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Rituximab-responsive Guillain–Barré syndrome following allogeneic hematopoietic SCT

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 42, pages 71–72 (2008)Cite this article

Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare complication of allogeneic hematopoietic SCT (allo-HSCT).1, 2 We describe the case of a patient who developed GBS after T-cell-depleted HSCT (TCD-HSCT) for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). EBV reactivation occurred concomitantly. Treatment with rituximab was associated with a marked improvement in motor function.

A 58-year-old man was diagnosed with MDS in May 2003. He was monitored without treatment for 2 years until he developed AML. Induction chemotherapy with idarubicin and cytosine arabinoside was complicated by persistent pancytopenia. Pre-transplant screening revealed that the patient was seropositive for EBV, while his HLA-identical brother donor was seronegative. In May 2006, he received a TCD-HSCT with conditioning comprised of busulfan, melphalan and fludarabine with rabbit antithymocyte globulin. The graft consisted of 13.4 × 106 CD34 cells/kg with 1.4 × 103 CD3 cells/kg. Neutrophil and megakaryocyte engraftment occurred on D+9 and D+14, respectively. No signs of GVHD occurred.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by The Marrow Foundation 1K04-01 (KCH) and National Institutes of Health Grant HL070053 (KCH).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA

    F Ostronoff

  2. Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    M-A Perales & K C Hsu

  3. Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    M D Stubblefield

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  1. F Ostronoff
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  2. M-A Perales
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  4. K C Hsu
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Correspondence to K C Hsu.

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Ostronoff, F., Perales, MA., Stubblefield, M. et al. Rituximab-responsive Guillain–Barré syndrome following allogeneic hematopoietic SCT. Bone Marrow Transplant 42, 71–72 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.81

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