title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in Japan.
abstract: There exists limited information about the usefulness of hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for the treatment of patients with refractory Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). We report here four Japanese pediatric patients with multisystem LCH disease who underwent HSCT between 1994 and 1997. Two of the four patients are doing well without any relapse. However, neither of them shows improved sequelae 3 to 4 years after allogeneic HSCT, although the graft was rejected in one of the cases. The remaining two patients died of septic shock. A review of the literature of 11 patients revealed four fatalities after the use of HSCT in the treatment of LCH. Three of these were due to active LCH and three deaths occurred within 2 months after HSCT. To establish the usefulness of HSCT for refractory LCH, further studies are required.
authors.affiliation: LCH Study Group of Japan, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kinugawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imashuku
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akazai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kakuta
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takano
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006646:Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous