Outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for children with acute myelogenous leukemia in second complete remission: Single center experience

We reviewed 26 consecutive patients with AML who were transplanted in second CR2 between 1994 and 2005. The most common conditioning regimen was CY and TBI. Median age at transplant was 8.9 yr (range 2.2-18.2). Nine patients received related donor, 16 patients received unrelated donors, and one patient received unrelated cord stem cells. Acute grade III-IV and chronic extensive GVHD occurred in eight (30%) and nine (35%) patients, respectively. Six patients (23%) relapsed, four of them died. Six patients (23%) died from TRM. Estimate of three-yr EFS was 0.53 (95% CI; 0.34-0.72). Including the two relapsed patients who were salvaged by DLI and second transplantation, three-yr OS was 0.61 (95% CI; 0.41-0.78) with a median follow-up of three and a half yr (range 1.5-11.2 yr). When entering remission, children with relapsed AML have a reasonable survival with HSCT, but relapse and TRM remain a concern.