Immunosuppressive therapy (IST) with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine A (CsA) is the first-line therapy for acquired aplastic anemia (AA) in those not suitable for bone marrow transplant. Horse ATG (hATG) is preferred for this purpose, but its use is often impeded by shortages and costs. Being a rare disease, there is limited data on this therapy. This study aimed to evaluate this therapy in a large cohort of AA patients from western India. We retrospectively analyzed AA patients who received an indigenous preparation of hATG along with CsA as first-line treatment, between 2012 and 2015, at our center and evaluated the response, survival, and occurrence of adverse events. The response was further assessed separately for adults and children. During the period, 91 AA patients (4 non-severe, 57 severe and 30 very severe) were treated with IST. At 2 years, 23.5% adults and 39.1% children showed complete response and an overall of 68.1% cases became transfusion independent. More than half of the patients developed febrile neutropenia while roughly one sixth of the patients developed gum hypertrophy and/or hypertension. Two patients had clonal evolution. Mortality rate was calculated to be 31%; most common causes of death were infection and intracranial hemorrhage. The results of the study substantiate the effectiveness of IST in AA, using an inexpensive indigenous preparation of hATG along with CsA.
Keywords: Antilymphocyte serum; Antithymocyte globulin; Aplastic anemia; Immunosuppressive therapy.