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Background: "Hospital-at-home" (HAH) programs have been shown to optimize resource utilization, shorten hospitalization and prevent nosocomial infection., Methods: We retrospectively analysed data regarding implementation of an HAH unit for caring patients with hematological malignancies in our center, during the COVID-19 pandemic., Results: Between January and November 2020, 105 patients were treated in the HAH unit for a total of 204 episodes. Nine patients with multiple myeloma (MM) received autologous HSCT (auto-HSCT). Three patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) received consolidation therapy, 32 patients underwent clinical and analytical monitoring, 20 were transplant recipients early discharged (5 auto-HSCT and 15 allo-HSCT) and 2 had received CART cells therapy. Azacitidine, bortezomib and carfilzomib were administered at home to 54 patients with AML, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or MM. A median of 17 (IQR 13-19) days of admission per patient and a total of 239 visits to the Hematology day-care hospital were avoided. Overall, 28 patients (14% of all episodes) needed admission to the hospital, 4 of them due to COVID-19., Conclusions: Implementation of a Hematology HAH unit was feasible and safe, and provided thorough advanced care to a high-risk population. Advanced care-at-home strategies can be crucial during times of COVID-19 to minimize treatment interruptions and reduce the risk of cross-infections., (© 2021. Japanese Society of Hematology.)

Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Haplo-HSCT) with high-dose cyclophosphamide (PTCy) has resulted in a low incidence of graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), graft failure, and non-relapse mortality. However, post-transplantation relapse remains a common cause of treatment failure in high-risk patients. Unraveling the mechanisms of relapse is therefore crucial for designing effective relapse treatment strategies. One of these mechanisms is the loss of the mismatched HLA on the recipient's leukemic cells. To study the incidence and clinical relevance of this phenomenon, we analyzed 181 patients treated with Haplo-HSCT with PTCy (2007-2019), of which 37 relapsed patients after transplantation. According to the kit employed for HLA-loss analysis, among 22 relapsed patients, we identified HLA loss at relapse in 6 of the 22 patients (27%) studied. Based on the results obtained, the genomic loss of HLA was more common in females than males (66 vs. 33%) and HLA-loss relapses occurred later than classical relapses (345 vs. 166 days). Moreover, the patients with HLA-loss had a greater presence of active disease at the time of transplantation and had undergone a larger number of treatment lines than the group with classical relapses (66 vs. 43% and 66 vs. 18%, respectively). Four of these relapses were studied retrospectively, while two were studied prospectively, the results of which could be considered for patient management. Additionally, two relapsed patients analyzed retrospectively had myeloid neoplasms. One patient had not undergone any treatment, and three had undergone donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) and chemotherapy. All presented severe GVHD and disease progression. In contrast, the two patients studied prospectively had a lymphoid neoplasm and were not treated with DLIs. One of them was treated with chemotherapy but died from disease progression, and the other patient underwent a second Haplo-HSCT from a different donor and is still alive. We can conclude that the detection of HLA-loss at the onset of relapse after Haplo-HSCT with PTCy could help in clinical practice to select appropriate rescue treatment, thereby avoiding the use of DLIs or a second transplantation from the same donor., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Muñiz, Kwon, Carbonell, Chicano, Bailén, Oarbeascoa, Suárez-González, Andrés-Zayas, Menárguez, Dorado, Gómez-Centurión, Anguita, Díez-Martín, Martínez-Laperche and Buño.)

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a systemic inflammatory response with aberrant immune activation and immune hyperstimulation, that leads to increased cytokine levels and inflammation. CRS has been described after antibody and cellular-based therapies. The use of posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) as graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) has led to the extension of allogeneic HSCT to patients without HLA-identical donors. Furthermore, PTCy has also been introduced in matched and unrelated donor HSCT. However, description of incidence and clinical impact of CRS on outcomes in these patients is scarce. We retrospectively analyzed 107 consecutive haplo-HSCT and 39 HLA-identical HSCT with PTCy from 2010 to 2017 in our institution. We used published CRS criteria to identify 76% and 14% of patients who developed CRS after haplo-HSCT and HLA-identical HSCT, respectively. Most patients presented CRS grades 1 and 2. Only one patient from the whole series presented grade 3 CRS and required tocilizumab therapy. The use of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC), as well as total nucleated cells infused were associated with an increased risk of CRS. Patients who presented CRS developed grade II-IV acute GVHD more frequently than those who did not (60% vs 28.6% respectively, P = .012). The development of CRS was not significantly associated with nonrelapse mortality or overall survival. CRS is a frequent complication after PBSC haploidentical T-repleted HSCT, but significantly less frequent after HLA-identical HSCT. Most cases are mild. Prompt identification allows adequate management of severe forms., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Although a number of patients with HIV infection and hematological disease have successfully undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), short and long-term outcomes remain not well known. We report the largest Spanish experience treating HIV-infected adult patients with high-risk hematological malignancies with allogeneic HSCT., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 22 HIV-positive patients who received allogeneic HSCT in five centers in Spain., Results: A total of 22 patients with high-risk hematological malignancies were transplanted between 1999 and 2018. Median age was 44 years. With a median follow-up of 65 months (8-112), overall survival and event-free survival were 46%. Nonrelapse mortality was 14% at 12 months and relapse was 24% at 24 months. Grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) rate was 44%, and moderate/severe chronic GVHD rate was 41% at 24 months. All patients received combination antiretroviral therapy. Two patients showed severe toxicity related to drug interaction with antiretroviral therapy. 68% of patients showed infectious complications with viral infections as the most frequent cause. Two patients had invasive aspergillosis and one patient presented disseminated tuberculosis. All survivors except one maintained undetectable HIV load at last follow-up after HSCT., Conclusion: Allogeneic HSCT is an effective therapy for high-risk hematological malignancies in patients with HIV infection, and long-term HIV suppression with combination antiretroviral therapy is feasible. However, drug interactions with antiretroviral agents, occurrence of GVHD, and frequent infectious complications account for a complex procedure in this population. Selected HIV-infected patients with hematologic malignancies should be considered for allo-HSCT when indicated, in experienced centers.