Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Acute Myeloid Leukemia, including details on aml, symptoms, treatment, information.

Reduced-intensity allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute leukemias: 'what is the best recipe?'.

Kassim AA, Chinratanalab W, Ferrara JL, Mineishi S

Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.

Reduced-intensity stem cell transplantation (RIST) has been shown to be a safe and useful alternative transplant method for patients including elderly and medically unfit patients. RIST conditioning regimens vary widely in the intensity of myeloablation, immunoablation, and antileukemia effects, and thus optimal regimen for each disease entity is yet to be determined. Most reports on RIST to date are small, single-institution experiences or retrospective studies with heterogeneous patient populations and primary diseases, complicating any direct comparison between studies. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), moderate-intensity regimens may be effective, achieving 30-70% 1-year disease-free survival in various series, but minimal-intensity regimens are associated with high relapse rates. In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), not even moderate-intensity regimens are effective and most patients with advanced ALL relapse post transplant. Thus, the risk/benefit ratios of graft-versus-host disease/graft-versus-leukemia effect differ among diseases. Larger, prospective, multi-center clinical trials are needed to determine the best use of RIST in hematologic malignancies.

Published 15 September 2005 in Bone Marrow Transplant, 36(7): 565-74.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research Today. All Rights Reserved.