title: High-dose melphalan allows durable engraftment of allogeneic bone marrow.
abstract: Conditioning regimens for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation are designed to eradicate malignant cells and to provide sufficient immunosuppression for engraftment of donor marrow. Total body irradiation and high-dose cyclophosphamide are the most established immunosuppressive agents used for this purpose. It is uncertain whether other alkylating agent-based conditioning regimens are sufficiently immunosuppressive to allow engraftment of allogeneic marrow. We report four patients who had prompt engraftment after conditioning with melphalan-based chemotherapy regimens (BEAM or busulfan/melphalan). Two patients survived without disease for a prolonged period, indicating that these melphalan regimens are sufficiently immunosuppressive to allow sustained engraftment and donor hematopoiesis.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van Besien
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demuynck
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lemaistre
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bogaerts
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Champlin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D008558:Melphalan