The outcome of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) post-allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is not improved by the addition of etoposide to the conditioning regimen.

Background: Relapse remains a concern for children with AML undergoing allogeneic SCT, so in an effort to reduce the risk of relapse in these patients, we intensified our pre-SCT preparation by adding etoposide to the standard busulfan and cyclophosphamide regimen.

Procedure: We retrospectively analyzed the collected data and compared the two groups; Group A (n = 18) included patients who received busulfan 16 mg/kg plus cyclophosphamide 200 mg/kg (Bu/Cy), and Group B (n = 48) included patients who received busulfan 12 mg/kg, cyclophosphamide 90 mg/kg in addition to etoposide 60 mg/kg (Bu/Cy/VP). The patients' characteristics were similar in the two groups.