title: [Comparison study on treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease with low-dose methotrexate in combination with low-dose methylprednisolone or standard-dose methylprednisolone].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the efficacy and safety of a low dose (LD) methotrexate (MTX) in combination with a LD methylprednisolone(MP) or standard dose(SD) MP in the treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-eight developing aGVHD patients after allogeneic bone marrow transplant (allo-BMT) were divided into two contemporaneous research groups: Group A, 32 patients received intravenous MTX at a dose of 10 mg plus LD-MP (0.5 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)); Group B, 46 patients received SD-MP (1-2 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall treatment response rate in different degree aGVHD or in different involved aGVHD was similar in two groups, and so was the probability of second-line treatment, fungal infections, bacterial infections, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, relapse and transplant-related mortality (TRM). There was no statistical difference between the two groups. Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) were 56.25% in Group A versus 34.78% in Group B, being no statistically significantly different (P = 0.068). In group A three of the 32 patients developed severe leukopenia and/or severe thrombocytopenia and their blood cell counts quickly returned to baseline values after drug withdrawal. In group B three of the 46 patients developed reversible hyperglycemia, after drug withdrawal, they were independent of insulin and blood glucose returned to normal values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The efficacy of two groups are similar and both safety.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hematology & Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lan-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Dai-Hong
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kai-Yan
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yu-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008775:Methylprednisolone; D008727:Methotrexate