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BAVC regimen and autologous bone marrow transplantation for APL patients in second molecular remission: updated results

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 36, pages 83–84 (2005)Cite this article

Previous results from our group suggested that the BAVC regimen (BCNU, ARA-C, amsacrine, etoposide)1 followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) using PML–RARA-negative stem cells could induce a prolonged second molecular remission (CRm)2 in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). In that study, six of seven patients transplanted in CRm were disease-free, while all patients who were not in CRm at the time of transplant relapsed within 9 months. Although the number of patients was low, we felt that APL patients achieving second hematologic complete remission (CR), who were still PML–RARA-positive on PCR did not benefit from ABMT, whereas patients in second CR who were also in CRm could be potentially cured with ABMT.3, 4

Subsequently, nine more patients in second CRm underwent ABMT after the same salvage treatment used for the first seven patients. Detailed characteristics of these 16 patients are shown in Table 1. Five were male, the median age was 35 years (range, 9–61), and the median interval between second CRm and ABMT was 2 months (range, 1–5). The PML–RARA junction types were Bcr 1 in nine, Bcr 3 in six and Bcr 2 in one.

Table 1 Patient and treatment characteristics
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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology, Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Cellulari ed Ematologia, University ‘La Sapienza’, Via Benevento 6, Rome, 00161, Italy

    S Capria, R Latagliata, M Breccia, G Cimino, D Diverio & G Meloni

  2. Hematology, University ‘Campus Bio-Medico’, Rome, Italy

    G Avvisati

  3. Hematology, Regina Elena Institute, Rome, Italy

    M C Petti

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  1. S Capria
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  2. R Latagliata
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  3. G Avvisati
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  4. M Breccia
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  5. G Cimino
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  6. D Diverio
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  7. M C Petti
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  8. G Meloni
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Capria, S., Latagliata, R., Avvisati, G. et al. BAVC regimen and autologous bone marrow transplantation for APL patients in second molecular remission: updated results. Bone Marrow Transplant 36, 83–84 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704995

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