title: Marrow transplantation for severe aplastic anemia: methotrexate alone compared with a combination of methotrexate and cyclosporine for prevention of acute graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: Forty-six patients with severe aplastic anemia (median age, 23 years) were treated with high-dose cyclophosphamide followed by infusion of marrow from an HLA-identical family member. To evaluate postgrafting prophylaxis for graft-v-host disease (GVHD), they were entered into a prospective randomized trial comparing the effect of a combination of methotrexate and cyclosporine (n = 22) to that of methotrexate alone (n = 24). Forty-four of the forty-six patients had evidence of sustained marrow engraftment. Only one patient in each of the two study groups showed graft rejection. A significant reduction in the cumulative incidence of grades II to IV acute GVHD was seen in patients given methotrexate/cyclosporine (18%) compared with those given methotrexate alone (53%) (P = .012). In three patients given methotrexate alone, grade III developed, and in six, grade IV acute GVHD developed, compared with none given methotrexate/cyclosporine. Eighteen of the 22 patients given methotrexate/cyclosporine and 15 of the 24 given methotrexate alone are alive between 5.5 and 44.5 months (median, 18 months), with actuarial survival rates at 2 years of 82% and 60%, respectively (P = .062). The incidence of fatal infections was higher in patients given methotrexate alone, whereas there are as yet no significant differences in the incidence of chronic GVHD. We conclude that methotrexate/cyclosporine treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the incidence and severity of acute GVHD in patients who received transplants for severe aplastic anemia and thus an improvement in survival.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000628:therapy*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D003524:Cyclosporins; D008727:Methotrexate