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Immunoglobulin Replacement Therapy Beneficial for Blood Cancers

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on June 27, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 27, 2024 -- Immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT) is associated with reductions in hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, severe infections, and associated antimicrobial use among real-world patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), according to a study published online June 21 in Blood Advances.

Jacob D. Soumerai, M.D., from the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston, and colleagues examined patterns of IgG testing and the effectiveness of IgRT in patients with CLL or NHL in a retrospective, longitudinal study. IgG testing, infections, and antimicrobial use were compared before with three, six, and 12 months after IgRT initiation. The study population included 17,192 patients: 3,960 with CLL and 13,232 with NHL.

Overall, 67 and 51.2 percent of the CLL and NHL cohorts had IgG testing and 6.5 and 4.7 percent received IgRT. The researchers found that the proportion of patients with hypogammaglobulinemia, odds of infections or severe infections, and associated antimicrobial use decreased significantly following IgRT initiation.

"As the treatment landscape evolves for patients with CLL and NHL, a critical need exists to develop guidelines and consensus on secondary immune deficiency monitoring and management," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which funded the study.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted June 2024

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