Transfusions shortly before HLA-matched marrow transplantation for leukemia are associated with a decrease in chronic graft-versus-host disease.
The effect of random red cell transfusions given shortly before allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was evaluated in 969 leukemic patients transplanted from an HLA-identical sibling donor. Patients were divided into two groups: 501 who received a transfusion shortly before BMT, and 468 who did not. Both groups had a similar incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), but the recently-transfused group had a significantly lower incidence of chronic GVHD (35.9% vs 48.9%). These differences remained significant in a multivariate analysis of time to chronic GVHD (p = 0.022), taking into account other differences between the two groups and known risk factors for chronic GVHD.
deGast
G C
GC
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Washington 98104.
Beatty
P G
PG
Amos
D
D
Mickelson
E M
EM
Sullivan
K M
KM
Anderson
J E
JE
Giblett
E R
ER
Appelbaum
F
F
Storb
R
R
Deeg
H J
HJ
D000328:Adult; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006082:Graft Enhancement, Immunologic; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006648:Histocompatibility; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007938:Leukemia / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology