Fatal posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome after blood transfusion in a patient with myelodysplastic syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is known as a transfusion-related complication with typically favorable prognosis and no report fatalities. Pathological evaluation of PRES is also scarce. CASE REPORT: An 88-year-old female with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) attended our hospital because of a compression fracture and chronic heart failure with chronic anemia. While her hemoglobin levels improved from 4.6 to 8.0 g/dL and the pleural effusions substantially decreased following six units of red blood cell transfusion and diuretic therapy, a gradual decline in cognitive function and speech reduction was noted. PRES was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging of the head. Despite treatment of intensive supportive care, the patient fell into a coma by the 20th day and passed away on the 22nd day. Although the pathophysiological link between blood-transfusion-related PRES and its impact on survival is not fully understood, autopsy findings confirmed the diagnosis of PRES and revealed multiple cerebral hemorrhages that were not detected in earlier imaging studies. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the importance of vigilant monitoring and management of PRES, especially in high-risk populations such as elderly patients with multiple comorbidities or those with thrombocytopenia. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms of PRES in patients with hematologic diseases.

[Congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura diagnosed in adulthood after repeated thrombocytopenia since neonatal period].

A 27-year-old woman was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in the neonatal period, and was admitted to our hospital after presenting with impaired consciousness, purpura, nausea and vomiting, with a platelet count of 10×109/l. Congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (cTTP) was suspected on the basis of recurrent thrombocytopenia and impaired consciousness, so tests for ADAMTS13 activity and inhibitor were performed. ADAMTS13 activity was severely decreased, ADAMTS13 inhibitor was negative, and platelet count increased after transfusion of fresh frozen plasma. These findings and the results of genetic testing done on all family members led to a diagnosis of cTTP. cTTP requires differential diagnosis even in adults. If a patient diagnosed with ITP in childhood has a history or findings that suggest cTTP during follow-up observation, it is necessary to actively consider ADAMTS13 testing.

Risk factors for fatal cardiac complications after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: Japanese Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy transplant complications working group.

Fatal cardiac complications can occur from the early to late phases after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Herein, the Japanese transplant registry database was used to retrospectively analyze health records of 33,791 allogeneic HCT recipients to elucidate the pathogenesis and risk factors involved. Overall, 527 patients died of cardiac complications at a median of 130 (range 0-3924) days after HCT. The cumulative incidence of fatal cardiac complications was 1.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0-1.3) and 1.6% (95% CI: 1.5-1.8) at 1 and 5 years after HCT, respectively. Fatal cardiovascular events were significantly associated with an HCT-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI) score of ≥1 specific to the three cardiovascular items, lower performance status, conditioning regimen cyclophosphamide dose of >120 mg/kg, and female sex. Cardiovascular death risk within 60 days after HCT was associated with the type of conditioning regimen, presence of bacterial or fungal infections at HCT, and number of blood transfusions. Contrastingly, late cardiovascular death beyond 1 year after HCT was associated with female sex and older age. Lower performance status and positive cardiovascular disease-related HCT-CI were risk factors for cardiac complications in all phases after HCT. Systematic follow-up may be necessary according to the patients' risk factors and conditions.

Poor outcome of allogeneic transplantation for therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia induced by prior chemoradiotherapy.

Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) is a therapeutic challenge as a late complication of chemotherapy (CHT) and/or radiotherapy (RT) for primary malignancy. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) presents itself as a curative approach. To establish the optimal allo-HSCT strategy for t-AML, we evaluated the relationship between characteristics of primary malignancy and allo-HSCT outcomes. Patients with t-AML or de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who underwent first allo-HSCT in Japan from 2011 to 2018 were identified using a nationwide database. The detailed background of t-AML was obtained by additional questionnaires. Multivariate analysis and propensity score matching (PSM) analysis were performed to detect the prognostic factors associated with t-AML and compare outcomes with de novo AML. We analyzed 285 t-AML and 6761 de novo AML patients. In patients with t-AML, receiving both CHT and RT for primary malignancy was an independent poor-risk factor for relapse and overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio (HR) 1.62; p = 0.029 and HR 1.65; p = 0.009, reference: CHT alone group), whereas other primary malignancy-related factors had no effect on the outcome. Compared to the CHT alone group, complex karyotypes were significantly increased in the CHT + RT group (86.1% vs. 57.5%, p = 0.007). In the PSM cohort, t-AML patients with prior CHT and RT had significantly worse 3-year OS than those with de novo AML (25.2% and 42.7%; p = 0.009). Our results suggest that prior CHT and RT for primary malignancy may be associated with increased relapse and worse OS of allo-HSCT in t-AML.

Risk factors and outcome of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: JSTCT, Transplant Complications Working Group.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia) is an aerobic nonfermenting Gram-negative bacillus widely distributed in the environment that has inherent multidrug resistance to beta-lactam and carbapenem antibiotics. S. maltophilia infection (SMI) is known as an important fatal complication following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but its clinical characteristics have not been well clarified. A retrospective study to identify the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of SMI after allogeneic HSCT was performed using the database of the Japanese nationwide registry, including 29,052 patients who received allogeneic HSCT in Japan between January 2007 and December 2016. A total of 665 patients developed SMI (sepsis/septic shock, 432; pneumonia, 171; other, 62). The cumulative incidence of SMI at 100 days after HSCT was 2.2%. Among risk factors identified for SMI (age ≥ 50 years, male, performance status 2-4, cord blood transplantation [CBT], myeloablative conditioning, Hematopoietic Cell Transplant-Comorbidity Index [HCT-CI] score 1-2, HCT-CI score ≥ 3, and active infectious disease at HSCT), CBT was the strongest risk factor (hazard ratio, 2.89; 95%CI, 1.94-4.32; p < 0.001). The survival rate at day 30 after SMI was 45.7%, and SMI before neutrophil engraftment was significantly associated with poor survival (survival rate 30 days after SMI, 40.1% and 53.8% in patients with SMI before and after engraftment, respectively; p = 0.002). SMI is rare after allogeneic HSCT, but its prognosis is extremely poor. CBT was a strong risk factor for SMI, and its development prior to neutrophil engraftment was associated with poor survival.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation for children and adolescents/young adults with de novo blastic phase chronic myeloid leukemia in the tyrosine kinase inhibitor era.

The analysis of 165 children and adolescents/young adults with de novo blastic phase chronic myeloid leukemia showed disease status at hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was a strong prognostic factor and clearly separated the patient outcomes.

[Acute myeloid leukemia with type I CBFB::MYH11 fusion gene not detected by screening test for leukemia-related chimeric genes].

A 27-year-old woman with pancytopenia was admitted to our hospital. Bone marrow aspiration revealed 52.2% myeloperoxidase-positive myeloblasts, leading to a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. While a screening test for chimeric genes related to leukemia initially yielded negative results, including for the CBFB::MYH11 fusion gene, G-banded karyotyping uncovered the presence of inv (16)(p13.1q22). Further investigation by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) confirmed the split signals for CBFB. A second screening test for leukemia-related chimeric genes with different PCR primers revealed the elusive CBFB::MYH11 fusion gene. Subsequently, the type I CBFB::MYH11 fusion gene was identified through exhaustive exploration using RNA sequencing for fusion gene discovery. This exceptional case highlights the existence of a distinctive subtype of CBFB::MYH11 that may yield false-negative results in conventional chimeric fusion screening, thus emphasizing the indispensable utility of PCR primer modification, FISH, and RNA sequencing in the investigative process.

Outcomes of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for patients with hematologic diseases ≥60 years old.

Hematologic diseases frequently affect people >60 years old, and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is a potentially curative treatment for these patients. Although several multicenter studies proposed the risk assessment of allo-SCT for the elderly, they receive different treatments and management at each facility. Therefore, accumulating data from institutions that exhibit relatively the same treatment policy and patient care is important. This retrospective study aimed to clarify the prognostic factors of allo-SCT for the elderly in our institution. Of the 104 patients, 51.0% were 60-64 years old, and 49.0% were ≥65 years old. The 3-year overall survival (OS) was 40.9% and 35.7% for patients 60-64 and ≥65 years old, respectively, which is not significant. While the disease status prior to allo-SCT demonstrated strong effects on the 3-year OS for patients that are 60-64 years old (in remission, 76.9%; non-remission, 15.7%, p<0.001), this effect was smaller for patients ≥65 years old (in remission, 43.1%; non-remission, 30.1%, p=0.048). Multivariate analysis revealed that the performance status (PS), not the disease status prior to allo-SCT, was the prognostic risk factor of OS for patients aged ≥65 years. Our data suggest that PS is a useful predictor of better OS following allo-SCT, especially for patients ≥65 years old.

Incidence and predictors of recurrent sick leave in survivors who returned to work after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Although rather favorable probabilities of return to work have been reported after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), survivors often have difficulty continuing to work because of their immunocompromised status and diverse late effects after allo-HCT. We evaluated the incidence of and risk factors for recurrent sick leave in allo-HCT survivors after they initially returned to work. METHODS: We targeted allo-HCT survivors who were employed at diagnosis, aged 20-64 at survey, and survived for ≥ 2 years without relapse. Of the 1904 survivors who were informed of the study, 1148 returned the questionnaire (60%), and 1048 eligible participants were included in the overall analysis. In the present study that considered recurrent sick leave after return to work, we targeted 896 participants who returned to work at least once after allo-HCT. Participants stated if they had recurrent sick leave after returning to work and its reasons, as well as associated patient-, HCT/HCT center-, and work-related factors and clinical events after allo-HCT. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore correlated factors for recurrent sick leave. RESULTS: In survivors who returned to work, 30% required recurrent sick leave. The most frequent causes of recurrent leave were physical issues (72%), and analysis of free descriptions demonstrated that these were mainly associated with graft-versus-host disease, infection, or readmission. Other reasons included work-related issues such as gap between physical and working conditions. Multivariate analysis showed that cord blood transplantation, longer employment duration, and counseling from healthcare professionals were associated with a lower risk of recurrent leave. Readmission, immunosuppressant use, and symptoms involving the respiratory system, gut, and joints and muscles were associated with a higher risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our results drawn from a large cohort study should help healthcare professionals identify and assist at-risk patients. Multi-professional teams that provide continuous support and effective communication with the workplace are necessary to improve long-term outcomes after allo-HCT. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: In order to continue working after the initial return to work, it is important to receive counseling from healthcare professionals and obtain reasonable accommodation from workplace.

The Confirmation of Safety for the Intensified Conditioning Regimens: A Retrospective Study of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Non-Remission Hematological Malignant Diseases.

Background: The prognosis of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for non-remission hematological malignant diseases is usually unfavorable. The most uncontrollable factor is residual disease or relapse. To overcome this problem, intensified conditioning regimens- sequential and/or additional chemotherapy to the standard regimen- could be effective. However, increasing the intensity of conditioning might also lead to more complications. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 81 patients with non-remission disease who received allogeneic HSCT in our institution between 2007 and 2011. Results: 55.6% in 36 myeloablative conditioning patients and 46.7% in 45 reduced-intensity conditioning patients received intensified conditioning. The 5-year probability of overall survival was 35.0% and 17.1% in the standard and intensified group, respectively (p=0.027). Relapse mortality was 30% in the standard regimen group and 36.6% in the intensified regimen group (p=0.54). Transplant-related mortality (TRM) at 30 and 100 days was 5%, 17.1% (p=0.086) and 27.5%, 34.2% (p=0.52) in the standard and intensified group, respectively. There was no difference in TRM between the 2 groups at 30 days and 100 days. Conclusion: The results of the study confirm the safety of the intensified conditioning regimen. Meanwhile, it could be considered as one of the few methods available to reduce the tumor burden before HSCT for refractory malignant diseases.

Encephalomyelitis mimicking multiple sclerosis associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

We describe a case of encephalomyelitis mimicking multiple sclerosis associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurring after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for myelodysplastic syndrome. Immunosuppressive therapy, consisting of a therapeutic dose of cyclosporine A and a maintenance dose of methylprednisolone, was effective in treating symptoms. Although central nervous system GVHD is very rare and remains controversial, presentation of neurological symptoms after allogeneic BMT warrants consideration of GVHD in the differential diagnosis.

Oral valganciclovir as preemptive therapy is effective for cytomegalovirus infection in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

Between March 2007 and January 2008, the safety and efficacy of oral valganciclovir (VGC) preemptive therapy for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was evaluated in ten consecutive patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Patients were screened once or twice per week after engraftment using CMV pp65 antigenemia assay. When more than 2 CMV antigen-positive cells per 50,000 leukocytes were detected, preemptive therapy with oral VGC was initiated at a dose of 900 mg twice daily for 3 weeks. Nine patients (90%) completed the 3-week VGC treatment except for one patient who developed febrile neutropenia. There was no other significant toxicity. CMV antigen-positive cells were rapidly decreased in all nine patients and became undetectable by the end of the VGC treatment. None of the patients developed CMV disease. CMV infection relapsed in four of the ten patients (40%) after the VGC treatment. These observations suggest that preemptive therapy with VGC is effective for preventing CMV disease in allogeneic HSCT patients. Further studies with a large number of patients will be necessary to determine the optimal initial- and maintenance-dose of VGC.

Toxoplasmosis encephalitis following severe graft-vs.-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: 17 yr experience in Fukuoka BMT group.

Toxoplasmosis is a rare but rapidly fatal complication that can occur following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Over a 17-yr period at our institutions, a definite diagnosis of toxoplasmosis was made in only two of 925 allogeneic HSCT recipients (0.22%) and none of 641 autologous HSCT recipients. These two patients received a conventional conditioning regimen followed by transplantation from an HLA-matched donor; however, they developed severe graft-vs.-host disease, which required intensive immunosuppressive therapy. Despite prophylactic treatment with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, their immunosuppressive state, as indicated by a low CD4(+) cell count, might have resulted in toxoplasmosis encephalitis. Rapid and non-invasive methods such as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test of their cerebrospinal fluid for Toxoplasma gondii and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain were useful for providing a definitive diagnosis and prompt therapy in these patients: one patient stabilized and survived after responding to treatment with pyrimethamine/sulfodiazine whereas the other died of bacterial infection. In addition, retrospective PCR analyses of the frozen stored peripheral blood samples disclosed that detection of T. gondii preceded the onset of disease, indicating routine PCR testing of peripheral blood specimens may be an early diagnostic tool. It should be noted that when patients receiving HSCT have an unexplained fever and/or neurological complications, PCR tests should be considered to avoid cerebral lesions and improve the outcome of the patients.