QUEENSLAND researchers have made a breakthrough in the treatment of leukaemia patients undergoing bone marrow transplants, discovering a way to reduce the incidence of a potentially fatal complication.
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg announced QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital had made “significant gains” in reducing a complication associated with the transplant process known as graft versus host disease.
“(QIMR senior scientist) Professor Geoff Hill and his team have conducted clinical trials that could change the treatment worldwide for leukaemia patients undergoing bone marrow transplants,” Mr Springborg said.
“They have made significant gains in reducing the incidence of ‘acute graft versus host disease’ – a potentially fatal complication that can arise following stem cell treatments – by adding the drug Tocilizumab to the transplant medication regime.
“This drug inhibits the body’s response to trauma and its activation of the immune system.
“This means the therapy is safer and could be made available to more patients and improve their prognosis, which is a terrific outcome.”
Professor Hill said trials, conducted at the RWBH transplant unit, had resulted in a significant drop in cases of acute graft versus host disease.
“The incidence of acute GVHD was reduced from 50 per cent to 12 per cent in patients,” he said.
Another phase of the study is currently under way, which will be the final test before the addition of the drug Tocilizumab’s use in the treatment of acute GVHD is registered and adopted in clinical practice.