Characteristics of graft-versus-host disease occurring after alemtuzumab-containing allogeneic stem cell transplants: incidence, organ involvement, risk factors and survival.

T-cell depletion with alemtuzumab represents an effective form of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT); however, little is known regarding the impact of in vivo alemtuzumab on either the incidence or clinical characteristics of acute and chronic GVHD. We therefore studied 201 consecutive adult patients who received an alemtuzumab-based, reduced-intensity conditioned (RIC) allograft. With a median follow-up of 24 months, the cumulative incidence of classic acute and late acute (persistent, recurrent and late onset) GVHD grades II-IV (grades III-IV) was 34% (13%) and 20% (8%) respectively; the cumulative incidence of classic chronic GVHD and overlap syndrome were 4% and 7% respectively. A previous diagnosis of classic acute GVHD is a risk factor for chronic GVHD (hazard ratio 10·91, 95% confidence interval 2·35-50·63, P = 0·0023) while late onset acute GVHD is not a risk factor for later development of chronic GVHD. Unrelated donor transplant is a risk factor for the development of classic acute GVHD but not for late onset or chronic GVHD. In conclusion, this study describes a distinctive pattern of GVHD following alemtuzumab-RIC allografts, identifies the risk factors for GVHD development and provides prognostic information of patients with GVHD.

UK consensus statement on the use of plerixafor to facilitate autologous peripheral blood stem cell collection to support high-dose chemoradiotherapy for patients with malignancy.

Plerixafor is a CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR4) antagonist that mobilizes stem cells in the peripheral blood. It is indicated (in combination with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor [G-CSF]) to enhance the harvest of adequate quantities of cluster differentiation (CD) 34+ cells for autologous transplantation in patients with lymphoma or multiple myeloma whose cells mobilize poorly. Strategies for use include delayed re-mobilization after a failed mobilization attempt with G-CSF, and rescue or pre-emptive mobilization in patients in whom mobilization with G-CSF is likely to fail. Pre-emptive use has the advantage that it avoids the need to re-schedule the transplant procedure, with its attendant inconvenience, quality-of-life issues for the patient and cost of additional admissions to the transplant unit. UK experience from 2 major centers suggests that pre-emptive plerixafor is associated with an incremental drug cost of less than £2000 when averaged over all patients undergoing peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant. A CD34+ cell count of <15 µl-1 at the time of recovery after chemomobilization or after four days of G-CSF treatment, or an apheresis yield of <1 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg on the first day of apheresis, could be used to predict the need for pre-emptive plerixafor.

The role of extracorporeal photopheresis in the management of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, graft-versus-host disease and organ transplant rejection: a consensus statement update from the UK Photopheresis Society.

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) has been used for over 35 years in the treatment of erythrodermic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and over 20 years for chronic and acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and solid organ transplant rejection. ECP for CTCL and GvHD is available at specialised centres across the UK. The lack of prospective randomised trials in ECP led to the development of UK Consensus Statements for patient selection, treatment schedules, monitoring protocols and patient assessment criteria for ECP. The recent literature has been reviewed and considered when writing this update. Most notably, the national transition from the UVAR XTS® machine to the new CELLEX machine for ECP with dual access and a shorter treatment time has led to relevant changes in these schedules. This consensus statement updates the previous statement from 2007 on the treatment of CTCL and GvHD with ECP using evidence based medicine and best medical practise and includes guidelines for both children and adults.