Predicting response to porcine antilymphocyte globulin plus cyclosporine A in children with acquired severe aplastic anemia

Background In severe aplastic anemia (SAA), predictive markers of response to immunosuppressive therapy (IST) of porcine antilymphocyte globulin (pALG) have not been well defined. We investigated whether clinical and laboratory findings before treatment could predict response in a pediatric cohort. Methods In this study, we included 70 newly diagnosed SAA children and treated them with pALG. The response rate was documented during follow-up. The log-rank test compared response rates between the potential predictive factors. Results The response rate was 57.1% at 24 months follow-up. In log-rank test, mild disease severity was the most significant predictive marker of better response ( P