Unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients with hematologic malignancies using a nonmyeloablative conditioning regimen of fludarabine, low-dose total body irradiation, and rabbit antithymocyte globulin

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2004 Nov;10(11):784-93. doi: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2004.08.001.

Abstract

Hematopoietic stem cell chimerism can be established after low-dose conditioning regimens, although the risk of donor cell rejection increases for unrelated donor transplantations. We added pretransplantation rabbit antithymocyte globulin (6 mg/kg) to an established conditioning regimen of fludarabine (90 mg/m2) and single-fraction total body irradiation (200 cGy) followed by postgrafting immunosuppression with cyclosporine A and mycophenolate mofetil for 22 patients with hematologic malignancies. One patient rejected the graft and successfully underwent transplantation with cells from a second donor by using the same conditioning regimen. The actuarial probability of developing acute graft-versus-host disease grade II to IV before day 100 was 40%, although 9 of 14 patients who survived beyond 100 days developed chronic graft-versus-host disease. These data support a hypothesis that the addition of antithymocyte globulin decreases the risk of graft-versus-host and host-versus-graft reactions when combined with a nonmyeloablative conditioning regimen of fludarabine and total body irradiation.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Clinical Trial, Phase I
  • Clinical Trial, Phase II

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antilymphocyte Serum / administration & dosage
  • Female
  • Graft Rejection / prevention & control
  • Graft vs Host Disease / prevention & control*
  • Hematologic Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / administration & dosage
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Transplantation Conditioning / methods*
  • Vidarabine / administration & dosage
  • Vidarabine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Whole-Body Irradiation

Substances

  • Antilymphocyte Serum
  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Vidarabine
  • fludarabine