Cryoglobulin III Chemotherapy Treatment

Abnormal proteins in the blood can result in a condition known as cryoglobulin. The type of cryoglobulin that an individual has, as well as possible additional medical conditions, will dictate treatment options. One of these treatment options is chemotherapy, which is often used in conjunction with other methods.

• Blood proteins

Cryoglobulin Defined

• A cryoglobulin is a protein antibody formed in the body as an immune system response. There are three types of cryoglobulin (Type I, II, and III) and each type is recognized by whether it is monoclonal (created from one cell) and whether it has a rheumatoid factor (an auto-antibody present in rheumatoid arthritis).

Cryoglobulin Type I

• Cryoglobulin type I are monoclonal antibodies and they do not have a rheumatoid factor. So, until cryoglobulinemia occurs (unusually high numbers of cryoglobulin in the blood), there are no symptoms experienced with cryoglobulin type I. However, once numerable proteins are present in the blood, it is likely to be the result of a lymphoma tumor.

Cryoglobulin Types II and III

• While cryoglobulin Type II is monoclonal (produced from one cell) and Type III is polyclonal (produced by two or more cells), they both have rheumatoid factor activity and are thus considered to be "mixed cryoglobulins."

  Type II is generally associated with the spreading of lymphoid tissue type diseases, but also--like Type III--occurs due to chronic infections or rheumatic diseases. And according to the Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center, it is believed that both Type II and III are most often the result of the immune system responding to the presence of a chronic infection of Hepatitis C.

Treatment Options

• No one has yet determined the most effective treatment for cryoglobulinemia (Type II or III) specifically due to the Hepatitis C virus, according to Johns Hopkins. However, cryoglobulinemia that occurs excessively in the blood plasma is generally dealt with through a combined effort. First, there is a process known as plasmapheresis, in which the patient's tainted blood plasma is removed and a transfusion takes place. This process is followed by chemotherapy.

Additional Treatments

• Other treatment options besides plasmapheresis and chemotherapy are sometimes utilized for cryoglobulinemia treatment. These can include: prednisone, a corticosteroid drug used to diminish inflammation; and cyclophasphamide, a powerful drug with many serious side effects, also known as Cytoxan. This is also used as a chemotherapy drug as well.