Donor T-cell responses and disease progression patterns of multiple myeloma

M Eefting, LC de Wreede, PA Von dem Borne… - Bone Marrow …, 2017 - nature.com
M Eefting, LC de Wreede, PA Von dem Borne, CJM Halkes, S Kersting, EWA Marijt, H Putter
Bone Marrow Transplantation, 2017nature.com
Donor T-cells transferred after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) can result in
long-term disease control in myeloma by the graft-versus-myeloma (GvM) effect. However, T-
cell therapy may show differential effectiveness against bone marrow (BM) infiltration and
focal myeloma lesions resulting in different control and progression patterns. Outcomes of
43 myeloma patients who underwent T-cell-depleted alloSCT with scheduled donor
lymphocyte infusion (DLI) were analyzed with respect to diffuse BM infiltration and focal …
Abstract
Donor T-cells transferred after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) can result in long-term disease control in myeloma by the graft-versus-myeloma (GvM) effect. However, T-cell therapy may show differential effectiveness against bone marrow (BM) infiltration and focal myeloma lesions resulting in different control and progression patterns. Outcomes of 43 myeloma patients who underwent T-cell-depleted alloSCT with scheduled donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) were analyzed with respect to diffuse BM infiltration and focal progression. For comparison, 12 patients for whom a donor search was started but no alloSCT was performed, were analyzed. After DLI, complete disappearance of myeloma cells in BM occurred in 86% of evaluable patients. The probabilities of BM progression-free survival (PFS) at 2 years after start of donor search, alloSCT and DLI, were 17%(95% confidence interval 0–38%), 51%(36–66%), and 62%(44–80%) respectively. In contrast, the probabilities of focal PFS at 2 years after start of donor search, alloSCT and DLI, were 17%(0–38%), 30%(17–44%) and 28%(11–44%), respectively. Donor-derived T-cell responses effectively reduce BM infiltration, but not focal progression in myeloma, illustrating potent immunological responses in BM with only limited effect of T-cells on focal lesions.
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