1. ¹Centro de Hematología y Medicina Interna de Puebla, Mexico
2. ²Laboratorios Clínicos de Puebla, Mexico
3. ³Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico
4. ⁴Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, Mexico

Correspondence: Professor GJ Ruiz-Argüelles, Centro de Hematología y Medicina Interna de Puebla, 8B Sur 3710, 72530 Puebla, PUE, México. E-mail: gruiz1@clinicaruiz.com

Received 29 June 2004; Accepted 7 October 2004; Published online 10 January 2005.

Abstract

Using the Mexican approach to conduct nonablative stem cell transplantation (NST), we have prospectively performed 58 allografts in individuals with various malignant and nonmalignant hematological diseases using sibling donors, either HLA identical (6/6) or compatible, with one mismatch (5/6). When comparing allografts obtained from HLA identical (n=40) or compatible (n=18) siblings, respectively, the overall median survival was found to be 33 vs 8 months (P<0.01), the 52-month survival was 47 vs 38% (P>0.2), the prevalence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) 57 vs 38%, that of chronic GVHD 25 vs 11% and the relapse rate 45 vs 55%. The two patients who failed to engraft were both 5/6 matches. Probably stemming from the low number of patients, and despite a trend toward worse results in patients allografted from HLA compatible (5/6) siblings, most differences in outcome were not significant. It seems that NST can be offered to individuals with either an HLA identical or a compatible sibling donor.