Alemtuzumab as a Successful Antirejection Therapy: Experience in a Pediatric Renal Transplant Patient

Alemtuzumab is a monoclonal antibody against CD52 that is being increasingly used in renal transplantation as a lymphocyte-depleting agent. Data on alemtuzumab use in resistant rejection episodes are scarce, especially in children. Here, we present a 14-year-old renal transplant patient with acute cellular and humoral rejection who was treated with pulse steroids, plasmapheresis, and intravenous immunoglobulin with no success. He had 2 previous rejection episodes that were treated with antithymocyte globulin. In the third episode, alemtuzumab was given as a rescue therapy, and the patient benefited from the treatment. No complications were observed. Alemtuzumab can be a treatment option in pediatric patients with refractory rejection episodes.