Chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation

Graft-versus-host disease and impact on relapse in myelofibrosis undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) remains the only curative treatment for myelofibrosis (MF). Relapse occurs in 10-30% and remains a major factor for dismal outcomes. Previous work suggested that graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) might be associated with risk of relapse. This study included 341 patients undergoing their first (n = 308) or second (n = 33) alloHSCT. Anti-T-lymphocyte or antithymocyte globulin was used for GVHD prophylaxis in almost all patients. Median time to neutrophile and platelet engraftment was 13 days and 19 days, respectively. The cumulative incidence of acute GVHD grade II-IV was 41% (median, 31 days; range, 7-112). Grade III-IV acute GVHD was observed in 22%. The cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 61%. Liver was affected in 23% of acute GVHD cases and 46% of chronic GVHD cases. Severe acute GVHD was associated with high non-relapse mortality. The development of acute GVHD grade II and moderate GVHD was an independent factor for reduced risk for relapse after transplantation without increased risk for non-relapse mortality, while especially acute GVHD grade IV was associated with high non-relapse mortality. Last, we identified that ongoing response to ruxolitinib, accelerated-phase MF at time of transplantation and splenectomy prior to transplantation were independent predictors for relapse.

Navigating the Complexity of Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease: Canadian Insights into Real-World Treatment Sequencing

BACKGROUND

Graft-vs-Host Disease (GVHD) is a donor immune-mediated syndrome occurring in patients who undergo an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) presents with complications of variable severity. Corticosteroids are standard first-line (1L) treatment, but the sequence after 1L is unclear with the availability of new treatments. This research aimed to understand real-world treatment sequencing for cGVHD.

METHODS

This retrospective study investigated adult patients across 7 treatment sites in Canada who had received an allogeneic HCT >18 months prior to the study, experienced cGVHD, and received systemic treatment, including extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP).

RESULTS

A total of 77 cases were reviewed retrospectively (median age = 51 (IQR 41-62), 51% female). 59 patients remained on active systemic treatment, and among this group, the most common treatments in use were corticosteroids (47%) and ruxolitinib (47%). One patient died, and 17 patients were on non-systemic treatment after complications resolved. The median lines of treatment (LOT) received was 2 (IQR 1-3), with 39% of patients having received >2 LOT. Among patients with lung complications (n = 24), 41% had received 3 or more LOT. Among patients with scleroderma (n = 22), 77% had received 3 or more LOT, 23% of which had received 6 or more unique treatments.

CONCLUSIONS

The first treatment given to cGVHD patients was corticosteroids. Ruxolitinib was the most used second-line treatment. About 40% of cGVHD patients received >2 treatments, and scleroderma was associated with more LOT. There is a need for more effective cGVHD treatment options when early treatments fail to resolve complications.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease. Part I: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations

Chronic graft-versus-host disease is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and a leading cause of long-term morbidity, nonrelapse mortality, and impaired health-related quality of life. The skin is commonly affected and presents heterogeneously, making the role of dermatologists critical in both diagnosis and treatment. In addition, new clinical classification and grading schemes inform treatment algorithms, which now include 3 U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies, and evolving transplant techniques are changing disease epidemiology. Part I reviews the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of chronic graft-versus-host disease. Part II discusses disease grading and therapeutic management.

Understanding and treatment of cutaneous graft-versus-host-disease

The skin is the outermost mechanical barrier where dynamic immune reactions take place and is the most commonly affected site in both acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). If not properly treated, pain and pruritis resulting from cutaneous GVHD can increase the risk of secondary infection due to erosions, ulcerations, and damage of underlying tissues. Furthermore, resulting disfiguration can cause distress and significantly impact patients' quality of life. Thus, a deeper understanding of skin-specific findings of GVHD is needed. This review will highlight some promising results of recent pre-clinical studies on the pathophysiology of skin GVHD and summarize the diagnostic and staging/grading procedures according to the clinical manifestations of skin GVHD. In addition, we will summarize outcomes of various GVHD treatments, including skin-specific response rates.

Variability of contribution of 1,25 (OH)2D3 (vitamin D) level to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation outcome

BACKGROUND

The impact of vitamin D status on the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has recently been the focus of interest with a lot of controversy. In this study we aimed to evaluate the impact of pre-transplant vit. D level on the outcome of HSCT.

METHODS

In this study, we evaluated the impact of vitamin D level on the risk of development of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and survival after HSCT. The study included 97 patients who received allogeneic HSCT from an identical sibling. Serum vitamin D level was measured before conditioning using ELIZA. Student t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, ANOVA F-test and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used to determine significance of difference for quantitative data. Pearson correlation, Spearman correlation and Chi-square test were used to determine correlations and associations. Kaplan-Meier and Log rank (Mantel-Cox) tests were used for analysis of survival. P value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

Vitamin D level showed a range of 18.24-84.6 with a mean of 38.14 ± 9.73 and a median of 36.26 ng/ml. Two patients had vitamin D level <20 and 17 had a level <30 ng/ml. Acute GVHD occurred in 33 (34 %) and chronic GVHD in 29 (29.9 %) patients. Vitamin D level had no impact on frequency or severity of GVHD; either did it impact survival. This might be attributable to the relatively normal level in the majority of our patients on account of the sunny weather of Egypt. This might also be a potential explanation for the inconsistency of the different studies with variable levels of vitamin D.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study failed to demonstrate an impact of pre-transplant vitamin D level on the outcome of HSCT. This might be attributed to the low prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in our population on account of our almost always sunny weather. The marked variability in the level of vitamin D that is considered sufficient interferes with objective comparison between studies; a consensus on what is considered sufficient, insufficient, or deficient is essential.

Patients receiving allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation and clinical outcomes after early access to palliative care

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is a potential curative therapy for otherwise fatal haematological diseases. This treatment modality is complex, burdensome, and can involve considerable or life-threatening adverse events requiring high-quality symptom control. In contrast to patients with solid tumours, the transition to end-of-life care can be abrupt if the underlying disease relapses or other severe transplantation-related complications occur. This Viewpoint elucidates the relationships between transplantation and palliative care teams and discusses why patients who have undergone transplantation might benefit considerably from early admittance to palliative care, even when the treatment goal is clearly curative. Close and early collaboration between transplantation teams and palliative care teams is clearly endorsed.

Donor Lymphocyte Infusion and Molecular Monitoring for Relapsed Myelofibrosis After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative approach for myelofibrosis patients, but relapse is a major cause of treatment failure. We investigated the effect of donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) in 37 patients with molecular (n = 17) or hematological relapse (n = 20) after HCT. Patients received median of 2 (range, 1-5) cumulative DLI (total of 91 infusions). Median starting dose was 1 × 10⁶ cells/kg, escalated by half-log ≥6 weeks if no response nor graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) occurred. Median time to first DLI was 40 weeks for molecular relapse versus 145 weeks for hematological relapse. Overall molecular complete response (mCR) at any time was 73% (n = 27) and was significantly higher for initial molecular relapse (88%) versus hematological relapse (60%; P = 0.05). The 6-year overall survival was 77% versus 32% (P = 0.03). Acute GvHD 2-4 occurred in 22% and half of the patients achieved mCR without any GvHD. All patients who relapsed from mCR achieved after first DLI could be salvaged with subsequent DLI, showing long-term survival. No second HCT was needed for molecular relapse versus 6 for hematological relapse. This comprehensive and largest study to date suggests molecular monitoring together with DLI as standard of care and a crucial approach to achieve excellent outcomes in relapsed myelofibrosis.

Prognostic Value of Cutaneous Disease Severity Estimates on Survival Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease

Importance

Prior studies have demonstrated an association between cutaneous chronic graft-vs-host disease (cGVHD) and mortality. Assessment of the prognostic value of different measures of disease severity would assist in risk stratification.

Objective

To compare the prognostic value of body surface area (BSA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Skin Score on survival outcomes stratified by erythema and sclerosis subtypes of cGVHD.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Multicenter prospective cohort study from the Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease Consortium including 9 medical centers in the US, enrolled from 2007 through 2012 and followed until 2018. Participants were adults and children with a diagnosis of cGVHD requiring systemic immunosuppression and with skin involvement during the study period, who had longitudinal follow-up. Data analysis was performed from April 2019 to April 2022.

Exposures

Patients underwent continuous BSA estimation and categorical NIH Skin Score grading of cutaneous cGVHD at enrollment and every 3 to 6 months thereafter.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Nonrelapse mortality (NRM) and overall survival (OS), compared between BSA and NIH Skin Score longitudinal prognostic models, adjusted for age, race, conditioning intensity, patient sex, and donor sex.

Results

Of 469 patients with cGVHD, 267 (57%) (105 female [39%]; mean [SD] age, 51 [12] years) had cutaneous cGVHD at enrollment, and 89 (19%) developed skin involvement subsequently. Erythema-type disease had earlier onset and was more responsive to treatment compared with sclerosis-type disease. Most cases (77 of 112 [69%]) of sclerotic disease occurred without prior erythema. Erythema-type cGVHD at first follow-up visit was associated with NRM (hazard ratio, 1.33 per 10% BSA increase; 95% CI, 1.19-1.48; P < .001) and OS (hazard ratio, 1.28 per 10% BSA increase; 95% CI, 1.14-1.44; P < .001), while sclerosis-type cGVHD had no significant association with mortality. The model with erythema BSA collected at baseline and first follow-up visits retained 75% of the total prognostic information (from all covariates including BSA and NIH Skin Score) for NRM and 73% for OS, with no statistical difference between prognostic models (likelihood ratio test χ2, 5.9; P = .05). Conversely, NIH Skin Score collected at the same intervals lost significant prognostic information (likelihood ratio test χ2, 14.7; P < .001). The model incorporating NIH Skin Score instead of erythema BSA accounted for only 38% of the total information for NRM and 58% for OS.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this prospective cohort study, erythema-type cutaneous cGVHD was associated with increased risk of mortality. Erythema BSA collected at baseline and follow-up predicted survival more accurately than the NIH Skin Score in patients requiring immunosuppression. Accurate assessment of erythema BSA may assist in identifying patients with cutaneous cGVHD at high risk for mortality.

Comparison of Transplantation Outcomes after Foscarnet and Ganciclovir Administration as First-Line Anti-Cytomegalovirus Preemptive Therapy

Ganciclovir (GCV) and foscarnet (FCN) are effective anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) preemptive therapies; however, the impact of the 2 agents on various clinical outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains unclear. We retrospectively analyzed data on 532 patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT from unrelated donors and administered FCN (n = 86) or GCV (n = 446) as first-line anti-CMV preemptive therapy. Overall survival, relapse, and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) did not differ between the FCN and GCV groups, whereas the GCV group had a higher risk of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) (hazard ratio [HR], 2.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28 to 4.39; P = .006) and extensive cGVHD (HR, 3.94; 95% CI, 1.43 to 10.9; P = .008). All 13 patients with cGVHD in the FCN group survived. Switching to the other agent was done mainly due to hematologic adverse events in the GCV group and mainly due to insufficient efficacy in the FCN group. The incidence of end-organ CMV disease was similar in the 2 groups. Selection of FCN or GCV as first-line preemptive anti-CMV therapy did not affect survival, relapse, or NRM. Physicians can select either of the agents, depending on the clinical situation; however, the selection may influence the cGVHD-related clinical course in HSCT recipients.

Prediction, management, and prognosis of mixed chimerism after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in transfusion-dependent pediatric thalassemia patients

BACKGROUND

Early-onset mixed chimerism (MC) with a high proportion of residual host cells is considered a signal of graft rejection in patients undergoing allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for transfusion-dependent thalassemia. In order to prevent graft rejection and minimize the risk of treatment-related graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), we established a hierarchical management system based on chimerism analysis.

METHOD

This retrospective study provides a comprehensive review of the characteristics, interventions, and outcomes of the 38 patients who developed MC after transplantation among the 144 pediatric thalassemia patients between July 2007 and January 2019 at our center.

RESULTS

A sibling donor, a blood type-matched donor, conditioning regimens without fludarabine, and transplants containing <10 × 10⁸ total nucleated cells/kg were identified to be associated with the development of MC. Among the 38 patients developing MC, only four patients rejected the grafts. The response rate to donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI, only for patients receiving sibling donor transplantation) and cytokine immunomodulation without DLI was 70.6% and 42.9%, respectively. Patients that developed GVHD after DLI or cytokine therapy had a more significant increase in donor cell chimerism (16%, range 0%-35%) than those without (8.5%, range -21% to 40%, P = .049). However, even when treatment-related GVHD was included, patients with MC had a lower cumulative incidence of total acute GVHD than patients with complete donor chimerism (29.2% vs 48.0%, P = .030).

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions based on chimerism analysis were effective in preventing graft rejection and did not increase treatment-related GVHD in thalassemia patients with MC.

Possible clinical outcomes using early enteral nutrition in individuals with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A single-center retrospective study

OBJECTIVES

Intensive nutritional support during allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) yields improved clinical outcomes. However, the clinical implications of early enteral nutrition (EN) in allo-HSCT remain unclear. This retrospective study was conducted to determine the significance of early EN in individuals who underwent allo-HSCT, and the association between early nutritional intervention and clinical outcomes, including the status of the intestinal microbiome.

METHODS

Thirty-one participants received EN before conditioning. The intestinal microbiota was examined by meta 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples.

RESULTS

The median body mass variation was only -0.35 kg on day 60. The probability of 2-y overall survival was 61.1%. The cumulative incidence of treatment-related mortality was 17.4%, and those of acute graft-versus-host disease were 32.3% (grades II-IV) and 3.2% (grades III-IV). Chronic graft-versus-host disease was observed in four participants. Dysbiosis of the intestines and acute graft-versus-host disease occurred simultaneously, and Enterococcus species were abundant.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that early nutritional support can improve the outcomes for individuals who have undergone allo-HSCT and can maintain homeostasis of their intestinal microbiome. Future prospective clinical trials are required to elucidate the role of EN in allo-HSCT and the association between the intestinal microbiome and EN.

A high CD34+ cell dose is associated with better disease-free survival in patients with low-risk diseases undergoing peripheral blood stem cell transplantation from HLA-matched related donors

To elucidate the impact of infused CD34⁺ cell doses on transplant outcome, we retrospectively analyzed 851 adult patients who received peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched related donors. The patients were divided into high- and low-CD34 groups at the cutoff value of 4.5 × 10⁶/kg. Overall, the high CD34 group showed early neutrophil and platelet recovery. Stratification of disease risks demonstrated that among the patients with low-risk diseases, the high-CD34 group showed better disease-free survival (DFS) (64.9% vs. 55.5%, P = 0.0415) than did the low-CD34 group, without any increase in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Meanwhile, a higher CD34⁺ cell dose had no impacts on the outcomes of patients with high-risk diseases. Multivariate analyses for the patients with low-risk diseases revealed that a high CD34⁺ cell dose (hazard ratio [HR] 0.72, P = 0.048) and development of grade III-to-IV acute GVHD (HR 1.64, P = 0.018) were significantly associated with DFS. An excessive dose of CD34⁺ cells (>8.0 × 10⁶/kg) led to an increase in acute GVHD. By stratification of disease risk, a CD34⁺ cell dose between 4.5 and 8.0 × 10⁶/kg can be suggested for patients with low-risk diseases who undergo PBSCT from HLA-matched related donors.

Reproducibility of GMP-compliant production of therapeutic stressed peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived secretomes, a novel class of biological medicinal products

BACKGROUND

The recent concept of secretome-based tissue regeneration has profoundly altered the field of regenerative medicine and offers promising novel therapeutic options. In contrast to medicinal products with a single active substance, cell-derived secretomes comprise pleiotropic bioactive ingredients, representing a major obstacle for reproducible drug product efficacy and warranting patient safety. Good manufacturing practice (GMP)-compliant production guarantees high batch-to-batch consistency and reproducible efficacy of biological medicinal products, but different batches of cellular secretomes produced under GMP have not been compared yet, and suitable quality control parameters have not been established. To this end, we analyzed diverse biological and functional parameters of different batches produced under GMP of the secretome obtained from γ-irradiated peripheral blood mononuclear cells with proven tissue regenerative properties in infarcted myocardium, stroke, spinal cord injury, and skin wounds.

METHODS

We quantified key secretome ingredients, including cytokines, lipids, and extracellular vesicles, and functionally assessed potency in tube formation assay, ex vivo aortic ring sprouting assay, and cell-based protein and reporter gene assays. Furthermore, we determined secretome stability in different batches after 6 months of storage at various ambient temperatures.

RESULTS

We observed that inter-batch differences in the bioactive components and secretome properties were small despite considerable differences in protein concentrations and potencies between individual donor secretomes. Stability tests showed that the analytical and functional properties of the secretomes remained stable when lyophilisates were stored at temperatures up to + 5 °C for 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

We are the first to demonstrate the consistent production of cell-derived, yet cell-free secretome as a biological medicinal product. The results from this study provide the basis for selecting appropriate quality control parameters for GMP-compliant production of therapeutic cell secretomes and pave the way for future clinical trials employing secretomes in tissue regenerative medicine.

Risk factors associated with the development of moderate to severe chronic graft-versus-host disease after non-myeloablative conditioning allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with AML or MDS

Moderate to severe chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is associated with high morbidity, hospital dependency and poor quality of life. In this study, we analyzed a well-defined consecutive series of 98 patients with acute myelogenous leukemia/myelodysplastic syndrome (AML/MDS) who received allogeneic stem cell transplantation with non-myeloablative (NMA) conditioning to determine risk factors associated with the severity of cGVHD. cGVHD was defined according to the 2005 National Institute of Health consensus criteria. Transfusions before transplantation, presence of HLA antibodies, composition of the graft (CD3+, CD19+, CD34+ cells), sibling or matched unrelated donor, female donor to male recipient, CMV serology and the development of acute GVHD (aGVHD), were considered potential risk factors. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified the number of CD19+ 10⁶/kg (HR 2.79; 95% CI 1.35–5.74), CD3+ 10⁶/kg (HR 2.18; 95% CI 1.04–4.59) infused cells and the presence of patient HLA antibodies before transplantation (HR 2.34; CI 1.11–4.95) as significant risk factors for the development of moderate to severe cGVHD. In summary, we identified in a small, but well-defined cohort, 3 risk factors associated with the severity of cGVHD that should be validated in a larger multi-center study.

Day +100 Platelet Count Predicts Survival After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation in Children With Hematologic Malignancies

INTRODUCTION

Recovery of platelet count by day 100 after hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is affected by many factors and has been reported to be a predictor of overall survival (OS) in a variety of diseases and donor types. We investigated the correlation between day +100 platelet count and OS after allogeneic HSCT in a relatively homogeneous cohort of pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of 152 consecutive patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT at the Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt between 2009 and 2015 with a minimum follow-up duration of 1 year after transplantation. All eligible patients received myeloablative conditioning, and all had matched related donors. Patients who survived without relapse until day 100 after HSCT were divided into 2 groups: early platelet recovery (EPR; platelet count ≥ 100 × 10⁹/L at day +100 after transplantation) and delayed platelet recovery (DPR; platelet count < 100 × 10⁹/L at day +100 after transplantation).

RESULTS

At day +100, 113 patients (74%) had EPR and 39 patients (26%) had DPR. With a median follow-up of 41 months (range, 12-93 months), 41 patients (27.2%) died, 35 of relapsed disease. The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) and OS were 68 ± 7.84% and 71.9 ± 7.84%, respectively. The 3-year OS was 77.9% in the EPR group and 57.1% in the DPR group (P = .006). Three-year DFS of the EPR and DPR groups were 73.2 ± 9% and 54.8 ± 16.3%, respectively (P = .02). Incidence of disease relapse for EPR and DPR patients was 22.6% and 39.5%, respectively (P = .04). Multivariate analysis for survival identified DPR as a predictor of decreased survival (P = .002).

CONCLUSION

Patients with a robust platelet count at day 100 are likely to do well. However, patients who do not experience a platelet count of ≥ 100 × 10⁹/L have inferior long-term OS and DFS and may require further evaluation at the day 100 time point.

Impact of conditioning regimen on peripheral blood hematopoietic cell transplant

AIM

To investigate infused hematopoietic cell doses and their interaction with conditioning regimen intensity +/- total body irradiation (TBI) on outcomes after peripheral blood hematopoietic cell transplant (PBHCT).

METHODS

Our retrospective cohort included 247 patients receiving a first, T-replete, human leukocyte antigen-matched allogeneic PBHCT and treated between 2001 and 2012. Correlations were calculated using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. Overall survival and progression free survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test.

RESULTS

Neutrophil engraftment was significantly faster after reduced intensity TBI based conditioning [reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) + TBI] and > 4 × 10⁶ CD34+ cells/kg infused. A higher total nucleated cell dose led to a higher incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease in the myeloablative + TBI regimen group (P = 0.03), but no significant difference in grade III-IV graft-versus-host disease. A higher total nucleated cell dose was also associated with increased incidence of moderate/severe chronic graft-versus-host disease, regardless of conditioning regimen. Overall and progression-free survival were significantly better in patients with a RIC + TBI regimen and total nucleated cell dose > 8 × 10⁸/kg (3 years, overall survival: 70% vs 38%, P = 0.02, 3 years, progression free survival: 64% vs 38%, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

TBI and conditioning intensity may alter the relationship between infused cell doses and outcomes after PBHCT. Immune cell subsets may predict improved survival after unmanipulated PBHCT.

Impact of Consolidation Cycles Before Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Acute Myeloid Leukemia in First Complete Remission

BACKGROUND

The optimal number of high-dose cytarabine (HDAC) consolidation cycles before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for acute myeloid leukemia is not fully standardized.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study evaluated the impact of HDAC consolidation cycles before allogeneic HCT in 194 patients with acute myeloid leukemia in first complete remission between 1998 and 2014. The patients were reclassified into 3 groups-no consolidation (C0, n = 20), 1 consolidation (C1, n = 115), and ≥ 2 consolidations (C2, n = 59)-by pre-HCT consolidation cycle.

RESULTS

The 3-year relapse-free survival rates was 45.9%, 66.9%, and 73.3% for the C0, C1, and C2 groups, respectively (P = .064), while the 3-year overall survival rates were 35.0%, 55.2%, and 67.5%, respectively (P = .106). The cumulative incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was higher in the C2 group (38.7%) than in the C0 (22.2%) or C1 (17.7%) group (P = .018). However, the incidence of chronic GVHD showed no difference between the groups. Multivariate analysis for overall survival revealed the following independent factors: adverse cytogenetic risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.84, P = .046), C2 versus C0 (HR = 0.41, P = .037), pre-HCT status beyond CR1 versus CR1 (HR = 5.78, P < .001), and presence of chronic GVHD (HR = 0.45, P = .004).

CONCLUSION

One or two cycles of HDAC consolidation therapy led to better subsequent HCT outcomes compared to the no-consolidation therapy group.

Modified conditioning regimen improves outcomes of unrelated donor peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for β-thalassaemia major patients

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a modified conditioning regimen for the treatment of patients with β-thalassaemia major (TM), using unrelated donor peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (UD-PBSCT).

METHODS

A modified conditioning regimen based on intravenous busulfan, cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, and antithymocyte globulin was performed in 50 consecutive childhood patients with β-TM and a median age of 4.6 years (range, 2-12 years). According to Pesaro's classification, three classes of risk are identified using the criteria of degree of hepatomegaly, portal fibrosis, and quality of the chelation treatment. Patients with three adverse criteria constituted class III, none of the adverse criteria constituted class I, and one or two of the adverse criteria formed class II. Ten patients were class I, 36 class II, and four class III. All patients were transplanted with UDs containing 37 of 10/10 human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched pairs, 11 of 9/10 matched pairs, and two of 8/10 matched pairs. The median follow-up was 36 months (range, 9-96 months).

RESULTS

All patients successfully achieved engraftment, two of whom developed persistent thrombocytopaenia. The incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) grade III-IV and chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) were 12% and 8%, respectively. However, 8.3% of HLA-matched and 15.4% of HLA-mismatched patients developed aGVHD. The incidence of severe bacterial infections and fungal pneumonia was 12% and 20%, respectively. The 3-year overall survival, disease-free survival, graft rejection, and transplant-related mortality were 94%, 92%, 2%, and 6%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This modified conditioning protocol effectively improved outcomes of UD-PBSCT for patients with β-TM.

An endogenous explanation of growth: direct-to-consumer stem cell therapies in PR China, India and the USA

The recent expansion of direct-to-consumer stem cell therapies (DSCTs) across nations where medical malpractice laws are the strongest globally challenges the causal assumption that low regulatory standards in developing countries bolster DSCTs. Drawing on firm-level data of existing biopharmaceuticals, approved stem cell therapies (SCTs) and DSCT clinics across the USA, PR China and India, this paper provides an innovation studies perspective of the ways in which the paradigmatic shift in fundamental knowledge production - from in vitro to in vivo stem cells - is transforming SCT discovery and delivery. It argues that the endogenous and inherent disruptive attributes of SCTs, rather than exogenous conditions like regulations, provide a substantive explanation for the recent expansion of DSCTs and urges regulatory adaptation to endogenous imperatives for effective governance of SCTs.

Combining Flow and Mass Cytometry in the Search for Biomarkers in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a debilitating complication arising in around half of all patients treated with an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Even though treatment of severe cGVHD has improved during recent years, it remains one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in affected patients. Biomarkers in blood that could aid in the diagnosis and classification of cGVHD severity are needed for the development of novel treatment strategies that can alleviate symptoms and reduce the need for painful and sometimes complicated tissue biopsies. Methods that comprehensively profile complex biological systems such as the immune system can reveal unanticipated markers when used with the appropriate methods of data analysis. Here, we used mass cytometry, flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and multiplex assays to systematically profile immune cell populations in 68 patients with varying grades of cGVHD. We identified multiple subpopulations across T, B, and NK-cell lineages that distinguished patients with cGVHD from those without cGVHD and which were associated in varying ways with severity of cGVHD. Specifically, initial flow cytometry demonstrated that patients with more severe cGVHD had lower mucosal-associated T cell frequencies, with a concomitant higher level of CD38 expression on T cells. Mass cytometry could identify unique subpopulations specific for cGVHD severity albeit with some seemingly conflicting results. For instance, patients with severe cGVHD had an increased frequency of activated B cells compared to patients with moderate cGVHD while activated B cells were found at a reduced frequency in patients with mild cGVHD compared to patients without cGVHD. Moreover, results indicate it may be possible to validate mass cytometry results with clinically viable, smaller flow cytometry panels. Finally, no differences in levels of blood soluble markers could be identified, with the exception for the semi-soluble combined marker B-cell activating factor/B cell ratio, which was increased in patients with mild cGVHD compared to patients without cGVHD. These findings suggest that interdependencies between such perturbed subpopulations of cells play a role in cGVHD pathogenesis and can serve as future diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Ocular surface analysis in hematological patients before and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: implication for daily clinical practice

PurposeTo evaluate ocular surface parameters before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and to correlate them with clinical and transplant variables.MethodsThis is a retrospective analysis of data from 93 patients affected by hematological malignancies undergoing HSCT. Values from Ocular Surface Disease Index, Schirmer test, Break-up Time, ocular surface staining, and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction score obtained before HSCT and 3-6 months after were retrieved from charts. Diagnosis and staging of dry eye (DE) disease was performed according to Dry Eye WorkShop criteria. Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) was classified according to the NIH criteria. Odds ratios for DE onset after HSCT were estimated for demographic, ocular, hematological and transplant variables.ResultsDE was diagnosed before HSCT in 50 (53%) of the patients, mostly of hyperevaporative profile. After HSCT, all ocular parameters significantly worsened with no change in DE profile. A 51% incident cases (22 of the 43 non-DE subjects) were reported. Increasing recipient age and female sex, higher CD34+ cells infused, donor-recipient sex mismatch (males receiving from females), related donors, and peripheral blood cells as stem cell source were associated with a significant higher incidence of DE after HSCT. Systemic chronic GVHD was diagnosed in 42% while ocular GVHD in 35.5% of the patients, which decreased to 12% when taking into account only incident cases.ConclusionsHigh DE prevalence was shown already before HSCT. A pre-HSCT ocular surface assessment is recommended for early DE diagnosis and treatment. This new protocol also influences the prevalence of ocular GVHD.

Risk Factors and Outcome of Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation-Results from a Single-Center Observational Study

Chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) is the most frequent long-term complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) and results in impaired quality of life and increased long-term morbidity and mortality. We analyzed 243 patients with cGVHD, documented according to the 2005 revised National Institutes of Health consensus criteria, to identify risk factors for the occurrence of cGVHD and outcomes for the patients with cGVHD. Patients without evidence of cGVHD (n = 147) were used as controls. Performing univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, we identified prior acute GVHD grades III or IV (hazard ratio [HR], 2.01; P = .005), use of peripheral blood stem cell graft (HR, 2.10; P = .03), and HLA-mismatched allo-SCT from unrelated donor (HR, 1.57; P = .02) as independent risk factors for cGVHD. Performing Kaplan-Meier analyses, progressive compared with de novo and quiescent onset of cGVHD and a platelet count of less than 100/nL compared with more than 100/nL at the time of cGVHD onset were associated with a significantly increased cumulative incidence of transplantation-related mortality (TRM) and significantly decreased overall survival. Furthermore, we found a significantly higher incidence of TRM in patients with severe cGVHD compared with patients without cGVHD (58% versus 11%, P < .0001). However, in subgroup analysis, patients with severe cGVHD and involvement of the lung, liver, or gastrointestinal (GI) tract had a 6.5-fold significantly higher incidence of TRM (72%), whereas patients with severe cGVHD lacking lung, liver, or GI involvement had only a 2.8-fold significantly higher incidence of TRM (31%) compared with patients without cGVHD (11%; P < .0001 and P = .03). Patients without lung, liver, or GI involvement did not have a significantly different TRM compared with patients with moderate cGVHD (31% versus 25%, P = .52). In conclusion, we confirm prior known risk factors for the occurrence of cGVHD and subsequent mortality and we provide evidence that the presence of lung, liver, or GI involvement in patients with severe cGVHD defines a subgroup with high mortality after allo-SCT; however, in the absence of these risk factors, the outcome appears not to be impaired compared with moderate cGVHD.

Cytomegalovirus pre-emptive therapy after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the era of real-time quantitative PCR: comparison with recipients of solid organ transplants

BACKGROUND

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) continues to be an important complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and solid organ transplantation.

METHODS

In this study, 314 patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation between January 2003 and October 2011 were tested serially for CMV DNA by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for 90 days post transplantation. Patients with CMV viremia >3000 genomes/mL (equivalent to 2520 IU/mL) received pre-emptive therapy and were compared with previously published data from solid organ transplant (SOT) patients monitored and treated in exactly the same way.

RESULTS

After stem cell transplant (SCT), 48% of patients developed at least 1 episode of viremia. The median duration of a viremic episode was 25 days and the peak viral load (VL) was 4784 genomes/mL whole blood (equivalent to 4019 IU/mL). The data demonstrated that recipients with positive CMV serostatus were at increased risk of developing viremia, with 0% of donor-negative/recipient-negative (D-R-), 3.7% of D+R-, 79.5% of D-R+, and 74.2% of D+R+ groups developing viremia over follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio for D+R- vs. D+R+ group 0.03; 95% confidence interval 0.004, 0.18; P = 0.0013). In contrast with SOT patients, where 58/74 (78%) D+R- patients had viremia, a low risk of CMV infection was seen after stem cell transplantation (1/27; 3.7%).

CONCLUSION

As both groups of patients, the previously published SOT patients and the present hematopoietic SCT patients, were monitored using the same protocol and qPCR assay with pre-emptive therapy administered at the same VL cutoffs, the distinct differences seen cannot be explained by differences in testing or management and thus emphasize distinct aspects of the natural history of CMV infection post transplant in these 2 patient groups.

Late Mortality and Causes of Death among Long-Term Survivors after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

We sought to assess the late mortality risks and causes of death among long-term survivors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). The cases of 11,047 relapse-free survivors of a first HCT at least 2 years after HCT were analyzed. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated and specific causes of death were compared with those of the Japanese population. Among relapse-free survivors at 2 years, overall survival percentages at 10 and 15 years were 87% and 83%, respectively. The overall risk of mortality was significantly higher compared with that of the general population. The risk of mortality was significantly higher from infection (SMR = 57.0), new hematologic malignancies (SMR = 2.2), other new malignancies (SMR = 3.0), respiratory causes (SMR = 109.3), gastrointestinal causes (SMR = 3.8), liver dysfunction (SMR = 6.1), genitourinary dysfunction (SMR = 17.6), and external or accidental causes (SMR = 2.3). The overall annual mortality rate showed a steep decrease from 2 to 5 years after HCT; however, the decrease rate slowed after 10 years but was still higher than that of the general population at 20 years after HCT. SMRs in the earlier period of 2 to 4 years after HCT and 5 years or longer after HCT were 16.1 and 7.4, respectively. Long-term survivors after allogeneic HCT are at higher risk of mortality from various causes other than the underlying disease that led to HCT. Screening and preventive measures should be given a central role in reducing the morbidity and mortality of HCT recipients on long-term follow-up.

BK virus-hemorrhagic cystitis following allogeneic stem cell transplantation: Clinical characteristics and utility of leflunomide treatment

BK virus-hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC) is a potential cause of morbidity and mortality in patients having undergone allogeneic stem cell transplantation (Allo-SCT). We analyzed the clinical features of BKV-HC following Allo-SCT and reported the utility of leflunomide therapy for BKV-HC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From January 2005 to June 2014, among the 69 patients underwent Allo-SCT in our institution, the patients who experienced BKV-HC were investigated retrospectively.

RESULTS

Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) was observed in 30 patients (43.5%), and among them, 18 patients (26.1%) were identified as BKV-HC. The median age of the patients (12 males and 6 females) was 45 years (range, 13-63). Patients received Allo-SCT from acute myeloid leukemia (n=11), aplastic anemia (n=4), myelodysplastic syndrome (n=2), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n=1).The donor types were a HLA-matched sibling donor for 6 patients, HLA-matched unrelated donor for 9, and a haploidentical familial donor for 2. The median onset and duration of BKV-HC was on day 21 (range, 7-97) after transplantation and 22 days (range, 6-107). Eleven patients (62.1%) had grade I-II HC and seven patients (38.9%) had grade III-IV (high-grade) HC. Among the seven patients who had high-grade HC, one had complete response (CR), one partial response (PR), and five no response (NR). Among the five non-responders, one died of BKV-HC associated complications. The remaining four patients were treated with leflunomide, with achieving CR (n=2) and PR (n=2). The median duration from the start of leflunomide therapy to response was 13 days (range, 8-17 days). All patients tolerated the leflunomide treatment well, with three patients having mild gastrointestinal symptoms, including anorexia and abdominal bloating.

CONCLUSION

BKV-HC was commonly observed in patients with HC following Allo-SCT. In high-grade BKV-HC patients who fail supportive care, leflunomide may be a feasible option without significant toxicity.

Onset of ocular graft-versus-host disease symptoms after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

OBJECTIVE

To study the factors affecting the time to onset of ocular graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of 200 patients with ocular GVHD was performed to evaluate the association between various donor-recipient characteristics and the time to onset of ocular GVHD after allo-HSCT.

RESULTS

The median time to onset of chronic ocular GVHD after allo-HSCT was 293 days (range, 26-2308 days). Patients receiving fully human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched transplants had a delayed onset of ocular GVHD (median, 294 days) compared with mismatched transplants (219 days; P = 0.029). HLA-matched transplants from related donors had delayed onset of ocular GVHD (307 days) compared with HLA-matched (286 days; P = 0.168) and HLA-mismatched (231 days; P = 0.015) transplants from unrelated donors. Ocular GVHD followed systemic GVHD in 76% of patients but preceded systemic disease in 7%, occurred concurrently in 15%, and was not associated with systemic GVHD in 2% of patients. The time elapsed between the occurrence of systemic and ocular GVHD was significantly longer in matched-related transplants (250 days) than in matched-unrelated transplants (120 days; P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

The onset of ocular GVHD after allo-HSCT is variable and is influenced by donor-recipient matching characteristics. In the majority of patients with GVHD, ocular involvement follows the occurrence of systemic manifestations; however, importantly, it can also precede or develop independently of systemic disease in a minority of patients. Regular ophthalmic follow-up is recommended after allo-HSCT regardless of concurrent systemic GVHD status.

Tear Cytokines as Biomarkers for Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease

We investigated the tear cytokine profiles in patients who underwent stem cell transplantation (SCT) and attempted to evaluate whether tear cytokines are associated with the presence of systemic chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), regardless of ocular GVHD status. We also tested tear cytokines as biomarkers for chronic ocular GVHD severity. Forty-four patients who underwent SCT were enrolled and their diagnosis of chronic GVHD was confirmed. Ocular surface parameters and tear cytokine profiles were evaluated and the correlations between concentrations of cytokines and ocular surface parameters or several chronic ocular GVHD severity scales were evaluated. Tear interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10, IL-17α, interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were elevated in patients with chronic systemic GVHD compared with patients without chronic systemic GVHD. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that area under the curve (AUC) values for tear IL-10 (AUC = .795), IL-17α (AUC = .821), IL-6 (AUC = .912), and TNF-α (AUC = .910) were significantly correlated with the presence of chronic GVHD (all P < .001). Tear IL-10, IL-6, and TNF-α showed a stronger correlation with ocular surface parameters than other cytokines and these cytokines also correlated with several chronic ocular GVHD severity scales (all P < .05). Our data suggest the tear cytokines are useful biomarkers for the diagnosis of chronic GVHD after SCT and chronic ocular GVHD severity.

Sequential therapy combining clofarabine and T-cell-replete HLA-haploidentical haematopoietic SCT is feasible and shows efficacy in the treatment of refractory or relapsed aggressive lymphoma

Prognosis is poor for patients with biologically aggressive Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), refractory to chemotherapy or relapsed after autologous transplantation, especially when no disease control before allogeneic transplantation is achieved. In 16 patients (median age 53, median prior regimes 5) with relapsed or refractory non-remission NHL, we analysed retrospectively the efficacy of a sequential therapy comprising clofarabine re-induction followed by a reduced-intensity conditioning with fludarabine, CY and melphalan, and T-cell-replete HLA-haploidentical transplantation. High-dose CY was utilized post-transplantation. All patients engrafted. Early response (day +30) was achieved in 94%. Treatment-related grade III-IV toxicity occurred in 56%, most commonly transient elevation of transaminases (36%), while there was a low incidence of infections (19% CMV reactivation, 19% invasive fungal infection) and GVHD (GVHD: acute III-IV: 6%; mild chronic: 25%). One-year non-relapse mortality was 19%. After a median follow-up of 21 months, estimated 1- and 2-year PFS was 56 and 50%, respectively, with 11 patients (69%) still alive after 2 years. In summary, sequential therapy is feasible and effective and provides an acceptable toxicity profile in high-risk non-remission NHL. Presumably, cytotoxic reinduction with clofarabine provides enough remission time for the graft-versus lymphoma effect of HLA-haploidentical transplantation to kick in, even in lymphomas that are otherwise chemo-refractory.

Risk Factors, Pattern and Clinical Outcome of Acute Graft Versus Host Disease in Acute Leukemia Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant

We sought to determine risk factors, pattern and outcome of acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) in seventy-seven acute leukemia patients who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplant at our centre from January 2008 to March 2013. GVHD prophylaxis with cyclosporine-methotrexate or cyclosporine-mycophenolate mofetil was used. Patients were divided in 2 groups, grade II-IV aGVHD (group A) and grade 0-I aGVHD (group B). Incidence of any grade and grade II-IV aGVHD was 44 and 18 %, respectively. The most common site of aGVHD was gastro-intestinal tract (65 %) followed by skin (35 %). Higher total nucleated cell (TNC) dose infused was associated with increased incidence of grade II-IV aGVHD. Incidence of relapse and incidence of slippage of chimerism was 21 and 36 % in group A while 37 and 27 % in group B respectively. Transplant related mortality (TRM) was 21 % in group A and 13 % in group B. Probability of OS and RFS at 4 years was 63 and 34 % in group A compared with 40 and 38 % in group B, respectively. We conclude that higher TNC dose infused is a risk factor for grade II-IV aGVHD with gut being the commonest site. Grade II-IV aGVHD did not have a significant impact on incidence of relapse, TRM and OS.

Achievement of early complete donor chimerism in CD25+-activated leukocytes is a strong predictor of the development of graft-versus-host-disease after stem cell transplantation

Chimerism dynamics in bone marrow, peripheral blood (PB), and T lymphocytes (TL) has been associated with the development of various complications after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (allo-SCT). In the present study, the usefulness of chimerism monitoring in CD25(+)-activated leukocytes (AL), together with that in bone marrow, PB, and TL, for the anticipation of complications after allo-SCT, has been analyzed in 68 patients. In AL, we observed a slower dynamics toward complete chimerism (CC) than in PB (p = 0.042), while no significant differences were found between TL and PB (p = 0.12). Complete chimerism achievement in AL at day +30 has shown to be an independent risk factor for the development of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD; hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 11.9 [1.5-91.7]; p = 0.017). Moreover, among patients achieving CC in TL and AL at different time-points after SCT (n = 17/68), the incidence of grade II-IV aGvHD was significantly higher in patients who achieved CC earlier in AL (5/5) than in those who achieved CC earlier in TL (1/11; p = 0.001). Therefore, achievement of early complete donor chimerism in CD25(+) AL is a strong predictor for the development of aGvHD. Prospective analysis of chimerism in AL could improve the post-SCT management of immunosuppressive therapy in transplanted patients.

Solid organ transplantation following end-organ failure in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an accepted treatment modality for various malignant and non-malignant disorders of the lympho-hematopoietic system. Patient survival rate has increased significantly with the use of this procedure. However, with the increase in disease-free patient survival rates, complications including various organ toxicities are also common. Kidney, liver, lung, heart, and skin are among those solid organs that are commonly affected and frequently lead to organ dysfunction and eventually end-organ disease. Conservative measures may or may not be successful in managing the organ failure in these patients. Solid organ transplantation has been shown to be promising in those patients who fail conservative management. This review will summarize the causes of solid organ (kidney, liver, and lung) dysfunction and the available data on transplantation of these solid organs in post-HSCT recipients.

Eosinophils in the blood of hematopoietic stem cell transplanted patients are activated and have different molecular marker profiles in acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease

While increased numbers of eosinophils may be detected in patients with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, it is not known if eosinophils play a role in GVHD. The aims of this study were to determine: whether eosinophils are activated during GVHD; whether the patterns of activation are similar in acute and chronic GVHD; and the ways in which systemic corticosteroids affect eosinophils. Transplanted patients (n = 35) were investigated for eosinophil numbers and the expression levels of 16 eosinophilic cell surface markers using flow cytometry; all the eosinophil data were analyzed by the multivariate method OPLS-DA. Different patterns of molecule expression were observed on the eosinophils from patients with acute, chronic, and no GVHD, respectively. The molecules that provided the best discrimination between acute and chronic GVHD were: the activation marker CD9; adhesion molecules CD11c and CD18; chemokine receptor CCR3; and prostaglandin receptor CRTH2. Patients with acute or chronic GVHD who received systemic corticosteroid treatment showed down-regulation of the cell surface markers on their eosinophils, whereas corticosteroid treatment had no effect on the eosinophil phenotype in the patients without GVHD. In summary, eosinophils are activated in GVHD, display different activation profiles in acute and chronic GVHD, and are highly responsive to systemic corticosteroids.

Female donors and donors who are lighter than their recipient are less likely to meet the CD34+ cell dose requested for peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

BACKGROUND

It is of clinical relevance to recognize donors who are unlikely to meet the requested stem cell dose for transplantation, as this group may benefit from an alternative mobilization regimen. This study was performed to evaluate the frequency of unrelated donor peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collections that meet the target yield and the impact of donor factors on this.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

All sequential PBSC collections facilitated by the national registry (n = 323) from January through December 2011 were analyzed. Donor factors analyzed included age, sex, weight, and presence of a central line.

RESULTS

In univariate analyses, we found that reaching the target yield was significantly associated with a higher donor weight (85.6 kg vs. 75.3 kg, p < 0.001), male donor sex (55% vs. 19%, p < 0.001), a positive difference in weight between donor and recipient (4.3 kg vs. -8 kg, p < 0.001), and a higher volume of blood processed (13.8 L vs. 11.9 L, p < 0.001). After stepwise binary logistic regression, sex (p < 0.001) and difference between donor and recipient weight (p < 0.005) remained significantly associated with target yield being met after 1 day of collection.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows than women and donors who are lighter than their recipient have a decreased likelihood of meeting the transplant physician's requested dose. New strategies to improve mobilization in such donors are needed. These findings may also impact future donor recruitment strategies.

Bilateral corneal ulceration in ocular graft-versus-host disease

Purpose

To report on corneal ulceration in ocular graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

Methods

This was a retrospective, observational case series investigating corneal ulceration and perforation in a cohort of ocular GVHD patients seen between June 2007 and October 2012.

Results

Four of 243 ocular GVHD patients developed corneal ulcerations attributable to ocular GVHD, and all four cases involved bilateral corneal ulceration. The median length of time from the diagnosis of ocular GVHD to the diagnosis of the first corneal ulceration was 317 days (range 168–434). The median length of time between the diagnosis of corneal ulceration in each patient’s first and second eye was 248 days (range 9–645). Outcomes varied from complete resolution with medical treatment to corneal perforation necessitating penetrating keratoplasty. In cases of corneal perforation, the median length of time from the diagnosis of corneal ulceration to perforation was 10 days (range 0–20). Common clinical features included: centrally or paracentrally located ulcerations and perforations, concomitant dry eye, and the use of topical or systemic corticosteroids.

Conclusion

Frequent follow-up and bilateral monitoring are highly recommended in cases of ocular GVHD-associated stromal thinning, as bilateral involvement or rapid progression to corneal perforation can occur.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in adult patients with myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms

BACKGROUND

In adults, the 2 main types of myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) are chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML). Both are associated with a poor prognosis. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only known curative treatment modality for these diseases, but data on outcomes following such treatment are limited. We analyzed the outcomes of patients with MDS/MPN after allogeneic HCT.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 10 patients with MDS/MPN who received allogeneic HCT at Asan Medical Center from 2002 to 2010. Of these 10 patients, 7 had CMML, 2 had aCML, and 1 had unclassifiable MDS/MPN. Five patients received a myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimen (busulfan-cyclophosphamide), and 5 received reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimen.

RESULTS

Neutrophil engraftment was achieved in all patients. After a median follow-up of 47.5 months among surviving patients, 4 had relapsed and 5 had died. There was only 1 treatment-related death. The 5-year rates of overall, relapse-free, and event-free survival were 42.2%, 51.9%, and 46.7%, respectively. Relapse was the leading cause of treatment failure, and all relapses were observed in patients who had received RIC and who did not develop chronic graft-versus-host disease.

CONCLUSION

Allogeneic HCT can induce durable remission in patients with MDS/MPN, but RIC cannot replace MAC in patients eligible for myeloablative treatments.

Regression of eosinophil counts after diagnosis of chronic graft-versus-host disease as a potential marker for improved clinical outcome

Eosinophilia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has been associated with the development of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). However, a limited number of studies have investigated the course of eosinophil counts in relation to the onset of cGVHD. In this study, the course of relative eosinophil counts (RECs) was retrospectively analyzed in 64 patients who developed cGVHD following allogeneic HSCT in relation to overall survival (OS), relapse rate and clinical course of cGVHD. At onset of cGVHD, eosinophilia was observed in 45% of the patients and developed one week prior to cGVHD diagnosis. Furthermore, a trend towards improved OS in patients with eosinophilia was observed. Beneficial effects were most evident in patients who exhibited decreasing eosinophil counts one week after diagnosis of cGVHD. By contrast, an increase in or stable eosinophil counts one week after diagnosis were associated with significantly impaired OS and a significantly higher rate of later aggravation of cGVHD. Findings of this study suggested that the course of eosinophil counts may provide a useful parameter in the assessment of cGVHD development and activity allowing the potential identification of patient subpopulations with a good outcome and reduced cGVHD-related mortality.

Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies: beyond B-cells

Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), employed in treating CD20⁺ lymphomas and autoimmune diseases, appear to have broader functions than just eradicating malignant B-cells and decreasing autoantibody production. Rituximab-induced T-cell inactivation, reported both in-vitro and in-vivo, may contribute to the increased risk of T-cell-dependent infections, observed in patients receiving this therapy. T-cell polarization into a suppressive phenotype, often observed in patients receiving rituximab for autoimmune disorders, was reported to be associated with prolonged remissions. Elimination of B-cells serving as antigen-presenting cells, thereby causing impaired T-cell activation, could play a significant role in induction of these changes. Direct binding of rituximab to a CD20dim T-cell population, inducing its depletion, may contribute to the decreased T-cell activation following rituximab therapy. Further investigation of the complex network through which rituximab and new anti-CD20 MoAbs act, would advance the employment of these agents in different clinical settings.

National Institutes of Health chronic graft-versus-host disease staging in severely affected patients: organ and global scoring correlate with established indicators of disease severity and prognosis

Between 2004 and 2010, 189 adult patients were enrolled on the National Cancer Institute's cross-sectional chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) natural history study. Patients were evaluated by multiple disease scales and outcome measures, including the 2005 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Project cGVHD severity scores. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the NIH scoring variables as determinants of disease severity in severely affected patients in efforts to standardize clinician evaluation and staging of cGVHD. Out of 189 patients enrolled, 125 met the criteria for severe cGVHD on the NIH global score, 62 of whom had moderate disease, with a median of 4 (range, 1-8) involved organs. Clinician-assigned average NIH organ score and the corresponding organ scores assigned by subspecialists were highly correlated (r = 0.64). NIH global severity scores showed significant associations with nearly all functional and quality of life outcome measures, including the Lee Symptom Scale, Short Form-36 Physical Component Scale, 2-minute walk, grip strength, range of motion, and Human Activity Profile. Joint/fascia, skin, and lung involvement affected function and quality of life most significantly and showed the greatest correlation with outcome measures. The final Cox model with factors jointly predictive for survival included the time from cGVHD diagnosis (>49 versus ≤49 months, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.23; P = .0011), absolute eosinophil count at the time of NIH evaluation (0-0.5 versus >0.5 cells/μL, HR = 3.95; P = .0006), and NIH lung score (3 versus 0-2, HR = 11.02; P < .0001). These results demonstrate that NIH organs and global severity scores are reliable measures of cGVHD disease burden. The strong association with subspecialist evaluation suggests that NIH organ and global severity scores are appropriate for clinical and research assessments, and may serve as a surrogate for more complex subspecialist examinations. In this population of severely affected patients, NIH lung score is the strongest predictor of poor overall survival, both alone and after adjustment for other important factors.

Chemokine-mediated tissue recruitment of CXCR3+ CD4+ T cells plays a major role in the pathogenesis of chronic GVHD

Chemokines regulate the migration of hemopoietic cells and play an important role in the pathogenesis of many immune-mediated diseases. Intradermal recruitment of CD8(+) T cells by CXCL10 is a central feature of the pathogenesis of cutaneous acute GVHD (aGVHD), but very little is known about the pathogenesis of chronic GVHD (cGVHD). Serum concentrations of the 3 CXCR3-binding chemokines, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11, were found to be markedly increased in patients with active cGVHD of the skin (n = 8). An 80% decrease in CD4(+) cells expressing CXCR3 was seen in the blood of these patients (n = 5), whereas CD4(+) cells were increased in tissue biopsies and were clustered around the central arterioles of the dermis. The well-documented increase in expression of CXCL10 in aGVHD therefore diversifies in cGVHD to include additional members of the CXCR3-binding family and leads to preferential recruitment of CD4(+) T cells. These observations reveal a central role for chemokine-mediated recruitment of CXCR3(+) T cells in cGVHD.

Extensive chronic GVHD is associated with donor blood CD34+ cell count after G-CSF mobilization in non-myeloablative allogeneic PBSC transplantation

The correlation between the incidence of GVHD and the number of infused CD34(+) cells remains controversial for PBSC transplantation after a reduced-intensity-conditioning (RIC) regimen. We evaluated 99 patients transplanted with an HLA-identical sibling after the same RIC (2-Gy-TBI/fludarabine). Donor and recipient characteristics, donor's blood G-CSF-mobilized CD34(+) cell count, and number of infused CD34(+) and CD3(+) cells were analyzed as risk factors for acute and chronic GVHD There was a trend for an increased incidence of extensive chronic GVHD in the quartile of patients receiving more than 10 × 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg (P = 0.05). Interestingly, the number of donor's blood CD34(+) cells at day 5 of G-CSF mobilization was closely associated with the incidence of extensive chronic GVHD, that is, 48% (95% CI: 28-68) at 24-months in the quartile of patients whose donors had the highest CD34(+) cell counts versus 24.3% (95% CI: 14-34) in the other patients (P = 0.007). In multivariate analysis, the only factor correlating with extensive chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was the donor's blood CD34(+) cell count after G-CSF (HR 2.49; 95% CI: 1.16-5.35, P = 0.019). This study shows that the incidence of cGVHD is more strongly associated with the donor's ability to mobilize CD34(+) cells than with the number of infused CD34(+) cells.

Graft-versus-host disease: part I. Pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of graft-versus-host disease

Approximately 25,000 allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants are performed worldwide each year for a variety of malignant and non-malignant conditions. Graft-versus-host disease represents one of the most frequent complications and is a major source of long-term morbidity and mortality. Whereas acute graft-versus-host disease is induced by recognition of host tissues as foreign by immunocompetent donor cells, the pathogenesis of chronic graft-versus-host disease is not as well understood, and continues to be a major treatment challenge. Part I of this two-part series reviews the epidemiologic factors, classification, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease. Part II discusses the topical, physical, and systemic treatment options available to patients with graft-versus-host disease.