ALBERT

Beschreibung: Autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was utilized as therapy for 23 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in second or greater remission. Bone marrow was treated in vitro with a combination of monoclonal antibodies, consisting of BA-1, BA-2, BA-3, and baby rabbit complement (BRC'). All patients were prepared for transplantation with cyclophosphamide and fractionated total body irradiation. Engraftment occurred in all 23 patients. Seven of 23 patients remain relapse-free from six to 32 months (median, 21.4 months) posttransplant. Failures were due to relapse with the exception of one patient who died of infection. This study demonstrates that autologous BMT using in vitro marrow treatment with BA-1, BA-2, BA-3, and BRC' is safe, allows engraftment, and results in prolonged survival for some patients with ALL in second or greater remission.

Beschreibung: We have analyzed the long term outcome of 197 patients who were treated for grade II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following histocompatible allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Of 469 recipients of sibling donor allografts performed at our center between January, 1979 and October, 1987, 197 patients (42%) developed greater than or equal to grade II acute GVHD at a median of 38 days (range 9 to 98 days) post-BMT. After treatment with corticosteroids (n = 160) or other immunosuppressive therapies (n = 37), 72 patients (41% +/- 8%; 95% confidence interval [CI]) achieved complete and continuing resolution of acute GVHD after a median of 21 days of therapy. Sixty- one patients required additional immunosuppressive therapy with high dose methylprednisolone, antithymocyte globulin (ATG)/steroids, or other therapies because of refractory or progressive symptoms of acute GVHD. Seven of these 61 patients eventually obtained complete and continuing remission after 13 to 57 days (median 50) of secondary treatment. The overall rate of chronic GVHD was 70% +/- 16%; 95% CI following grade II to IV acute GVHD. Twenty-five of the 197 patients never developed chronic GVHD, resulting in a Kaplan-Meier projection of 30% +/- 8% (95% CI) cure of moderate/severe acute GVHD. Analysis of clinical features associated with complete response (CR) to acute GVHD therapy identified more favorable responses to therapy in patients without either liver or skin involvement, patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and donor/recipient pairs other than male patients with female donors. Older recipient age was not associated with more resistance to GVHD treatment. CR to GVHD treatment was associated with significantly better 5-year survival: 51% +/- 14% versus 32% +/- 11% for patients with therapy resistant acute GVHD (P = .004). GVHD was a major contributing cause of death in 49 of the 90 patients who died and was often complicated by infection or interstitial pneumonitis. Control of acute GVHD through immunosuppressive therapy did not affect the risk of leukemic relapse after transplantation.

Beschreibung: During an 8-year period, 28 young adults (median age 27 years) and 30 children (median age 10 years) with severe aplastic anemia have received allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from major histocompatibility locimatched sibling donors after preparation with cyclophosphamide and total lymphoid irradiation (TLI). All recipients were previously transfused. Comparison of post-bone marrow transplantation events in adults and children reveals equivalent median time to engraftment, median duration of hospitalization, median Karnofsky assessment of activity, and equivalent low rejection rate. Although the incidence of moderate and severe acute graft-v-host disease (GVHD) and of extensive chronic GVHD was greater in adults than in children, the projected survival at 4 years of adults (67%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 49% to 85%) and of children (73%; 95% CI 57% to 89%) was equivalent. All survivors are transfusion-free and have normal peripheral blood counts. One of 28 adults and 2 of 30 children have experienced rejection, and 1 of these patients survives after a second transplant. No malignancies have been identified following transplantation. An unexpectedly high incidence of hypothyroidism has been detected and may be attributable to preparation of recipients with TLI. Therapy of severe aplastic anemia with allogeneic BMT after preparation with cyclophosphamide and TLI offers a high rate of transfusion-free survival and a low rejection rate in previously transfused young adults and children.

Beschreibung: Autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was utilized as therapy for 23 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in second or greater remission. Bone marrow was treated in vitro with a combination of monoclonal antibodies, consisting of BA-1, BA-2, BA-3, and baby rabbit complement (BRC'). All patients were prepared for transplantation with cyclophosphamide and fractionated total body irradiation. Engraftment occurred in all 23 patients. Seven of 23 patients remain relapse-free from six to 32 months (median, 21.4 months) posttransplant. Failures were due to relapse with the exception of one patient who died of infection. This study demonstrates that autologous BMT using in vitro marrow treatment with BA-1, BA-2, BA-3, and BRC' is safe, allows engraftment, and results in prolonged survival for some patients with ALL in second or greater remission.

Beschreibung: To determine whether graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) reactions are important in preventing leukemia recurrence after bone marrow transplantation, we studied 2,254 persons receiving HLA-identical sibling bone marrow transplants for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in first remission, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in first remission, and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in first chronic phase. Four groups were investigated in detail: recipients of non--T-cell depleted allografts without graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), recipients of non-- T-cell depleted allografts with GVHD, recipients of T-cell depleted allografts, and recipients of genetically identical twin transplants. Decreased relapse was observed in recipients of non--T-cell depleted allografts with acute (relative risk 0.68, P = .03), chronic (relative risk 0.43, P = .01), and both acute and chronic GVDH (relative risk 0.33, P = .0001) as compared with recipients of non--T-cell depleted allografts without GVHD. These data support an antileukemia effect of GVHD. AML patients who received identical twin transplants had an increased probability of relapse (relative risk 2.58, P = .008) compared with allograft recipients without GVHD. These data support an antileukemia effect of allogeneic grafts independent of GVHD. CML patients who received T-cell depleted transplants with or without GVHD had higher probabilities of relapse (relative risks 4.45 and 6.91, respectively, P = .0001) than recipients of non--T-cell depleted allografts without GVHD. These data support an antileukemia effect independent of GVHD that is altered by T-cell depletion. These results explain the efficacy of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in eradicating leukemia, provide evidence for a role of the immune system in controlling human cancers, and suggest future directions to improve leukemia therapy.

Beschreibung: Eight patients received allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) as therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) using marrow from unrelated donors. In all cases donors and recipients were HLA DR identical and had low MLC reactivity. In three cases recipients received marrow that was identical at the HLA A,B loci. In five cases HLA identity differed for one HLA A locus antigen. The unrelated donor search interval ranged from 2 to 28 months (median, 3 months). All recipients were prepared with a combination of cyclophosphamide, 60 mg/kg/d administered intravenously (IV) (days -6,-5) and with total body irradiation administered in 165 cGy fractions twice daily for four days (days -4, -3, -2, -1). Engraftment occurred in all cases (range, 18 to 48 days; median, 35 days), and return to a complete Philadelphia chromosome (Ph′) negative state was documented in six of eight cases. Moderate or severe acute graft v host disease (GVHD) occurred in seven of eight cases, and extensive chronic GVHD in four of six evaluable recipients. A B cell lymphoproliferative disorder developed in one patient. Four recipients have died within 2 to 4 months of transplant. Four of eight patients survive at 11+ to 24+ months following transplantation (median, 15+ months) with normal peripheral blood counts and without evidence of leukemia. Current Karnofsky activity assessments are 90% or 100% in all survivors. Curative therapy of CML has been available only to the minority of patients eligible for sibling donor BMT. Unrelated donor BMT can be effective in the treatment of CML and may be particularly useful in this disorder since the prolonged stable phase of disease offers an opportunity to locate suitable donors.

Beschreibung: Among 181 patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation over a five-year period (1978 through 1982), cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was a frequent and often lethal complication. Recipient pretransplant serology was the most important predictor of posttransplant CMV infection. CMV infection occurred in 26/137 seronegative recipients and in 28/44 seropositive recipients (P less than .001). Among patients who developed CMV infection, the time to infection was identical in seronegative and seropositive patients (median, 71 days post transplant). Bone marrow donor CMV serology did not significantly influence CMV infection rate. CMV infection was strongly associated with acute graft-v-host disease (AGVHD), occurring in 34/81 patients with AGVHD and 20/100 without GVHD (P less than .001). AGVHD preceded CMV infection by 33.7 days (mean) in patients developing both complications. Patients who developed CMV infections had also received more cellular blood products post transplant. These data suggest that CMV infection may occur through reactivation of latent virus (in seropositive recipients) or through exogenous exposure, possibly through transfused blood products, but that duration of immunoincompetence may be more critical than route of exposure in timing of clinically evident CMV infection. Prophylaxis tailored to the likely infectious source and more effective GVHD prevention both may be critical in preventing CMV infection after bone marrow transplantation.

Beschreibung: Unrelated donor marrow transplantation was undertaken in eight infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and two children each with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) and Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) who did not have histocompatible siblings. Donors for three patients were phenotypically matched at all HLA-A, B, Dr, and Dw loci, whereas nine donors were mismatched from the recipients at one of the HLA-A or B loci but phenotypically identical at evaluable D loci. All but one patient received conditioning chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy before infusion of donor marrow, which was not T-cell depleted. Prophylaxis for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) consisted of methotrexate and prednisone combined with either cyclosporine A (six patients), antithymocyte globulin (five patients), or anti-CD5 ricin A chain immunotoxin (one patient). All patients engrafted with donor cells, and only 4 of 12 experienced any GVHD (1 of 8 SCID, 1 of 2 WAS, 2 of 2 CHS). Two children who developed grade II and two who developed grade III GVHD were successfully treated and all are now alive, off immuno- suppressive therapy, with no evidence of chronic GVHD greater than 18 months after transplant. Ten patients are alive with excellent immunoreconstitution greater than or equal to 1 year to greater than or equal to 3 years after transplant; actuarial survival is predicted to be 83% with a median follow-up of 2 years. Two children with SCID succumbed to pre-existing opportunistic infection early posttransplant. We conclude that closely matched unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation can correct congenital immunodeficiencies including variants of SCID, WAS, and CHS, with an acceptably low incidence of transplant-related complications, principally GVHD.

Beschreibung: We have analyzed the long term outcome of 197 patients who were treated for grade II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following histocompatible allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Of 469 recipients of sibling donor allografts performed at our center between January, 1979 and October, 1987, 197 patients (42%) developed greater than or equal to grade II acute GVHD at a median of 38 days (range 9 to 98 days) post-BMT. After treatment with corticosteroids (n = 160) or other immunosuppressive therapies (n = 37), 72 patients (41% +/- 8%; 95% confidence interval [CI]) achieved complete and continuing resolution of acute GVHD after a median of 21 days of therapy. Sixty- one patients required additional immunosuppressive therapy with high dose methylprednisolone, antithymocyte globulin (ATG)/steroids, or other therapies because of refractory or progressive symptoms of acute GVHD. Seven of these 61 patients eventually obtained complete and continuing remission after 13 to 57 days (median 50) of secondary treatment. The overall rate of chronic GVHD was 70% +/- 16%; 95% CI following grade II to IV acute GVHD. Twenty-five of the 197 patients never developed chronic GVHD, resulting in a Kaplan-Meier projection of 30% +/- 8% (95% CI) cure of moderate/severe acute GVHD. Analysis of clinical features associated with complete response (CR) to acute GVHD therapy identified more favorable responses to therapy in patients without either liver or skin involvement, patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and donor/recipient pairs other than male patients with female donors. Older recipient age was not associated with more resistance to GVHD treatment. CR to GVHD treatment was associated with significantly better 5-year survival: 51% +/- 14% versus 32% +/- 11% for patients with therapy resistant acute GVHD (P = .004). GVHD was a major contributing cause of death in 49 of the 90 patients who died and was often complicated by infection or interstitial pneumonitis. Control of acute GVHD through immunosuppressive therapy did not affect the risk of leukemic relapse after transplantation.

Beschreibung: Among 181 patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation over a five-year period (1978 through 1982), cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was a frequent and often lethal complication. Recipient pretransplant serology was the most important predictor of posttransplant CMV infection. CMV infection occurred in 26/137 seronegative recipients and in 28/44 seropositive recipients (P less than .001). Among patients who developed CMV infection, the time to infection was identical in seronegative and seropositive patients (median, 71 days post transplant). Bone marrow donor CMV serology did not significantly influence CMV infection rate. CMV infection was strongly associated with acute graft-v-host disease (AGVHD), occurring in 34/81 patients with AGVHD and 20/100 without GVHD (P less than .001). AGVHD preceded CMV infection by 33.7 days (mean) in patients developing both complications. Patients who developed CMV infections had also received more cellular blood products post transplant. These data suggest that CMV infection may occur through reactivation of latent virus (in seropositive recipients) or through exogenous exposure, possibly through transfused blood products, but that duration of immunoincompetence may be more critical than route of exposure in timing of clinically evident CMV infection. Prophylaxis tailored to the likely infectious source and more effective GVHD prevention both may be critical in preventing CMV infection after bone marrow transplantation.