Alemtuzumab is an antibody protein that is directed towards a marker molecule on the surface of both B- and T- lymphoid cells. It is currently approved for use in treating patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and has been studied in treating patients with a number of T-cell malignancies. Alemtuzumab has been found to be effective in these conditions. Pentostatin is a drug that is approved for treating patients with hairy cell leukemia, a B-cell malignancy. Pentostatin has also been studied in a number of T-cell cancers and has been found to be effective. The purpose of this study is to see whether combining these drugs will prove to be more effective.
If you are found to be eligible to take part in this study, you will receive pentostatin through a central venous catheter in your vein once a week for 4 weeks and then every 2 weeks until the achievement of best response. A central venous catheter is a sterile flexible tube that will be placed into a large vein while you are under local anesthesia. Your physician will explain this procedure to you in more detail and you will be required to sign a separate consent form for this procedure.
Alemtuzumab will also be given through a vein catheter on Days 1, 2, and 3. The dose of alemtuzumab that you receive will be increased each day for the first 3 days to make sure that you tolerate it. It will then be given three times per week until you achieve the best response. If you develop reactions to alemtuzumab when given through a vein, you may receive it by injections of the same dose under the skin.
During the treatment, you will have blood (about 2 tablespoons) drawn once a week for the first 4 weeks for routine blood tests. These blood tests will then be repeated every 2 to 4 weeks for the remainder of the study. At the end of treatment a bone marrow examination will be repeated to document your response. Also, if you had a chest X-ray or CT scans, these will be repeated to confirm your level of response.
The maximum amount of time that alemtuzumab will be given is 3 months. The maximum amount of time that pentostatin will be given is 6 months. You may be able to receive the treatment will your local oncologists. However, you will have close follow-up at M. D. Anderson. You will be taken off this treatment if the disease gets worse during treatment or if unacceptable side effects develop.
You will be continued to be followed either directly or by telephone to evaluate your long-term response to treatment on this study.
This is an investigational study. Both alemtuzumab and pentostatin are commercially approved drugs that have been used to treat T-cell malignancies. A total of 60 patients will take part in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.
This is an investigational study. Both alemtuzumab and pentostatin are commercially approved drugs that have been used to treat T-cell malignancies. A total of 60 patients will take part in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.
