Stem cell transplantation; Iranian experience

From March 1991 through 31st December 2007, 2042 patients underwent stem cell transplantation at the Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. These transplantations included 1405 allogeneic stem cell transplantation, 624 autologous stem cell transplantation, and 13 syngeneic stem cell transplantation. Stem cell transplantation was performed for various diseases including acute myelogenous leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic lymphoblastic leukemia, thalassemia major, sickle cell thalassemia, sickle cell disease, multiple myeloma, myelodysplasia, mucopolysaccharidosis, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, severe aplastic anemia, plasma cell leukemia, Niemann-Pick disease, Fanconi anemia, severe combine immunodeficiency, congenital neutropenia, leukocyte adhesion deficiencies, Chediak-Higashi syndrome, osteopetrosis, histiocytosis X, Hurler syndrome, amyloidosis, systemic sclerosis, breast cancer, Ewing's sarcoma, testicular cancer, germ cell tumors, neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, ovarian cancer, Wilms' tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, pancreatoblastoma, and multiple sclerosis. We had 105 cellular therapies for postmyocardial infarction, multiple sclerosis, cirrhosis, head of femur necrosis, and renal cell carcinoma. About 30 patients were retransplanted in this center. About 74.9% of the patients (1530 of 2042) remained alive between one to 168 months after stem cell transplantation. Nearly 25.1% (512 of 2042) of our patients died after stem cell transplantation. The causes of deaths were relapse, infections, hemorrhagic cystitis, graft versus host disease, and others.