View clinical trials related to Anemia, Aplastic.
Filter by:RATIONALE: Infection prophylaxis and management may help prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection caused by a stem cell transplant. PURPOSE:This clinical trial studies infection prophylaxis and management in treating cytomegalovirus infection in patients with hematologic malignancies previously treated with donor stem cell transplant.
Background: - Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) can lead to problems with bone marrow health and result in low blood cell counts, which require frequent transfusions. Standard treatment for SAA involves injections of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) plus cyclosporine (CsA). This regimen has been shown to improve the blood counts in about two-thirds of patients. However, the ATG/CsA regimen has the following limitations: (a) the disease can come back (relapse) in about one-third of patients who improve initially; and (b) in about 10% to 15% of cases, certain types of bone marrow cancer (such as myelodysplasia and leukemia) can develop (called evolution). Experience with other drugs in SAA such as cyclophosphamide suggests that similar response rates to ATG/CsA can be achieved with a lower risk of relapse and clonal evolution. However, cyclophosphamide was found to have significant side effects in SAA when investigated over 10 years ago due to increase risk of fungal infections. - Better antibiotic drugs against fungus have been developed and are widely used to treat patients who have low white blood cell counts and are at risk of developing infections. In SAA patients in particular, these newer antibiotics have had a large impact in preventing and treating fungus infections. Researchers are revisiting the use of cyclophosphamide in SAA treatment, and plan to give a lower dose of CsA in combination with the immune-suppressing drug cyclophosphamide, as well as antibiotics to protect against infections, as a possible treatment for the disease. Objectives: - To determine the safety and effectiveness of the combination of cyclophosphamide and cyclosporine in treating severe aplastic anemia that has not been treated with immunosuppressive therapy.
Background: - Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) can lead to problems with bone marrow health and result in low blood cell counts, which require frequent transfusions. Standard initial treatment for SAA involves injections of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) plus cyclosporine (CsA). Patients with SAA who do not respond to initial treatment with ATG (refractory) have a high risk of dying without additional treatment. In these cases, for those who do not have a matched bone marrow transplant donor there is no well-defined standard therapy. In our experience with patients who do not respond to horse ATG + CsA, only about one-third of patients who are re-treated with rabbit ATG + CsA improve. Experience with cyclophosphamide in the treatment of refractory severe aplastic anemia suggests that this drug is able to improve blood counts in about 50% of cases. However, the cyclophosphamide regimen has been associated with a significant infection risk (mostly caused by fungus) in studies conducted over 10 years ago due to the lowering of the white blood cell levels. - Better antibiotic drugs against fungus have been developed and are widely used to treat patients who have low white blood cell counts and are at risk of developing infections. In SAA patients in particular, these newer antibiotics have had a large impact in preventing and treating fungus infections. Researchers are revisiting the use of cyclophosphamide at lower doses to minimize its side effects given in combination with another immune suppressant, fludarabine. Objectives: - To determine the safety and effectiveness of the combination of fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide in treating severe aplastic anemia that has not responded to initial treatments.
This phase II trial is studying the safety and potential efficacy of infusing non-human leukocyte antigen matched ex vivo expanded cord blood progenitors with one or two unmanipulated umbilical cord blood units for transplantation following conditioning with fludarabine phosphate, cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation, and immunosuppression with cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil for patients with hematologic malignancies. Chemotherapy, such as fludarabine phosphate and cyclophosphamide, and total-body irradiation given before an umbilical cord blood transplant stops the growth of leukemia cells and works to prevent the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. The healthy stem cells from the donor's umbilical cord blood help the patient's bone marrow make new red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It may take several weeks for these new blood cells to grow. During that period of time, patients are at increased risk for bleeding and infection. Faster recovery of white blood cells may decrease the number and severity of infections. Studies have shown that counts recover more quickly when more cord blood cells are given with the transplant. We have developed a way of growing or "expanding" the number of cord blood cells in the lab so that there are more cells available for transplant. We are doing this study to find out whether or not giving these expanded cells along with one or two unexpanded cord blood units is safe and if use of expanded cells can decrease the time it takes for white blood cells to recover after transplant. We will study the time it takes for blood counts to recover, which of the two or three cord blood units makes up the patient's new blood system, and how quickly immune system cells return.
Rationale: Chemotherapy with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and anti-thymocyte globulin may induce the engraftment cross the immunologic barrier in the setting of HLA-haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. In addition, depletion CD3±CD19 cells may contribute to prevent developing severe acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) in haploidentical transplantation. Purpose: This phase I/II trial is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and antithymocyte globulin with CD3±CD19 depleted graft from haploidentical donors in treating patients with aplastic anemia.
The purpose of this study is to look at whether the combination of lower-dose chemotherapy with two chemotherapy (anti-cancer) drugs, called busulfan and melphalan, and an antibody medication called alemtuzumab (Campath®), can prevent rejection of donor blood stem cells so that those cells take hold and build a healthy new blood cell factory after transplant. The study will also look at the safety of the combination of drugs and of the transplant of peripheral blood stem cells from a healthy relative or an unrelated donor.
RATIONALE: Gathering information about how often methemoglobinemia occurs in young patients receiving dapsone for hematologic cancer or aplastic anemia may help doctors learn more about the disease and plan the best treatment. PURPOSE: This research study is looking at methemoglobinemia in young patients with hematologic cancer or aplastic anemia treated with dapsone.
This is a genetic disease (transmitted through the parents' genes) called Fanconi Anemia. Because of that genetic disease, the bone marrow has changed and now has failed, or has given rise to a preleukemia called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or leukemia (acute myelogenous leukemia or AML). Without treatment these complications of Fanconia anemia (FA) are fatal. The only treatment that can cure these complications is an allogeneic transplant of stem cells, meaning, giving the patient bone marrow cells from a healthy donor that can produce normal blood cells that will replace the bone marrow that is sick. What has been given for the treatment of FA in the past is to use a combination of low doses of radiation to the whole body (total body irradiation) and low doses of the chemotherapy drugs (cyclophosphamide and fludarabine) before the transplant. However, the use of radiation can, later on, increase the chances of getting a second cancer of the skin, head or the neck. These chances of a second cancer are higher than normal in patients with FA. The purpose of this study is to find out if the doctors can do the same thing with the same chemotherapy drugs used in the past. However physicians will use another chemotherapy drug called busulfan instead of the radiation. The goal of this study is to get rid of the short term and long term risks of the radiation. The first new part of this treatment will be to replace drugs for radiation with chemotherapy drugs.
The purpose of this study is to compare the effects (good and bad) of the medication basiliximab in combination with cyclosporine (investigational therapy) for the prevention of a complication of bone marrow transplantation known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). GVHD is a complication in which the cells of the transplanted bone marrow react against organs and tissues.
Background: - Severe plastic anemia can lead to problems with bone marrow platelet production and result in low blood platelet counts, which require frequent platelet transfusions to improve blood clotting. - A standard treatment for SAA involves injections of rabbit-antithymocyte globulin (r-ATG). r-ATG is developed by injecting horses with a type of human white blood cells called thymocytes. The horse's immune system reacts against these cells and makes antibodies that can destroy them. These antibodies are collected and purified to make r-ATG. Horses can also be used for this procedure to make horse-antithymocyte globulin (h-ATG). - h-ATG is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of aplastic anemia. h-ATG is a standard first-line method to treat aplastic anemia, but researchers do not know how effective it is in patients who were first treated unsuccessfully with r-ATG. Objectives: - To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of horse-ATG (with cyclosporine) in increasing blood counts and reducing the need for transfusions in aplastic anemia patients who have failed to respond to prior immunosuppressive treatment with rabbit-ATG and cyclosporine. Eligibility: - Patients 2 years of age and older who have consistently low blood platelet counts related to aplastic anemia that has not responded to conventional treatment with rabbit-ATG. Design: - After initial screening, medical history, and blood tests, patients will be admitted to the inpatient unit at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. Researchers will perform a skin test with h-ATG to check for allergic or other adverse reaction. - After the skin test, h-ATG will be given into a vein continuously over 4 days. - Cyclosporine will also be given to improve the response rate of ATG treatment. Treatment with cyclosporine will start the same day as the h-ATG, either in liquid or capsule form, and continued for 6 months. The dose of cyclosporine will be monitored and adjusted based on blood levels and signs of side effects in the kidney and liver. - To prevent or treat infections that may result from cyclosporine s effect on the immune system, patients will also take inhaled or capsule doses of pentamidine. - After the study is completed, patients will have followup evaluations every 3 months, 6 months, and annually for 5 years. Evaluations will include blood samples and periodic bone marrow biopsies.