autologous blood and marrow transplantation - Blog Science ...

BMT
Hehimann et ai. 117
Diagnosis / Relapse
10 12
Partial remission M
Healthy
subjects
1 3
Hochhaus Cross Biernaux et al., 1995
et al., 1996 11
et al., 1993 12
Bose et al., 1998 14
Conventional
RT-PCR positive
'Optimized'
RT-PCR positive
RT-PCR negative 1
Figure 2. Detection of BCR-ABL transcripts by RT-PCR in cytogenetic IFN responders,
successfully transplanted patients and healthy subjects. The different detection level
shown in relation to the sensitivity of the assays.
treatment approaches with and without subsequent autografting and prospective
comparison with allogeneic BMT.
The German CML Study Group started randomized trials in 1983 and to date
has recruited more than 1850 CML patients for three consecutive randomized
studies. The first study, CML Study I, recruited patients from 1983 to 1991 and
compared survival after IFN, HU, and busulfan in a three-arm randomized trial.
The results have been published and show that IFN and HU were both superior to
busulfan, but that IFN was superior to HU only for low-risk patients. 13
' 9
second study (CML Study II) recruited patients from 1991 to 1994 and compares
the effects on survival of the combination of IFN and HU vs. HU monotherapy. 19
The study is up for final evaluation in 1999. In 1995, the third study (CML Study
III) was started which analyzes the following:
1. the long-term impact of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation vs. the
best available drug treatment on survival and
2. the survival outcome after intensification of treatment with idarubicin
and intermediate-dose Ara-C vs. IFN/HU/low-dose Ara-C standard
therapy.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Seven hundred fifty patients are to be recruited within 6 years.
0
The