Veno-occlusive disease of the liver after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in children with hematologic malignancies: Incidence, onset time and risk factors

One hundred and forty children with hematologic malignancies undergoing allogeneic BMT were reviewed in order to clarify the incidence, onset time, and risk factors for veno-occlusive disease (VOD) of the liver. Thirty-eight patients (27.1%) developed VOD diagnosed according to the Seattle clinical criteria. Seventeen patients developed VOD within 20 days of transplantation (early-onset) and in 21 patients developed after day 20 (late-onset) including eight patients with histological confirmation. Late-onset VOD occurred from day 21 to day 508 (median day 39). Moderate or severe VOD developed in 11 early-onset and 13 late-onset patients. Death occurred in eight early-onset and 10 late-onset patients. Serum albumin and cholinesterase levels prior to the start of pretransplant conditioning were significantly lower in early-onset VOD than in late-onset VOD. Multivariate analysis showed that low serum albumin levels (≤ 3.7 g/dl) prior to the start of pretransplant conditioning was most strongly associated with the development of VOD. Donor mismatch (other than HLA-matched relatives), use of minocycline, and a long interval (≤ 13 months) between diagnosis and BMT were also significantly associated with the development of VOD. In contrast, use of fosfomycin was associated with a decreased risk. Our data suggest that hepatic function reserve is important in the development and onset time of VOD. Veno-occlusive disease of the liver is a complication which may occur a long time after transplantation.