RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Refractory CIDP with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia responding to chemoimmunotherapy
JF Practical Neurology
JO Pract Neurol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP practneurol-2020-002672
DO 10.1136/practneurol-2020-002672
A1 Lewis, Dana
A1 Osman, Chinar
A1 Allen, David
A1 Pinto, Ashwin Arnold
A1 Duncombe, Andrew
A1 Katifi, Haider A
YR 2020
UL http://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2020/12/28/practneurol-2020-002672.abstract
AB Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) has a variable clinical course with 15% remaining refractory to treatment. We report a woman with severe refractory CIDP and coexisting chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) who improved dramatically after chemoimmunotherapy appropriate for the CLL, including rituximab. A subsequent CIDP relapse after 15 months responded again to similar treatment, and the improvement has been maintained with 3-monthly rituximab infusions as sole ongoing therapy. The case suggests that CIDP refractory to conventional treatment may have associated pathology, in this case haematological malignancy, and that treating the malignancy can effectively treat the CIDP.