Reduced Immunosuppressive Therapy With or Without Donor White Blood Cells in Treating Patients With Lymphoproliferative Disease After Organ Transplantation

Overview

RATIONALE: Some types of lymphoproliferative disease are associated with Epstein-Barr virus. Combining reduced immunosuppressive therapy with donor white blood cells that have been treated in the laboratory to kill cells infected with Epstein-Barr virus may be an effective treatment for lymphoproliferative disease. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of reducing immunosuppressive therapy with or without donor white blood cells in treating patients who have Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disease after organ transplantation.

OBJECTIVES: * Determine the efficacy of treatment with partially HLA-matched allogeneic cytotoxic T cells and reduction of immunosuppression, in terms of survival rate and time to remission in patients with Epstein-Barr virus-associated B-cell lymphoproliferative disease after solid organ transplantation. OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to transplanted organ type and transplant center. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. * Arm I: Patients undergo sliding-scale reduction of immunosuppressive drugs from 1 of 5 regimens at physician's discretion. Patients then receive partially HLA-matched allogeneic cytotoxic T cells IV over 5 minutes once weekly for a total of 4 weeks. * Arm II: Patients undergo reduction of immunosuppression as in arm I alone. Patients are followed monthly for 6 months and then every 3 months for 2 years. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 50 patients will be accrued for this study.

Conditions