Abstract
The presence of clonal gammopathies (CG) has been reported following both conventional myeloablative and autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We monitored the occurrence of CG in a cohort of patients with myeloid malignancies receiving FBC (fludarabine-busulphan-alemtuzumab)-based reduced intensity conditioned (RIC) HSCT, and assessed its correlation with infections, graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and survival. Serial serum protein electrophoresis was analysed in a total of 138 patients and CG were detected in 49 patients (36%). The predominant Ig isotype was IgG (82%). There was no difference in the incidence of viral infections between patient groups. However, patients with gammopathies were more likely to have had prior chronic GvHD (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.3–5.5, P<0.001). On multivariate analysis, the only factors that were found to influence overall survival (OS) were presence of gammopathies, which was associated with an improved OS (OR 0.35 95% CI 0.14–0.86, P=0.02) as well as disease stage, patients with advanced disease having a higher risk of death (OR 2.20 95% CI 1.18–4.11, P=0.02). Disease stage was the only variable that influenced relapse incidence on multivariate analysis (OR 4.22 95% CI 1.82–9.78, P<0.01). Clonal gammopathies are a frequent but benign occurrence following alemtuzumab-based RIC HSCT, and their appearance may define a group of patients with a favourable overall outcome.
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Lim, Z., Ingram, W., Brand, R. et al. Clonal gammopathies following alemtuzumab-based reduced intensity conditioning haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: association with chronic graft-versus-host disease and improved overall survival. Bone Marrow Transplant 40, 747–752 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1705805
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1705805
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