Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Thrombocytopenia after gemtuzumab is reversible by intravenous immunoglobulin

Leukemia volume 19, pages 1077–1078 (2005)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg) is a humanized anti-CD33 monoclonal antibody conjugated to a potent antitumor antibiotic calicheamicin.1 Since its approval by Food Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000, it has been increasing used to treat elderly patients who have refractory or relapsed acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) with an overall complete remission rate of 30%.2 In a phase II clinical trial on safety and efficacy, gemtuzumab is shown to cause prolonged thrombocytopenia in 13% patients who have otherwise achieved complete hematological remission, and some of these patients died of fatal intracranial hemorrhage.2 The causes of thrombocytopenia have not been fully elucidated. We reported a patient whose clinicopathologic picture might shed light on the mechanism of thrombocytopenia after treatment with gemtuzumab.3

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

References

  1. Voutsadakis IA . Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin (CMA-676, Mylotarg) for the treatment of CD33+ acute myeloid leukemia. Anti-Cancer Drugs 2002; 13: 685–692.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sievers EL, Larson RA, Stadtmauer EA, Estey E, Lowenberg B, Dombret H et al., Mylotarg Study Group. Efficacy and safety of Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin in patients with CD33-positive acute myeloid leukemia in first relapse. J Clin Oncol 2001; 19: 3244–3254.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Larson RA, Boogaerts M, Estey E, Karanes C, Stadtmauer EA, Sievers EL et al., Mylotarg Study Group. Antibody-targeted chemotherapy of older patients with acute myeloid leukemia in first relapse using Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin). Leukemia 2002; 16: 1627–1636.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hansen RJ, Balthasar JP . Mechanisms of IVIG action in immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Clin Lab 2004; 50: 133–140.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    A Y H Leung & R Liang

Authors
  1. A Y H Leung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R Liang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Y H Leung.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Leung, A., Liang, R. Thrombocytopenia after gemtuzumab is reversible by intravenous immunoglobulin. Leukemia 19, 1077–1078 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403757

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403757

Search

Advanced search

Quick links