Immune Recovery Following Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in HIV-Related Lymphoma Patients on the BMT CTN 0803/AMC 071 Trial.

We report a first in-depth comparison of immune reconstitution in patients with HIV-related lymphoma following autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (AHCT) recipients (n=37, lymphoma, BEAM conditioning), HIV(-) AHCT recipients (n=30, myeloma, melphalan conditioning) at 56, 180, and 365 days post-AHCT, and 71 healthy control subjects. Principal component analysis showed that immune cell composition in HIV(+) and HIV(-) AHCT recipients clustered away from healthy controls and from each other at each time point, but approached healthy controls over time. Unsupervised feature importance score analysis identified activated T cells, cytotoxic memory and effector T cells [higher in HIV(+)], and naïve and memory T helper cells [lower HIV(+)] as a having a significant impact on differences between HIV(+) AHCT recipient and healthy control lymphocyte composition (p<0.0033). HIV(+) AHCT recipients also demonstrated lower median absolute numbers of activated B cells and lower NK cell sub-populations, compared to healthy controls (p<0.0033) and HIV(-) AHCT recipients (p<0.006). HIV(+) patient T cells showed robust IFNγ production in response to HIV and EBV recall antigens. Overall, HIV(+) AHCT recipients, but not HIV(-) AHCT recipients, exhibited reconstitution of pro-inflammatory immune profiling that was consistent with that seen in patients with chronic HIV infection treated with antiretroviral regimens. Our results further support the use of AHCT in HIV(+) individuals with relapsed/refractory lymphoma.

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant for HIV Patients with Hematologic Malignancies: The BMT CTN-0903/AMC-080 Trial.

We set out to assess feasibility and safety of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant in 17 persons with HIV in a phase II prospective multicenter trial. The primary endpoint was 100-day nonrelapse mortality (NRM). Patients had an 8/8 HLA-matched related or at least a 7/8 HLA-matched unrelated donor. Indications for transplant were acute leukemia, myelodysplasia, and lymphoma. Conditioning was myeloablative or reduced intensity. There was no NRM at 100 days. The cumulative incidence of grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 41%. At 1 year, overall survival was 59%; deaths were from relapsed/progressive disease (n = 5), acute GVHD (n = 1), adult respiratory distress syndrome (n = 1), and liver failure (n = 1). In patients who achieved complete chimerism, cell-associated HIV DNA and inducible infectious virus in the blood were not detectable. Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network 0903/AIDS Malignancy Consortium 080 was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (no. NCT01410344).

Myeloablative Versus Reduced-Intensity Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

Purpose The optimal regimen intensity before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is unknown. We hypothesized that lower treatment-related mortality (TRM) with reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) would result in improved overall survival (OS) compared with myeloablative conditioning (MAC). To test this hypothesis, we performed a phase III randomized trial comparing MAC with RIC in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes. Patients and Methods Patients age 18 to 65 years with HCT comorbidity index ≤ 4 and < 5% marrow myeloblasts pre-HCT were randomly assigned to receive MAC (n = 135) or RIC (n = 137) followed by HCT from HLA-matched related or unrelated donors. The primary end point was OS 18 months post-random assignment based on an intent-to-treat analysis. Secondary end points included relapse-free survival (RFS) and TRM. Results Planned enrollment was 356 patients; accrual ceased at 272 because of high relapse incidence with RIC versus MAC (48.3%; 95% CI, 39.6% to 56.4% and 13.5%; 95% CI, 8.3% to 19.8%, respectively; P < .001). At 18 months, OS for patients in the RIC arm was 67.7% (95% CI, 59.1% to 74.9%) versus 77.5% (95% CI, 69.4% to 83.7%) for those in the MAC arm (difference, 9.8%; 95% CI, -0.8% to 20.3%; P = .07). TRM with RIC was 4.4% (95% CI, 1.8% to 8.9%) versus 15.8% (95% CI, 10.2% to 22.5%) with MAC ( P = .002). RFS with RIC was 47.3% (95% CI, 38.7% to 55.4%) versus 67.8% (95% CI, 59.1% to 75%) with MAC ( P < .01). Conclusion OS was higher with MAC, but this was not statistically significant. RIC resulted in lower TRM but higher relapse rates compared with MAC, with a statistically significant advantage in RFS with MAC. These data support the use of MAC as the standard of care for fit patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes.

Effects of Transendocardial Stem Cell Injection on Ventricular Proarrhythmia in Patients with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: Results from the POSEIDON and TAC-HFT Trials.

Transendocardial stem cell injection in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) improves left ventricular function and structure but has ill-defined effects on ventricular arrhythmias. We hypothesized that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) implantation is not proarrhythmic. Post hoc analyses were performed on ambulatory ECGs collected from the POSEIDON and TAC-HFT trials. Eighty-eight subjects (mean age 61 ± 10 years) with ICM (mean EF 32.2% ± 9.8%) received treatment with MSC (n = 48), Placebo (n = 21), or bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMC) (n = 19). Heart rate variability (HRV) and ventricular ectopy (VE) were evaluated over 12 months. VE did not change in any group following MSC implantation. However, in patients with ≥ 1 VE run (defined as ≥ 3 consecutive premature ventricular complexes in 24 hours) at baseline, there was a decrease in VE runs at 12 months in the MSC group (p = .01), but not in the placebo group (p = .07; intergroup comparison: p = .18). In a subset of the MSC group, HRV measures of standard deviation of normal intervals was 75 ± 30 msec at baseline and increased to 87 ± 32 msec (p =.02) at 12 months, and root mean square of intervals between successive complexes was 36 ± 30 msec and increased to 58.2 ± 50 msec (p = .01) at 12 months. In patients receiving MSCs, there was no evidence for ventricular proarrhythmia, manifested by sustained or nonsustained ventricular ectopy or worsened HRV. Signals of improvement in ventricular arrhythmias and HRV in the MSC group suggest a need for further studies of the antiarrhythmic potential of MSCs. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1366-1372.

Geographic and income variations in age at diagnosis and incidence of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Developing countries have a younger population of CML patients than developed countries. Patterns of age at diagnosis and incidence by geography and gross national income (GNI) are not well understood. A population-based descriptive study was conducted using data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer's population-based registry compilation. Geographical regions were classified according to the United Nations World Macro Regions and Components. Age-Standardized Incidence Rates (ASR) were adjusted to the World Standard Population. Poisson regression was used to assess age-specific interactions. 57.2% were male among 33,690 diagnoses. Median age at diagnosis was lowest in Africa and Asia (47 years) and highest in Oceania (72 years). ASR was lowest in African males (0.61 per 100,000) and Asian females (0.55 per 100,000) and highest in Oceania males and females (1.78 and 0.96 per 100,000, respectively). A significant interaction (p < 0.0001) between age (<50 years and >50 years) and region exists; no significant differences were seen by region in the <50 age-group while significant differences by region exist in the >50 age group. Population-based estimates suggest that the median age at diagnosis and incidence varies by region. Geographic and income heterogeneity suggest an important effect of environment that warrants further studies.

Phase 3 clinical trial of steroids/mycophenolate mofetil vs steroids/placebo as therapy for acute GVHD: BMT CTN 0802.

Corticosteroids are the accepted primary therapy for acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), but durable responses are seen in only about half of the patients. Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) 0802, a phase 3 multicenter randomized double-blinded trial, was designed to test whether mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) plus corticosteroids was superior to corticosteroids alone as initial therapy for acute GVHD. Patients with newly diagnosed acute GVHD were eligible if they required systemic therapy. Patients were randomized to receive prednisone with either MMF or placebo. The primary end point was acute or chronic GVHD-free survival at day 56 after initiation of therapy. A futility rule for GVHD-free survival at day 56 was met at a planned interim analysis after 235 patients (of 372) were enrolled: 116 MMF, 119 placebo. Baseline characteristics were well balanced between treatment groups including grade and organ distribution of GVHD. GVHD-free survival at day 56, cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD at 12 months, overall survival, Epstein-Barr virus reactivation, severe, life-threatening infections, relapse at 12 months, and quality of life were similar. The addition of MMF to corticosteroids as initial therapy for acute GVHD does not improve GVHD-free survival compared with corticosteroids alone. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01002742.

Does transendocardial injection of mesenchymal stem cells improve myocardial function locally or globally?: An analysis from the Percutaneous Stem Cell Injection Delivery Effects on Neomyogenesis (POSEIDON) randomized trial.

RATIONALE: Transendocardial stem cell injection (TESI) with mesenchymal stem cells improves remodeling in chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy, but the effect of the injection site remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: To address whether TESI exerts its effects at the site of injection only or also in remote areas, we hypothesized that segmental myocardial scar and segmental ejection fraction improve to a greater extent in injected than in noninjected segments. METHODS AND RESULTS: Biplane ventriculographic and endocardial tracings were recorded. TESI was guided to 10 sites in infarct-border zones. Sites were mapped according to the 17-myocardial segment model. As a result, 510 segments were analyzed in 30 patients before and 13 months after TESI. Segmental early enhancement defect (a measure of scar size) was reduced by TESI in both injected (-43.7 ± 4.4%; n=95; P<0.01) and noninjected segments (-25.1 ± 7.8%; n=148; P<0.001; between-group comparison P<0.05). Conversely, segmental ejection fraction (a measure of contractile performance) improved in injected scar segments (19.9 ± 3.3-26.3 ± 3.5%; P=0.003) but not in noninjected scar segments (21.3 ± 2.6-23.5 ± 3.2%; P=0.20; between-group comparison P<0.05). Furthermore, segmental ejection fraction in injected scar segments improved to a greater degree in patients with baseline segmental ejection fraction <20% (12.1 ± 1.2-19.9 ± 2.7%; n=18; P=0.003), versus <20% (31.7 ± 3.4-35.5 ± 3.3%; n=12; P=0.33, between-group comparison P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings illustrate a dichotomy in regional responses to TESI. Although scar size reduction was evident in all scar segments, scar size reduction and ventricular functional responses preferentially occurred at the sites of TESI versus non-TESI sites. Furthermore, improvement was greatest when segmental left ventricular dysfunction was severe.

Multicenter study of banked third-party virus-specific T cells to treat severe viral infections after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Virus-specific T cell (VST) lines could provide useful antiviral prophylaxis and treatment of immune-deficient patients if it were possible to avoid the necessity of generating a separate line for each patient, often on an emergency basis. We prepared a bank of 32 virus-specific lines from individuals with common HLA polymorphisms who were immune to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus, or adenovirus. A total of 18 lines were administered to 50 patients with severe, refractory illness because of infection with one of these viruses after hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The cumulative rates of complete or partial responses at 6 weeks postinfusion were 74.0% (95% CI, 58.5%-89.5%) for the entire group (n = 50), 73.9% (95% CI, 51.2% -96.6%) for cytomegalovirus (n = 23), 77.8% for adenovirus (n = 18), and 66.7% (95% CI, 36.9%-96.5%) for EBV (n = 9). Only 4 responders had a recurrence or progression. There were no immediate infusion-related adverse events, and de novo graft-versus-host disease developed in only 2 patients. Despite the disparity between the lines and their recipients, the mean frequency of VSTs increased significantly postinfusion, coincident with striking decreases in viral DNA and resolution of clinical symptoms. The use of banked third-party VSTs is a feasible and safe approach to rapidly treat severe or intractable viral infections after stem cell transplantation. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00711035.

Regional variations in age at diagnosis and overall survival among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia from low and middle income countries.

INTRODUCTION: The epidemiology of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in low and middle income countries is limited. As a result, we analyzed a contemporary cohort of patients from low and middle income countries treated with Imatinib through The Glivec(®) International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP). METHODS: Generalized estimating equations (GEE) and Kaplan-Meier estimation were utilized to test for regional variations in age at diagnosis and overall survival among 33,985 patients from 94 countries. RESULTS: Patients participated from Asia (79.2%), Africa (9.4%), Latin America (8.7%) and Southern/Eastern Europe (2.5%). Sixty-one (61.2%) percent were male. Mean age at diagnosis was 38.5 years (9.4% <20 years and only 4.7% ≥65 years). Using GEE, Asians were youngest (38.3 years), followed by Africans (39.5 years), Southern/Eastern Europeans (41.1 years) and Latin Americans (41.3 years; p < 0.0001). Diagnoses were predominately in chronic stage (78.3%). In 2002, 85.2% of patients had a delay in treatment >1 year; decreasing to 15.5% in 2010 (p < 0.0001). The 3-year overall survival probability was 89.4% (95% CI, 88.9-89.9). In multivariate analysis, risk of death increased among patients 65 years or older at diagnosis (p < 0.0001), time from diagnosis to treatment >1-year (p < 0.0001), diagnoses in the accelerated or blast crisis (p < 0.0001), initial dose of Imatinib >400 mg (p < 0.0001) and among Latin Americans and Africans (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The GIPAP cohort is the largest series of patients with CML described from low and middle income countries. Differences in age at diagnosis and overall survival exist within and between regions. Additional epidemiological studies should be conducted to assess for possible environmental factors associated with the earlier age at onset.

Comparison of allogeneic vs autologous bone marrow­derived mesenchymal stem cells delivered by transendocardial injection in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy: the POSEIDON randomized trial.

CONTEXT: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are under evaluation as a therapy for ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Both autologous and allogeneic MSC therapies are possible; however, their safety and efficacy have not been compared. OBJECTIVE: To test whether allogeneic MSCs are as safe and effective as autologous MSCs in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction due to ICM. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: A phase 1/2 randomized comparison (POSEIDON study) in a US tertiary-care referral hospital of allogeneic and autologous MSCs in 30 patients with LV dysfunction due to ICM between April 2, 2010, and September 14, 2011, with 13-month follow-up. INTERVENTION: Twenty million, 100 million, or 200 million cells (5 patients in each cell type per dose level) were delivered by transendocardial stem cell injection into 10 LV sites. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thirty-day postcatheterization incidence of predefined treatment-emergent serious adverse events (SAEs). Efficacy assessments included 6-minute walk test, exercise peak VO2, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), New York Heart Association class, LV volumes, ejection fraction (EF), early enhancement defect (EED; infarct size), and sphericity index. RESULTS: Within 30 days, 1 patient in each group (treatment-emergent SAE rate, 6.7%) was hospitalized for heart failure, less than the prespecified stopping event rate of 25%. The 1-year incidence of SAEs was 33.3% (n = 5) in the allogeneic group and 53.3% (n = 8) in the autologous group (P = .46). At 1 year, there were no ventricular arrhythmia SAEs observed among allogeneic recipients compared with 4 patients (26.7%) in the autologous group (P = .10). Relative to baseline, autologous but not allogeneic MSC therapy was associated with an improvement in the 6-minute walk test and the MLHFQ score, but neither improved exercise VO2 max. Allogeneic and autologous MSCs reduced mean EED by −33.21% (95% CI, −43.61% to −22.81%; P < .001) and sphericity index but did not increase EF. Allogeneic MSCs reduced LV end-diastolic volumes. Low-dose concentration MSCs (20 million cells) produced greatest reductions in LV volumes and increased EF. Allogeneic MSCs did not stimulate significant donor-specific alloimmune reactions. CONCLUSIONS: In this early-stage study of patients with ICM, transendocardial injection of allogeneic and autologous MSCs without a placebo control were both associated with low rates of treatment-emergent SAEs, including immunologic reactions. In aggregate, MSC injection favorably affected patient functional capacity, quality of life, and ventricular remodeling. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01087996.

Phase II trial of parathyroid hormone after double umbilical cord blood transplantation.

Transplantation of 1 or 2 umbilical cord blood products is a useful alternative stem cell source. However, the limited number of stem cells in each infusion results in slow engraftment. In mouse models, administration of parathyroid hormone (PTH) is an effective way to enhance the ability of limited numbers of hematopoietic stem cells to support hematopoiesis. In this study, patients received either a myeloablative or a reduced-intensity double umbilical cord blood transplantation, followed by PTH at 100 µg/day for 28 days. Thirteen patients (median age, 42 years) were enrolled. All patients engrafted; the median time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment of >20 × 10(9) cells/L was 30 days and 61 days, respectively. The incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD was 38.5% at day 100. Four deaths occurred before day 100, prompting early study closure. No patient who received a myeloablative regimen relapsed. Overall survival at 6 months after transplantation was 62%, and disease-free survival at 2 years was 39%. At the dose and schedule studied, there was no evidence that PTH influenced blood count recovery.

Intramyocardial stem cell injection in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy: functional recovery and reverse remodeling.

RATIONALE: Transcatheter, intramyocardial injections of bone marrow-derived cell therapy produces reverse remodeling in large animal models of ischemic cardiomyopathy. OBJECTIVE: We used cardiac MRI (CMR) in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction related to remote myocardial infarction (MI) to test the hypothesis that bone marrow progenitor cell injection causes functional recovery of scarred myocardium and reverse remodeling. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eight patients (aged 57.2±13.3 years) received transendocardial, intramyocardial injection of autologous bone marrow progenitor cells (mononuclear or mesenchymal stem cells) in LV scar and border zone. All patients tolerated the procedure with no serious adverse events. CMR at 1 year demonstrated a decrease in end diastolic volume (208.7±20.4 versus 167.4±7.32 mL; P=0.03), a trend toward decreased end systolic volume (142.4±16.5 versus 107.6±7.4 mL; P=0.06), decreased infarct size (P<0.05), and improved regional LV function by peak Eulerian circumferential strain in the treated infarct zone (-8.1±1.0 versus -11.4±1.3; P=0.04). Improvements in regional function were evident at 3 months, whereas the changes in chamber dimensions were not significant until 6 months. Improved regional function in the infarct zone strongly correlated with reduction of end diastolic volume (r(2)=0.69, P=0.04) and end systolic volume (r(2)=0.83, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that transcatheter, intramyocardial injections of autologous bone marrow progenitor cells improve regional contractility of a chronic myocardial scar, and these changes predict subsequent reverse remodeling. The findings support the potential clinical benefits of this new treatment strategy and ongoing randomized clinical trials.

Randomized, double-blind trial of fluconazole versus voriconazole for prevention of invasive fungal infection after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is a serious threat after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). This multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial compared fluconazole (N = 295) versus voriconazole (N = 305) for the prevention of IFI in the context of a structured fungal screening program. Patients undergoing myeloablative allogeneic HCT were randomized before HCT to receive study drugs for 100 days, or for 180 days in higher-risk patients. Serum galactomannan was assayed twice weekly for 60 days, then at least weekly until day 100. Positive galactomannan or suggestive signs triggered mandatory evaluation for IFI. The primary endpoint was freedom from IFI or death (fungal-free survival; FFS) at 180 days. Despite trends to fewer IFIs (7.3% vs 11.2%; P = .12), Aspergillus infections (9 vs 17; P = .09), and less frequent empiric antifungal therapy (24.1% vs 30.2%, P = .11) with voriconazole, FFS rates (75% vs 78%; P = .49) at 180 days were similar with fluconazole and voriconazole, respectively. Relapse-free and overall survival and the incidence of severe adverse events were also similar. This study demonstrates that in the context of intensive monitoring and structured empiric antifungal therapy, 6-month FFS and overall survival did not differ in allogeneic HCT recipients given prophylactic fluconazole or voriconazole. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00075803.

Posttransplant autoimmune hemolytic anemia and other autoimmune cytopenias are increased in very young infants undergoing unrelated donor umbilical cord blood transplantation.

Autoimmune cytopenias are a recognized complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), and are considered to be a feature of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). We report on a cohort of very young infants (< or =3 months of age) receiving HSCT from unrelated donor umbilical cord blood for genetic disorders who developed posttransplant autoimmune cytopenias at an increased rate compared to older aged controls. These infants received a conditioning regimen consisting of busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and antithymocyte globulin (ATG). All infants received HLA mismatched unrelated umbilical cord blood as graft source. GVHD prophylaxis was either cyclosporine + methylprednisolone (n = 16) or cyclosporine + mycophenolate mofetil (n = 3). Engraftment, acute GVHD (aGVHD) and cGVHD, survival, treatment-related mortality (TRM), and deaths were evaluated. Ten patients developed cGVHD manifesting as autoimmune cytopenias at a median 247 days posttransplant with a cumulative incidence of 44% (95% confidence interval [CI] 21%-68%) and 56% (95% CI 32%-80%) at 1 and 2 years, respectively. In 6 of 10 patients developing autoimmune cytopenias, cGVHD presented as autoimmune cytopenia de novo. The cytopenias observed included anemia (n = 4), thrombocytopenia (n = 1), anemia with thrombocytopenia (n = 3), and pancytopenia (n = 2). No graft factors were identified as being significant to development of cGVHD. All patients responded to treatment with methylprednisolone, azithioprine +/- rituximab. One patient required splenectomy. We hypothesize that posttransplant immunosuppression interferes with normal immune ontogeny creating immune dysregulation and graft directed cell destruction. Alternative strategies to prevent GVHD should be considered for this unique patient population.

A scheme for defining cause of death and its application in the T cell depletion trial.

The primary cause of death (COD) provides important information in many studies of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). A panel of experts critically assessed the CODs submitted by 15 transplantation centers for 281 patients who died in a randomized multicenter trial of unrelated HSCT. The panel reviewed the CODs reported by the transplantation centers, which used the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research and National Marrow Donor Program COD reporting form. The panel determined that the existing criteria for primary and contributing CODs lacked sufficient stringency for uniform interpretation. A hierarchy was developed and applied to the T cell depletion project. Using its scheme, the panel reclassified 157 CODs (56%) reported by the transplantation centers. The changes resulted in increased recognition of graft-versus-host disease as the primary COD and a concomitant decrease in attribution of the primary COD to infection. This algorithm promotes consistent assignment of primary and contributing CODs for patients with leukemia or lymphoma who expire after myeloablative allogeneic HSCT.

Higher risk of cytomegalovirus and aspergillus infections in recipients of T cell-depleted unrelated bone marrow: analysis of infectious complications in patients treated with T cell depletion versus immunosuppressive therapy to prevent graft-versus-host disease.

Serious infections are a major obstacle limiting the usefulness of unrelated donor marrow transplantation. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and its therapy are associated with a high risk of opportunistic infection. In this study, patients were randomized to receive 1 of 2 GVHD prophylaxis strategies, marrow T cell depletion, and cyclosporine (TCD) or methotrexate/cyclosporine (M/C) after transplantation. The patients underwent transplantation between March 1995 and October 2000 as part of a multicenter randomized trial. As a secondary analysis, we analyzed infections in this study cohort. Among the 404 patients who underwent transplantation, a total of 1598 infections were reported. The rates of serious and fatal infections did not differ between the TCD and M/C groups. Bacterial infections accounted for 1/3 of serious infections in each treatment arm. A significantly higher incidence of severe cytomegalovirus (CMV) and life-threatening or fatal aspergillus infections was observed in the patients receiving TCD (CMV, 28% vs 17% [P = .02]; aspergillosis, 16% vs 7% [P < .01]). The only independent risk factor for serious infection was the development of grade III-IV acute GVHD (aGVHD; hazard ratio = 1.41; 95% confidence interval = 1.03-1.91). Strategies to speed immune recovery, even in the absence of GVHD, are needed to overcome the risk of infection after unrelated donor transplantation.

Influence of T-cell depletion on chronic graft-versus-host disease: results of a multicenter randomized trial in unrelated marrow donor transplantation.

Donor-derived T cells have been proposed to play a role in pathogenesis of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). The impact of ex vivo T-cell depletion (TCD) on cGVHD was analyzed in a randomized multicenter trial involving unrelated donor marrow transplants. A total of 404 patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies received a total body irradiation-based myeloablative conditioning regimen. GVHD prophylaxis included TCD plus cyclosporine (CSA) or unmodified grafts with CSA plus methotrexate (M/C). Median recipient age was 31.2 years (range, 0.5-55.6 years); median follow-up time since randomization was 4.2 years. The mean number of T cells infused was 1 log lower on the TCD arm. The incidence of cGVHD at 2 years was similar between the TCD and M/C arms, 29% versus 34% (P = .27), respectively. Survival at 3 years from diagnosis of cGVHD was also similar, (TCD 51% versus M/C 58%; P = .29). The proportion of patients with cGVHD who discontinued immunosuppression at 5 years was not different (TCD 72% versus M/C 63%; P = .27), and incidence of serious infections and leukemia relapse were similar on both treatment arms. In spite of a significant reduction of acute GVHD, TCD did not reduce the incidence of cGVHD or improve survival in patients who developed cGVHD.