Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the only curative treatment for patients with Fanconi anemia (FA), published series mostly refer to single-center experience ...with limited numbers of patients. We analyzed results in 795 patients with FA who underwent first HSCT between May 1972 and January 2010. With a 6-year median follow-up, overall survival was 49% at 20 years (95% confidence interval, 38-65 years). Better outcome was observed for patients transplanted before the age of 10 years, before clonal evolution (ie, myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia), from a matched family donor, after a conditioning regimen without irradiation, the latter including fludarabine. Chronic graft-versus-host disease and secondary malignancy were deleterious when considered as time-dependent covariates. Age more than 10 years at time of HSCT, clonal evolution as an indication for transplantation, peripheral blood as source of stem cells, and chronic graft-versus-host disease were found to be independently associated with the risk for secondary malignancy. Changes in transplant protocols have significantly improved the outcome of patients with FA, who should be transplanted at a young age, with bone marrow as the source of stem cells.
Key Points
•Both TCRαβ and PTCY HLA-mismatched HSCT are suitable options in patients with IEIs lacking an HLA-identical donor.•PTCY had more severe aGvHD and acute organ toxicities, whereas TCRαβ had higher ...rates of adenoviremia, primary graft failure, and second HSCT.
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HLA-mismatched transplants with either in vitro depletion of CD3+ T-cell receptor (TCR)αβ/CD19 (TCRαβ) cells or in vivo T-cell depletion using posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCY) have been increasingly used for patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEIs). We performed a retrospective multicenter study via the EBMT registry on 306 children with IEIs undergoing their first transplant between 2010 and 2019 from an HLA-mismatched donor using TCRαβ (n = 167) or PTCY (n = 139). The median age for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was 1.2 years (range, 0.03-19.6 years). The 3-year overall survival (OS) was 78% (95% confidence interval (CI), 71-84) after TCRαβ and 66% (57-74) after PTCY (P = .013). Pre-HSCT morbidity score (hazard ratio HR, 2.27; 1.07-4.80, P = .032) and non-busulfan/treosulfan conditioning (HR, 3.12; 1.98-4.92, P < .001) were the only independent predictors of unfavorable OS. The 3-year event-free survival (EFS) was 58% (50%-66%) after TCRαβ and 57% (48%-66%) after PTCY (P = .804). The cumulative incidence of severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) was higher after PTCY (15%, 9%-21%) than TCRαβ (6%, 2%-9%, P = .007), with no difference in chronic GvHD (PTCY, 11%, 6%-17%; TCRαβ, 7%, 3%-11%, P = .173). The 3-year GvHD-free EFS was 53% (44%-61%) after TCRαβ and 41% (32%-50%) after PTCY (P = .080). PTCY had significantly higher rates of veno-occlusive disease (14.4% vs TCRαβ 4.9%, P = .009), acute kidney injury (12.7% vs 4.6%, P = .032), and pulmonary complications (38.2% vs 24.1%, P = .017). Adenoviremia (18.3% vs PTCY 8.0%, P = .015), primary graft failure (10% vs 5%, P = .048), and second HSCT (17.4% vs 7.9%, P = .023) were significantly higher in TCRαβ. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that both approaches are suitable options in patients with IEIs, although they are characterized by different advantages and outcomes.
Lum et al performed a retrospective review of mismatched hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) for 306 children with inborn errors of immunity (IEIs), comparing posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCY) vs in vitro depletion of CD3+ T-cell receptor αβ/CD19 (TCRαβ) cells. TCRαβ depletion yielded better 3-year event-free survival and lower rates of acute graft-versus-host disease. PTCY was associated with higher rates of veno-occlusive disease, acute kidney injury, and pulmonary complications; TCRαβ depletion was associated with more adenoviremia, primary graft failure, and second HSCT. Further study is needed to determine which is the better approach in mismatched HSCT for IEIs.
A cute graft-
-host disease remains a major threat to a successful outcome after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. While improvements in treatment and supportive care have occurred, it ...is unknown whether these advances have resulted in improved outcome specifically among those diagnosed with acute graft-
-host disease. We examined outcome following diagnosis of grade II-IV acute graft-
-host disease according to time period, and explored effects according to original graft-
-host disease prophylaxis regimen and maximum overall grade of acute graft-
-host disease. Between 1999 and 2012, 2,905 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (56%), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (30%) or myelodysplastic syndromes (14%) received a sibling (24%) or unrelated donor (76%) blood (66%) or marrow (34%) transplant and developed grade II-IV acute graft-
-host disease (n=497 for 1999-2001, n=962 for 2002-2005, n=1,446 for 2006-2010). The median (range) follow-up was 144 (4-174), 97 (4-147) and 60 (8-99) months for 1999-2001, 2002-2005, and 2006-2010, respectively. Among the cohort with grade II-IV acute graft-
-host disease, there was a decrease in the proportion of grade III-IV disease over time with 56%, 47%, and 37% for 1999-2001, 2002-2005, and 2006-2012, respectively (
<0.001). Considering the total study population, univariate analysis demonstrated significant improvements in overall survival and treatment-related mortality over time, and deaths from organ failure and infection declined. On multivariate analysis, significant improvements in overall survival (
=0.003) and treatment-related mortality (
=0.008) were only noted among those originally treated with tacrolimus-based graft-
-host disease prophylaxis, and these effects were most apparent among those with overall grade II acute graft-
-host disease. In conclusion, survival has improved over time for tacrolimus-treated transplant recipients with acute graft-
-host disease.
Pre-harvest autologous blood collection from bone marrow (BM) donors is performed to meet potential post-operative transfusion needs. This study examines the impact of autologous blood transfusion on ...BM donor's health and safety. The study included first-time unrelated BM donors from the United States whose BM harvest was facilitated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) centers between 2006 and 2017. Examination of 7024 BM donors revealed that 60% received at least one unit of autologous blood. The donors who received autologous blood were older, had lower hemoglobin pre-harvest, underwent longer duration of anesthesia, and higher volume BM harvest. Only donors who underwent high-volume BM harvest, defined as a BM harvest volume >27% of donor's blood volume, benefited from autologous transfusion. After a high-volume BM harvest, autologous blood transfusion was shown to decrease grade 2 to 4 collection-associated toxicities within 48 h of BM donation (p = 0.010) and shorten the time to donor-reported "complete" recovery from donation-associated symptoms (p < 0.001). Therefore, autologous transfusion could be avoided as support of marrow donation in the majority of unrelated BM donors and should be limited to cases where the planned BM harvest volume is expected to exceed 27% of donor's blood volume.
We report the international experience in outcomes after related and unrelated hematopoietic transplantation for infantile osteopetrosis in 193 patients. Thirty-four percent of transplants used ...grafts from HLA-matched siblings, 13% from HLA-mismatched relatives, 12% from HLA-matched, and 41% from HLA-mismatched unrelated donors. The median age at transplantation was 12 months. Busulfan and cyclophosphamide was the most common conditioning regimen. Long-term survival was higher after HLA-matched sibling compared to alternative donor transplantation. There were no differences in survival after HLA-mismatched related, HLA-matched unrelated, or mismatched unrelated donor transplantation. The 5- and 10-year probabilities of survival were 62% and 62% after HLA-matched sibling and 42% and 39% after alternative donor transplantation (P = .01 and P = .002, respectively). Graft failure was the most common cause of death, accounting for 50% of deaths after HLA-matched sibling and 43% of deaths after alternative donor transplantation. The day-28 incidence of neutrophil recovery was 66% after HLA-matched sibling and 61% after alternative donor transplantation (P = .49). The median age of surviving patients is 7 years. Of evaluable surviving patients, 70% are visually impaired; 10% have impaired hearing and gross motor delay. Nevertheless, 65% reported performance scores of 90 or 100, and in 17%, a score of 80 at last contact. Most survivors >5 years are attending mainstream or specialized schools. Rates of veno-occlusive disease and interstitial pneumonitis were high at 20%. Though allogeneic transplantation results in long-term survival with acceptable social function, strategies to lower graft failure and hepatic and pulmonary toxicity are urgently needed.
•Hematopoietic cell transplantation results in long-term survival.•Primary graft failure is very high and the predominant cause of death.
BACKGROUND: Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a rare disorder leading to destruction of tissues as well as causing lesions in the body. LCH can be self-limiting to disseminated life threatening. ...OBJECTIVES: We wanted to review data on presentation and outcome of our treatment efforts on patients with LCH diagnosed and treated at our institution. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this retrospective study involving 75 pediatric patients with LCH diagnosed between 1998 and 2018, we evaluated clinicopathological features, laboratory findings, treatment modalities and outcome. RESULTS: In males median age at the time of diagnosis was 2.4 years. The median follow up was 63+/- 7.9 months. The most common presenting symptom was a bone lesion-related symptom. 57.3% were above 2 years of age at presentation while 38.7% below 2 years of age. 53% of cases had multisystem disease at diagnosis. Liver found to be most common organ involved. Treatment consisted of observation, surgery or chemotherapy. Vinblastine with steroid was the most common used chemotherapy regimen. 3 patients with progressive refractory disease underwent stem cell transplantation. CONCLUSION: Overall survival was significantly lower in patients with liver involvement.
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a potentially lethal infection. Cancer patients, and specifically hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients ...are severely immunocompromised and may be at a higher risk of a complicated course with this infection. We aimed to study the COVID-19 outcomes and severity in post HCT patients. We retrospectively reviewed post-HCT patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 15, 2020, and December 1, 2020 at 10 transplant centers across the Middle East. We identified 91 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection across 10 transplant centers. The median age upon presentation with COVID-19 was 35. Fifty two patients were post allo-HCT while the remaining 39 patients were post auto-HCT. The median time from transplant was 14.9 months. Mortality rate was 4.4%. Hospital admission rate was 53%. ICU admission rate was 14%. Mechanical ventilation rate was 10%. Oxygen supplementation rate was 18%. Time from HCT to COVID-19 >6 months was associated with lower admission rates and lower rates of the "severity" composite endpoint. Antibody responses was seen 67% of evaluable patients. In this series of HCT recipients, we report overall favorable clinical outcomes for patients with COVID-19 and provide preliminary insights into the clinical course of this disease in this specific population.
For treatment of severe aplastic anemia, immunosuppressive therapy with horse antithymocyte globulin results in superior response and survival compared with rabbit antithymocyte globulin. This ...relative benefit may be different in the setting of transplantation as rabbit antithymocyte globulin results in more profound immunosuppression. We analyzed 833 severe aplastic anemia transplants between 2008 and 2013 using human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched siblings (n=546) or unrelated donors (n=287) who received antithymocyte globulin as part of their conditioning regimen and bone marrow graft. There were no differences in hematopoietic recovery by type of antithymocyte globulin. Among recipients of HLA-matched sibling transplants, day 100 incidence of acute (17%
6%,
<0.001) and chronic (20%
9%,
<0.001) graft-
-host disease were higher with horse compared to rabbit antithymocyte globulin. There were no differences in 3-year overall survival, 87% and 92%,
=0.76, respectively. Among recipients of unrelated donor transplants, acute graft-
-host disease was also higher with horse compared to rabbit antithymocyte globulin (42%
23%,
<0.001) but not chronic graft-
-host disease (38%
32%,
=0.35). Survival was lower with horse antithymocyte globulin after unrelated donor transplantation, 75%
83%,
=0.02. These data support the use of rabbit antithymocyte globulin for bone marrow transplant conditioning for severe aplastic anemia.