JOURNAL ARTICLE
REVIEW
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia with gemtuzumab ozogamicin.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a form of acute myeloid leukemia characterized by peculiar biologic features and a unique sensitivity to differentiation therapy with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Modern treatment approaches to APL include simultaneous combination of ATRA and anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin is a calicheamicin-conjugated monoclonal antibody directed against CD33, a cell surface antigen highly expressed on APL cells. Engagement of CD33 by gemtuzumab results in immunoconjugate internalization and hydrolytic release of calicheamicin, which, in turn, causes irreversible DNA damage and cell death. A number of preliminary reports have highlighted the sensitivity of APL to gemtuzumab given alone or in combination with other agents. Several reasons may account for the efficacy of gemtuzumab in APL, including: (1) CD33 is detectable in virtually 100% of APL cases; (2) calicheamicin belongs to the anthracycline family, a group of chemotherapeutic agents known to be highly effective in APL; and (3) the APL blast cells lack the multidrug resistance glycoprotein 170. Due to the availability of other highly effective agents (ATRA, arsenic trioxide), relatively few APL patients have been treated thus far with gemtuzumab, and their follow-up is still short. However, it is conceivable that the use of this agent in APL will increase in the near future in light of its capability to induce molecular remission even in advanced disease. Furthermore, the use of low doses of gemtuzumab in high-risk patients might be relevant in order to reduce treatment toxicity due to conventional anthracyclines. This review summarizes the mechanism of action and toxicity profile of gemtuzumab as well as the published experience with this compound in patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed APL.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app