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Gemtuzumab ozogamicin in pediatric CD33-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia: first clinical experiences and relation with cellular sensitivity to single agent calicheamicin

Leukemia volume 17, pages 468–470 (2003)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) consists of an anti-CD33 antibody covalently linked to the cytotoxic compound calicheamicin.1,2 The drug was developed for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is characterized by CD33 positivity in 80–90% of cases.1,2 In phase I and II studies in adults with relapsed AML, responses were seen in 30–40% of patients. In childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), CD33 expression is found in approximately 15% of cases.3 No efficacy data are available on the treatment of CD33-positive ALL patients with GO.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (St Davids, PA, USA) for providing us with calicheamicin to perform the cellular resistance studies described here. This study was financially supported by the ‘Landelijke Vereniging van Crematoria’, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and performed in the setting of the ‘International BFM Study Group’, chaired by M Schrappe, Hannover, Germany. The authors wish to thank the Dutch Childhood Leukemia Study Group who provided us with additional samples for cellular drug resistance testing as well as with cell biological and clinical data. One of the authors (JF) is employed by a company (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals) whose product was studied in the present work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    ChM Zwaan, D R Huismans & G J L Kaspers

  2. Dept of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Childrens Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany

    D Reinhardt & H Jürgens

  3. Dept of Pediatric Oncology, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    K Hählen

  4. Dept of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Dublin, Ireland

    O P Smith

  5. Centro M Tettamanti-Clinica Pediatrica Università Milano-Bicocca, Ospedale S Gerardo, Monza, Italy

    A Biondi

  6. Dutch Childhood Leukemia Study Group, The Hague, The Netherlands

    E R van Wering

  7. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, St David’s, PA, USA

    J Feingold

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  1. ChM Zwaan
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Zwaan, C., Reinhardt, D., Jürgens, H. et al. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin in pediatric CD33-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia: first clinical experiences and relation with cellular sensitivity to single agent calicheamicin. Leukemia 17, 468–470 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402749

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