Antibodies, Monoclonal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Neoplasm ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Antibody Affinity ; Antibody Specificity ; Antigen-Antibody Reactions ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; analysis ; immunology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; immunology ; therapy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; immunology ; therapy

Despite the prophylaxis and preemptive strategies using potent antiviral agents, cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a major infectious cause of morbidity and mortality in allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) recipients. Delayed immune reconstitution after SCT, such as cord blood and T-cell depleted SCT with the use of alemtuzumab, has been associated with an increased frequency of CMV disease as well as CMV reactivation. CMV disease involving central nervous system is an unusual presentation in the setting of SCT. We report a case of CMV ventriculoencephalitis after unrelated double cord blood SCT with an alemtuzumab-containing preparative regimen for Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Antibodies, Neoplasm/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation/*adverse effects ; Cytomegalovirus/drug effects ; Cytomegalovirus Infections/*drug therapy/*etiology/physiopathology ; *Encephalitis/etiology/pathology/virology ; Fatal Outcome ; Humans ; Male ; *Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/complications/drug therapy/virology ; Transplantation Conditioning/methods

BACKGROUNDAlemtuzumab, a humanized CD52 monoclonal antibody, with its profound lymphocyte depletion property, was expected to be a promising induction therapy agent for kidney transplantation (KTx). However, currently no consensus is available about its efficacy and safety. The aim of this meta-analysis was to make a profound review and an objective appraisal of this issue.

METHODSRelevant papers were searched, essentially in the PubMed database and the Cochrane library. After a thorough review, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the outcome of KTx using alemtuzumab induction therapy (test group) with a control group were collected according to the inclusion criteria. Data of general characteristic of studies and major outcomes of Ktx were extracted and meta-analyses were performed with RevMan 4.2 software. The odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence intervals (CI) was the principle measurement of effect.

RESULTSFive RCTs were included. The chi square test showed no significant between-study heterogeneity, thus fixed effect model was employed. Sub-group analysis with studies including alemtuzumab induction followed by a tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive regimen showed that the acute rejection rate (ARR) was lower relative to the control (OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.34 - 1.01, P = 0.05). However, meta-analysis with all included studies revealed that neither ARR nor patient/graft survival rates differ significantly between the test and the control group, but the cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection rate was higher in the test group (OR 2.50, 95% CI 1.22 - 5.12, P = 0.01). A great number of the test group recipients safely remained on a regimen that was steroid-free and with a reduced dose of conventional immunosuppressive drugs.

CONCLUSIONSAlemtuzumab induction therapy for KTx was an effective and safe protocol in the tested follow-up period. Steroid avoidance and a dose reduction of conventional immunosuppressive drugs after alemtuzumab induction therapy may have clinical importance. However, high quality RCTs with larger population and longer follow-up are needed for a more accurate and objective appraisal of this novel protocol.

Alemtuzumab ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Antibodies, Neoplasm ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Graft Rejection ; prevention & control ; Graft Survival ; drug effects ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Kidney Transplantation ; economics ; immunology ; methods ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Survival Rate

The NCCN has recently released its 2017 version 1.0 guideline for colorectal cancer. There are several updates from this new version guideline which are believed to change the current clinical practice. Update one, low-dose aspirin is recommended for patients with colorectal cancer after colectomy for secondary chemoprevention. Update two, biological agents are removed from the neoadjuvant treatment regimen for resectable metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This update is based on lack of evidence to support benefits of biological agents including bevacizumab and cetuximab in the neoadjuvant setting. Both technical criteria and prognostic information should be considered for decision-making. Currently biological agents may not be excluded from the neoadjuvant setting for patients with resectable but poor prognostic disease. Update three, panitumumab and cetuximab combination therapy is only recommended for left-sided tumors in the first line therapy. The location of the primary tumor can be both prognostic and predictive in response to EGFR inhibitors in metastatic colorectal cancer. Cetuximab and panitumumab confer little benefit to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in the primary tumor originated on the right side. On the other hand, EGFR inhibitors provide significant benefit compared with bevacizumab-containing therapy or chemotherapy alone for patients with left primary tumor. Update four, PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors including pembrolizumab or nivolumab are recommended as treatment options in patients with metastatic deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) colorectal cancer in second- or third-line therapy. dMMR tumors contain thousands of mutations, which can encode mutant proteins with the potential to be recognized and targeted by the immune system. It has therefore been hypothesized that dMMR tumors may be sensitive to PD-1 inhibitors.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Aspirin ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Bevacizumab ; therapeutic use ; Biological Products ; therapeutic use ; Brain Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Cetuximab ; therapeutic use ; Clinical Decision-Making ; methods ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Contraindications ; Humans ; Mutation ; physiology ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; standards ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; drug therapy ; Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Prognosis ; Secondary Prevention ; methods ; standards

This study was purposed to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of recombinant humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody for treating steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD ) following allo-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) . Twenty-one cases with II-IV grade steroid-resistant aGVHD after allo-HSCT were treated by intravenous injection of recombinant humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody at a dose of 1 mg/(kg·d) on days 1, 4, 8. Injection was repeated after 1 week for the patients who did not achieve CR. The results indicated that 13 cases (61.9%) got complete response (CR), 4 cases out of them have been still in disease-free survival, 8 cases have been in survival with mild cGVHD, 1 cases died from AML relapse, 6 cases (28.57%) got partial response (PR), 3 cases out of them have been in survival with mild cGVHD, 3 case died from pulmonary infection, 2 cases without response died from GVHD. Overall response rate was 90.5% and long term survival rate was 71.48%. There were no infusion-associated side-effects after treatment with recombinant humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody.It is concluded that recombinant humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody is effective and feasible for treatment of steroid-refractory grade II-IV aGVHD after allo-HSCT.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; drug therapy ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Hormones ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Young Adult