A successful second unrelated BMT (UBMT) from a different unrelated donor to treat ALL that relapsed after the initial UBMT

Abstract

A 26-year-old male with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in its second complete remission received an unrelated bone marrow transplantation (UBMT) following cyclophosphamide plus total body irradiation conditioning. The patient relapsed 7 months after the BMT. He received a second UBMT from a different donor 15 months after the initial UBMT. Conditioning for the second UBMT consisted of busulphan, melphalan, and anti-thymocyte globulin. The regimen was well tolerated, and engraftment was achieved. Both acute and chronic graft-versus-host diseases occurred but were successfully controlled with immunosuppressive drugs. He is alive and disease-free 29 months after the second UBMT. This is the first report of a successful second UBMT for ALL that had relapsed after the first UBMT and for which a different donor was used.