Allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation from related donors mismatched at 2 HLA loci in the host-versus-graft direction.

In allogeneic stem cell transplantation, immune reactions can occur in 2 directions. The recipient's lymphocytes can recognize the donor's cells as "foreign" and attempt to kill them, which results in the host-versus-graft (HVG) reaction that is commonly termed graft rejection. The other direction is the graft-versus-host (GVH) reaction. When the recipient is homozygous at a mismatched human leukocyte antigen (HLA) locus, HLA disparity is present only in the former direction and not in the latter direction. If transplants harvested from such an HVG-mismatched donor can be used to achieve stable engraftment with minimal toxicity, then these donors can potentially be a useful alternative donor source. Here, we report 2 patients (1 with acute myeloblastic leukemia and another with lymphoblastic lymphoma) who were transplanted with peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) obtained from related donors mismatched at 2 HLA loci in the HVG direction but completely matched in the GVH direction. Our conditioning regimen, consisting of busulfan, cyclophosphamide, low-dose total body irradiation (TBI) (4 Gy), and fludarabine, achieved successful engraftment with an acceptable level of regimen-related toxicity. Our experience suggests that PBSC transplantation with an HVG-mismatched related donor and an appropriate conditioning regimen may be a therapeutic option for patients in whom early transplantation is desirable.

Autografting followed by a reduced-intensity conditioning unrelated donor cord blood transplantation for a patient with refractory multiple myeloma: successful engraftment with minimal toxicity.

We report on a 59-yr-old man with recurrent multiple myeloma. To reduce treatment-related mortality, while retaining the cytoreductive effects of high-dose chemotherapy, as well as graft vs. myeloma effect, we used a reduced-intensity conditioning umbilical cord blood (CB) transplantation following high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation support. This patient was engrafted rapidly and extramedullary toxicities were acceptable. Although he had local recurrence in the right calf on day +130 after the CB transplantation, the tumor was successfully treated with radiation therapy, and he is alive and well at present (day +480).