Evaluating the Safety and Effectiveness of Stem Cell Transplants from Unrelated Donors in Children with Sickle Cell Disease (The SCURT Study)

Evaluating the Safety and Effectiveness of Stem Cell Transplants from Unrelated Donors in Children with Sickle Cell Disease (The SCURT Study)

Issue:  Bone marrow transplantation has been used increasingly for the long-term treatment and cure of SCD.  However, side effects can occur as a result of the high doses of chemotherapy and other medications that are used to prepare the patient for transplant.  Is a conditioning regimen that uses lower doses of chemotherapy and medications effective and safer?

Participants:  Children with severe SCD, 3 to 16 years of age, who lack a sibling with the same tissue type to serve as their donor

Comparison:   transplant of stem cells, using either bone marrow or cord blood from an unrelated donor, following a lower-dose conditioning regimen (the experimental treatment)

versus

(no control group)

More information:  http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00745420