Project description:Improvements in supportive care have enabled allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) to be performed in increasingly older patients. HCT is associated with neurocognitive impairment, which may be exacerbated in older adults due to normal neurocognitive decline associated with aging. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether increasing age of allogeneic HCT recipients is associated with worse neurocognitive outcomes over time relative to a matched sample of individuals without cancer. Patients (n = 140; 42% female; M age, 51 years; range, 20 to 76 years; 31% with acute myelogenous leukemia) completed neurocognitive assessments before transplantation and 3 months and 1 year after transplantation. Controls (n = 75; 56% female; M age, 53 years; range, 21 to 74 years) completed assessments at comparable time intervals. Linear mixed models revealed that regardless of age, patients demonstrated worse performance than controls before transplantation in verbal memory, visual memory, and total neuropsychological performance, and over time in executive functioning. In addition, older age was associated with worse performance in verbal memory (P = .02) and verbal fluency (P = .05) over time in patients compared with controls. Specifically, older (65+ years) patients had worse verbal memory and verbal fluency than older and younger (<65 years) controls post-transplantation (Cohen's d = .22 to .39). These data indicate that age may be a risk factor for worse neurocognitive outcomes after allogeneic HCT. If replicated, our results suggest that older candidates for allogeneic HCT should be counseled regarding the risk of cognitive problems after transplantation.
Project description:BackgroundAllogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients (allo-HCTRs) with positive cytomegalovirus (CMV) serology may have false-positive results due to blood product transfusion-associated passive immunity.MethodsThis single-center cohort study included allo-HCTRs with negative baseline (at malignancy diagnosis) CMV serology and indeterminate/low-positive (CMV IgG titer, ≥0.6-<50 U/mL) pretransplant CMV serology with negative pretransplant plasma CMV DNAemia. The CMV status of those patients was reclassified from R+ to R- (CMVR- reclassification group). We compared those patients to allo-HCTRs with negative (CMV IgG titer <0.6 U/mL) pretransplant CMV IgG (CMVR- group). We describe the number and type of patients whose pretransplant CMV status was reclassified from indeterminate/positive to negative. We reviewed all plasma CMV DNAemia tests performed during the first 6 months posttransplant in both groups to assess the safety of this approach.ResultsAmong 246 (84.5%) of 291 transplanted patients identified as CMVR+ pretransplant, 60 (24.4%) were reclassified from CMV serology indeterminate (N:10)/low-positive (N:50) to R-. Only 1 of 60 patients (1.67%) in the CMVR- reclassification group versus 3 of 44 (6.8%; P = .30) in the CMVR- group developed CMV DNAemia during the follow-up period. There were no significant differences in the number of CMV DNAemia tests performed, CMV DNAemia range, and time posttransplant between the 2 groups.ConclusionsOne of 4 allo-HCT CMVR+ may be falsely flagged as R+, with significant impact on donor selection and prophylaxis administration. A 2-step approach including CMV serology testing at hematologic malignancy diagnosis in allo-HCT candidates and careful review of pretransplant CMV IgG titers may help correctly classify CMV serology status.
Project description:The safety and efficacy of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) emergency-use authorized (EUA) vaccines have been confirmed in the general population. However, there are no data on its safety and tolerability or efficacy in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT). We performed this study to identify the incidence of adverse events following SARS-CoV2 EUA vaccines, the incidence of new-onset graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or worsening of existing GVHD after EUA vaccine administration, and the incidence SARS-CoV2 positivity in vaccinated HCT patients. We retrospectively reviewed 113 HCT patients who received at least one dose of EUA vaccine to describe the safety and tolerability, any impact on GVHD, and the incidence of SARS-CoV2 PCR positivity after vaccination. Patients received either Pfizer (BNT162b2) or Moderna (mRNA-1273) vaccines. Patients were included if they were 18 years or older and had received at least one dose of vaccine in the post-HCT setting. Most patients presented with myalgias/arthralgias (first dose, 7.7%; second dose, 14.6%), fatigue (first dose, 15.4%; second dose, 29.2%), and injection site pain (first dose, 40.4%; second dose, 43.8%). Other side-effects experienced by patients included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and injection-site rash and swelling. Liver function abnormalities occurred in 18.6% of patients. Neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and lymphopenia occurred in 13.3%, 11.5%, and 8.8% of patients, respectively. Forty percent of patients had active chronic GVHD at the time of vaccination, and worsening chronic GVHD occurred in 3.5% of the patients. New chronic GVHD developed in 9.7% of patients after vaccination. The SARS-CoV2 EUA vaccines were well tolerated in allogeneic HCT recipients.
Project description:BackgroundOur previous study established a 2-dose regimen of high-dose trivalent influenza vaccine (HD-TIV) to be immunogenically superior compared to a 2-dose regimen of standard-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine (SD-QIV) in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients. However, the durability of immunogenicity and the role of time post-HCT at immunization as an effect modifier are unknown.MethodsThis phase II, multi-center, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial compared HD-TIV to SD-QIV in children 3-17 years old who were 3-35 months post-allogeneic HCT, with each formulation administered twice, 28-42 days apart. Hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titers were measured at baseline, 28-42 days following each dose, and 138-222 days after the second dose. Using linear mixed effects models, we estimated adjusted geometric mean HAI titer ratios (aGMR: HD-TIV/SD-QIV) to influenza antigens. Early and late periods were defined as 3-5 and 6-35 months post-HCT, respectively.ResultsDuring 3 influenza seasons (2016-2019), 170 participants were randomized to receive HD-TIV (n = 85) or SD-QIV (n = 85). HAI titers maintained significant elevations above baseline for both vaccine formulations, although the relative immunogenic benefit of HD-TIV to SD-QIV waned during the study. A 2-dose series of HD-TIV administered late post-HCT was associated with higher GMTs compared to the early post-HCT period (late group: A/H1N1 aGMR = 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.14-4.08]; A/H3N2 aGMR = 3.20, 95% CI = [1.60-6.39]; B/Victoria aGMR = 1.91, 95% CI = [1.01-3.60]; early group: A/H1N1 aGMR = 1.03, 95% CI = [0.59-1.80]; A/H3N2 aGMR = 1.23, 95% CI = [0.68-2.25]; B/Victoria aGMR = 1.06, 95% CI = [0.56-2.03]).ConclusionsTwo doses of HD-TIV were more immunogenic than SD-QIV, especially when administered ≥6 months post-HCT. Both groups maintained higher titers compared to baseline throughout the season.Clinical trials registrationNCT02860039.
Project description:Passive surveillance data had signaled the possibility of gastrointestinal adverse events occurring after the administration of high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV-HD). However, in a large, prospective randomized clinical trial, rates of serious gastrointestinal events were no greater among IIV-HD recipients than among those who received a standard-dose influenza vaccine.
Project description:The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 messenger RNA vaccine-induced humoral response and reactogenicity profile are described in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Findings showed that 75.0% (by Simoa assay) or 80.0% (by Roche assay) of the HSCT cohort had a positive antibody response on series completion, compared with 100% in the healthy cohort.
Project description:Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) provides patients with severe hematologic disease a well-established potential for curation. Incorporation of germline analyses in the workup of HSCT patients is not a common practice. Recognizing rare harmful germline variants may however affect patients' pre-transplantation care, choice of the stem cell donor, and complication risks. We analyzed a population-based series of germline exome data of 432 patients who had undergone HSCT. Our aim was to identify clinically relevant variants that may challenge the outcome of the HSCT. We focused on genes predisposing to hematological diseases, or solid tumors, and genes included in the American College of Medical Genetics secondary findings list v3.0. As population-specific controls, we used GnomAD non-cancer Finns (n = 10,816). We identified in our population-based analysis rare harmful germline variants in disease-predisposing or actionable toxicity-increasing genes in 17.8% of adult and pediatric patients that have undergone HSCT (15.1% and 22.9%, respectively). More than half of the patients with a family member as a donor had not received genetic diagnosis prior to the HSCT. Our results encourage clinicians to incorporate germline genetic testing in the HSCT protocol in the future in order to reach optimal long-term outcome for the patients.
Project description:IntroductionMedication nonadherence continues to be challenging for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients. The risk and severity of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are associated with low immunosuppressant concentrations (which can be improved with model-informed precision dosing (MIPD)) and with immunosuppressant nonadherence (which can be improved with acceptable interventions).MethodsWith the goals of improving adherence and achieving therapeutic concentrations of immunosuppressants to eliminate GVHD, we characterized the feasibility of using the Medication Event Monitoring (MEMS®) Cap in adult HCT recipients.ResultsOf the 27 participants offered the MEMS® Cap at the time of hospital discharge, 7 (25.9%) used it, which is below our a priori threshold of 70%. These data suggest the MEMS® Cap is not feasible for HCT recipients. The MEMS® Cap data were available for a median of 35 days per participant per medication (range: 7-109 days). The average daily adherence per participant ranged from 0 to 100%; four participants had an average daily adherence of over 80%.ConclusionsMIPD may be supported by MEMS® technology to provide the precise time of immunosuppressant self-administration. The MEMS® Cap was used by only a small percentage (25.9%) of HCT recipients in this pilot study. In accordance with larger studies using less accurate tools to evaluate adherence, immunosuppressant adherence varied from 0% to 100%. Future studies should establish the feasibility and clinical benefit of combining MIPD with newer technology, specifically the MEMS® Button, which can inform the oncology pharmacist of the time of immunosuppressant self-administration.
Project description:Busulfan is an alkylating agent used as part of conditioning chemotherapy regimens prior to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT). Pharmacokinetic (PK)-guided test-dose strategies have been shown to improve the number of patients achieving busulfan exposure goals and improve clinical outcomes. However, current practices require extensive PK sampling. In this study, PK data were retrospectively collected from busulfan drug monitoring records from adult allo-HCT recipients who received once-daily intravenous busulfan at the University of North Carolina Medical Center (UNCMC). A population pharmacokinetic (popPK) model was developed to identify sources of interindividual variability and evaluate alternative PK sampling strategies. A 2-compartment model, with covariate effects of actual body weight and sex, best described the data. The typical value of clearance for an 83 kg male was estimated to be 11.21 L/h. Fifty-nine percent of allo-HCT recipients were estimated to have met the UNCMC institutional myeloablative conditioning (MAC) exposure goal based on model post hoc estimates of clearance using all PK samples obtained following MAC dosing. Fifty-seven percent of patients were estimated to have met this goal based on post hoc estimates using a single PK sample. Our results indicate once-daily, intravenous busulfan PK in adult allo-HCT recipients receiving MAC dosing can be reasonably described by a popPK model, and the use of a sparse PK sampling strategy may be feasible for determining target exposure attainment following MAC dosing. Use of a popPK model and sparse PK sampling strategy to carry out busulfan test-dose procedures could reduce health care costs and inconvenience to patients.
Project description:Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) reactivation is a major infectious cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). HCMV is a ubiquitous beta-herpesvirus which asymptomatically infects immunocompetent individuals but establishes lifelong latency, with the potential to reactivate to a life-threatening productive infection when the host immune system is suppressed or compromised. Opportunistic HCMV reactivation is the most common viral complication following engraftment after HSCT and is associated with a marked increase in non-relapse mortality, which appears to be linked to complex effects on post-transplant immune recovery. This minireview explores the cellular sites of HCMV latency and reactivation in HSCT recipients and provides an overview of the risk factors for HCMV reactivation post-HSCT. The impact of HCMV in shaping post-transplant immune reconstitution and its relationship with patient outcomes such as relapse and graft-versus-host disease will be discussed. Finally, we survey current and emerging strategies to prevent and control HCMV reactivation in HSCT recipients, with recent developments including adoptive T cell therapies to accelerate HCMV-specific T cell reconstitution and new anti-HCMV drug therapy for HCMV reactivation after HSCT.