Despite developing consensus guidelines addressing immunization after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), studies showed deviations from recommended immunization practices commonly occur. ...Difference between the ideal scenario presented in guidelines and real-life scenarios is one of the most recognized barriers to implementing recommended practices. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate pediatric allogeneic HSCT recipients' adherence to revaccination schedule and evaluate the serological status after immunization. Transplant and vaccination records of children who were followed up at least 2 years after HSCT, postvaccination antibody results of vaccine-preventable diseases were evaluated retrospectively. Total of 173 patients have enrolled in this study. Median revaccination onset time was post-transplant 15 months. Adherence to revaccination program was 30% for inactive and 11.4% for live vaccines. Oral polio vaccine was given to 22 patients, and Bacille-Calmette-Guerin vaccine was applied to 3. Seropositivity after revaccination was >90% for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, pertussis, and measles, and it was 88.5% for rubella, 80% for mumps and varicella. Measles seropositivity was low in children with hemoglobinopathy. In subgroup assessments of pertussis, patients vaccinated with low antigen-containing pertussis vaccine (Tdap) had higher seropositivity of adenylate cyclase toxin. Our findings revealed the importance of careful monitoring of current practices in pediatric HSCT recipients.
We examined outcomes of 51 pediatric patients with relapsed acute leukemia (AL) who underwent a second allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). After a median follow-up of ...941 days (range, 69-2842 days), leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) at 3 years were 26.6% and 25.6%, respectively. The nonrelapse mortality rate (NMR) and cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) were 36.4% and 42.4%, respectively. The Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the risk factors at second transplantation for predicting limited LFS were active disease (hazard ratio (HR) = 5.1), reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) (HR = 5.0), matched unrelated donor (MUD) (HR = 3.4) and performance score <80 (HR = 3.2). Pediatric patients with AL who relapsed after their first alloHSCT may survive with a second alloHSCT. Disease status, conditioning intensity, donor type, and performance score at the second transplantation are the relevant risk factors. A score based on these factors may predict the results of the second transplantation.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a major cause of infection-related morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Data from pediatric ...settings are scarce. To determine the incidence, risk factors and outcomes of IFIs in a 180-day period post-transplantation, 408 pediatric patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT were retrospectively analyzed. The study included only proven and probable IFIs. The cumulative incidences of IFI were 2.7%, 5.0%, and 6.5% at 30, 100, and 180 days post-transplantation, respectively. According to the multivariate analysis, the factors associated with increased IFI risk in the 180-day period post-HSCT were previous HSCT history (hazard ratio HR, 4.57; 95% confidence interval CI 1.42-14.71; P = .011), use of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) (HR, 2.94; 95% CI 1.27-6.80; P = .012), grade III-IV acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) (HR, 2.91; 95% CI 1.24-6.80; P = .014) and late or no lymphocyte engraftment (HR, 2.71; 95% CI 1.30-5.62; P = .007). CMV reactivation was marginally associated with an increased risk of IFI development (HR, 1.91; 95% CI 0.97-3.74; P = .063). IFI-related mortality was 1.5%, and case fatality rate was 27.0%.The close monitoring of IFIs in pediatric patients with severe acute GVHD who receive ATG during conditioning is critical to reduce morbidity and mortality after allogeneic HSCT, particularly among those with prior HSCT and no or late lymphocyte engraftment.
We examined outcomes of 62 pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (rr-NHL) who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The overall survival (OS) and ...event-free survival (EFS) rates were 65% and 48%, respectively. Survival rates for patients with chemosensitive disease at the time of HSCT were significantly higher than those of patients with chemoresistant disease (69% vs. 37%, p = .019 for OS; 54% vs. 12%, p < .001 for EFS; respectively). A chemoresistant disease at transplantation was the only factor that predicted a limited OS (hazard ratio = 10.00) and EFS (hazard ratio = 16.39) rates. Intensive chemotherapy followed by HSCT could be an effective strategy for treating children with rr-NHL and may offer improved survival for a significant group of pediatric patients, particularly those with chemosensitive disease at transplantation.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The aim of the study was to assess the incidence and clinical relevance of active Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV6) infections in pediatric patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
...Retrospective analysis of samples prospectively collected at Akdeniz University Medical Faculty Hospital, Antalya, Turkey, between May 2006 and July 2007 from 15 pediatric patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
A commercial quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction kit was used to analyze plasma samples collected from 15 pediatric allogeneic HSCT recipients.
HHV6 DNA was found positive in 8 (53%) patients. HHV6 DNA levels above 1000 copies/mL were found only in 2 patients and they were also consecutively positive for HHV6 DNA. Age at transplantation, use of ATG, and receiving grafts other than HLA identical siblings increased the risk, with a statistically significant difference, of having HHV6 reactivation with levels exceeding 1000 copies/mL (P values, respectively, P=.03, .001, .025). Active HHV6 infections with HHV6 viremia levels higher than 1000 copies/mL were associated with subsequent delayed platelet engraftment (P=.001), acute graft versus host disease (P=.001), skin rash, and fever of unknown origin.
More than half of pediatric allogeneic HSCT patients develop active HHV6 infection, and especially in patients with high viremic loads, the infection can result in serious clinical situations. A clinically significant cutoff value for viremia seems to be necessary to predict serious clinical complications.
Background
Severe congenital neutropenia is a rare disease, and autosomal dominantly inherited ELANE mutation is the most frequently observed genetic defect in the registries from North America and ...Western Europe. However, in eastern countries where consanguineous marriages are common, autosomal recessive forms might be more frequent.
Method
Two hundred and sixteen patients with severe congenital neutropenia from 28 different pediatric centers in Turkey were registered.
Results
The most frequently observed mutation was HAX1 mutation (n = 78, 36.1%). A heterozygous ELANE mutation was detected in 29 patients (13.4%) in our cohort. Biallelic mutations of G6PC3 (n = 9, 4.3%), CSF3R (n = 6, 2.9%), and JAGN1 (n = 2, 1%) were also observed. Granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor treatment was given to 174 patients (80.6%). Two patients died with infectious complications, and five patients developed myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloblastic leukemia. The mean (± mean standard error) follow‐up period was 129.7 ± 76.3 months, and overall survival was 96.8% (CI, 94.4–99.1%) at the age of 15 years. In Turkey, severe congenital neutropenia mostly resulted from the p W44X mutation in the HAX1 gene.
Conclusion
In Turkey, mutation analysis should be started with HAX1, and if this is negative, ELANE and G6PC3 should be checked. Because of the very high percentage of consanguineous marriage, rare mutations should be tested in patients with a negative mutation screen.
Deficiency of the CD40L, expressed on the surface of T lymphocytes, is caused by mutations in the glycoprotein CD40L (CD154) gene. Resulting defective humoral and cellular responses cause a clinical ...presentation that includes recurrent sinopulmonary bacterial infections, opportunistic infections, sclerosing cholangitis, neutropenia, and autoimmune manifestations. HSCT represents the only curative treatment modality. However, the therapeutic decision to use HSCT proves challenging in many cases, mainly due to the lack of a phenotype‐genotype correlation. We retrospectively reviewed patients with CD40L deficiency who were transplanted in Antalya and Göztepe MedicalPark Pediatric HSCT units from 2014 to 2019 and followed by Akdeniz University School of Medicine Department of Pediatric Immunology. The records of eight male cases, including one set of twins, were evaluated retrospectively. As two transplants each were performed on the twins, a total of ten transplants were evaluated. Conditioning regimens were predominantly based on myeloablative protocols, except for the twins, who received a non‐myeloablative regimen for their first transplantation. Median neutrophil and platelet engraftment days were 13 (range 10‐19) and 14 (range 10‐42) days, respectively. In seven of ten transplants, a CMV reactivation was developed without morbidity. None of the patients developed GVHD, except for one mild case of acute GVHD. All patients survived, and the median follow‐up was 852 days. Our data show that HSCT for patients with CD40 ligand deficiency is a potentially effective treatment for long‐term disease control.
Background
Post‐transplant relapse has a dismal prognosis in children with acute leukemia undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT). Data on risk factors, treatment ...options, and outcomes are limited.
Procedure
In this retrospective multicenter study in which a questionnaire was sent to all pediatric transplant centers reporting relapse after allo‐HSCT for a cohort of 938 children with acute leukemia, we analyzed 255 children with relapse of acute leukemia after their first allo‐HSCT.
Results
The median interval from transplantation to relapse was 180 days, and the median follow‐up from relapse to the last follow‐up was 1844 days. The 3‐year overall survival (OS) rate was 12.0%. The main cause of death was disease progression or subsequent relapse (82.6%). The majority of children received salvage treatment with curative intent without a second HSCT (67.8%), 22.0% of children underwent a second allo‐HSCT, and 10.2% received palliative therapy. Isolated extramedullary relapse (hazard ratio (HR): 0.607, P = .011) and relapse earlier than 365 days post‐transplantation (HR: 2.101, P < .001 for 0‐180 days; HR: 1.522, P = .041 for 181‐365 days) were found in multivariate analysis to be significant prognostic factors for outcome. The type of salvage therapy in chemosensitive relapse was identified as a significant prognostic factor for OS.
Conclusion
A salvage approach with curative intent may be considered for patients with post‐transplant relapse, even if they relapse in the first year post‐transplantation. For sustainable remission, a second allo‐HSCT may be recommended for patients who achieve complete remission after reinduction treatment.