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Conditioning

Dose-escalated treosulphan in combination with cyclophosphamide as a new preparative regimen for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with an increased risk for regimen-related complications

Summary:

Treosulphan has recently demonstrated antileukaemic activity and potent haematopoietic stem cell toxicity. Dose-escalated treosulphan (3 × 12 or 3 × 14 g/m2) combined with cyclophosphamide (Cy) was chosen for a new preparative regimen before allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in 18 patients (median age 44, range 19–64 years) with haematological malignancies, considered ineligible for other myeloablative preparative regimens. Pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated rapid treosulphan plasma clearance and a dose-dependent increase of its maximum plasma concentrations and area under the concentration–time curves. Rapid and sustained white blood cell and platelet recovery and full donor chimerism was attained in all evaluable patients. Nonhaematological regimen-related CTC grades 3–4 adverse events were transient and predominantly consisted of cardiac (28%), gastrointestinal (39%), and hepatic (39%) toxicities. The 1-year nonrelapse mortality was 22%. Principal causes of transplant-related lethal events were infections in three of four affected patients. Only one patient died from regimen-related cardiac toxicity. The 1-year relapse estimate is 22%, overall and progression-free survival estimates are 67 and 56%, respectively. In conclusion, this new treosulphan and Cy combination is an effective, comparatively well-tolerated myeloablative preparative regimen even in patients with an increased risk for regimen-related toxic complications.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the significant contribution of C Buchsteiner and C Peiske for data management.

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Correspondence to D W Beelen.

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Beelen, D., Trenschel, R., Casper, J. et al. Dose-escalated treosulphan in combination with cyclophosphamide as a new preparative regimen for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with an increased risk for regimen-related complications. Bone Marrow Transplant 35, 233–241 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704784

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