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Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease following reduced-intensity cord blood transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 42, pages 559–561 (2008)Cite this article

Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension that is characterized histopathologically by intimal proliferation and fibrosis of the pulmonary venules and small veins leading to progressive vascular obstruction. PVOD carries a poor prognosis, with most reported patients experiencing progressive disease and death within 2 years of diagnosis.1

The etiology of PVOD remains unclear. It has been reported as an unusual complication of both myeloablative allogeneic and autologous transplantation, suggesting that it might be a regimen-related toxicity.2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Anecdotally, PVOD has also been reported following routine cytoreductive chemotherapy. Bleomycin, mitomycin and carmustine (BCNU) have been particularly implicated as potential etiologic agents.7 In addition, infection and autoimmune disorders have been suggested as potential causes of PVOD, but there are scant data to confirm these associations.8, 9 We report a case of PVOD following reduced-intensity cord blood transplantation (CBT).

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Denise Ziegler for her assistance in preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    J A Gutman, D K Madtes, J Schramm & C Delaney

  2. Divisions of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    J A Gutman, D K Madtes & C Delaney

  3. Division of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    C T Allen

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  1. J A Gutman
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  2. C T Allen
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Correspondence to J A Gutman.

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Gutman, J., Allen, C., Madtes, D. et al. Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease following reduced-intensity cord blood transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 42, 559–561 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.210

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