Influence of pre-existing invasive aspergillosis on allo-HSCT outcome: a retrospective EBMT analysis by the Infectious Diseases and Acute Leukemia Working Parties

Bone Marrow Transplant. 2016 Mar;51(3):418-23. doi: 10.1038/bmt.2015.237. Epub 2015 Oct 26.

Abstract

Historically, invasive aspergillosis (IA) has been a major barrier for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The influence of invasive IA on long-term survival and on transplant-related complications has not been investigated in a larger patient cohort under current conditions. Our aim was to analyze the long-term outcome of patients undergoing allo-HSCT with a history of prior IA. We used European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation database data of first allo-HSCTs performed between 2005 and 2010 in patients with acute leukemia. One thousand one hundred and fifty patients with data on IA before allo-HSCT were included in the analysis. The median follow-up time was 52.1 months. We found no significant impact of IA on major transplant outcome variables such as overall survival, relapse-free survival, non-relapse mortality, cumulative incidence of acute GvHD grade II-IV, chronic GvHD, pulmonary complications and leukemia relapse. However, we found a trend toward lower overall survival (P=0.078, hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 1.16 (0.98, 1.36)) and higher non-relapse mortality (P=0.150, HR (95% CI): 1.19 (0.94, 1.50)) in allo-HSCT recipients with pre-existing IA. Our data suggest that a history of IA should not generally be a contraindication when considering the performance of allo-HSCT in patients with acute leukemia.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Allografts
  • Aspergillosis* / complications
  • Aspergillosis* / mortality
  • Aspergillosis* / therapy
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Chronic Disease
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Graft vs Host Disease / mortality
  • Graft vs Host Disease / prevention & control
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Leukemia* / mortality
  • Leukemia* / therapy
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Survival Rate