Search

Background : Haploidentical transplantation has become a considerable clinical choice for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients lacking a HLA matched donor. We tried to reveal the possible role of a full haplotype mismatch transplantation. Methods : Four patients received stem cell transplantation from their full haplotype mismatched family donors. Conditioning regimen included total-body irradiation, intravenous busulfan, antithymocyte globulin, and fludarabine. Megadose transplants of CD34+ stem cells were in the range of 10.9 /kg and 20.6/kg. Neither GvHD prophylaxis nor post-transplant G-CSF were given. We monitored patients' bone marrow cellularity and chimerism in the peripheral blood using real time PCR. Results : All patients showed stable engraftment. The most frequent side effect was severe mucositis, but all patients recovered successfully without early death. Nobody showed acute GvHD. Two refractory patients were relapsed early after transplantation. Other 2 patients have been in good clinical condition with follow-up duration of 1-4 months. Conclusion : We could overcome the main limitations-a GvHD and a graft failure- of a full haplotype mismatch transplantation with a newly developed conditioning regimen that might be used firstly according to review of literature. Although our study sample numbers and duration of follow-up are not enough yet, at least in patients who were in complete remission and categorized as high-risk AML, we suggest that this treatment modality should be considered actively.

BACKGROUND: Infection is still a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) patients receiving chemotherapy. Recently the main cause of infection has changed from gram-negative to gram-positive bacteria and the resistance to antibiotics has increased. This study aimed to access the effectiveness of antimicrobial prophylaxis (AP) with orally absorbable antibiotics. METHODS: Ninety-five AML patients receiving chemotherapy at Catholic Hemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center from March 1999 to July 1999 were randomly divided into the AP group (250 mg ciprofloxacin twice a day, 150 mg roxithromycin twice a day, 50 mg fluconazole once a day) and the control group for a prospective analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of fever was 82.6% in the AP group and 91.6% in the control group (p = 0.15). Though classification and sites of infections showed no difference between the two groups, the catheter associated infection occurred more frequently in the AP group in significance. The time interval between initiation of chemotherapy and onset of fever, white blood cell (WBC) count at the onset of fever, duration of leukopenia (WBC < 1,000/mm3), duration of systemic antibiotic therapy, mortality due to infection and hospitalization period from the data starting chemotherapy showed no differences between the two groups. Infections due to gram negative bacteria decreased to 33.3% in the AP group (vs. 92% in the control group), but infections due to gram positive bacteria increased to 66.7% (vs. 8% in the control group). Gram negative bacteria showed 100% resistance to ciprofloxacin in the AP group and gram-positive bacteria showed 90-100% resistance to erythromycin, regardless of the presence of AP. CONCLUSION: The AP could not reduce the occurrence of infection or infection associated death in AML patients receiving chemotherapy. On considering increased gram-positive infection and resistance to fluoroquinolone and macrolide, routine prescription of AP should be reconsidered. Further studies that assess the effectiveness of AP in other malignancies, aplastic anemia and bone marrow transplantation are required.

Aplastic anemia is a rare complication of thymoma and is extremely infrequent after thymectomy. We present a case of a 60-year-old woman with very severe aplastic anemia appearing sixteen months after thymectomy for a thymoma. She underwent thymectomy for a thymoma in April 2000. Preoperative examination revealed no hematologic abnormality. About sixteen months after the operation, she was readmitted because of pancytopenia with cough and fever. Bone marrow aspiration revealed a very severe hypoplasia in all the three cell lines with over 80% fatty tissue, and chest CT revealed no recurrence of thymoma. Her aplastic anemia had responded to cyclosporine A and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF).