Induction With Basiliximab Plus Thymoglobulin Is Effective and Safe in Old-for-Old Renal Transplantation: Six-Month Results of a Prospective Clinical Study

Old-for-old renal transplantation is becoming more frequent, but the optimal immunosuppressive regimens for this transplant population are still unclear. The aim of this pilot prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of basiliximab with a short course of low-dose thymoglobulin induction therapy among a group of patients receiving kidneys from donors >60 years (OLD), compared with those receiving organs from donors <60 years (YNG). Forty-six consecutive deceased donor kidney transplant patients received induction therapy with a combination of basiliximab (20 mg IV on days 0 and 4) and thymoglobulin (200 mg total dose IV on days 0-3). As maintenance immunosuppression starting on day 4, patients received a low dose of calcineurin inhibitor and steroids. Demographic characteristics at baseline were not significantly different between the 2 groups. At 6 months, patient survival, graft survival, and acute rejection rates were similar between the YNG and OLD groups: 100% and 95%, 96% and 95%, and 8% and 0%, respectively. Patients in the OLD group showed higher serum creatinine concentrations (YNG 1.5 +/- 0.3 vs OLD 1.9 +/- 0.3 mg/dL; P = .0002) but not proteinuria (YNG 0.11 +/- 0.11 vs OLD 0.15 +/- 0.14 g/24 h; P = ns). No significant difference was evident between the 2 groups regarding infectious, hematologic, or posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder complications. This study showed that a combination of basiliximab and a short course of low-dose thymoglobulin provided effective and safe immunosuppression, in old-for-old renal transplantation, with good renal function without an increased risk of posttransplantation infectious or hematologic complications.