Novel immunotherapy approach treats rare cancer-causing condition
2023
Challenge
Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is a rare precancerous disorder triggered by the Epstein-Barr virus that is characterized by the overproduction of white blood cells called lymphocytes. It can cause dysfunction in affected organs and may lead to a type of cancer called large B-cell lymphoma. No standard treatment exists for patients, and the median survival is less than 2 years.
Advance
In a clinical trial that took over 30 years to conduct due to the rarity of lymphomatoid granulomatosis, IRP researchers led by Wyndham Wilson, M.D., Ph.D., identified an immunotherapy treatment, called interferon alpha-2b, that cures the disease in a significant portion of patients and dramatically extends life expectancy for others, in some cases by twenty years or longer.
Impact
The findings suggest that immunotherapy utilizing interferon alpha-2b is extremely effective at treating cancer resulting from lymphomatoid granulomatosis. Consequently, the study could have substantial influence on the standard treatments prescribed for this rare disease.
Publications
Melani C, Dowdell K, Pittaluga S, Dunleavy K, Roschewski M, Song JY, Calattini S, Kawada JI, Price DA, Chattopadhyay PK, Roederer M, Lucas AN, Steinberg SM, Jaffe ES, Cohen JI, Wilson WH. (2023). Interferon alfa-2b in patients with low-grade lymphomatoid granulomatosis and chemotherapy with DA-EPOCH-R in patients with high-grade lymphomatoid granulomatosis: an open-label, single-centre, phase 2 trial. Lancet Haematol. 10(5):e346-e358. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3026(23)00029-7.
This page was last updated on Monday, August 19, 2024