.