Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for pediatric patients with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection: a retrospective analysis of a single center.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and clinical effect of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) for the treatment of pediatric patients with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV). METHODS: Children with CAEBV who did not have matched donors and underwent haplo-HSCT in Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, from October 2016 to June 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Data relating to the clinical manifestations, engraftment, and prognosis of the children were extracted from medical records. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients, including 16 males and 9 females, with an onset age of 5.0 ± 2.6 years and a transplantation age of 6.9 ± 2.9 years, were enrolled in this study. The mean time from diagnosis to transplantation was 3.8 (2.0-40.2) months. The mean observation time was 19.0 ± 12.0 months. Three patients received the reduced intensity conditioning regimen, and the remaining patients all received the modified myeloablative conditioning regimen. By the end of the follow-up, 23 patients were characterized by disease-free survival (DFS), 22 were characterized by event-free survival (EFS), and two died. One of the patients died of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), and another died of graft versus host disease (GVHD); this patient discontinued the treatment for economic reasons. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was estimated to be 92.0% ± 5.4%, and the 3-year EFS rate was estimated to be 87.4% ± 6.8%. All active patients survived after HSCT event-free. Acute GVHD degrees 1-3 were observed in ten patients (40.0%), and degree IV was observed in six (24.0%), who were all cured except for one patient. Chronic GVHD was observed in nine (36.0%), and most of these cases were mild. The incidence of TMA and veno-occlusive disease (VOD) was 28.0% and 4.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is safe and effective in the treatment of pediatric CAEBV and can be used as an alternative therapy without matched donors or emergency transplantation. Patients with active disease before HSCT also benefited from haplo-HSCT. Haplo-HSCT requires careful monitoring for complications, such as GVHD and TMA. Early detection of TMA and timely treatment can reduce mortality and can improve the survival rate.

Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for XIAP Deficiency: a Single-Center Report.

PURPOSE: X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) deficiency caused by mutations in the XIAP/BIRC4 gene is a rare inherited primary immunodeficiency also known as X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome type 2 (XLP2). Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is currently the only curative strategy available. However, few studies of haploidentical HSCT have been published regarding the outcomes in patients with this syndrome. METHODS: We evaluated the XIAP gene analysis and clinical characteristics of four Chinese patients with XIAP who underwent haploidentical HSCT. RESULTS: The mutations in the two of four patients had not yet been reported in the literature. All of the patients had recurrent hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis but did not have a good matched donor and underwent haploidentical HSCT at BCH in China between September 2016 and December 2018. All four patients received antithymocyte globulin with fludarabine-based regimens. Two patients underwent reduced intensity conditioning (RIC), and the other two received modified myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimens. Three of the four patients survived. Three patients experienced complications with mixed chimerism. One of the four patients who underwent RIC had early graft loss and then developed grade IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after donor lymphocyte infusion with bone marrow. The two patients who received MAC survived with no or mild GVHD, even though one of them developed hepatic veno-occlusive disease in the early stage of transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Haploidentical HSCT may be a treatment option for patients with XIAP deficiency who lack a good matched donor. More studies are needed to determine whether modified MAC with reduced toxicity is more suitable for haploidentical transplantation.

[Association between IL-10 Gene -592(C→A) (rs1800872) SNP and GVHD after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children].

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between IL-10 gene-592(C→A) (rs1800872) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and the graft versus host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in children. METHODS: Ninety-seven childhood patients and seventy-one donors in the Hematology Oncology Center of Beijing Children's Hospital from Jan 2011 to Jul 2017 were enrolled in this study. The genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells and the SNP genotype was analyzed using TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. RESULTS: In malignant patients with AA genotype, the incidence of Ⅱ-Ⅳ grade acute GVHD (aGVHD) was lower than that in patients with AC and CC genotype (9.1% vs 43.5%) (P＜0.01), and the gastrointestinal aGVHD rate was also lower (9.1% vs 39.1%) (P＜0.05). There's no significant association between patients' genotype and Ⅱ-Ⅳ grade aGVHD in total patients and non-malignant patients. Also, the genotype in patients did not corelate with chronic GVHD (cGVHD) and 1 year transplantation-related mortality (TRM). In cases who received HSCT of donors with AA genotype, the liver aGVHD rate was higher than that in cases who received HSCT of donors with AC and CC genotype (23.1% vs 0.0%) (P＜0.05), but the genotype in donors did not correlate with Ⅱ-Ⅳ grade aGVHD, cGVHD and 1 year TRM. CONCLUSION: AA genotype in the IL-10 gene-592 (C→A) (rs1800872) single nucleotide polymorphism in patients protects pediatric malignant patients against Ⅱ-Ⅳ grade aGVHD and gastrointestinal aGVHD after allo-HSCT. AA genotype in donors is a risk factor for liver aGVHD after allo-HSCT in non-malignant disease.

[Study on Immunophenotypes and Gene of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia--Review].

Transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) is one of the fatal complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(HSCT). The pathogenesis of TA-TMA has not been fully elucidated. The latest researches show that the abnormal activation of the complement system may lead to widespread endothelial injury which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Incontrotable hypertension, proteinuria, increase of soluble C5b-9 concentration and early pericardial effusion are the risk factors of TA-TMA . In this review, the latest advances of pathogenesis, early diagnosis, treatment and other aspects of the progress of TA-TMA are summarized, so as to provide new ideas to early diagnosis and treatment in TA-TMA.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for children with ß-thalassemia major: multicenter experience in China.

BACKGROUND: ß-Thalassemia major (ß-TM) has become a public health problem in mainland China. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has remained the only cure for ß-TM in mainland China since 1998. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study provides a comprehensive review of the outcomes of 50 pediatric patients with ß-TM who received HSCT between 1998 and 2009 at five centers in mainland China. Both related (n = 35) and unrelated donors (n = 15) with complete human leukocyte antigen matches were included. The stem cell sources included bone marrow (BM), peripheral blood stem cells, umbilical cord blood (UCB) and a combination of BM and UCB or a combination of BM and peripheral blood stem cells from a single sibling donor. RESULTS: The probabilities of 5-year overall survival (OS) and thalassemia-free survival (TFS) after the first HSCT were 83.1 and 67.3%, respectively. Graft failure (GF) occurred in 17 patients. Univariate analyses showed that umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) was one of the potential risk factors for decreased OS (P = 0.051), and that UCBT (P = 0.002) was potentially related to TFS. GF incidence was distinct between the UCBT and non-UCBT groups (P = 0.004). Four cases of UCB-BM combined transplantation led to decreased risks of mortality and recurrence. In the UCBT group, related donor transplantation produced more favorable results than unrelated donor transplantation in OS (P = 0.009) but not in TFS (P = 0.217). CONCLUSIONS: GF was the primary cause of UCBT failure. Though UCBT from related donors was not favorable, the combined transplantation of UCB and BM could improve the prognosis of UCBT.

Similar outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation from unrelated donor and umbilical cord blood vs. sibling donor for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia: Multicenter experience in China.

In a multicenter study, we have conducted a retrospective study on 73 pediatric AML patients who were primary refractory or in greater than CR1 and investigated MSD (or MMSD) (n = 20), URD (n = 23), and UCB (n = 30) HCT between January 1998 and October 2009. The median day to neutrophil engraftment was similar in all groups. The median day to platelet engraftment was longer in the UCB group. The number of HLA mismatch was higher in the UCB group (p = 0.034); however, the cumulative incidence of grade III-IV aGVHD was not different among all groups (p = 0.125); furthermore, cGVHD was lower in the UCB group (p = 0.078). The risk of relapse did not differ among all groups (RR = 1.28, p = 0.125), but the patients of MSD (or MMSD) grafts had a trend of higher risk recurrence. Sixty-two patients survived with a median follow-up of 58.2 months. Five-yr LFS was 73.1%, 59.8%, and 59.6% for URD, UCB, and MSD (or MMDS), respectively (p = 0.426). Five-yr LFS in CR1 was 68.9%, with a significantly better result compared to 41.7% in CR2 (p = 0.025). Our comparisons suggest that pediatric AML patients receiving UCB had a higher early TRM, a lower cGVHD rate, and a similar long-term survival. The outcome of URD and UCB is comparable to that of a suitable sibling for pediatric AML.

Infections during induction therapy of protocol CCLG-2008 in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a single-center experience with 256 cases in China.

BACKGROUND: Infections remain a major cause of therapy-associated morbidity and mortality in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical charts of 256 children treated for ALL under the CCLG-2008 protocol in Beijing Children's Hospital. RESULTS: There were 65 infectious complications in 50 patients during vincristine, daunorubicin, L-asparaginase and dexamethasone induction therapy, including microbiologically documented infections (n = 12; 18.5%), clinically documented infections (n = 23; 35.3%) and fever of unknown origin (n = 30; 46.2%). Neutropenia was present in 83.1% of the infectious episodes. In all, most infections occurred around the 15 th day of induction treatment (n = 28), and no patients died of infection-associated complications. CONCLUSIONS: The infections in this study was independent of treatment response, minimal residual diseases at the end of induction therapy, gender, immunophenotype, infection at first visit, risk stratification at diagnosis, unfavorable karyotypes at diagnosis and morphologic type. The infection rate of CCLG-2008 induction therapy is low, and the outcome of patients is favorable.

[Visual function of seven children with malignant osteopetrosis after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation].

OBJECTIVE: To detect long-term ocular alteration of children with malignant osteopetrosis after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS: Children diagnosed as osteopetrosis from 5 months to 31 months underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Computed tomography of optic canal, FVEP, ERG and fundus examination were applied to assess the visual function. RESULTS: Bone marrow transplantation was successful. Peripheral blood test, splenohepatomegalia and osteosclerosis improved gradually. The mean optic canal diameters of right eyes before transplantation was (1.7 ± 0.4)mm. The mean optic canal diameters of right eyes was (3.2 ± 0.7)mm after transplantation. The mean optic canal diameters of left eyes before transplantation was (1.9 ± 0.5)mm . The mean optic canal diameters of left eyes was (3.1 ± 0.8)mm after transplantation. The difference between above two groups was statistically significant(t = -5.204, -4.211;P < 0.05). P2 latency period of FVEP prolonged in 7 cases before transplantation. Mean P2 latency period of FVEP decreased 21.13 ms in 5 cases after transplantation. Mean P2 latency period of FVEP prolonged 22.25 ms in 2 cases after transplantation. Under light adaptation and dark adaptation, ERG amplitude depressed obviously in 2 cases. Two cases with optic nerve atrophy did not change after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an effective way to deal with malignant osteopetrosis. Successful transplantation has been shown to arrest visual deterioration in some cases.

[Allogeneic stem cell transplantation for 8 patients with malignant infantile osteopetrosis in China].

OBJECTIVE: Osteopetrosis is a rare genetic disorder and the malignant infantile osteopetrosis (MIOP) is the worst subtype of this disease. Seventy percent of patients die in six years of life without proper treatment. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) offers the only chance of cure for MIOP. METHOD: Retrospective analysis was performed on 8 patients with MIOP who underwent HSCT in Beijing Children's Hospital during the period from 2006 to 2011. RESULT: Eight cases (4 male and 4 female, mean age at HSCT 13.5 months) were diagnosed as malignant infantile osteopetrosis. Conditioning regimen included fludarabine, busulfan and cyclophosphamide. All patients received cyclosporin for prophylaxis of graft vs. host disease (GvHD). A UMD recipient underwent CD34(+) cell selection. ATG/ALG, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and methotrexate (MTX) used for recipients with unrelated cord donor (2) and recipients with haplo-identical donors (5). Average time for neutrophil engraftment was 15.7 day (9 - 36), platelet engraftment was 43.3 day (10 - 68). The patients were followed up from 47 days to 5 years, 1 patient died of post-transplant complications. Seven cases presented better in clinical manifestation. Acute GvHD I°-II° was observed in 6 patients, III°-IV° in 2 patients. It was controlled by anti-GvHD therapy. CONCLUSION: Non-allogenic stem cell transplantation treatment of infantile MIOP showed high survival rate and restoration of hematopoiesis in haploid transplant patients, therefore, non-allogenic HSCT may be an option to treat MIOP in children.

[Incidence and relationship of human cytomegalovirus infection and human herpesvirus 6 infection in pediatric patients after hemopoietic stem cell transplantation].

OBJECTIVE: To study the incidence of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection in pediatric patients with hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and to explore the relationship between CMV and HHV-6 infection in pediatric patients with HSCT. METHODS: Pediatric patients with HSCT in hemotology center of Beijing Children's Hospital were enrolled into this study from June 2007 to October 2009. Peripheral blood were collected every week after HSCT, and Fluorescent quantitation PCR and conventional PCR were used to detect CMV DNA load in serum and HHV-6 DNA in peripheral blood respectively. Genetic typing was conducted on HHV-6. RESULTS: Fifty two pediatric patients with HSCT were enrolled into this study, and six hundreds and thirty six specimens were collected totally. CMV DNA was detected in fifty two specimens from twenty cases. The median time was 56 days after HSCT. The incidence of CMV infection was 38.5% (20/52) in all HSCT patients and 47.6% (20/42) in allogene HSCT patients. The incidence of late CMV infection was 22.2% (6/27) in allogene HSCT. Three patients died of CMV infection,and two died of CMV interstitial pneumonia. HHV-6 DNA was detected in thirty three specimens from fourteen cases. The median time was 23 days after HSCT. The incidence of HHV-6 infection was 26.9% (14/52)in all HSCT patients and 31% (13/42) in allogene HSCT patients. The genotype of HHV6 was all type B. HHV-6 DNA was positive in six of twenty cases with CMV infection. The incidence of co-infection was 30% (6/20). CONCLUSIONS: There was a substantial incidence of CMV and HHV6 infection after HSCT. The relationship between earlier HHV6 infection and later CMV infection in pediatric patients with HSCT need further study.

[Establishment of method collecting peripheral blood hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from infants].

The aim of this study was to explore a safe method collecting peripheral blood stem/progenitor cell (PBSPC) from the infants of body weight less than 20 kg by using the COBE Spectra Blood Cell Separator through Auto-PBSC procedure. After washing tube by normal saline, one unit of irradiated RBC was infused into the apheresis set. When the collection terminated, only the concentrated RBC in the apheresis set was returned to the infant. The peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) and CD34+ cells were counted, the cell viability was determined. The results showed that 13 PBSPC collections were carried out successfully from 7 infants of body weight<20 kg. The average count of MNCs was 4.44x10(8)/kg [(3.46-6.45)x10(8)/kg], the CD34+ count was 2.20x10(6)/kg [(1.34-3.79)x10(6)/kg] and the cell viability was 98.45% (97%-100%) respectively. The vital signs of all the infants went smoothly during collection of PBSPCs. In conclusion, with the aid of COBE Spectra blood cell separator and other measures, the collection of PBSPCs from infants of body weight<20 kg is safe and effective, the PBMNCs containing enough PBSPC can be harvested for transplantation.

[Effectiveness of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in 23 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes].

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the outcome of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (allo-PBSCT) for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). METHODS: Twenty-three patients with MDS received G-CSF mobilized HLA-identical sibling allo-PBSCT. The numbers of mononuclear cells (MNC) and CD34+ cells were 8. 25 (4.50 -22.36) x 10(8)/kg and 5.59 (1.57 - 12.22) x 10(6)/kg respectively. CsA and shorten course MTX were used for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis and MMF was given on + 1 d - +28 d posttransplantation. RESULTS: Among 23 patients, 22 achieved hematopoietic recovery. The median time of ANC > 1.0 x 10(9)/L and BPC > 50 x 10(9)/L were + 13 (+ 11 - +17) days and + 30 (+13 + 102) days respectively. Two patients died of transplant related complications and three died of disease relapse, while 18 patients survived. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed disease free survival and relapse rate were (77.8 +/- 8.7)% and (14.4 +/- 7.5)% respectively. CONCLUSION: Allo-PBSCT is an effective treatment for MDS patients.

[Selected CD34+ cell autologous transplantation for advanced malignant tumors].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical results of selected CD34(+) cell autologous transplantation in advanced malignant tumors. METHODS: After pretreatment, fifteen patients aged 12 - 70 (49.5) years with various Stage III or IV malignant tumors were given the sorted CD34(+) cells collected by magnetic-activated cell sorting (Clini MACS, Milteny Biotech, Germany). RESULTS: Peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) from the patients were mobilized by chemotherapy and G-CSF 5 micro g/kg per day. CD34(+) cells gave 2.0 - 5 log depletion after cell sorting, with a median yield of CD34(+) selected cells of 2.4 (0.15 - 12.03) x 10(6)/kg. It gave a median recovery of 64 (52 - 81.4)% and median purity of 98.2 (83.2 - 99.7)%. The median time of neutrophil recovery > 1.0 x 10(9)/L and platelet recovery > 20 x 10(9)/L post-transplantation were 14 (8 - 26) days and 13 (11 - 35) days, respectively. On follow-up of 2 - 33 (11) months, the event-free survival rate was 53.3% (8/15) and the overall survival rate was 66.7% (10/15). CONCLUSION: Transplantation of autologous selected PBPC CD34(+) cells gives prompt and stable engraftment. Selected CD34(+) cell transplantation, being a safe approach, may improve the clinical outcome even in patients with advanced malignant tumors.