title: Monoclonal antibodies to treat graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: To date, Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) represents one of the most important complications of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). GVHD is one of the major determinants of transplant-related mortality and it also may be an additional cause that affects patients late outcome. Despite of the development of new and advanced Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) matching techniques, this complication occurs in approximately 50-80% of patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and it is responsible for one-third of deaths after transplantation. Moreover, GVHD occurrence, if moderate, may strongly contribute to the eradication of residual malignant cells which survived after myeloablative conditioning regimen, allowing the patients to have a reduced risk of relapse so that the presence of this complication may have a determinant role for the allogeneic transplantation outcome through the so-called graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect.
authors.affiliation: Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. am.carella@operapadrepio.it
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Carella
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Arena
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cascavilla
mesh_terms: D000074323:Alemtuzumab; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069285:Infliximab; D000069283:Rituximab; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000074323:Alemtuzumab; D000069283:Rituximab; D000069285:Infliximab