Umbilical cord blood transplantation from unrelated HLA-matched donor in an adult with severe aplastic anemia

A 23-year-old male suffering from severe aplastic anemia (SAA) weighing 60 kg was successfully treated by unrelated allo-CBSCT (cord blood stem cell transplantation). A six-loci HLA-identical umbilical cord blood (UCB) was infused after conditioning with low-dose cyclophosphamide (CTX) and antilymphocyte globulin (ALG). The prophylaxis of GVHD consisted of CsA and MTX. The infused cord blood provided 1.89 × 107 nucleated cells per kg, cd34-positive cells: 0.89%. neutrophils >0.5 × 109/l were reached 10 days after transplant, and platelets greater than 50.0 × 109/l at day 26. RBC and platelet transfusion independence were reached on days 15 and 18. The patient developed grade 1 skin GVHD 10 months after engraftment of the donor cells. Microsatellite DNA fingerprinting indicated a stable and persistent donor–recipient mixed chimerism, whilst the circulating red cells remain of host origin. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2000) 26, 1121–1123.