Bone marrow transplantation for treatment of leukemia in children

BMT is a well-established treatment for children with ALL in second remission, ANLL in first and second remission and children with JCML and CML. Improvements in transplantation technology and supportive care have resulted in significant increases in the percentage of long-term survivors of allogeneic marrow transplantation. Newer strategies, such as partially matched donor, unrelated matched donor, and autologous transplants, are bineg pursued to overcome the histocompatability barrier. The development of more effective antileukemic cytoreductive chemotherapy and radiation therapy regimens and better methods of preventing GVHD are areas in which further improvements are necessary. Newer methods of marrow purging, such as the use of monoclonal antibodies linked to immunotoxins, already are being tested. In addition, the recent development of molecularly cloned hematopoietic growth factors, such as CSFGM, may make it possible to improve marrow recovery and hasten return of normal immunologic function, thereby increasing the overall safety of the transplant procedure. It is hoped that these innovations eventually will increase the overall applicability of BMT and its role in the treatment of leukemia.