Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation - Blog Science Connections

ABMT in Burkitt's Lymphoma 255
Health Organization recommendations (37). Complications were defined as
early when observed before day 90 and as late when observed after day 90.
RESULTS
As shown in Figure 1 only nine patients who were in resistant relapse had
progressive disease at time of massive therapy. We observed only two PRs,
and all nine patients died before day 54 post-ABMT. In patients with sensitive
relapse (33,34) results were good, as expected, with an overall survival rate for
patients with no evidence of disease (NED) of 58% despite three therapyrelated
deaths in CR in this group (Fig 1). Median observation time for the
survivors is 565 days post-ABMT. All disease-related deaths were observed
before day 90. Only three patients were submitted to massive therapy when in
PR after initial induction therapy. All three are alive with NED at 960+, 1,235+,
and 1,955+ days post-ABMT. Fourteen patients were grafted in first CR either
because of a long delay to CR or for consolidation in those with initial CNS
involvement or L 3
leukemia. Of those, eight are alive with NED (57%),
including five of six with a long delay to CR but only two of seven with initial
CNS disease. The patient with L 3
leukemia relapsed on day 35 and died on
day 73 post-ABMT.
Twenty-eight patients were grafted either because they had isolated CNS
-I-r, = 3
1st PR 3/3
» 31 «
«0
30
20
Primary refractory and RR 0 %
n = 9
Figure 1. Disease-free survival (1980-1986) of 50 patients with Burkitt's lymphoma
according to status at autologous bone marrow transplantation (NED, no evidence of
disease; PR, partial remission; SR, sensitive relapse; CR, complete remission; RR,
resistant relapse).