Chronic active Epstein-Bar virus infection complicated by pulmonary artery hypertension.

Chronic active Epstein-Bar virus infection (CAEBV) is known to cause various symptoms. Although pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) has been reported as a cardiovascular complication of CAEBV, the mechanisms of PAH and the effects of treatment have not been fully elucidated. We experienced 4 adult patients with CAEBV complicated by PAH. All of them received treatment for PAH with a vasodilator followed by chemotherapy with or without allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for CAEBV. In all of these patients, the transtricuspid pressure gradient improved under treatment with vasodilator, and further improvement was observed under treatment for CAEBV in 3 patients. Autopsy was performed in 2 patients, which revealed EBER-positive cells and a change in the pulmonary artery at each stage in the pathology. In conclusion, EBV-infected cells can cause vasculitis and finally PAH. However, PAH complicated with CAEBV can be improved by PAH medication and treatment of CAEBV.

Comparison of the impact of two post-remission therapy regimens on cardiac events in acute myeloid leukemia patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

High-dose cytarabine (HD-AraC) or anthracycline-containing chemotherapies are used as post-remission therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. However, it remains unclear which regimen would be better as post-remission therapy before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Thus, we compared the incidence of cardiac events and event-free survival (EFS) after allo-HSCT at two Japanese hospitals between HD-AraC and anthracycline-containing post-remission therapy to clarify the safety of post-remission therapy. Of a total of 132 patients, 68 received HD-AraC (HD-AraC group) and 64 received anthracycline-containing chemotherapy (ANT group). HD-AraC was preferentially selected for core-binding factor AML patients (p = 0.008). The median cumulative anthracycline dose was 115.2 mg/m2 in the HD-AraC group and 318.7 mg/m2 in the ANT group (p < 0.0001). Cardiac events were observed in 18 (13.6%) patients during the follow-up period. The 3-year cumulative incidence of cardiac events was 9.1% in the HD-AraC group and 11.0% in the ANT group (p = 0.70). EFS at 3 years after allo-HSCT was 40.9% in the HD-AraC group and 39.6% in the ANT group (p = 0.51). In conclusion, incidence of cardiac events did not differ significantly between post-remission therapy regimens in AML patients who underwent allo-HSCT.

Persistent Expression of Recipient-type ABH Antigen after ABO-incompatible Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

In general, the recipient's ABO blood type changes to the donor's ABO blood type after ABO-incompatible allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, we experienced a 26-year-old male with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) who underwent ABO-incompatible HSCT twice and persistently showed his original blood type even after demonstrating complete donor-type chimerism. Based on the results of various examinations, we considered that the antigen of the recipient's original blood type persistently synthesized in the recipient's non-hematopoietic organs was secreted and adsorbed on the surface of donor-derived RBCs. We should therefore perform detailed examinations to determine the precise blood type after ABO-incompatible HSCT.

Features of repertoire diversity and gene expression in human cytotoxic T cells following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Cytomegalovirus reactivation is still a critical concern following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, and cellular immune reconstitution of cytomegalovirus-specific cytotoxic T-cells is necessary for the long-term control of cytomegalovirus reactivation after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Here we show the features of repertoire diversity and the gene expression profile of HLA-A24 cytomegalovirus-specific cytotoxic T-cells in actual recipients according to the cytomegalovirus reactivation pattern. A skewed preference for BV7 genes and sequential "G" amino acids motif is observed in complementarity-determining region-3 of T cell receptor-ß. Increased binding scores are observed in T-cell clones with complementarity-determining region-3 of T cell receptor-ß with a "(G)GG" motif. Single-cell RNA-sequence analyses demonstrate the homogenous distribution of the gene expression profile in individual cytomegalovirus-specific cytotoxic T-cells within each recipient. On the other hand, bulk RNA-sequence analyses reveal that gene expression profiles among patients are different according to the cytomegalovirus reactivation pattern, and are associated with cytokine production or cell division. These methods and results can help us to better understand immune reconstitution following hematopoietic cell transplantation, leading to future studies on the clinical application of adoptive T-cell therapies.

Chronic liver graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients during tapering or after stopping calcineurin inhibitors.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) of the liver is often observed in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) during tapering or after stopping calcineurin inhibitors (CI). We conducted a retrospective analysis of 242 allo-HSCT recipients whose CI dose was reduced to less than 40 mg of cyclosporin A or 0.4 mg of tacrolimus to clarify the clinical characteristics of liver GVHD in patients on low-dose CI. Sixty patients (25%) developed clinically suspected liver cGVHD while on low-dose CI. Multivariate analysis showed that donor age ≥ 40 years [hazard ratio (HR) 2.20], myeloablative conditioning (HR 2.19), female donor to male recipient (HR 2.53) and recipient seropositivity for herpes simplex virus (HR 2.52) were significant risk factors for liver cGVHD during low-dose CI period. Peak aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were higher in patients with liver GVHD during low-dose CI period than in other periods. Twenty-seven patients were initially treated with resumption of CI or a CI dose increase and 21 responded. Among the 18 patients treated with corticosteroids, total bilirubin was a risk factor for failure of corticosteroid therapy. The results of this study clarified the clinical characteristics of liver GVHD in patients on low-dose CIs.

Impact of neutropenia evaluated in terms of the D-index on invasive fungal disease while on empiric or preemptive antifungal treatment strategy in the early phase after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: We retrospectively evaluated the association between the D-index, which reflects both the depth and duration of neutropenia, and proven/probable invasive fungal disease (IFD) early after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) at our center (n = 394). METHODS: The D-index was defined as the area over the neutrophil curve during neutropenia. The cumulative D-index from the start of neutropenia until the development of infection (c-D-index) was also evaluated as a real-time assessment of neutropenia. RESULTS: There were 19 cases of early proven/probable IFD before and within 1 week after engraftment. Fifteen cases (78.9%) were seen as breakthrough infection while on empiric (n = 7), preemptive (n = 4) or prophylactic (n = 4) antifungal administration with mold-active agents. The c-D-index and lower performance status were identified as independent significant predictive factors for IFD. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the D-index and c-D-index were more accurate than the simple duration of neutropenia and as accurate as the duration of profound neutropenia for predicting IFD. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the c-D-index using an appropriate cutoff (CO) value (10 644) determined by ROC curve analysis were 73.1%, 63.2%, 9.1%, and 97.9%, respectively. The advantage of the c-D-index to cumulative days of neutropenia in terms of positive and negative predictive values seemed to be small. CONCLUSIONS: The appropriate CO value for the c-D-index for predicting IFD was as high as 10 644 in allogeneic HSCT with a more frequent use of empiric antifungal therapy. The c-D-index is useful for assessing the risk of breakthrough IFD.

Association between the kinetics of cytomegalovirus reactivation evaluated in terms of the area under the curve of cytomegalovirus antigenemia and invasive mold infection during the post-engraftment phase after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the clinical impact of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation calculated in terms of the area under the curve of CMV antigenemia (CMV-AUC) on the development of invasive mold infection (IMI) in the post-engraftment phase after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). METHODS: Among 394 consecutive patients who underwent their first allogeneic HSCT at our center between 2007 and 2018, 335 were included after excluding patients with a past history of invasive fungal disease (IFD), the development of IFD before engraftment, engraftment failure, or early death within 30 days. CMV antigenemia (CMV-AG) was monitored weekly after engraftment and 3 or more cells/2 slides were regarded as positive. CMV-AUC was calculated by the trapezoidal method using the number of CMV-AG after logarithmic transformation and the duration in weeks and was added until negative conversion. Patients with CMV reactivation were divided into low and high CMV-AUC groups using the median value of CMV-AUC as a threshold. RESULTS: There were 17 proven/probable IMIs including one mucormycosis and 16 probable invasive aspergillosis, and the 2-year cumulative incidence was 1.0% in the negative CMV-AUC group (n = 136), 3.3% in the low CMV-AUC group (n = 98) and 13.8% in the high CMV-AUC group (n = 101) (P = .001). In a multivariate analysis, grade II-IV acute GVHD (HR 3.74) and CMV-AUC (HR low 1.25, high 5.91) were identified as independent significant factors associated with a higher incidence of IMI. CONCLUSIONS: Cytomegalovirus kinetics evaluated in terms of CMV-AUC were significantly associated with the development of IMI in the post-engraftment phase after allogeneic HSCT.

Impact of the patient's body weight on the efficacy and adverse events of valganciclovir for cytomegalovirus reactivation after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

While the dose of ganciclovir (GCV) is decided base on patients' body weight (BW), that of valganciclovir (VGCV) is fixed as 900 or 1800 mg/d regardless of the patient's BW in preemptive therapy for cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We analyzed the impact of the patient's BW on the effectiveness and adverse events (AEs) of VGCV. From March 2004 to February 2017, 27 patients received VGCV as a first-line treatment for CMV reactivation. As a historical control group, we extracted 17 patients who started to receive GCV at a similar timing. We used the following definitions of outcomes: speed of reduction of CMV antigenemia (CMV-AG) as a measure of effectiveness, ratios of baseline and minimum value for white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts, and ratio of baseline and maximum values for serum creatinine (sCr) as measures of AEs. As a result, there was no significant correlation between average daily dose of VGCV with or without adjusting for the patient's BW and speed of reduction of CMV-AG. On the other hand, the decreases in WBC and platelets and the increase in sCr were significantly correlated with the cumulative dose of VGCV. However, the absolute values of the correlation coefficients did not increase when we analyzed the correlations between the BW-adjusted cumulative dose of VGCV and factors associated with adverse events. There were no significant differences in efficacies or AE parameters between the GCV and VGCV groups. In conclusion, the patient's BW did not significantly affect the effectiveness or adverse events of VGCV.

Prospective validation of the L-index reflecting both the intensity and duration of lymphopenia and its detailed evaluation using a lymphocyte subset analysis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

We prospectively validated the previously reported L-index, which reflects both the intensity and duration of lymphopenia, and further evaluated it using a lymphocyte subset analysis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) (n = 30). The L-index was defined as the area over the lymphocyte curve during lymphopenia (<700/µl), and calculated from the start of conditioning to day30 (L-index(30)) and day100 (L-index(100)). The lymphocyte subset including CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19 and CD56 was analyzed before and at 14, 21, 28, 42, 56, 70, and 84 days after HSCT. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia was detected as >3 cells/2 slides by the C10/11 method in 21 cases (CMV-AG ≥3 group) at a median of 34 days. L-index(30) was significantly higher in the CMV-AG ≥3 group than in the CMV-AG <3 group (median 20,358 vs 17,235, P = .028). Recovery of the CD4+ and CD56+ cell counts between days 14 and 28 after HSCT was impaired in the CMV-AG ≥3 group. Regarding graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), grade II-IV acute GVHD was identified in 14 patients (GVHD group) at a median of 31 days. L-index(30) was significantly lower in the GVHD group (median 19,048 vs 22,256, P = .043). Recovery of CD3+ cells including both CD4+ and CD8+ cells between days 14 and 28 tended to be better in the GVHD group. In conclusion, L-index(30) was significantly associated with CMV reactivation and grade II-IV acute GVHD, but its clinical significance seemed to differ according to the results of a lymphocyte subset analysis.

Surgical resection for persistent localized pulmonary fungal infection prior to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Analysis of six cases.

OBJECTIVE: Although invasive fungal disease (IFD) is an important complication in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the clinical significance of surgery, including the role of surgical resection for persistent pulmonary fungal disease prior to allogeneic HSCT in the current era with a variety of available antifungal agents, is controversial. We investigated the role of surgical resection. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated six patients who underwent surgical resection of suspected pulmonary fungal disease prior to allogeneic HSCT between April 2007 and June 2016 at our medical center. RESULTS: We present six patients who underwent surgical resection of suspected pulmonary fungal disease prior to allogeneic HSCT. In our case series, three of four patients who were given a presurgical diagnosis of possible IFD were given a proven diagnosis after surgery, including two cases of invasive aspergillosis (IA) and one case of mucormycosis. All surgeries were performed by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for lobectomy without major complications. Recurrence of IFD was not observed after allogeneic HSCT in any of the six patients. CONCLUSION: Our experience indicated that surgical resection of persistent localized pulmonary lesions of IFD before allogeneic HSCT was helpful for obtaining a definitive diagnosis and might be useful for reducing recurrence after HSCT.

Updated Clinical Outcomes of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Using Myeloablative Total Body Irradiation with Ovarian Shielding to Preserve Fertility.

Myeloablative conditioning regimens are associated with severe gonadal toxicity. To preserve ovarian function, we have been investigating ovarian shielding during total body irradiation (TBI) with a myeloablative dose. In this report, we update the clinical outcomes. Female patients with standard-risk hematologic diseases, aged 40 years or younger, who desired to have children, were included (n = 19). The conditioning regimen consisted of TBI at 12 Gy with ovarian shielding and cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg) or cytarabine (24 g/m2). Ovarian shielding reduced the actual irradiation dose applied to the ovaries from 12 Gy to 2 to 3 Gy. The median age at hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was 24 years (range, 19 to 33 years). With a median follow-up period of 1449 days (range, 64 to 3694) after HSCT, 5-year overall survival and 1- and 5-year relapse rates were 67%, 17%, and 31%, respectively. Only 2 of 14 patients with acute myeloid or lymphoid leukemia in remission have relapsed thus far. The 6-month and 1-year cumulative rates of menstrual recovery were 42% and 78%, respectively. In all patients with menstrual recovery, menstruation recovered within 1 year. The serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level tended to gradually increase after menstrual recovery. Three patients with extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease experienced delayed recovery of menstruation and serum AMH. Five pregnancies in 3 patients resulted in normal delivery in 1, selective cesarean operation in 1, current pregnancy in 1, and natural abortion in 2. These results suggest that a myeloablative TBI regimen with ovarian shielding could preserve fertility after HSCT without an apparent increase in relapse in standard-risk patients. Because serum AMH recovered gradually over time, the AMH level during the early phase after HSCT may have little value as a marker of ovarian reserve.

Negative impact of chronic graft-versus-host disease and glucocorticoid on the recovery of physical function after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Quality of life of patients who undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) temporally deteriorates and recovers over several years. We retrospectively evaluate the impact of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and glucocorticoid on physical recovery. We included 162 patients who underwent their first allogeneic HSCT between October 2010 and December 2015 in a single hospital. All patients are planned to undergo physical function tests before and 1, 3, 12 months after allogeneic HSCT. Scores of knee extension strength and distance covered in the 6-min walk test (6MWT) recovered at the 12-month assessment. Both chronic GVHD and high dose glucocorticoid were associated with delayed recovery of body mass index (BMI), hand grip strength, knee extension strength, and duration of standing on one foot. Lung GVHD and high dose glucocorticoid had negative impact on the distance covered in the 6MWT. A multivariate analysis revealed that chronic GVHD and glucocorticoid was an independent risk factor for decreased BMI and delayed recovery of muscle strength, respectively. Our results suggest that high-risk patients who have chronic GVHD or who receive glucocorticoid therapy may require reduced dose of glucocorticoid and long-term physical support to recover physical function after transplantation.

Associations between febrile neutropenia-related parameters and the risk of acute GVHD or non-relapse mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Infection and inflammation can induce acute graft-vs.-host disease (aGVHD). We hypothesized that febrile neutropenia early after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) would increase the risk of aGVHD and non-relapse mortality (NRM). We retrospectively evaluated the impact of fever, C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration and blood stream infection (BSI) early after HCT on the incidence of grade II-IV aGVHD and NRM in 227 patients. Within 7 days after HCT, 91 (40.1%) patients experienced fever for at least 2 days (early-FN group). BSI occurred in 27 (11.9%) patients and the maximum CRP concentration was 2.57 mg/dl in the median. In a multivariate analysis, early-FN (hazard ratio (HR) 1.81, P = 0.007) and older recipient age (HR 1.68, P = 0.019) were significantly associated with the incidence of grade II-IV aGVHD. High-CRP and BSI were not significant risk factors for grade II-IV aGVHD. On the other hand, high-CRP was significantly associated with the incidence of NRM (HR 2.67, P = 0.004) in a multivariate analysis. In conclusion, although fever, CRP elevation and BSI are considered to be closely related events, they had different effects on the incidence of aGVHD and NRM. The development of early-FN after HCT may predict the risk of aGVHD.

Haploidentical transplantation using low-dose alemtuzumab: Comparison with haploidentical transplantation using low-dose thymoglobulin.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the optimal strategy for haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). METHODS: We performed a prospective study on haploidentical HSCT using low-dose alemtuzumab. Alemtuzumab was added at 0.25 mg/kg for 2 days. The primary outcome measure was the survival rate with the engraftment of donor cells and without grade III-IV acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) at 60 days after transplantation. RESULTS: Fourteen adult patients with advanced hematological disease were enrolled. The primary outcome measure was achieved in 86% of the patients. Six patients experienced relapse/progression. Non-relapse death was observed in three patients, and all of them had a history of previous allogeneic HSCT. Overall survival and progression-free survival rates at 1 year were 51% and 43%, respectively. Four patients were suspected to have herpes simplex virus infection and three had aseptic meningitis under the use of acyclovir at 200 mg. There were no deaths due to viral infection. Compared to those who underwent haploidentical HSCT using thymoglobulin, patients with alemtuzumab showed a slower recovery of CD8+ T-cells and lower incidences of GVHD and EB virus reactivation. CONCLUSIONS: Haploidentical HSCT using low-dose alemtuzumab can be performed safely. We need to overcome the high relapse/progression rate in non-remission patients.

Lower glomerular filtration rate predicts increased hepatic and mucosal toxicity in myeloma patients treated with high-dose melphalan.

High-dose melphalan followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a standard treatment for younger myeloma patients. However, the correlation between its toxicity and renal impairment is not clear. We analyzed this relationship, focusing on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as an index of renal function. We evaluated 78 multiple myeloma patients who underwent ASCT following high-dose melphalan at our center. Patients were divided into a higher eGFR group (eGFR ≥ 60) and a lower eGFR group (eGFR < 60). Multivariate analyses revealed that lower eGFR was independently associated with alkaline phosphatase elevation (OR 10.2, P = 0.038), mucositis (OR 10.5, P = 0.032), grade 2-4 co-elevation of both aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase (OR 21.3, P = 0.016), delay of reticulocyte engraftment (HR 0.524, P = 0.034), and delay of platelet engraftment (HR 0.535, P = 0.0016). However, lower eGFR was not correlated with overall survival or time-to-next treatment. In summary, renal dysfunction secondary to administration of high-dose melphalan was associated with increased hepatic and mucosal toxicity and delay of hematological recovery, but did not affect survival outcomes.

Outcome of gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease according to the treatment response.

The optimal treatment strategy for gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GI-GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation remains to be established. We retrospectively analyzed 68 cases of GI-GVHD at our institution between 2007 and 2017. The survival outcomes were significantly inferior in patients who did not respond to the first-line treatment (1-year overall survival 27.3 vs 69.2%, P = 0.0017; non-relapse mortality 50.0 vs 18.6%, P = 0.026). After subsequent treatments, 18 patients were refractory to all steroid-based treatments such as steroid pulse therapy and oral beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP). However, these steroid-refractory cases showed a gradual increase in the response rate after the initial diagnosis of steroid refractoriness. This result may be explained by the problem of evaluating the response based solely on the volume of diarrhea, i.e., severe mucosal damage due to refractory GI-GVHD may require a long recovery and sometimes be complicated with other diseases. In conclusion, patients with GI-GVHD who failed to respond to the first-line treatment had inferior survival. However, later improvement may be observed without additional immunosuppressant other than steroid among patients who initially do not respond to steroid therapy. It is important to repeat colonoscopy in patients with refractory GI-GVHD to monitor the activity of GVHD.

Association between Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time and the Amount of Infused Heparin at Bone Marrow Transplantation.

The actual heparin concentration of harvested allogeneic bone marrow varies among harvest centers. We monitor the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) of the patient during bone marrow infusion and administer prophylactic protamine according to the APTT. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of consecutive patients who underwent bone marrow transplantation without bone marrow processing at our center between April 2007 and March 2016 (n = 94). APTT was monitored during marrow transfusion in 52 patients. We analyzed the relationship between the APTT ratio and several parameters related to heparin administration. As a result, the weight-based heparin administration rate (U/kg/hour) seemed to be more closely related to the APTT ratio (r = .38, P = .005) than to the total amount of heparin. There was no significant correlation between the APTT ratio and renal or liver function. Bleeding complications during and early after infusion were seen in 3 of 52 patients, and included intracranial, nasal, and punctured-skin bleeding. The APTT ratio during transfusion was over 5.88 in the former 2 patients and 2.14 in the latter. All of these patients recovered without sequelae. In conclusion, slow bone marrow infusion is recommended to decrease the weight-based heparin administration rate when the heparin concentration per patient body weight is high.

Refractory Graft-Versus-Host Disease-Free, Relapse-Free Survival as an Accurate and Easy-to-Calculate Endpoint to Assess the Long-Term Transplant Success.

The aim of this study was to develop a new composite endpoint that accurately reflects the long-term success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), as the conventional graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS) overestimates the impact of GVHD. First, we validated current GRFS (cGRFS), which recently was proposed as a more accurate endpoint of long-term transplant success. cGRFS was defined as survival without disease relapse/progression or active chronic GVHD at a given time after allo-HSCT, calculated using 2 distinct methods: a linear combination of a Kaplan-Meier estimates approach and a multistate modelling approach. Next, we developed a new composite endpoint, refractory GRFS (rGRFS). rGRFS was calculated similarly to conventional GRFS treating grade III to IV acute GVHD, chronic GVHD requiring systemic treatment, and disease relapse/progression as events, except that GVHD that resolved and did not require systemic treatment at the last evaluation was excluded as an event in rGRFS. The 2 cGRFS curves obtained using 2 different approaches were superimposed and both were superior to that of conventional GRFS, reflecting the proportion of patients with resolved chronic GVHD. Finally, the curves of cGRFS and rGRFS overlapped after the first 2 years of post-transplant follow-up. These results suggest that cGRFS and rGRFS more accurately reflect transplant success than conventional GRFS. Especially, rGRFS can be more easily calculated than cGRFS and analyzed with widely used statistical approaches, whereas cGRFS more accurately represents the burden of GVHD-related morbidity in the first 2 years after transplantation.

Delayed platelet recovery after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Association with chronic graft-versus-host disease and survival outcome.

Delayed platelet recovery (DPR) despite prompt neutrophil engraftment is frequently observed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, few studies have evaluated the risk factors and long-term outcome. Therefore, we retrospectively analysed 219 adult patients who underwent their first allogenic HSCT with neutrophil engraftment. Of these 219 patients, 50 (22.8%) had DPR that was defined as relapse-free survival at day 60 after HSCT without primary platelet recovery despite neutrophil engraftment. The results of a multivariate analysis showed that a high-risk underlying disease (odds ratio [OR], 2.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-5.48; P = .041) and human leukocyte antigen-mismatched HSCT (OR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.28-5.43; P = .009) were associated with an increased risk of DPR. In univariate analyses, the occurrence of DPR was significantly associated with inferior overall survival, high nonrelapse mortality, and a low incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), despite a comparable relapse rate. In multivariate analyses, DPR was associated with inferior overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 2.00; 95% CI, 1.23-3.27; P = .005) and a low incidence of chronic GVHD (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.22-0.78; P = .002). In conclusion, DPR was a strong predictor of shorter survival but also less frequent chronic GVHD.

Safety of avoiding systemic corticosteroid administration for grade II acute graft-versus-host disease limited to the skin.

We hypothesized that systemic corticosteroid administration would be safely avoided not only in grade I acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) but also in selected patients with grade II acute GVHD limited to the skin (grade IIs GVHD). We retrospectively evaluated risk factors for subsequent GVHD progression, defined as the involvement of other organs or progression to grade III to IV GVHD, in 50 patients with acute GVHD of grade IIs at its onset. Sixteen patients received systemic corticosteroid administration before GVHD progression. The cumulative incidence of GVHD progression at 28 days from the onset of grade IIs GVHD was 24%. Twenty-five patients did not require systemic corticosteroid administration throughout the entire episode of acute GVHD. Systemic corticosteroid administration before GVHD progression did not affect GVHD progression, chronic GVHD, or non-relapse mortality. Early onset (less than 26 days from transplantation) of grade IIs GVHD was identified as the only statistically significant risk factor for GVHD progression (hazard ratio 6.73, 95% confidence interval 1.5-31.1, P = 0.01). In conclusion, avoiding systemic corticosteroid administration for selected patients with grade IIs GVHD before GVHD progression did not compromise the transplantation outcomes. Patients with early-onset grade IIs GVHD were at high risk for GVHD progression.