Total body irradiation-based regimen in the conditioning of patients submitted to haploidentical stem cell transplantation

Background and purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a highly immuno- and myelo-suppressive conditioning regimen followed by the infusion of large numbers of T-cell-depleted mismatched haematopoietic stem cells in 43 high-risk acute leukaemia patients. Results: A high rate of engraftment (95%) and no graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were observed. The 4-year probability of event-free survival was 0.25 +/- 0.09 for acute myeloid leukaemia and 0.17 +/- 0.07 for acute lymphoid leukaemia patients. Conclusions: This study shows that the main obstacles limiting the use of mismatched transplants, i.e. GVHD and rejection, were overcome. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.