Anemia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Anemia, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, diet, treatment, causes.

Cyclosporine therapy for acquired aplastic anemia: predictive factors for the response and long-term prognosis.

Yamazaki H, Sugimori C, Chuhjo T, Nakao S

Cellular Transplantation Biology, Division of Cancer Medicine, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan.

Although cyclosporine (CsA) is a key drug in the treatment of acquired aplastic anemia (AA), the role of single-agent therapy with CsA remains unclear. To determine the efficacy of CsA in the treatment of AA, we treated 38 AA patients with CsA alone and followed up the patients for 6 months to 16 years. Twenty patients (53%) achieved either a partial or complete remission within 1 year of starting CsA therapy. Thirteen (81%) of 16 patients who showed an increase in the reticulocyte count of >20 x 10(9)/L within 2 months achieved remission, whereas the response rate was only 32% in patients who failed to show such an increase in the reticulocyte count. The actuarial overall survival and failure-free survival rates at 5 years were 91% and 37%, respectively. These data indicate that CsA alone can achieve a sustained remission in approximately 40% of AA patients, with a low probability of inducing secondary clonal diseases. Given its low toxicity and because the effectiveness of CsA can be judged within 2 months of therapy, CsA may be the first drug of choice at outpatient clinics for AA patients not requiring transfusions.

Published 7 May 2007 in Int J Hematol, 85(3): 186-90.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Anemia Research Today. All Rights Reserved.