Bone marrow transplantation following busulfan and cyclophosphamide for acute myelogenous leukemia

Twenty-five consecutive patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) underwent 26 allogeneic bone marrow transplants at Hahnemann University Hospital. Marrow ablation for all patients consisted of busulfan 16 mg/kg and cyclophosphamide 120 mg/kg (BUCY2). Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine and methylprednisolone. Seventeen transplants were performed during first remission and the rest during subsequent remission or relapse. All patients engrafted and all but one achieved a complete remission (CR) following a short period of aplasia. Twenty-two of 25 patients are alive. All 17 patients with AML transplanted in first CR are alive and 15 of these patients are in sustained hematologic remission with an estimated 2-year disease free survival of 85%. The estimated 2-year disease free survival is 70% for all patients followed for a median of 622 days (range 134-1533). Acute GVHD of grades 2-4 occurred in 23% of these patients. Toxicities of the regimen including interstitial pneumonitis, veno-occlusive disease (VOD) and hemorrhagic cystitis were minimal. There were no treatment related deaths. These results demonstrate that BUCY2 should be considered as a preparative regimen for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for patients with AML in first remission.