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Graft-Versus-Tumor Effects

A pilot study of prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusions to prevent relapse in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemias after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 41, pages 805–812 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

The outcome of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receiving therapeutic donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) in relapse after stem cell transplantation (SCT) is poor. We analyzed the impact of prophylactic DLIs in ALL on chimerism and sustained complete remission (CR). Eighty-five patients with ALL were allografted between January 1998 and September 2004. Twenty-six of them received prophylactic DLIs and were included in this analysis. A total of 12 of 13 patients, who were treated with mixed chimerism (MC) converted to complete donor chimerism (92%) and 10 of 12 patients had persistent donor chimerism and sustained CR during subsequent follow-up. Overall, 18 of 26 patients developed graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after DLIs (69%), acute GVHD in 46 and chronic GVHD in 62%. After a median follow-up of 42 months (14–72) after SCT, 18 of 26 patients (70%) are alive, 16 in CR. Probability of event-free survival (EFS) for patients treated with DLIs is 62%, and overall survival is 70% at 3 years. Our preliminary data support a graft-versus-leukemia effect of prophylactic DLIs able to induce stable donor chimerism and ongoing CR after SCT. As the accompanying GVHD rate was considerable, careful selection of patients for prophylactic DLIs is mandatory.

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Author notes

  1. G Massenkeil

    Present address: 4Present address: Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,

  2. C Lutz and G Massenkeil: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology and Oncology, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Berlin, Germany

    C Lutz, G Massenkeil, S Neuburger, I Tamm, O Rosen, B Dörken & R Arnold

  2. Institute of Legal Medicine, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany

    M Nagy

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  1. C Lutz
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Correspondence to G Massenkeil.

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Lutz, C., Massenkeil, G., Nagy, M. et al. A pilot study of prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusions to prevent relapse in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemias after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 41, 805–812 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1705981

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