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Real life experience with alemtuzumab treatment of patients with lower-risk MDS and a hypocellular bone marrow

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Abstract

Immunosuppressive therapy is a therapeutic option for selected low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients. Besides standard treatment protocols that include ATG and CSA, the humanized CD52 antibody alemtuzumab has been shown to have efficacy in MDS treatment. We report our experience with alemtuzumab in nine MDS RCMD patients. All patients had a hypocellular bone marrow with a blast count <5 % and were classified as intermediate-1 according to the IPSS. We found a response in five patients (60 %); three patients achieved a complete remission 3 and 6 months after the treatment with alemtuzumab, and two patients showed a haematological improvement. Alemtuzumab was administered in a 10-mg dosage for 10 days. Treatment was well tolerated, and no severe side effects were observed. We could confirm the finding that the alemtuzumab is effective and save selected MDS patients. Due to the promising results, further studies, especially with regard to long-term survival and risk of leucemic progression should be initiated.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Part of the data have been published at DGHO annual meeting 2012, abstract no. P501.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Moorenstr. 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Judith Neukirchen, Rainer Haas & Ulrich Germing

  2. Department of Medicine 1, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany

    Uwe Platzbecker & Katja Sockel

  3. Private Practice, Hilden, Germany

    Antonis Tsamaloukas

Authors
  1. Judith Neukirchen
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  2. Uwe Platzbecker
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  3. Katja Sockel
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  4. Antonis Tsamaloukas
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  5. Rainer Haas
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  6. Ulrich Germing
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Judith Neukirchen.

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Neukirchen, J., Platzbecker, U., Sockel, K. et al. Real life experience with alemtuzumab treatment of patients with lower-risk MDS and a hypocellular bone marrow. Ann Hematol 93, 65–69 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-013-1859-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-013-1859-1

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