Second allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with reduced-intensity conditioning and donor changes in relapsed hematological malignancies after the first allogeneic transplant / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a second allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) with reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) in patients with hematological malignancies who had relapsed after the first allo-HSCT. Methods: Between April 2018 and June 2021, 44 patients with hematological malignancies (B-ALL 23, T-ALL/T-LBL 4, AML15, and MDS 2) were enrolled and retrospectively examined. Unrelated donors (n=12) or haploidentical donors (n=32) were used. Donors were replaced in all patients for the second allo-HSCT. Hematological and immunological germline predisposition genes and hematopoietic and immune function tests were used to select the best-related donor. Total body irradiation (TBI) /fludarabine (FLU) -based (n=38), busulfan (BU) /FLU-based (n=4), total marrow irradiation (TMI) /FLU-based (n=1), and BU/cladribine-based (n=1) were the RIC regimens used. For graft versus host disease (GVHD) prevention, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, short-term methotrexate, and ATG were used. Eighteen (40.9%) of 44 patients with gene variations for which targeted medications are available underwent post-transplant maintenance therapy. Results: The median age was 25 years old (range: 7-55). The median interval between the first and second HSCT was 19.5 months (range: 6-77). Before the second allo-HSCT, 33 (75%) of the patients were in complete remission (CR), whereas 11 (25%) were not. All patients had long-term engraftment. The grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ GVHD and severe acute GVHD rates were 20.5% and 9.1%, respectively. Chronic GVHD was found in 20.5% of limited patterns and 22.7% of severe patterns. CMV and EBV reactivation rates were 29.5% and 6.8%, respectively. Hemorrhage cystitis occurred in 15.9% of cases, grade Ⅰ or Ⅱ. The 1-yr disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and cumulative recurrence incidence (RI) rates of all patients were 72.5% (95% CI, 54.5%-84.3%), 80.6% (95% CI, 63.4%-90.3%), and 25.1% (95% CI, 13.7%-43.2%), respectively, with a median follow-up of 14 (2-39) months. There were eight deaths (seven relapses and one infection). The rate of non-relapse mortality (NRM) was only 2.3%. The CR patients' 1-yr RI rate was significantly lower than the NR patients (16.8% vs 48.1%, P=0.026). The DFS rate in CR patients was greater than in NR patients, although there was no statistical difference (79.9% vs 51.9%, P=0.072). Univariate analysis revealed that CR before the second allo-HSCT was an important prognostic factor. Conclusion: With our RIC regimens, donor change, and post-transplant maintenance therapy, the second allo-HSCT in relapsed hematological malignancies after the first allo-HSCT is a safe and effective treatment with high OS and DFS and low NRM and relapse rate. The most important factor influencing the prognosis of the second allo-HSCT is the patient's illness condition before the transplant.

Efficacy and prognostic factors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation treatment for T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To analyze the efficacy and prognostic factors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for treating T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL) . Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated 119 adolescent and adult patients with T-ALL/LBL from January 2006 to January 2020 at Peking University Third Hospital and Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Patients were divided into chemotherapy-only, chemotherapy followed by allo-HSCT, and chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) groups according to the consolidation regimen, and the 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates of each group were compared. Results: Among 113 patients with effective follow-up, 96 (84.9%) patients achieved overall response (ORR), with 79 (69.9%) having complete response (CR) and 17 (15.0%) having partial response (PR), until July 2022. The analysis of the 96 ORR population revealed that patients without transplantation demonstrated poorer outcomes compared with the allo-HSCT group (5-year OS: 11.4% vs 55.6%, P=0.001; 5-year PFS: 8.9% vs 54.2%, P<0.001). No difference was found in 5-year OS and 5-year PFS between the allo-HSCT and auto-HSCT groups (P=0.271, P=0.197). The same results were achieved in the CR population. Allo-HSCT got better 5-year OS (37.5% vs 0) for the 17 PR cases (P=0.064). Different donor sources did not affect 5-year OS, with sibling of 61.1% vs hap-haploidentical of 63.6% vs unrelated donor of 50.0% (P>0.05). No significant difference was found in the treatment response in the early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ETP) and non-ETP populations. The ETP group demonstrated lower 5-year OS compared with the non-ETP group in the chemotherapy alone group (0 vs 12.6%, P=0.045), whereas no significant difference was found between the ETP and non-ETP groups in the allo-HSCT group (75.0% vs 62.9%, P=0.852). Multivariate analysis revealed that high serum lactate dehydrogenase level, without transplantation, and no CR after chemotherapy induction were independently associated with inferior outcomes (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Allo-HSCT could be an effective consolidation therapy for adult and adolescent patients with T-ALL/LBL. Different donor sources did not affect survival. Allo-HSCT may overcome the adverse influence of ETP-ALL/LBL on OS.

Mismatched donor cell infusion-related syndrome following microtransplant in patients with acute myeloid leukemia / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Immunotherapies such as adoptive immune cell infusion and immune-modulating agents are widely used for cancer treatment, and the concomitant symptoms, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or immune-related adverse events (irAEs), are frequently reported. However, clinical manifestations induced by mismatched donor granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cell (GPBMC) infusion in patients receiving microtransplant (MST) have not yet been well depicted.@*METHODS@#We analyzed 88 cycles of mismatched GPBMC infusion in patients with acute myeloid leukemia receiving MST and 54 cycles of chemotherapy without GPBMC infusion as a comparison. Clinical symptoms and their correlation with clinical features, laboratory findings, and clinical response were explored.@*RESULTS@#Fever (58.0% [51/88]) and chills (43.2% [38/88]) were the significant early-onset symptoms after GPBMC infusion. Patients possessing less human leukocyte antigen-matching loci with the donor or those with unrelated donors experienced more chills (3 [2-5] loci vs. 5 [3-5] loci, P  = 0.043 and 66.7% [12/18] vs. 37.1% [26/70], P  = 0.024). On the other hand, those with decreased CD4 + /CD8 + T-cell ratio developed more fever (0.8 [0.7-1.2] vs. 1.4 [1.1-2.2], P  = 0.007). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that younger patients experienced more fever (odds ratio [OR] = 0.963, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.932-0.995, P  = 0.022), while patients with younger donors experienced more chills (OR = 0.915, 95% CI: 0.859-0.975, P  = 0.006). Elevated ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein levels in the absence of cytokine storm were observed following GPBMC infusion, which indicated mild and transient inflammatory response. Although no predictive value of infusion-related syndrome to leukemia burden change was found, the proportion of host pre-treatment activated T cells was positively correlated with leukemia control.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Mismatched GPBMC infusion in MST induced unique infusion-related symptoms and laboratory changes, which were associated with donor- or recipient-derived risk factors, with less safety and tolerance concerns than reported CRS or irAEs.

Better Failure-Free Survival and Graft-versus-Host Disease-Free/Failure Free Survival with Fludarabine-Based Conditioning in Stem Cell Transplantation for Aplastic Anemia in Children

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the outcome of stem cell transplantation (SCT), including overall survival (OS), failure-free survival (FFS) and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD)-free/failure-free survival (GFFS), and to analyze prognostic factors in children with aplastic anemia (AA).METHODS: From 1991 to 2018, 43 allogeneic SCT recipients were enrolled in the study to investigate the demographic characteristics, survival outcomes and prognostic factors.RESULTS: With the median follow-up of 7.1 years, the estimated 10-year OS, FFS, GFFS were 86.0%, 60.5%, and 51.2%, respectively. Matched related donors (MRD, n = 28) showed better 10-year OS than unrelated donors (n = 15) (96.4% vs. 66.7%; P = 0.006). Engraftment failure was seen in 13 patients (30.2%). Donor-type aplasia was seen in 13.8% (4/29) after fludarabine (Flu)-based conditioning (Flu-group), while in 42.6% (6/14) after cyclophosphamide (Cy)-based regimen (Cy-group) (P = 0.035). Six patients died. The 10-year OS in Cy-group was 92.9% (n = 14, all MRD), while that of Flu-group was 82.1% (n = 29; P = 0.367). But Flu-group tended to have better FFS and GFFS than Cy-group, although Flu-group had less MRDs (41.4% vs. 100%; P = 0.019), and higher proportion of previous immunosuppressive treatment (IST; 62% vs. 21.4%, P = 0.012). In MRD transplants, OS was similar between Flu-group (100%, n = 14) and Cy-group (92.9%, n = 14), while FFS (100.0% vs. 42.9%; P = 0.001) and GFFS (85.7% vs. 35.7%; P = 0.006) were significantly better in Flu-group. Stem cell sources, irradiation in the conditioning, and method of GvHD prophylaxis did not significantly influence the outcome.CONCLUSION: This study reviewed SCT outcomes for pediatric AA with changes of transplant strategies over the last 25 years. The FFS and GFFS were higher in Flu-group than in Cy-group, especially in matched related transplantation. Graft failure including donor-type aplasia remains troublesome even with Flu-based conditioning. Further refinement of transplant strategies to ensure better quality-of-life should be pursued.

Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation from HLA-mismatched unrelated donor or haploidentical donor for the treatment of X-linked agammaglobulinemia / 中国当代儿科杂志

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is currently the only curative option for patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA). In this study, patient 1 aged 4 years who underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (allo-PBSCT) from HLA-mismatched unrelated donor; patient 2 aged 24 years (childhood onset) with primary cutaneous acral CD8 T cell lymphoma who underwent allo-PBSCT from haploidentical relative donor. Both were treated by reduced toxicity myeloablative conditioning with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy), anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG), methotrexate (MTX) and cyclosporine (CsA) for graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. In patient 1, neutrophil and platelet engraftment were observed on day 11 post-transplantation; the donor chimerism dropped on day 90 post-transplantation, and recovered on day 150 with donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). In patient 2, neutrophil and platelet engraftment were observed on days 20 and 87 post-transplantation respectively, with complete donor chimerism on day 30 post-transplantation. The serum levels of IgG, IgM and IgA and the percentage of CD19 B cells in peripheral blood of patients 1 and 2 returned to normal within 2 months and more than 1 year after transplantation respectively. There was no evidence of acute GVHD for the two patients. Patient 1 developed a limited type of skin chronic GVHD after DLI, which disappeared after anti-GVHD treatment. This is the first report of successful treatment for two XLA patients using PTCy with allo-PBSCT from HLA-mismatched unrelated donor or haploidentical donor, combining with improved conditioning, which expands the pool of eligible donors for patients with XLA.

Research Advances on Clinical Application of Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in the Treatment of Hematological Diseases--Review / 中国实验血液学杂志

Abstract　　Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for patients who were lack of HLA match related or unrelated donors. Compared with bone marrow and mobilized peripheral blood, UCB has the advantages of easy availability, safety for donors, and low requirement for HLA match between donors and recipients. However, the cell amount in UCB is relatively less, which was associated with increased graft failure, delayed hematologic recovery, immune reconstitution, and higher transplant related mortality after UCB transplantation (UCBT). Double-unit UCB is a straightforward method to augment cell amount in UCB. Compared with single-unit UCBT, double-unit CBT associated with less risk of primary disease relapse and increased incidence rate of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), but the hematologic recovery and overall survival of recipients were no significantly difference between single and double-unit UCBT. Novel strategies for UCB expansion significantly increased the cell amount in UCB, single-unit expanded UCBT not only increased the sources of UCB, but also decreased the high cost of double-unit UCB. ATG can decrease the risk of graft failure and GVHD rate, but the role of ATG in UCBT is still controversial. Herein, the recent clinical advances on UCBT in the treatment of hematologic diseases are systematically reviewed.

Similar transplant outcomes between haploidentical and unrelated donors after reduced-intensity conditioning with busulfan, fludarabine, and anti-thymocyte globulin in patients with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome

BACKGROUND: Although T-cell-replete hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from haploidentical donors (HIDs) using anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) has shown promising outcomes, previous studies often adopted heterogenous graft sources and conditioning.METHODS: We retrospectively compared HCT outcomes from 62 HIDs, 36 partially-matched unrelated donors (PUDs), and 55 matched unrelated donors (MUDs) in patients with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome using the same graft source of peripheral blood and a reduced intensity conditioning of busulfan, fludarabine, and ATG.RESULTS: The estimates of 3-yr disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were not significantly different among the MUD, HID, and PUD groups, at 46%, “41%, and 36%” for the DFS rate (P=0.844), and 55%, 45%, and 45% for the OS rate (P=0.802), respectively. Cumulative incidence of relapse and non-relapse mortality at 3 yr was similar among different donor types. Subsequent multivariable analyses showed that the sex of the patient (male) and a high/very high disease risk index were independently associated with poorer DFS and OS, while the donor type was not.CONCLUSION: T-cell replete HCT from HIDs using an ATG-containing reduced intensity conditioning regimen may be a reasonable option in the absence of matched related donors in patients with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome.

High-resolution HLA-A typing in normal Iranian population

Background: Human leukocyte antigen [HLA] gene is a highly polymorphic region. HLA typing is required to match patients and donors for transplantation; therefore, development of HLA registries is necessary for finding HLA match donors. HLA system is highly informative, and numerous studies have been conducted on HLA allele distribution in different populations

Methods: In this study, 100 unrelated Iranian individuals were typed for HLA-A locus using sequence-based typing method. Samples were subjected to the PCR, followed by Sanger sequencing and software analysis

Results: A*02:01 [13%] and A*24:02 [12%] were the two most frequent alleles, while A*01:14, A*02:05, A*02:11, A*02:34, A*02:50, A*11:04, A*23:02, A*24:34, A*25:01, A*26:09, A*26:43, A*29:67, A*30:54, A*31:02, A*31:66, A*32:03, A*32:04, A*33:03, and A*66:15 alleles had the least frequencies [1%]

Conclusion: This is the first report of HLA-A allele level typing in a randomized population of Iran and can be useful for development of national registries of HLA-typed volunteer marrow donors and local cord blood banks

Outcome of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome / 임상소아혈액종양

BACKGROUND: Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is a very rare disease and patients who do not receive timely treatment suffer from bleeding, infection, and malignancy. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been recognized as an effective treatment, but the standard transplantation protocol has not been established. We report the outcomes of WAS patients who underwent HSCT in our institution. METHODS: We retrospectively studied patients who underwent HSCT at Seoul National University Children's Hospital from 2005 to 2018. Busulfan-based myeloablative conditioning regimen was used, and an intensive daily therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for busulfan dosing was started for effective myeloablation and to reduce toxicity since 2008. We collected and analyzed data regarding symptoms, engraftment, transplantation-related toxicities, and survival. RESULTS: Six WAS patients who received HSCT were evaluated. The median age of the patients at diagnosis was 5 years (range, 1–11). There were 2 matched unrelated donor bone marrow transplantations, 3 matched unrelated peripheral blood stem cell transplantations (PBSCT), and 1 haploidentical PBSCT. No patient experienced engraftment failure. Three patients developed grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Two patients had veno-occlusive disease (VOD). Two patients died (due to VOD and acute GVHD). The 5-year overall survival was 66.7% with 8 years of median follow-up. Particularly, a patient who underwent haploidentical PBSCT using targeted busulfan is alive with a follow-up duration of 3 years after HSCT. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, WAS patients may be cured with HSCT with targeted busulfan-based myeloablative conditioning. But, long-term and multi-center studies are needed.

Factors associated with pulmonary toxicity after myeloablative conditioning using fractionated total body irradiation

PURPOSE: Pulmonary toxicities, including infectious pneumonia (IP) and idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS), are serious side effects of total body irradiation (TBI) used for myeloablative conditioning. This study aimed to evaluate clinical factors associated with IP and IPS following TBI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent TBI before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation between 2005 and 2014 were reviewed. Most patients (91%) received 12 Gy in 1.5 Gy fractions twice a day. Pulmonary toxicities were diagnosed based on either radiographic evidence or reduced pulmonary function, and were subdivided into IP and IPS based on the presence or absence of concurrent infection. RESULTS: Pulmonary toxicities developed in 36 patients (62%); 16 (28%) had IP and 20 (34%) had IPS. IP was significantly associated with increased treatment-related mortality (p = 0.028) and decreased survival (p = 0.039). Multivariate analysis revealed that the risk of developing IPS was significantly higher in patients who received stem cells from a matched unrelated donor than from a matched sibling donor (p = 0.021; hazard ratio [HR] = 12.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46–110.30). Combining other conditioning agents with cyclophosphamide produced a higher tendency to develop IP (p = 0.064; HR = 6.19; 95% CI, 0.90–42.56). CONCLUSION: IP and IPS involve different risk factors and distinct pathogeneses that should be considered when planning treatments before and after TBI.

Factors associated with pulmonary toxicity after myeloablative conditioning using fractionated total body irradiation

PURPOSE: Pulmonary toxicities, including infectious pneumonia (IP) and idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS), are serious side effects of total body irradiation (TBI) used for myeloablative conditioning. This study aimed to evaluate clinical factors associated with IP and IPS following TBI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent TBI before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation between 2005 and 2014 were reviewed. Most patients (91%) received 12 Gy in 1.5 Gy fractions twice a day. Pulmonary toxicities were diagnosed based on either radiographic evidence or reduced pulmonary function, and were subdivided into IP and IPS based on the presence or absence of concurrent infection. RESULTS: Pulmonary toxicities developed in 36 patients (62%); 16 (28%) had IP and 20 (34%) had IPS. IP was significantly associated with increased treatment-related mortality (p = 0.028) and decreased survival (p = 0.039). Multivariate analysis revealed that the risk of developing IPS was significantly higher in patients who received stem cells from a matched unrelated donor than from a matched sibling donor (p = 0.021; hazard ratio [HR] = 12.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46–110.30). Combining other conditioning agents with cyclophosphamide produced a higher tendency to develop IP (p = 0.064; HR = 6.19; 95% CI, 0.90–42.56). CONCLUSION: IP and IPS involve different risk factors and distinct pathogeneses that should be considered when planning treatments before and after TBI.

Treatment and response of autoimmune cytopenia occurring after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in children

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune cytopenia (AIC) is a rare complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). In this study, we reviewed the diagnosis, treatment and response to therapy for pediatric patients with post-HCT AIC at our institution. METHODS: Of the 292 allogeneic HCTs performed from January, 2011 to December, 2015 at the Department of Pediatrics, The Catholic University of Korea, seven were complicated by post-HCT AIC, resulting in an incidence of 2.4%. RESULTS: All seven patients with post-HCT AIC had received unrelated donor transplant. Six of seven patients had a major donor-recipient blood type mismatch. The subtypes of AIC were as follows: immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) 2, autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) 2, Evans syndrome 3. Median time from HCT to AIC diagnosis was 3.6 months. All but one patient responded to first line therapy of steroid±intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), but none achieved complete response (CR) with this treatment. After a median duration of treatment of 15.3 months, two patients with ITP achieved CR and five had partial response (PR) of AIC. Five patients were treated with rituximab, resulting in the following response: 2 CR, 2 PR, 1 no response (NR). Median time to response to rituximab was 26 days from first infusion. All patients are alive without event. CONCLUSION: Post-HCT AIC is a rare complication that may not resolve despite prolonged therapy. Rapid initiation of second line agents including but not limited to B cell depleting treatment should be considered for those that fail to achieve CR with first line therapy.

Physicians' preferences and perceptions regarding donor selection in allogeneic stem cell transplantation in Korea when a matched domestic donor is not available

BACKGROUND: A number of alternative donor options exist for patients who fail to find domestic HLA-matched donors for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). We assessed physicians' perspectives on allo-HSCT donor selection when a matched domestic donor is not available. METHODS: We administered a questionnaire survey to 55 hematologists (response rate: 28%) who attended the annual spring conference of the Korean Society of Haematology in 2015. The questionnaire contained four clinical allo-HSCT scenarios and the respondents were asked to choose the most preferred donor among the given options. RESULTS: In all four scenarios, the hematologists preferred a matched international donor over partially mismatched unrelated domestic or haplo-matched family donors. The numbers of hematologists who chose a matched international donor (HLA 8/8) in cases of acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and aplastic anemia were 37 (67.3%), 41 (74.6%), 33 (60.0%), and 36 (65.5%), respectively. The important factors that affected donor selection included “expecting better clinical outcomes (40.5%)” and “lower risk of side effects (23.4%).” The majority of participants (80%) responded that allo-HSCT guidelines for donor selection customized for the Korean setting are necessary. CONCLUSION: Although hematologists still prefer perfectly matched foreign donors when a fully matched domestic allo-HSCT donor is not available, we confirmed that there was variation in their responses. For evidence-based clinical practice, it is necessary to provide further comparative clinical evidence on allo-HSCT from haplo-matched family donors and fully matched unrelated international donors.

Outcomes of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation by Donor Types in Children with Acute Myeloid Leukemia / 임상소아혈액종양

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who received stem cell transplantation from different donor groups. METHODS: This study included 37 pediatric AML patients who received allogeneic stem cell transplantation from March 1996 to December 2012 at Chonnam National University Hospital and Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital. The overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), cumulative incidence (CI) of graft versus host disease (GvHD), relapse and transplant-related mortality (TRM) were compared between different donor groups. RESULTS: Transplant donor groups included matched sibling donor (MSD, n=15), unrelated donor (URD=13), unrelated umbilical cord blood (UCB, n=7), or haploidentical donor (HD, n=2). Twenty-six patients survived with a median follow-up of 7.3 years. The 7-year EFS rates were 80.0±10.3% in MSD, 69.2±12.8% in URD and 57.1±18.7% in UCB, and 0% in HD, respectively (P=0.019). The CI of relapse at 5 years was 20.0%, 15.4%, 33.3%, 50%, respectively (P=0.721). The CI of TRM at 2 years was 0%, 15.4%, 16.7%, 50.0%, respectively in each donor group (P=0.017). The CI of grade II-IV acute and extensive chronic GvHD were higher in UCB (P=0.003, P=0.020, respectively). There were no significant differences in OS, EFS, and CI of TRM and relapse between allele-mismatched URD and UCB. CONCLUSION: Despite the limitation of small number of patients, the comparable outcome of pediatric AML patients transplanted from alternative donor with those transplanted from MSD are encouraging. Especially, if a matched donor is not available, allele-mismatched URD or UCB transplant may offer the advantage of prompt availability for patients who urgently require transplantation.

Outcomes of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation by Donor Types in Children with Acute Myeloid Leukemia / 임상소아혈액종양

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who received stem cell transplantation from different donor groups.METHODS: This study included 37 pediatric AML patients who received allogeneic stem cell transplantation from March 1996 to December 2012 at Chonnam National University Hospital and Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital. The overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), cumulative incidence (CI) of graft versus host disease (GvHD), relapse and transplant-related mortality (TRM) were compared between different donor groups.RESULTS: Transplant donor groups included matched sibling donor (MSD, n=15), unrelated donor (URD=13), unrelated umbilical cord blood (UCB, n=7), or haploidentical donor (HD, n=2). Twenty-six patients survived with a median follow-up of 7.3 years. The 7-year EFS rates were 80.0±10.3% in MSD, 69.2±12.8% in URD and 57.1±18.7% in UCB, and 0% in HD, respectively (P=0.019). The CI of relapse at 5 years was 20.0%, 15.4%, 33.3%, 50%, respectively (P=0.721). The CI of TRM at 2 years was 0%, 15.4%, 16.7%, 50.0%, respectively in each donor group (P=0.017). The CI of grade II-IV acute and extensive chronic GvHD were higher in UCB (P=0.003, P=0.020, respectively). There were no significant differences in OS, EFS, and CI of TRM and relapse between allele-mismatched URD and UCB.CONCLUSION: Despite the limitation of small number of patients, the comparable outcome of pediatric AML patients transplanted from alternative donor with those transplanted from MSD are encouraging. Especially, if a matched donor is not available, allele-mismatched URD or UCB transplant may offer the advantage of prompt availability for patients who urgently require transplantation.

HLA- haploidentical donor hematopoietic transplantation for severe aplastic anemia achieved comparable outcomes with HLA- unrelated donor transplantation / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy of HLA- haploidentical donor hematopoietic transplantation (Haplo- HSCT)for severe aplastic anemia (SAA)by compared with the same period of unrelated donor transplantation (UD- HSCT).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Of a cohort of 50 SAA patients between September 2012 and July 2014, 26 patients underwent UD- HSCT and 24 patients Haplo- HSCT.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>OS rate was 91.3% with a median follow-up of 9 (2-26)months. According to transplant type, there was no significant difference between UD- and Haplo-HSCT (96.1%vs 86.0%,P=0.30). 3 of 50 (6%)patients had primary engraft failure. Haplo- HSCT developed higher significantly incidence of Ⅱ- Ⅳ aGVHD (37.5%vs 3.83%,P=0.003)and cGVHD (37.5%vs 15.3%,P=0.030)than UD-HSCT. Haplo-HSCT also had significantly higher incidences of CMV viremia (78.2%vs 46.1%,P=0.005)and EBV viremia (43.1%vs 16.0%,P=0.040), respectively than UD-HSCT. But the incidences of hemorrhagic cystitis were similar between two transplant types (39.1%vs 23.0%,P=0.120).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study showed favorable outcome of Haplo-HSCT for SAA, which was comparable with UD-HSCT.</p>

Recent advances in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using ex vivo T cell-depleted graft in children and adolescents

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a curative treatment for children and adolescents with various malignant and non-malignant diseases. While human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling donor is the preferred choice, matched unrelated volunteer donor is another realistic option for successful HSCT. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to find a HLA-matched donor for patients requiring HSCT, leading to a considerable number of deaths of patients without undergoing transplantation. Alternatively, allogeneic HSCT from haploidentical family members could provide donors for virtually all patients who need HSCT. Although the early attempts at allogeneic HSCT from haploidentical family donor (HFD) were disappointing, recent advances in the effective ex vivo depletion of T cells or unmanipulated in vivo regulation of T cells, better supportive care, and optimal conditioning regimens have significantly improved the outcomes of haploidentical HSCT. The ex vivo techniques used to remove T cells have evolved from the selection of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cell progenitors to the depletion of CD3+ cells, and more recently to the depletion of αβ+ T cells. The recent emerging evidence for ex vivo T cell-depleted haploidentical HSCT has provided additional therapeutic options for pediatric patients with diseases curable by HSCT but has not found a suitable related or unrelated donor. This review discusses recent advances in haploidentical HSCT, focusing on transplant using ex vivo T cell-depleted grafts. In addition, our experiences with this novel approach for the treatment of pediatric patients with malignant and non-malignant diseases are described.

Unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the pediatric population: single institution experience

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been successfully used to treat the pediatric population with malignant and non-malignant hematological diseases. This paper reports the results up to 180 days after the procedure of all unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantations in pediatric patients that were performed in one institution.METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all under 18-year-old patients who received unrelated transplantations between 1995 and 2009. Data were analyzed using the log-rank test, Cox stepwise model, Kaplan-Meier method, Fine and Gray model and Fisher's exact test.RESULTS: This study included 118 patients (46.8%) who received bone marrow and 134 (53.2%) who received umbilical cord blood transplants. Engraftment occurred in 89.47% of the patients that received bone marrow and 65.83% of those that received umbilical cord blood (p-value < 0.001). Both neutrophil and platelet engraftments were faster in the bone marrow group. Acute graft-versus-host disease occurred in 48.6% of the patients without statistically significant differences between the two groups (p-value = 0.653). Chronic graft-versus-host disease occurred in 9.2% of the patients with a higher incidence in the bone marrow group (p-value = 0.007). Relapse occurred in 24% of the 96 patients with malignant disease with 2-year cumulative incidences of 45% in the bone marrow group and 25% in the umbilical cord blood group (p-value = 0.117). Five-year overall survival was 47%, with an average survival time of 1207 days, and no significant differences between the groups (p-value = 0.4666).CONCLUSION: Despite delayed engraftment in the umbilical cord blood group, graft-versus-host disease, relapse and survival were similar in both groups...

Favorable outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation followed by post-transplant treatment with imatinib in children with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the preferred curative therapy for children with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We evaluated the treatment outcomes of children with Ph+ ALL who underwent allogeneic HSCT. METHODS: Fifteen children diagnosed with Ph+ ALL in Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital between 1998 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Of 521 children diagnosed with ALL during the study period, 15 had a Philadelphia chromosome. Among these 15 patients, 13 attained complete remission (CR) following induction chemotherapy, and two died of intracerebral hemorrhage during leukapheresis and induction chemotherapy, respectively. Of the 13 patients who attained CR, 12 received allogeneic HSCT, mainly from unrelated donors. Of the 12 patients who received HSCT, one died of a transplant-related cause, one died of relapse after HSCT, and 10 remain in continuous CR. Of the 10 patients who remained in CR longer than six months after HSCT, seven received post-HSCT imatinib. For all 15 patients, the 5-year overall survival, event-free survival, and cumulative incidence of relapse were 60.0%, 48.6%, and 38.8%, respectively, with a median follow-up of 70 months. For the HSCT group, the 5-year overall survival, event-free survival, and cumulative incidence of relapse were 80.2%, 72.9%, and 29.3%, respectively, with a median follow-up of 100 months. CONCLUSION: Allogeneic HSCT cures a significant proportion of Ph+ ALL patients. Because the use of imatinib appears to be a promising approach, strategies that include tyrosine kinase inhibitors before and after HSCT require further evaluation.

Single center comparative analysis of hematopoietic cell transplantation from alternated donor in patients with hematologic malignancies / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>One of the truly revolutionary advances in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the increasingly successful use of alternative donors, as only 1/4 of patients who require an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant will have a HLA-matched sibling donor. Thereby, three alternative graft sources: umbilical cord blood (UCB), haploidentical (hi) related donor and mismatched unrelated donor hematopoietic cell transplantation (MMUDT) are available. This study was purposed to compare the characteristics of umbilical cord blood transplantation(UCBT), haplaidentical (hi) related donor hematopoieetic cell transplantation(hi-HSCT) and MMUDT.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical date of 93 patients with hematologic malignancies who received UCBT (n = 22), hi-HSCT (n = 42) and MMUDT (n = 29), and the days of hematopoietic reconstration and engraftment, rate of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), relapse rate, and overall survival (OS) were analysed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The median days of hematopoietic reconstitution (WBC>1.0×10(9)) among UCBT recipients were significantly longer than those among hi-HSCT/MMUDT recipients, (19 in UCBT, 12 in hi-HSCT and 12 in MMUDT)(P < 0.001), whereas the median days of full engraftment (STR >95%) among hi-HSCT recipients were longer than those among UCBT/MMUDT recipients (26 in hi-HSCT, 15 in UCBT and 20 in MMUDT, P = 0.028), the implant failure rate of UCBT recipients was higher than others (26% in UCBT, 5% in hi-HSCT, 3% in MUUDT)(P < 0.05). Multivarite analysis demonstrated no apparent differences in the rate of aGVHD (50% in UCBT,57.1% in hi-HSCT and 72.4% in MMUDT) (P = 0.498), and the rate of III-VI aGVHD also was no significant defference (27.3% in UCBT, 28.6% in hi-HSCT and 17.2% in MMUDT)(P = 0.543), the rate of chronic GVHD of UCBT recipients was lowered (19.0% in UCBT, 45.5% in hi-HSCT, 58.3% in MMUDT, P = 0.026). Overall survival at 2 years was 79.9% in UCBT, 80.9% in hi-HSCT and 88.0% in MUUDT (P = 0.097), and the TRM in 100 days was 23.8% in UCBT, 20.0% in hi-HSCT and 11.1% in MMUDT (P = 0.245) respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The UCBT is characterised by lowest rate of cGVHD, but its hematopoietic recostruction is slow; the hi-HSCT has more alternative donors for using in clinic and can achieve post-transplant adoptive cellular immunotherapy, but its TRM has been found to be higher; the first important problem for MMUDT is to decrease the higher incidence of aGVHD and cGVHD.</p>