Anti-leukemic effect of graft-versus-host disease on bone marrow and extramedullary relapses in acute leukemia.
OBJECTIVE
Several reports have suggested that the graft-versus-leukemia effect at extramedullary (EM) sites might be less prominent than that in the bone marrow (BM). We analyzed the effect of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) on BM and EM relapses in 194 consecutive patients with acute leukemia who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation at a single institute.


METHODS
We compared relapse-free survival (RFS), BM RFS, and EM RFS after allografting according to the occurrence of GVHD. We also investigated the clinical outcome of patients who relapsed after their allogeneic transplantation.


RESULTS
Relapse occurred in 65 patients; in 41 (63%) relapse occurred in the BM only, in 9 (14%) it occurred in both BM and EM sites, and 15 (23%) in EM sites only. Patients who developed acute GVHD after transplantation had significantly higher relapse-free survival (69.2% vs. 52.4%; p=0.042) and BM RFS (80.7% vs. 59.1%; p=0.030) compared to those who did not. However, EM RFS was similar between patients with and without acute GVHD (76.7% vs. 78.2%; p=0.744). Among the 65 patients who relapsed, 32 patients attained complete remission with salvage treatments and 22 experienced a second relapse, which occurred in the BM (n=9), BM and EM sites (n=1), or EM sites (n=12).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study confirms that GVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation has an anti-leukemic effect, thus preventing relapse; however, it may be less effective in preventing EM relapse.
Lee
Je-Hwan
JH
Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, 388-1 Poongnap-2 dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736, Korea. jhlee3@amc.seoul.kr
Choi
Seong-Jun
SJ
Lee
Jung-Hee
JH
Seol
Miee
M
Lee
Young-Shin
YS
Ryu
Seong-Gil
SG
Park
Chan-Jeoung
CJ
Chi
Hyun-Sook
HS
Lee
Moo-Song
MS
Yun
SungCheol
S
Lee
Jung-Shin
JS
Lee
Kyoo-Hyung
KH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D020544:Graft vs Leukemia Effect / Q000276:immunology*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery*