title: Use of idarubicin in pre-transplant conditioning in children with high-risk acute leukaemia.
abstract: The major cause of treatment failure following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for acute leukaemia is disease relapse. In an attempt to reduce post- transplant relapse in 33 children with high-risk acute leukaemia who received a related or unrelated bone marrow transplant, the pre-transplant conditioning regimen was intensified by the addition of idarubicin. Its toxicity and effects on survival were evaluated over a 57-month period. Toxicity, largely gastrointestinal, was increased but acceptable, and there was no specific regimen-related toxicity. Relapse rates were low (24%) in this high risk group, but mortality was increased in those receiving unrelated donor grafts, largely due to sepsis. Idarubicin does appear to have a role to play in the conditioning regimen of patients with high-risk acute leukaemia undergoing BMT, and may reduce relapse rates without increasing transplant-related mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Darbyshire
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004064:Digestive System / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015255:Idarubicin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects; D012008:Recurrence; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning / Q000379:methods*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D015255:Idarubicin