title: Anti-IgE therapy to Kimura's disease: a pilot study.
abstract: Kimura's disease is a chronic disease that is characterized by subcutaneous granuloma of soft tissues in the head and neck region, increased eosinophil counts and high serum IgE levels. It is thought to be an IgE-mediated disease. Omalizumab, a monoclonal antibody, has recently been suggested as a potential new systemic treatment for IgE-mediated diseases, based on its efficacy in treating asthma and allergic rhinitis. We report a study of three patients with Kimura's disease who received anti-IgE (omalizumab) treatment. All patients were treated with a fixed schedule of eight cycles of omalizumab 300mg, administered subcutaneously at intervals of 2 weeks. The size of tumorous regions was evaluated by MRI at base line and after 4 months of treatment. Blood samples were taken every month. In each of the patients, the size of tumorous regions and the peripheral blood eosinophil and basophil counts were all decreased after the treatment. These results suggest that omalizumab may be valuable for treatment of Kimura's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan. Electronic address: nonaka-m@oto.twmu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Eri
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sakitani
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshihara
mesh_terms: D000796:Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia with Eosinophilia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069444:Omalizumab; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000069444:Omalizumab
keywords: Anti-IgE therapy; Basophil; Eosinophil; Kimura's disease; Omalizumab