title: Low incidence and severity of graft-versus-host disease after outpatient allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation employing a reduced-intensity conditioning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence and features of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients receiving allografts using peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) after a reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimen are not well known. Several features of GVHD in patients at two institutions using RIC were assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed the overall survival (OS) and prevalence of GVHD in patients who underwent outpatient allogeneic PBSC transplantation after RIC between October 1998 and July 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 301 patients with a median age of 30 yrs (range, 1-71 yrs). In 37 cases, allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation was indicated for non-malignant disease, and in 264 for malignant disease. The median OS was 35 months. The estimated 3-yr OS was 48%. A total of 154 patients developed GVHD: there were 64 acute, 50 chronic and 40 cases that progressed from acute to chronic. Of the 104 patients with acute GVHD (aGVHD), 40% had grade I and 60% had grades II-IV. Of the 90 patients with chronic GVHD (cGVHD), 67% had limited and 33% had extensive forms. A total of 160 patients died, 40 as a result of GVHD (24 from aGVHD and 16 from cGVHD), 50 as a result of progressive disease and 70 from diverse causes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of GVHD was lower than in other series using conventional myeloablative preparative regimens. Most importantly, the severity of GVHD did not significantly affect the long-term survival.
authors: Hospital Universitario 'Dr. José Eleuterio González', Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey.
authors: Olga G
authors: OG
authors: Cantú-Rodríguez
authors: César H
authors: CH
authors: Gutiérrez-Aguirre
authors: José C
authors: JC
authors: Jaime-Pérez
authors: Oscar R
authors: OR
authors: Treviño-Montemayor
authors: Sylvia A
authors: SA
authors: Martínez-Cabriales
authors: Alvaro
authors: A
authors: Gómez-Peña
authors: Avril
authors: A
authors: López-Otero
authors: Guillermo J
authors: GJ
authors: Ruiz-Delgado
authors: Oscar
authors: O
authors: González-Llano
authors: María C
authors: MC
authors: Mancías-Guerra
authors: Luz D C
authors: LD
authors: Tarín-Arzaga
authors: Laura N
authors: LN
authors: Rodríguez-Romo
authors: Guillermo J
authors: GJ
authors: Ruiz-Argüelles
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Gómez-Almaguer
mesh_terms: D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous