A histological slide of hairy cell leukemia.
Photo courtesy of NCI Visuals Online
Patients whose hairy cell leukemia has relapsed following chemotherapy may be eligible to participate in a new clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center.
Robert J. Kreitman, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, is leading a study of a combination therapy for patients with relapsed hairy cell leukemia (HCL). HCL is a rare and slow-growing leukemia in which bone marrow overproduces abnormal B lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Under a microscope, these malignant cells appear to be covered with tiny hair-like projections. In this study, patients will receive an immunotoxin called moxetumomab pasudotox. The drug binds to a receptor called CD22 on the surface of malignant B cells and delivers a toxin directly to the tumor cells. The toxin inside the cell inhibits protein production which may bring about tumor-cell death. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody which binds to CD20 and attacks the hairy cells by a different pathway. Researchers want to find out how combining moxetumomab pasudotox with rituximab effects HCL cells.
Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03805932
NCI Protocol ID: NCI-19-C-0042
Official Title: A Phase I Study of Moxetumomab Pasudotox (Lumoxiti) and Rituximab (Rituxan) for Relapsed Hairy Cell Leukemia
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