Allogeneic peripheral blood progenitor cells mobilized by G-CSF (filgrastim) for a second transplant in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia in relapse.

A 25-year-old man with AML, who relapsed 21 months after his first allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT), underwent a second transplant with peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) obtained from his HLA-identical sibling. The donor cells were collected through four aphereses after G-CSF mobilization with 5 micrograms/kg/d for 5 days. The patient received BAVC conditioning regimen followed by non-T cell-depleted PBPC. Successful engraftment occurred with rapid hematopoietic recovery (time to reach 0.5 x 10(9)/L neutrophils and 50 x 10(9) platelets/L was 15 and 19 days, respectively). A bone marrow aspirate on day +19 showed trilineage engraftment. Erythrocyte phenotype showed that erythropoiesis was of donor origin. The patient developed grade II acute GVHD that responded to prednisone. Seven months after PBPC transplantation he remains in complete remission, alive and well, with just limited chronic GVHD. Allogeneic peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation may be considered a suitable alternative to marrow transplant.

Autologous bone marrow transplantation for patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia in relapse after autologous blood stem cell transplantation.

Leukemic relapse remains the most frequent reason for treatment failure in patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) treated with autologous blood stem cell transplantation (ABSCT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible role of autologous bone marrow transplant (ABMT) in patients with AML who relapse after ABSCT. Eighteen consecutive patients were enrolled in the study. At ABMT, 17 patients were in untreated relapse and one was in third complete remission (CR). The preparative regimen was BAVC, and consisted of BCNU 800 mg/m2 on day -6, M-AMSA 150 mg/m2/day on days -5 to -3, VP-16 150 mg/m2/day on days -5 to -3 and Ara-C 300 mg/m2/day on days -5 to -3. There were two regimen-related deaths (11%). Thirteen out of 17 patients in untreated relapse before ABMT achieved CR (76%). The cumulative risk of relapse was 58 +/- 13% at 3 years. Seven patients are in CR between 7+ and 53+ months, with a disease-free survival (DFS) probability of 36 +/- 12% at 3 years. The probability of DFS after ABMT was clearly higher in those patients relapsing later than 7 months after the first autograft (52%) than in patients relapsing earlier (20%)(P = 0.02). In a significant proportion of patients, remission duration was clearly longer after ABMT than ABSCT. We conclude that BAVC conditioning followed by ABMT is associated with a low treatment-related toxicity and results in prolonged DFS in a substantial number of AML patients who relapse after ABSCT. Until better therapeutic options become available, ABMT in untreated relapse is a useful alternative in this group of very poor-risk patients.

[Cost of antibiotic therapy in neutropenic patients undergoing peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for breast cancer]. / Coste del tratamiento antibiótico empírico en pacientes neutropénicas sometidas a trasplante de progenitores hematopoyéticos por cáncer de mama.

The increase in pharmaceutical costs, especially for expensive procedures such as bone marrow transplants, has led to the study of the economic impact of febrile neutropenia in peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). We analyzed 89 consecutive patients with breast cancer who underwent PBSCT. All patients developed febrile neutropenia and were administered an empirical intravenous regimen based on the combination of piperacillin-tazobactam and amikacin. We analyzed the direct costs of this treatment and grouped them into drug acquisition cost, administration costs (cost of the additional material), and preparation costs (time employed for the preparation and administration of the drug). We found that the overall cost was $1,110, 65% of which corresponded to the initial therapy and the rest (35%) to the use of additional antibiotics. This higher cost was especially related to the use of vancomycin or teicoplanin (50%). The acquisition costs accounted for 90% of the overall treatment costs. Thirty-six patients (40%) did not need additional antibiotics and the cost in this group was less ($663). We concluded that knowledge of the costs of pharmacological therapy for infection in PBSCT is indispensable for the appropriate development of treatment units, especially in terms of optimizing resources and comparing different therapeutic or prophylactic approaches.

[Infection in patients with neutropenia that undergo an autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplant due to breast cancer]. / Infección en pacientes neutropénicas sometidas a trasplante autólogo de progenitores hematopoyéticos por cáncer de mama.

BACKGROUND: The extent and duration of neutropenia and the characteristics of the underlying disease are determinant factors for the prognosis of febrile syndromes. Despite the fact that traditionally the peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) were considered to cause high risk neutropenia, in all probability the neutropenia observed in the PBSCT in some solid tumours could be considered moderate risk. Febrile episodes in patients with these characteristics were evaluated. METHODS: We prospectively analysed 132 autologus PBSCT in patients with breast cancer (1994-1999). Conditioning regime: STAMP V. Antibacterial prophylaxis: ofloxacin (400 mg/12 hrs PO). Classification of the febrile syndrome: bacteremia, microbiologically documented infection withut bacteremia, clinical infection and a fever of unknown origin. RESULTS: 122 patients had a fever (92%), mean age: 45 years (range: 27-61). There were 32 (26%) bacteremias, 13 (11%) microbiologically documented infections without bacteremia and 54 (44%) clinical infections. The mean number of days with a neutrophil count of <1x109/1 was 14 (range: 11-20). In the 74 patients (61%) that had a granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), the mean number of days to reach a 0,5x109/I neutrophil count (7,6) and the average number of days in hospital (26) were significantly less. There was a main infectious point in 80 patients (65%): the most frequent being oropharynx in 33 cases (46%) and digestive in 29 cases (41%). 48 gram negative (GN) 29 gram positive (GP) bacteria were isolated (71% of the GN's were resistant to ofloxacin). Between 1997-1999 the GN/GP ratio was 2,3. There were no deaths related to the infection. CONCLUSIONS: Given the excellent evolution of our patients we can consider their neutropenia to be moderate or low risk, and they are a long way from the death rates caused by infections published by other types of hemopoietic transplants. The predominance of GN over the last few years and their limited sensitivity to quinolones means that their prophylactic use in these patients should be reconsidered.