Characteristics and stage of the underlying diseases could determine the risk of opportunistic infections in patients receiving alemtuzumab

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Haematologica, Vol 93, Issue 2, e30-e31 doi:10.3324/haematol.12465

Characteristics and stage of the underlying diseases could determine the risk of

opportunistic infections in patients receiving alemtuzumab

A. Nosari, A. Tedeschi, F. Ricci, M. Montillo

Department of Oncology and Haematology, Division of Hematology and Bone Marrow

Transplant Unit, Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy

Correspondence to: A. Nosari, Divisione di Ematologia, Niguarda, Ca' Granda

Hospital, Piazza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162, Milan, Italy. Phone:

+39-02-64442668. Fax: +39-02-64442033. E-mail: miccaimi@...

Alemtuzumab is usually associated with opportunistic infections. We have treated

67 patients, 8 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 59 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

with campath. Among CLL patients, 6 used alemtuzumab in first line, alone or

with chemotherapy, 41 as consolidation therapy and 11 as salvage therapy, 3

alone and 8 with chemotherapy. In our series opportunistic infections were

prevalently found in patients submitted to alemtuzumab salvage therapy (33.3%),

with or without chemotherapy; in particular 1 pulmonary nocardiosis, 1

tubercolosis. Also during the first line alemtuzumab therapy one case of

lysteriosis and one case of HBV reactivation were found (33.3%). No

opportunistic infections were diagnosed to our CLL patients in consolidation

therapy, when the underlying hematologic disease was reduced or present only as

minimal residual disease. A good response of malignancy, namely CLL, to

induction therapy, such as a less aggressive schedule of therapy, determine a

lower risk of immunosuppression and therefore a low number of opportunistic

infections.