title: A randomized trial of heparin plus ursodiol vs. heparin alone to prevent hepatic veno-occlusive disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
abstract: Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is a common and serious regimen-related toxicity after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). There is no safe and proven therapy for established VOD, and focus has been on its prevention. Previous studies have shown that a continuous infusion of unfractionated heparin or ursodiol may reduce the incidence of VOD. In order to compare the efficacy of heparin plus ursodiol with that of heparin alone, we conducted a prospective, randomized study involving 165 consecutive patients who underwent HSCT for a variety of disorders. Eighty-two patients were assigned to receive heparin plus ursodiol, and 83 were assigned to receive heparin alone. Thirteen and 16 patients were diagnosed as having VOD in the heparin plus ursodiol group and the heparin alone group, respectively (15.9% vs 19.3%; P = 0.348). Eighty-nine percent of the heparin plus ursodiol group and 89.2% of the heparin alone group were surviving at day 100 post-HSCT (P = 0.298). The only independent variable associated with an increased risk of VOD was an allogeneic type of HSCT (P = 0.018). In conclusion, this study shows that there is no difference in efficacy between heparin plus ursodiol and heparin alone for the prevention of hepatic VOD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Im
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006493:Heparin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006504:Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid; D006493:Heparin