New therapies, new concerns: rituximab-associated lung injury

The indications for use of B-cell depleting therapy with the monoclonal antibody rituximab are progressively increasing in patients with renal disease. This includes patients with nephrotic syndrome and renal graft rejection. Late-onset pulmonary injury associated with rituximab therapy has been increasingly recognized. While frequently reversible, it can be fatal. The spectrum of pulmonary disease associated with rituximab therapy, its investigation, and treatment are briefly reviewed.