Low transplant related mortality in older patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing autologous stem cell...

Patients over 60 years are frequently excluded from autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) programs due to a traditionally high rate of transplant-related mortality (TRM) in such indications. We evaluated the results of ASCT in a group of 49 patients >= 60 years of age [32 males, median age 63 years (range, 60 to 71)] autografted in our institution from January 1995 to December 2001.

There were 27 patients with multiple myeloma, 13 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 3 with acute myelogenous leukemia, 3 with chronic myelogenous leukemia and 3 with other hematological malignancies. The Karnofsky score was >= 80% in 47 cases. The median time from diagnosis to ASCT was 12 months (range, 5 to 61). Twenty-four patients were autografted in an early disease phase and 25 (51%) in an advanced phase. Peripheral blood stem cells were used in 46 patients (94%), bone marrow in one (2%) and bone marrow plus peripheral blood in two (4%). Forty-one patients received chemotherapy-only conditioning regimens, while only 8 patients received total body irradiation.

Engraftment occurred in all but one patient. The median times to achieve a sustained absolute neutrophil count > 0.5 x 10(9)/L and a sustained platelet count >20 x 10(9)/L were 13 (range, 10 to 35) and 13 days (range, 8 to 62), respectively. The actuarial 2-year overall survival was 67% [95% confidence interval (CI), 52-82%). Four patients died without progression due to central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage (n = 1), CNS toxicity (n = 1), fungal infection (n = 1) or toxoplasmosis (n = 1). One hundred-day and 1-year actuarial TRM were 4% (95% CI, 1-16%) and 8% (95% CI, 3-21%), respectively.

ASCT is a feasible procedure in selected elderly patients, with apparently similar rates of engraftment and TRM to those reported for younger patients.