[Photopheresis: new immunomodulatory therapy for T-lymphocite mediated diseases]

The photopheresis (ECP) is a therapeutic approach based on the biological effect of psoralen and ultraviolet light A on mononuclear cells collected by apheresis, and reinfused into the patient. In 1988, the treatment was the first FDA-approved selective immunotherapy for any type of cancer. Convincing data taken from over 160 centers in Europe and the U.S.A. over the past few years have documented that ECP is associated with a very low side-effect profile. Evidence shows that this therapy prolongs the mean survival, and also induces 50-75% response rates in patients with advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In addition, more and more reports indicate that photopheresis is a potent agent in the therapy of solid organ transplant rejection, graft versus host disease, scleroderma, and other autoimmune diseases resistant to conventional therapy. The mechanism of this treatment is likely due to the induction of cell-mediated anticlonotypic immune response against pathogenic clones of T lymphocytes.