Low-dose intermittent alemtuzumab in the treatment of Sézary syndrome: clinical and immunologic findings in 14 patients

Abstract

Background and Objectives Alemtuzumab may be effective in Sézary syndrome (SS), an aggressive cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, but is associated with severe hematologic toxicity and infections. This study investigated whether low-dose subcutaneous alemtuzumab can induce hematologic, immunologic, and clinical responses similar to those obtained with the standard regimen, but with less toxicity.Design and Methods Fourteen SS patients were enrolled: 11 had relapsed/refractory disease and three had untreated SS with high counts of circulating Sézary cells (SC). Four received 3 mg alemtuzumab on day 1, 10 mg on day 3, then 15 mg on alternating days; circulating SC were evaluated after the fourth 15 mg dose and treatment was interrupted in the presence of counts