title: Successful treatment of refractory angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma with thalidomide and dexamethasone.
abstract: Angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL) is a peripheral T-cell lymphoma characterized morphologically by lymphadenopathy with a polymorphic infiltrate, marked vascular and follicular dendritic cell proliferation. Patients usually present with advanced disease and the overall prognosis is poor. While intensive chemotherapy has been shown to induce complete remissions in 50-70% of patients, the majority of patients subsequently relapse. Herein we report the case of a 32 year old man with AITL who was refractory to conventional chemotherapy, but achieved a remarkable sustained response to treatment with thalidomide and dexamethasone. Thalidomide may be an effective therapeutic agent against AITL, and given the poor prognosis of AITL, prospective clinical studies with either thalidomide or one of the thalidomide analogues are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematological Medicine, Kings College London and Kings College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, United Kingdom SE5 9RS.
authors.forename: Karthik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramasamy
authors.forename: ZiYi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pagliuca
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Salisbury
authors.forename: Ghulam J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Mufti
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Devereux
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D016411:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D013792:Thalidomide; D003907:Dexamethasone