FK 506 in solid organ transplantation.

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders occurring under primary FK 506 immunosuppression.

POSlTRANSPLANT Iymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a well-recognized complication of immunosuppression. I Previous reports of patients immunosuppressed with cyclosporine (eyA) revealed a 1.7% incidence of PTLD in solid-organ transplant recipients and a strong association with the Epstein-Barr virus «EBV). ~ The use of FK 506 in clinical trials has resulted in improved patient and graft surviv...

FK 506 rescue in chronic graft-versus-host-disease after bone marrow transplantation.

CHRONIC graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is a debilitating and often fatal complication seen in 30% to 60% of patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT).' Its prognosis is poorer with advancing patient age, when it is extensive. if it appears progressively after acute GVHO, if total bilirubin is more than 1.2 mg/dL, or if the platelet count is less than lOO.OOO/mL. Convent...

Liver, kidney, and thoracic organ transplantation under FK 506.

The new immunosuppressive drug FK 506 was used from the outset with low doses of prednisone to treat 120 recipients of primary liver grafts and 20 more patients undergoing liver retransplantation. The patient survival rate after 2 to 8 months in the primary liver transplantation series is 93.3%, with original graft survival of 87.5%. Of the 20 patients in the hepatic retransplant series, 17 (85...

Selected topics on FK 506, with special references to rescue of extrahepatic whole organ grafts, transplantation of "forbidden organs," side effects, mechanisms, and practical pharmacokinetics.

FK 506 is a superior immunosuppressive agent that should improve the grafting of organs that already are part of our every day transplant practices, as well as those which are presently impractical. Immune intervention for serious autoimmune diseases also should be a more attractive option with this drug. Lessons are still being learned about dosage and what determines safe dose schedules. At a...

Correlation between bioassayed plasma levels of FK 506 and lymphocyte growth from liver transplant biopsies with histological evidence of rejection.

FK 506, a novel immunosuppressive agent, was first used to reverse rejection in liver recipients who had failed to respond to conventional therapy.' The successful outcome of the initial study has led to clinical trials of FK 506 as the primary immunosuppressive agent for liver allografts and other organ transplants. 2-4 Ongoing studies include dosage protocols for optimal immunosuppression wit...

FK 506 dosage in human organ transplantation.