What’s New in Castleman Disease Research and Treatment
Two new treatments have been described recently. One is the use of an antibody that stops the action of a chemical called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is made by lymphoid tissue affected by Castleman disease. In a recent study, 7 people with Castleman disease were treated with the antibody and all got better. When the treatment was stopped, the disease returned.
A second new treatment is a drug called all-trans-retinoic acid. In 1 patient treated with this drug, the disease completely disappeared. The treatment was stopped and after a year, the disease had not come back. More patients need to be treated with this drug to determine how effective it is.