Combination of Alemtuzumab and Rituximab at Low-doses in Refractory Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Combination of Alemtuzumab (Anti-CD52) and Rituximab (Anti-CD20) at Low-doses in Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease Treatment After First-line Therapy Failure.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether low-doses alemtuzumab and rituximab combination are effective in the treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after first-line therapy failure.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the most common long-term complication in patients who underwent allogeneic transplantation. First-line therapy for chronic GVHD is based on immunosuppressive agents (usually cyclosporine and corticosteroids) achieving satisfactory response in around 30% of patients. There is no ideal second-line treatment for chronic GVHD; however, numerous studies have been published with therapeutic options such as alemtuzumab (anti-CD52) and rituximab (anti-CD20).

This is a prospective, longitudinal, nonrandomized study in which alemtuzumab and rituximab will be administered at low-doses to patients with refractory chronic GVHD. Clinical response will be evaluated based on the Working Group Report 2006, published by the National Institute of Health Consensus. Follow-up sessions will be weekly for four weeks, every two weeks until achieve response, and finally every four weeks.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease.
• Patients over 18 years old.
• Patients who received first-line treatment with no response (failure), relapse or steroid dependance.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with active bacterial or viral infections.
• Patients with hematologic disease progression.
• Patient's intolerance to drugs.