title: Review of siltuximab in the treatment of multicentric Castleman's disease.
abstract: Castleman's disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder that has multiple histologic patterns, as well as two distinct clinical forms: unicentric or multicentric. Multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) may have mild symptoms in some cases, but in others it can progress to severe pancytopenia, life-threatening infection, secondary malignancy, multiorgan failure, or death. Recent research has determined that the etiology of the disease signs and symptoms is related to elevated cytokines, including interleukin 6 (IL-6). Siltuximab is a monoclonal antibody that targets IL-6 and is currently the only US Food and Drug Administration approved therapy for idiopathic MCD. Clinical data have demonstrated significant efficacy and tolerance of siltuximab in patients with idiopathic CD.
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Shayna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarosiek
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Ruchit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Nikhil C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Munshi
keywords: Castleman’s disease; interleukin 6 antibody; siltuximab; tocilizumab