Real-World Challenges of Haplo-Identical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant in a Developing Country: A Single Center Experience

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is potentially, the sole curative option for many malignant and non-malignant hematological disorders. Finding a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatible donor remains one of the limiting factors, hampering the utilization of HSCT. However, the introduction of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) has improved the outcomes of haploidentical transplants making it a suitable option for patients lacking HLA-compatible donors. We collected data from 44 patients who underwent haplo-identical allogeneic stem cell transplants at the Armed Forces Bone Marrow Transplant Center/National Institute of Blood and Marrow Transplant (AFBMTC/NIBMT) from the year 2015 to 2022. The diseases were divided into three categories, i.e., bone marrow failure (BMF) syndromes, hematological malignancies (HM) and miscellaneous (Misc) groups. Median age at transplant was 18 (01-39) years. Transplant indications included aplastic anemia (AA) in 21 (47.7%) cases, 15 (34.1%) HM, and eight (18.2%) cases falling in the Misc groups. A maximum number of graft failures occurred in the BMF group; primary graft failure in 07 (33.3%) cases and secondary graft failure in four (19%) cases, (p-value < 0.05). Acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) grade II-IV occurred in nine (20.5%) cases while chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) occurred in 10 (22.7%) cases. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation was seen in 31 (70.5%) cases. Maximum CMV reactivation was seen in HM group 13 (86.6%) cases, (p-value < 0.05) as compared to BMF (71.4%) and Misc groups (37.5%). Post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) based regimens, early neutrophil engraftment, and patients with GVHD had better survival outcomes (p-value < 0.05) overall survival (OS), and relapse-free survival (RFS). and GVHD-free relapse-free survival (GFRS) were significantly better in cases with early neutrophil engraftment. OS of the study cohort was 50% while disease-free survival (DFS) and GFRS were 45.5% and 36.4%, respectively.