Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Last Marrow Standing: Bone Marrow Transplantation for Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Conditions

  • Myelodysplastic Syndromes (M Sekeres, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Hematologic Malignancy Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, aplastic anemia, and myelodysplastic syndrome are a spectrum of acquired marrow failure, having a common pathologic thread of both immune dysregulation and the development of abnormal hematopoiesis. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation plays a critical role in the treatment of these disorders and, for many patients, is the only treatment modality with demonstrated curative potential. In recent years, there have been many breakthroughs in the understanding of the pathogenesis of these uncommon disorders. The subsequent advances in non-transplant therapies, along with concurrent improvement in outcomes after hematopoietic cell transplantation, necessitate continual appraisal of the indications, timing, and approaches to transplantation for acquired marrow failure syndromes. We review here contemporary and critical new findings driving current treatment decisions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

  1. Araten DJ, Swirsky D, Karadimitris A, et al. Cytogenetic and morphological abnormalities in paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (Review). Br J Haematol. 2001;115:360–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Pu JJ, Hu R, Mukhina GL, et al. The small population of PIG-A mutant cells in myelodysplastic syndromes do not arise from multipotent hematopoietic stem cells. Haematologica. 2012;97:1225–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Dingli D, Luzzatto L, Pacheco JM. Neutral evolution in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2008;105:18496–500.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Parker CJ. The pathophysiology of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (Review). Exp Hematol. 2007;35:523–33.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Inoue N, Izui-Sarumaru T, Murakami Y, et al. Molecular basis of clonal expansion of hematopoiesis in 2 patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Blood. 2006;108:4232–6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. • Santarone S, Bacigalupo A, Risitano AM, et al. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: long-term results of a retrospective study on behalf of the Gruppo Italiano Trapianto Midollo Osseo (GITMO). Haematologica. 2010;95:983–8. This paper describes the outcomes of a sizeable cohort of patients who underwent HCT for PNH.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Farah R, Franke G, Gregory TB. Hematopoietic cell transplantation after reduced intensity conditioning for severe paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. Blood. 2011;118:2047. abstract.

    Google Scholar 

  8. • de Latour RP, Schrezenmeier H, Bacigalupo A. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: A transplant versus no transplant matched comparison study on behalf of the Severe Aplastic Anemia Working Party (SAA WP) of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) Group and the French Society of Hematology (SFH). Blood. 2011;118:2403. In this abstract the authors describe an elegant matched-pair analysis comparing outcomes of patients who underwent HCT versus those who did not.

    Google Scholar 

  9. •• Kelly RJ, Hill A, Arnold LM, et al. Long-term treatment with eculizumab in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: sustained efficacy and improved survival. Blood. 2011;117:6786–92. This study describes the long-term survival advantage seen with eculizumab in patients with PNH.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Fridkis-Hareli M, Storek M, Mazsaroff I, et al. Design and development of TT30, a novel C3d-targeted C3/C5 convertase inhibitor for treatment of human complement alternative pathway-mediated diseases. Blood. 2011;118:4705–13.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Passweg JR, Tichelli A. Immunosuppressive treatment for aplastic anemia: are we hitting the ceiling? Haematologica. 2009;94:310–2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Piccin A, McCann S, Socie G, et al. Survival of patients with documented autologous recovery after SCT for severe aplastic anemia: a study by the WPSAA of the EBMT. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2010;45:1008–13.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Gupta V, Eapen M, Brazauskas R, et al. Impact of age on outcomes after transplantation for acquired aplastic anemia using HLA-identical sibling donors. Haematologica. 2010;95:2119–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. •• Marsh JCW, Ball SE, Cavenagh J, et al. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of aplastic anaemia (Review). Br J Haematol. 2009;147:43–70. This review paper sets the guidelines for the current treatment approach to patients with aplastic anemia.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Kahl C, Leisenring W, Deeg HJ, et al. Cyclophosphamide and antithymocyte globulin as a conditioning regimen for allogeneic marrow transplantation in patients with aplastic anaemia: a long-term follow-up. Br J Haematol. 2005;130:747–51.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. • Marsh JC, Gupta V, Lim Z, et al. Alemtuzumab with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide reduces chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation for acquired aplastic anemia. Blood. 2011;118:2351–7. This paper describes the current experience with a novel conditioning regimen that incorporates alemtuzumab resulting in an excellent overall survival and a significantly lower incidence of GVHD.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. • Bacigalupo A, Socié G, Schrezenmeier H, et al. Bone marrow versus peripheral blood sibling transplants in acquired aplastic anemia: survival advantage for marrow in all age groups. Haematologica. 2012;97:1142–8. This study is the most recent in a series of papers establishing bone marrow as the preferred graft source over peripheral blood in patients undergoing HCT for aplastic anemia.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Hows J, Stone JV, Camitta BM. Alternative donor bone marrow transplantation for severe acquired aplastic anemia. In: Schrezenmeier H, Bacigalupo A, editors. Aplastic Anemia: Pathophysiology and Treatment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1999. p. 258–74.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  19. Bacigalupo A. Socie' G, Lanino E, et al. Fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, antithymocyte globulin, with or without low dose total body irradiation, for alternative donor transplants, in acquired severe aplastic anemia: a retrospective study from the EBMT-SAA Working Party. Haematologica. 2010;95:976–82.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. • Kim H, Kim BS, Kim DH, et al. Comparison between matched related and alternative donors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells transplanted into adult patients with acquired aplastic anemia: multivariate and propensity score-matched analysis. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2011;17:1289–98. When controlling for various factors by the use of a matched-pair analysis, the results of this study suggest that outcomes are similar in patients who have a matched donor whether they are related or unrelated.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Peffault de Latour R, Purtill D, Ruggeri A, et al. Influence of nucleated cell dose on overall survival of unrelated cord blood transplantation for patients with severe acquired aplastic anemia: a study by eurocord and the aplastic anemia working party of the European group for blood and marrow transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2011;17:78–85.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Gormley NJ, Wilder J, Khuu H, et al. Co-infusion of allogeneic cord blood with haploidentical CD34+ cells improved transplant outcome for patients with severe aplastic anemia undergoing cord blood transplantation. Blood. 2011;118:654.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Greenberg P, Cox C, LeBeau MM, et al. International scoring system for evaluating prognosis in myelodysplastic syndromes. Blood. 1997;89:2079–88 [erratum appears in Blood 1998 Feb 1;91(3):1100].

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Cutler CS, Lee SJ, Greenberg P, et al. A decision analysis of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for the myelodysplastic syndromes: delayed transplantation for low-risk myelodysplasia is associated with improved outcome. Blood. 2004;104:579–85.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Sole F, Luno E, Sanzo C, et al. Identification of novel cytogenetic markers with prognostic significance in a series of 968 patients with primary myelodysplastic syndromes. Haematologica. 2005;90:1168–78.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Schanz J, Steidl C, Fonatsch C, et al. Coalesced multicentric analysis of 2,351 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes indicates an underestimation of poor-risk cytogenetics of myelodysplastic syndromes in the international prognostic scoring system. J Clin Oncol. 2011;29:1963–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. •• Schanz J, Tuchler H, Sole F, et al. New comprehensive cytogenetic scoring system for primary myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and oligoblastic acute myeloid leukemia after MDS derived from an international database merge. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30:820–9. This paper describes the novel cytogenetic classification system for MDS that will be incorporated into the revised IPSS. It summarizes the prognostic value of the most commonly seen cytogenetic abnormalities seen in MDS.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. • Gooley TA, Chien JW, Pergam SA, et al. Reduced mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplantation. N Engl J Med. 2010;363:2091–101. This paper describes the improvement in post-transplant outcomes over time and identifies contributing factors to that improvement.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Sorror ML, Sandmaier BM, Storer BE, et al. Long-term outcomes among older patients following nonmyeloablative conditioning and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for advanced hematologic malignancies. JAMA. 2011;306:1874–83.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Martino R, Iacobelli S, Brand R, et al. Retrospective comparison of reduced-intensity conditioning and conventional high-dose conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using HLA-identical sibling donors in myelodysplastic syndromes. Blood. 2006;108:836–46.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. •• Lim Z, Brand R, Martino R, et al. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation for patients 50 years or older with myelodysplastic syndromes or secondary acute myeloid leukemia. J Clin Oncol. 2010;28:405–11. This study analyzed the results of a large number of patients who underwent HCT for MDS. It compares the outcomes of patients who undergo high intensity versus reduced intensity conditioning regimens, and notes the heavy influence of pre-transplant disease burden on post-transplant outcomes.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Scott BL, Storer B, Loken M, et al. Pretransplantation induction chemotherapy and posttransplantation relapse in patients with advanced myelodysplastic syndrome. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2005;11:65–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Yakoub-Agha I, de La Salmonière P, Ribaud P, et al. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for therapy-related myelodsyplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia: a long-term study of 70 patients-report of the French Society of bone marrow transplantation. J Clin Oncol. 2000;18:963–71.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Nakai K, Kanda Y, Fukuhara S, et al. Value of chemotherapy before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from an HLA-identical sibling donor for myelodysplastic syndrome. Leukemia. 2005;19:396–401.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Estey E, de Lima M, Tibes R, et al. Prospective feasibility analysis of reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Blood. 2007;109:1395–400.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Lubbert M, Bertz H, Ruter B, et al. Non-intensive treatment with low-dose 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC) prior to allogeneic blood SCT of older MDS/AML patients. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2009;44:585–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Gerds AT, Gooley TA, Estey EH, et al. Pre-transplant therapy with azacitidine verus induction chemotherapy and post-transplant outcome in patients with MDS. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2012;18:1211–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. • de Lima M, Giralt S, Thall PF, et al. Maintenance therapy with low-dose azacitidine after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for recurrent acute myelogenous leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome: a dose and schedule finding study. Cancer. 2010;116:5420–31. This paper describes the use of azacitidine in a prophylactic strategy after transplantation in order to reduce post-transplant relapse in a group of high-risk patients with MDS or AML.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Platzbecker U, Wermke M, Radke J, et al. Azacitidine for treatment of imminent relapse in MDS or AML patients after allogeneic HSCT: results of the RELAZA trial. Leukemia. 2012;26:381–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Choi J, Ritchey J, Prior JL, et al. In vivo administration of hypomethylating agents mitigate graft-versus-host disease without sacrificing graft-versus-leukemia. Blood. 2010;116:129–39.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Dennis M, Goodyear O, Loke J, et al. Azacitidine induces expansion of regulatory T cells and tumour specific CD8+ T lymphocytes after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: A strategy for epigenetic manipulation of a graft-versus-leukemia response. Blood. 2011;118:324.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Schrezenmeier H, Passweg JR, Marsh JC, et al. Worse outcome and more chronic GVHD with peripheral blood progenitor cells than bone marrow in HLA-matched sibling donor transplants for young patients with severe acquired aplastic anemia. Blood. 2007;110:1397–400.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Chu R, Brazauskas R, Kan F, et al. Comparison of outcomes after transplantation of G-CSF stimulated bone marrow grafts versus bone marrow or peripheral blood grafts from HLA-matched sibling donors for patients with severe aplastic anemia. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2011;17:1018–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Eapen M, Le Rademacher J, Antin JH, et al. Effect of stem cell source on outcomes after unrelated donor transplantation in severe aplastic anemia. Blood. 2011;118:2618–21.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Helen Crawford and Bonnie Larson for help with manuscript preparation. The authors are grateful for research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, grants HL084054, HL36444, CA18029, CA15704, HL088021, and T32HL007093-37. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health nor its subsidiary institutes and centers.

Disclosure

A. Gerds: none. B. Scott: none.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bart L. Scott.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gerds, A.T., Scott, B.L. Last Marrow Standing: Bone Marrow Transplantation for Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Conditions. Curr Hematol Malig Rep 7, 292–299 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11899-012-0138-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11899-012-0138-x

Keywords

Navigation