title: Tandem high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell rescue in patients over 1 year of age with stage 4 neuroblastoma.
abstract: From June 1997 to August 2005, 52 consecutive newly diagnosed stage 4 neuroblastoma patients over 1 year of age were assigned to receive tandem high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell rescue (HDCT/ASCR) as consolidation therapy. Fifty of the 52 patients underwent a first HDCT/ASCR and 44 patients underwent a second HDCT/ASCR. Eight patients (15.4%) died from treatment-related toxicity (seven during the second HDCT/ASCR). Total body irradiation (TBI) in the first HDCT/ASCR and a shorter interval (< 12 weeks) between the first and second HDCT/ASCR were associated with a higher rate of treatment-related death in the second HDCT/ASCR (P = 0.032 and 0.095, respectively). The tumor relapsed or progressed in 11 patients, and 33 patients remained event free with a median follow-up of 53 months (range 19-117) from diagnosis. The 5-year event-free survival (EFS) (+/- 95% confidence interval) for all 52 patients was 62.1+/-13.7%. The application of TBI and local radiotherapy, and a longer interval between the first and second HDCT/ASCR were independently associated with a better EFS (P = 0.026, 0.007 and 0.020, respectively). However, further studies will be needed to decrease the toxic death rate in the second HDCT/ASCR while reducing the relapse rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007223:Infant; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007376:Interleukin-2; D014212:Tretinoin