Weiqing Zhang

Publications (2)6.3 Total impact

• Article: Platelet recovery before allogeneic stem cell transplantation predicts posttransplantation outcomes in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.

  Gheath Alatrash, Matteo Pelosini, Rima M Saliba, Ebru Koca, Gabriela Rondon, Borje S Andersson, Alexandre Chiattone, Weiqing Zhang, Sergio A Giralt, Amanda M Cernosek, Partow Kebriaei, Amin M Alousi, Uday R Popat, Chitra Hosing, Issa F Khouri, Richard E Champlin, Marcos J de Lima
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  ABSTRACT: Complete remission (CR) is the gold standard for assessing outcomes following chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). "CRp," a response criterion defined as fulfillment of all criteria for CR except platelet count recovery to ≥100 × 10(9)/L, is associated with inferior outcomes following chemotherapy. The prognostic importance of CRp before allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) remains unknown. We analyzed a cohort of AML (n = 334) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; n = 10) patients to determine the prognostic significance of achieving CR versus CRp before allo-SCT. At time of transplantation, 266 patients were in CR (CR1 and ≥CR2) and 78 in CRp (CR1p and ≥CR2p). Median follow-up was 38 months (3-131 months). Overall survival, progression-free survival, and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) were most favorable in patients transplanted in CR (CR1 or ≥CR2) compared with CRp (CR1p or ≥CR2p). Achieving CR is therefore associated with improved posttransplantation outcomes compared with achieving CRp and is a significant prognostic factor that needs to be considered when evaluating AML/MDS patients for clinical trials and allo-SCT.
  Biology of blood and marrow transplantation: journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation 05/2011; 17(12):1841-5. · 3.15 Impact Factor
• Article: Myeloablative reduced-toxicity i.v. busulfan-fludarabine and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant for patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome in the sixth through eighth decades of life.

  Gheath Alatrash, Marcos de Lima, Nelson Hamerschlak, Matteo Pelosini, Xuemei Wang, Lianchun Xiao, Fabio Kerbauy, Alexandre Chiattone, Gabriela Rondon, Muzaffar H Qazilbash, Sergio A Giralt, Leandro de Padua Silva, Chitra Hosing, Partow Kebriaei, Weiqing Zhang, Yago Nieto, Rima M Saliba, Richard E Champlin, Borje S Andersson
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  ABSTRACT: The optimal pretransplant regimen for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in patients ≥ 55 years of age remains to be determined. The myeloablative reduced-toxicity 4-day regimen i.v. busulfan (Bu) (130 mg/m(2)) and i.v. fludarabine (Flu) (40 mg/m(2)) is associated with low morbidity and mortality. We analyzed 79 patients ≥ 55 years of age (median, 58 years) with AML (n = 63) or MDS (n = 16) treated with i.v. Bu-Flu conditioning regimens between 2001 and 2009 (median follow-up, 24 months). The patients who received this regimen had a good performance status. The 2-year overall survival (OS) rates for patients in first complete remission (CR1), second CR (CR2), or refractory disease and for all patients at time of transplantation were 71%, 44%, 32%, and 46%, respectively; 2-year event-free survival (EFS) rates for patients in CR1, CR2, or refractory disease at time of transplantation and for all patients were 68%, 42%, 30%, and 44%, respectively. One-year transplant-related mortality (TRM) rates for patients who were in CR or who had active disease at the time of transplantation were 19% and 20%, respectively. Grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host (aGVHD) disease was diagnosed in 40% of the patients. Our results suggest that age alone should not be the primary reason for exclusion from receiving myeloablative reduced-toxicity conditioning with i.v. Bu-Flu preceding transplantation in patients with AML/MDS.
  Biology of blood and marrow transplantation: journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation 02/2011; 17(10):1490-6. · 3.15 Impact Factor