BEAM allogeneic transplantation for patients with Hodgkin's disease who relapse after autologous transplantation is safe and effective.

Publication/Presentation Date

3-1-2003

Abstract

Because few patients failing autologous transplantation for Hodgkin's disease survive long-term, we explored reduced-intensity allografts using BEAM conditioning and early withdrawal of immunosuppression as an alternative to palliative chemotherapy. Ten patients with Hodgkin's disease underwent an allograft, receiving either matched sibling peripheral blood stem cells (5), partially matched sibling bone marrow (1), or matched unrelated bone marrow (4). Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis was mini-methotrexate and FK-506 with weaning at day 60. The median age of patients was 35 years (range: 21 to 49 years). The median time from initial diagnosis was 73 months (range: 12 to 172 months) and from autograft was 49 months (range: 5 to 143 months). One patient was in CR, 5 patients were in partial remission, 3 were in relapse, and 1 patient had primary refractory disease. All patients' transplants engrafted rapidly, and the 100-day mortality was 0. Two patients developed acute GVHD. Five of the 9 patients beyond 100 days have developed mild chronic GVHD, of which 1 case was progressive and required systemic therapy. All 10 responded: 8 complete responses and 2 partial remissions. Three patients have relapsed (at 2, 6, and 8 months, respectively), 1 has died at 4 months. At a mean of 12 months (range: 1 to 21 months) after allograft, 9 of 10 patients are alive, with 7 in continuous remission. BEAM allogeneic transplantation with early reduction in immunosuppression is safe (no treatment-related deaths) and effective in advanced Hodgkin's disease where autografts have failed. A graft versus lymphoma effect appears to be a significant contributing factor in responding patients.

Volume

9

Issue

3

First Page

177

Last Page

182

ISSN

1083-8791

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

12652468

Department(s)

Department of Medicine, Hematology-Medical Oncology Division

Document Type

Article

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