Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in children: single institution experience from 1974 to 1992

At the Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki, Finland, bone marrow transplantations have been performed since 1974. Between 1974 and 1992, 62 children received allogeneic bone marrow grafts. Median patient age was 9.3 years. Thirty-two patients had ALL, 13 AML and 11 had severe aplastic anemia (SAA). Graft failure occurred in 4 of the 62 patients. The overall long-term survival rate was 47%. Relapse of leukemia was the most common cause of death, especially in patients with ALL transplanted in second or later remission. Deaths during the first 2 months after transplant have decreased with time. In a small country such as Finland, it is important to centralize the experience of allogeneic BMTs, particularly for pediatric patients.