Extracorporeal photopheresis for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

The immune system is tasked with the unique challenge of recognizing foreign pathogens and damaged cells while at the same time preserving and protecting the integrity of "self". When this process fails, severe consequences including cancer and autoimmunity are the end result. Current therapies aimed at treating autoimmune disorders result in generalized immunosuppression and place the patient at increased risk for infection and malignancy. ECP is a potential therapeutic intervention that recapitulates natural physiologic processes of tolerance induction to restore immune homeostasis. Several clinical trials suggest that ECP may be used to treat a broad spectrum of autoimmune diseases.