title: The lung function score and its components as predictors of overall survival and chronic graft-vs-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively assess if the modified lung function score (LFS) and/or its components, forced expiratory volume within the first second (FEV1) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide corrected for hemoglobin level (cDLCO), predict overall survival (OS) and chronic graft-vs-host-disease (cGvHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 241 patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) at the University of Regensburg Transplant Center between June 1998 and July 2005 in relation to their LFS, FEV1 and cDLCO, before and after HSCT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Decreased OS after allo-HSCT was related to decreased pre-transplantation values of FEV1<60% (P=0.040), cDLCO<50% of predicted value (P=0.025), and LFS≥III (P=0.037). It was also related to decreased FEV1 at 3 and 12 months after HSCT (P<0.001 and P=0.001, respectively) and increased LFS at 3 and 12 months after HSCT (P=.028 and P=0.002, respectively), but not to changes of cDLCO. A higher incidence of cGvHD was related to decreased FEV1 at 6, 12, and 18 months (P=0.069, P=0.054, and P=0.009, respectively) and increased LFS at 12 months (P=0.002), but not to changes in cDLCO.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OS was related to both LFS and FEV1, but cGvHD had a stronger relation to FEV1 than to cDLCO or LFS. FEV1 alone offered more information on the outcome after allo-HSCT than LFS or cDLCO, suggesting limited value of LFS for the patients' assessment after allo-HSCT.
authors.affiliation: Diana Ditz, Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Regensburg Medical Center, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany, Diana.Ditz@ukr.de.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ditz
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rabanus
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Holler
authors.forename: Ernst
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Holler
authors.forename: Gerhard Carl
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Hildebrandt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011653:Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide