Treating aplastic anemia (AA) with transplantation in a pediatric population is deemed relatively complicated, according to Régis Peffault de Latour, MD, PhD, of Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France. He states that in children with no siblings, the toxicity levels for transplantation of an unrelated match is low. He highlights how a lack of immunosuppression before transplantation could be beneficial for patients under the age of 20, as they will not experience prolonged neutropenia. Dr Peffault de Latour also mentions that for older patients suffering from AA, treatments such as cyclosporin are preferred over transplantation due to toxicity. He also explains research conducted worldwide, which is aiming to improve our knowledge regarding transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy for AA. This includes a trial combining eltrombopag with immunosuppressants, where results showed significantly higher response rates in patients than seen previously (NCT01623167). This interview took place at the 2018 European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) Annual Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal.
Advances in transplantation and drug treatments for idiopathic aplastic anemia
