Treatment of benign lymphoid hyperplasia of the orbit with rituximab

Benign lymphoid hyperplasia is a disorder characterized by polyclonal lymphocytic infiltration of orbital tissues, predominantly with B-cells. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody directed against CD20, a B-cell marker. Two patients with recurrent orbital masses involving the lacrimal glands were treated with rituximab. The diagnosis of benign lymphoid hyperplasia with predominance of CD20 ⁺ cells was confirmed in both cases based on a surgical biopsy. Both patients had been previously treated with standard therapies, including high-dose steroids, and one patient had failed external-beam radiation therapy. They both responded well to treatment with intravenous rituximab. Neither patient experienced any side effects associated with rituximab.