Autologous Unpurged Bone Marrow Transplantation for Acute Non Lymphoblastic Leukemia in First Remission

Does in vitro bone marrow purging improve the outcome after autologous bone marrow transplantation?

High-dose therapy with bone marrow rescue is now regarded as an effective treatment for a variety of malignancies. In an attempt to circumvent the scarcity of HLA-matched donors, autologous marrow has been successfully used as the source of cells for hematopoietic reconstitution. There has been considerable controversy as to whether any malignant cells present in the graft could contribute to relapse of disease post-transplant. In this paper we review clinical results obtained by using autologous transplantation and present evidence on how ex vivo tumor purging may contribute to the outcome.

Autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in acute myeloid leukemia in first complete remission: an update of the Genoa experience with 159 patients

In the attempt to evaluate the role of Autologous and Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation, we have retrospectively analyzed 159 patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in first complete remission treated in our Unit, most of whom were referred from other Institutions. High-dose therapy was uniform and consisted of cyclophosphamide 60 mg/kg/d on two consecutive days and TBI in a single dose (10 Gy) for ABMT patients and in fractionated doses (3.3 Gy x 3 days) for BMT patients. Eight years actuarial survival was similar in two groups (52% for BMT and 49% for ABMT). The actuarial risk of relapse for BMT and ABMT was 29% and 43%, respectively. Considering that none of ABMT patients was "purged" with in vitro technique, this review seems to confirm the importance of "in vivo" purging with postremission intensification, immediately before the harvesting. Of course, more patients and a longer follow-up are needed to draw final conclusions.

Biological aspects and clinical results of autologous bone marrow transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia

Autologous bone marrow transplantation is a therapeutic approach that permits the administration of high-dose chemo-radiotherapy followed by the infusion of the patient's own marrow, previously collected during remission and cryopreserved. In recent years, autologous bone marrow transplantation has been increasingly used as a treatment for acute leukemias. The mechanisms underlying leukemic relapse represent the most exciting and controversial aspects of autologous bone marrow transplantation. At least three factors may be responsible for leukemic relapse in patients receiving autologous bone marrow transplantation: (1) minimal residual disease; (2) leukemic cells reinfused with the graft; (3) the lack of a graft-versus-leukemia effect. In this paper, the techniques for pharmacological marrow decontamination and the clinical results obtained with autologous bone marrow transplantation will be reviewed.