Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr;56(4):890-899.
doi: 10.1038/s41409-020-01121-9. Epub 2020 Nov 17.

Efficacy of low dose antithymocyte globulin on overall survival, relapse rate, and infectious complications following allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for leukemia in children

Hyun Mi Kang #  1 , Seong Koo Kim #  1 , Jae Wook Lee  1 , Nack-Gyun Chung  1 , Bin Cho  2
Affiliations

Efficacy of low dose antithymocyte globulin on overall survival, relapse rate, and infectious complications following allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for leukemia in children

Hyun Mi Kang et al. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and anti-T lymphocyte globulin (ATLG) have been widely used to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), each with distinct properties and noninterchangeable doses. However, the optimal dose of ATG in children undergoing allo-PBSCT for leukemia has not yet been established. Therefore, the impact of ATG dose on overall survival (OS), relapse, GvHD, and infectious complications was investigated. Patients administered high dose (unrelated: 7.5 mg/kg, haploidentical: 10.0 mg/kg) and low dose (unrelated: 3.75 mg/kg, haploidentical: 5.0 mg/kg) ATG during two consecutive time periods were compared. There were 78 (39.8%) patients in the low dose group and 118 (60.2%) in the high dose group. OS was superior in the low dose group compared to the high dose group (P = 0.017), and relapse incidence was significantly lower in the low dose group (P = 0.022). Cumulative incidences of acute and chronic GvHD were similar between the groups (P = 0.095 and P = 0.672, respectively). Cytomegalovirus reactivation (70.3% vs. 51.3%, P = 0.007), Epstein-Barr virus reactivation (81.4% vs. 39.7%, P < 0.001), and invasive bacterial infections (12.7% vs. 0%, P = 0.001) post transplant were more frequent in the high dose group compared to the low dose group. Therefore, low dose ATG is more optimal in pediatric allo-PBSCT providing better OS while lowering the risk of relapse and infectious complications.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bacigalupo A. Antilymphocyte/thymocyte globulin for graft versus host disease prophylaxis: efficacy and side effects. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2005;35:225–31. - DOI
    1. Bacigalupo A, Lamparelli T, Barisione G, Bruzzi P, Guidi S, Alessandrino PE, et al. Thymoglobulin prevents chronic graft-versus-host disease, chronic lung dysfunction, and late transplant-related mortality: long-term follow-up of a randomized trial in patients undergoing unrelated donor transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2006;12:560–5. - DOI
    1. Finke J, Bethge WA, Schmoor C, Ottinger HD, Stelljes M, Zander AR, et al. Standard graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis with or without anti-T-cell globulin in haematopoietic cell transplantation from matched unrelated donors: a randomised, open-label, multicentre phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2009;10:855–64. - DOI
    1. Socie G, Schmoor C, Bethge WA, Ottinger HD, Stelljes M, Zander AR, et al. Chronic graft-versus-host disease: long-term results from a randomized trial on graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis with or without anti-T-cell globulin ATG-Fresenius. Blood. 2011;117:6375–82. - DOI
    1. Mohty M. Mechanisms of action of antithymocyte globulin: T-cell depletion and beyond. Leukemia. 2007;21:1387–94. - DOI

Substances

LinkOut - more resources