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BACKGROUND: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an important treatment for malignant hematological diseases, and delayed postoperative platelet implantation is a common complication that seriously affects the quality of patient survival; however, there are no standard protocols to improve platelet implantation rates and prevent platelet implantation delays. OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety and efficacy of oral Herombopag Olamine versus subcutaneous recombinant human thrombopoietin for promoting platelet implantation in patients with malignant hematological diseases undergoing haploid hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS: Clinical data of 163 patients with malignant hematological diseases who underwent haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from January 2016 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 72 patients who started to subcutaneously inject recombinant human thrombopoietin at +2 days were categorized into the recombinant human thrombopoietin group; a total of 27 patients who started to orally take Herombopag Olamine at +2 days were categorized into the Herombopag Olamine group; and 64 patients who did not apply Herombopag Olamine or recombinant human thrombopoietin were categorized into the blank control group. The implantation status, incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease of degree II-IV within 100 days, 1-year survival rate, 1-year recurrence rate, and safety were analyzed in the three groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The average follow-up time was 52(12-87) months. The implantation time of neutrophils in the blank control group, recombinant human thrombopoietin group, and Herombopag Olamine group was (12.95±3.88) days, (14.04±3.71) days, and (13.89±2.74) days, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.352); the implantation time of platelets was (15.16±6.27) days, (17.67±6.52) days, and (17.00±4.75) days, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.287). (2) The complete platelet implantation rate on day 60 was 64.06%, 90.28%, and 92.59%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The subgroup analysis showed that the difference between the blank control group and the recombinant human thrombopoietin group was statistically significant (P < 0.001), and the difference between the blank control group and the Herombopag Olamine group was statistically significant (P=0.004). The difference was not statistically significant between the recombinant human thrombopoietin group and Herombopag Olamine group (P=0.535). (3) 100-day II-IV degree acute graft-versus-host disease incidence in the blank control group, recombinant human thrombopoietin group, and Herombopag Olamine group were 25.00%, 30.56%, and 25.93%, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.752). (4) The incidence of cytomegalovirus anemia, cytomegalovirus pneumonia, and hepatic function injury had no statistical difference among the three groups (P > 0.05). (5) During the follow-up period, there was no thrombotic event in any of the three groups of patients. (6) The results showed that recombinant human thrombopoietin and Herombopag Olamine could improve the platelet implantation rate of malignant hematological disease patients after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, with comparable efficacy and good safety [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Haplo-HSCT) serves as an important option for patients without an HLA matched donor in treating hematological disorders, while patients may experience various complications after transplantation. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a cornerstone drug for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis, effectively reduces the incidence of acute GvHD, and the efficacy of MMF varies among individuals associated with MMF-related transporters and metabolic enzymes single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, limited studies have systematically reported the correlations between the MMF-related SNPs and post-transplant complications. Methods: Here, we conducted a retrospective study involving 90 pediatric patients with hematological disorders who underwent haplo-HSCT at a single center. All patients were subjected to MMF-related SNP testing, combined with common clinical characteristics, to be correlated with post-transplant complications. Results: We observed that all 15 MMF-related SNPs were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Based on multivariate Cox regression analysis of post-transplant complications, we discovered that SLCO1B1 (521T > C) variant genotype was an independent protective factor for chronic GvHD (HR = 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.08–0.84)). For viral infection, CYP2C8 (1291 + 106T > C) variant genotype was an independent risk factor for cytomegalovirus infection (HR = 2.98, 95% CI (1.18–7.53)). As to hemorrhagic cystitis, SLCO1B1 (1865 + 4846T > C) variant genotype was an independent protective factor, while older age was considered as an independent risk factor (HR = 0.41, 95% CI (0.19–0.85); HR = 2.52, 95% CI (1.14–5.54), respectively). No statistical significance was discovered between common clinical characteristics and MMF-related SNPs with other complications, including grade II-IV/III-IV acute GvHD, Epstein-Barr virus infection, peri-engraftment syndrome, and capillary leak syndrome. We also discovered SLCO1B1 (597 C > T) and SLC29A1 (-162 + 228 A > C) variant genotypes are both independent factors for cumulative incidence of relapse after haplo-HSCT (HR = 4.02, 95% CI (1.42–11.44); HR = 0.18, 95% CI (0.07–0.43), respectively). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the significance of MMF-related transporters and metabolic enzymes SNPs in the development of post-transplant complications, contributing to facilitating personalized risk assessment and improving the clinical management in haplo-HSCT patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outcomes of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) have improved over time. Graft failure and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which were important complications in major human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-disparity stem cell transplantation, have significantly decreased. These improvements have led to an exponential increase in the use of haploidentical donors for transplantation, as well as in the number of publications evaluating haplo-SCT outcomes. Many studies focused on factors important in donor selection, novel conditioning regimens or GVHD prophylaxis, the impact of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA), as well as strategies to prevent disease relapse post-transplant. DSA represents an important limitation and multimodality desensitization protocols, including plasma exchange, rituximab, intravenous immunoglobulin and donor buffy coat infusion, can contribute to the successful engraftment in patients with high DSA levels and is currently the standard therapy for highly allosensitized individuals. With regards to donor selection, younger donors are preferred due to lower risk of complications and better transplant outcomes. Moreover, recent studies also showed that younger haploidentical donors may be a better choice than older-matched unrelated donors. Improvement of disease relapse remains a top priority, and several studies have demonstrated that higher natural killer (NK) cell numbers early post-transplant are associated with improved outcomes. Prospective studies have started to assess the role of NK cell administration in decreasing post-transplant relapse. These studies suggest that the incorporation of other cell products post-transplant, including the administration of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, should be explored in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haploidentical hematopoietic can be conducted on an outpatient basis but the two main reasons to accept into the hospital a patient in this setting are complications of the hematological toxicity and/or the cytokine-release syndrome. With the aim of reducing the post-transplant cyclophosphamide-dependent toxicity without compromising its effectivity, attempts to reduce the dose of post-transplant cyclophosphamide have been made: Decreases from the conventional total dose of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (100 mg/Kg) have been explored worldwide, showing that decreasing the total dose to even 50 mg/Kg significantly decreases the toxicity of the procedure without compromising its efficacy, safety and results. We present here the salient data of the attempts to diminish the doses of post-transplant cyclophosphamide which have been done and published worldwide, information that suggests that the conventional doses of post-transplant cyclophosphamide can be significantly reduced thus decreasing the toxicity, without compromising the effectiveness of the procedure, mainly the development of graft versus host disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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ABSTRACT Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) effectively treats high‐risk myeloid neoplasms, but relapses post‐HSCT, particularly in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS), pose significant challenges. Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) has been utilized, but its effectiveness, especially in haploidentical settings, remains insufficiently clarified, and graft‐versus‐host disease (GvHD) poses a substantial risk.In this retrospective cohort study, 57 patients with AML or MDS who received DLI after allogeneic HSCT at our center from 2002 to 2023 were analyzed. Herein, only preemptively or therapeutically applied DLI were included, and endpoints included overall survival (OS), progression‐free survival (PFS), and GvHD incidence post‐DLI.Median OS after DLI was 517 days, with a 1‐year OS of 62.5%. Factors associated with longer OS included patient age, HLA‐identical donor, post‐HSCT treatment naivety, and preemptive DLI indication. Haploidentical DLI was associated with inferior OS compared to HLA‐identical DLI; however, PFS and GvHD incidence post‐DLI did not differ significantly.Our study findings indicate that OS rate is inferior in patients with relapsed AML or MDS treated with haploidentical DLI in comparison to those who received HLA‐identical DLI. Given the limitations of haploidentical DLI, alternative strategies, such as higher cell doses or combination treatment approaches, warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Graft failure (GF) or poor graft function (PGF) remain critical obstacles in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT), especially in recipients with HLA antibodies. Here, we performed a retrospective cohort study to investigate the efficacy and safety of the use of unrelated umbilical cord blood stem cells (UCBs) as a third-party adjuvant infusion in patients with HLA-antibodies undergoing haplo-HSCT. Methods: A total of 90 patients were divided into three groups: 17 patients in Group A (with positive HLA antibodies and who received UCB infusion), 36 patients in Group B (with positive HLA antibodies without UCB infusion), and 37 patients in Group C (without HLA antibody or UCB infusion). Results: The median age of patients included in Groups A, B, and C was 43 (IQR, 27 - 49.5), 33 (IQR, 20 - 48.75), and 30 (IQR, 18 - 46.5) years, respectively. All but one patient in Group B achieved granulocyte recovery within 28 days after transplantation. The median time to granulocyte engraftment were all 12 days for patients in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. All the patients in Group A achieved 100% donor chimerism without UCB engraftment. There were no significant differences in granulocyte or platelet engraftment time between the three groups. There were 1, 5, and 0 patients in Groups A, B, and C, respectively, who developed PGF. The cumulative incidence rates for any grade of acute graftversus-host disease (aGVHD) were comparable among the three groups. Patients in Group B presented a greater incidence of cGVHD than did those in Group A (P = 0.002) and Group C (P = 0.006). Patients in Group A presented more limited and milder cGVHD than those in Group C (P < 0.0001). The 1-year relapse-free survival (RFS) was 70.6% (95% CI, 0.47 - 0.87), 55.6% (95% CI, 0.40 - 0.70), and 77.9% (95% CI, 0.63 - 0.89) in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. Discussion: Our results indicated that patients who were positive for HLA antibodies were at a greater risk of developing GF/PGF. Co-infusion with UCBs was safe and improved engraftment, cGVHD, and improved the 1-year RFS to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Haplo-HSCT) serves as an important option for patients without an HLA matched donor in treating hematological disorders, while patients may experience various complications after transplantation. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a cornerstone drug for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis, effectively reduces the incidence of acute GvHD, and the efficacy of MMF varies among individuals associated with MMF-related transporters and metabolic enzymes single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, limited studies have systematically reported the correlations between the MMF-related SNPs and post-transplant complications. Methods Here, we conducted a retrospective study involving 90 pediatric patients with hematological disorders who underwent haplo-HSCT at a single center. All patients were subjected to MMF-related SNP testing, combined with common clinical characteristics, to be correlated with post-transplant complications. Results We observed that all 15 MMF-related SNPs were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Based on multivariate Cox regression analysis of post-transplant complications, we discovered that SLCO1B1 (521T > C) variant genotype was an independent protective factor for chronic GvHD (HR = 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.08–0.84)). For viral infection, CYP2C8 (1291 + 106T > C) variant genotype was an independent risk factor for cytomegalovirus infection (HR = 2.98, 95% CI (1.18–7.53)). As to hemorrhagic cystitis, SLCO1B1 (1865 + 4846T > C) variant genotype was an independent protective factor, while older age was considered as an independent risk factor (HR = 0.41, 95% CI (0.19–0.85); HR = 2.52, 95% CI (1.14–5.54), respectively). No statistical significance was discovered between common clinical characteristics and MMF-related SNPs with other complications, including grade II-IV/III-IV acute GvHD, Epstein-Barr virus infection, peri-engraftment syndrome, and capillary leak syndrome. We also discovered SLCO1B1 (597 C > T) and SLC29A1 (-162 + 228 A > C) variant genotypes are both independent factors for cumulative incidence of relapse after haplo-HSCT (HR = 4.02, 95% CI (1.42–11.44); HR = 0.18, 95% CI (0.07–0.43), respectively). Conclusions Our findings highlight the significance of MMF-related transporters and metabolic enzymes SNPs in the development of post-transplant complications, contributing to facilitating personalized risk assessment and improving the clinical management in haplo-HSCT patients.

Introduction: The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) evolutionary divergence (HED) reflects immunopeptidome diversity and has been shown to predict the response of tumors to immunotherapy. Its impact on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is controversial in different studies. Methods: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical impact of class I and II HED in 225 acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients undergoing HSCT from related haploidentical donors. The HED for recipient, donor, and donor-recipient pair was calculated based on Grantham distance, which accounts for variations in the composition, polarity, and volume of each amino acid within the peptidebinding groove of two HLA alleles. The median value of HED scores was used as a cut-off to stratify patients with high or low HED. Results: The class I HED for recipient (R_HEDclass I) showed the strongest association with cumulative incidence of relapse (12.2 vs. 25.0%, P = 0.00814) but not with acute graft-versus-host disease. The patients with high class II HED for donor-recipient (D/R_HEDclass II) showed a significantly higher cumulative incidence of severe aGVHD than those with low D/R_HEDclass II (24.0% vs. 6.1%, P = 0.0027). Multivariate analysis indicated that a high D/R_HEDclass II was an independent risk factor for the development of severe a GVHD (P = 0.007), and a high R_HEDclass I had a more than two-fold reduced risk of relapse (P = 0.028). However, there was no discernible difference in overall survival (OS) or disease free survival (DFS) for patients with high or low HED, which was inconsistent with the previous investigation. Discussion: While the observation are limited by the presented single center retrospective cohort, the results show that HED has poor prognostic value in OS or DFS, as well as the associations with relapse and aGVHD. In haploidentical setting, class II HED for donor-recipient pair (D/R_HEDclass II) is an independent and novel risk factor for finding the best haploidentical donor, which could potentially influence clinical practice if verified in larger cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was developed for older patients or those with poor functional status. Haploidentical donor was appropriate alternative donor for patients without matched donors or patients with emergency disease state. However, there was few studies report the outcomes of RIC regimen of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) based haploidentical HSCT. The selection of the appropriate RIC regimen based on age and comorbidities in ATG-based haploidentical HSCT remains poorly described. To investigate the safety and efficacy of RIC regimen ATG-based haploidentical HSCT in older or unfit patients. Additionally, to explore the potential factors that impact the prognosis of RIC regimen of ATG-based haploidentical HSCT. We included a retrospective cohort of 63 patients with hematologic malignant diseases who underwent their first RIC haploidentical HSCT from November 2016 to June 2022 at our institutions. The conditioning regimen involved fludarabine (Flu) 30 mg/m²/kg 6 days combined with busulfan 3.2 mg/kg 2 days (Bu2) or 3 days (Bu3). ATG-Fresenius (ATG-F) was administered 10 mg/kg in total, ATG-thymoglobulin (ATG-T) was administered 6 mg/kg in total. The median age of patients in the entire cohort was 60 (32–67) years with a median follow-up of 496 (83–2182) days. There were 29 patients with AML, 20 patients with MDS, and 14 patients with ALL. A total of 32 patients underwent Bu2 RIC haplo-HSCT and 31 patients were treated with Bu3 RIC haplo-HSCT. The 2-year overall survival (OS) and 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) in whole cohort were 67.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 53.8 − 85.1%) and 61.4% (95% CI, 48.8 − 77.3%) respectively. The cumulative incidence rates of grades II to IV and grades III to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) in whole cohort were 15.8% (95% CI, 4.8 − 19.6%) and 9.7% (95% CI, 0.0 − 11.8%) respectively. The 2-year cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 34.0% (95% CI, 18.9 − 46.3%). The 2-year cumulative incidence rates of relapse (IR) and non-relapse mortality (NRM) rates in whole cohort were 27.5% (95% CI, 14.5 − 33.7%) and 11.6% (95% CI, 2.2 − 21.9%) respectively. The probability of 2-year OS were 60.2% (95% CI:42.5-85.3%) in Bu2 and 85.5%(95% CI:73.0-100%) in Bu3 group respectively(P = 0.150). The probability of 2-year DFS were 49.7% (95% CI:33.0-74.8%) in Bu2 and 72.6% (95% CI:55.5-95.5%) in Bu3 group respectively (P = 0.045). The 2-year IR of Bu2 group was significantly higher than Bu3 group (P = 0.045). However, the 2-year NRM were not significantly different between Bu2 and Bu3 group(P > 0.05). In multivariable analysis, RIC regimen of Bu3 had superior OS and DFS than Bu2 group respectively [HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.18–0.98; P = 0.044; HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14–0.86; P = 0.022]. Besides, RIC regimen of Bu3 had lower IR than Bu2 group [HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.13–0.89; P = 0.029]. The RIC regimen of ATG-based haploidentical HSCT is a safe and effective treatment option for patients who are older or have poor functional status. In particular, a relatively high-intensity pre-treatment regimen consisting of Bu achieves significant improvements in OS and DFS, thus providing more favorable post-transplantation clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outcomes of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) have improved over time. Graft failure and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which were important complications in major human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-disparity stem cell transplantation, have significantly decreased. These improvements have led to an exponential increase in the use of haploidentical donors for transplantation, as well as in the number of publications evaluating haplo-SCT outcomes. Many studies focused on factors important in donor selection, novel conditioning regimens or GVHD prophylaxis, the impact of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA), as well as strategies to prevent disease relapse post-transplant. DSA represents an important limitation and multimodality desensitization protocols, including plasma exchange, rituximab, intravenous immunoglobulin and donor buffy coat infusion, can contribute to the successful engraftment in patients with high DSA levels and is currently the standard therapy for highly allosensitized individuals. With regards to donor selection, younger donors are preferred due to lower risk of complications and better transplant outcomes. Moreover, recent studies also showed that younger haploidentical donors may be a better choice than older-matched unrelated donors. Improvement of disease relapse remains a top priority, and several studies have demonstrated that higher natural killer (NK) cell numbers early post-transplant are associated with improved outcomes. Prospective studies have started to assess the role of NK cell administration in decreasing post-transplant relapse. These studies suggest that the incorporation of other cell products post-transplant, including the administration of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, should be explored in the future.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is an effective measure for the treatment of hematological disease. With the progress and wide use of allo-HSCT, post-transplant central nervous system complications (CNSC) have gotten more and more attention because of its poor prognosis and high mortality. Since there is no standard treatment for patients with immune-mediated CNSC currently, new treatments are needed to be developed urgently. Here, we attempted a novel therapy regimen of intrathecal tocilizumab injection in two pediatric patients with immune-mediated CNSC manifested as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (halpo-HSCT). In the two patients, persistent seizure symptoms could not be resolved 7 h after intravenous tocilizumab, while the symptoms were controlled rapidly only 2 hours or 1 hour after the first intrathecal injection of tocilizumab. Moreover, the level of interleukin 6 in the cerebrospinal fluid returned to normal after the fifth intrathecal injection. Even more appealing, no acute or chronic adverse reactions were observed during injection and subsequent follow-up. In conclusion, intrathecal tocilizumab seems to be more rapid and effective than intravenous administration for immune-mediated CNSC manifested as CRS in haplo-HSCT recipients. We recommend this treatment modality for further investigation.

Abstract Background Overt gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a potentially serious and life-threatening condition in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, relatively little information is available regarding overt GIB in children. Objectives To assess the prevalence, clinical patterns, and outcomes of overt GIB in children undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Methods A total of 123 consecutive patients with malignant or non-malignant blood disorders who received haplo-HSCT were reviewed in our hospital between October 2017 and October 2022. Overt GIB was determined as hematemesis, melena or hematochezia. Continuous variables were compared by Mann Whitney U test. Categorical parameters were compared by the χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to assess overall survival (OS), non-relapse mortality (NRM) and relapse. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors of overt GIB development. Results The median follow-up was 26.3 (range,1.7–74.8) months. Overt GIB occurred in 31 patients (25.2% incidence), with a median time elapsed after haplo-HSCT of 376 days (range, 58–1275 days). Compared with the non-GIB group, patients with overt GIB had reduced OS and increased NRM. In multivariate analysis, grade III–IV gut acute graft versus-host disease (aGvHD), thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia were significant risk factors for the occurrence of overt GIB after haplo-HSCT. Conclusions Overt GIB is a frequent complication after haplo-HSCT in pediatric patients, and associated with worse survival. Grade III–IV gut aGvHD, TMA and CMV viremia were associated with its development.

Zhengqin Tian,1,&ast; Qihang Man,1,&ast; Yixin Yang,1,&ast; Xiaomei Zhang,2,&ast; Hexian Guan,1 Wenjing Gu,2 Ying Wang,1 Dandan Song,2 Rongmu Luo,1,2 Jingbo Wang1 1Department of Hematology, Aerospace Center Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Hematology, China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation 731 Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Rongmu Luo; Jingbo Wang, Email luorongmu@163.com; wangjingbo721@126.comAbstract: Engraftment syndrome (ES) is an early complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) characterized by fever and additional clinical manifestations including rash, diarrhea, lung infiltrates, weight gain, and neurological symptoms. Steroid-resistant ES following HSCT significantly affects the efficacy of transplantation and may even result in patient mortality. As ES essentially represents a cytokine storm induced by engrafted donor cells with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) playing a central role, we hypothesized that emapalumab (an anti-IFN-γ monoclonal antibody) may be an effective approach to treat steroid-resistant ES. Here, we present a case report of a 14-year-old female patient who received a second haploidentical HSCT due to a relapse of acute myeloid leukemia. Nine days after the transplantation, the patient developed a fever and exhibited a poor response to antimicrobials (ceftazidime/avibactam). A few days later, the patient presented with a new-onset rash, weight gain, and impaired liver function, leading to a diagnosis of ES. Initial immunosuppressive (tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil) treatment failed to control the disease. On day 16 post-transplantation, the patient received two infusions of 50 mg of emapalumab. Following the initiation of emapalumab treatment, the patient’s fever returned to normal and ES was effectively controlled. This case report demonstrated that emapalumab had a possible efficacy for steroid-resistant ES and provided a novel therapeutic strategy to treat this clinical complication.Keywords: haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, engraftment syndrome, emapalumab, acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract This study aimed to assess the efficacy of dual T-cell suppression using individually tailored doses of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and attenuated dose of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). We conducted a retrospective analysis of 78 adults with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome who underwent haplo-HSCT using intravenous busulfan and fludarabine conditioning. Thirty-two patients received attenuated ATG/PTCy, while 46 patients received ATG (7.5 mg/kg) as GVHD prophylaxis. The 100-day cumulative incidence of grade III-IV (9.7% vs. 32.4%, P = 0.018) acute GVHD, as well as 2-year moderate-severe chronic GVHD (13.9% vs. 43.9%, P = 0.018) in the ATG/PTCy group were significantly lower than those in the ATG group. The 2-year overall survival was comparable between the two groups. However, 2-year GVHD-free, relapse-free survival in the ATG/PTCy group was significantly higher compared to that in the ATG group (38.9% vs. 21.7%, P = 0.021). Moreover, during post-engraftment period, the ATG/PTCy group exhibited lower incidences of life-threatening bacterial (12.5% vs. 37%, P = 0.033) and viral infection (0% vs. 17.4%, P = 0.035) than the ATG group. In conclusion, the combination of individually tailored ATG and low-dose PTCy appears to be a promising strategy in haplo-HSCT.

Background: Overt gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a potentially serious and life-threatening condition in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, relatively little information is available regarding overt GIB in children. Objectives: To assess the prevalence, clinical patterns, and outcomes of overt GIB in children undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Methods: A total of 123 consecutive patients with malignant or non-malignant blood disorders who received haplo-HSCT were reviewed in our hospital between October 2017 and October 2022. Overt GIB was determined as hematemesis, melena or hematochezia. Continuous variables were compared by Mann Whitney U test. Categorical parameters were compared by the χ2 test or Fisher's exact test. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to assess overall survival (OS), non-relapse mortality (NRM) and relapse. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors of overt GIB development. Results: The median follow-up was 26.3 (range,1.7–74.8) months. Overt GIB occurred in 31 patients (25.2% incidence), with a median time elapsed after haplo-HSCT of 376 days (range, 58–1275 days). Compared with the non-GIB group, patients with overt GIB had reduced OS and increased NRM. In multivariate analysis, grade III–IV gut acute graft versus-host disease (aGvHD), thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia were significant risk factors for the occurrence of overt GIB after haplo-HSCT. Conclusions: Overt GIB is a frequent complication after haplo-HSCT in pediatric patients, and associated with worse survival. Grade III–IV gut aGvHD, TMA and CMV viremia were associated with its development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo‐HCT) is an appropriate option when an HLA-matched related or unrelated donor is not available. Haplo-HCT using post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) is being increasingly performed worldwide due to its effective suppression of GVHD and its safety. We conducted a large nationwide cohort study to retrospectively analyze 366 patients with acute myeloid leukemia undergoing haplo‐HCT with PTCy between 2010 and 2019 and to identify prognostic factors. A multivariate Cox analysis revealed that an older recipient age (≥60 years), a male donor to a male recipient, a cytomegalovirus IgG-negative donor to a cytomegalovirus IgG-positive recipient, a poor cytogenetic risk, a noncomplete remission status at the time of transplantation, and a history of HCT were independently associated with worse overall survival (OS). Based on each hazard ratio, these factors were scored (1–2 points) and stratified by their total score into three groups: favorable (0–1 points), intermediate (2–3 points), and poor (4 points or more) groups, and 2-year OS rates were 79.9%, 49.2%, and 25.1%, respectively (P < 0.001). The present study revealed significant prognostic factors in haplo‐HCT with PTCy, and a scoring system based on these factors may be used to predict outcomes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: HLA haploid allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation provides a chance of survival for patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies. In recent years, the research on the transplantation mode and graft selection of haploidentical transplantation is still ongoing. At present, the mixed transplantation model of non-extracorporeal T-cell removal bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells established by the Hematology Research Center of Peking University is gradually becoming popular in China, but this model requires the collection of donor bone marrow fluid, which increases the pain and risk of the donor. OBJECTIVE: To explore the curative effect of infusion of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells replacing donor bone marrow cells in haploidentical peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for malignant hematological diseases. METHODS: Fifty hematological malignancies patients who underwent haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from January 2019 to May 2022 were selected and randomly assigned to two study groups at a ratio of 2:3. Among them, 19 patients received umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, and 31 patients were treated with bone marrow cells combined with peripheral blood stem cells. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Henan Provincial People’s Hospital. The recipients of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells were first transfused with third-party umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (1×106 /kg) on the day of transplantation, followed by peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells 6 hours later. In the bone marrow group, donor bone marrow cells were transfused +1 day after transplantation and peripheral blood stem cells were transfused +2 days after transplantation. After transplantation, rabbit anti-human thymocyte immunoglobulin, cyclosporine A, mycophenolate mofetil, and a short-course methotrexate were used for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis for all recipients. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: No adverse events occurred during the reinfusion of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. There were no significant differences between the mesenchymal stem cell group and the bone marrow group in the engraftment rate [100% (19/19) vs. 96.8%(30/31), P > 0.05], median duration for neutrophil engraftment (14 days vs.15 days, P > 0.05) and median duration for platelet engraftment (20 days vs.19 days, P > 0.05). The incidence of grade IIIV acute graft-versus-host disease in the mesenchymal stem cell group was significantly lower than in the bone marrow group [21.1% (4/19) vs. 58.1% (18/31), P = 0.01]. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease [21.1% (4/19) vs. 25.8% (8/31), P > 0.05], the relapse rates [15.8% (3/19) vs. 16.1% (5/31), P > 0.05] and the incidence of early cytomegalovirus viremia [42.1% (8/19) vs. 35.5% (11/31), P > 0.05], and the 2-year overall survival rate [68.4% (10/19) vs. 70.9% (16/31), P > 0.05]. It is indicated that umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells replace donor bone marrow cells in haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for malignant hematological diseases, which reduced the incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease after transplantation, did not increase the incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease, recurrence rate and early cytomegalovirus viremia, and reduced the pain and risk of donor pulp extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with posttransplant cyclophosphamide is an alternative treatment for aplastic anemia–paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) syndrome with poor prognostic factors. Ravulizumab treatment for PNH before HSCT might have a beneficial effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabbit anti-human T lymphocyte globulin (ATLG) and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) are commonly used for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Yet, their efficacy and safety have seldom been compared in hematological malignancies with haploidentical HSCT. A retrospective analysis with 28 ATLG (total dosage, 20–30 mg/kg) and 18 ATG (total dosage, 8–10 mg/kg) patients were performed. The cumulative incidences of chronic GVHD and relapse were comparable between both groups. ATLG showed a trend towards a lower acute GVHD incidence (28.6% vs. 44.4%, P = 0.242) and 3-year non-relapse mortality (10.7% vs. 27.8%, P = 0.160), and had a significantly higher 3-year overall survival (OS, 64.3% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.033) and GVHD-free and relapse-free survival (GRFS, 32.1% vs. 11.1%, P = 0.045) compared with ATG. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated ATLG was independently associated with a favorable OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16–0.86, P = 0.020) and GRFS (HR = 0.51, 95%CI: 0.26-1.00, P = 0.051). Furthermore, ATLG had a lower risk of fever (25.0% vs. 61.1%, P = 0.014) and hemorrhage cystitis (7.1% vs. 38.9%, P = 0.008) than ATG-T. In conclusion, ATLG confers more survival benefit and a better safety profile than ATG and can be used in hematological malignancies with haploidentical HSCT. Prospective designed trials with a larger sample size are warranted to confirm the results in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the effects of anti-HLA donor-specific antibodies (DSA) and desensitization for DSA+patients on engraftment of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Methods The patients who underwent haplo-HSCT and examinations for HLA antibodies and DSA in our department from March 2017 to July 2023 were recruited in this study.The effects of desensitization measure on engraftment in the DSA+patients after haplo-HSCT were analyzed. Results Among the 70 patients who underwent haplo-HSCT and test for HLA antibodies, 15(21.4%) patients were DSA positive, including 7(46.7%) cases of strong positive, 3(20.0%) cases of moderate positive, and 5(33.3%) cases of weak positive.The median duration for neutrophil implantation was significantly extended in the DSA+patients than the negative patients (P=0.027).For the 6 patients developed graft failure (GF), 4 were DSA+which was statistically higher than the DSA-patients (P=0.025).Multivariate regression analysis showed that DSA was an independent factor affecting GF (HR=9.273, 95%CI: 1.505~57.124, P=0.016).Among the 10 patients (7 strong positive and 3 moderate positive DSA) received desensitization therapy, 4 patients received combination desensitization, with a 100% rate of successful transplantation, and 6 received single desensitization, with 4(66.7%) experiencing GF, so the GF rate was obviously lower in the combination than the single desensitization (P=0.008). Conclusion In haplo-HSCT patients, DSA is an important factor leading to implantation delay and GF.While, single desensitization treatment has limited efficacy.In combined DSA desensitization therapy, the decrease of antibody titer should be dynamically monitored to ensure the successful implantation of stem cells and reduce GF rate.

Key Clinical Message Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with posttransplant cyclophosphamide is an alternative treatment for aplastic anemia–paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) syndrome with poor prognostic factors. Ravulizumab treatment for PNH before HSCT might have a beneficial effect.

Abstract The use of peripheral blood (PB) or bone marrow (BM) stem cells graft in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis remains controversial. Moreover, the value of adding anti-thymoglobulin (ATG) to PTCy is unknown. A total of 1344 adult patients received an unmanipulated haploidentical transplant at 37 centers from 2012 to 2019 for hematologic malignancy. We compared the outcomes of patients according to the type of graft, using a propensity score analysis. In total population, grade II–IV and III–IV acute GVHD (aGVHD) were lower with BM than with PB. Grade III–IV aGVHD was lower with BM than with PB + ATG. All outcomes were similar in PB and PB + ATG groups. Then, in total population, adding ATG does not benefit the procedure. In acute leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and myeloproliferative syndrome (AL-MDS-MPS) subgroup receiving non-myeloablative conditioning, risk of relapse was twice greater with BM than with PB (51 vs. 22%, respectively). Conversely, risk of aGVHD was greater with PB (38% for aGVHD II–IV; 16% for aGVHD III–IV) than with BM (28% for aGVHD II–IV; 8% for aGVHD III–IV). In this subgroup with intensified conditioning regimen, risk of relapse became similar with PB and BM but risk of aGVHD III–IV remained higher with PB than with BM graft (HR = 2.0; range [1.17–3.43], p = 0.012).

Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (h-HSCT) is a therapeutic option to cure patients affected by hematologic malignancies. The kinetics and the quality of immune-reconstitution (IR) impact the clinical outcome of h-HSCT and limit the onset of life-threatening Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection/reactivation. Natural Killer (NK) cells are the first lymphocytes that recover after h-HSCT and they can provide rapid innate immune responses against opportunistic pathogens. By performing a longitudinal single-cell analysis of multiparametric flow-cytometry data, we show here that the persistence at high frequencies of CD158b1b2jneg/NKG2Apos/NKG2Cneg/NKp30pos/NKp46pos (KIRneg) NK cells is associated with HCMV infection/reactivation control. These KIRneg NK cells are "unlicensed", and are not terminal-differentiated lymphocytes appearing early during IR and mainly belonging to CD56bright/CD16neg and CD56bright/CD16pos subsets. KIRneg NK cells are enriched in oxidative and glucose metabolism pathways, produce interferon-γ, and are endowed with potent antiviral activity against HCMV ex vivo. Decreased frequencies of KIRneg NK cells early during IR are associated with clinically relevant HCMV replication. Taken together, our findings indicate that the prolonged persistence of KIRneg NK cells after h-HSCT could serve as a biomarker to better predict HCMV infection/reactivation. This phenomenon also paves the way to optimize anti-viral immune responses by enriching post-transplant donor lymphocyte infusions with KIRneg NK cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is associated with a higher rate of graft rejection and therefore often requires a higher CD34+ cell dose, but the findings reported in existing studies regarding the relationship between CD34+ cell dose and study endpoints after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are controversial. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of CD34+ cell dose on clinical outcomes of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for malignant hematological diseases. METHODS: 135 patients who underwent haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center, Department of Hematology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between January 2019 and December 2021 were included. Combining the results of previous studies and our center’s experience, the cohort was divided into two groups using a CD34+ cell count of 5.0×106 /kg as the cut-off point. Clinical outcomes related to graft implantation, relapse incidence, non-relapse mortality, overall survival and progression-free survival were evaluated in both groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) CD34+ cell dose correlated with platelet engraftment, with platelets implanted earlier in the high-dose group than in the lowdose group (14 days vs. 16 days, P=0.013). (2) There was no significant difference in 3-year overall survival between the two groups (67.5% vs. 53.8%, P=0.257); nor was there a significant difference in progression-free survival between the two groups (65.6% vs. 44.2%, P=0.106), but stratified analysis based on disease risk index revealed an association with elevated 3-year progression-free survival in the high-dose group among low-risk patients (72.0% vs. 49.3%, P=0.036). (3) The cumulative 3-year relapse incidence was smaller in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group (16.0% vs. 33.5%, P=0.05). (4) The rate of non-relapse mortality within 100 days was greater in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group, but there was no significant difference (17.3% vs. 6.7%, P=0.070); stratified analysis revealed that non-relapse mortality within 100 days was significantly higher in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group (20.0% vs. 3.3%, P=0.046). (5) In conclusion, CD34+ cell doses >5.0×106 /kg promote early platelet implantation, improve 3-year progression-free survival in low-risk patients at transplantation and reduce the cumulative relapse incidence. However, in high-risk patients, high-dose CD34+ cells result in increased non-relapse mortality within 100 days after transplantation, which is considered to be possibly associated with an increased occurrence of severe acute graft versus host disease in the early post-transplantation period. Therefore, it is considered that graft versus host disease monitoring should be enhanced in patients who transfused highdose CD34+ cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) are essential causes of graft rejection in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). DSAs are unavoidable for some patients who have no alternative donor. Effective interventions to reduce DSAs are still needed, and the cost of the current therapies is relatively high. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the data of 11 DSA-positive patients who received haplo-HSCT at our center and evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of the combination of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), dexamethasone and high dose of transfused mononuclear cells (MNCs) for DSA desensitization. The kinetics of DSAs at different times and the engraftment and transplantation outcomes were also observed. We found that all patients had successful donor-cell engraftment and that no patient developed poor graft function. The median engraftment times of neutrophils and platelets were 14 days (range, 11–24 days) and 13 days (range, 11–123 days), respectively. The DSA levels of all patients became negative or dropped under 2000 within 22 days after HSCT. A total of 36.4% of patients developed grade II–IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), and 9.1% of patients died of severe gastrointestinal aGVHD. Of the 7 surviving patients, four were diagnosed with chronic GVHD. After a median follow-up of 28.9 months (2.0–52.1 months), four patients died: of relapse (two), aGVHD (one), and multiple-organ failure (one). The 2-year OS, DFS, and NRM were 63.6%, 45.4%, and 18.2%, respectively. Combination therapy with IVIG, dexamethasone, and a high dose of MNCs transfusion, a simple and efficient procedure, was safe and effective for DSA desensitization and peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) engraftment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) can reduce the incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and this intervention is often applied on adults with hematologic malignancy. However, the high relapse rate hinders the development of the intervention and data of PTCy used on children with hematologic malignancy remains limited. In order to overcome issue of high relapse rate in PTCy treatment, we used fludarabine (Flu), enhanced dose of cytarabine (Ara-C, 9 g/m2), busulfan (Bu), Cy, anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) combined with PTCy for an intensified conditioning regimen. A total of 22 children with acute leukemia received intensified PTCy conditioning regimen (PTCy intensified group). We matched with 18 children who received modified Bu-Cy and ATG conditioning regimen in the same period (ATG group). The two-year cumulative incidences of grade II–IV acute GVHD was significantly lower in PTCy intensified group (13.6 ± 7.7% vs 38.9 ± 11.5%, P = 0.048). Two-year GVHD-free relapse free survival (GRFS) in PTCy seems to be better among the increment group despite not being significant (63.3 ± 10.3% vs 35.4 ± 11.9%, P = 0.092). The positive rate of minimal residual disease after transplantation was significantly lower than that before transplantation (20.0% vs 2.5%, P = 0.029). In conclusion, ATG and PTCy combined with Flu-based increased intensity conditioning regimen is effective for acute leukemia in children. It could reduce GVHD rate significantly and potentially improve GRFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the situation of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae(CRE) colonization in patients undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Methods A total of 241 consecutive patients who underwent haplo-HSCT in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from June 1, 2021 to June 1, 2022 were enrolled. Anal swab screening was performed within 48 hours of admission and blood cultures were taken when the patient developed fever. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to analyze the colonization rate, distribution, risk factors and the correlation between CRE colonization and post-transplant bloodstream infection(BSI). Results Among 241 patients with haplo-HSCT, there were 90 cases in CRE colonization positive group, with a colonization rate of 37.3% (90/241). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sex (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.38-4.22, P

Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (h-HSCT) is a therapeutic option to cure patients affected by hematologic malignancies. The kinetics and the quality of immune-reconstitution (IR) impact the clinical outcome of h-HSCT and limit the onset of life-threatening Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection/reactivation. Natural Killer (NK) cells are the first lymphocytes that recover after h-HSCT and they can provide rapid innate immune responses against opportunistic pathogens. By performing a longitudinal single-cell analysis of multiparametric flow-cytometry data, we show here that the persistence at high frequencies of CD158b1b2jneg/NKG2Apos/NKG2Cneg/NKp30pos/NKp46pos (KIRneg) NK cells is associated with HCMV infection/reactivation control. These KIRneg NK cells are “unlicensed”, and are not terminal-differentiated lymphocytes appearing early during IR and mainly belonging to CD56bright/CD16neg and CD56bright/CD16pos subsets. KIRneg NK cells are enriched in oxidative and glucose metabolism pathways, produce interferon-γ, and are endowed with potent antiviral activity against HCMV ex vivo. Decreased frequencies of KIRneg NK cells early during IR are associated with clinically relevant HCMV replication. Taken together, our findings indicate that the prolonged persistence of KIRneg NK cells after h-HSCT could serve as a biomarker to better predict HCMV infection/reactivation. This phenomenon also paves the way to optimize anti-viral immune responses by enriching post-transplant donor lymphocyte infusions with KIRneg NK cells.

ABSTRACTObjective: Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) can reduce the incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and this intervention is often applied on adults with hematologic malignancy. However, the high relapse rate hinders the development of the intervention and data of PTCy used on children with hematologic malignancy remains limited. In order to overcome issue of high relapse rate in PTCy treatment, we used fludarabine (Flu), enhanced dose of cytarabine (Ara-C, 9 g/m2), busulfan (Bu), Cy, anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) combined with PTCy for an intensified conditioning regimen.Methods: A total of 22 children with acute leukemia received intensified PTCy conditioning regimen (PTCy intensified group). We matched with 18 children who received modified Bu-Cy and ATG conditioning regimen in the same period (ATG group).Results: The two-year cumulative incidences of grade II–IV acute GVHD was significantly lower in PTCy intensified group (13.6 ± 7.7% vs 38.9 ± 11.5%, P = 0.048). Two-year GVHD-free relapse free survival (GRFS) in PTCy seems to be better among the increment group despite not being significant (63.3 ± 10.3% vs 35.4 ± 11.9%, P = 0.092). The positive rate of minimal residual disease after transplantation was significantly lower than that before transplantation (20.0% vs 2.5%, P = 0.029).Conclusion: In conclusion, ATG and PTCy combined with Flu-based increased intensity conditioning regimen is effective for acute leukemia in children. It could reduce GVHD rate significantly and potentially improve GRFS.

ABSTRACTObjectives: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the most important curative modality for several hematologic malignancies, but an HLA-matched sibling or unrelated donor is not always available, particularly for ethnic minorities and multiethnic families. We have shown that Haplo-HSCT can be conducted safely on an outpatient basis, using peripheral blood stem cells; this leading into substantial decreases in the costs. Methods: In this study twenty-one patients prospectively received the conventional dose of post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy): (50 mg/Kg on days 3 and 4), whereas 10 were given reduced doses of the drug (25 mg/Kg on days 3 and 4). Results: According to the statistical analysis, the two comparative groups (PTCy 50 mg/kg vs PTCy 25 mg/kg) had no significant difference in terms of age, sex, hematological recovery, and type of conditioning regimen. The median OS for the group PTCy 50 mg/kg is 5.7 months meanwhile for the group PTCy 25 mg/kg the median is 6.4 months. The median follow up for entire group is 4.5 months (IQR: 1.1–18.9 mo). Conclusion: These results could indicate that the Cy-dependent hematological toxicity can be reduced without compromising its effectivity. This preliminary observation may be considered as an idea to conduct prospective randomized studies to explore the possibility of significantly reducing the doses of PT-Cy in the setting of Haplo-HSCT.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05780554.

This meta-analysis was to evaluate the outcome of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Haplo-HSCT) for aplastic anemia (AA) compared with matched related donor (MRD)-HSCT, matched unrelated donor (MUD)-HSCT, and immunosuppressive therapy (IST). Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP databases were searched for relevant studies from inception to 22 June 2022. Relative risk (RR) was used to indicate the effect indicator, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) being applied to express the effect size. A subgroup analysis based on the literature quality (low, fair, and high) was applied. Totally, 25 studies were included in this study, comprising 2252 patients. Our findings demonstrated no difference between Haplo-HSCT and MRD-HSCT in 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival (OS), failure-free survival (FFS), and engraftment. However, Haplo-HSCT had higher incidences of II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), chronic GVHD (cGVHD), and cytomegalovirus infection. There were no differences in 3- and 5-year OS, 3-year FFS, platelet engraftment, graft failure (GF), II-IV grade of aGVHD, and complication between Haplo-HSCT and MUD-HSCT; however, Haplo-HSCT had a lower incidence of cGVHD. Compared with IST, Haplo-HSCT had a higher 3-year FFS and 3- and 6-month response rate. However, there were no differences in 3- and 5-year OS, and 12-month response rate between Haplo-HSCT and IST. This study suggests that Haplo-HSCT may be a realistic therapeutic option for AA, which may provide a reference for decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with depletion of αβ+ T cells and CD19+ B cells has emerged as a viable alternative to traditional donors for treating acute leukemia in children. As the use of this innovative approach continues to grow and more experience is gained, it is essential to identify and comprehend the key factors that contribute to successful transplantation and improved outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of single‐center data from 27 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 11 children with acute myeloid leukemia who underwent haploidentical HSCT with depletion of αβ+ T cells and CD19+ B cells between the years 2013 and 2020. Results: Engraftment was successful in 34 out of 38 patients (90%). The 5‐year overall survival and event‐free survival rates were 51% and 42%, respectively. There were no cases of grade III–IV acute graft‐versus‐host disease, and only two patients developed chronic graft‐versus‐host disease. Patients with a higher content of γδ+ T cells in the graft demonstrated a longer event‐free survival. Conclusions: αβ+/CD19+‐depleted haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can offer long‐term remission for children with acute leukemia with minimal graft‐versus‐host disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is a severe bone marrow failure syndrome caused by multiple causes, which is clinically manifested with severe anemia, infection and bleeding. The complex pathogenesis of SAA has not been fully understood. SAA is characterized with acute onset, severe disease condition and rapid progression. At present, with the in-depth study of SAA and the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the therapeutic strategy for SAA has been evolved from classical immunosuppressive therapy based on antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporine to the application of thrombopoietin receptor agonist and combined treatment based on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which may promote the reconstruction of hematopoietic function of SAA patients to varying degree and significantly improve survival and clinical prognosis, becoming the research hotspot of SAA treatment. In this article, new advances in the treatment of SAA at home and abroad were reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of secondary transplantation for patients with acute leukemia after failure of the first haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Methods Two acute leukemia patients underwent the first haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from two donors with thalassemia, and the number of collected CD34+ cells was 2.57×106 /kg and 1.99×106 /kg per donor, respectively. The first haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation failed. Secondary transplantation was performed from two non-thalassemia donors, and the number of collected CD34+ cells was 4.28×106 /kg and 5.75×106 /kg per donor, respectively. A reducedintensity conditioning regimen consisting of fludarabine (Flu), busulfan (Bu) and antithymocyte globulin (ATG) was adopted for the secondary transplantation. Results For two recipients, the time of secondary transplantation of neutrophil and platelet was +12 d and +10 d, +10 d and +10 d, respectively. Up to the final follow-up (+1 062 d and +265 d after secondary transplantation), the primary diseases of both two recipients have been completely relieved without evident post-transplantation complications. Conclusions Secondary transplantation with reduced-intensity conditioning regimen may successfully treat acute leukemia after failure of the first haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) is widely used as a curative treatment strategy for most types of hematological diseases. However, strategies for enhancing the graft versus leukemia (GVL) effect without aggravating the graft versus host disease (GVHD) effect are still being pursued. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed to compare the outcomes between combined unrelated umbilical cord blood (UCB-haplo HSCT) and haplo HSCT. Results The results showed that neither acute GVHD (aGVHD) nor chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was increased in the UCB-haplo HSCT group, and the engraftment and infection rates were similar between the two groups. However, overall survival and progression-free survival were significantly improved, while transplantation-related mortality and relapse were significantly decreased in the UCB-haplo HSCT group by both univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusion Our results indicated that the addition of a UCB unit could improve the prognosis of haplo-HSCT and enhance the GVL effect without increasing the incidence of GVHD. Trial registration The cohort study was retrospectively registered at https://www.chictr.org.cn as ChiCTR2100046681.

This letter describes the experience of the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon with haploidentical stem cell transplant (haplo-SCT) for hematological malignancies in adult patients. Haplo-SCT made it possible through universal and rapid donor availability for most of the adult patients with leukemia or lymphoma not only in the Middle East but also globally. Moreover, the use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens when indicated improved the outcome and decreased the toxicity of haploidentical stem cell transplant.RIC regimens also allowed its use in the elderly population. Patients from throughout the Middle East come to our center, the American university of Beirut Medical Center, to receive this transformative type of stem cell transplant. In this paper, we discuss the results of haplo-SCT with PTCy done on adult patients with hematological malignancies in our center from 2015 to 2021. The results are encouraging and show that haplo-SCT should be considered more often in the Middle Eastern countries. The subgroup analysis showed the importance of achieving complete remission of the disease prior to transplant to improve outcomes in our center. There is a paucity of literature on the outcomes of haplo-SCT in the Middle East which may contribute to the limited number of centers that offer this type of SCT. Herein, we aim to fill this gap in the hopes of encouraging the implementation of this potentially curative modality of treatment to a larger extent in the Middle East.

Objective: This study aims to observe and analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of adenovirus (ADV) infection diagnosed by metagenomic next‐generation sequencing (mNGS) after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Haplo‐HSCT), which was performed following Beijing Protocol. Methods: The clinical data of patients who developed ADV infection diagnosed by mNGS after Haplo‐HSCT between January 2019 and March 2021, recorded in three transplantation centers, were retrospectively analyzed. Potential risk factors for infection and the clinical manifestations of ADV involvement in different end‐organs were also studied. Additionally, the patient prognosis regarding the available treatment was observed. Results: A total of seven patients were diagnosed with ADV infection by the mNGS technique after Haplo‐HSCT of 976 patients enrolled. The risk factors for infection included antithymocyte globulin steroid‐refractory graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) history, CD25 monoclonal antibody or ruxolitinib treatment history and <300 cells/μL of CD3+ T cells count in peripheral blood. The clinical manifestations of ADV infection included encephalitis, hepatitis, cystitis, and pneumonia. Six patients were treated with cidofovir (CDV) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), and one with CDV, ribavirin, IVIg, thymosin Alpha‐1 for injection and low‐dose donor lymphocyte infusion. One case showed negative ADV DNA results with improved conditions; however, the patient died of the relapse of the primary disease in the later stage. The remaining six died of ADV infection. Conclusion: mNGS can provide screening for ADV and information on ADV subtypes, helpful to understand tissue tropism. This technique could be useful in diagnosing patients at high risk for ADV infection. ADV infection can involve multiple organs, has difficulty in early diagnosis, and has a poor prognosis. Currently, effective treatments are inadequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have demonstrated that TP53 mutation is correlated with insufficient therapy response and unfavorable prognosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Few studies have investigated the impact of TP53 mutation in ALL patients after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo‐HSCT). We completed a retrospective study of 65 ALL patients with available TP53 status who underwent haplo‐HSCT. They were divided into a TP53 mutation group (TP53mut) and a TP53 wild‐type (TP53wt) group. TP53mut showed comparable 2‐year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) rates (13.1% vs 12.5%, P =.96) and 2‐year leukemia‐free survival (LFS) (74.2% vs 77.4%, P =.80) with TP53wt. No significant differences in 2‐year overall survival (OS) rates (82.9% vs 87.3%, P =.61) or 2‐year NRM rates (12.7% vs 10.2%, P =.69) were observed in TP53mut and TP53wt patients. Multivariate analysis suggested that white blood cell (WBC) count at initial diagnosis (>50 × 109/L: hazard ratio [HR] = 3.860, P =.016) and age (>40 years old: HR = 4.120, P =.012) are independent risk factors for 2‐year LFS. Our study showed that TP53 mutations may not be related to the unfavorable impact on survival in ALL patients after treatment with haplo‐HSCT. The present results suggested that haplo‐HSCT may eliminate the poor prognosis effect of TP53 mutation in ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of P-ALG (porcine anti-lymphocyte globulin) and R-ATG (rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin) in the conditioning regime for patients with acquired aplastic anemia who underwent HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (halpo-HSCT). Methods A total of 91 patients with acquired aplastic anemia who received haplo-HSCT at our center between January 2014 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-eight patients were in the P-ALG group while sixty-three patients were in the R-ATG group. Results The median time was 11 versus 13 days (P = 0.294) for myeloid engraftment and 12.5 versus 15 days (P = 0.465) for platelet engraftment in the P-ALG and R-ATG groups, respectively. There were no significant difference in 5-year overall survival (74.83% ± 8.24% vs 72.29% ± 6.26%, P = 0.830), GVHD-free, failure-free survival (71.05% ± 8.65% vs 62.71% ± 6.22%, P = 0.662), failure-free survival (74.83% ± 8.24% vs 66.09% ± 5.84%, P = 0.647) and transplantation-related mortality (25.17% ± 8.24% vs 26.29% ± 6.22%, P = 0.708) between the two groups. The incidence of aGVHD (acute graft versus host disease) (65.39% ± 9.33% vs 62.71% ± 6.30%, P = 0.653), II–IV aGVHD (38.46% ± 9.54% vs 35.64% ± 6.24%, P = 0.695), III–IV aGVHD (19.23% ± 7.73% vs 10.53% ± 4.07%, P = 0.291), cGVHD (chronic graft versus host disease) (22.22% ± 12.25% vs 22.31% ± 6.30%, P = 0.915), and moderate to severe cGVHD (5.56% ± 5.40% vs 9.28% ± 4.46%, P = 0.993) were not significantly different. Similar outcomes were observed between the P-ALG and R-ATG groups for severe bacterial infection (17.9% vs 25.4%, P = 0.431), invasive fungal diseases (3.6% vs 9.5%, P = 0.577) and graft rejection (0% vs 9.5%, P = 0.218). However, the incidence of cytomegalovirus infection and Epstein-Barr virus infection was significantly lower in the P-ALG group (46.4% vs 71.4%, P = 0.022; 3.6% vs 25.4%, P = 0.014). Conclusion The efficacy and safety of P-ALG were similar with R-ATG in the setting of haplo-HSCT for patients with acquired aplastic anemia patients. P-ALG could be an alternative for R-ATG.

BackgroundPrognosis of children with primary disseminated or metastatic relapsed sarcomas remains dismal despite intensification of conventional therapies including high-dose chemotherapy. Since haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) is effective in the treatment of hematological malignancies by mediating a graft versus leukemia effect, we evaluated this approach in pediatric sarcomas as well.MethodsPatients with bone Ewing sarcoma or soft tissue sarcoma who received haplo-HSCT as part of clinical trials using CD3+ or TCRα/β+ and CD19+ depletion respectively were evaluated regarding feasibility of treatment and survival.ResultsWe identified 15 patients with primary disseminated disease and 14 with metastatic relapse who were transplanted from a haploidentical donor to improve prognosis. Three-year event-free survival (EFS) was 18,1% and predominantly determined by disease relapse. Survival depended on response to pre-transplant therapy (3y-EFS of patients in complete or very good partial response: 36,4%). However, no patient with metastatic relapse could be rescued.ConclusionHaplo-HSCT for consolidation after conventional therapy seems to be of interest for some, but not for the majority of patients with high-risk pediatric sarcomas. Evaluation of its future use as basis for subsequent humoral or cellular immunotherapies is necessary.

Objectives: Killer cell immunoglobulin like receptor (KIR) can trigger the alloreactivity of NK cells. However, there is no clear consensus as to their function. Here, we investigated the potential influence of KIR mismatch and KIR alleles on the outcome of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Method: Data from 79 AML patients treated with haplo-HSCT were retrospectively analyzed. HLA-C genotyping was determined by the PCRrSSO method. KIR, HLA-A and HLA-B genotyping was performed by the PCR-SSP method. Cox proportional hazards model and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used for analysis. Results: Both KIR ligand mismatch (KLM) group and KIR receptor-ligand mismatch (RLM) group were associated with a decreased risk in aGVHD and relapse rate (RR), and better overall survival (OS) compared to the KIR ligand matching and receptor-ligand matching groups, respectively (aGVHD: KLM: p=0.047, HR:0.235; RLM: p<0.001, HR:0.129; RR: KLM: p=0.049, HR:0.686, RLM: p=0.017, HR:0.200;OS:KLM: p=0.012, HR: 0.298, RLM: p=0.021, HR:0.301). RLM was more accurate at predicting relapse and aGVHD compared with KLM (aGVHD: p=0.009; RR: p=0.039). Patients with greater number of donor activating KIRs (aKIR) had a lower incidence of aGVHD and relapse, and the benefits correlated with the increase in the number of donor aKIRs (aGVHD: p=0.019, HR:0.156; RR: p=0.037, HR:0.211). Patients with RLM and the highest number of donor aKIRs had the lowest RR, lowest incidence of aGVHD and best OS. Conclusions: Both KLM and RLM reduced the risk of aGVHD and relapse after haplo-HSCT in AML patients, and RLM showed superiority in predicting HSCT outcome. The synergistic effects of RLM and donor aKIRs can provide a better donor selection strategy to improve haplo-HSCT outcome in AML patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Since well-designed prospective comparative trials are lacking, haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantations approach should be based on the expertise of a particular center. In this study, we aimed to report the results and outcomes of patients who underwent haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Materials and methods: Thirty-nine patients who underwent transplantation in our clinic between 2015 and 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Primary end point of this study is to find out the survival rates of the patients. Results: The overall survival of patients was 29.9 ± 4.9 months. The disease-free survival of the patients was 37.8 ± 5.7 months. The 3-year overall survival rate of the patients was %50 and the 3-year disease-free survival rate of the patients was %53. Nineteen patients were nonsurvivors among a total of 39 patients. Busulfan–fludarabine–thiotepa was the most frequently used conditioning regimen for transplantation. Busulfan–fludarabin–antithymocyte globulin regimen is the second preferred conditioning regimen. Cyclosporine– cyclophosphamide–mycophenolate mofetil was the most widely used graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis regimen. Sixteen patients had graft-versus-host disease, 28% of the patients had acute graft-versus-host disease, and 13% had chronic graft-versus-host disease. Gastrointestinal system consists of the most involved organs in graft-versus-host disease since 15% of the patients had gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease. First-degree relatives (parent/child) were the most frequent donor source for haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Sepsis was the most frequent reason of death among transplant patients. Conclusion: In our center, we prefer to use high dose posttransplantation cyclophosphamide after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis. With this approach, our center’s overall survival and disease-free survival rates are comparable and compatible with the literature findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in children with thalassemia major (TM) after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) and their prognosis., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 280 children with TM who underwent haplo-HSCT in the Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, from January 2019 to December 2021. According to the CRS criteria, they were divided into two groups: CRS grade <3 (260 children) and CRS grade ≥3 (20 children). The children with TM were analyzed in terms of clinical characteristics of CRS after haplo-HSCT and their prognosis., Results: There were significant differences between the two groups in neutrophil engraftment time, clinical manifestations of CRS, and the rate of use of glucocorticoids within 4 days after haplo-HSCT ( P =0.012, 0.040, and <0.001 respectively). For the CRS grade <3 group, the incidence rate of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 9.6% within 3 months after transplantation, while no aGVHD was observed in the CRS grade ≥3 group within 3 months after transplantation, but there was no significant difference in the incidence of aGVHD between the two groups within 3 months after transplantation ( P =0.146). No transplantation-related death was observed in either group within 3 months after haplo-HSCT., Conclusions: The children with CRS grade≥3 have an early neutrophil engraftment time, severe and diverse clinical manifestations of CRS, and a high rate of use of glucocorticoids within 4 days after haplo-HSCT. For these children, early use of low-dose glucocorticoids after transplantation may alleviate CRS response and reduce the incidence of aGVHD, thereby bringing more benefits to the children. CRS after haplo-HSCT has no significant impact on the prognosis of the children.