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Efficacy and safety of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant in adults with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a systematic review of literature

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 57, pages 866–873 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but life-threatening disorder of the immune system. While familial HLH is usually seen in children, secondary HLH is more common in adults. Secondary HLH is associated with a wide variety of underlying conditions including infections, malignancy and autoimmune disorders. While HLH 94/04 protocol-based chemotherapy can be used for initial treatment, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) remains the only potentially curative treatment modality for this disorder. In this systematic review, we analyzed available literature on the role of allo-HSCT in adolescent and adult patients using PubMed, Cochrane, Embase and ClinicalTrials.gov. A total of 11 retrospective studies evaluated the role of allo-HSCT for HLH. Allo-HSCT, when compared to non-HSCT approach, appears to be associated with reasonable efficacy and acceptable safety for adolescent and adult patients with HLH.

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Fig. 1: PRISMA flow chart for study selection criteria.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, AM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Internal Medicine - Tidal Health Peninsula Regional, 100 East Carroll Street, Salisbury, MD, 21801, USA

    Adeel Masood

  2. Internal Medicine - Baptist Medical Center South/The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Montgomery, AL, 36116, USA

    Ahsan Wahab

  3. Internal Medicine – Tidal Health Peninsula Regional, 100 East Carroll Street, Salisbury, MD, 21801, USA

    Qamar Iqbal

  4. Hematology/Oncology - Medical University of South Carolina, 171 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA

    James Davis

  5. Hematology/Oncology Fellow - Levine Cancer Institute/Atrium Health, 1021 Morehead Medical Dr, Charlotte, NC, 28204, USA

    Hamid Ehsan

  6. Hematology/Oncology -Medical University of South Carolina. 171 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA

    Hamza Hashmi

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  1. Adeel Masood
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  2. Ahsan Wahab
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  3. Qamar Iqbal
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  4. James Davis
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All authors equally contributed to the conception and design of the work that led to this submission, including acquiring the data and drafting the manuscript. The final version of the manuscript has been approved by all authors who have agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

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Correspondence to Adeel Masood.

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Masood, A., Wahab, A., Iqbal, Q. et al. Efficacy and safety of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant in adults with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a systematic review of literature. Bone Marrow Transplant 57, 866–873 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-022-01668-9

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