Significance of busulfan administration route including therapeutic drug monitoring in the conditioning regimen of pediatric patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract Purpose Busulfan is an important myeloablative agent in various conditioning regimens prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in pediatric patients. This retrospective study compares three different routes of busulfan administration and their impact on transplantation-relate...

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Main Authors: Stephanie Hämmerle, Jana Ernst, Regula Steiner, Tayfun Güngör, Till Milde, Bernd Gruhn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-025-06179-w
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author Stephanie Hämmerle
Jana Ernst
Regula Steiner
Tayfun Güngör
Till Milde
Bernd Gruhn
author_facet Stephanie Hämmerle
Jana Ernst
Regula Steiner
Tayfun Güngör
Till Milde
Bernd Gruhn
author_sort Stephanie Hämmerle
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Purpose Busulfan is an important myeloablative agent in various conditioning regimens prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in pediatric patients. This retrospective study compares three different routes of busulfan administration and their impact on transplantation-related mortality (TRM) and overall survival (OS). Methods The study included 250 pediatric patients with malignant and non-malignant diseases who underwent HSCT at the Department of Pediatrics, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany. One hundred forty-eight patients received busulfan orally without therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) (group 1), 62 patients received busulfan intravenously (i.v.) without TDM (group 2) and 40 patients received busulfan i.v. with additional TDM (group 3). Results The TRM rate at 5 years after transplantation for all patients was 40.5% for group 1, 25.2% for group 2, and 8.4% for group 3 (p < 0.001). The TRM rate at 5 years after transplantation for patients with malignant diseases only was 40.3% for group 1 compared to 28.4% for group 2 and 15.3% for group 3 (p = 0.051). For patients with non-malignant diseases, group 1 showed a TRM rate of 43.8% compared to 15.4% in group 2 and 4.6% in group 3 (p = 0.009). In addition, the 5-year OS rate for all patients was 39.9% for group 1, 61.2% for group 2, and 83.9% for group 3 (p < 0.001). Regarding the OS of the groups for patients with only malignant or only non-malignant diseases, we obtained similar results with p-values of p = 0.017 and p = 0.007, respectively. The cumulative incidence of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) for patients with malignant diseases and a cumulative AUC > 85.0 mg/L x h was 55.6%, while patients with malignant diseases and a cumulative AUC < 85.0 mg/L x h showed a cumulative incidence of 11.1% (p = 0.038). Conclusion In this study, we demonstrate that patients with i.v. administration of busulfan with TDM had a significantly lower rate of TRM and a significantly improved OS compared to patients who received i.v. administration of busulfan without TDM, who, in turn, had a better outcome than patients with oral busulfan administration. Additionally, these data emphasize the clinical relevance of AUC measurements in patients with malignant diseases to prevent hepatic SOS.
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spelling doaj-art-e8536dcb4d424ef2b5d191118108a4052025-08-20T03:53:57ZengSpringerJournal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology1432-13352025-04-01151411010.1007/s00432-025-06179-wSignificance of busulfan administration route including therapeutic drug monitoring in the conditioning regimen of pediatric patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantationStephanie Hämmerle0Jana Ernst1Regula Steiner2Tayfun Güngör3Till Milde4Bernd Gruhn5Department of Pediatrics, Jena University HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, Jena University HospitalInstitute of Clinical Chemistry, University and University Hospital of ZurichDivision of Stem Cell Transplantation and Children’S Research Center, University Children’S Hospital Zurich, University of ZurichDepartment of Pediatrics, Jena University HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, Jena University HospitalAbstract Purpose Busulfan is an important myeloablative agent in various conditioning regimens prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in pediatric patients. This retrospective study compares three different routes of busulfan administration and their impact on transplantation-related mortality (TRM) and overall survival (OS). Methods The study included 250 pediatric patients with malignant and non-malignant diseases who underwent HSCT at the Department of Pediatrics, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany. One hundred forty-eight patients received busulfan orally without therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) (group 1), 62 patients received busulfan intravenously (i.v.) without TDM (group 2) and 40 patients received busulfan i.v. with additional TDM (group 3). Results The TRM rate at 5 years after transplantation for all patients was 40.5% for group 1, 25.2% for group 2, and 8.4% for group 3 (p < 0.001). The TRM rate at 5 years after transplantation for patients with malignant diseases only was 40.3% for group 1 compared to 28.4% for group 2 and 15.3% for group 3 (p = 0.051). For patients with non-malignant diseases, group 1 showed a TRM rate of 43.8% compared to 15.4% in group 2 and 4.6% in group 3 (p = 0.009). In addition, the 5-year OS rate for all patients was 39.9% for group 1, 61.2% for group 2, and 83.9% for group 3 (p < 0.001). Regarding the OS of the groups for patients with only malignant or only non-malignant diseases, we obtained similar results with p-values of p = 0.017 and p = 0.007, respectively. The cumulative incidence of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) for patients with malignant diseases and a cumulative AUC > 85.0 mg/L x h was 55.6%, while patients with malignant diseases and a cumulative AUC < 85.0 mg/L x h showed a cumulative incidence of 11.1% (p = 0.038). Conclusion In this study, we demonstrate that patients with i.v. administration of busulfan with TDM had a significantly lower rate of TRM and a significantly improved OS compared to patients who received i.v. administration of busulfan without TDM, who, in turn, had a better outcome than patients with oral busulfan administration. Additionally, these data emphasize the clinical relevance of AUC measurements in patients with malignant diseases to prevent hepatic SOS.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-025-06179-wBusulfanTherapeutic Drug MonitoringHematopoietic stem cell transplantationPediatricOverall survivalTransplantation-related mortality
spellingShingle Stephanie Hämmerle
Jana Ernst
Regula Steiner
Tayfun Güngör
Till Milde
Bernd Gruhn
Significance of busulfan administration route including therapeutic drug monitoring in the conditioning regimen of pediatric patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
Busulfan
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Pediatric
Overall survival
Transplantation-related mortality
title Significance of busulfan administration route including therapeutic drug monitoring in the conditioning regimen of pediatric patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
title_full Significance of busulfan administration route including therapeutic drug monitoring in the conditioning regimen of pediatric patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
title_fullStr Significance of busulfan administration route including therapeutic drug monitoring in the conditioning regimen of pediatric patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
title_full_unstemmed Significance of busulfan administration route including therapeutic drug monitoring in the conditioning regimen of pediatric patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
title_short Significance of busulfan administration route including therapeutic drug monitoring in the conditioning regimen of pediatric patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
title_sort significance of busulfan administration route including therapeutic drug monitoring in the conditioning regimen of pediatric patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
topic Busulfan
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Pediatric
Overall survival
Transplantation-related mortality
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-025-06179-w
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