T-cell depletion prevents from bronchiolitis obliterans and bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with related donors

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) and bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) are late-onset non-infectious pulmonary complications (LONIPCs) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In the present study 10 of 197 conventionally prepared stem cell recipients developed BOOP after 365 days and 6 patients developed BO 333 days post-transplant. No BOOP or BO was diagnosed following T-cell depletion (

Standardized monitoring of cytomegalovirus-specific immunity can improve risk stratification of recurrent cytomegalovirus reactivation after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Recurrence of cytomegalovirus reactivation remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Monitoring cytomegalovirus-specific cellular immunity using a standardized assay might improve the risk stratification of patients. A prospective multicenter study was conducted in 175 intermediate- and high-risk allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients under preemptive antiviral therapy. Cytomegalovirus-specific cellular immunity was measured using a standardized IFN-γ ELISpot assay (T-Track® CMV). Primary aim was to evaluate the suitability of measuring cytomegalovirus-specific immunity after end of treatment for a first cytomegalovirus reactivation to predict recurrent reactivation. 40/101 (39.6%) patients with a first cytomegalovirus reactivation experienced recurrent reactivations, mainly in the high-risk group (cytomegalovirus-seronegative donor/cytomegalovirus-seropositive recipient). The positive predictive value of T-Track® CMV (patients with a negative test after the first reactivation experienced at least one recurrent reactivation) was 84.2% in high-risk patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a higher probability of recurrent cytomegalovirus reactivation in high-risk patients with a negative test after the first reactivation (hazard ratio 2.73; p=0.007). Interestingly, a post-hoc analysis considering T-Track® CMV measurements at day 100 post-transplantation, a time point highly relevant for outpatient care, showed a positive predictive value of 90.0% in high-risk patients. Our results indicate that standardized cytomegalovirus-specific cellular immunity monitoring may allow improved risk stratification and management of recurrent cytomegalovirus reactivation after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02156479

Hope for Motherhood: Pregnancy After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation - a National Multicenter Study

Improved long-term survival rates after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) make family planning for young adult cancer survivors an important topic. However, treatment-related infertility risk poses challenges. To assess pregnancy and birth rates in a contemporary cohort, we conducted a national multicenter study using data from the German Transplant Registry, focusing on adult women aged 18-40 who underwent alloHCT between 2003 and 2018. Out of 2,654 transplanted women, 50 women experienced 74 pregnancies, occurring at a median of 4.7 years post-transplant. Fifty-seven of these resulted in live births (77%). The annual first birth rate among HCT recipients was 0.45% (95%CI: 0.31 - 0.59%), which is more than six times lower than in the general population. The probability of a live birth 10 years after HCT was 3.4 % (95%CI: 2.3- 4.5%). Factors associated with an increased likelihood of pregnancy were younger age at alloHCT, non-malignant transplant indications, no total-body-irradiation (TBI) or a cumulative dose of <8 Gray, and non-myeloablative/reduced-intensity conditioning. 72% of pregnancies occurred spontaneously, with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) used in the remaining cases. Preterm delivery and low birth weight were more common than in the general population. This study represents the largest dataset reporting pregnancies in a cohort of adult female alloHCT recipients. Our findings underscore a meaningful chance of pregnancy in alloHCT recipients. ART techniques are important and funding should be made available. However, the potential for spontaneous pregnancies should not be underestimated, and patients should be informed of the possibility of unexpected pregnancy despite reduced fertility. Further research is warranted to understand the impact of conditioning decisions on fertility preservation

Impact of allogeneic stem cell transplantation on survival of patients less than 65 years of age with primary myelofibrosis

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is the only curative option for patients with primary myelofibrosis (PMF), but information on its net advantage over conventional therapies is lacking. Using ad hoc statistical analysis, we determined outcomes in 438 patients <65 years old at diagnosis who received allogenic SCT (n = 190) or conventional therapies (n = 248). Among patients at low risk per the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (DIPSS) model, the relative risk of death after allogenic SCT vs those treated with nontransplant modalities was 5.6 (95% CI, 1.7-19; P = .0051); for intermediate-1 risk it was 1.6 (95% CI, 0.79-3.2; P = .19), for intermediate-2 risk, 0.55 (95% CI, 0.36-0.83; P = .005), and for high risk, 0.37 (95% CI, 0.21-0.66; P = .0007). Thus, patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk PMF clearly benefit from allogenic SCT. Patients at low risk should receive nontransplant therapy, whereas individual counseling is indicated for patients at intermediate-1 risk

Comparison of cytomegalovirus-specific immune cell response to proteins versus peptides using an IFN-γ ELISpot assay after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Measuring CMV-specific cellular immunity may improve the risk stratification and management of patients. IFN-γ ELISpot assays, based on the stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with CMV pp65 and IE-1 proteins or peptides, have been validated in clinical settings. However, it remains unclear to which extend the T-cell response to synthetic peptides reflect that mediated by full-length proteins processed by antigen-presenting cells. We compared the stimulating ability of pp65 and IE-1 proteins and corresponding overlapping peptides in 16 HSCT recipients using a standardized IFN-γ ELISpot assay. Paired qualitative test results showed an overall 74.4% concordance. Discordant results were mainly due to low-response tests, with one exception. One patient with early CMV reactivation and graft-versus-host disease, sustained CMV DNAemia and high CD8$^+$ counts showed successive negative protein-based ELISpot results but a high and sustained response to IE-1 peptides. Our results suggest that the response to exogenous proteins, which involves their uptake and processing by antigen-presenting cells, more closely reflects the physiological response to CMV infection, while the response to exogenous peptides may lead to artificial in vitro T-cell responses, especially in strongly immunosuppressed patients