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The incidence of severe adverse events (SAEs) and associated risk factors in hematopoietic cell transplantation donors needs to be clarified for related donors (relatives of the transplant recipient), whose criteria for donation are more lenient than for unrelated donors. Data from related donors registered in the Japanese national data registry database between 2005 and 2021 were evaluated to determine the association of short-term SAE incidence with donor characteristics at registration.Fourteen of 4339 bone marrow (BM) donors (0.32%) and 54 of 10,684 peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donors (0.51%) experienced confirmed SAEs during the short donation period. No deaths were observed. Past medical history was a common risk factor for SAEs in both BM and PBSC donors. Age of 60 years or older and female sex were identified as risk factors for SAEs in PBSC donors. Female sex was also a risk factor for poor mobilization, which resulted in discontinuation of PBSC collection.Although donors should be selected carefully, a certain level of safety is ensured for related donors in Japan. Donor safety should be further increased by improving the selection method for related donors and extending the follow-up period.

We analyzed a Japanese registry database to elucidate the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of adenovirus (AdV) disease after autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in contemporary real-world patients. We evaluated the cumulative incidence of AdV disease, as well as risk factors, survival, and treatment details, among 25 233 patients who underwent autologous HCT and 48 380 patients who underwent allogeneic HCT between 2005 and 2019. The 1-year cumulative incidences of AdV disease after autologous and allogeneic HCT were 0.18% and 1.52%, respectively, in children, and 0.49% and 2.99%, respectively, in adults. Among patients with AdV disease, renourinary infection was the most common manifestation, and viremia or disseminated disease occurred in 6% of those after autologous HCT and 19% of those after allogeneic HCT. In multivariate analysis, age ≥50 years and lymphoma were associated with AdV disease after autologous HCT, while patients age ≥50 years, male patients, lymphoma, HCT-specific comorbidity index ≥3, human leukocyte antigen-mismatched or haploidentical donors, cord blood, in vivo T-cell depletion, HCT from 2005 to 2009, acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and chronic GVHD were associated with AdV disease after allogeneic HCT. The 1-year probabilities of survival after disease diagnosis were 65% in autologous HCT and 44% in allogeneic HCT. Regardless of the AdV disease burden, there was an increased risk of mortality after both autologous and allogeneic HCT. The most commonly used antiviral agents were cidofovir and vidarabine. The probabilities of improvement and survival with currently available agents were suboptimal. AdV disease after HCT remains a challenge. Better antiviral modalities are necessary.

The MEAM regimen consisting of ranimustine (MCNU), etoposide (ETP), cytarabine (Ara-C), and melphalan (MEL) is widely used before auto-peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT) for malignant lymphoma in Japan. The MEAM regimen generally consists of 200-400 mg/mThe high-dose Ara-C MEAM protocol consisted of MCNU 300 mg/mAll patients got engraftment and there were no cases of treatment-related mortality. In all cases, the 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) after transplantation were 80.6% and 65.7%, respectively. Twenty-one cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma recurrence, for which there is proven usefulness of auto-PBSCT, showed good results after transplantation, with the 3-year OS and PFS after transplantation being 100% and 74.3%, respectively.The safety and efficacy of high-dose Ara-C MEAM therapy were demonstrated, but the expected therapeutic effect on central nervous system lesions could not be fully evaluated owing to the small number of cases.

The effects of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) on systemic chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (sCAEBV) are yet to be analyzed in a large number of patients. Using the Japanese registry database, Transplant Registry Unification Management Program, we investigated the outcomes of 102 sCAEBV patients who underwent allo-HSCT. The median age at HSCT was 21 years, and the three-year overall survival (3-year OS) rate was 72.5%. Of the 90 patients whose viral load after allo-HSCT was evaluated, 56 (62.2%) achieved a virological complete response, defined by the complete resolution of disease activity with a significant decrease in EBV-DNA in peripheral blood. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model indicated that advanced age, in adolescents and young adults (AYA) (age, 15-39) and adults (age, ≥40 years) was a risk factor of poor OS. The hazard ratios (HRs) of the AYA and adult groups were 10.87 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.98-59.56, p = .006) and 15.93 (95% CI: 2.45-103.8, p = .004), respectively. Disease activity (HR 5.74), elevated soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) (≥ median, 691 U/mL) at HSCT (HR 6.93), and conditioning without radiotherapy (HR 3.53) were also independently associated with poor survival. Notably, 79% of radiotherapy doses were less than 6 Gy. Regardless of the presence of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, the group with a high sIL-2R level (≥2000 U/mL) showed a poorer prognosis. Although allo-HSCT is the only curative therapy for sCAEBV, treatment strategies need to be improved for high-risk patients, especially those with high levels of sIL-2R.

This study characterized the outcomes of patients who underwent hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for transformed follicular lymphoma (tFL), and clarified the association of low-dose anti-thymocyte globulin use with outcomes after allogeneic HCT. The retrospective study cohort included 74 consecutive patients who underwent autologous (n = 23) or allogeneic (n = 51) HCT at our center from 2000 to 2017. Compared with the allogeneic HCT group, the autologous HCT group underwent fewer systemic regimens before HCT (median 2 vs. 5, p < 0.001) and were more likely to have chemosensitive disease at HCT (100% vs. 82%, p = 0.05), while age, sex and HCT-specific comorbidity index were similar between the two groups. With a median follow-up of 5.8 years among survivors, the 5-year probability of progression-free survival was 64% after autologous HCT and 55% after allogeneic HCT (p = 0.21). The 5-year cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality was 0% after autologous HCT and 9.5% after allogeneic HCT (p = 0.062). The 5-year cumulative incidence of disease progression was similar between autologous and allogeneic HCT (36% vs. 36%, respectively, p = 0.88). In the allogeneic HCT group, the use of low-dose anti-thymocyte globulin was associated with a lower incidence of severe acute GVHD but not with an increased risk of mortality or disease progression. More than half of patients with early phase chemosensitive tFL and approximately half of those with advanced-phase tFL achieved long-term progression-free survival with autologous and allogeneic HCT, respectively. Disease progression was the major cause of treatment failure after both types of HCT. Further strategies are needed to reduce the risk of disease progression.

Background Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection places a burden on the patient and ideally should be completed in a single procedure. Consequently, a convenient predictive factor is needed for clinical use. Methods This retrospective study included 72 patients who underwent autologous PBSC collection. A median volume of 3.9×106 CD34-positive cells/kg (range: 0.3-47.4×106 cells/kg) was collected on the first day. We defined failure as an inability to collect 2.0×106 cells/kg on the first day. Patients were classified into failure (n = 25, 34.7%) and success groups (n = 47, 65.3%), and their clinical backgrounds were analyzed. Results The success group included a significantly larger number of cases in which a differential white blood cell count of the peripheral blood on the day of PBSC collection detected promyelocytes (n = 34, 72.3% vs. failure group: n = 11, 44.0%; P＝0.008). Sixty-two patients underwent autologous PBSC transplantation with a median of 5.6×106 transplanted cells/μL (range: 1.60-47.4×106 cells/μL). Among transplanted patients, no significant differences were observed between the success and failure groups in terms of the intervals until neutrophil, platelet, and red blood cell engraftment. Conclusion The presence of promyelocytes in peripheral blood may be a useful indicator of the optimal timing for single-step PBSC collection.

Initial staging by positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanning is recommended for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Whether both PET/CT and bone marrow biopsy (BMB) are required remains unclear. This study examined whether staging by PET/CT is sufficient. Participants with untreated DLBCL assessed using both PET/CT and BMB were included. Patients received independent diagnostic assessments from a radiologist and a hematopathologist. Both hematoxylin-eosin staining and CD20 immunostaining were performed to determine the bone marrow involvement in BMB. A total of 84 patients were included. The number of patients with positive bone marrow involvement identified by PET/CT and BMB was 16 (19%) and 22 (26%), respectively. Eight (10%) patients showed positive results in both tests. When considering BMB as a reference, PET/CT showed 36% sensitivity and 87% specificity, with positive and negative predictive values of 50% and 79%, respectively. BMB-positive patients had shorter progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival than their BMB-negative counterparts. Compared to PET/CT-negative patients, patients with positive results did not show any significant differences in PFS and OS. However, among 16 PET/CT-positive patients, poor PFS and OS were observed among patients who were also BMB positive. BMB remains a mandatory step in staging of untreated DLBCL patients.

BACKGROUND Because the cause of liver dysfunction after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is difficult to identify in the early stages, treatment may be delayed. Therefore, early factors associated with unfavorable outcomes of liver dysfunction must be identified. The objective of this study was to identify unfavorable prognostic factors for liver dysfunction during the early period after transplantation. METHODS We defined liver dysfunction as elevated liver or biliary enzyme levels (corresponding to Grade 2 in the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0) within 30 days of transplantation and retrospectively investigated data from 82 patients who had undergone allogeneic HSCT at our center. RESULTS Elevated liver or biliary enzyme levels were observed in almost half of the patients studied (n=40, 48.7%). Elevated total bilirubin (T-Bil) level was the most frequently observed unfavorable prognostic factor and had the greatest effect on overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and non-relapse mortality (NRM) (probability of unfavorable outcome in patients without and with elevated T-Bil level: OS, 58.9% vs. 15.4%, p < 0.001; PFS, 46.4% vs. 15.4%, p < 0.001; NRM, 10.7% vs. 53.8%, p < 0.001). Moreover, the probability of an unfavorable outcome increased in relation to the degree of T-Bil elevation and absence of improvement over time in T-Bil level. CONCLUSION Elevated T-Bil level was an important marker of outcomes for liver dysfunction after allogeneic HSCT.

A 21-year-old man presented with bone marrow failure, short stature, fatty degeneration of the pancreas on CT images, and Shwachman-Bodian-Diamond syndrome (SBDS) gene abnormalities (exon 2: c.258+2TC and deletion of exon 3). Thus, the patient was diagnosed with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS). In the clinical course, the patient developed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from the human-leukocytic-antigen-haploidentical father of the patient was performed. The patient was conditioned with 150 mg/m

The disease-specific impact of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) has not been determined. We retrospectively assessed the impact of ATG in allo-HCT using nationwide registry data from the Japan Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. We included patients who received their first allo-HCT between 2007 and 2018 for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), or malignant lymphoma (ML). In total, 8747 patients were included: 7635 patients did not receive ATG and 1112 patients received ATG as GVHD prophylaxis. The median follow-up period of surviving patients was 1457 days. There was no significant impact of pretransplant ATG on the OS or NRM rates in patients with ALL, AML, or ML. In patients with MDS, the probability of 3-year OS was 53.3% in the non-ATG group and 64.2% in the ATG group (P = 0.001). The cumulative incidence rates of relapse and NRM at 3 years were 14.2% and 30.3% (95% CI 27.2-33.3%), respectively, in the non-ATG group and 17.1% and 18.1% in the ATG group (P = 0.15 and P 0.001). The same finding was observed in a propensity-score matched cohort. Our study suggests that the clinical benefit of ATG could vary among hematological diseases.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major infectious complication following an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Recent large-scale retrospective studies reported that CMV reactivation is an independent risk factor for poor post-transplant outcomes, although the development of CMV end-organ disease is suppressed by the CMV antiviral preemptive therapy, which has been mainly analyzed for hematopoietic malignancies, such as acute leukemia. However, it remains unclear whether CMV reactivation also has a negative effect on post-transplant outcomes in aplastic anemia (AA). Therefore, we evaluated the clinical relevance of CMV reactivation in patients with AA using the registry database of the Japan Society for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. Adult patients with AA who underwent their first allo-HSCT between 2005 and 2017 and who survived with neutrophil engraftment until 100 days post-transplantation were analyzed (n = 672). Patients were monitored using pp65 antigenemia since the time of engraftment, and CMV reactivation in the analysis of this study was defined as the beginning of CMV preemptive or definitive therapy within 100 days post-transplantation. CMV reactivation occurred in 372 (55%) patients, including 19 with CMV end-organ disease. In time-dependent multivariate analysis, patients aged ≥40 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.89; P = .003) who underwent transplantation from HLA-matched related peripheral blood stem cells (HR, 2.85; P = .008), HLA-matched unrelated bone marrow (BM) (HR, 2.01; P = .036), and other stem cell sources (HR, 2.32; P = .007) compared to HLA-matched related BM, CMV reactivation (HR 1.65; P = .042), grade II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (HR 1.73; P = .013), and secondary graft failure (HR 7.09; P.001) had independent risk factors that significantly decreased overall survival, indicating that CMV reactivation, one of the early events at post-transplantation, had a significant negative impact on the long-term prognosis at post-transplantation. This effect was more pronounced in patients aged ≥40 years who received a graft from other than HLA-matched related BM. Comparing the causes of death with and without CMV reactivation, no significant difference in the frequency of each cause of death was observed between the 2 groups (P = .453). Improvement of post-transplant CMV management that effectively suppresses CMV reactivation in the early stage at post-transplantation will be required to improve post-transplant outcomes, especially in high-risk patients.

We report a case of a 16-year-old woman who achieved her third complete remission of acute lymphoblastic leukemia after undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation for the second time from an unrelated donor. On post-transplantation day 30, she showed weight gain, hepatomegaly, right hypochondriac pain, and ascites. On day 35, ultrasonography (US) revealed portal vein regurgitation. She was subsequently diagnosed with late-onset sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) and was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) on day 36 for multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and disseminated intravascular coagulation, requiring mechanical ventilation. Her SOS was graded as very severe upon ICU admission. Recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (380 U/kg/day) and methylprednisolone (2 mg/kg/day) therapies were initiated. Additionally, her intra-abdominal pressure had increased to 19 mmHg, which was thought to be the cause of MODS. Ascites drainage (1,000 ml/day), according to the treatment for abdominal compartment syndrome, improved her SOS and MODS. She was weaned from mechanical ventilation on the 10th day after ICU transfer, and US showed resolution of the portal vein regurgitation. She was transferred to the general ward on the 14th day. She had not experienced disease recurrence at her last visit (527 days after the second transplantation).

Background and Aim Systemic chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (sCAEBV) is an intractable and progressive disease of which the symptoms include persistent or recurrent inflammation and harboring EBV-infected clonally proliferating T- or NK-cells. 24% of sCAEBV patients progress to hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a life-threatening condition. (Blood Adv. 2020;4:p2918) The presence of HLH at hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is associated with poor survival in sCAEBV (BMT. 2016;15;p879). Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) plays pivotal roles in developing HLH, and antagonistic anti-IFN-γ antibody is effective against HLH (N Engl J Med 2020;382:p1811). In this study, we examined the plasma level of IFN-γ to investigate its impact on disease conditions of sCAEBV and its possibility as a therapeutic target. Methods sCAEBV was diagnosed based on following criteria which confirm with the definition of CAEBV in the WHO 2017 classification: (1) elevated EBV-DNA load in peripheral blood (PB) (>10 2.5 copies/μg DNA) (2) EBV infection of T- or NK-cells (see below) in the affected tissues or PB (3) systemic inflammatory symptoms persisting for more than three months (4) exclusion of other possible diagnoses: primary infection of EBV, autoimmune disease, congenital immunodeficiency, HIV, and other immunodeficiencies or underlying diseases with potential immunosuppression Patients who fulfilled all criteria (1) to (4) were diagnosed as sCAEBV. (Blood Adv. 2020;4(13):2918-2926.) We defined a patient's condition as active disease when presenting any of following persistent inflammation: fever, liver dysfunction, progressive skin lesions, vasculitis, or uveitis. The plasma concentration of IFN-γ was measured by high sensitivity cytokine beads assay. mRNA was measured by real-time RT-PCR using TaqMan ® system. Results We examined 18 sCAEBV patients (CD4 type n = 7, CD8 type n = 1, and CD56 type n = 10). Their IFN-γ plasma levels were significantly higher than those of healthy donors. The levels in sCAEBV patients with active disease were higher than those with inactive disease. The mRNA expression of IFN-γ was detected in EBV-infected cells of all patients. A patient whose plasma IFN-γ was extremely high harbored HLH with markedly high expression of the mRNA of IFN-γ in EBV-infected cells, but there was no statistical correlation between the plasma IFN-γ levels and the mRNA levels of EBV-infected cells. Discussion Our findings infer IFN-γ's role in the inflammation of sCAEBV. The mRNA expression of IFN-γ was detected in EBV-infected cells of all patients. We discovered earlier that STAT3, a responsible transcriptional factor for IFN-γ expression, is constitutively activated in EBV-infected T- or NK-cells of CAEBV (Oncotarget.2018; 9;31077). Thus, we suspected that IFN-γ is produced by EBV-infected cells. Meanwhile, there was no statistical correlation between the plasma IFN-γ levels and the mRNA levels of EBV-infected cells as a whole. The proliferation of non-infected immunocompetent cells, such as NK cells, CD8-positive T cells, macrophages, and histiocytes, are often detected in the lesions of CAEBV. These cells also possibly produce IFN-γ. sCAEBV patients accompanied by hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) had significantly higher IFN-γ levels in the serum compared to those without HLH. There was a report on emapalumab's effect on primary HLH. We expect emapalumab, a human anti-IFN-γ, is effective to sCAEBV patients, particularly who is harboring HLH． Conclusion Plasma IFN-γ in sCAEBV indicates disease activity and potentially be a therapeutic target. Disclosures Arai: Abbvie GK: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai Co Ltd: Research Funding; Abbott Japan LLC: Honoraria; Kyowa Kirin Co ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical Co ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku Co Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co ltd: Research Funding; Novartis Pharma KK: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Shionogi & Co ltd: Research Funding; Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation: Research Funding; Sanofi KK: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc: Honoraria.

Background and aims Systemic chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (sCAEBV) is classified as T- or NK-cell neoplasms in the WHO classification revised in 2017. Although allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is efficacious for sCAEBV, the effects are yet to be analyzed in a large number of cases due to the disease rarity. To investigate the outcomes and the prognostic factors of allo-HSCT in sCAEBV under the definition of the WHO 2017 classification, we analyzed retrospectively using the database of Japanese Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (JSTCT). Methods Data collection We used the clinical data of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients of the Transplant Registry Unified Management Program (TRUMP) sponsored by JSTCT and Japanese Data Center for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (JDCHCT). Patients who underwent HSCT to cure EBV-associated diseases, secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), and virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome between January 1993 and December 2016 were selected in TRUMP database, and on our behalf, JDCHCT sent out survey questions to the institutions of these patients to collect additional data to check if the diagnosis of sCAEBV matches our criteria, to analyze disease status at the time of HSCT, and to evaluate the efficacy of different treatment methods. The diagnosis of sCAEBV sCAEBV was diagnosed according to criteria suggested in 2016 by the Research group of Measures against Intractable Diseases by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan: (1) elevated EBV DNA load in peripheral blood (PB) (> 10 2.5 copies/μg DNA), (2) detection of EBV infection in T or NK cells from the affected tissues or PB, (3) systemic inflammatory symptoms such as fever, lymphadenopathy, liver dysfunction, progressive skin lesions, vasculitis, and uveitis persisting for > 3 months, and (4) exclusion of other possible diseases, such as primary EBV infection, autoimmune disease, immunodeficiencies, and lymphomas. Patients who fulfilled all (1) to (4) were diagnosed as sCAEBV. These criteria are compatible with the definition of sCAEBV described in the WHO definition of 2017. The definitions of disease activities and responses The disease activities are defined in previous reports (Blood. 2012;119, p673 and BMT. 2016;51, p879) as follows: positive of fever, ALT level elevation, vasculitis, progressive skin lesions, or uveitis. We defined the complete resolution of disease activity as complete response (CR) and CR with a significant decrease in PB EBV-DNA load (< 10 2.5 copies/μg DNA) as virological CR (vCR). Results 81 patients who met the diagnostic criteria of sCAEBV were analyzed. The median age at HSCT was 24 years old, and the three-year overall survival rate (3-year OS) was 74.0%. Of 74 patients whose viral load after HSCT evaluated, 49 (66.2%) achieved vCR. The multivariate cox proportional hazard model revealed that advanced age, adolescent and young adult (AYA) (age, 15-39; n = 48) and adult (age, > 40; n = 13), was a risk factor of poor OS. The hazard ratios (HR) of AYA and adult groups were 10.14 and 4.63 respectively. It also showed that the presence of HLH at HSCT (HR 4.55), high sIL-2R (≥ median, 691 U/mL) at HSCT (HR 5.27), and conditioning without total body irradiation (HR 3.23) were independently associated with poor survival. Moreover, the median survival time of patients with active disease and extremely high sIL-2R level (≥ 3 × median, 2073 U/mL) was 0.9 months, whereas the other groups did not reach the median. Conclusion Although HSCT is the only curative treatment for sCAEBV, the strategies need improvements in high-risk cases, especially of high sIL-2R. Disclosures Arai: ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Honoraria, Research Funding; CHUGAI PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin CO., LTD.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Elsai Co Ltd: Research Funding; Abbott Japan LLC: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku Co. Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd: Research Funding; Novartis Pharma KK: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Shionogi & Co Ltd: Research Funding; Asahi Kasri Pharma Corporation: Research Funding; Sanofi: Honoraria; Pfizer japan: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Honoraria. Yamamoto: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Eisai Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; NIPPON SINYAKU CO., LTD: Honoraria; Novartis Pharma: Honoraria; ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO.: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria. Nakamae: Astellas Pharma Inc.: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd: Honoraria; ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Honoraria; Simon-Kucher & Partners: Honoraria; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company: Honoraria, Research Funding; Alexion: Research Funding; PPD-SNBL K.K: Research Funding; CMIC HOLDINGS Co., Ltd: Research Funding. Ichinohe: Repertoire Genesis Inc.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis Pharma K.K.: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Zenyaku Kogyo Co.: Research Funding; Takara Bio Inc.: Research Funding; Taiho Pharmaceutical Co.: Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co.: Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku Co: Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical Co.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin Co.: Honoraria, Research Funding; FUJIFILM Wako Chemicals.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Eisai Co.: Honoraria, Research Funding; CSL Behring: Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.: Honoraria; AbbVie Pharma: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding. Atsuta: Astellas Pharma Inc.: Speakers Bureau; Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Speakers Bureau; AbbVie GK: Speakers Bureau; Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd: Honoraria; Meiji Seika Pharma Co, Ltd.: Honoraria.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are considered common complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Objectives and Method: In this study, 114 patients who had undergone allo-HSCT were retrospectively analyzed to investigate the risk factors for onset of posttransplant AKI and CKD as defined by the new Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. Results: Seventy-four patients (64.9%) developed AKI and 25 (21.9%) developed CKD. The multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors for developing stage 1 or higher AKI were age ≥46 years at the time of transplant (p = 0.001) and use of ≥3 nephrotoxic drugs (p = 0.036). For CKD, the associated risk factors were disease status other than complete remission at the time of transplantation (p = 0.018) and onset of AKI after transplant (p = 0.035). The 5-year overall survival (OS) was significantly reduced by development of AKI (p < 0.001), but not CKD. Posttransplant AKI significantly increased the 5-year nonrelapse mortality (p < 0.001), whereas posttransplant CKD showed an increasing tendency, but the difference was not significant. Conclusions: Posttransplant AKI impacts OS, significantly increases the risk of CKD, and is significantly associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation and use of ˃3 nephrotoxic drugs.

This study aimed to characterize the incidence and risk factors of invasive fungal disease, cytomegalovirus infection, other viral diseases, and gram-negative rod infection after glucocorticoid treatment for severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and to elucidate the associations of cumulative steroid dose with the risks of individual infections. The study cohort included 91 consecutive patients who developed maximum grades III and IV acute GVHD at our center. The mean cumulative prednisolone-equivalent dose was 41 mg/kg during the first 4 weeks. The cumulative incidence rates of fungal disease, cytomegalovirus disease, other viral diseases, and gram-negative rod infection at 6 months after glucocorticoid treatment were remarkably high, at 14%, 21%, 28%, and 20%, respectively. GVHD within 26 days after transplantation and low lymphocyte count at GVHD treatment were associated with increased risks of several infections. Cumulative prednisolone-equivalent steroid doses ≥ 55 mg/kg during the first 4 weeks were associated with an increased risk of fungal disease (hazard ratio, 3.65; P = .03) and cumulative doses ≥ 23 mg/kg were associated with an increased risk of non-cytomegalovirus viral diseases (hazard ratio, 4.14; P = .02). Strategies to reduce the risk of infectious complications are needed, particularly for patients who have risk factors and those who receive high cumulative steroid doses.

We evaluated 18,487 patients and 223,842 cases of donor coordination among patients enrolled in the Japan Marrow Donor Program (JMDP) from January 2004 to December 2013. For patients who underwent stem cell transplantation from a JMDP donor [unrelated bone marrow transplantation (UBMT)], the median number of coordination and days from registration to transplantation were 11 and 146, respectively. Among enrolled patients, 40% did not undergo UBMT. With the increased estimated number of human leukocyte antigen 6/6-matched donors, the probability of undergoing UBMT was higher, and in those who underwent UBMT, the duration of coordination was shorter. Regarding the reasons for the termination of coordination, those attributable to the donors varied depending on the age and sex of the donors. Male donors in their 20s had lower and higher termination rates because of health conditions and inconvenience, respectively, compared with donors of different age and female sex. Among donors who experienced coordination more than once, the donation rate was higher if the precedent coordination ended because of reasons attributable to the patient compared with the donation rate because of other reasons. Using the results of our study, strategies to achieve a more efficient and rapid coordination process are warranted.

Objective In hematological malignancy patients, the complication of acute respiratory failure often reaches a degree of severity that necessitates mechanical ventilation. The objective of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic outcomes of mechanical ventilation in hematological malignancy patients with respiratory failure and to analyze the factors that are associated with successful treatment in order to identify the issues that should be addressed in the future. Methods The present study was a retrospective analysis of 71 hematological malignancy patients with non-cardiogenic acute respiratory failure who were treated with mechanical ventilation at Nippon Medical School Hospital between 2003 and 2014. Results Twenty-six patients (36.6%) were treated with mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit (ICU). Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) was applied in 29 cases (40.8%). The rate of successful mechanical ventilation treatment with NPPV alone was 13.8%. The rate of endotracheal extubation was 17.7%. A univariate analysis revealed that the following factors were associated with the successful extubation of patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation: respiratory management in an ICU (p=0.012); remission of the hematological disease (p=0.011); female gender (p=0.048); low levels of accompanying non-respiratory organ failure (p=0.041); and the non-use of extracorporeal circulation (p=0.005). A subsequent multivariate analysis revealed that respiratory management in an ICU was the only variable associated with successful extubation (p=0.030). Conclusion The outcomes of hematological malignancy patients who receive mechanical ventilation treatment for respiratory failure are very poor. Respiratory management in an ICU environment may be useful in improving the therapeutic outcomes of such patients.

In recent years, it has been reported that DNA-methylation regulatory gene mutation - mutation of the genes that regulate gene expression through DNA methylation - is observed with high frequency in acute myeloid leukemia. The objective of the present study was to elucidate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia with associated DNA-methylation regulatory gene mutation. The subjects were 308 patients with acute myeloid leukemia. DNA-methylation regulatory gene mutation was observed in 135 of the 308 cases (43.8%). acute myeloid leukemia associated with DNA-methylation regulatory gene mutation was more frequent in older patients ( p

Recently, RCSD1 was identified as a novel gene fusion partner of the ABL1 gene. The RCSD1 gene, located at 1q23, is involved in t(1;9)(q23;q34) translocation in acute B lymphoblastic leukemia. Here we describe RCSD1-ABL1-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) followed by rapid clonal evolution exhibiting three rare reciprocal translocations. We performed breakpoint analysis of the transcript expressed by the RCSD1-ABL1 fusion gene. RT-PCR and sequence analyses detected transcription of a single RCSD1-ABL1 fusion gene variant, which had breakpoints in exon 3 of RCSD1 and exon 4 of ABL1. The RCSD1 portion of the RCSD1-ABL1 fusion transcript consists of exons 1, 2, and 3. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, imatinib and dasatinib, coadministered with dexamethasone achieved transient clinical effects in the present RCSD1-ABL1-positive ALL. However, leukemic cells rapidly became refractory to this treatment following the subsequent development of three additional reciprocal chromosomal translocations, t(5;16)(q33;q24), dic(18;20)(p11.2;q11.2) and t(10;19)(q24;p13.3). The present RCSD1-ABL1-positive ALL may represent a state of high chromosomal instability.

Backgrounds: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease whose onset involves a variety of chromosomal abnormalities and genetic mutations. To improve the outcome of AML treatment, it is very important to establish a prognosis from cytogenetic and genetic analysis and provide accordingly differentiated treatment. However, the treatment strategy has not been clear in elderly patients with AML due to intolerance of treatment and its adverse characteristics such as concomitant comorbidity and poor performance status. To clarify the prognostic impact of genetic abnormalities in elderly AML, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of recurrently mutated 28 genes in AML. Method: We retrospectively analyzed newly diagnosed 128 AML patients excluding M3 who were more than 65 years old at Nippon Medical School Hospital or its associated facilities between 1990 and 2014. Mutation analyses were performed by direct sequence analysis, Mutation Biased PCR, direct sequence analysis, and the next-generation sequencer Ion PGMTM. Results: Average age was 70.5 years (65-91years). The patients from 65 years old to 74 years old (early elderly) were 92 (71.9%)cases, the patients 75 years or older (late elderly) were 36 (28.1%)cases. Chromosomal analysis according to the prognostic risk classification of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) classified into 14 of the favorable cytogenetic risk group (10.9%), 80 of the intermediate cytogenetic risk group (62.5%), and 24 of the poor cytogenetic risk group (18.8%). Gene mutations were observed in 112 cases (87.5%). The most frequent gene mutations were NPM1 (89 cases/28.9%), FLT3/ITD (25 cases/19.5%), TET2 (20 cases/15.6%), and DNMT3A (19 cases/14.8%). CEBPA double mutation was detected at low frequency in elderly patients (younger patients: 15/311 (4.8%) vs elderly patients: 1/128 (0.8%)). There were no significant differences in gene mutations between early elderly and late elderly patients). Of 102 patients who received induction therapy, 52 patients (51.0%) achieved first hematological complete remission (CR), but primary refractory and early death were observed in 50 patients (49.0%). There was no significant difference in CR rate between the two groups in the early elderly patients and late elderly patients (early elderly: 53.8% vs late elderly: 41.7%. p= 0.354). In addition, there was no difference in CR rate in the standard chemotherapy and low dose chemotherapy group (standard chemotherapy: 48.7% vs low dose chemotherapy: 38.9%. p= 0.601). Median overall survival (OS) was 287days, OS at 3years was 35.9%. Prognostic stratification was possible for CR rate on the chromosomal classification (favorable cytogenetic risk 92.9%, intermediate cytogenetic risk 50.0%, poor cytogenetic risk 12.5%, p< 0.001). For total cohort of patients, rates of relapse free survival (RFS) at 3 years are significantly lower in patients with FLT3ITD (p=0.006) and TP53 abnormality (p< 0.001) compared to without it. Rates of overall survival (OS) at 3 years are significantly lower in patients with DNMT3A mutation (p=0.004), FLT3ITD (p=0.003), and TP53 abnormality compared to without it. Also late elderly patients (p=0.010) and high white blood cell count (≥ 20,000/μl) (p=0.023) were powerful factors for unfavorable prognosis. In stratified analysis of FLT3ITD-negative cases aged below 75 years with intermediate cytogenetic prognosis, TP53 abnormality was associated with unfavorable prognosis (RFS: p=0.062, OS: p< 0.001). Finally multivariate analysis demonstrated that FLT3ITD (p=0.014) and TP53 abnormality (p=0.015) were an independent poor prognostic factor for RFS, and poor cytogenetic risk (p=0.002), Flt3ITD (p=0.014), TP53 abnormality (p=0.015), and DNMT3A mutation (p=0.001) were an independent poor prognostic factor for OS. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the genetic abnormalities have a prognostic importance in elderly patients, as well as younger patients with AML. FLT3ITD mutation is an important factor for unfavorable prognosis, but going forward TP53 mutation may also serve as a clinically important gene mutation marker in elderly patients with AML. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

CHOP therapy combined with rituximab (R-CHOP) is currently a standard chemotherapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, relapse is detected despite R-CHOP in approximately 30% of patients. Treatment results should be further improved. Previously, second- and third-generation therapies such as MACOP-B, m-BACOD, and ProMACE-CytaBOM were performed to improve the results of DLBCL treatment. However, dose intensity (DI) enhancement increased treatment-associated toxicity, and the treatment results did not improve. Recently, the entity of the relative dose intensity (RDI) was proposed as an index of the intensity of chemotherapy. In this method, the ratio of actual DI to the DI designed per specific period is numerically evaluated. The purpose of calculating the RDI is to achieve chemotherapy as scheduled while maintaining the DI, and not to improve the DI. Previous studies reported that the maintenance of the RDI during CHOP therapy improved the treatment results. In this paper, we review DI and RDI in studies of DLBCL, and revisit the significance of these indicators.

CHOP-like regimen combined with rituximab is a standard chemotherapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The relative dose intensity (RDI) was proposed as an index of the dose and administration interval of agents. Previous studies reported that the maintenance of the RDI during CHOP therapy improved the treatment results. However, few studies regarding RDI have reviewed patients receiving combination therapy with CHOP and rituximab. We investigated the influence of RDI maintenance, involving combination therapy with rituximab, on therapeutic effects in patients with DLBCL. We retrospectively examined 152 DLBCL patients who were treated with CHOP-like regimen combined with rituximab in whom the RDI could be followed up. Multivariate analysis revealed that international prognosis index (IPI) high intermediate-high (HI-H) (p = 0.005) and RDI of less than 70% (p = 0.007) were independent prognostic factors for low progression free survival. Concerning overall survival, IPI HI-H (p = 0.027) and an RDI of less than 70% (p = 0.002) were involved in an unfavorable prognosis. In addition, age over 60 years (p = 0.003), R-THPCOP (p = 0.034), or the presence of febrile neutropenia (p = 0.004) made RDI maintenance difficult, and prophylactic G-CSF therapy (p = 0.026) was useful for maintaining the RDI. Maintaining the RDI is important even in the era of rituximab-combined chemotherapy for DLBCL.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most frequently occurring Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Until recently, CHOP regimen (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone delivered on a 21-day cycle) was considered as the standard chemotherapy regimen for DLBCL. Recent data have also shown that combining CHOP with Rituximab (R-CHOP) significantly improves survival in DLBCL. It is recognized that delivery of less than full-dose chemotherapy is associated with poor response and shorter survival times. However it is difficult to keep administration of chemotherapy dose and interval due to several side effects such as myelosuppression, infection, and organ dysfunction. Recently relative dose intensity (RDI) defined as total delivered dose of chemotherapy drug per unit time expressed as a percentage of the target dose, had important roll in the treatment outcome. To determine the importance of RDI, we analyzed achievement of RDI in CHOP-like regimen among DLBCL patients. We retrospectively analyzed 203 DLBCL patients treated with CHOP-like regimen as a first line therapy at Nippon Medical School Hospital and related hospital between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2007. Median age of the patients was 65.6 years (range, 20.5–90.3) at diagnosis. Median duration of observation was 1.9 years (range, 0.1–11.8). 203 patients were classified as international prognostic index (IPI) as follows; Low-Low Intermediate (L-LI) (n=116), High Intermediate-High (HI-H) (n=86), unknown (n=1). They were treated by CHOP (n=47), R-CHOP (n=100), THP (terahydropyranyladriamycin)-COP (n=6), R-THP-COP (n=50). The median RDI of all patients was 75.2%. Increasing RDI correlated with longer survival time (RDI of 70 to