Drug and therapeutic treatments exist in order to battle this disease; though many have proven ineffective. Immunotherapy and chemotherapy While immunotherapy works for some patients in relieving minor symptoms, overall most conventional therapies using steroids, immunosuppressants, chemotherapy, and intravenous immunoglobulin therapies have not helped most patients. This has created a need for newer and more novel therapies to be developed. Chlorambucil and prednisone Chlorambucil is a chemotherapy drug normally used to treat leukemia as it is often used as an immunosuppressant drug, and prednisone is a steroid that has also been found to be particularly effective as an immunosuppressant. This combination of drugs has minimal to no benefits in most patients, but a small number do see small improvements such as decreased tremors. This combination has not been very effective in more severe cases, though, and is not considered a long term therapy. Cyclophosphamide Cyclophosphamide is a drug often used in the treatment of lymphomas and works by slowing or stopping cell growth. It also works as an immunosuppressant by decreasing the body's immune response to various diseases and conditions. This drug has been found to make significant improvements in people with<unk> -MAG<unk>  by relieving sensory loss and helping to improve quality of life in a few short months. There is, however, a risk of cancer because of this treatment and is therefore not used on a regular basis. Fludarabine Fludarabine is a drug normally used to treat hematological malignancies and acts as an immunosuppressant. It has been shown to significantly improve conditions in<unk>  patients, but because of the lack of studies it is not used regularly. There is also a danger of potential toxicity as the treatment takes a year to stabilize the patient. Intravenous immunoglobulin Intravenous immunoglobulin is a blood product administered by IV. It is used to treat various immune deficiencies and autoimmune diseases. While this has been shown to be effective on various types of disorders, there have been no studies that show promise in this technique treating<unk> -MAG<unk> es. Most promising drug: Rituximab Rituximab is considered to be one of the most promising drugs in the treatment of<unk> . This drug is an<unk> body against a protein which is primarily found on the surface of B cells which, when attached, destroys the B cells. This drug has been used as a treatment in many autoimmune diseases as well as lymphomas and transplant rejection. Because of its ability to suppress the immune system, it has been used to treat<unk> -MAG<unk>  in the hopes that it will destroy cells that would target necessary glycoproteins on the Schwann cells. Studies in patients has shown that most patients experience marked increase in sensory and motor abilities within the first few months of therapy. There are, however, long term studies that have shown that treatment with rituximab can create many immune problems. As with most immunosuppressant drugs, there is a risk of other infections and diseases that are normally easily fought off by the immune system will be allowed take a foothold. Studies have shown that after long term treatment, patients experience many of these problems as well as a decline in their<unk> . This has led to further studies being conducted on the drug's safety profile and overall effectiveness as a treatment. Unfortunately, more recent studies have concluded that "rituximab is ineffective in improving ISS in patients with IgM<unk> -MAG demyelinating<unk> ."
Anti-MAG peripheral neuropathy
MGUS polyneuropathy
Anti-neurofascin demyelinating diseases
Antiganglioside antibodies
Anti-VGKC-complex encephalitis
Statin-associated autoimmune myopathy
Anti-AQP4 disease
Desmin-related myofibrillar myopathy