Multiple sclerosis: Immunotherapy

Abstract

Opinion statement Given our current knowledge, there is a need for the early institution of immunomodulatory therapy, especially for patients with poor prognostic factors (motor and cerebellar symptoms, frequent disease exacerbations, and a high level of activity on magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]). Patients who progress despite immunomodulatory therapy should be reevaluated in terms of diagnosis, development of neutralizing antibodies, or compliance. If a patient has a partial response to immunomodulatory therapy but his or her disease, as assessed by clinical and MRI criteria, remains very active, every effort should be made to modify disease progression by searching for an immunosuppressive therapy regimen before irreversible and considerable disability has accumulated. For the majority of patients, multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic condition. Therefore, until a curative treatment has been developed, the available repertoire of immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory treatments should be assessed with respect to the possibility of long-term use. This is particularly important for new immunosuppressive drugs, such as cladribine or mitoxantrone, or for invasive procedures, such as total lymphoid irradiation or autologous bone marrow transplantation. For the latter treatments, experience with long-term administration is not available or the potential side effects (eg, cardiotoxicity with mitoxantrone) limit the cumulative dose. These considerations may limit long-term administration and thus the general usefulness of some drugs. Even with proven efficacy, we need to define the next step once treatment has to be discontinued. We should also address whether exacerbating disease by discontinuing an effective therapy is a potential hazard. What other therapeutic options remain once the current treatment is discontinued? Answers are not readily available at the moment, but the question should influence our decisions in the selection of traditional, well-studied or new, potentially promising therapies.