Photopheresis for the Prevention of Rejection in Cardiac Transplantation

Modern immunosuppressive regimens, consisting of cyclosporine-based triple-drug therapy, with or without monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies, have dramatically increased survival among organ-transplant recipients. However, these regimens improve graft survival by nonspecific immunosuppression, leaving the host at increased risk for opportunistic infection and the development of malignant tumors and vulnerable to the adverse effects of these drugs. Moreover, considerable morbidity and mortality persist as a result of acute episodes of organ rejection, particularly in the first few months after transplantation, and of chronic forms of rejection, such as graft vasculopathy. 1 Treatments directed at suppressing donor-specific T-cell clones in the recipient have the . . .