Incidence and treatment of hemorrhagic cystitis in children given hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a survey from the Italian association of pediatric hematology oncology-bone marrow transplantation group.

What Researchers Did

Researchers conducted a multicenter study to assess the incidence and treatment of hemorrhagic cystitis in 1218 paediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

What They Found

Of 1218 paediatric patients, 44 (3.6%) developed hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) a median of 23 days post-transplant, with a higher incidence in allogeneic HSCT recipients (P=0.0001). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly improved outcomes for grade II-III HC compared to prostaglandin therapy (P=0.02), and 37 patients (84%) recovered from HC. Age under 96 months and allogeneic HSCT were significantly associated with HC occurrence (P=0.008 and P=0.013, respectively), and 5-year survival was lower in patients who developed HC (43% vs 52%, P=0.03).

Canadian Relevance

This study was conducted in Italy and has no direct Canadian connection.

Study Limitations

As a survey study, it may be limited by its observational design and potential for confounding factors in assessing treatment efficacy.