Long-Term Results of the Immunosuppressive Treatment of Patients with Severe Acquired Aplastic Anemia: A Single Institution Study

In México, only few patients can afford adequate treatment for aplastic anemia. In a single institution 61 individuals with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) were identified; of these, 33 were followed for at least 3 months, 26 could be treated with immunosuppression (IS), 20 with antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporin A (ATG + CyA) and 6 with CyA, whereas 7 individuals were given only anabolic androgens. In the patients treated with IS a complete remission was achieved in 12 and a partial remission in 6, the overall response rate being 69%. The 5,729-day overall survival (SV) was 54%; it was superior for the patients who received both ATG and CyA (58 vs. 50%). These data contrast with those of the patients who were given only androgens: 14% SV at 5,510 days. Within the group of patients who received IS, one developed acute myelogenous leukemia, another paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and another a primary Sjögren’s syndrome-associated low-grade, B cell, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Two individuals who received IS were allografted from HLA-identical siblings and survived 70 and 413 days after the allograft. On the other hand, we also found that, for several reasons, mainly economic ones, only 41% of individuals with SAA finally benefited from the best immunosuppressive therapeutic approach. IS was a good therapeutic choice for some patients with SAA, clearly better than androgen treatment.