title: Efficacy of rabbit antithymocyte globulin as first-line treatment of severe aplastic anemia: an Asian multicenter retrospective study.
abstract: Due to the unavailability of horse antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in many markets worldwide, patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) are limited to the use of rabbit ATG. We aimed to analyze hematologic response and overall survival (OS) of Asian patients treated with rabbit ATG as first-line therapy of SAA. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 97 consecutive patients who received rabbit ATG as first-line treatment of SAA from 2006 to 2012 at centers in four Asian countries. The primary endpoint was 6- and 12-month overall response rates (ORR) for patients receiving rabbit ATG within the recommended dose range (2.5-3.75 mg/kg/day). Secondary endpoints included ORR in patients receiving any dose of rabbit ATG and 2-year OS. For patients who received rabbit ATG within the recommended dose range, 6- and 12-month ORRs were 17.4 and 63.6 %, respectively. For patients who received any dose of rabbit ATG, 6- and 12-month ORRs were 24.3 and 68.6 %, respectively. The 2-year OS rate was 86.3 %. Rabbit ATG is effective for treatment of SAA in Asian patients. The 12-month ORR and 2-year OS with rabbit ATG were comparable to historical results obtained with horse ATG.
authors.affiliation: Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Suporn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chuncharunee
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital and Sir Y. K. Pao Centre for Cancer, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Ponlapat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rojnuckarin
authors.affiliation: Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Shyong
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Hospital Ampang, Ampang Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Kian Meng
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Meng-Yao
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Li
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Liang Piu
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsai-Yun
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Anskar Yh
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.affiliation: Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors.forename: Lalita
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Norasetthada
authors.affiliation: Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Chung
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Chih
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kang-Hsi
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand. surapolsi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Surapol
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Issaragrisil
mesh_terms: D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D000818:Animals; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D044466:Asian People; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011817:Rabbits; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; C512542:thymoglobulin
keywords: Aplastic anemia; Hematologic response; Immunosuppressive therapy; Rabbit antithymocyte globulin