Hepatotoxicity induced by horse ATG and reversed by rabbit ATG: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The use of antilymphocyte agents has improved patient and graft survival in hematopoietic stem cell and solid organ transplantation but has been associated with the development of short-term toxicities as well as long-term complications.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a young female with Fanconi anemia who received antithymocyte globulin as part of the conditioning regimen prior to her planned allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh. She developed sudden and severe hepatotoxicity after receiving the first dose of horse antithymocyte globulin, manifested by marked elevation of serum transaminases and mild elevation of serum bilirubin level. Immediately after withdrawal of the offending agent and shifting to the rabbit form of antithymocyte globulin, the gross liver dysfunction started to subside and the hepatic profile results returned to the pre-transplant levels few weeks later. The patient had her allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant as planned without any further hepatic complications. After having a successful allograft, she was discharged from the stem cell transplant unit. During her follow up at the outpatient clinic, the patient remained very well and no major complication was encountered.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Hepatotoxicity related to the utilization of antithymocyte globulin varies considerably in severity and may be transient or long standing. There may be individual or population based susceptibilities to the development of side effects and these adverse reactions may also vary with the choice of the agent used. Encountering adverse effects with one type of antithymocyte agents should not discourage clinicians from shifting to another type in situations where continuation of the drug is vital.</p

Long-term outcome of immunosuppressive therapy for Japanese patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes

To investigate the long-term usefulness of immunosuppressive therapy (IST) for Japanese patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, we retrospectively analyzed 29 MDS patients who were treated with cyclosporine A alone or with anti-thymocyte globulin at a single institute in Japan. A total of 58.6 % of patients showed hematological response to IST. Overall survival of all patients was 74.5 % at 5 years and 48.3 % at 10 years. The major adverse event was the elevation of creatinine level (grade 1 and 2). Eleven patients were still on IST at the time of analysis with, at least, some clinical benefits. Pneumonia was the most frequent cause of death (eight of 12 deaths), followed by bleeding (three of 12); most of the patients who died were non-responders. The presence of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria-type cells was significantly associated with both response to IST and long-term survival by univariate analysis. The 10-year overall survival of responders (72.2 %) was significantly superior to that of non-responders (15.6 %, P < 0.0001). These results suggest that IST using cyclosporine A provides long-term benefit for Japanese patients with lower-risk MDS