Emerging treatments in castleman disease - A critical appraisal of siltuximab

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jean L Koff, Emory University; Sagar Lonial, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2016-01-25
• Publisher: Dove Medical Press
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2016 Koff and Lonial. This work is published by Dove Medical Press Limited.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/BTT.S60523
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Biologics: Targets and Therapy
• ISSN: 1177-5475
• Volume: 10
• Start Page: 9
• End Page: 15
• Keywords: interleukin-6; treatment; lymphoma
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Pharmacology; Health Sciences, Oncology

Abstract

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare, heterogeneous lymphoproliferative disorder for which no standard of care currently exists. Evidence that the pathophysiology of CD is fueled by excessive interleukin-6 (IL-6) has led to considerable interest in therapeutic targeting of this cytokine. Siltuximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody to IL-6, has thus emerged as a promising treatment option in a disease lacking efficacious therapy. Here, we review the findings of recent studies evaluating single-agent siltuximab treatment in CD, including the first-ever randomized clinical trial in this disease. Although much more work is needed to establish a standardized treatment approach, siltuximab appears to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with newly diagnosed and previously treated CD.