Several factors unique to Fanconi anemia (FA) limit the success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in this population. In this report, we describe a multi-center pilot study of five consecutive FA patients with high-risk features for transplant prepared with fludarabine, without radiation. Four patients engrafted quickly, experienced minimal toxicity and are well at 43-65 months post-transplant. One patient had a C-mismatched unrelated donor transplant and had unsustained engraftment. This fludarabine based regimen without radiation was safe and effective for four high-risk patients, suggesting that eliminating radiation should be further studied as an approach to HSCT in children with FA.
(c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.