title: Long-term follow-up of patients who experienced graft failure postallogeneic progenitor cell transplantation. Results of a single institution analysis.
abstract: The long-term outcome of graft failure after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) has not been well described. To fill this knowledge gap we performed a retrospective analysis of patients with graft failure over a 10-year time period in a single institution. Cases were included for analysis if they had failed to achieve an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 500/microL or more by 28 days post-SCT or 42 days after cord blood transplantation (primary graft failure); had a decrease in their ANC to <500/mL for 3 consecutive days after having achieved neutrophil engraftment (secondary graft failure); or failed to have evidence of at least 5% or more donor cell engraftment (primary graft failure with autologous reconstitution). Among 1726 patients who underwent allografts from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 2000, we identified 68 patients with graft failure. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) for all patients was 31%, 24%, and 15%. A diagnosis of acute leukemia was a significant predictor for poor survival on multivariate analysis. We conclude that graft failure is an uncommon complication postallogeneic SCT, and is associated with poor outcomes. Collection of autologous stem cells prior to high-risk allografting can salvage a fraction of patients and lead to prolonged survivals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. grondon@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rondón
authors.forename: Rima M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Saliba
authors.forename: Issa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Khouri
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giralt
authors.forename: Kawah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jabbour
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McMannis
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Champlin
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shpall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous