Fanconi anemia: current management

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive chromosomal instability disorder, characterized by congenital anomalies, defective hematopoiesis and a high risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia and certain solid tumors. All racial and ethnic groups are at risk, and at least 11 complementation groups have been identified and the genes defective in eight of these have been identified (FANCA, C, D2, E, F, G, L and BRCA2). FA-A is the most common complementation group, accounting for approximately 65% of all affected individuals. The gold-standard screening test for FA is based on the characteristic hypersensitivity of FA cells to the crosslinking agents, such as mitomicin C or diepoxybutane. Recent progress has been made in identifying the genes bearing pathogenetically relevant mutations, but slower progress has been made in defining the precise functions of the proteins in normal cells, in part because that the proteins are multifunctional. Molecular studies have established that a common pathway exist, both between the FA proteins and other proteins involved in DNA repair such as NBS1, ATM, BRCA1 and BRCA2. Stem cell transplantation (SCT) is the only option for establishing normal hematopoiesis. To reduce undue toxicities due to inherent hypersensitivity, nonmyeloablative conditioning for transplants has been advocated. This review summarizes the general clinical and hematologic features and the current management of FA. Fanconi anemia (FA) is the commonest type of inherited bone marrow failure syndrome with the birth incidence of around three per million. The inheritance pattern is autosomal recessive with the estimated heterozygote frequency being one in 300 in Europe and the US.