Matched-related donor transplantation for sickle cell disease: report from the Center for International Blood and Transplant Research

Br J Haematol. 2007 Jun;137(5):479-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2007.06592.x. Epub 2007 Apr 24.

Abstract

We report outcomes after myeloablative haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling donors in 67 patients with sickle cell disease transplanted between 1989 and 2002. The most common indications for transplantation were stroke and recurrent vaso-occlusive crisis in 38% and 37% of patients respectively. The median age at transplantation was 10 years and 67% of patients had received >10 red blood cell transfusions before HCT. Twenty-seven percent of patients had a poor performance score at transplantation. Ninety-four percent received busulfan and cyclophosphamide-containing conditioning regimens and bone marrow was the predominant source of donor cells. Most patients achieved haematopoietic recovery and no deaths occurred during the early post-transplant period. Rates of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease were 10% and 22% respectively. Sixty-four of 67 patients are alive with 5-year probabilities of disease-free and overall survival of 85% and 97% respectively. Nine patients had graft failure with recovery of sickle erythropoiesis, eight of who had recurrent sickle-related events. This report confirms and extends earlier reports that HCT from HLA-matched related donors offers a very high survival rate, with few transplant-related complications and the elimination of sickle-related complications in the majority of patients who undergo this therapy.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Anemia, Sickle Cell / immunology
  • Anemia, Sickle Cell / mortality
  • Anemia, Sickle Cell / surgery*
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Graft vs Host Disease
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Histocompatibility Testing
  • Humans
  • Leukocyte Count
  • Neutrophils / immunology
  • Probability
  • Registries
  • Survival Rate
  • Transplantation Conditioning
  • Transplantation, Homologous