Simultaneous infusion of donor bone marrow at the time of lung transplantation significantly reduced the incidence of obliterative bronchiolitis, the telltale marker for chronic rejection that prevents air exchange in the lung's bronchioles, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center researchers have found. They presented their findings today at the 35th annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Between 1993 and 1997, UPMC surgeons gave 26 patients infusions of bone marrow at the time of their lung transplants and compared their outcomes with 13 patients who did not receive donor bone marrow. The recipients of the bone marrow did not undergo any radiation treatment, nor was the bone marrow modified in any way. To date, survival for both groups is at 69 percent, reported Si Pham, M.D., who led the UPMC study.
Results indicate the bone marrow infusion was safe.
GVHD is a complication that involves donor immune cells attacking recipient tissues. The cells specifically target, and essentially clog, the lung's bronchiole tissue. In the patients who did not receive bone marrow, the incidence of OB was 30.8 percent, compared to 4.7 percent in those patients who received the infusions. Obliterative bronchiolitis is often difficult to treat and can have deadly consequences, said Bartley Griffith, M.D., professor of surgery and chief, division of cardiothoracic surgery. Any question regarding a medical diagnosis, treatment, referral, drug availability or pricing should be directed to either a licensed physician or to the product's manufacturer.