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Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Basiliximab is well tolerated and effective in the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 30, pages 899–903 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Basiliximab, a chimeric interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2-R) antagonist, was evaluated in 17 patients with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Patients were transplanted from a related (n = 6) or unrelated (n = 11) HLA-identical donor because of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 4), acute myeloid leukemia (n = 3), chronic myeloid leukemia (n = 7), myelodysplastic syndrome (n = 1), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 1), and multiple myeloma (n = 1). Basiliximab was given at a dose of 2 × 20 mg on 2 consecutive days after steroid-refractory acute GVHD had developed. Basiliximab was repeated on day 8 in cases of persistent GVHD. A median of four basiliximab infusions (range 1–12) were given to these patients. None had infusion-associated or cytokine-related side-effects after basiliximab. Twelve of 17 patients (71%) responded to basiliximab, 9/17 (53%) had a complete response (CR) of acute GVHD and 3/17 (18%) had a partial response (PR). Five of 17 patients (29%) did not respond. Chronic GVHD developed in 8/13 evaluable patients and only 2/8 had responded to basiliximab before. Five of 13 evaluable patients have no signs of chronic GVHD and all five had a CR or PR after basiliximab. This is the first report on the safety of basiliximab in patients with steroid-refractory acute GVHD. Our data suggest that basiliximab is effective in a substantial proportion of these patients.

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  1. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Charité, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany

    G Massenkeil, S Rackwitz, I Genvresse, O Rosen, B Dörken & R Arnold

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  1. G Massenkeil
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Massenkeil, G., Rackwitz, S., Genvresse, I. et al. Basiliximab is well tolerated and effective in the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 30, 899–903 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1703737

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