The use of eltrombopag in children and young adults with acquired aplastic anemia

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Abstract

The standard immunosuppressive therapy (IST) with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine in treatment of acquired aplastic anemia (AA) results to hematologic response in two thirds of patients, and approximately one third of the responding patients is relapsed. One third of patients have disease that is refractory to IST, with persistent severe cytopenia and a profound deficit in hematopoietic stem cells. In patients with refractory or recurrent disease, the use of alternative immunosuppressive drugs is possible, but the efficacy of the latter does not high. Recent studies have demonstrated the efficacy of eltrombopag in refractory aplastic anemia and in the first line of therapy in combination with IST. It has been shown eltrombopag not only restored the level of platelets, but was associated with multilineage clinical responses. In this study we analyzed the use of eltrombopag in 15 children and young adults with AA: 11 patients in refractory disease, one patient in relapse and three patients in the first line of therapy in combination with IST. The overall efficacy of treatment was 40% (6/15). The main adverse event was moderate and reversible increase of hepatic transaminases (3/15, 20%). A complete hematologic response was achieved in 3/15 patients (20%), and in 2 patients the response is continued after drug withdrawal. Eltrombopag is effective in patients with refractory AA, and it may be an alternative option in patients who do not have suitable donors for hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSCT). The first-line treatment with eltrombopag in combination with standard IST in our small group of patients also showed efficacy (60%) and safety.

About the authors

O. V. Goronkova

National Scientific and Practical Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology named after Dmitry Rogachev

Author for correspondence.
Email: goronkova@yandex.ru

MD. Department of hematopoiesis depressions, myeloid leukemias, rare and inherited diseases

Russia 117997, Moscow, Samory Mashela st., 1


+7 (495) 287-6570, ext. 5527

Russian Federation

I. Yu. Salimova

National Scientific and Practical Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology named after Dmitry Rogachev

Russian Federation

I. I. Kalinina

National Scientific and Practical Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology named after Dmitry Rogachev

Russian Federation

A. A. Maschan

National Scientific and Practical Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology named after Dmitry Rogachev
Department of Hematology, Oncology and radiotherapy Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov

Russian Federation

G. A. Novichkova

National Scientific and Practical Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology named after Dmitry Rogachev
Department of Hematology, Oncology and radiotherapy Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov

Russian Federation

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Copyright (c) 2017 Goronkova O.V., Salimova I.Y., Kalinina I.I., Maschan A.A., Novichkova G.A.

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