Controlled pilot trial of monthly intravenous cyclophosphamide in multiple sclerosis
J. M. Killian, R. B. Bressler, R. M. Armstrong and D. P. Huston
Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
Monthly intravenous cyclophosphamide treatment was compared with placebo
treatment for one year in a controlled trial of 14 patients with
relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis. Eight patients received placebo and
six patients received cyclophosphamide. The cyclophosphamide group showed a
definite trend to have less frequent and less prolonged episodes than the
placebo group. When each group served as their own controls, the
cyclophosphamide group had a significant decrease in episodes while the
placebo group did not. When the placebo group was then given
cyclophosphamide, they also had a significant decrease in episodes. When
all patients who were receiving cyclophosphamide were combined for
analysis, the decrease in episodes was even more evident. Complications
were minimal. These results suggest that monthly intravenous doses of
cyclophosphamide may influence the frequency and duration of episodes of
relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis.
