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1.
Cmv reactivations in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant from hla-matched and haploidentical donors with post-transplant cyclophosphamide
Chorão, P., Henriques, M., Villalba, M., Montoro, J., Balaguer-Roselló, A., González, E. M., Gómez, M. D., Gómez, I., Solves, P., Santiago, M., et al
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 2024
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivations cause significant morbidity in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis (GVHD) with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) is associated with an increased risk of CMV infections, with limited data on HSCT with PTCy assessing together matched sibling donors (MSD), matched unrelated donors (MUD), and haploidentical donors (HAPLO). OBJECTIVES Characterize CMV reactivation and recurrences, in patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing HSCT from MSD, MUD, and HAPLO using PTCy as GVHD prophylaxis in the pre-letermovir era. Analyze risk factors of CMV reactivations, including GVHD as a time-dependent variable, on the incidence and mortality associated with CMV infections. STUDY DESIGN We analyzed CMV reactivations in patients undergoing HSCT from 160 MSD, 124 MUD and 82 HAPLO from a single institution. Uniform GVHD prophylaxis with PTCy, sirolimus and mycophenolate mofetil was given, irrespective of donor type. RESULTS Overall, 46% of patients had at least one CMV reactivation. The 1-year cumulative incidence of CMV infection was 39% for MSD, 44% for MUD, and 62% for HAPLO donors (p<0.001), with 96% of reactivations occurring before day +100. Multivariate analysis identified factors associated with the first CMV reactivation, including HAPLO donor, positive recipient CMV serology, older patient age, and grade II-IV acute GVHD. The 1-year cumulative incidence of second reactivation from HSCT was 13%. Recipient CMV seropositivity, older patient age and grade II-IV acute GVHD remained the adverse factors for second CMV reactivation in multivariate analysis, but not type of donor. The 1-year cumulative incidence of third reactivation from HSCT was 4.4%. Ten cases of CMV disease were recorded, with no attributable deaths. Nevertheless, the hazard for NRM was superior for patients who had a CMV reactivation in multivariate time-dependent Cox-model analysis. CONCLUSIONS CMV reactivation is frequent in HSCT with PTCy among patients not receiving letermovir prophylaxis. Identified risk factors include the use of HAPLO donor, recipient CMV seropositivity, and acute grade II-IV GVHD. The prevalence of recurrent CMV reactivations pose a noteworthy issue, especially after acute GVHD, warranting trials for secondary prophylaxis strategies.
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2.
Donor aKIR genes influence the risk of EBV and CMV reactivation after anti-thymocyte globulin-based haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Gao, F., Shi, Z., Shi, J., Luo, Y., Yu, J., Fu, H., Lai, X., Liu, L., Yuan, Z., Zheng, Z., et al
Hla. 2023
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) offers the highest curative potential for patients with hematological malignancies. Complications including infection, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and relapse reflect delayed or dysregulated immune reconstitution. After transplantation, NK cells rapidly reconstitute and are crucial for immune surveillance and immune tolerance. NK cell function is tightly regulated by killer immunoglobin-like receptors (KIRs). Previous studies have revealed that donor KIRs, especially some activated KIRs (aKIRs) are closely related to transplant outcomes. Here, we performed a retrospective study, including 323 patients who received haploidentical (haplo) HSCT in our center. In univariate analysis, donor KIR2DS1, KIR2DS3 and KIR3DS1 gene protected patients with lymphoid disease from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation, while donor KIR2DS1, KIR2DS5 and KIR3DS1 gene conferred a higher risk of CMV reactivation for patients with myeloid disease. Multivariate analysis confirmed that donor telomeric (Tel) B/x and KIR2DS3 gene best protected patients with lymphoid disease from EBV (p = 0.017) and CMV reactivation (p = 0.004). In myeloid disease, grafts lacking Tel B/x and KIR2DS5 gene correlated with the lowest risk of CMV reactivation (p = 0.018). Besides, donor aKIR genes did not influence the rates of GVHD, relapse, non-relapse mortality (NRM) and overall survival (OS) in this study. The reactivation of EBV and CMV was associated with poor prognosis of haplo-HSCT. In conclusion, we found that donor aKIR genes might have a synergistic effect on CMV and EBV reactivation after haplo-HSCT. Whether the influence of donor aKIR genes varies with disease types remained to be studied.
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3.
Evaluating the Impact of Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide and Anti-Thymocyte Globulin on CMV Reactivation Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Systematic Literature Review
Dybko, J., Giordano, U., Pilch, J., Mizera, J., Borkowski, A., Dereń-Wagemann, I.
Journal of clinical medicine. 2023;12(24)
Abstract
Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) and post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) are two frequently utilised strategies in graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), currently approved for different recipient-donor settings. In addition, being efficacious in preventing GvHD owing to their T-cell depleting capacity, the employment of these two agents increases the risk of infections, including CMV reactivation, which stands as one of the most common and serious infections following allo-HCT. We performed a systematic literature review of articles published until 1 September 2023, through PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus, with the main endpoint being CMV reactivation after PTCy or ATG allo-HCT. The majority of the studies included in the analysis provide supporting evidence for a reduced risk of CMV reactivations following the use of PTCy compared to ATG, although not all findings reached statistical significance. Additionally, it appears that utilising a haploidentical donor leads to a higher incidence of CMV infections and clinically significant CMV infections (CS-CMVis) compared to other donor settings in PTCy allo-HCT. This study aims to compare the risk of CMV infections following allo-HCT in patients who have received either ATG or PTCy as GvHD prophylaxis and discuss other factors that could influence the infectious outcomes of patients who have undergone allo-HCT.
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4.
Dynamics of polyclonal immuno-reconstitution after allogeneic transplant with post-transplant cyclophosphamide and letermovir
Orofino, G., Xue, E., Doglio, M., Noviello, M., Tassi, E., Cristante, M., Acerbis, A., Clerici, D., Farina, F., Campodonico, E., et al
Bone marrow transplantation. 2023
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivations are strong stimulators of immune-reconstitution (IR) in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. Herein, we analyzed 317 CMV-seropositive consecutive patients (n = 109 letermovir, LTV; n = 208 no-LTV), undergoing HSCT with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and calcineurin inhibitor- (CNI) free graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD) prophylaxis. At day+90, median CD19(+)/mm(3) was higher in LTV-cohort: 5.5 [0;439] versus 2 [0;294], p = 0.008; median CD3+/mm(3) counts were lower in LTV-cohort, with no differences in CD4(+), CD8(+) and NK-cells. At day+180 median CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+)/mm(3) values were comparable between groups. Higher CD19(+)/mm(3) counts were observed in LTV-cohort: 62 [0; 2983] versus 42 [0; 863]. Significantly higher median NK/mm(3) values were seen in LTV-cohort: 225.5 [0;763] versus 163.5 [0;1181], p = 0.0003. The impact of LTV on B-cell IR at 3 months and NK-cell levels at 6 months was retained in multivariate analysis (p < 0.01), whereas the effect on T-cells was not confirmed. Moreover, we confirmed a significant reduction of clinically-relevant CMV, and moderate-to- severe chronic GvHD in LTV-cohort. Overall, in our study the use of LTV was associated with a slight improvement of B-cell and NK-cells reconstitution, with only minor impact on T-cell subsets, giving new insights on polyclonal IR for HSCT recipients in the LTV era.
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5.
Patterns of CMV Infection After Letermovir Withdrawal in Recipients of Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide Based Transplant
Lin, A., Brown, S., Chinapen, S., Lee, Y. J., Seo, S. K., Ponce, D. M., Shahid, Z., Giralt, S. A., Papanicolaou, G. A., Perales, M. A., et al
Blood advances. 2023
Abstract
Reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) is increased in CMV seropositive (CMV+) recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo HCT) using post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) based graft versus host disease prophylaxis. Letermovir, a novel DNA terminase complex inhibitor, reduces the incidence of clinically significant CMV infection (csCMVi) in this population; however, parameters that predict csCMVi after letermovir withdrawal are not well described. Here, we examined clinical and immunological parameters in 294 recipients of PT-Cy based allo HCT, including 157 CMV+ patients of whom 80 completed letermovir prophylaxis without csCMVi, and subsequently stopped letermovir. In this population, the median duration of letermovir exposure was 203 days (interquartile range (IQR): 160 - 250 days). After letermovir withdrawal, the 90-day cumulative incidence of csCMVi was 23.0% (14.3 - 32.8). There were no episodes of CMV end-organ disease. Hypo-gammaglobulinemia prior to letermovir discontinuation was predictive of csCMVi (hazard ratio: 0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.12-0.93, p = 0.03), whereas T-cell and B-cell reconstitution prior to letermovir withdrawal were not predictive of csCMVi. Higher numbers of NK cells were found prior to letermovir withdrawal in patients that experienced csCMVi (median 202 versus 160, p = 0.03). In CMV+ recipients, CD3+CD4-CD8+ T-cell reconstitution was faster in CMV+ patients regardless of letermovir exposure. Taken together, these data suggest that csCMVi after letermovir withdrawal was frequent in patients treated with PT-Cy, despite prolonged exposure. Strategies to boost CMV specific adaptive immunity in patients with persistent hypo-gammaglobulinemia is a logical pathway to reduce csCMVi after letermovir withdrawal.
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6.
Impact of GVHD prophylaxis on CMV reactivation and disease after HLA-matched peripheral blood stem cell transplantation
Ueda Oshima, M., Xie, H., Zamora, D., Flowers, M. E., Hill, G. R., Mielcarek, M., Sandmaier, B. M., Gooley, T. A., Boeckh, M. J.
Blood advances. 2023
Abstract
The kinetics of early and late CMV reactivation after hematopoietic cell transplantation using various methods of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) prophylaxis are poorly defined. We retrospectively compared CMV reactivation and disease among 780 seropositive patients given HLA-matched peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) grafts and calcineurin-inhibitor plus post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy; n=44), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF; n=414) or methotrexate (MTX; n=322). Transplantation occurred between 2007-2018; CMV-monitoring/management followed uniform standard practice. Hazards of CMV reactivation at various thresholds were compared. Spline curves were fit over average daily viral load, and areas under the curve (AUC) within one-year were calculated. PTCy and MMF were associated with an increased risk of early (day 100) CMV reactivation ≥250 IU/mL after multivariable adjustment (PTCy vs. MTX: HR=1.64; 95% CI: 1.03-2.61; p=0.039; MMF vs. MTX: HR=1.50; 95% CI: 0.97-2.32; p=0.067). The viral load AUC at one-year was highest with MMF (mean difference 0.125 units vs. MTX; 95% CI 0.061-0.189; p<.001) and similar between PTCy vs. MTX (mean difference 0.016 units vs. MTX group; 95% CI, -0.126-0.158, p=0.827). CMV disease risk was similar across groups. There was no interaction between GVHD prophylaxis and CMV reactivation on chronic GVHD risk. Despite PTCy-associated increased risk of early CMV reactivation, the CMV disease risk by 1 year was low in HLA-matched PBSC transplant recipients. In contrast, MMF was associated with higher overall CMV viral burden in the 1-year posttransplant. While different mechanisms of immunosuppressive agents may impact CMV reactivation risk, effective prevention of GVHD may reduce corticosteroid exposure and mitigate infection risk over time.
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7.
Real world experience: Examining outcomes using letermovir for CMV prophylaxis in high-risk allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell patients in the setting of using T-cell depletion as GVHD prophylaxis
Dwabe, S., Hsiao, M., Ali, A., Rodman, J., Savitala-Damerla, L., Nazaretyan, S., Kimberly Schiff, N. P., Tam, E., Ladha, A., Woan, K., et al
Transplant immunology. 2022;:101769
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection significantly impacts the morbidity and mortality of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Despite monitoring and pharmacologic prophylaxis with drugs such as valganciclovir or ganciclovir, rates of early CMV reactivation have continually persisted, contributing to increased rates of morbidity and mortality in allogeneic-HSCT patients. This study evaluates the outcomes of letermovir in preventing CMV reactivation and CMV-related complications in HSCT recipients with initiation of therapy at +21 days in high-risk patients. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed adult patients at University of Southern California (USC) Norris Cancer Hospital who received allogeneic-HSCT from 2018 to 2020 with subsequent serial CMV monitoring and treatment. CMV reactivation was determined in patients if they had clinically significant serum CMV viremia (viremia requiring treatment) or organ involvement by day+100. Primary endpoint assessed was day+100 rates of CMV reactivation. Secondary end-points included 1-year OS, 1-year RFS, and incidence of GVHD. Descriptive statistics were used to compare characteristics between groups used in this study, with a significance level of α = 0.05. RESULTS Between 2018 and 2020, 116 adult HSCT recipients were reviewed. 51% were male and 49% were female; donor sources consisted of 27% match related donor (MRD) 28% match-unrelated donor (MUD), and 45% haploidentical donor. Of the 116 patients, 92 were identified as high-risk for CMV reactivation. 71 patients received letermovir prophylaxis, and 21 patients received no prophylaxis. In high-risk patients, after adjusting for GVHD status and transplant type, patients that received letermovir had no statistically significant difference of having D + 100 CMV reactivation compared to patients that did not receive letermovir. 1.02 (95% CI: 0.35, 3.20) (p = 0.97). Moreover, there were no statistically significant difference observed between letermovir treatment and 1-year OS, 1-year RFS, and incidence of GVHD. CONCLUSION Patients in the high-risk letermovir group had outcomes that were comparable to the lower risk "non-letermovir" group. There was no significant difference in CMV D + 100 reactivation between high-risk patients who did not receive letermovir compared to the patients who did. While other studies have shown that early initiation of letermovir may be associated with improved outcomes, our study shows that the use of letermovir with initiation at 21 days may not necessarily translate to improved secondary outcomes such as overall survival. Further prospective studies evaluating the time of initiating therapy and outcomes are needed.
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8.
Lower dose of ATG combined with basiliximab for haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is associated with effective control of GVHD and less CMV viremia
Huang, Z., Yan, H., Teng, Y., Shi, W., Xia, L.
Frontiers in immunology. 2022;13:1017850
Abstract
Currently, the graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consists of an immunosuppressive therapy mainly based on antithymocyte globulin (ATG) or post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy). GVHD remains a major complication and limitation to successful allogeneic haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). We modified the ATG-based GVHD prophylaxis with the addition of basiliximab in the setting of haplo-HSCT and attempted to explore the appropriate dosages. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 239 patients with intermediate- or high-risk hematologic malignancies who received haplo-HSCT with unmanipulated peripheral blood stem cells combined or not with bone marrow. All patients received the same GVHD prophylaxis consisting of the combination of methotrexate, cyclosporine or tacrolimus, mycofenolate-mofetil, and basiliximab with different doses of ATG (5-9mg/kg). With a median time of 11 days (range, 7-40 days), the rate of neutrophil engraftment was 96.65%. The 100-day cumulative incidences (CIs) of grade II-IV and III-IV aGVHD were 15.8 ± 2.5% and 5.0 ± 1.5%, while the 2-year CIs of total cGVHD and extensive cGVHD were 9.8 ± 2.2% and 4.1 ± 1.5%, respectively. The 3-year CIs of treatment-related mortality (TRM), relapse, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were 14.6 ± 2.6%, 28.1 ± 3.4%, 60.9 ± 3.4%, 57.3 ± 3.4%, respectively. Furthermore, the impact of the reduction of the ATG dose to 6 mg/kg or less in combination with basiliximab on GVHD prevention and transplant outcomes among patients was analyzed. Compared to higher dose of ATG(>6mg/kg), lower dose of ATG (≤6mg/kg) was associated with a significant reduced risk of CMV viremia (52.38% vs 79.35%, P<0.001), while the incidences of aGVHD and cGVHD were similar between the two dose levels. No significant effect was found with regard to the risk of relapse, TRM, and OS. ATG combined with basiliximab could prevent GVHD efficiently and safely. The optimal scheme of using this combined regimen of ATG and basiliximab is that administration of lower dose ATG (≤6mg/kg), which seems to be more appropriate for balancing infection control and GVHD prophylaxis.
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9.
Evaluation of the pharmacokinetic interaction between letermovir and tacrolimus in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients
Marciano, K. A., Seago, K., Dillaman, M., Ross, K. G., Veltri, L., Cumpston, A.
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 2022
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Editor's Choice
Abstract
BACKGROUND Data describing the magnitude of the pharmacokinetic interaction between letermovir and tacrolimus in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT) recipients are limited, and varying outcomes have been reported. The need for empiric dose adjustment of tacrolimus upon letermovir initiation has not been established; instead, it is suggested to closely monitor tacrolimus trough concentrations and adjust doses as needed. Further understanding of this interaction is imperative to accurately manage the narrow therapeutic window of tacrolimus post-transplant. OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this study was to determine the percent change in tacrolimus concentration-to-dose ratio over the 14-day period after initiation of letermovir. Secondary objectives were to describe the frequency of tacrolimus dose adjustments after initiation of letermovir, percent change in daily tacrolimus dose over the 14-day period after initiation of letermovir, and the incidence of both sub- and supratherapeutic tacrolimus trough concentrations. STUDY DESIGN This study was a retrospective chart review that included adult allo-HCT recipients at WVU Medicine who received tacrolimus in combination with oral letermovir and had been taking tacrolimus for at least five days prior to letermovir initiation. Patients receiving strong CYP3A4 inhibitors or intravenous tacrolimus were excluded. RESULTS Thirty-five patients were included in the analysis. The median percent increase in tacrolimus concentration-to-dose ratio over the 14-day period after initiation of letermovir was 22% (days 2 to 4), 47% (days 5 to 7), 66% (days 8 to 11), and 81% (days 12 to 14). The mean frequency of tacrolimus dose adjustments was 0.66 (days 2 to 4), 0.69 (days 5 to 7), 1.06 (days 8 to 11), and 0.57 (days 12 to 14). CONCLUSION The pharmacokinetic interaction between tacrolimus and letermovir is substantial based on results from this study and continued to affect tacrolimus concentrations over the 14-day period after letermovir initiation. Close monitoring of tacrolimus trough concentration upon initiation of letermovir should be considered.
PICO Summary
Population
Adults who underwent allogeneic transplant at a single centre in the USA (n=35)
Intervention
Oral letermovir initiated after at least five days of tacrolimus therapy
Comparison
None
Outcome
The median percent increase in tacrolimus concentration-to-dose ratio over the 14-day period after initiation of letermovir was 22% (days 2 to 4), 47% (days 5 to 7), 66% (days 8 to 11), and 81% (days 12 to 14). The mean frequency of tacrolimus dose adjustments was 0.66 (days 2 to 4), 0.69 (days 5 to 7), 1.06 (days 8 to 11), and 0.57 (days 12 to 14).
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10.
Impact of CMV reactivation on relapse of acute myeloid leukemia after HCT is dependent on disease stage and ATG
Turki, A. T., Tsachakis-Mück, N., Leserer, S., Crivello, P., Liebregts, T., Betke, L., Alashkar, F., Leimkühler, N. B., Trilling, M., Fleischhauer, K., et al
Blood advances. 2021
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation is a frequent complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), whose impact on clinical outcome, in particular on leukemic relapse is controversial. We retrospectively analyzed 687 HCT recipients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and ciclosporin-based immunosuppression to better understand the differential impact of CMV on transplant outcomes depending on AML disease stage and in-vivo T-cell depletion with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG). Without ATG, CMV reactivation associated with significantly reduced relapse, yet its effect was more pronounced for advanced disease AML (p=0.0002) than for patients in first complete remission (CR1, p=0.0169). Depending on the disease stage, ATG exposure abrogated relapse protection following CMV reactivation in advanced stages (p=0.796), while it inverted its effect into increased relapse for CR1 patients (p=0.0428). CMV reactivation was associated with significantly increased non-relapse mortality in CR1 patients without ATG (p=0.0187), but not in those with advanced disease and ATG. Following CMV reactivation, only patients with advanced disease had significantly higher event-free survival rates as compared to patients without CMV. Overall, our data suggest that both ATG and disease stage modulate the impact of post-HCT CMV reactivation in opposite directions, revealing a level of complexity that warrants future studies regarding the interplay between anti-virus and anti-tumor immunity.