Disease stage stratified effects of cell dose in unrelated BMT for hematological malignancies: a report from Japan marrow donor program

Cell dose is one of the major factors that can be manipulated in unrelated BMT. However, regarding disease-stage-stratified effects of cell dose, data are limited. We analyzed the registry data from 3559 patients with acute leukemia, CML and myelodysplastic syndrome who received T-cell replete unrelated BMT through the Japan Marrow Donor Program. Adjusted effects of cell dose were evaluated for various outcomes separately according to disease stages and children or adults. Acute GVHD and nonrelapse mortality were not affected by cell dose. Among children, a cell dose lower than 3.0 × 10(8)/kg was associated with lower engraftment rates in advanced-stage diseases. Among adults, a cell dose of 3.4 × 10(8)/kg or higher was associated with lower relapse rates and better survival rates only in early-stage diseases, whereas cell dose below 2.3 × 10(8)/kg was associated with lower engraftment rates in advanced-stage diseases. In conclusion, effects of cell dose may differ among disease stages. A cell dose of 3.4 × 10(8)/kg or higher is recommended only for adults with early-stage diseases. With the number of patients available for analysis in this study, we could not show any significant benefits associated with 4.6 × 10(8)/kg or higher in children.