[Therapeutic prospects and lymphoproliferative syndromes related to EBV]

The B lymphoproliferative disorders are a major (10%) and severe (70% mortality) complication of immunosuppression required for HLA-mismatched bone marrow or organ transplantation. An experimental model was developed in which patients infected EBV-B cells are inoculated into scid mice and develop into tumors, allowing evaluation of treatment efficacy: monoclonal antibodies directed to membrane antigens of tumoral cells (monoclonal antibodies anti-B), monoclonal antibodies neutralizing interleukins (and especially IL6), cytotoxic T cells. Results obtained with these three different approaches are herein reported.