title: [Influence of graft-versus-host disease on long-term survival of 26 patients with hematologic malignancies after transplantation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), and also is an important factor affecting the outcome of transplantation. Some researches showed that either acute or chronic GVHD is often accompanied by graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect, and this positive effect is associated with the decrease of leukemia relapse and the prolongation of disease-free survival of recipients. This study was to assess the influence of GVHD on the outcome of allo-HSCT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six patients with hematologic malignancies received allo-HSCT from Mar. 1995 to Oct. 2005. The occurrence of GVHD, relapse of leukemia, and survival of recipients were analyzed retrospectively, and the correlations of GVHD to leukemia relapse and patients' survival were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With a median follow-up of 20 months (range 2-127 months) after transplantation, 20 (76.9%) patients developed GVHD, 1 of which had tumor relapsed; 3 of the 6 patients without GVHD had tumor relapsed. The relapse rate was significantly lower in the recipients with GVHD than in the recipients without GVHD (P<0.05). After transplantation, 16 patients survived disease-freely, and 10 died. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the 3-year disease-freely survival rate was 60%. The disease-freely survival rate was significantly higher in the recipients with GVHD than in the recipients without GVHD (15/20 vs. 1/6, log-rank=7.30, P<0.05). Cox regression models showed a significantly decreased risk of death in the recipients with GVHD (risk ratio=0.2, P<0.05). Of the 20 recipients with GVHD, 17 achieved complete response (CR), 15 of whom survived disease-freely; no survived in the 3 patients who did not achieve CR. The disease-freely survival rate was significantly higher in the recipients achieved CR than in the recipients did not (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GVHD is an important factor that may influence the outcome of allo-HSCT. Treatment efficacy of GVHD is significantly associated with the disease-free survival of recipients. Early recognition and treatment of acute GVHD is the key factor of successful treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510630, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Qu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Qing-Ming
authors.initials: QM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jing-Yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Xiang-Yuan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006087:Graft vs Host Reaction / Q000502:physiology*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000628:therapy; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017741:Survivors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D008775:Methylprednisolone