title: Fatal graft v host disease in a child with neuroblastoma following a blood transfusion.
abstract: A 2-year-old girl being prepared for a bone marrow transplant for treatment of stage IV neuroblastoma suffered a fatal graft v host (GVH) reaction following a transfusion on nonirradiated packed RBC. GVH disease is a recognized complication of transfusion in patients with leukemia and lymphoma and is a frequent complication following bone marrow transplantation. GVH disease has also been reported in pediatric patients with solid tumors who have received sufficient chemotherapy to render them immunocompromised. GVH disease can be prevented by irradiating all blood products with at least 1,500 rad for patients having total lymphocyte counts less than 1,000/microL or for those who have received greater than 30 mg/kg/d of Cytoxan.
mesh_terms: D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion; D005260:Female; D005729:Ganglioneuroma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D065227:Transfusion Reaction