@article{3153187,
    title = "Extracorporeal photopheresis in refractory chronic graft-versus-host
disease: The influence on peripheral blood T cell subpopulations. A
study by the Hellenic Association of Hematology",
    author = "Tsirigotis, Panagiotis and Kapsimalli, Violetta and Baltadakis, Ioannis and and Kaloyannidis, Panayotis and Karakasis, Dimitrios and Papalexandri, and Apostolia and Psarra, Ekaterini and Nosi, Efi and Konsta, Evi and and Vikentiou, Myrofora and Papageorgiou, Sotirios and Sakellari, Ioanna and and Pappa, Vassiliki and Harhalakis, Nikolaos and Anagnostopoulos, Achilles and and Dervenoulas, John",
    journal = "Transfusion and Apheresis Science",
    year = "2012",
    volume = "46",
    number = "2",
    pages = "181-188",
    publisher = "PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD",
    issn = "1473-0502",
    doi = "10.1016/j.transci.2011.10.028",
    keywords = "Extracorporeal photopheresis; Graft-versus-host disease;
Transplantation; T-regulatory cells; Memory cells",
    abstract = "Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) has been established as an effective
treatment modality for patients with chronic extensive graft-versus host
disease (GVHD). In the present study, we evaluated the influence of ECP
on the numbers of CD4(+), CD8(+), CD20(+), CD56(+) cells, and on
T-regulatory (Tregs), as well as on the numbers of naive, central memory
(CM), and effector memory (EM) T-cells in patients treated for
refractory chronic GVHD. Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood
lymphocytes was performed for the calculation of the different T-cell
subsets. Patients with GVHD had a higher percentage of EM-CD4(+) cells
in comparison with healthy donors (p = 0.046). The percentages of
naive-CD8(+), naive-CD4(+), CM-CD8(+), CM-CD4(+), EM-CD8(+), and Tregs
were not different between patients with GVHD and healthy donors.
Similarly there was no statistical difference in the percentages of
naive, CM, and EM CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells before and after 3 months of
treatment with ECP. However, in the subset of Tregs a statistically
significant increase was observed after 3 months of treatment with ECP
(p = 0.015). Responders to ECP had statistically significantly higher
absolute numbers of CD4(+), and CD8(+) cells, in comparison with
non-responders. These data further support the concept that ECP does not
cause immune-suppression, but should be better considered as an
immune-modulating treatment. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved."
}