XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
  CTVS
  Transplantation
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
Search

Last Updated: Aug 19th, 2006 - 22:18:38

Transplantation Channel
subscribe to Transplantation newsletter

Latest Research : Surgery : Transplantation

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Largest study to date in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation
Aug 4, 2005, 11:25, Reviewed by: Dr.

"What is abundantly clear is that T-cell depletion and GVHD prevention is only one step in figuring out how to improve upon the chance of cure in unrelated marrow transplant patients. The next hurdle is to find ways to fix the crippled immune system."

 
Together with 16 other institutions in the United States, University of Minnesota researchers led the largest study to date in patients with leukemia and related disorders undergoing bone marrow transplantation from unrelated donors. The study was designed to determine whether one of two general approaches to prevent graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a potentially lethal complication, might result in improved survival.

While the trial demonstrated similar survival rates, the study was the most comprehensive to date, evaluating various clinical outcomes, resource utilization, costs, and health quality of life. The study, published in the Aug. 3, 2005 online issue of The Lancet, will likely serve as the benchmark for all future studies in this patient population.

Graft-versus-host-disease is a common complication after bone marrow transplantation in which the immune cells from the donated marrow attack the body of the patient who received the transplant. Severity ranges from mild to life threatening, and the disease and its treatment can have a profound effect on quality of life.

The two primary strategies for preventing GVHD, the removal of T-cells ( the cell that causes GVHD ) and immunosuppressive drug therapy ( suppression of T-cell function ), were studied in this trial. While the primary aim of the study was to demonstrate whether one approach might be better than the other in terms of disease-free survival three years after transplantation, the study also systematically compared the incidence of various complications ( GVHD, graft failure, therapy-related side effects, disease recurrence ) as well as utilization of blood products, nutritional supplementation, number of admissions to the hospital and intensive care unit, hospital costs, and health quality of life.

"While the T-cell depletion approach was very effective in reducing the risk of GVHD, a higher risk of viral infection in general and higher risk of disease recurrence specifically in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, eliminated the potential benefit of reduced GVHD," ," said John E. Wagner, M.D., professor of pediatrics and scientific director of clinical research, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Institute, and lead author of the study. "Overall, we observed no differences in survival at three years and no appreciable differences in cost or quality of life."

These results counter what investigators might have guessed and reflect the critical importance of performing large randomized trials. "Prior to this study, colleagues promoting T-cell depletion, like myself, predicted that T-cell depletion would have offered a better chance of survival," Wagner said. "What is abundantly clear is that T-cell depletion and GVHD prevention is only one step in figuring out how to improve upon the chance of cure in unrelated marrow transplant patients. The next hurdle is to find ways to fix the crippled immune system."

Despite the lack of evidence that one approach was better than the other, "the results clearly point out the limitations of bone marrow transplants," Wagner said. However, he added that the methodological approaches used and study results will be valuable benchmarks for future studies of novel treatments for leukemias and other blood-related cancers.
 

- The study is published in the Aug. 3, 2005 online issue of The Lancet
 

www.umn.edu

 
Subscribe to Transplantation Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

The study was sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.



Contact: Sara E. Buss
[email protected]
612-624-2449
University of Minnesota


Related Transplantation News

Predicting survival in liver transplant patients
SALT protocol improves quality of donor lungs significantly
Costimulation blockade: Will this lead to rejection-free transplants?
Hepatorenal syndrome patients best benefited by a combined liver-kidney transplant
'Domino' transplant program makes best use of altruistic donated kidneys
British doctors carry out transplant with beating heart
Older donor hearts just as good - Research
Another successful face transplant in China
Another Implant of Total Artificial Heart TAH-t
Predicting successful outcomes in living-donor liver transplants


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us