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Published on: October 1, 2014
Prevention and treatment of veno-occlusive disease
1Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem NC 27157, USA. apegram@wfubmc.edu
Insights
Current options for preventing and treating veno-occlusive disease in bone marrow transplant patients are limited. Ursodiol shows promise for prevention, while defibrotide or glutamine plus vitamin E may aid treatment.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Transplantation Medicine
Background:
- Veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is a serious complication following bone marrow transplantation.
- Effective preventive and therapeutic strategies for VOD remain a significant clinical challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on the prevention and treatment of veno-occlusive disease in bone marrow transplant recipients.
- To identify promising agents based on current evidence.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE (1966-1999) using keywords 'veno-occlusive disease' and 'bone marrow transplantation'.
- Inclusion of relevant articles from reference lists.
- Evaluation of clinical trials, case-control studies, and case reports.
Main Results:
- Several agents, including heparin, ursodiol, and glutamine, have been investigated for VOD prevention, but no regimen is definitively established.
- Tissue plasminogen activator has been studied for treatment, but its safety and efficacy are not clear.
- Other potential treatments include defibrotide and glutamine with vitamin E.
Conclusions:
- Ursodiol is a promising agent for VOD prevention.
- Defibrotide or glutamine plus vitamin E show potential for VOD treatment.
- Further high-quality clinical trials are essential to define optimal VOD management in bone marrow transplant patients.
Objective:
To review the current options for prevention and treatment of veno-occlusive disease in bone marrow transplant patients.
Data Sources:
Articles were selected from a MEDLINE search (1966-October 1999) using the key terms veno-occlusive disease and bone marrow transplantation. In addition, references of all articles were examined for articles not found in the computer-based search.
Data Extraction:
All clinical trials, case-control studies, and case reports were evaluated.
Results:
Heparin, low-molecular-weight heparin, prostaglandin E1, ursodiol, and glutamine have been studied for prevention of veno-occlusive disease. Heparin has been studied most extensively; however, no preventive regimen has a defined role in therapy. For treatment, tissue plasminogen activator has been evaluated most thoroughly, yet its safety and efficacy have not been clearly established in patients with veno-occlusive disease. Other possible treatment options include antithrombin-III, defibrotide, glutamine plus vitamin E, and surgery.
Conclusions:
Based on the available data, the most promising agents are ursodiol for prevention and defibrotide or glutamineplus vitamin E for treatment of veno-occlusive disease. Further clinical trials are needed to establish the appropriate preventive and treatment options available for bone marrow transplant patients suffering from veno-occlusive disease. To date, such decisions depend largely on poorly designed trials, case reports, and clinical experience.
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