Autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation following heart transplantation for primary systemic amyloidosis

A 47 years old woman was admitted with severe congestive heart failure. Car diac echography showed increased intra-ventricular septum thickness, and th ere was a rerum Ig G lambda mono-clonal component. Cardiac biopsies confirm ed diffuse amyloidosis of Al type. To avoid car diac toxicity of chemothera py, the patient received first a heart transplantation (HT). followed six m onths later by melphalan 200 mg/m(2) and autologous peripheral blood stem c ell support (PBSCT). This. case suggests that such strategy is feasible wit h a favorable outcome, and HT may be an appropriate procedure for some pati ents with Al amyloidosis who meet the criteria for PBSCT.