View clinical trials related to Aplastic Anemia.
Filter by:Aplastic Anemia (AA) is an autoimmune hematologic stem cell disease mediated by activated T-lymphocytes that leads to pancytopenia. The disease related morbidity and mortality if left untreated can approach 90%. For over 30 years, anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) in combination with cyclosporine (CsA) remains the standard therapy. However, the treatment response with ATG is at best between 50-60% with a sizeable number of partial responses. Treatment with ATG is also associated with significant toxicity and high relapse rate that can be as high as 45%. Since the prognosis in refractory and relapsed AA remains poor, there is a need for less toxic novel immunosuppressive agents that can improve response rates and remission duration in refractory and relapsed AA. Alefacept is a human recombinant dimeric fusion protein composed of the terminal portion of leukocyte functioning antigen-3 (LFA3/CD58) and the Fc portion of human IgG1. It prevents co-stimulatory signals between antigen presenting cells and memory T cells by competitive inhibition of CD2 in T cells, induces selective apoptosis of CD4+ and CD8+ memory effector T cells by interaction between the Fc portion of IgG1 and the FcyIII in NK cells, and possibly direct ligation of CD2 molecules on T cells that subsequently result in the alteration in T cell agonist signaling. It has been used successfully in the treatment of other T cell mediated disorders particularly psoriasis and steroid refractory graft versus host disease (GVHD) with minimal side effects. In a case of liver transplant associated AA (similar to transfusion associated AA) which is fatal in most patients, Alefacept induced remission after patient did not respond to ATG and other immunosuppressants. The investigators hypothesize that the LFA3-CD2 co-stimulatory pathway play an important role in the immune pathogenesis of AA and treatment with Alefacept can help treat refractory/relapsed cases of AA.
The proposed research project will continue the application and development of a new method (biomagnetic susceptometry) that measures magnetic fields to determine how much iron is in the liver. The amount of iron in the liver is the best indicator of the amount of iron in the whole body. Measuring the amount of iron in the body is important because either too much (iron overload) or too little iron (iron deficiency) can be harmful. At present, the most reliable way to measure the amount of iron in the liver is to remove a sample of the liver by biopsy, either by surgery or by using a needle which pierces the skin and liver. Iron stored in the liver can be magnetized to a small degree when placed in a magnetic field. In patients with iron overload, the investigators previous studies have shown that magnetic measurements of liver iron in patients with iron overload are quantitatively equivalent to biochemical determinations on tissue obtained by biopsy. In the past the investigators have developed a device to measure the amount of magnetization, which was called a SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device) susceptometer. This device was validated and in use for over 20 years. The safety, ease, rapidity and comfort of magnetic measurements make frequent, serial studies technically feasible and practically acceptable to patients. The investigators have now developed a new susceptometer, which uses very similar technology to the SQUID, but the investigators believe is more accurate and precise. This study aims to validate this new instrument. The investigators will do prospective, serial studies of the diagnosis and management of patients with iron overload, including thalassemia major (Cooley's anemia), sickle cell disease, aplastic anemia, myelodysplasia, hereditary hemochromatosis, and other disorders. Funding Source - FDA OOPD.
RATIONALE: Immunosuppressive therapies, such as anti-thymocyte globulin and cyclosporine, may improve bone marrow function and increase blood cell counts. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving anti-thymocyte globulin together with cyclosporine as first-line therapy works in treating patients with severe aplastic anemia.
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.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from human umbilical cord/placenta at a dose of 1.0E+6 MSC/kg in subject for the therapy of severe aplastic anemia (SAA).
The purpose of this study is to reduce the regimen related toxicities and transplantation related mortality after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in adult acquired aplastic anemia (AA), the trials of reduced dose of Cy along with fludarabine and ATG were performed.11-21 The investigators preliminary data of randomized comparison of cyclophosphamide plus fludarabine versus cyclophosphamide alone in addition to anti-thymocyte globulin for the conditioning therapy in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for bone marrow failure syndrome supports reduced dose of Cy along with fludarabine and ATG. Conditioning regimen without Cy may reduce RRT because Cy-containing conditioning remains several RRT such as hemorrhagic cystitis, SOS and graft versus host disease (GvHD). Recently there were small trials of fludarabine and ATG (Flu-ATG) for the conditioning regimen of alloHSCT.22-24 These data raised the feasibility of fludarabine and ATG without Cy for patients with AA. This new conditioning regimen of Flu-ATG will be compared to standard regimen of Cy- ATG in a randomized controlled trial.
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.
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.