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The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of primary prolonged isolated thrombocytopenia (PT) after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplant (haplo-HSCT). We retrospectively analyzed patients who received haplo-HSCT for various hematologic malignancies at Peking University Institute of Hematology between January 2015 and December 2016. Of the 918 patients, 93 (10.1%) developed primary PT. We designed a propensity score method-based study. For each primary PT patient control subjects (1:3) were selected using a propensity score-matching method. A total of 372 recipients were enrolled in the study: 93 in the PT group and 279 in the control group. Multivariate analysis showed that age older than 25 years (P = .002), median mononuclear cells (P = .000), median CD34 + counts (P = .003), history of grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD; P = .000), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection after haplo-HSCT (P = .016) were independent risk factors for primary PT. Primary PT was significantly associated with higher transplant-related mortality (TRM; P < .001), inferior overall survival (P = .001), and disease-free survival (P = .005). In conclusion, the incidence of primary PT after haplo-HSCT was 10.1%. Primary PT was associated with poorer survival and higher TRM along with older age, grades II to IV acute GVHD, and EBV infection after haplo-HSCT., (Copyright © 2020 American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We aimed to investigate the frequency, risk factors, and outcome of active tuberculosis (TB) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). This retrospective, nested, case-control study reviewed data from 6236 patients who received allo-HSCT from January 2008 to December 2018 at a single center; thirty-three patients (0.5%) with active TB and 99 controls without active TB after allo-HSCT were identified. We performed propensity score matching by randomly selecting 3 controls for each identified active TB patient according to the time of transplantation and follow-up period. History of pretransplant active TB previously treated and inactive at time of transplantation (P< .001) was an independent risk factor. No significant differences in overall survival (P= .342), nonrelapse mortality (P= .497), or incidence of relapse (P= .807) were found. Thirty (90.9%) patients were treated with 4-drug (isoniazid, rifampicin/three rifapentine, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol) or 3-drug combination first-line therapy, with a response rate of 76.7%. Twenty-six (78.8%) patients were treated with first-line and second-line combined therapy, and the response rate was 76.9%. Five (15.2%) patients developed hepatotoxicity. In conclusion, history of pretransplant active TB previously treated and inactive at time of transplantation was an independent risk factor of active TB after allo-HSCT. No significant differences in prognosis between the TB and control groups were found. More studies are needed to help develop standardized therapeutic strategies for patients with post-transplant TB., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Acute pancreatitis (AP) has been recognized as an uncommon yet potentially lethal complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). This retrospective, nested, case-control study reviewed data from 5284 consecutive patients who underwent allogeneic (allo)-HSCT between 2009 and 2018 at a single center, identifying 40 patients (0.76%) with AP after allo-HSCT. The diagnosis and severity of AP were established and classified according to existing criteria. Younger age (P = .008), grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (P = .010), a history of donor lymphocyte infusion (P = .033), and pre-existing gallstones (P = .003) were independent risk factors of AP after allo-HSCT. Post-transplant AP had a trend to negatively influence overall survival (OS) and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) (P = .063) for allo-HSCT recipients, but no significant difference was found. Patients with moderately severe and severe AP had significantly lower OS (P = .002) and higher NRM (P = .000) than other patients. Based on these findings, a risk score model was also established to predict the occurrence of AP. Our risk score model performed well in terms of discrimination when applied to derivation samples. Patients were classified into a low-risk group (0 to 1 point), a medium-risk group (2 to 3 points), and a high-risk group (4 points or more). Significant difference was observed in AP incidence among the 3 groups. The predictive tool explored by our study might contribute to target high-risk patients and guide personalized AP prevention in allo-HSCT recipients., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Immune-mediated neuropathies (IMNs) following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have been described recently, which, excluding Guillain-Barré syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, may present with atypical patterns. This retrospective, nested, case-control study reviewed data from 3858 patients who received haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) during the past 10 years at a single center, and 40 patients (1.04%) with IMN following haplo-HSCT were identified. Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) (P = .043) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia (P = .035) were recognized as independent risk factors for the development of IMN after haplo-HSCT. There were no significant differences in overall survival (P = .619), disease-free survival (P = .609), nonrelapse mortality (P = .87), or the incidence of relapse (P = .583) between patients with and without IMN after haplo-HSCT. However, patients with post-transplant IMN were at higher risk of developing cGVHD (P = .012) than patients who did not develop IMN. Twenty-four of the 40 patients with IMN (60%) attained neurologic improvement after treatments including vitamins B 1 and B 12 and/or immunomodulatory agents. However, 19 (47.5%) patients still had persistent motor/sensory deficits despite receiving timely treatment. More studies are needed to help develop standardized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for patients with post-transplant IMN., (Copyright © 2019 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and severity of chemotherapy plus donor lymphocyte infusion (Chemo-DLI)-associated chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) in a consecutive cohort of patients with acute leukemia who experienced relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (n = 104). The 5-year cumulative incidence of complete remission after Chemo-DLI was 81.0% (95% CI, 73.3% to 88.7%) and 84.6% (95% CI, 74.5% to 94.7%) in the moderate and severe cGVHD groups, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of the mild cGVHD group at 40.9% (95% CI, 29.3% to 52.5%) and non-cGVHD group at 29.2% (95% CI 23.1% to 35.3%). The cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality was comparable between patients with and without cGVHD. The 5-year probabilities of progression-free survival after Chemo-DLI were 42.9% (95% CI, 26.2% to 70.2%) and 34.6% (95% CI, 15.3% to 78.2%) in the moderate and severe cGVHD groups, respectively, which were both significantly higher than those of the mild cGVHD group at 9.1% (95% CI, 2.4% to 34.1%) and non-cGVHD group at 8.3% (95% CI 3.3% to 21.3%). The 5-year probabilities of overall survival after Chemo-DLI were 56.7% (95% CI, 38.9% to 82.7%) and 43.1% (95% CI, 22.1% to 84.0%) in the moderate and severe cGVHD groups, respectively, which were both significantly higher than those of the mild cGVHD group at 9.1% (95% CI 1.8% to 47.1%) and non-cGVHD group at 14.9% (95% CI, 7.3% to 30.2%). Our observations highlight the close relationship between cGVHD and immune-mediated graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect in patients with relapse receiving Chemo-DLI; however, mild cGVHD may not be associated with a sufficiently strong GVL effect to induce remission and improve survival., (Copyright © 2018 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This long-term follow-up study evaluated the effects of corticosteroid prophylaxis on graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS) based on a controlled open-label randomized trial in which 228 allotransplant recipients were categorized as low risk (n = 83, group A) or high risk; patients at high risk were randomly assigned to receive (n = 72, group B) or not receive (n = 73, group C) low-dose methylprednisolone prophylaxis. The cumulative incidences of chronic GVHD, relapse, nonrelapse mortality, leukemia-free survival, overall survival, and GRFS were 60%, 19%, 16%, 68%, 73%, and 46%, respectively, in all cases. Compared with the patients in group C, the cases in group B experienced a lower cumulative incidence of moderate to severe chronic GVHD (42% versus 20%; P = .010), herpes zoster infection (28% versus 12%; P = .010), pulmonary infections (42% versus 21%; P = .040), and osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH; 16% versus 6%; P = .045) as well as better GRFS (59% versus 33%; P = .017). Factors associated with GRFS included total dose of corticosteroid used in the first 100days after transplantation (hazard ratio, 1.547; P = .015) and platelet recovery (hazard ratio, 1.456; P = .037). Our results suggest that low-dose glucocorticoid prophylaxis reduces GVHD and thus reduces the total dose of steroids, which might contribute to lower incidence of infections and ONFH and a superior GRFS, indicating that higher steroid doses are harmful. Reducing the total dose is of course beneficial. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01607580.)., (Copyright © 2018 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to validate the capability of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) prognostic scoring system to predict outcomes of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who had undergone HLA-haploidentical related donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). We also propose and validate a more suitable prognostic scoring system. A total of 157 patients with MDS who underwent haplo-HSCT were enrolled. The CIBMTR prognostic scoring system could predict the 2-year clinical outcomes, but failed to predict the 100-day clinical outcomes after haplo-HSCT. Our multivariable model identified 2 independent predictors of overall survival: age and monosomal karyotype (MK). Weighted scores of 5, 3, and 2 were assigned to age ≥50 years, age 30 to 49 years, and MK, respectively, and a 2-category system was created: low (score ≤3) and high (score >3). Our refined prognostic scoring system can predict both the 100-day and 2-year clinical outcomes after haplo-HSCT. Our findings indicate that the CIBMTR prognostic scoring system is predictive of the outcomes of patients with MDS following haplo-HSCT, and that older patients with MDS and/or patients with MK should be closely monitored after haplo-HSCT., (Copyright © 2017 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The efficacy of minimal residual disease (MRD)-directed IFN-α treatment was investigated in acute leukemia patients who were positive for MRD after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) (n = 107). MRD-positive status was defined as positivity for leukemia-associated aberrant immune phenotypes or positivity for Wilms' tumor gene 1 in a single bone marrow sample. Recombinant human IFN-α-2b injections were administered subcutaneously 2 to 3 times per week for 6 months. The 2-year cumulative incidence of severe acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease after IFN-α treatment was 5.7% and 6.6%, respectively. Eighty-one patients (75.7%) turned MRD-negative after IFN-α treatment 1 month (42; 39.3%), 2 months (6; 5.6%), 3 months (7; 6.5%), and >3 months (26; 24.3%) after MRD-directed IFN-α treatment. Twelve patients showed relapse after IFN-α treatment, and 7 died of relapse. Four patients died of nonrelapse mortality (NRM). The 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse, relapse mortality, and NRM after IFN-α treatment was 11.5%, 6.8%, and 4.3%, respectively. The 2-year probabilities of event-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival after IFN-α treatment were 66.5%, 82.4%, and 87.4%, respectively. Persistent MRD after IFN-α treatment was significantly associated with higher relapse risk and poorer survival. Thus, MRD-directed IFN-α treatment is effective for patients who were MRD-positive after allo-HSCT. The study was registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02185261., (Copyright © 2017 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Prolonged isolated thrombocytopenia (PT) is a serious complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Whether abnormalities of the bone marrow (BM) immune microenvironment are involved in the pathogenesis of PT remains unknown, however. Twenty patients with PT, 40 matched patients with good graft function (GGF) after allo-HSCT, and 20 healthy donors (HD) were enrolled in this nested case-control study. Th1, Th2, Tc1, Tc2, Th17, and Treg cells were analyzed by flow cytometry, and IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17, IL-6, IL-21, and thrombopoietin levels in BM plasma were evaluated with a cytometric bead assay and ELISA. Relative to GGF patients and HD controls, PT patients had significantly higher proportions of Th1 and Tc1 cells, resulting in higher Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 ratios in the BM microenvironment. In addition, the excessive polarization of Th17 was observed in patients with PT. Changes in BM plasma cytokines were consistent with our cellular findings. These results suggest that dysregulated T cell responses in the BM microenvironment might play an important role in the pathogenesis of PT., (Copyright © 2017 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an important therapy option for children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) resistant to the first course of induction chemotherapy (IC 1st ). We aimed to identify the efficacy of unmanipulated haploidentical HSCT (haplo-HSCT) in children with AML in the first complete remission and whether children resistant (IC 1st -resistant; n = 38) or sensitive (IC 1st -sensitive; n = 59) to the IC 1st can achieve comparable outcomes. The cumulative incidence of grades III to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and severe chronic GVHD was .0% versus 20.1% (P = .038) and 21.7% versus 13.2% (P = .238), respectively, for the IC 1st -resistant and IC 1st -sensitive groups. The 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse and nonrelapse mortality was 22.2% versus 7.6% (P = .061) and 5.3% versus 10.8% (P = .364), respectively, for the IC 1st -resistant and IC 1st -sensitive groups. The 3-year probability of overall survival and disease-free survival was 76.3% versus 83.0% (P = .657) and 72.5% versus 81.6% (P = .396), respectively, for the IC 1st -resistant and IC 1st -sensitive groups. Multivariate analysis failed to show significant differences in survival rates between the groups. Thus, our results show that unmanipulated haplo-HSCT may overcome the poor prognostic significance of IC 1st -resistance in children with AML, and it is valid as a postremission treatment for children with IC 1st -resistant AML lacking an HLA-matched donor., (Copyright © 2016 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is currently the only curative treatment option for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients with BCR-ABL T315I mutations. We report the outcome of SCT in 22 patients with T315I(+) CML, most (n = 16) from haploidentical family donors (HID-SCT). At the time the mutation was detected, 8 patients were in the chronic phase (CP), 7 in the accelerated phase (AP), and 7 in the blast phase (BP). At the time of SCT 7 were in the CP, 8 in the AP or returning to the CP post-AP (AP/AP-CPn), and 7 in the BP or returning to CP post-BP (BP/BP-CPn). The cumulative incidence of grades III to IV acute graft-versus-host disease was 9.1%. Chronic graft-versus-host disease was observed in 60.0% of patients, including 25.0% who suffered from severe disease. Four patients died of transplant-related complications at a median interval from SCT of 16.3 months. The estimated 2-year leukemia-free survival rate was 80.0%, 72.9%, and 0% in CP, AP/AP-CPn and BP/BP-CPn groups at the time of SCT, respectively. After a median follow-up of 17.3 months from SCT, 14 patients are alive, including 13 in complete molecular response and 1 with an extramedullary relapse. In conclusion, HID-SCT is a potentially curative treatment for T315I + CML patients. For patients in CP/AP, immediate SCT might result in promising survival. The outcome of patients in BP with T315I(+) mutation remains very poor., (Copyright © 2016 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We examined the incidence, risk factors, treatments, and clinical outcomes of post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) after unmanipulated haploidentical (haplo) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in 1184 patients between 2006 and 2012. Age-, transplantation time-, and transplantation duration-matched controls were randomly selected from the same cohort. Forty-five patients experienced PTLD. The median time from HSCT to PTLD occurrence was 61 (range, 33 to 360) days and the 1-year cumulative incidence of total PTLD after haplo-HSCT was 3.0%. In multivariate analysis, a lower absolute count of CD8(+) T lymphocytes at day 30, a lower absolute count of immunoglobulin M at day 30, and cytomegalovirus DNAemia after HSCT were significantly associated with higher risk of PTLD. The 2-year probability of overall survival (OS) after HSCT was 42.8%, which was comparable between the probable PTLD and the proven PTLD patients. Patients who received rituximab-based therapy had significantly better 2-year OS (48.2% versus 13.2%, P = .02). Thus, we were able to identify individuals at a high risk of developing PTLD after unmanipulated haplo-HSCT. Rituximab-based therapy can help to improve the outcomes of PTLD patients., (Copyright © 2015 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this prospective clinical study, the safety and efficacy of preemptive interferon-α (IFN-α) treatment were investigated and compared with preemptive donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) in patients who were minimal residual disease (MRD)-positive after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT were eligible if they had acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome and were MRD-positive after HSCT. Patients who were able to receive DLI were assigned to a preemptive DLI group (n = 45); patients who could not or did not agree to receive DLI after HSCT received preemptive IFN-α. A total of 22 patients received preemptive IFN-α; the median treatment duration was 35 days (range, 4 to 180 days). Seven patients relapsed, and 1 patient died from severe pneumonia. The 1-year cumulative incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) after intervention was 90.9% for the IFN-α group and 62.9% for the DLI group (P < .001). MRD status after preemptive intervention was comparable in the 2 groups, and the 1-year cumulative incidence of relapse after intervention was 27.3% for the IFN-α group and 35.6% for the DLI group (P = .514). The 1-year cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality after intervention was 4.5% for the IFN-α group and 4.4% for the DLI group (P = .985). The 1-year probability of disease-free survival after intervention was 68.2% for the IFN-α group and 60.0% for the DLI group (P = .517). In multivariate analysis, early-onset MRD, persistent MRD after intervention, and absence of cGVHD after intervention were significantly associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Thus, preemptive IFN-α may be a potential alternative for MRD-positive patients who cannot receive preemptive DLI after HSCT., (Copyright © 2015 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We examined the incidence, risk factors, treatment, and clinical outcomes of extramedullary relapse (EMR) in 961 acute leukemia patients undergoing HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) between 2002 and 2013. Multiple control subjects were selected at random from the same cohort and matched to EMR cases for diagnosis, disease status at HSCT, age at the time of the HSCT, and year of HSCT. Forty patients exhibited EMR, with a median time to EMR of 207 days. The cumulative incidence of EMR was 4.0% at 3 years, and the incidence was higher in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients compared with acute myeloid leukemia patients (5.6% versus 2.4%). In the multivariate analysis, non-complete remission (CR) status at HSCT (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.6; P = .018) and non-chronic graft-versus-host disease after HSCT (HR = 3.2; P < .001) were the independent risk factors for EMR after haplo-HSCT. Twenty-seven patients received combination treatments, and the proportion of patients who achieved CR was higher than those who received single treatment. Multifocal involvement at EMR (HR = 2.7; P = .024) and non-CR after EMR treatments (HR = 4.6; P < .001) were the independent risk factors for poor survival rates among EMR patients. We found that graft-versus-leukemia effect may help to prevent EMR after haplo-HSCT., (Copyright © 2014 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Prolonged isolated thrombocytopenia (PT) is a serious complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, it remains unclear whether abnormalities of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment are involved in the pathogenesis of PT. This prospective, nested case-control study included 20 patients with PT, 40 matched patients with good graft function (GGF) after allo-HSCT, and 16 healthy donors (HDs). Cellular elements of the BM microenvironment, including BM endothelial cells (BMECs), perivascular cells, and endosteal cells, were analyzed via flow cytometry and via hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemical staining in situ. Moreover, stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured in the plasma of BM via an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. No significant differences in endosteal cells (15 per high-power field [hpf] versus 16 per hpf versus 20 per hpf, P > .05) were demonstrated among the patients with PT, GGF, and the HDs. The PT patients exhibited remarkable decreases in cellular elements of the vascular microenvironment, including BMECs (.01% versus .18% versus .20%, P < .0001) and perivascular cells (.01% versus .12% versus .13%, P < .0001), compared with the GGF allo-HSCT recipients and the HDs, respectively. Moreover, significantly lower levels of SDF-1 (3163 pg/mL versus 3928 pg/mL, P = .0002) and VEGF (56 pg/mL versus 123 pg/mL, P < .0001) were found in the BM plasma of the PT patients compared with the BM of the GGF patients. A multivariate analysis revealed that BMECs (odds ratio [OR] = 171.57, P = .002) and cytomegalovirus infection after HSCT (OR = 4.35, P = .009) were independent risk factors for PT. Our data suggested that an impaired BM vascular microenvironment and megakaryocyte-active factors may contribute to the occurrence of PT after HSCT., (Copyright © 2014 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) partially matched related donor (PMRD) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an effective option for hematological malignancies. In this study, the nonmalignant late effects of PMRD HSCT were evaluated and compared with HLA-identical sibling donor (ISD) HSCT. Three hundred thirteen patients (ISD, n = 160; PMRD, n = 153) who survived at least 6 months and received regular follow-up examinations after their HSCT were enrolled. The 5-year cumulative incidence (±SE) of at least one late effect and multiple late effects was 47.30% ± .17% versus 58.21% ± .16% (P = .134) and 17.97% ± .10% versus 34.28% ± .15% (P = .001) for PMRD HSCT recipients versus ISD HSCT recipients, respectively. The cumulative incidence of keratoconjunctivitis sicca, periodontitis, ankylosis, myalgia, and nephrotic syndrome was lower among PMRD HSCT recipients compared with ISD HSCT recipients. Severe chronic graft-versus-host disease, multiple pre-HSCT chemotherapy cycles, female donor, and older age were risk factors for at least one late effect. Female donor, older age, and long-term immunosuppressive therapy were associated with multiple late effects. In summary, PMRD HSCT recipients have a lower risk of late effects compared with ISD HSCT recipients, possibly due to differences in protocols for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis, and long-term follow-up after transplantation is recommended., (Copyright © 2013 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)