Immunotherapy

DLI for T cell leukemia and lymphoma – pro

Donor lymphocyte infusions are designed to awaken some degree of graft versus host reaction, which contains within it also the graft versus disease effect. It is a modality that can be used after allogeneic transplantation to treat relapse by "awakening" an immune response. . Almost all work on DLI was in B cell leukemias and lymphomas.  How it affects T cell malignancies is not well studied and most of what is known was in Adult T-Cell leukami/Lymphoma.

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Intravenous Gamma Globulin and/ or plasma excange for Gullain-Barre syndrome – pro

Guillain-Barr syndrome is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms include varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs. Sometimes, the weakness and abnormal sensations spread to the arms and upper body and progress to paralysis. There is no known cure for Guillain-Barr syndrome, but therapies can lessen the severity of the illness and accelerate the recovery in most patients.

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Zevalin and Rituxan for relapsed large cell lymphoma or for consolidation – pro

Zevalin, 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan, is a novel radioimmunotherapeutic agent approved forthe treatment of relapsed or refractory, low-grade or follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Zevalin is also indicated for the treatment of previously untreated follicular NHL in patients who achieve a partial or complete response to first-line chemotherapy. 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan consists of a murine monoclonal antibody covalently attached to a metal

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Thalidomide for liver cancer – pro

Lay Summary: Thalidomide can get an occasional response in hepatocellular cancer. Thalidomide has poorly understood mechanisms of action, and it might exert its therapeutic properties through antiangiogenic activity and modulation of cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-, interferon, interleukins 10 and 12, cyclooxygenase-2, and nuclear factor B. Several studies have examined the efficacy and toxicity of thalidomide in HCC . Hsu and colleagues

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Interleukin 2 for melanoma (high dose and low dose) – pro

Cytokines are proteins that activate the immune system in a general way. Two cytokines, interferon alpha and interleukin 2, can help boost immunity in patients with melanoma. Both drugs can help shrink metastatic (stage III and IV) melanoma in about 10% to 20% of patients. There are no studies that compare interleukin-2 (IL-2) to the current standard of care, dacarbazine (DTIC), or to placebo in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. IL2 can be given

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Beclomethasone for graft versus host disease – pro

The pathological and clinical findings of gastrointestinal (GI) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are similar to those of inflammatory bowel disease. Three previous studies had shown the safety and efficacy of the topical BDP for GI GVHD. It is possibe that it would function similarly for GVHD. Several small pahse IIs tudies suggest that it suppresses allogeneic immune responses in the gut without causing significant immunosuppression. This therapy

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Daclizumab for Graft Versus Host disease – pro

Daclizumab (trade name Zenapax) is a therapeutic humanized monoclonal antibody to the alpha subunit of the IL-2 receptor of T cells. It is used to prevent rejection in organ transplantation, especially in kidney transplants.Daclizumab reduces the incidence and severity of acute rejection in kidney transplantation without increasing the incidence of opportunistic infections. This drug has been used to treat graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) in stem cell

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Donor Lymphocyte Infusions (DLI) for CLL – pro

Lay Summary: DLI is well studied in chronic myelogenous leukemia but less so in other hematological conditions. DLI induces complete remissions in the majority of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in early-stage relapse and in less than 30% of patients with relapsed acute leukemia, myelodysplasia, and multiple myeloma. DLI-induced remissions of chronic phase CML are durable, but as many as half of patients with other diseases ultimately

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Photopheresis for graft versus host disease – pro

The use of photopheresis or Extra Corporeal Perfusion (ECP) as a treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after a prior allogeneic stem cell transplant is based on the fact that GVHD is similar to autoimmune disease in that it too is an immunologically mediated disease. Chronic GVHD typically presents with more diverse symptomatology resembling autoimmune diseases such as progressive systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or rheumatoid

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L.E.I.S.H. – pro

The LESIH procedure relies on the use of a proprietary LASER System, of a wavelength not significantly absorbed by human tissue and emitting a low power broad beam. It is a form of fractionated Photo-dynamic Therapy. Both Photo-dynamic Therapy and Radio-fractionated Hyperthermia are FDA approved; however, due to limitations in the available delivery equipment, they cannot be utilized to treat larger tumors. The LAILT System I, proprietary of LASE

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