Rituximab and fludarabine are two relatively new agents for the treatment of blood cancers, consequently it is necessary to confirm that the benefits of these new drugs are worth the costs.
Haematological malignancies are a particularly heterogeneous group of cancers.
This is particularly true in the case of the NHL's for which complex classification systems have been developed. Inevitably some types of blood cancer may be more susceptible to rituximab and fludarabine than others, particularly in the case of the former which targets a particular marker found only on B lymphocytes. These are the specific conditions for which the drugs have been licensed. However we are aware that these drugs are currently being used and investigated in the treatment of other related conditions and earlier in the course of the diseases for which licences have been granted. Therefore we will also provide a formal scoping review to identify research, both complete and ongoing in conditions outside the licensed implications, to indicate where the agents of interest might be applied in the future, and whether there will be rigorous research to support the use in these areas.