Emerging drugs in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.
Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of rare lympho-proliferative disorders. In most cases, they are characterised by the accumulation of clonal CD4+ lymphocytes in the skin. Extracutaneous involvement is present in late stages only. Unfortunately, only few drugs are registered for these disfiguring diseases. Skin-directed therapies using topical formulations are the preferred first-line modalities for cutaneous lesions in early stages. In this field there are interesting developments using topical retinoids and gene therapy products, such as adeno-IFN-gamma. Systemic treatment uses biologicals, such as fusion molecules, monoclonal antibodies and immune response modifiers (IFNs, retinoids), and well-tolerated antiproliferative drugs, such as histone deacetylase inhibitors or liposomal doxorubicin.
Dummer
Reinhard
R
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Gloriastrasse 31, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland. reinhard.dummer@usz.ch
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000639:trends*; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D015507:Drugs, Investigational