Association between CD34+ and CD3+ T-cells in allogeneic grafts and acute L.4- graft-versus-host disease in children undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A single-center study.

Background: Acute Kraft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplintation (ailo-HSCT). We examined the association between the composition of the cell subsets present in allogeneic grafts (allografts) and the occurrence and severity of aGVHD in pediatric patients. Met/zods.· We retrospectively analyzed 80 consecutive pediatric patients undergoing allo-HSCT at our center. Results.· Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the number of CD34 and CD3- T-cells iii 8110- grafts were the two highest risk factors associated with Ii-IV aGVHD. Using receiver operating characteristic analysis, the cutoff levels of the allo-HSCT cell doses were used to divide the recipients into low-dose and highdose groups. The 100-day cumulative incidence of II-IV aGVHD in the high-dose CD34 - and CD3 T-cells group was significantly higher than that of the low-dose group (CD34 : 57% vs. 29%, p = 0.009; CDS-: 63% vs. 180/0, p < 0.001). No other clinical factors or cell subsets correlated with aGVHD incidence. Conclusions: Our analysis indicates that the CD:34'" and CD3 ' T-cell numbers in the allografts could be the risk factors for the development of severe aGVHD (level II-IV). Further studies should aim to optimize the critical number of CD34- and CD3- T-cells to reduce the risk of severe aGVHD occurrence in pediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]