Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
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Biol. Blood Marrow Transplant. · Apr 2007
The International Prognostic Index assessed at relapse predicts outcomes of autologous transplantation for diffuse large-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in second complete or partial remission.
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto HSCT) has become the standard treatment for patients with relapsed diffuse large-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) responding to conventional salvage chemotherapy. Nevertheless, more than half of these patients will relapse following auto HSCT and die. This study was undertaken to determine whether the International Prognostic Index (IPI) assessed at time of relapse (IPI-R) could be used to identify patients with greater probability for long-term survival following auto HSCT. ⋯ Similarly, high-risk IPI-R status (RR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3-4.7, P = .01) and BM involvement at diagnosis (RR 3.9, 95% CI 1.7-8.7, P = .001) were independent predictors for poor PFS. These results suggest that the IPI-R predicts OS and PFS following auto HSCT for patients with aggressive NHL in CR 2 or PR 2. Patients with high-risk IPI-R should be considered for novel therapeutic approaches.
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Biol. Blood Marrow Transplant. · Apr 2007
Galactomannan antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Invasive aspergillosis is difficult to diagnose in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In 2003, a serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for the detection of galactomannan (a glycoprotein found on the Aspergillus cell wall) became available in the United States. In 2004, patients undergoing HSCT were screened biweekly with the galactomannan ELISA at our institution. ⋯ Our findings indicate that a biweekly serum galactomannan ELISA is a highly specific diagnostic tool for detecting invasive aspergillosis in patients undergoing HSCT. When used regularly, the ELISA may allow for earlier diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in some patients. The test is troubled by a low sensitivity and high frequency of false-negative tests.
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Biol. Blood Marrow Transplant. · Apr 2007
Changes in serologic markers of hepatitis B following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Korea is an endemic area for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Reactivation of HBV is a well-recognized complication in patients with chronic HBV infection undergoing cytotoxic or immunosuppressive therapy, and there are some reports of hepatitis B reverse seroconversion after HSCT. This study evaluated changes in HBV serology after HSCT. ⋯ Univariate analysis showed that reverse seroconversions were observed more frequently with multiple myeloma than another disease (P = .005; relative risk, 11.854; 95% confidence interval, 1.381-101.770). Other factors, such as age, sex, and presence of HBcAb before HSCT, had no statistically significant affect on reverse seroconversion. In conclusion, reverse seroconversion of HBV is not a rare complication of autologous HSCT, and the risk of reverse seroconversion after treatment is a serious concern due to possible complications arising from patients' suppressed immune systems.