title: Mitoxantrone in secondarily progressive multiple sclerosis: a series of 18 patients.
abstract: Mitoxantrone hydrochloride (Novantrone) is an anthracenedione that has been used as one of the latest in a long line of general immunosuppresive agents studied in multiple sclerosis (MS). We reviewed the clinical, laboratory, neuroimaging and echocardiography data of 18 patients from February 2001 to March 2004 out of a total number of 100 patients with definite MS. Fourteen patients were women (77.7%) and four were men. The mean age of the patients was 41.6 +/- 10 years old (confidence intervals 95%: 36.4-46.7 years old). The mean duration of disease was 10.5 +/- 6.3 years. Fourteen patients had the secondarily progressive form of MS, and four had the relapsing-remitting form. Mitoxantrone is an useful and clinically effective drug in MS and its major limitation is the potencial cardiotoxicity due to cumulative dose (140 mg).
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurologia de Curitiba, Curitiba PR, Brasil. belenmontu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: María Belén
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Montú
authors.forename: Walter Oleschko
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Arruda
authors.forename: Marcelo de Souza R
authors.initials: Mde S
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008942:Mitoxantrone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D020528:Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D008942:Mitoxantrone