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The impact of donor gender on outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma: reduced relapse risk in female to male transplants

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 35, pages 609–617 (2005)Cite this article

Summary:

The impact of the donor gender on outcome in HLA-identical sibling donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma was studied in a retrospective registry study of 1312 patients (476 male to male (M → M); 334 female to male (F → M); 258 male to female (M → F); 244 female to female (F → F) reported to the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT). The best overall survival (OS) from the time of transplantation was found in F → F (median 41 months) with no significant difference between other groups (median 25 months in M → M, 18 months in F → M, 19 months in M → F) despite a significantly higher nonrelapse mortality in F → M. This was due to a significantly lower relapse rate (REL) in F → M compared to all other groups. Before 1994, OS was poorer in F → M than in M → M, which improved to similarity from 1994 onwards (median 29 months in M → M and 25 months in F → M). The reduced REL contributed to this improvement in F → M indicting a gender-specific graft vs myeloma effect. Therefore, a female donor is as good as a male one for male patients, while for female patients gender disparity is a negative factor for outcome.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Swedish Cancer Fund and the Cancer Society in Stockholm. This work is based on data reported to the EBMT registry by EBMT centers , which is greatly acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine and Hematology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden

    G Gahrton, B Björkstrand & P Ljungman

  2. Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands

    S Iacobelli

  3. Department of Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK

    J Apperley & D Samson

  4. Institute of Hematology ‘L. and A. Seràgnoli’, University of Bologna, S Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy

    G Bandini & M Cavo

  5. Hematology, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, Barcelona, Spain

    J Bladé

  6. CHU Bordeaux, Department of Hematology, Hopital Haut-Leveque, Bordeaux, France

    J M Boiron

  7. Haematology Daniel den Hoed Cancer Centre (AZR), Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    J Cornelissen

  8. Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Ematologia-Unita' di trapianto di Midollo osseo, via Venezian 1, Milano, Italy

    P Corradini

  9. University Hospital Eppendorf, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, Germany

    N Kröger & A Zander

  10. Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Hop. Edouard Herriot Serv. d'hematologie U E4, Lyon Cedex, 03, France

    M Michallet

  11. Department of Haematology, Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, UK

    N H Russell

  12. UMC St Radboud, Hematology, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    A Schattenberg

  13. Royal Marsden, Leukaemia and Myeloma Unit, Downs Rd, Sutton, Surrey, UK

    B Sirohi

  14. AZ Utrecht, Department of Haematology (GO3.647), Utrecht, The Netherlands

    L F Verdonck

  15. Division of Hematology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

    L Volin

  16. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Leipzig, Philipp Rosenthalstr. 23-25, Leipzig, Germany

    D Niederwieser

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  1. G Gahrton
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  2. S Iacobelli
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  3. J Apperley
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  4. G Bandini
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  8. M Cavo
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  14. N H Russell
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  15. D Samson
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  16. A Schattenberg
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  17. B Sirohi
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  18. L F Verdonck
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  19. L Volin
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  20. A Zander
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  21. D Niederwieser
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Correspondence to G Gahrton.

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Gahrton, G., Iacobelli, S., Apperley, J. et al. The impact of donor gender on outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma: reduced relapse risk in female to male transplants. Bone Marrow Transplant 35, 609–617 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704861

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