Etanercept as a salvage treatment for refractory aplastic anemia |
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| Authors: | Carlo Dufour MD Raffaella Giacchino MD Pietro Ghezzi PhD Rossella Tonelli PhD Elisa Ferretti PhD A. Pitto PhD Vito Pistoia MD Tiziana Lanza PhD Johanna Svahn MD |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Haematology Unit, G.Gaslini Children's Hospital, Genova, Italy;2. Infectious Disease Unit, G.Gaslini Children's Hospital, Genova, Italy;3. Neuroimmunolgy Laboratory, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy;4. Oncology Laboratory, G.Gaslini Children's Hospital, Genova, Italy;5. Haematology and HCS Transplantation Unit, Ospedale San Martino, Genova, Italy |
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| Abstract: | About 10–15% of patients with acquired aplastic anemia (AAA) have resistant/recurrent disease not eligible for standard treatment like hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and/or combined immunosuppression. We report a 17‐year‐old male with an 11 years history of AAA who, after two courses of immunosuppression, was red cell transfusion‐dependent, severely thrombocytopenic, refractory to platelet transfusion, had iron overload and post‐transfusion HCV infection. This patient achieved transfusion independence from platelets and normalized Hb after treatment with the anti‐TNF agent Etanercept. Over a 12 months follow‐up he experienced only transient increase of liver transaminases. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;52:522–525. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. |
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| Keywords: | anti‐TNF complicated aplastic anemia HCV infection |
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