Early CMV-replication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation is associated with a reduced relapse risk in lymphoma

Abstract

A preventive effect of early human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication was evaluated in 136 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients with mature B-cell NHLs (n = 94), and mature T- and NK-cell NHLs (n = 42) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Most study-patients (85%) had received at least 2 cycles of chemotherapy and 60% had also received an autograft prior to alloSCT. First detection of CMV-replication by HCMV antigenemia/viremia was found at a median of day +33 after alloSCT. The cumulative incidence of relapse at 5 years after alloSCT was 38% (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 26–49) in 82 patients without compared to 22% (95%CI: 8–37) in 54 patients with HCMV antigenemia/viremia (p = .013). A decreased relapse risk of HCMV replication was confirmed by multivariate analysis for HCMV antigenemia/viremia (Hazard ratio [HR]: 0.29, 95%CI: 0.11–0.76, p < .014). This report demonstrated a possible improvement of relapse incidence after replicative HCMV infection in patients with NHL after alloSCT.

Keywords:

• HCMV
• lymphoma
• alloSCT

Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to the technicians of the Department of Virology at the University Hospital of Essen, Germany and the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation for their excellent technical long-term support in the performance of the HCMV pp65-antigenemia or HCMV PCR assays.

Potential conflict of interest

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