title: The role of immunoglobulin in bone marrow transplantation.
abstract: Bone marrow transplantation has proven its value as a therapeutic approach to a variety of human diseases, primarily the hematopoietic malignancies. The major clinical problems preventing successful outcome of marrow transplant have been defined and therapeutic approaches to preventing or treating these complications have led to increased long-term disease survival. Passively administered antibody given as intravenous immunoglobulin has been studied as a therapeutic modality following bone marrow transplantation. Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of immunoglobulin in reducing bacterial infections in the posttransplant period; reducing severe CMV infections in allogeneic marrow transplant recipients who are seronegative for the virus and susceptible to primary infection; reducing mortality from CMV pneumonia in combination with ganciclovir; and reducing acute graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic BMT. In many cases alternate therapeutic strategies offer comparable or greater efficacy (eg, selective CMV-negative blood products for CMV seronegative allogeneic BMT recipients receiving bone marrow from a seronegative donor). However, it is clear that intravenous immunoglobulin has a place in the therapeutic armamentarium of bone marrow transplantation. Future controlled clinical trials are necessary to establish its exact role and to define which preparations and dose schedules provide the greatest therapeutic benefits.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saral
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009181:Mycoses / Q000517:prevention & control; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins