Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with the modified myeloablative conditioning regimen for children with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection

Yanhui Luo; Ang Wei; Bin Wang; Guanghua Zhu; Rui Zhang; Chenguang Jia; Yan Yan; Xuan Zhou; Jun Yang; Maoquan Qin; Tianyou Wang

doi:10.1002/ped4.12350

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with the modified myeloablative conditioning regimen for children with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection

Pediatr Investig. 2022 Nov 15;6(4):250-259. doi: 10.1002/ped4.12350. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Yanhui Luo¹, Ang Wei¹, Bin Wang¹, Guanghua Zhu¹, Rui Zhang¹, Chenguang Jia¹, Yan Yan¹, Xuan Zhou¹, Jun Yang¹, Maoquan Qin¹, Tianyou Wang¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Stem cell Transplantation, Beijing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, National Key Discipline of Pediatrics (Capital Medical University), Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Ministry of Education, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University National Center for Children's Health Beijing China.

Abstract

Importance: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is considered the only effective treatment for chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV). The clinical efficacy and safety of allo-HSCT with different conditioning regimens in children with CAEBV remain unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of allo-HSCT with the modified myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimen for children with CAEBV and also the factors affecting the outcomes.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed children with CAEBV who underwent allo-HSCT with the modified MAC regimen at Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from October 2016 to June 2021. Data related to the clinical manifestations, engraftment, and outcome were extracted from the medical records.

Results: The cohort comprised 41 patients (24 males, 17 females) with a median transplantation age of 92.6 (60.4, 120.7) months and a median follow-up time of 28.2 (15.3, 40.2) months. Four patients (9.8%) died, among which three died from primary disease relapse, and one died from grade IV acute graft-versus-host diseases (aGVHD) after stopping treatment. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and 3-year event-free survival (EFS) rates were 88.8% ± 5.4% and 85.0% ± 5.7%, respectively. The 3-year OS and EFS did not significantly differ between the patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and the patient without HLH (87.7% ± 6.8% vs. 91.7% ± 8.0%, P = 0.790; 85.0% ± 6.9% vs. 84.6% ± 10.0%, P = 0.921), or among the patients with complete remission, partial remission, and activity disease before HSCT (all P > 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that grade III-IV aGVHD was a risk factor for mortality (Hazards ratio: 11.65, 95% confidence interval: 1.00, 136.06; P = 0.050).

Interpretation: Allo-HSCT with the modified MAC regimen is safe and effective for pediatric CAEBV. This treatment benefits patients with HLH or active disease. Patients with Grade III-IV aGVHD may be associated with worse outcomes.

Keywords: Children; Chronic active Epstein–Barr virus infection; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Myeloablative conditioning.