Introduction: Sézary syndrome (SS) is characterized by rapidly progressive disease and poor survival. Although there is no standard treatment for SS, allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) is the only treatment available that may offer a long survival. Alemtuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets CD52, has reported some efficacy in this disease.
Aims: To describe the experience with alemtuzumab treatment in patients with SS in our center.
Materials and methods: A total of six patients received alemtuzumab subcutaneously at different dosing regimens.
Results: The median time of follow-up after alemtuzumab was 6 months (range 3-29 months). The overall response rate was 83.3% (5/6) with 66.7% complete responses. The disease-free survival (DFS) at 6 months was 33.3%. Increased DFS was observed in patients undergoing an alloSCT after alemtuzumab treatment. The overall survival at 6 months was 60%.
Conclusions: Alemtuzumab is an effective treatment in advanced mycosis fungoides/SS for palliation of symptoms and may be useful as a bridge therapy before alloSCT in relapsed/refractory patients.
Keywords: Alemtuzumab; Sézary syndrome; monoclonal antibodies; mycosis fungoides.