Age as a prognostic factor following stem cell transplantation in acute leukemia

To determine the impact of age on the outcome of bone marrow transplantation in patients with acute leukemia. 241 patients with acute leukemia who underwent transplantation of allogeneic (152 patients) or autologous (89 patients) bone marrow were included in the study. Allogeneic transplant was from an HLA-identical sibling. Cyclophosphamide followed by the total body irradiation or cyclophosphamide and busulfan were used in the conditioning regimen. Leukemia-free survival (LFS) was significantly better in younger patients compared to the older ones for all patients (LFS for younger patients was between 40-43% and for patients >45 years 27% ; p45 years ; p45 years 34% and 29%, respectively ; p45 years and 13-19% for younger age groups ; p45 years 31% (p