TY - JOUR
T1 - Treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease with anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody
AU - Ratanatharathorn, Voravit
AU - Ayash, Lois
AU - Reynolds, Christopher
AU - Silver, Samuel
AU - Reddy, Pavan
AU - Becker, Michael
AU - Ferrara, James L.M.
AU - Uberti, Joseph P.
PY - 2003/8
Y1 - 2003/8
N2 - We reviewed the clinical outcome of 8 patients with steroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) who received an anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody (rituximab). Rituximab was given by intravenous infusion at a weekly dose of 375 mg/m2 for 4 weeks. All patients had received extensive treatment with various immunosuppressive agents; 6 patients had also received extracorporeal photopheresis. All patients had extensive chronic GVHD with diffuse or localized sclerodermoid GVHD and xerophthalmia. Other extracutaneous involvements included cold agglutinin disease with the Raynaud phenomenon, membranous glomerulonephritis, and restrictive or obstructive lung disease. Four patients responded to treatment with ongoing resolution or improvement ranging from 265 to 846 days after therapy, despite recovery of B cells in 3 patients. Rituximab seems to have significant activity in the treatment of refractory chronic GVHD and should be considered for further study in patients with early disease. This study suggests a participating role of B cells in the pathogenesis of chronic GVHD.
AB - We reviewed the clinical outcome of 8 patients with steroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) who received an anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody (rituximab). Rituximab was given by intravenous infusion at a weekly dose of 375 mg/m2 for 4 weeks. All patients had received extensive treatment with various immunosuppressive agents; 6 patients had also received extracorporeal photopheresis. All patients had extensive chronic GVHD with diffuse or localized sclerodermoid GVHD and xerophthalmia. Other extracutaneous involvements included cold agglutinin disease with the Raynaud phenomenon, membranous glomerulonephritis, and restrictive or obstructive lung disease. Four patients responded to treatment with ongoing resolution or improvement ranging from 265 to 846 days after therapy, despite recovery of B cells in 3 patients. Rituximab seems to have significant activity in the treatment of refractory chronic GVHD and should be considered for further study in patients with early disease. This study suggests a participating role of B cells in the pathogenesis of chronic GVHD.
KW - Acute graft-versus-host disease
KW - Allogeneic transplantation
KW - Anti-CD20 antibody
KW - B-cell depletion
KW - Chronic graft-versus-host disease
KW - Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1542472753&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S1083-8791(03)00216-7
DO - 10.1016/S1083-8791(03)00216-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 12931119
AN - SCOPUS:1542472753
SN - 1083-8791
VL - 9
SP - 505
EP - 511
JO - Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation
JF - Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation
IS - 8
ER -