Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP)

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is used, among other things, to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS, myatrophic lateral sclerosis, Charcot disease or Lou Gehrig’s syndrome). In extracorporeal photopheresis, the white blood cells are collected in a bag by cell separation, a so-called apheresis. The collection takes about 2 hours. The cells are then treated with methoxsalen, which makes the cells sensitive to UV light and then irradiated with UV-A light. This radiation destroys the ALS cells. The remaining white blood cells are transfused back to the patient in an IV.

• Progressive systemic scleroderma
• T cell leukemia
• T cell lymphomas
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
• Crohn’s disease
• Autoimmune diabetes
• Sézary syndrome
• rejection reactions in organ transplants

• Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD)
• Pemphigus vulgaris
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• B cell leukemia
• Ulcerative colitis
• dermatological diseases
• after bone marrow transplants

The ECP treatment takes about 2-3 hours and takes place on an outpatient basis on two consecutive days. Depending on the severity of the disease and the response, the treatment is initially carried out after 14 days, then at longer intervals depending on the course.

The aim of the well-tolerated therapy with few side effects is to remove the ALS cells so that the blockage in the extrapyramidal nerve tracts is stopped.