Bone marrow transplantation for acute non-lymphocytic leukemia: a report from the Childrens Cancer Study Group of sixty-seven children transplanted in first remission.

Overview

abstract

Sixty-seven children with acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) in first remission underwent HLA-identical sibling bone marrow transplants as part of a cooperative study by the Childrens Cancer Study Group. Three patients died of sepsis before marrow recovery. Sixty-four patients recovered marrow function and have been followed for a median of greater than 1300 days. Two-year actuarial survival is 59% (95% confidence interval (CI): 47-71%). The risk of relapse by 2 years is 16% (95% CI: 6-26). All relapses occurred among patients with single-dose irradiation (p = 0.07), but these patients also experienced a diminished risk of acute graft-versus-host disease (AGVHD) (p = 0.12) compared to patients conditioned with fractionated irradiation. Radiation technique (single-dose vs fractionated) did not affect survival or the risk of development of interstitial pneumonia. Significant AGVHD (greater than or equal to grade II) occurred in 27 patients (40%). Patients with AGVHD were at increased risk of death due to sepsis or interstitial pneumonia during the first year after transplant, but disease-free survival was unaffected by AGVHD, because all 10 relapses occurred in patients without significant AGVHD. Neither survival nor relapse risk were affected by patient age, sex, white cell count at diagnosis, or FAB classification. This collaborative transplant study has resulted in survival data comparable to those of single institutions and the best reported outcomes of conventional chemotherapy.