1. ¹UPRES EA3535, Pharmacology and New Treatments of Cancers, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
2. ²Department of Biostatistics, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
3. ³Department of Pediatrics, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
4. ⁴Department of Biology and Pathology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France

Correspondence: G Vassal, (gvassal@igr.fr)

Received 27 September 2006; Accepted 7 February 2007; Published online 28 March 2007.

Abstract

Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD) is a frequent complication during hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). A strong relationship has been demonstrated between busulfan exposure and HVOD for busulfan–cyclophosphamide and allogeneic HSCT in adults. Busulfan disposition after the first intake was studied in 77 children treated for solid malignancies with high-dose busulfan-containing regimens and autologous HSCT. Busulfan was combined with cyclophosphamide and melphalan (n=30), melphalan (n=27), and thiotepa (n=20). No relationship was observed between busulfan exposure and HVOD. In contrast, plasma ferritin at baseline was higher in patients with HVOD (750 ng/ml (20–3,110)) compared with those without HVOD (189 ng/ml (8–3,967), P=0.012). Multivariate analysis showed that a ferritin level exceeding 300 ng/ml was the only risk factor for HVOD with an odds ratio of 4.0 (confidence interval 95% (1.5–11.2), P=0.0071). A high ferritin level at baseline was explained by the diagnosis of neuroblastoma, related treatments and transfusions.