Corticosteroids as graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients with calcineurin inhibitor intolerance.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Although calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) have a well-established role in the prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), their use can be limited by significant toxicities, which may result in premature treatment discontinuation. The optimal management of patients with CNI intolerance is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of corticosteroids as GVHD prophylaxis for patients with CNI intolerance. METHODS: This retrospective single-center study included consecutive adult patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent myeloablative peripheral blood allogeneic HCT with anti-thymocyte globulin, CNI, and methotrexate GVHD prophylaxis in Alberta, Canada. Multivariable competing-risks regression was used to compare cumulative incidences of GVHD, relapse, and non-relapse mortality between recipients of corticosteroid versus continuous CNI prophylaxis, and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to compare overall survival, relapse-free survival (RFS) and moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD and RFS. RESULTS: Among 509 allogeneic HCT recipients, 58 (11%) patients developed CNI intolerance and were switched to corticosteroid prophylaxis at median 28 days (range 1-53) after HCT. Compared with patients who received continuous CNI prophylaxis, recipients of corticosteroid prophylaxis had significantly greater cumulative incidences of grade 2-4 acute GVHD (subhazard ratio [SHR] 1.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-2.80, P = 0.024), grade 3-4 acute GVHD (SHR 3.22, 95% CI 1.55-6.72, P = 0.002), and GVHD-related non-relapse mortality (SHR 3.07, 95% CI 1.54-6.12, P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD (SHR 0.84, 95% CI 0.43-1.63, P = 0.60) or relapse (SHR 0.92, 95% CI 0.53-1.62, P = 0.78), but corticosteroid prophylaxis was associated with significantly inferior overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 1.77, 95% CI 1.20-2.61, P = 0.004), RFS (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.06-2.25, P = 0.024), and chronic GVHD and RFS (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.04-2.05, P = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: Allogeneic HCT recipients with CNI intolerance are at increased risks of acute GVHD and poor outcomes despite institution of corticosteroid prophylaxis following premature CNI discontinuation. Alternative GVHD prophylaxis strategies are needed for this high-risk population.

Incomplete chimerism following myeloablative and anti-thymocyte globulin-conditioned hematopoietic cell transplantation is a risk factor for relapse and chronic graft-versus-host disease.

BACKGROUND AIMS: The value of routine chimerism determination after myeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is unclear, particularly in the setting of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG)-based graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. METHODS: Blood samples were collected at 3 months post-HCT from 558 patients who received myeloablative conditioning and ATG-based GVHD prophylaxis. Chimerism was assessed using multiplex polymerase chain reaction of short tandem repeats in sorted T cells (CD3+) and leukemia lineage cells (CD13+CD33+ for myeloid malignancies and CD19+ for B-lymphoid malignancies). ATG exposure was determined using a flow cytometry-based assay. The primary outcomes of interest were relapse and chronic GVHD (cGVHD). RESULTS: Incomplete (<95%) T-cell chimerism and leukemia lineage chimerism were present in 17% and 4% of patients, respectively. Patients with incomplete T-cell chimerism had a significantly greater incidence of relapse (36% versus 22%, subhazard ratio [SHR] = 2.03, P = 0.001) and lower incidence of cGVHD (8% versus 25%, SHR = 0.29, P < 0.001) compared with patients with complete chimerism. In multivariate modeling, patients with high post-transplant ATG area under the curve and any cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus other than donor/recipient seropositivity (non-D+R+) had an increased likelihood of incomplete T-cell chimerism. Patients with incomplete leukemia lineage chimerism had a significantly greater incidence of relapse (50% versus 23%, SHR = 2.70, P = 0.011) and, surprisingly, a greater incidence of cGVHD (45% versus 20%, SHR = 2.64, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: High post-transplant ATG exposure and non-D+R+ CMV serostatus predispose patients to incomplete T-cell chimerism, which is associated with an increased risk of relapse. The increased risk of cGVHD with incomplete B-cell/myeloid chimerism is a novel finding that suggests an important role for recipient antigen-presenting cells in cGVHD pathogenesis.

A biomarker-guided, prospective, phase 2 trial of pre-emptive graft-versus-host disease therapy using anti-thymocyte globulin.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Intensified immunosuppressive prophylaxis for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) may be toxic and therefore warranted only in patients at high risk of developing GVHD. In patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant at the authors' center, high serum soluble IL-2 receptor alpha (sIL-2Rα) and low IL-15 levels on day 7 post-transplant were found to predict a high risk of developing clinically significant GVHD (sGVHD), defined as grade 2-4 acute GVHD or moderate to severe chronic GVHD. METHODS: This was a prospective, phase 2 trial in which high-risk patients (serum sIL-2Rα >4500 ng/L or IL-15 <31 ng/L) received rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) 3 mg/kg on day 8 post-transplant. Controls consisted of patients who had their sIL-2Rα/IL-15 levels measured but did not participate in the trial. A total of 68 trial patients and 143 controls were accrued to this study. The primary endpoint was incidence of sGVHD. RESULTS: There was a reduction in sGVHD in high-risk trial patients (received day 8 ATG) compared with high-risk controls (did not receive day 8 ATG) (sub-hazard ratio [SHR] = 0.48, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in overall survival or relapse; however, there was a greater incidence of non-GVHD-associated non-relapse mortality in high-risk trial patients (SHR = 3.73, P < 0.05), mostly related to infections. This may be due in part to the biomarkers ineffectively stratifying GVHD risk. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-emptive ATG therapy is both feasible and effective at reducing sGVHD without increasing relapse. Further mitigation strategies are needed to reduce the risk of infection associated with intensified GVHD prophylaxis. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01994824).

High incidence of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients in the modern era.

BACKGROUND: International guidelines for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) prevention recommend prophylaxis for ≥6 months following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, and longer in patients with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or on immunosuppressive therapy (IST). These recommendations are based on cohorts of patients who did not routinely receive anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) for GVHD prophylaxis. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of 649 patients, all of whom received ATG as part of GVHD prophylaxis. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of definite PJP was 3.52% at both 3 and 5 years (median follow up, 1648 days for survivors). PJP occurred in 13 non-GVHD patients between days 207 and 508, due in part to low CD4 T-cell counts (<200 CD4 T cells/µL). PJP occurred in eight GVHD patients between days 389 and 792, due in part to non-adherence to PJP prophylaxis guidelines (discontinuation of PJP prophylaxis at <3 months after discontinuation of IST). Breakthrough PJP infection was not observed in patients receiving prophylaxis with cotrimoxazole, dapsone or atovaquone, whereas three cases were observed with inhaled pentamidine. DISCUSSION: In conclusion, for non-GVHD patients receiving ATG-containing GVHD prophylaxis, 6 months of PJP prophylaxis is inadequate, particularly if the CD4 T-cell count is <200 cells/µL or if there is a high incidence of PJP in the community. For patients with GVHD receiving ATG-containing GVHD prophylaxis, continuing PJP prophylaxis until ≥3 months post-discontinuation of IST is important. Cotrimoxazole, dapsone and atovaquone are preferred over inhaled pentamidine.

Epstein-barr virus DNAemia monitoring for the management of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

BACKGROUND: Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a potentially fatal complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation (detectable DNAemia) predisposes to the development of PTLD. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 306 patients monitored for EBV DNAemia after Thymoglobulin-conditioned HCT to determine the utility of the monitoring in the management of PTLD. DNAemia was monitored weekly for ≥12 weeks post-transplantation. RESULTS: Reactivation was detected in 82% of patients. PTLD occurred in 14% of the total patients (17% of patients with reactivation). PTLD was treated with rituximab only when and if the diagnosis was established. This allowed us to evaluate potential DNAemia thresholds for pre-emptive therapy. We suggest 100,000-500,000 IU per mL whole blood as this would result in unnecessary rituximab administration to only 4-20% of patients and near zero mortality due to PTLD. After starting rituximab (for diagnosed PTLD), sustained regression of PTLD occurred in 25/25 (100%) patients in whom DNAemia became undetectable. PTLD progressed or relapsed in 12/17 (71%) patients in whom DNAemia was persistently detectable. DISCUSSION: In conclusion, for pre-emptive therapy of PTLD, we suggest threshold DNAemia of 100,000-500,000 IU/mL. Persistently detectable DNAemia after PTLD treatment with rituximab appears to have 71% positive predictive value and 100% negative predictive value for PTLD progression/relapse.

Risk factors for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder after Thymoglobulin-conditioned hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) occurs frequently when rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is used in hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) conditioning. We retrospectively studied 554 patients undergoing ATG-conditioned myeloablative HCT. Strategies used to minimize mortality due to PTLD were either therapy of biopsy-diagnosed PTLD in the absence of EBV DNAemia monitoring (n = 266) or prompt therapy of presumed PTLD (based on clinical/radiologic signs and high EBV DNAemia, in the setting of weekly EBV DNAemia monitoring) (n = 199). Both strategies resulted in similar mortality due to PTLD (0.7% vs 1% at 2 years, P = .43) and similar overall survival (63% vs 67% at 2 years, P = .23) even though there was a trend toward higher PTLD incidence with the prompt therapy. Donor positive with recipient negative EBV (D+R-) serostatus was a risk factor for developing PTLD. Older patient age, HLA-mismatched donor, and graft-versus-host disease were not associated with increased risk of PTLD. In summary, in ATG-conditioned HCT, D+R- serostatus, but not older age, mismatched donor or GVHD is a risk factor for developing PTLD. EBV DNAemia monitoring may be a weak risk factor for developing/diagnosing PTLD; the monitoring coupled with prompt therapy does not improve survival.

Fludarabine, busulfan, antithymocyte globulin, and total body irradiation for pretransplantation conditioning in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: excellent outcomes in all but older patients with comorbidities.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is routinely offered to suitable candidates with high-risk or advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In this report, we update our experience with SCT in patients with ALL with a novel conditioning regimen. A total of 44 patients with high-risk or advanced (greater than first complete remission) ALL in remission underwent SCT after myeloablative conditioning with fludarabine + busulfan + total body irradiation. The median follow-up of surviving patients was 4.3 years (range, 1.0-9.0 years). The cohort consists of 32 patients with high-risk disease (median age, 40 years; range, 19-64 years) and 12 patients with advanced disease (median age, 25 years; range, 19-65 years) who underwent SCT: 25 with a related donor (21 fully matched) and 19 with an unrelated donor (16 fully matched). The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 53.2%, and that of grade III-IV acute GVHD was 20.6%. The incidence of chronic GVHD was 55%. The 100-day nonrelapse mortality was 13.6%. Five-year progression-free survival was 56.7%, and 5-year overall survival was 66.0%. Nine patients (20%) died in remission, 6 (14%) died after relapse, and 2 survived after a second SCT for relapsed disease. Outcomes were inferior in older patients with comorbidities compared with other patients.

Risk Factors for the Incidence of and the Mortality due to Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a potentially serious complication that occurs following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), in which B cells transformed by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) proliferate uncontrollably. It is unknown whether risk factors for the incidence of PTLD are identical to those for mortality due to PTLD, a clinically more important outcome. We sought to determine the risk factors influencing the incidence of PTLD and those influencing mortality due to PTLD in a cohort of 1184 allogenic HCT recipients. All patients were predisposed to PTLD, because their graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis included antithymocyte globulin. The overall PTLD incidence was 9.0%, and mortality due to PTLD was 1.1%. In multivariate analysis, risk factors for PTLD incidence include donor+/recipient- (D+/R-) EBV serostatus (subhazard ratio [SHR], 3.3; P = .002), use of a donor other than an HLA-matched sibling donor (non-MSD) (SHR, 1.7; P = .029), receipt of total body irradiation (TBI; SHR, 3.3; P = .008), and the absence of GVHD (SHR, 3.3; P < .001). The sole risk factor for mortality due to PTLD among all patients was D+/R- serostatus (SHR, 5.8; P = .022). Risk factors for mortality due to PTLD among patients who developed PTLD were use of a bone marrow (BM) graft (compared with peripheral blood stem cells [PBSCs]; SHR, 22.8; P < .001) and extralymphatic involvement (SHR, 14.6; P < .001). Interestingly, whereas the absence of GVHD was a risk factor for PTLD incidence, there was a trend toward the presence of GVHD as a risk factor for PTLD mortality (SHR, 4.2; P = .093). Likewise, whereas use of a BM graft was a risk factor for PTLD mortality, there was a trend toward use of a PBSC graft as a risk factor for PTLD incidence (SHR, 0.44; P = .179). Some risk factors for the incidence of PTLD are identical to the risk factors for mortality due to PTLD (ie, D+/R- serostatus), whereas other risk factors are disparate. Specifically, TBI was identified as a risk factor for PTLD incidence but not for PTLD mortality; the absence of GVHD was a risk factor for PTLD incidence, whereas the presence of GVHD was possibly a risk factor for PTLD mortality; and receipt of a PBSC graft was possibly a risk factor for PTLD incidence, whereas receipt of a BM graft was a risk factor for PTLD mortality.

Cumulative incidence of subsequent malignancy after allo-HCT conditioned with or without low-dose total body irradiation.

Subsequent malignancies (SMs) present a significant burden of morbidity and are a common cause of late mortality in survivors of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT). Previous studies have described total body irradiation (TBI) as a risk factor for the development of SMs in allo-HCT survivors. However, most studies of the association between TBI and SM have examined high-dose TBI regimens (typically ≥600 cGy), and thus little is known about the association between low-dose TBI regimens and risk of SMs. Our goal, therefore, was to compare the cumulative incidence of SMs in patients of Alberta, Canada, who received busulfan/fludarabine alone vs busulfan/fludarabine plus 400 cGy TBI. Of the 674 included patients, 49 developed a total of 56 malignancies at a median of 5.9 years' posttransplant. The cumulative incidence of SMs at 15 years' post-HCT in the entire cohort was 11.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.5-15.6): 13.4% (95% CI, 9.1-19.3) in the no-TBI group and 10.8% (95% CI, 6.6-17.4) in the TBI group. In the multivariable model, TBI was not associated with SMs, whereas there was an association with number of pre-HCT cycles of chemotherapy. The standardized incidence ratio for the entire cohort, compared with the age-, sex-, and calendar year-matched general population, was 1.75. allo-HCT conditioning that includes low-dose TBI does not seem to increase risk of SMs compared with chemotherapy-alone conditioning.

Lentivirus-mediated gene therapy for Fabry disease.

Enzyme and chaperone therapies are used to treat Fabry disease. Such treatments are expensive and require intrusive biweekly infusions; they are also not particularly efficacious. In this pilot, single-arm study (NCT02800070), five adult males with Type 1 (classical) phenotype Fabry disease were infused with autologous lentivirus-transduced, CD34+-selected, hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells engineered to express alpha-galactosidase A (α-gal A). Safety and toxicity are the primary endpoints. The non-myeloablative preparative regimen consisted of intravenous melphalan. No serious adverse events (AEs) are attributable to the investigational product. All patients produced α-gal A to near normal levels within one week. Vector is detected in peripheral blood and bone marrow cells, plasma and leukocytes demonstrate α-gal A activity within or above the reference range, and reductions in plasma and urine globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) and globotriaosylsphingosine (lyso-Gb3) are seen. While the study and evaluations are still ongoing, the first patient is nearly three years post-infusion. Three patients have elected to discontinue enzyme therapy.

Antirelapse effect of pretransplant exposure to rabbit antithymocyte globulin.

It remains unknown why rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG; Thymoglobulin) has not affected relapse after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in randomized studies. We hypothesized that high pre-HCT ATG area under the curve (AUC) would be associated with a low incidence of relapse, whereas high post-HCT AUC would be associated with a high incidence of relapse. We measured serum levels of ATG capable of binding to mononuclear cells (MNCs), lymphocytes, T cells, CD4 T cells, or CD33 cells. We estimated pre- and post-HCT AUCs in 152 adult recipients of myeloablative conditioning and blood stem cells. High pre-HCT AUCs of MNC- and CD33 cell-binding ATG were associated with a low incidence of relapse and high relapse-free survival (RFS). There was a trend toward an association of high post-HCT AUC of lymphocyte-binding ATG with a high incidence of relapse and low RFS. High pre-HCT AUCs were also associated with faster engraftment and had no impact on graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or fatal infections. High post-HCT AUCs were associated with a low risk of GVHD, seemed associated with an increased risk of fatal infections, and had no impact on engraftment. In conclusion, pre-HCT AUC seems to have a positive, whereas post-HCT AUC seems to have a negative, impact on relapse.

Comparison between Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy versus Alcohol-Assisted Photorefractive Keratectomy in Correction of Myopia and Myopic Astigmatism.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to compare visual acuity, refractive results, safety, and efficacy of TPRK with AAPRK as primary outcomes and surgical time, pain scores, haze levels, and healing time as secondary outcomes in TPRK and AAPRK groups. SETTING: Security Forces Hospital, Ophthalmology Department, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized case-control comparative study. METHODS: A total of 200 eyes of 100 consecutive patients were included. One hundred eyes underwent TPRK in the right eye (study group), and 100 eyes underwent AAPRK in the left eye (control group). Ablations were performed with the Schwind Amaris excimer LASER750S. Clinical outcomes during 6 months' follow-up were compared. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 28.3 ± 6.3, 77 were females and 23 males. The mean surgical time was 162.17 ±  14.827 s and 243.24  ±  98.69 s, respectively. At day 1, the UDVA mean was 0.7 in 87% of eyes in the TPRK group while it was 0.5 in 45% of eyes in AAPRK; at week 1, it was 0.9 in 88% of eyes in the TPRK group and 0.6 in 60% of eyes in AAPRK. The mean pain scores were less and lower incidence of corneal haze in the TPRK. Complete epithelial healing time was shorter in TPRK, 3.20 ± 0.686 and 4.60 ± 1.969 days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: TPRK and AAPRK produce similar results 6 months postoperatively. However, in the early postoperative period, there were significant differences in UDVA, pain score, level of haze, and complete epithelial healing time. The pain scores were lower, level of haze was less, and healing time was shorter in the TPRK group which provided patient better felling and comfort in this period. Both of procedures are effective and safe for correction of myopia and compound myopic astigmatism. This trial is registered with NCT03569423.

Immunoparesis and polyclonal immunoglobulin recovery after auto-SCT for patients with multiple myeloma treated at a single institution.

Immunoparesis and polyclonal immunoglobulin recovery have been recently described as common indicators of immune dysfunction in patients with multiple myeloma. In the present study, we aimed to assess the impact of immunoparesis and polyclonal immunoglobulin recovery at day-100 post autologous stem cell transplant (auto-SCT) on clinical outcomes. A total of 302 patients were included for the analysis of immunoparesis, and 197 were evaluable for polyclonal immunoglobulin recovery evaluation. Immunoparesis was observed in 93.5% of cases, with 47% of cases having polyclonal immunoglobulin recovery at 12 months post auto-SCT. Median overall and progression-free survival were longer in the group of patients with complete or partial normalization of polyclonal immunoglobulins. Patients receiving consolidation had a lower level of polyclonal reconstitution. In conclusion, polyclonal immunoglobulin recovery by 12 months post-auto-SCT is associated with superior overall and progression free survival in patients with MM. Efforts to better enhance polyclonal recovery deserve further investigation.

Early Relapse for Multiple Myeloma Patients Undergoing Single Autologous Stem Cell Therapy: A Single-center Experience.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple myeloma is a heterogeneous disease with diverse clinical courses and patient outcomes. Although the introduction of novel agents has improved the overall survival (OS) of multiple myeloma patients, reports have highlighted that a subset of patients persists who experience early relapse (ER) and whose prognosis is significantly poorer than that of patients with a longer therapy response. METHODS: The purpose of the present study was to understand the effect of ER on OS and identify other predictors of OS. We analyzed the outcomes of 257 patients who had undergone novel agent-based induction and single autologous stem cell therapy at our center from 2010 to 2016. RESULTS: ER occurred in 35 patients (13.6%), and the group had a greater percentage of high-risk cytogenetics (48.5% vs. 23.3%; P = .0001), a lower percentage of a very good partial response or better (51.4% vs. 80.5%; P = .001), and a shorter median OS (17.8 months vs. not realized; P = .0001) compared with the non-ER group. Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of ER, high-risk cytogenetics, and lactate dehydrogenase > 350 UI/L are independent prognosticators for OS (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results have demonstrated that ER is an important clinical indicator of patients at high risk. As applications of novel agents evolve, further studies are required to tailor therapy for this patient group.

Oseltamivir resistance in an influenza A (H3N2) virus isolated from an immunocompromised patient during the 2014-2015 influenza season in Alberta, Canada.

This manuscript describes the identification of an oseltamivir-resistant influenza A (H3N2) virus in a respiratory specimen collected from an immunocompromised patient in Alberta, Canada, during the 2014-2015 influenza season. Following treatment with oseltamivir, neuraminidase (NA) gene sequencing indicated the presence of an R292K mutation. Phenotypic susceptibility testing by the NA-Star assay indicated a highly reduced inhibition by oseltamivir and normal inhibition by zanamivir. The use of zanamivir following identification of the oseltamivir-resistant strain, combined with a partial immune reconstitution, was followed by a suggested decrease in the nasopharyngeal viral load in the nasopharynx and clinical improvement of the patient.

Zoster prophylaxis after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation using acyclovir/valacyclovir followed by vaccination.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) disease (usually cutaneous zoster) occurs frequently after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) results in poor quality of life. The optimal prophylaxis of VZV disease/PHN has not been established. At our center, before 2008, VZV prophylaxis consisted of ∼1 year of post-HCT acyclovir/valacyclovir ("old strategy"), whereas post-2008 prophylaxis consisted of 2 years of acyclovir/valacyclovir followed by immunization using varicella vaccine ("new strategy"). We performed a retrospective study comparing the cumulative incidence of VZV disease and PHN among patients who completed the old strategy (n = 153) vs the new strategy (n = 125). Patients who completed the old strategy had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of VZV disease (33% vs 17% at 5 years, P ≤ .01) and PHN (8% vs 0% at 5 years, P = .02). In conclusion, VZV prophylaxis with 2 years of acyclovir/valacyclovir followed by vaccination appears to result in a low incidence of VZV disease and may eliminate PHN.

Adult recipients of matched related donor blood cell transplants given myeloablative regimens including pretransplant antithymocyte globulin have lower mortality related to graft-versus-host disease: a matched pair analysis.

Because pretransplantation anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) seems to reduce graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) and treatment-related mortality (TRM) after unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation (BMT), we investigated this agent in matched related donor (MRD) blood cell transplantation (BCT). Fifty-four adults receiving rabbit ATG, cyclosporine A, and methotrexate with myeloablative conditioning and undergoing first MRD BCT were matched for disease and stage with 54 patients not given ATG. Most ATG-treated patients had fludarabine with oral (7) or i.v. busulfan (46) with total body irradiation (TBI) in 10. Control patients largely received TBI with VP16 (28) or oral busulfan with cyclophosphamide (15) or fludarabine (7). The ATG was given at a total dose of 4.5 mg/kg over 3 d, finishing on day 0. Rates of acute GVHD (aGVHD) grade II-IV, aGVHD grade III-IV, and chronic GVHD (cGVHD) were 19 +/- 5% versus 32 +/- 6% (P = .1), 6 +/- 3% versus 13 +/- 5% (P = NS), and 55 +/- 8% versus 96 +/- 3% (P = .002) in the ATG and control groups, respectively. Patients given ATG had fewer sites involved by cGVHD compared with the control group (mean 2.1 +/- 0.2 versus 2.8 +/- 0.2, P = .04). Non-relapse mortality (NRM) with and without ATG, respectively, was 4 +/- 3% versus 17 +/- 5% at 100 d and 9 +/- 4% versus 34 +/- 7% at 4 yr (P = .002). Deaths were GVHD related in 3 ATG-treated patients versus 14 controls (P = .007). Despite a trend to more relapse with ATG (43 +/- 7% versus 22 +/- 7% at 4 yr, P = 0.05), survival was 66 +/- 7% in the patients given ATG versus 50 +/- 7% in the controls (P = 0.046). This study indicates that myeloablative regimens incorporating fludarabine and oral or i.v. busulfan with pretransplantation ATG given to recipients undergoing MRD BCT may result in less cGVHD, lower TRM, and probably improved quality of life in survivors compared with previous protocols.