title: Setting the standard in T-cell-depleted haploidentical transplantation and beyond.
abstract: Much progress has been made in the clinical, biological and technical aspects of the T-cell-depleted haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Our experience demonstrates that infusing a megadose of extensively T-cell-depleted hematopoietic peripheral blood stem cells after an immuno-myeloablative conditioning regimen in acute leukemia patients ensures sustained engraftment with minimal GvHD without the need of any post-transplant immunosuppressive treatment. Since our first successful pilot study, our efforts have concentrated on developing new conditioning regimens, optimizing the graft processing and improving the post-transplant immunological recovery. The results we have so far achieved in high risk acute leukemia patients show that haploidentical transplantation is now a clinical reality. The present challenge is to reduce post-transplant infectious mortality and several strategies are being tested.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Oncology/Hematology & BMT Unit, Section of Hematology, Department of Internal and Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. aversa@unipg.it
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aversa
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036102:Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous