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Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Liver graft-versus-host disease after donor lymphocyte infusion for relapses of hematologic malignancies post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Summary:

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the commonest complication after donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). In 19 patients undergoing DLI for relapses of hematologic malignancies post hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), 11 developed GVHD, of whom nine had isolated liver involvement, and two had liver and skin involvement. The clinical diagnosis of liver GVHD was hepatitic in six patients (55%) and classical in five patients (45%). Patients with GVHD post-DLI showed a different clinical pattern when compared to a cohort of 106 cases of GVHD post-HSCT, in having significantly more isolated liver involvement (9/11 vs 17/106, P<0.001), and less skin (2/11 vs 80/106, P<0.001) and gut (0/11 vs 28/106, P<0.001) involvement. However, liver GVHD post-DLI and post-HSCT had comparable patient characteristics, underlying diseases, clinical subtypes (classical and hepatitic) and response to treatment.

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Acknowledgements

This study is supported in part by the Kadoorie Charitable Foundation.

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Correspondence to Y L Kwong.

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Ma, S., Au, W., Lie, A. et al. Liver graft-versus-host disease after donor lymphocyte infusion for relapses of hematologic malignancies post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 34, 57–61 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704522

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