Abstract |
Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) affects 50% of long-term bone marrow transplant survivors and remains a cause of major long-term morbidity in these patients despite aggressive therapy. Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP), considered as an effective treatment for patients with erythrodermic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), has recently been used successfully in the treatment of GvHD. One of the most intriguing aspects of ECP is its ability to induce two apparently opposite effects: activation of the immune system against neoplastic cells (as in CTCL) and downregulation of the activity of T-cell clones in autoimmune diseases (as in systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus and pemphigus vulgaris) and autoallogeneic immune responses (as in GvHD and allograft rejection). Only a better and more complete understanding of the various mechanisms involved will enable this interesting new therapy to be made more effective and selective.
|
Authors | M Fimiani, M Di Renzo, P Rubegni |
Journal | The British journal of dermatology
(Br J Dermatol)
Vol. 150
Issue 6
Pg. 1055-60
(Jun 2004)
ISSN: 0007-0963 [Print] England |
PMID | 15214889
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
|
Topics |
- Apoptosis
- Bone Marrow Transplantation
- Chronic Disease
- Dendritic Cells
(immunology)
- Graft vs Host Disease
(immunology, therapy)
- Humans
- Killer Cells, Natural
(immunology)
- Lymphocyte Activation
- Lymphocytes
(immunology)
- Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous
(immunology, therapy)
- Monocytes
(pathology, radiation effects)
- Photopheresis
- Transplantation Immunology
|