Pediatric transplantation
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Pediatric transplantation · Aug 2001
Polyclonal anti-T-cell globulin as part of the preparative regimen for pediatric allogeneic stem-cell transplantation.
To prevent graft rejection and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (ASCT), 56 children were given polyclonal anti-T-cell globulin (ATG) as part of the conditioning regimen. Of the 56 children in the cohort, 27 had a non-malignant disease and 29 had different hematological malignancies. Eight were in first remission of leukemia and the remainder in later stages. ⋯ Relapse and relapse-free survival rates were 42% and 46%, respectively. Five out of 12 patients who showed an early full donor chimerism in the T-cell lineage developed acute GvHD of grades II-IV, compared to none out of 13 patients being mixed chimeras (p = 0.01). Hence, the use of polyclonal ATG as part of conditioning prior to ASCT in children is safe and the survival rate encouraging.