Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
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Biol. Blood Marrow Transplant. · Jan 2003
Comparative StudyA comparison of related donor peripheral blood and bone marrow transplants: importance of late-onset chronic graft-versus-host disease and infections.
Peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell (PBSC) transplants have been shown to result in more rapid engraftment than standard bone marrow transplants (BMTs). Little comparative data exist regarding complications in patients receiving transplants using these stem cell sources. In our study, 97 adults with advanced hematologic malignancies who received allogeneic PBSC transplants were compared with 97 adults who received allogeneic BMTs using identical preparative regimens and support parameters. ⋯ Accompanying this "late-onset chronic GVHD," a pattern of more frequent late systemic fungal and cytomegalovirus infections was observed in PBSC transplant recipients. In conclusion, although PBSC transplant recipients engraft more quickly than BMT recipients and have somewhat better 2-year survival rates, they develop more frequent late-onset chronic GVHD and may have more late fungal and cytomegalovirus infections than marrow recipients. Further studies must examine this late-onset chronic GVHD and better characterize immune reconstitution in PBSC transplant recipients to understand their effects on patient recovery.