BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purpose of this study was to determine the correlations between inflammatory factors-including absolute lymphocyte count, lactate dehydrogenase, beta2-microglobulin, albumin, C-reactive protein, and ferritin-and the prognosis for survival in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) treated with induction chemotherapy containing thalidomide and who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). METHODS: Data from patients at 13 university hospitals in South Korea were collected retrospectively between December 2005 and May 2013. RESULTS: The median age of the 232 patients was 57 years (range, 33 to 77) and the male to female ratio was 1.09:1. In the multivariate analysis, fewer than two combined abnormal inflammatory factors was the only independent prognostic factor for superior progression-free survival (relative risk [RR], 0.618; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.409 to 0.933; p = 0.022), and platelet count > 100 x 109/L and fewer than two combined abnormal inflammatory factors were independent prognostic factors for superior overall survival (RR, 4.739; 95% CI, 1.897 to 11.839; p = 0.001 and RR, 0.263; 95% CI, 0.113 to 0.612; p = 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with two or more than two combined inflammatory factors who were treated with thalidomide induction chemotherapy and who underwent ASCT showed significantly shorter survival compared to those with fewer than two combined inflammatory factors. These results could be helpful for predicting prognosis in patients with MM.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor/*blood ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Inflammation Mediators/*blood ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma/blood/diagnosis/*drug therapy/immunology/mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Odds Ratio ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Thalidomide/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Time Factors ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: The impact of HLA and KIR ligand mismatching on the outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains unclear. Previous reports have identified considerable ethnic differences in the impact of HLA and KIR ligand mismatches, as well as KIR ligand status, on HSCT; however, to date, no data has been acquired in Korean adult patients. METHODS: We investigated the association of high-resolution HLA matching on five loci (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1), KIR ligand mismatching, and KIR ligand status on the outcome of allogeneic HSCT from unrelated donors in 154 Korean adult patients treated at Seoul National University Hospital. RESULTS: In a multivariate analysis, less than 9/10 allelic matches in five HLA loci was an independent risk factor for acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (grade II to IV) (P=0.019, odds ratio [OR]=2.7). In addition, HLA-A allele mismatching was increasingly prevalent in patients with acute GVHD compared to patients without (61.9% vs. 34.5%, P=0.06). For KIR ligand status, the patient and donor combination of both C1/C1 ligands showed better event-free and overall survival than combinations with C2 ligand patients or donors (P=0.048, P=0.034, respectively) by log-rank test. CONCLUSIONS: Korean adult transplant patients with less than 9 of 10 HLA allele matches in the HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and DQB1 loci have a higher likelihood of developing acute GVHD (grade II to IV). Impact of KIR ligand status on clinical outcome should be further studied in a larger patient population.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Alleles ; Female ; Genetic Loci ; Graft vs Host Disease/etiology ; HLA Antigens/*genetics/metabolism ; *Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects/standards ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Leukemia/mortality/therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Receptors, KIR/*chemistry/metabolism ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo observe the conditioning regimen, efficacy and side effects of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).

METHODFrom 2010 to 2012, a total of 11 cases after allo-HSCT were evaluated including 8 cases with familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) and 3 cases with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) related HLH. Allo-HSCT from HLA haploidentical HSCT was performed for 3 cases and unrelated allo-HSCT for 8 cases; 7 cases underwent allo-HSCT with conditioning regimen of etoposide (VP16), busulphan (Bu), fludarabine (Flu) and antilymphocyte globulin (ATG) and 4 cases with Flu, melphalan (Mel) and ATG. Cyclosporine (CsA) or tacrolimus, mycophenolate (MMF) and methorexate (MTX) were used for prevention of graft versus host disease (GVHD). Four cases received anti-CD25 MoAbs, 7 cases received cord blood and 1 of them received haploidentical bone marrow to prevent GVHD.

RESULTThree cases died after allo-HSCT. The median overall survival time of the 8 cases evaluated was 585 days (154-1 115 d). All the patients were successfully engrafted. Acute GVHD (aGVHD) occurred in 8 cases, including 3 cases of gradeI/II and 5 cases of grade III/IV. Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) occurred in 4 cases. Seven cases had cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation.

CONCLUSIONThe allo-HSCT was successful in treating primary and refractory hemophagocytic syndrome.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cyclosporine ; administration & dosage ; Cytomegalovirus Infections ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; administration & dosage ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic ; mortality ; therapy ; Male ; Survival Rate ; Tissue Donors ; Transplantation Conditioning ; methods ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical effect of umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) in children with hematologic malignancies.

METHODSA retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 37 pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies that consisted of 14 cases of acute lymphocyte leukemia, 9 cases of acute myeloid leukemia, 5 cases of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, 3 cases of chronic myeloid leukemia, 2 cases of acute mixed leukemia, 3 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome, and 1 case of lymphosarcomatous leukemia. Thirty-seven children with hematologic malignancies received UCBT from unrelated donors (34 cases) and related donors (3 cases). Grafts were 6/6 HLA-matched in 5 cases, 5/6 HLA-matched in 12 cases, 4/6 HLA-matched in 11 cases, and 3/6 HLA-matched in 9 cases. Before transplantation, these patients received rabbit antithymocyte globulin-containing conditioning regimen. The myeloablative conditioning regimen was given in 36 cases and the reduced-intensity conditioning regimen in one case. The median age of transplantation was 5.7 years, and the median weight was 20 kg. The grafts that contained a median of 6.2×10(7) total nucleated cells (TNC)/kg and 2.7×10(5) CD34(+) cells/kg were infused.

RESULTSThe median times to neutrophil engraftment and platelet engraftment were 12 days and 25 days, respectively, and the rates of neutrophil engraftment and platelet engraftment were 95% and 78%, respectively. The rate of neutrophil engraftment was positively correlated with the number of CD34(+) cells (P=0.011), while the rate of platelet engraftment was correlated with the numbers of CD34(+) cells and TNC (P=0.001; P=0.014). The incidence rates of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease were 49% and 11%, respectively. The median follow-up was 54 months. The 5-year transplant-related mortality, overall survival, and disease-free survival were 27%, 57.4% and 41%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSUCBT is an alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells for patients with hematologic malignancies.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft vs Host Disease ; epidemiology ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; mortality ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

Recent advances in the treatment of aplastic anemia (AA) made most of patients to expect to achieve a long-term survival. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) from HLA-matched sibling donor (MSD-SCT) is a preferred first-line treatment option for younger patients with severe or very severe AA, whereas immunosuppressive treatment (IST) is an alternative option for others. Horse anti-thymocyte globuline (ATG) with cyclosporin A (CsA) had been a standard IST regimen with acceptable response rate. Recently, horse ATG had been not available and replaced with rabbit ATG in most countries. Subsequently, recent comparative studies showed that the outcomes of patients who received rabbit ATG/CsA were similar or inferior compared to those who received horse ATG/CsA. Therefore, further studies to improve the outcomes of IST, including additional eltrombopag, are necessary. On the other hand, the upper age limit of patients who are able to receive MSD-SCT as first-line treatment is a current issue because of favorable outcomes of MSD-SCT of older patients using fludarabine-based conditioning. In addition, further studies to improve the outcomes of patients who receive allogeneic SCT from alternative donors are needed. In this review, current issues and the newly emerging trends that may improve their outcomes in near futures will be discussed focusing the management of patients with AA.
Anemia, Aplastic/blood/diagnosis/mortality/*therapy ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Iron Chelating Agents/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Risk Factors ; *Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects/mortality ; Survival Analysis ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in children with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and to analyze the possible prognostic factors.

METHODSThe clinical data of 20 children with CML who had received allo-HSCT was analyzed retrospectively to investigate possible prognostic factors, including age, sex, interval between diagnosis and transplantation, HLA matching between donors and recipients, illness status on transplantation and acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

RESULTSAt the end of follow-up, 13 of the 20 treated children had disease-free survival (DFS) and the rest (7 cases) died. Four died of severe acute GVHD, two of chronic GVHD and its complications, and one of relapse after transplantation. The three-year DFS was (64.6±1.1%). As shown by the univariate analysis, age was the most important prognostic factor in children with CML who had received allo-HSCT (P<0.05), and in children over 10 years, the prognosis was poor. No other of the above factors had a significant impact on prognosis (P>0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis also confirmed age as the only prognostic factor (P<0.01). Severe acute and/or chronic GVHD was the most important cause of patient death. 10/10 HLA-matched donors could improve the transplantation outcome.

CONCLUSIONSAllo-HSCT is an effective treatment for children with CML. To improve the prognosis and treatment outcome, children with CML aged over 10 years should receive allo-HSCT as early as possible. 10/10 HLA-matched donors are preferred in allo-HSCT and GVHD should be prevented.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; mortality ; surgery ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Homologous

OBJECTIVETo study the prognostic implications of hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI) on non-relapse mortality (NRM) and overall survival (OS) in patients underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

METHODSClinical data of 161 cases received allo-HSCT from July 2003 to November 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. The prognostic significance of HCT-CI, age, sex, conditioning regimens, disease status before transplantation, graft source and the degree of HLA matches for NRM and OS was conducted by COX regression model. The prognostic impact of HCT-CI on NRM and OS was performed in all patients under different disease status before transplantation.

RESULTSOf the 161 cases with allo-HSCT, 3-year NRM and OS were 26.4% and 61.4% respectively. NRM at 3 years in patients with HCT-CI score 0, 1-2 and ≥3 were 14.9%, 24.5% and 52.7% respectively. And OS at 3 years were 68.9%, 64.6% and 34.7% respectively. There were significant differences between HCT-CI score 0 and ≥3 groups for NRM and OS (P<0.01). High-risk disease status before transplantation (NRM: RR=3.35, P<0.01;OS: RR=3.53, P<0.01) and HCT-CI score≥3 (NRM: RR=6.85, P<0.01;OS: RR=3.77, P<0.01)were independent risk factors by COX regression model. In the subgroup analysis according to disease status, high score of HCT-CI was associated with poor OS (P<0.01) and high NRM (P<0.01) in patients with low-risk, but not in those with high-risk disease status.

CONCLUSIONHCT-CI score and disease status before transplantation are independent risk factors for patients received allo-HSCT. HCT-CI score have prognostic implication for NRM and OS in patients with low-risk disease status, but not in high-risk group.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; mortality ; Humans ; Leukemia ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This retrospective study evaluated the transplantation outcomes of patients with adult lymphoid malignancies who received chemotherapy-based conditioning with busulfan and fludarabine (BuFlu) and busulfan and cyclophosphamide (BuCy2). METHODS: Thirty-eight patients (34 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 4 with lymphoblastic lymphoma) were included in the current study. The conditioning regimen was BuCy2 for 14 patients and BuFlu for the remaining 24 patients. Eight and 13 patients were high risk disease in the BuCy2 and BuFlu groups, respectively. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 56.5% and 55.2% and that of extensive chronic GVHD 17.0% and 55.6% (p = 0.018) for the BuFlu and BuCy2 groups, respectively. The 3-year relapse rate was 27.8% and 31.4% and 3-year overall survival 34.3% and 46.8% for the BuFlu and BuCy2 groups, respectively. Treatment-related mortality (TRM) was significantly lower in the BuFlu group (16.9%) than in the BuCy2 group (57.1%, p = 0.010). In multivariate analyses, the BuFlu regimen was identified as an independent favorable risk factor for TRM (hazard ratio [HR], 0.036; p = 0.017) and extensive chronic GVHD (HR, 0.168; p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: Our BuFlu regimen would appear to be an acceptable conditioning option for lymphoid malignancies, including high-risk diseases. It was safely administered with a lower TRM rate than BuCy2 conditioning.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Busulfan/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease/etiology ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myeloablative Agonists/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy/mortality/surgery/*therapy ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; *Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects/mortality ; Time Factors ; Transplantation Conditioning/adverse effects/*methods/mortality ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Treatment Outcome ; Vidarabine/adverse effects/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate infection-related mortality (IRM) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with refractory/relapse acute leukemia.

METHODSWe conducted a retrospective analysis of 127 patients with refractory/relapse acute leukemia and investigated the incidence, causes and risk factors of IRM.

RESULTSSixty-seven of the patients died after the transplantation. The 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival was (35.2∓5.3)% and (30.8∓5.6)% among these patients, respectively. IRM occurred in 28.3% (36/127) of the patients. Multivariate analysis showed that grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host diseases (aGVDH, P=0.049, OR=3.017) and post-transplant invasive fungal infection (P=0.032, OR=3.223) were independent risk factors of IRM.

CONCLUSIONAs a common cause of transplant-related mortality, IRM is more frequent in cases of refractory/relapse acute leukemia than in cases with a standard risk profile, and effective prophylaxis and treatment of severe GVHD remain currently the primary measures for reducing post-transplant IRM.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; mortality ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; mortality ; Humans ; Leukemia ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Mycoses ; mortality ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo retrospectively analyze the effects of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) on childhood chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

METHODOf the 24 consecutive cases, 16 were boys and 8 were girls. The median age of patients was 12 (3 - 16) years old; 16 cases were in chronic phase (CP) of CML, 1 case in accelerated phase (AP) and 5 cases in blastic phase (BP). Allo-HSCT from HLA identical siblings were performed for 5 cases, HLA haplotype was performed for 14 cases and unrelated allo-HSCT for 5 cases. Twenty-four cases underwent allo-HSCT with conditioning regimen of BUCY. Prophylaxis of graft versus host disease (GVHD) included CsA + MTX plus MMF. The average follow-up was 36 months.

RESULTAll of patients were successfully engrafted. The 5-year overall survival (OS) of the 24 cases was 81%. Four patients died after allo-HSCT including 3 cases in BP from haploidentical donors and 1 case in CP from HLA identical sibling. The 5 cases who received unrelated allo-HSCT have been alive. Among the 10 cases who survived over 5 years, 3 had chronic GVHD.

CONCLUSIONChildren with CML could be treated effectively with allo-HSCT. There were no significant differences among different donors. Transplantation to children with CML should be performed as early as possible. Preparative regimen adjustment before transplantation, the transplantation of associated comorbidities and effective prevention and treatment for CML patients after prolonged graft survival of high quality have important significance.

Adolescent ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cyclophosphamide ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; mortality ; prevention & control ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; methods ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; mortality ; therapy ; Male ; Methotrexate ; administration & dosage ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Transplantation Conditioning ; methods ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Treatment Outcome