1.
Late effects after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for beta-thalassemia major: the French national experience
Rahal, I., Galambrun, C., Bertrand, Y., Garnier, N., Paillard, C., Frange, P., Pondarre, C., Dalle, J. H., Peffault de Latour, R., Michallet, M., et al
Haematologica. 2018
Abstract
In this retrospective study, we evaluate long-term complications in nearly all beta-thalassemia-major patients who successfully received, in France, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. 99 patients were analysed with a median age of 5.9 years at transplantation. The median duration of clinical follow-up was 12 years. All conditioning regimen were myeloablative, most often based on busulfan combined with cyclophosphamide and more than 90% of patients underwent a transplant from a matched sibling donor. After transplantation, 11% of patients developed thyroid dysfunction, 5% diabetes and 2% heart failure. Hypogonadism was present in 56% of females and 14% of males. Female patients who developed normal puberty after transplant were significantly younger at transplantation than those who experienced delayed puberty (median age 2.5 versus 8.7 years). Fertility was preserved in 9/27 females aged 20 and above and 2 other patients became pregnant following oocyte donation. In addition to patient's age and higher serum ferritin levels at transplantation, time elapsed since transplant was significantly associated with decreased height growth in multivariate analysis. Weight growth increased after transplantation particularly in females, 36% of adults being overweight at last evaluation. A comprehensive long-term monitoring especially of endocrine late-effects is required after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for thalassemia.
2.
Improved outcome of children transplanted for high-risk leukemia by using a new strategy of cyclosporine-based GVHD prophylaxis
Bleyzac, N., Cuzzubbo, D., Renard, C., Garnier, N., Dubois, V., Domenech, C., Goutagny, M. P., Plesa, A., Grardel, N., Goutelle, S., et al
Bone Marrow Transplantation. 2016;51(5):698-704
Abstract
There is currently a major concern regarding the optimal immunosuppression therapy to be administered after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to reduce both the toxicity of GvHD and the rate of relapse. We report the outcome of high-risk leukemia children transplanted with a new way of managing cyclosporine (CsA)-based GvHD prophylaxis. A total of 110 HSCT in 109 ALL or AML children who received CsA without mycophenolate or methotrexate in matched related as well as in matched or mismatched unrelated stem cell transplantation were included. CsA dosage regimens were individualized to obtain specific trough blood concentrations values. The incidences of grade I-II and III-IV acute GvHD were 69.1% and 1.8%, respectively, and 8.4% for chronic GvHD. GvHD was neither more frequent nor severe in unrelated than in related HSCT. GvHD occurred in 87% of patients with a mean CsA trough concentration 120ng/mL versus 43% with concentration >120ng/mL (P<0.0001). Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival were 78% and 83.6%, respectively. DFS was 76.9% for ALL and 80.4% for AML patients. There was no difference in DFS between matched siblings and matched unrelated or mismatched unrelated HSCT. DFS in patients with minimal residual disease (MRD) 10(-3) and in those with MRD <10(-3) before SCT was comparable. Our results indicate that a GvHD prophylaxis regimen based on CsA without mycophenolate or methotrexate is safe and effective whatever the donor compatibility is. These results suggest that GvL effect may be enhanced by this strategy of GvHD prophylaxis.