Antithymocyte Globulin and Cyclosporine for Severe Aplastic Anemia

CONTEXT: In most patients, aplastic anemia results from T-cell-mediated immune destruction of bone marrow. Aplastic anemia can be effectively treated by stem cell transplantation or immunosuppression. OBJECTIVE: To assess long-term outcomes after immunosuppressive therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Cohort of 122 patients (31 were 18 years) with severe aplastic anemia, as determined by bone marrow cellularity and blood cell count criteria, were enrolled in a single-arm interventional research protocol from 1991 to 1998 at a federal government research hospital. INTERVENTIONS: A dose of 40 mg/kg per day of antithymocyte globulin administered for 4 days, 10 to 12 mg/kg per day of cyclosporine for 6 months (adjusted for blood levels), and a short course of corticosteroids (1 mg/d of methylprednisolone for about 2 weeks). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survival, improvement of pancytopenia and transfusion-independence, relapse, and evolution to other hematologic diseases. RESULTS: Response rates were 60% at 3 months after initiation of treatment, 61% at 6 months, and 58% at 1 year. The blood cell counts of patients who responded no longer satisfied severity criteria and they were transfusion-independent. Overall actuarial survival at 7 years was 55%. Survival was associated with early satisfaction of response criteria (86% vs 40% at 5 years; P50 x 10(3)/ microL predicted survival at 5 years of 90% 64/71 vs 42% 12/34 for patients with less robust recovery P<.001 by log-rank test). There were no deaths among responders more than 3 years after treatment. Relapse was common, but severe pancytopenia usually did not recur. Relapse did not influence survival. Thirteen patients showed evolution to other hematologic diseases, including monosomy 7. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of patients with severe aplastic anemia treated with antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporine have durable recovery and excellent long-term survival. These outcomes were related to the quality of hematologic recovery.