Objectives: Over the past 2 decades, hematopoietic stem cell transplant has evolved from an experimental procedure to the standard of care, and it is integrated into the management of many diseases. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant was established at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 1993. Here, we describe 15 years experience with stem cell transplant at our center in southern Iran. We provide information on indication, donor type, conditioning chemotherapy regimen, outcome, survival, and long-term follow-up in our stem cell activity.
Patients and methods: From May 1993 to October 2008, 423 patients underwent allogeneic (n=311) and autologous (n=112) stem cell transplants at our center. For allogeneic stem cell transplant, the conditioning chemotherapy regimen comprised busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and antithymocyte globulin for thalassemic patients; busulfan and cyclophosphamide for leukemia patients; and cyclophosphamide and antithymocyte globulin for patients with aplastic anemia.
Results: During this period, 155 B-thalassemia major patients (mean age, 9.5 years; range, 2-20 years) underwent allogeneic marrow transplant. Of 155 patients with a diagnosis of thalassemia major, 112 are alive (72%) with full engraftment after a median follow-up of about 8.1 years (range, 12-184 months). During this time, 127 leukemia patients including acute myelogenous leukemia (n=68), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n=30) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (n=29), received allogeneic stem cell transplant. In this group, long-term, disease-free survival (cure rate) was 67%, 60%, and 62%.
Conclusions: These data reflect the important role of hematopoietic stem cell transplant in improving survival for a variety of hematopoietic system disorders at our center in Southern Iran. In patients with B-thalassemia major hematopoietic stem cell transplant seems to be the treatment of choice, because it leads to a cure in all classes (Lucarelli risk group, I-III). Based on high success rates in patients with class II and III thalassemia with the addition of the antithymocyte globulin to conditioning regimen of stem cell transplant, we also recommend using this new method of conditioning in transplant of thalassemia patients.