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A combination of three post-transplant drugs, cyclophosphamide (PTCy), a calcineurin inhibitor, and mycophenolate mofetil, has long been used for prophylaxis of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) after HLA-haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Recently, this combination has been used following HLA-matched allo-HCT as well, but the optimal combination of drugs for GVHD prophylaxis in an HLA-matched setting remains unclear. This prospective phase II study evaluated the safety and efficacy of PTCy plus tacrolimus (TAC) for GVHD prophylaxis after allo-HCT from HLA-matched related donors (MRD) or HLA-matched unrelated donors (MUD). The cumulative incidences of grades II-IV and III-IV acute GVHD at 100 days post-transplantation were 18% and 5.9%, respectively, in the MRD group, and 18% and 9.1%, respectively, in the MUD group. The cumulative incidences of moderate to severe chronic GVHD at 1 year were 12% and 9.1% in the MRD and MUD groups, respectively. The 1-year overall survival rates in the MRD and MUD groups were 88% and 64%, respectively, and the 1-year GVHD-free, relapse free survival rates were 59% and 50%, respectively. These results suggest that GVHD prophylaxis with a less intensive double drug combination (PT/Cy and TAC) might be feasible after HLA-matched allo-HCT.Clinical Trial Notation This trial was a prospective single-center trial registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR; identification number: UMIN000023890) and the Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCTs051180143).

Background: There are several prognosis prediction models about allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) such as the hematopoietic cell transplantation specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI) and the refined disease risk index (R-DRI). Although HCT-CI and R-DRI are valuable and commonly used, further improvement of these models is desirable because the prognostic predictive abilities for post-allo-HCT survival remain suboptimal. Both brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), are released from the ventricular and atrial walls, in response to the walls stretch into the blood. Plasma BNP and NT-proBNP levels are well-known biomarkers of the predictors of death in patients with cancer and heart disease. However, it is unclear whether these biomarkers are useful predictors for prognosis after allo-HCT. The main aim of our study was to evaluate the potential role of plasma BNP and NT-proBNP levels in predicting the mortality in allo-HCT patients. Methods: We retrospectively registered consecutive patients who underwent allo-HCT from January 2011 to December 2018. Plasma BNP and NT-proBNP examinations and echocardiography within 1 month from the start of conditioning regimen were performed in all transplant candidates as pretransplant work-up in our institution. Cox regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) in the univariate and multivariate analyses. Relapse/progression (Rel/Prog) and non-relapse mortality (NRM) were considered competing events. The Fine-Gray proportional hazard regression model was used for the univariate and multivariate analyses with competing risks. A p value < 0.050 was considered statistically significant. We estimated the two models using c-statistics on the basis of time to event, using the total follow-up period to compare the predictive accuracy of R-DRI or HCT-CI with BNP or NT-proBNP added models. Standard errors (SEs) for the c-statistics were estimated by applying a bootstrap procedure using 1000 bootstrap samples to confirm the reproducibility. The SEs for the difference in c-statistics between these two models were compared with the above bootstrap samples and used to compute a z-score and a p value for the difference, similar to that in several previous studies. Results: We enrolled 174 consecutive patients. The median age was 49 (range: 16-68) years. During the follow-up period, 64 patients died (36.8%). Both plasma BNP and NT-proBNP levels showed a significant association with OS and NRM, but not Rel/Prog in the univariate analysis. Next, we conducted multivariable analysis to evaluate the independence of plasma BNP and NT-proBNP levels by adjusting for not only those variables that were reported as prognostic factors in the previous research for OS, but also diastolic dysfunction that can be associated with plasma BNP and NT-proBNP levels. We constructed each two and three multivariable model, including either BNP or NT-proBNP to assess the effects of these biomarkers on OS and NRM according to the one-in-ten rule 6 to avoid overfitting (Table 1). The adjusted models for OS showed that higher plasma BNP and NT-proBNP levels were significantly associated with poorer outcomes. Moreover, the adjusted models for NRM showed that a higher plasma BNP level was significantly associated with the outcome. We also evaluated the prognostic significance of BNP, NT-proBNP, HCT-CI, or echocardiographic parameters, including ejection fraction (EF) and diastolic dysfunction, by adding to R-DRI via computation of the c-statistic. BNP or NT-proBNP showed significantly higher c-statistic estimates for OS as compared with R-DRI alone (c-statistic estimate 0.741, 0.759, and 0.674, respectively), but not EF or diastolic dysfunction (Table 2). Both plasma BNP and NT-proBNP levels had higher HRs for OS [HR per standard deviation (SD) 2.57 (95% CI: 1.75-3.76), p < 0.001, and HR per SD 1.95 (95% CI: 1.39-2.73), p < 0.001] and NRM [HR per SD 2.10 (95% CI: 1.11-3.97), p < 0.024, and HR per SD 2.57 (95% CI: 1.92-3.44), p < 0.001] even in the normal heart function group. Conclusion: Plasma BNP and NT-proBNP levels are easy to perform and cost-effective; thus, these could be useful independent biomarkers for predicting allo-HCT prognosis than echocardiography. They enable clinical decision regarding allo-HCT. Disclosures Okamura: NIPPON SHINYAKU CO.,LTD: Honoraria. Nakane:Pfizer Japan Inc.: Research Funding; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.: Research Funding; Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED: Honoraria; Mundipharma K.K: Honoraria. Nanno:Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria. Nishimoto:Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd:: Research Funding; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.:: Research Funding. Nakamae:Shire Japan KK: Honoraria; Celgene Corporation: Honoraria; DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Japan Blood Products Organization: Honoraria; NIPPON SHINYAKU CO.,LTD: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria; Amgen Astellas BioPharma K.K: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria; ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Honoraria. Nakashima:Amgen Astellas BioPharma K.K: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen Inc: Honoraria; Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria; Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd: Honoraria; JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc: Research Funding; SymBio Pharmaceuticals Limited: Research Funding; Celgene Corporation: Research Funding; AbbVie GK: Research Funding; M S D K. K: Research Funding. Koh:Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd: Honoraria; M S D K. K: Honoraria; NIHON PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Research Funding; Asahi Kasei Corporation: Research Funding; Amgen Astellas BioPharma K.K: Research Funding; IQVIA Services Japan K.K.: Research Funding; Takeda Science Foundation: Research Funding. Hino:Kyowa-Kirin: Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Otsuka: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Taiho: Research Funding; Teijin: Research Funding; MSD: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Daiichisankyo: Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai: Research Funding; Jansenn: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Mochida: Honoraria; Ono: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria; Japan Blood Products Organization: Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Nihon Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Mundi Pharma: Honoraria; Alexion: Honoraria. Nakamae:Pfizer Japan Inc: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc: Honoraria, Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen Astellas BioPharma K.K: Honoraria; ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD: Honoraria; Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria; Shire Japan KK: Honoraria; Celgene Corporation: Honoraria; DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Japan Blood Products Organization: Honoraria; NIPPON SHINYAKU CO.,LTD: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; PPD-SNBL K.K: Research Funding.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) can help to increase the survival time in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients; however, the risk of secondary malignancies due to TKIs is a growing concern. Only few reports showed clinical course of patients who developed lymphoma during TKI therapies. Herein, we report a case of high‐grade B‐cell lymphoma diagnosed in the course of CML treatment with bosutinib. The 75‐year‐old male patient had been diagnosed with CML 25 years ago. After receiving TKIs (imatinib, nilotinib, and bosutinib), he achieved a major molecular response. Over 3 years after starting bosutinib, he was diagnosed with a high‐grade B‐cell lymphoma. A total of six courses of DA‐EPOCH‐R therapy brought complete remission of the lymphoma. Moreover, BCR‐ABL1 transcript copies remained undetectable by RT‐PCR, 8 months after stopping bosutinib. The risk of secondary malignancy due to TKI has been controversial. It is reported that TKI induces irreversible chromosomal abnormalities or chromosome aberrations and inhibits the proliferation or function of T cells, B cells, and NK cells. These mechanisms of TKI may contribute to the development of secondary malignancy. There remains no consensus on the management of secondary lymphoma during TKI therapies. At present, the only alternative is to observe patients receiving TKI treatment cautiously and to treat secondary lymphoma in the same manner as de novo lymphoma., There remains no consensus on the management of secondary lymphoma during TKI therapies. The only alternative is to observe patients receiving TKI treatment cautiously and to treat secondary lymphoma in the same manner as de novo lymphoma.

Bone marrow necrosis (BMN) is a rare but important complication of hematological malignancies. We report the case of a 52-year-old male patient with a recurrence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) accompanied by BMN. After re-induction therapy, bone marrow aspiration (BMA) and biopsy from the iliac bone showed necrotic cells and eosinophilic debris, respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed heterogeneous signals in the bilateral iliac bone, possibly reflecting various stages of BMN. BMA from the sternum eventually revealed the recurrence of ALL after a few weeks. Comprehensive assessments, including MRI and repeated bone marrow tests, are required when evaluating the underlying hematological malignancies of patients with BMN.

Tuberculous peritonitis is difficult to diagnose due to the disadvantages of ascitic culture and peritoneal biopsy. Although previous reports suggested that very high serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels may reflect the clinical activity of tuberculosis, little is known about the diagnostic utility of serum sIL-2R for tuberculous peritonitis. We describe a case of tuberculous peritonitis with chronic myelogenous leukemia. The abnormally high serum sIL-2R value and negative findings for other possible causes including lymphoma suggested tuberculous peritonitis and we administered anti-tuberculosis treatment before definitive diagnosis. Abnormally high serum sIL-2R levels may contribute to earlier diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis, along with ruling out other potential differential diagnoses.

A 53-year-old man presented with uncontrolled bleeding caused by acquired platelet dysfunction accompanied by calreticulin-mutated primary myelofibrosis. Based on the detection of abnormal platelets, including large gray platelets, under light microscopy and the loss of the second wave of aggregation observed by light transmission aggregometry, the patient was diagnosed with platelet dysfunction accompanied by myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). In addition, the absence of platelet α-granules was confirmed by electron microscopy. Therefore, this condition may be termed "acquired gray platelet syndrome." Acquired platelet dysfunction must be ruled out when abnormal platelets are observed in patients with MPNs.

HLA-haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) using post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PT/Cy-haplo) is becoming the standard of care for patients without an HLA-matched related or unrelated donor. PT/Cy-haplo can give more patients the opportunity to undergo allo-HCT, because most patients have multiple available HLA-haploidentical related donor candidates. The optimal donor selection algorithm in the PT/Cy-haplo setting has not yet been established, however. To contribute to the establishment of a donor selection formula based on disease status and killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genotype, we retrospectively analyzed 91 patients who underwent PT/Cy-haplo at our institution. In both patients and donors, HLA allele genotyping was performed for HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1, and 16 KIR genes were genotyped. Patients in complete remission (CR) who underwent PT/Cy-haplo from a KIR2DS1-positive donor had a significantly lower cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) than those who underwent PT/Cy-haplo from a KIR2DS1-negative donor (1-year CIR: 0% versus 32.6%, P = .037; 2-year CIR: 9.2% versus 42%, P = .037). Moreover, PT/Cy-haplo from a KIR2DS1-positive donor was significantly associated with improved overall survival (OS) (1-year OS: 91.7% versus 58.7%, P = .010; 2-year OS: 83% versus 34%, P = .010). In contrast, in non-CR individuals, PT/Cy-haplo from KIR2DS1-positive donors did not significantly improve CIR or OS (1-year CIR: 56.5% versus 64.7%, P = .973; 2-year CIR: not reached versus 64.7%, Pnot evaluable; 1-year OS: 25.4% versus 20.6%, P = .418; 2-year OS: 5.1% versus 20.6%, P = .418). In addition, lower infused CD34+ cell dose, female-to-male transplantation, and acute myelogenous leukemia were significantly associated with increased risk of relapse and mortality. This study demonstrates that graft-versus-leukemia/tumor effects were exerted through donor KIR2DS1 at PT/Cy-haplo when patients have low tumor burdens. It would be worth examining the inclusion of donor KIR genotyping and disease status assessment in establishing optimal donor selection criteria for PT/Cy-haplo.

The relationship between the expression levels of Wilms' tumor-1 gene (WT1) mRNA in peripheral blood before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) and risk of mortality in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients in noncomplete remission (non-CR) remains quite elusive.We retrospectively assessed the impact of the pretransplant WT1 mRNA level on survival after allo-HCT in non-CR AML patients.A total of 125 AML patients, including 46 non-CR patients (36.8%), were analyzed. On multivariate analysis of non-CR AML patients, WT1 mRNA ≥5000 copies/μg RNA was significantly related to increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-5.5; P = 0.008). Furthermore, in the entire cohort, log10-transformed WT1 mRNA before allo-HCT was found to be significantly associated with the increased risk of mortality irrespective of whether the disease status was CR or non-CR, using Akaike's information criterion. As the pretransplant WT1 mRNA level elevated, the hazard ratio of mortality monotonically increased in a nonlinear manner regardless of remission status, suggesting that WT1 mRNA level in peripheral blood might reflect tumor burden.This study demonstrated that the pretransplant WT1 mRNA level was a powerful prognostic factor in allo-HCT even for non-CR AML patients, and there may be a WT1 mRNA threshold in non-CR patients for benefiting from allo-HCT.

This phase I study was designed for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis including bortezomib in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mismatched unrelated donors in Japanese patients. Patients were administered bortezomib on days 1, 4, and 7, with short-term methotrexate and tacrolimus. Three bortezomib dose levels were prepared (1.0, 1.3, and 1.5 mg/m2). A dose of 1.3 mg/m2 was planned for administration to the initial six patients, and was adjusted if dose-limiting toxicity developed. Five of six patients enrolled for the initial dose had bone marrow donors. Two cases had single-antigen and single-allele mismatches; four had single-antigen mismatch at the A, B, C, and/or DRB1 loci in the GVH direction. All patients achieved neutrophil engraftment and complete donor chimerism. Three patients developed grade II acute GVHD, and none developed grade III–IV GVHD or any dose-limiting toxicity attributable to bortezomib by day 100. Two patients developed late-onset acute GVHD, and two developed chronic GVHD, but all cases were manageable. All patients were alive without relapse after a median follow-up period of 52 months. The optimal dose of bortezomib was determined to be 1.3 mg/m2. Prophylaxis against GVHD using a regimen including bortezomib thus seems feasible for HLA-mismatched unrelated allo-HCT.

Chylothorax is a rare clinical sign in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), which is often challenging to manage and has a poor prognosis. We report the case of a 59-year-old woman who presented with right pleural effusion at the time of DLBCL diagnosis. Lymphadenopathy rapidly improved in response to chemotherapy. However, the pleural effusion progressed and was identified as chylothorax by thoracentesis. Because attempts to manage the condition with fasting and central venous nutrition were unsuccessful, we performed ultrasound-guided intranodal lipiodol lymphangiography from the inguinal lymph node. Although leak sites were not detected, the pleural effusion markedly improved on the day after the examination and resolved after 2 months. Lymphangiography is a minimally invasive examination with few complications. It contributes not only to the identification of leak sites but also to the improvement and resolution of chylothorax. Therefore, lymphangiography should be considered for refractory chylothorax that is unresponsive to chemotherapy or nutritional management.

Post-transplantation acute limbic encephalitis (PALE) is a rare, severe inflammatory disorder in the bilateral limbic system, including the hippocampus. To date, only a few studies have reported details, including risk factors for PALE; however, further clinical evidence of PALE, especially in cerebrospinal fluid human herpesvirus 6-negative cases, is warranted. In addition, data are sparse regarding the risk factors for calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-induced encephalopathy (CNIE) following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) in adults. Therefore, we examined the risk factors for and clinical details of PALE and CNIE. We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients who underwent allo-HCT between January 2005 and November 2017. A total of 485 patients age 46 years (median) were eligible. In total, 14 PALE cases and 11 CNIE cases were identified. Multivariable analyses identified older age, use of an HLA-mismatched unrelated donor (URD), graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis with CNI and mycophenolate mofetil, and grade II-IV acute GVHD as significantly associated with an increased risk of PALE. In 13 patients who received high-dose methylprednisolone (mPSL) therapy, 6 (46%) responded to mPSL therapy, and 3 (23%) achieved complete remission at day 90 after mPSL administration. Furthermore, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), HLA-mismatched URD, and grade II-IV acute GVHD were significantly associated with an increased risk of CNIE. The 5-year nonrelapse mortality rate was 50% in PALE and 63% in CNIE, suggesting a very poor prognosis. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that HLA-mismatched URD and acute GVHD may independently contribute to the development of PALE, possibly in part through HLA-mismatch-derived alloimmune responses. Other than acute GVHD, we have identified MDS and HLA-mismatched URD as novel predictors of CNIE after allo-HCT.

Post-transplant erythrocytosis (PTE) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) is rare, and the clinical characteristics of this condition remain unknown. In this study, we examined the clinical characteristics of three PTE cases among 321 patients who received allo HSCT from January 1992 to December 2011 at our institution. All three patients exhibited normal levels of white blood cell and platelet counts when their hemoglobin levels reached their peak. Two patients exhibited normal levels of erythropoietin. No thrombosis or hemorrhage was observed in any of the three patients without cytoreductive therapy or an antiplatelet agent. All three patients tested negative for JAK2V617F mutations. Two patients had high levels of IL-13, an upstream signal for the JAK/STAT pathway. JAK2 is known to significantly contribute to the pathology of polycythemia vera; however, this pathology may differ from that of PTE. We believe that it is necessary to construct a more appropriate management structure for PTE by analyzing more case data in the future.

BackgroundAllogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a curative treatment option for malignant hematological disorders. Transplant clinicians estimate patient-specific prognosis empirically in clinical practice based on previous studies on similar patients. However, this approach does not provide objective data. The present study primarily aimed to develop a tool capable of providing accurate personalized prognosis prediction after allo-HCT in an objective manner.MethodsWe developed an interactive web application tool with a graphical user interface capable of plotting the personalized survival and cumulative incidence prediction curves after allo-HCT adjusted by eight patient-specific factors, which are known as prognostic predictors, and assessed their predictive performances. A random survival forest model using the data of patients who underwent allo-HCT at our institution was applied to develop this application.ResultsWe succeeded in showing the personalized prognosis prediction curves of 1-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), relapse/progression, and non-relapse mortality (NRM) interactively using our web application (https://predicted-os-after-transplantation.shinyapps.io/RSF_model/). To assess its predictive performance, the entire cohort (363 cases) was split into a training cohort (70%) to develop the predictive model and test cohort (30%) to confirm its performance time-sequentially. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves for 1-year OS, PFS, relapse/progression, and NRM in test cohort were 0.70, 0.72, 0.73, and 0.77, respectively.ConclusionsThe new web application could allow transplant clinicians to inform a new allo-HCT candidate of the objective personalized prognosis prediction and facilitate decision-making.

Refractory viremia/viral disease is a major life-threatening complication that may arise among patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). This study aimed to clarify the therapeutic effect of high-dose polyclonal intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) against viremia/viral diseases after allo-HCT. We conducted a pilot study to investigate the therapeutic effect of 400 mg/kg of IVIG given for 5 consecutive days against refractory viremia/viral disease after allo-HCT. Overall, 7 patients were drug-resistant and the other 7 had not previously received any drug for their viremia/viral disease. All patients completed the 5-day therapy regimen of IVIG. A complete response at Day 56 was observed for 8 of 14 patients (57.1%). Additionally, 10 of 14 patients (71.4%) were alive at Day 56, although only one death occurred due to the viremia/viral disease. Remarkably, all 3 cases who developed exogenous viremia/viral diseases including respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia/bronchitis and human parvovirus B19 viremia achieved a complete response, suggesting that high-dose polyclonal IVIG may be more effective against exogenous viruses rather than endogenous ones. Congestive heart failure was observed in 1 patient. High-dose polyclonal IVIG could be an effective and feasible therapy for refractory viremia/viral disease after allo-HCT.

A 65-year-old woman was urgently admitted to our hospital for antibiotic-resistant fever, hypoxemia, and hyperleukocytosis and was diagnosed with acute monoblastic leukemia. Chest computed tomography revealed interlobular septal thickening, central ground-glass opacity, and a nodular shadow in the left lower lobe. Although several treatments for infectious disease and acute heart failure were administered, they were less effective. Transbronchial lung biopsy was performed on day 7 of hospitalization, and subsequently, pulmonary leukemic infiltration was confirmed. Based on the diagnosis, we decided to start intensive chemotherapy. Consequently, the abnormal lung shadow on computed tomography vanished, and complete hematological remission was achieved. Although acute myeloid leukemia is frequently associated with lung infiltration during onset, it is often difficult to distinguish it from other pulmonary complications. In clinical practice, intensive chemotherapy is often initiated based on the clinical evaluation without pathological confirmation of the lung disease. Our patient was accurately diagnosed based on the pulmonary leukemic infiltration observed pathologically and recovered well. Here we report our case along with a discussion of the relevant literature.

A combination of three post-transplant drugs, cyclophosphamide (PTCy), a calcineurin inhibitor, and mycophenolate mofetil, has long been used for prophylaxis of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) after HLA-haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Recently, this combination has been used following HLA-matched allo-HCT as well, but the optimal combination of drugs for GVHD prophylaxis in an HLA-matched setting remains unclear. This prospective phase II study evaluated the safety and efficacy of PTCy plus tacrolimus (TAC) for GVHD prophylaxis after allo-HCT from HLA-matched related donors (MRD) or HLA-matched unrelated donors (MUD). The cumulative incidences of grades II–IV and III–IV acute GVHD at 100 days post-transplantation were 18% and 5.9%, respectively, in the MRD group, and 18% and 9.1%, respectively, in the MUD group. The cumulative incidences of moderate to severe chronic GVHD at 1 year were 12% and 9.1% in the MRD and MUD groups, respectively. The 1-year overall survival rates in the MRD and MUD groups were 88% and 64%, respectively, and the 1-year GVHD-free, relapse free survival rates were 59% and 50%, respectively. These results suggest that GVHD prophylaxis with a less intensive double drug combination (PT/Cy and TAC) might be feasible after HLA-matched allo-HCT. Clinical Trial Notation This trial was a prospective single-center trial registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR; identification number: UMIN000023890) and the Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCTs051180143).

Although anti-neutrophil antibodies (ANAs) often exist and immunoreaction may be involved in agranulocytosis, few reports have so far described ANA-positive cases of agranulocytosis with an unknown etiology. We herein describe the case of a 69-year-old woman who presented with ANA-positive agranulocytosis. In this case, both the withdrawal of the drugs that had possibly caused neutropenia and the use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) were ineffective treatment measures. Approximately 2 weeks after the discontinuation of the suspected drugs, we initiated corticosteroid pulse therapy; the neutrophil count recovered by day 19 of steroid therapy. High-dose methylprednisolone therapy should thus be considered for patients demonstrating ANA-positive agranulocytosis with an unknown etiology that is refractory to G-CSF treatment.

Aim Small-scale clinical studies have reported on drug interactions between caspofungin (CPFG) and calcineurin inhibitors in healthy subjects; however, little is known about these interactions in allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) patients. Methods We retrospectively assessed the drug interactions and safety profiles in allo-HCT recipients treated concomitantly with CPFG and calcineurin inhibitors. Results Ninety-one consecutive cases were evaluated. There were no statistically significant differences in the plasma concentration/dose (C/D) ratios of tacrolimus (TAC) in 34 patients before and after co-administration with CPFG (median: 575.6–672.4, P = 0.200). In contrast, the median C/D ratio of cyclosporin A (CsA) in 16 patients was significantly elevated after co-administration with CPFG (median: 62.8–74.9, P = 0.016). There were no serious adverse effects on liver or renal function associated with the therapy. Conclusions Our data show that CPFG did not affect the pharmacokinetics of TAC and that it could mildly increase CsA blood concentrations in allo-HCT patients.

A 42‐year‐old man with schizophrenia was referred to our hospital after 2 weeks of worsening fatigue. His hemoglobin level was 2.8 g/dL owing to folic acid deficiency stemming from alcohol abuse and consumption of unbalanced meals. We induced behavioral changes in the patient by motivational interviewing. We had direct methodical conversations with medical staff involved with the patient as well as his family, and established new social support for him as well as public assistance. These have resulted in the patient maintaining a favorable lifestyle ever since.

Although elevated serum beta-2 microglobulin (BMG) has been reported as a poor prognostic marker for various hematological malignancies, no study has assessed its prognostic significance in allogenec hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Therefore, we conducted this retrospective observational study in 227 consecutive patients with available pretransplant serum BMG levels between April 2010 and September 2017 at our institute. We also collected and retrospectively analyzed various pretransplant variables likely related to transplant outcomes. Multivariable analysis, including major prognostic variables, such as the disease risk index and the hematopoietic cell transplant-comorbidity index, showed a significant association between higher serum BMG levels and poorer overall survival (OS) in all three adjusted models [hazard ratio (HR) per its standard deviation (SD) (SD = 1.094): 1.67 (1.35-2.03; P < 0.001), HR per SD: 1.46 (1.14-1.86; P = 0.002), HR per SD: 2.03 (1.62-2.55; P < 0.001)], respectively, due to the significant association between higher serum BMG levels and relapse/progression [HR 1.52 (1.20-1.94; P < 0.001)] instead of nonrelapse mortality [HR 1.06 (0.70-1.60; P = 0.780)]. Moreover, DRI and serum BMG had statistically significantly higher c-statistic estimates for OS compared with DRI alone (c-index 0.74 and 0.68, respectively; P < 0.001). In conclusion, pretransplant serum BMG level may serve as a useful prognostic marker and help clinical decision in allo-HCT.

HLA-haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PT/Cy-haplo) is widely used because of such advantages as low procedure cost, high probability of finding a suitable donor, and donor availability at short notice. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), resulting from bidirectional alloreaction between host and donor, occurs frequently in recipients of PT/Cy-haplo, especially when peripheral blood is used. Severe and life-threatening instances of CRS have been reported. The clinical significance of CRS remains unclear, however. Here we used serum IL-6 level as a surrogate marker of CRS to evaluate the impact of outcomes in 65 consecutive patients receiving PT/Cy-haplo at our institution. Our results indicate that active disease status, high Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation-Specific Comorbidity Index score, and very severe CRS are significantly related to peak serum IL-6 level. In our cohort, high peak serum IL-6 level and severe CRS were significantly associated with the development of grade III or IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). High peak serum IL-6 level was identified a significant risk factor for poor 3-year overall survival. Our results suggest that even transient CRS following PT/Cy-haplo may contribute to poor survival owing to an increase in severe acute GVHD.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a curative treatment for many kinds of hematological diseases, but high transplant-related mortality (TRM), involving almost one quarter of patients who receive allo-HCT, remains problematic. TRM is mainly caused by infection (bacteria, virus, and fun- gus), acute or chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), and/or organ dysfunction, such as-that involving the liver, lung, and/or kidney. Post-transplant infectious or noninfectious pulmonary complications are some of the important events after allo-HCT that may often be associated with TRM. The pre- or post-transplant pulmonary function test (PFT) plays an important role for the following reasons: 1) It may predict the devel- opment of noninfectious pulmonary complications such as chronic GVHD of the lung, i.e., bronchiolitis oblit- erans syndrome (BOS). 2) The diagnostic criteria and evaluation of the severity of BOS contain some PFT parameters. Therefore, we are not able to diagnose a patient with BOS nor evaluate the severity without PFT. 3) Pre- and post-transplant PFTs predict TRM and/or the overall transplant outcome. In order to improve the allo-HCT outcome, future studies of PFT in allo-HCT are needed. [Review].

In allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), ascites may develop owing to several causes, including sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, infections, malignancies, and malnutrition. However, it is often difficult to determine its precise cause. Here, a 59-year-old male developed chylous ascites three months post allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for relapsed acute myeloid leukemia. None of the attempted treatments resulted in improvement. Lymphangioscintigraphy revealed a lymphatic flow disorder at the level of the cisterna chyli. Autopsy revealed no leukemic cell infiltration or graft-versus-host disease of the liver or pancreas. The pancreatic specimen revealed parenchymal fibrosis and infiltration of plasma cells, suggesting chronic inflammation in addition to pathological changes caused by acute pancreatitis. These findings indicate that acute or chronic pancreatitis caused a lymphatic flow disorder that developed into refractory ascites. Although we could not diagnose pancreatitis while the patient was alive, it is important to recognize that asymptomatic pancreatitis can develop after HSCT. Furthermore, one should attempt to make an accurate diagnosis as early as possible.

To examine the diagnostic value of serum ferritin, the associated risk factors, and cytokine profiles of hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), we retrospectively analyzed data from patients undergoing allo-HCT between 2006 and 2012. Of 223 eligible patients, 18 patients developed HPS. A serum ferritin level above 30,000 μg/l was highly specific for the detection of HPS (specificity, 93%). The one-year survival rate for ......

Tumor stromal cells play a critical role in the progression of diffuse-type gastric cancer (DGC). The aim of this study was to clarify where tumor stromal cells originate from and which factor(s) recruits them into the tumor stroma. Immunodeficient mice with bone marrow transplantation from the cytomegalovirus enhancer/chicken β-actin promoter–enhanced green fluorescent protein mice were used for the in vivo experiments. An in vitro study analyzed the chemotaxis-stimulating factor from DGC cells using bone marrow–derived mesenchymal cells (BM-MCs). The influences of chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 2 (CXCR2) inhibitor on the migration of BM-MCs were examined both in vitro and in vivo . BM-MCs frequently migrated into stroma of DGC in vivo . The number of migrating BM-MCs was increased by conditioned medium from DGC cells. CXCL1 from DGC cells stimulated the chemoattractant ability of BM-MCs. Both anti-CXCL1 antibody and CXCR2 inhibitor decreased the migration of BM-MCs, stimulated by DGC cells. A CXCR2 inhibitor, SB225002, reduced the recruitment of BM-MCs into the tumor microenvironment in vivo , decreasing tumor size and lymph node metastasis, and prolonging the survival of gastric tumor-bearing mice. These findings suggested that most tumor stromal cells in DGC might originate from BM-MCs. CXCL1 from DGC cells stimulates the recruitment of BM-MCs into tumor stroma via CXCR2 signaling of BM-MCs. Inhibition of BM-MC recruitment via the CXCL1-CXCR2 axis appears a promising therapy for DGC.

Background A new 23S ribosomal RNA genes-targeted in situ hybridization (ISH) probe to detect global bacterial genomic DNA (59 species from 35 genera; referred to as the GB probe) phagocytized in leukocytes was recently developed. This method provided early and direct evidence of bacterial infection with high sensitivity and specificity in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis ascites. However, the utility of this method in febrile neutropenia (FN) is unknown. Methods We prospectively evaluated the utility of the ISH approach using the GB probe and previously reported probes in patients with neutropenia and fever undergoing chemotherapy at our institution between June 2011 and July 2013. Blood samples for culture analysis and ISH tests were collected simultaneously at the onset of fever; the latter were performed repeatedly. Results Fifty febrile episodes were evaluated. In 24 episodes of fever of unknown origin and 15 episodes of local infection (all negative for blood cultures), ISH tests identified causal bacteria in 21% and 13% of cases, respectively, at the onset of fever. In seven sepsis cases (all positive for blood culture), positive ISH test results at fever onset were achieved in 71%; for two patients with neutrophil counts of 0/μl and 171/μl, respectively, negative results were obtained. Conclusions This new ISH approach could prove useful for early detection of bacteria in patients with neutropenia and blood culture-negative, with fever of unknown etiology after chemotherapy. Using this method in combination with blood culture, even in cases with extremely low neutrophil counts, might contribute to better management of FN.

Disseminated infection by Hormographiella aspergillata is extremely rare and small intestine involvement has not been reported previously. A 51-year-old man with myelodysplastic syndrome developed pneumonia after cord blood cell transplantation. Fungal growth from the biopsied lung was identified as H. aspergillata by morphology and the gene analysis. Although antifungal agents including voriconazole and liposomal amphotericin B were administered, he died of disseminated H. aspergillata infection. We review the literature and discuss the treatment and prognosis.

Background The objective of the present retrospective study was to evaluate the effect of ponatinib administration as maintenance therapy on the outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Patients and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data from 34 consecutive patients treated at our institution from January 2008 to June 2019. We had administered post-transplant tyrosine kinase inhibitors preemptively before December 2017. Thereafter, we had initiated the prophylactic use of post-transplant ponatinib. The initial ponatinib dose was 15 mg/d. Ponatinib plasma trough levels were measured using the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method 8 days after the first administration and subsequently. Results Nine patients received ponatinib maintenance. The 2-year overall survival and leukemia-free survival in the ponatinib maintenance group tended to be better than that in the non–ponatinib group (100% vs. 70.5%, P = .10; and 100% vs. 50.8%, P = .02, respectively). In the first 7 of the 9 consecutive patients, the median plasma concentration after ponatinib administration (15 mg/d) was 15.6 ng/mL (range, 4.8-23.3 ng/mL). Although the treatment schedule for 1 patient was altered because of adverse effects (elevation of serum amylase and neutropenia), ponatinib administration was continued for all the patients, except for 1 patient with molecular relapse. One patient developed a transient elevation of serum lipase. No patient presented with any arterial occlusive events. Conclusion Our results have indicated that the strategy of ponatinib maintenance after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is safe, efficacious, and promising.

Chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) of the central nervous system is a rare condition that could occur after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) but has been poorly documented. Here, we report a patient diagnosed with recurrent acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) with longitudinal extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) as cGVHD after HLA haploidentical peripheral blood SCT using posttransplantation cyclophosphamide for mixed-phenotype acute leukemia. We observed clinical and radiological improvement after the rituximab treatment of the condition that had been refractory to steroids. To the best of our knowledge, no report of cGVHD presented recurrent ADEM with LETM after allogeneic SCT and successfully treated with rituximab. Hence, ADEM should be included in the differential diagnosis of neurological symptoms in posttransplant patients with cGVHD.

We herein describe a case of myelodysplastic syndrome with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD)-related polymyositis. On approximately day 1,570 post HLA-identical sibling bone marrow transplant, the patient presented with a fever, myalgia and liver dysfunction. A muscle biopsy revealed destruction of the muscle fibers and infiltration of CD20(+) B cells and CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, and a liver biopsy confirmed the findings of cGVHD. An analysis of plasma cytokine profiles indicated elevation of not only T-helper (Th)1 and Th2, but also Th17 cytokines. Increases in these cytokines in addition to the invasion of inflammatory cells might be associated with the pathophysiology of cGVHD involving the muscle and liver.

Background The treatment strategy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in elderly patients is problematic. Although several researchers have reported the effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and the futility of curative treatment in ‘unfit’ patients with DLBCL, these propositions are not firmly established. Patients and methods We conducted a retrospective analysis using a database. Patients with DLBCL were eligible if ≧ 60 yr old. CGA stratification was performed using medical records. Results One hundred and 35 patients were identified. Anthracycline-based chemotherapy with curative intent was performed in 115 (85%) patients. According to CGA, 82 (61%) patients were classified as ‘fit’. Their 1-yr overall survival (OS) was significantly better than that of ‘unfit’ patients [91.3% vs. 53.8%, P

Background: The aim of this study was to clarify the role of bone marrow-derived stromal cells (BM-SCs) expressing CD271 in the development of gastric cancer. Methods: The effect of human BM-SCs on the proliferation and motility of six gastric cancer cell lines, OCUM-2M, OCUM-2MD3, OCUM-12, KATO-III, NUGC-3, and MKN-74, was examined. CD271 expression levels in BM-SCs were analysed by flow cytometry. We also generated a gastric tumour model by orthotopic inoculation of OCUM-2MLN cells in mice that had received transplantation of bone marrow from the CAG-EGFP mice. The correlation between the clinicopathological features of 279 primary gastric carcinomas and CD271 expression in tumour stroma was examined by immunohistochemistry. Results: Numerous BM-SCs infiltrated the gastric tumour microenvironment; CD271 expression was found in ∼25% of BM-SCs. Conditioned medium from BM-SCs significantly increased the proliferation of gastric cancer cell lines. Furthermore, conditioned medium from gastric cancer cells significantly increased the number of BM-SCs, whereas migration of OCUM-12 and NUGC-3 cells was significantly increased by conditioned medium from BM-SCs. CD271 expression in stromal cells was significantly associated with macroscopic type-4 cancers, diffuse-type tumours, and tumour invasion depth. The overall survival of patients (n=279) with CD271-positive stromal cells was significantly worse compared with that of patients with CD271-negative stromal cells. This is the first report of the significance of BM-SCs in gastric cancer progression. Conclusions: Bone marrow-derived stromal cells might have an important role in gastric cancer progression, and CD271-positive BM-SCs might be a useful prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients.

We retrospectively analyzed 2682 patients who developed grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). On analysis with stratification into five age groups (20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and ≥60), 2-year non-relapse mortality rates (NRM) after the onset of GVHD were 20.7, 26.2, 26.6, 37.0 and 40.4%, respectively (p

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was diagnosed in a 64-year-old man. Three months later, he presented with right-sided visual loss. A diagnosis of optic neuritis caused by both ischemic and non-ischemic changes was established. Concurrently, prominent eosinophilia was seen in both the peripheral blood and bone marrow. A partial improvement of visual loss was obtained concomitant with a rapid decrease of the eosinophils after treatment with corticosteroids. Optic neuritis related to MDS is a rare condition and its etiology has not yet been identified. We herein report a case of optic neuritis associated with MDS and accompanied by an eosinophilic crisis.

We conducted an open-label, randomized study to evaluate the clinical efficacy of cefozopran, meropenem or imipenem-cilastatin using cefepime as a control in febrile neutropenia (FN) patients. Three hundred and seventy-six patients received cefepime, cefozopran, meropenem or imipenem-cilastatinas initial therapy for FN. The primary endpoint was the non-inferiority of response rates including modification at day 7 in cefozopran, meropenem or imipenem-cilastatin patients compared with cefepime in the per-protocol population (delta = 10%). The response rates for cefozopran, meropenem and imipenem-cilastatin were not significantly different compared with cefepime (cefozopran: 54/90 (60%), meropenem: 60/92 (65%), and IPM/CS: 63/88 (72%) versus cefepime: 56/85 (66%) (p = 0.44, 1.0 and 0.51, respectively)), and the differences in treatment success for cefozopran, meropenem and imipenem-cilastatin compared with cefepime were -5.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): -20.1-8.4), -0.7% (95% CI: -14.6-13.3), and 5.7% (95% CI: -8.1-19.4), respectively. The same tendency was seen in the modified intention-to-treat population. Based on the evaluation of initial drug efficacy performed on days 3-5, there was no significant difference between the four drugs. In the subgroup with an absolute neutrophil count ≤ 100 × 10(6)/L for longer than seven days, there was significantly better efficacy in the carbapenem arm compared to 4th generation beta-lactams (52% versus 27% at days 3-5, p = 0.006, and 76% versus 48% at day 7, p = 0.002). Our results suggest that the effects of these four drugs as empiric therapy were virtually the same for adult FN patients, although non-inferiority was shown only in imipenem-cilastatin compared with cefepime (clinical trial number: UMIN000000462).

Isolated sarcoma with features of mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) is an extremely rare disease and it can be easily misdiagnosed as lymphoma or other malignancies. We herein report the case of a 61-year-old woman with non-leukemic sarcoma of the right pleura, pretracheal lymph node, and supraclavicular lymph node with features of MPAL, B/myeloid, not otherwise specified, which was first misdiagnosed as diffuse large B cell lymphoma. After performing a detailed re-examination of the biopsy specimens, few scattered eosinophilic myelocytes allowed us to reach a correct diagnosis of MPAL and the patient was thereafter successfully treated by intensified chemotherapy followed by cord blood transplantation.

Pralatrexate is a novel antifolate approved in the USA for the treatment of relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. To assess its safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics in Japanese patients with this disease, we undertook a phase I/II study. Pralatrexate was given i.v. weekly for 6 weeks of a 7-week cycle. All patients received concurrent vitamin B12 and folic acid. In phase I, three patients received pralatrexate 30 mg/m2 and none experienced a dose-limiting toxicity. In phase II, we treated 22 additional patients with that dose. The median number of treatment cycles was 1 (range, 1-9). Nine of 20 evaluable patients (45%) achieved an objective response by central review, including two complete responses. All responses occurred within the first treatment cycle. At the time of data cut-off, median progression-free survival was 150 days. Median overall survival was not reached. In the total population, the most commonly reported adverse events included mucositis (88%), thrombocytopenia (68%), liver function test abnormality (64%), anemia (60%), and lymphopenia (56%). Grade 3/4 adverse events included lymphopenia (52%), thrombocytopenia (40%), leukopenia (28%), neutropenia (24%), anemia (20%), and mucositis (20%). The pharmacokinetic profile showed no drug accumulation with repeat dosing. These results indicate that pralatrexate is generally well tolerated and effective in Japanese patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02013362).

BACKGROUND Autonomic nervous system function indexed by heart rate variability (HRV) has shown prognostic value for mortality in various cardiovascular and noncardiovascular diseases including cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an association between HRV and outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). METHODS We prospectively measured HRV as a surrogate pretransplant marker of autonomic nervous system activity in consecutive allo-HCTs with hematological diseases. RESULTS We analyzed 112 allo-HCTs performed between July 2011 and July 2013 in our center. Univariate analysis showed that increased values of HRV components (low-frequency [LF] and high-frequency [HF] spectral component), SD of normal-to-normal RR interval (SDNN), and squares of the differences between adjacent normal-to-normal RR intervals (r-MSSD) were significantly associated with decreased probability of overall mortality (hazard ratio = 0.3 for LF, P < 0.001; hazard ratio = 0.3 for HF, P = 0.001; hazard ratio = 0.6 for SDNN, P = 0.004; and hazard ratio = 0.5 for r-MSSD, P = 0.014). Among these 4 indicators, the LF-added pretransplantation assessment of mortality, hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index, and disease risk index models showed the highest values of ΔAkaike information criterion (16.5, 22.2, and 11.4, respectively). When stratified into quartiles of LF groups, 2-year overall survival was 92.9, 84.5, 59.7, and 33.2%, respectively (P < 0.001). LF alone represented a better discriminating variable for the prediction of mortality when compared with pretransplantation assessment of mortality, hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index, and disease risk index. In addition, from bivariate analyses, decreased LF was an independent and significant factor for higher overall mortality in all models. CONCLUSIONS Indicators reflective of autonomic nervous system function might be a powerful predictor of survival after allo-HCT.

Little research has been done on changes in serum ferritin (s-ferritin) levels and clinical implications following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We retrospectively evaluated the correlation of s-ferritin levels after HCT with survival in 203 patients. The s-ferritin level was significantly elevated, with 75% of the patients showing peak levels 90 days after HCT. The level was >10,000 ng/ml in a total of 43% of the patients, a finding that was associated with febrile neutropenia or infection. The s-ferritin level at day 30 and at 1 year after HCT was significantly associated with prognosis. However, this statistically significant relationship was lost after adjusting for acute-phase reactants. We conclude that hyperferritinemia is very common and the degree of influence of a red blood cell transfusion will vary depending on the phase after HCT. A prospective study is needed to determine if iron load in and of itself contributes to a worse prognosis after HCT. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) complications after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) can be fatal. Although numerous studies have reported risk factors for CNS complications after allo-HCT, most defined CNS complication events as a composite endpoint, for example, composed of cerebrovascular disease, infection, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), and metabolic encephalopathy. For a more precise and targeted approach, risk factor analyses for each individual CNS event are needed. Few studies have reported risk factor analyses for individual CNS complications. They have included analyses for cerebrovascular disease, viral encephalitis, HHV6 encephalitis, and noninfectious neurologic complications. To our knowledge, no pretransplant risk factor analysis for calcineurin inhibitor-induced encephalopathy (CNIE) and limbic encephalitis (LE) has yet been reported. Method: We retrospectively examined consecutive patients who underwent allo-HCT at our institute between January 2005 and November 2017. CNIE was defined as a patient who exhibited clinical symptoms of PRES or neurological manifestations of thrombotic microangiopathy during cyclosporin A (CSA) or tacrolimus (TAC) administration. LE was defined as a patient who displayed selective medial temporal lobe involvement in brain MRIs. As a rule, HHV-6 DNA polymerase chain reaction was performed on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for LE cases. Results: A total of 485 patients between 16- and 69-years-old (median, 46 years) were eligible for this study. They received myeloablative (n = 292) or reduced-intensity conditioning (n = 193) for allo-HCT. Diagnoses included AML/ALL (n = 292), MDS (n = 59), NHL (n = 93), and others (n = 41). HLA allele typing was performed at HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1. Donor sources consisted of HLA-matched or -one allele mismatched sibling peripheral blood (PB) or bone marrow (BM) (n = 98)/HLA matched unrelated donors (n = 93) (hereafter referred to as HLA-matched donors), HLA-mismatched unrelated BM (uBM; n = 36), umbilical cord blood (uCB; n = 110), haploidentical PB (n = 118), and allele unknown uBM (n = 30). A total of 33 CNS events were identified: 11 CNIE (33 %), 14 LE (42 %), 3 transverse myelitis (9.0 %), 2 drug encephalopathy (6.0 %), 1 aseptic meningitis (3.0 %), 1 fungal brain abscess (3.0 %), and 1 acute epidural hematoma (3.0 %). The median follow-up time among the survivors was 1836 days (range, 45-4860 days) after allo-HCT. By landmark time analysis, the prognosis of those with any CNS complications within 30 days was significantly worse than those who did not (1-year OS, 37.5 % vs. 55.4 %, Log-rank p = 0.011). A multivariable time-dependent Cox model revealed that CNS complications were an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (Hazard ratio (HR) 4.49, 95 % CI, 2.30-8.76, p < 0.001), adjusted for age and disease risk index. CNIE cases included 6 CSA-induced and 3 TAC-induced cases, of which 4 patients (44 %) were alive. In the multivariable Cox models, MDS (HR 9.4 (vs. AML/ALL), 95 % CI, 2.2-40, p = 0.002) and HLA-mismatched uBM (HR 16 (vs. HLA-matched donors), 95 % CI, 3.0-81, p = 0.001) were significantly associated with CNIE development. LE included 7 HHV6-negative (2 alive), 5 HHV6-positve (1 alive), and 2 unknown cases (1 alive). Eleven of these patients were treated by methylprednisolone pulse therapy; all patients responded partially or effectively and four patients (36 %) achieved complete remission. In the multivariable Cox models, HLA-mismatched uBM (HR 7.5 (vs. HLA-matched donors), 95 % CI, 1.2-45, p = 0.028) was significantly associated with LE development. Conclusion: CNS complications were found to be an independent risk factor for OS after allo-HCT, as reported previously. MDS and HLA-mismatched uBM were risk factors for CNIE; the former may be partly explained by the fact that a subset of MDS may be predisposed to vascular endothelial damage (e.g. vasculitis), since CNIE may be triggered by endothelial dysfunction caused by CNI. Moreover, HLA-mismatched uBM was a risk factor for LE. Experimental data revealed that major histocompatibility complex class 1 protein was expressed in hippocampal neurons; thus, the limbic system may be targeted by alloimmune reactions more frequently in HLA-mismatched uBM settings, regardless of whether HHV-6 reactivation occurs. Disclosures Koh: Alexion: Honoraria; DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY: Honoraria; MSD K.K: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; NIHON PHARMACEUTICAL: Honoraria; Takeda Science Foundation: Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Amgen Astellas BioPharma: Research Funding; Asahi Kasei Corporation: Research Funding; IQVIA Services Japan: Research Funding. Okamura:Eisai Co., Ltd: Honoraria; MSD K.K: Honoraria. Shiro:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria. Nanno:Eisai Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; MSD K.K: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria. Nakamae:Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Alexion: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Japan Blood Products Organization: Honoraria; Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Shire Japan KK.: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria. Nakashima:Novartis: Honoraria; Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria; Eisai Co.,Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene Corporation: Research Funding; Amgen Astellas BioPharma K.K.: Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie Inc.: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria. Nakane:Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED.,: Honoraria; Mundipharma K.K.: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.: Research Funding; MSD K. K,: Research Funding; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Research Funding; Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd: Research Funding. Hino:MSD: Honoraria, Research Funding; Mundipharma: Honoraria; Nihon Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon Parma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Ono Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Other: Consulting fee, Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer Japan Inc: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Honoraria; Shire Japan KK: Honoraria; Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Consulting fee, Research Funding; Mochica Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Eisai: Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Japan Blood Products Organization: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Daichi-Sankyo: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas Amgen BioPharma: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Taiho Pharama: Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Teijin: Research Funding; Alexion: Honoraria; Abbott: Research Funding. Nakamae:Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Skire Japan KK.: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Kwowa-Hakko kirin Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Japan blood Products Organization: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Alexion: Honoraria.

INTRODUCTION HLA-haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) using post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PT/Cy-haplo) can be a standard of care in patients suffering from poor prognostic hematological malignancies without conventional donors. Regarding killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) and HLA information on optimal donor selection in PT/Cy-haplo settings, the following factors associated with improved survival have been reported: HLA-DR/HLA-DP mismatch, KIR receptor-ligand mismatch, KIR B/x haplotype with KIR2DS2, and inhibitory KIR gene mismatch (Willem 2019, Solomon 2018, Symons 2010). However, the results were still inconclusive. In addition, it remains unknown whether the graft-versus-leukemia/tumor (GVL) effect of donor KIRs or HLAs is modified by residual tumor burden at PT/Cy-haplo. METHODS We retrospectively examined consecutive patients who received PT/Cy-haplo at our institution between June 2009 and December 2018. In both patients and donors, 16 KIR genes were genotyped using KIR SSO Genotyping Test (One Lambda, Inc.) and HLA allele typing was performed at HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1. Cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was estimated using a cumulative incidence curve with nonrelapse mortality as a competing risk and compared using the Gray's test. RESULTS A total of 91 patients with available KIR typing data were eligible. Of these, HLA typing data were unavailable for 5 patients (5.5%). In this cohort, 76 HLA-C mismatched transplants (88%) were included, and the frequencies of donor KIR ligand were 78 (90.7%) in C1/C1, 8 (9.3%) in C1/C2, and 0 in C2/C2. The median age was 48 years (range, 17 - 68 years). Median follow-up time among survivors was 1,271 days (range, 242 - 3,135 days) after PT/Cy-haplo. This study included 54 AML, 6 MDS, 2 CML, 13 ALL, and 16 NHL patients. Thirty-four patients (37%) showed complete remission (CR) at PT/Cy-haplo, and 37 on the secondor third transplant (40.7%). In CR population at PT/Cy-haplo, the patients who underwent PT/Cy-haplo from a KIR2DS1-positive donor had significantly lower rates of CIR than those from a KIR2DS1-negative donor (2-year CIR, 9.2% vs 42%; P = 0.037; Figure 1A). Due to unavailability of cases, we were unable to perform the subgroup analysis based on donor C1 or C2 status. In PT/Cy-haplo from a KIR3DS1- or KIR2DL5-positive donor, similar results were obtained, most likely due to genetic linkage disequilibrium among these genes. No other donor KIR genes were associated with CIR. Furthermore, PT/Cy-haplo from a KIR2DS1-positive donor was significantly associated with improved OS (2-year OS, 83% vs 34%; P = 0.01; Figure 1C). Also, PT/Cy-haplo from a B/x donor significantly increased OS (2-year OS, 77% vs 35%; P = 0.019), but did not decrease CIR (2-year CIR, 16% vs 40%; P = 0.122). These results suggested that donor KIR2DS1 could have a more crucial role in prevention of leukemia relapse than donor B/x haplotype. In non-complete remission (NCR) population at PT/Cy-haplo, however, PT/Cy-haplo from a KIR2DS1-positive donor and a B/x donor did not significantly improve CIR (Figure 1B) or OS (Figure 1D). Although we investigated the following previously reported models: KIR mismatch with ligand incompatibility model, receptor-ligand model, missing ligand model, inhibitory KIR gene model, and HLA-DRB1 disparity of graft-versus-host direction, none was found to be associated with significantly improved CIR or OS. CONCLUSION We found that in PT/Cy-haplo settings, with donor-recipient HLA-C mismatch in almost all cases, a KIR2DS1-positive donor significantly contributed to decreased CIR and increased OS in CR population at PT/Cy-haplo, but not in NCR population. These results were consistent with the 2012 NEJM data by Venstrom et al in patients undergoing allo-HCT from HLA-matched or one-allele mismatched unrelated donors. Although the exact mechanism remains unclear, activating KIR2DS1, known as a player in the activation and tolerance of NK cells, could mediate NK-cell function and enhance GVL effect through NK alloreactivity in low tumor burden status at PT/Cy-haplo also in the PT/Cy-haplo setting. Our results may contribute to the establishment of an optimal donor selection algorithm. In future, elucidating the detailed mechanism of our findings could lead to the development of a novel preventive or therapeutic strategy for leukemia relapse. Disclosures Ido: MSD K.K.: Honoraria. Koh:Alexion: Honoraria; DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY: Honoraria; MSD K.K: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; NIHON PHARMACEUTICAL: Honoraria; Takeda Science Foundation: Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Amgen Astellas BioPharma: Research Funding; Asahi Kasei Corporation: Research Funding; IQVIA Services Japan: Research Funding. Okamura:MSD K.K: Honoraria; Eisai Co., Ltd: Honoraria. Koh:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria. Nanno:Eisai Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; MSD K.K: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria. Nakamae:Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Japan Blood Products Organization: Honoraria; Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Alexion: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Shire Japan KK.: Honoraria. Nakashima:Novartis: Honoraria; Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria; Eisai Co.,Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene Corporation: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Amgen Astellas BioPharma K.K.: Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie Inc.: Research Funding. Nakane:Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED.,: Honoraria; Mundipharma K.K.: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.: Research Funding; MSD K. K,: Research Funding; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Research Funding; Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd: Research Funding. Hino:Taiho Pharama: Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas Amgen BioPharma: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Daichi-Sankyo: Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai: Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Japan Blood Products Organization: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa-Hakko Kirin Co.,Ltd: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Consulting fee, Research Funding; Mochica Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Honoraria; Shire Japan KK: Honoraria; Sumitomo Dainippon Parma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Other: Consulting fee, Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Teijin: Research Funding; Nihon Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc: Honoraria, Research Funding; MSD: Honoraria, Research Funding; Mundipharma: Honoraria; Abbott: Research Funding; Alexion: Honoraria. Nakamae:Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Kwowa-Hakko kirin Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Japan blood Products Organization: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Alexion: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Skire Japan KK.: Honoraria.