Successful haploidentical stem cell transplantation for three adults with primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Diagnosis and management of acquired aplastic anemia in childhood. Guidelines from the Marrow Failure Study Group of the Pediatric Haemato-Oncology Italian Association (AIEOP)

Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is a rare heterogeneous disorder characterized by pancytopenia and hypoplastic bone marrow. The incidence is 2-3 per million population per year in the Western world, but 3 times higher in East Asia. Survival in severe aplastic anemia (SAA) has improved significantly due to advances in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), immunosuppressive therapy, biologic agents, and supportive care. In SAA, HSCT from a matched sibling donor (MSD) is the first-line treatment. If a MSD is not available, options include immunosuppressive therapy (IST), matched unrelated donor, or haploidentical HSCT. The purpose of this guideline is to provide health care professionals with clear guidance on the diagnosis and management of pediatric patients with AA. A preliminary evidence-based document prepared by a group of pediatric hematologists of the Bone Marrow Failure Study Group of the Italian Association of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology (AIEOP) was discussed, modified and approved during a series of consensus conferences that started online during COVID 19 and continued in the following years, according to procedures previously validated by the AIEOP Board of Directors.

Efficacy and safety of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant in adults with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a systematic review of literature

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but life-threatening disorder of the immune system. While familial HLH is usually seen in children, secondary HLH is more common in adults. Secondary HLH is associated with a wide variety of underlying conditions including infections, malignancy and autoimmune disorders. While HLH 94/04 protocol-based chemotherapy can be used for initial treatment, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) remains the only potentially curative treatment modality for this disorder. In this systematic review, we analyzed available literature on the role of allo-HSCT in adolescent and adult patients using PubMed, Cochrane, Embase and ClinicalTrials.gov. A total of 11 retrospective studies evaluated the role of allo-HSCT for HLH. Allo-HSCT, when compared to non-HSCT approach, appears to be associated with reasonable efficacy and acceptable safety for adolescent and adult patients with HLH.

[Clinical study of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation on 15 cases of adult-onset primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis]

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) for adult-onset primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) . Method: A retrospective study was carried out to analyze the clinical data of 15 adult patients with primary HLH who received haplo-HSCT from January 2013 to October 2019 in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Results: Among the 15 patients included in the study, ten were males and five were females, with a median age of 21 years old (18-52) . Eight of the patients had familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis type 2 (FHL-2) , four had FHL-3, one had Griscelli syndrome type 2 (GS-2) , one had X-linked lymphoproliferative disease type 1 (XLP-1) , and the other had XLP-2. The median time from HLH diagnosis to transplantation was 7 months (2-46 months) . Seven patients were treated with Bu/Cy condition regimen prior to transplantation. Meanwhile, the other eight cases were treated with TBI/Cy. The median concentration of mononuclear cell (MNC) infusion was 12.6 (9.2-20.3) ×10(8)/kg and CD34(+) cells was 4.91 (2.51-8.37) ×10(6)/kg. The median time of leukocyte engraftment was on day 13 following transplantation (10-23 days) , and the platelet engraftment was on day 12 (9-36) . Graft failure (GF) finally occurred in two patients (one primary GF and one secondary GF) . The cumulative incidence of acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) grades 2 to 4 was 71.4% (10/14) and chronic GVHD was 30.8% (4/13) , respectively. The five-year overall survival (OS) for all 15 cases of primary HLH was 65.5% (95% CI, 34.9%-73.3%) and the transplant-related mortality (TRM) was 26.7% (4/15) . The five-year OS was 87.5% (95% CI, 38.7%-66.3%) in eight patients who received haplo-HSCT subsequent to initial therapy and 42.9% (95% CI, 8.5%-65.2%) in patients seven patients who needed salvage therapy prior to haplo-HSCT (χ(2)=2.387, P=0.122) . The five-year OS was 85.7% (95% CI, 50.4%-89.8%) in eight patients who achieved complete response before haplo-HSCT and 42.9% (95% CI, 6.4%-53.0%) in seven patients with partial response (χ(2)=3.185, P=0.074) . Conclusion: The results indicated that haplo-HSCT is a promising method for the treatment of primary HLH in adults.

Successful Treatment of Veno-occlusive Disease, Transplantation-Associated Thrombotic Microangiopathy, and Acute Graft-vs-Host Disease in a Patient with Relapsed Epstein-Barr Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis After Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Case Report

BACKGROUND

Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may be the best currently available method to treat relapsed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) related to Epstein-Barr virus. The high rate of transplantation-related complications was initially the main obstacle preventing the wider adoption of this protocol; however, the previously more common complications, such as infection and graft failure, have fallen to very low levels with the development of new drugs and methods. Some other complications, such as veno-occlusive disease and transplantation associated thrombotic microangiopathy, are rare after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, but the morbidity and mortality associated with them are very high.

CASE PRESENTATION

A patient with relapsed HLH related to Epstein-Barr virus showed the sequential severe complications of veno-occlusive disease, transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy, and acute graft-vs-host disease after haploidentical transplantation. This patient was successfully treated by stopping administration of calcineurin inhibitors and instead treating with defibrotide, rituximab, CD25 monoclonal antibody, atorvastatin calcium tablets, methylprednisolone, budesonide, continuous plasma exchange, and bedside ultrafiltration. At the last follow-up, the patient had been living disease free for 2 years without any other complications.

CONCLUSION

Epstein-Barr virus related-HLH patients have severe clinical features and currently poor prognosis. Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may be the best way to treat this disease; however, the management of related complications is vital in the improvement of long-term survival.

Soluble ST2 and CD163 as Potential Biomarkers to Differentiate Primary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis from Macrophage Activation Syndrome

The differentiation of primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (pHLH) and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) poses a challenge to hematologists. The aim of this study was (1) to compare the levels of soluble ST2 (sST2), sCD163, IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-18, TNF-α and Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sCD25) in patients with pHLH and MAS and (2) to investigate whether they can help differentiate the two diseases. A total of 52 participants were recruited in this study, including 12 pHLH patients, 20 MAS patients, and 20 healthy subjects. We measured the levels of sST2, sCD163 and sCD25 in serum by ELISA. The serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-18, and TNF-α were detected using a Luminex 200 instrument. The serum levels of sST2 and sCD163 in MAS patients were markedly higher than that in pHLH patients (363.13 ± 307.24 ng/ml vs 80.75 ± 87.04 ng/ml, P = 0.004; 3532.72 ± 2479.68 ng/ml vs 1731.96 ± 1262.07 ng/ml, P = 0.046). There was no significant difference in the expression of IFN-γ (306.89 ± 281.60 pg/ml vs 562.43 ± 399.86 pg/ml), IL-10 (20.40 ± 30.49 pg/ml vs 8.3 ± 13.14 pg/ml), IL-18 (463.33 ± 597.04 pg/ml vs 1247.82 ± 1318.58 pg/ml), TNF-α (61.48 ± 84.69 pg/ml vs 106.10 ± 77.21 pg/ml), and sCD25 (21062.1 ± 18515.26 pg/ml vs 11074.78 ± 11149.96 pg/ml) between pHLH and MAS. Patients with pHLH and MAS show some differences in cytokine profiles. The elevated levels of IFN-γ, IL-10, TNF-α, IL-18, and sCD25 can contribute to the diagnosis of HLH, but may not discriminate pHLH from MAS. Levels of sST2 and sCD163 may serve as markers to distinguish pHLH from MAS.