Comparison of Conventional Cyclophosphamide versus Fludarabine-Based Conditioning in High-Risk Aplastic Anemia Patients Undergoing Matched-Related Donor Transplantation

Allogeneic stem cell transplant for high-risk aplastic anemia (AA) yields inferior results using conventional cyclophosphamide (CY)-based conditioning. The use of fludarabine (Flu)-based regimens has resulted in improved outcomes in high-risk patients. Limited data are available comparing these two conditioning regimens in such patients. We retrospectively analyzed 192 high-risk patients undergoing matched-related donor transplantation from July 2001 to December 2018. The median age was 19.5 (2–52) years. Patients were divided into 2 groups, Cy(200) anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG)(20) (Gp1 n = 79) or Flu(120–150) Cy(120–160) ATG(20) (Gp2 n = 113). The risk of graft failure was significantly higher in Gp1, and the majority occurred in patients with >2 risk factors (p = 0.02). The incidence of grade II-IV acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) and chronic GVHD was not significantly different between the two groups. The overall survival (OS) of the study cohort was 81.3 %, disease-free survival (DFS) 76.6 % and GVHD-free relapse-free survival (GRFS) was 64.1%. DFS and GRFS were significantly higher in Gp2 as compared to Gp1: DFS 84.1% versus 68.4 % (p = 0.02), GRFS 77.9% versus 54.4% (p = 0.01), respectively. We conclude that Flu-based conditioning is associated with superior OS, DFS and GRFS as compared to the conventional Cy-based regimen in high-risk AA.