Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation as Therapy for Chronic Granulomatous Disease-Single Centre Experience

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is phagocytic cell metabolic disorder resulting in recurrent infections and granuloma formation. This paper reports the favourable outcome of allogeneic transplantation in six high-risk CGD patients. The following donors were used: HLA-matched, related (two) and unrelated (three), and HLA-mismatched, unrelated (one). One patient was transplanted twice using the same sibling donor because of graft rejection at 6 months after reduced-intensity conditioning transplant (fludarabine and melphalan). Myeloablative conditioning regimen consisted of busulphan and cyclophosphamide. Stem cell source was unmanipulated bone marrow containing: 5.2 (2.6-6.5) x 10(8) nucleated cells, 3.8 (2.0-8.0) x 10(6) CD34+ cells and 45 (27-64) x 10(6) CD3+ cells per kilogramme. Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine A and, for unrelated donors, short course of methotrexate and anti-T-lymphocyte globulin. Mean neutrophile and platelet engraftments were observed at day 22 (20-23) and day 20 (16-29), respectively. Pre-existing infections and inflammatory granulomas resolved. With the follow-up of 4-35 months (mean, 20 months), all patients are alive and well with full donor chimerism and normalized superoxide production.