title: HIV status does not affect the outcome of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
abstract: Randomized trials comparing autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) to conventional chemotherapy have demonstrated superior survival among HIV-negative ASCT patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Recent trials explored the feasibility of ASCT in the HIV setting. Although these studies have shown that ASCT in HIV-positive NHL patients (HIVpos-NHL) is well tolerated, the impact of HIV infection on long-term transplant outcome is not well characterized. Ongoing comparison of long-term survival following ASCT in HIVpos-NHL patients and HIVneg-NHL patients will allow investigators to explore whether there should be inclusion of HIVpos-NHL patients in ASCT trials. To study long-term outcome we conducted a single-institution matched case-controlled study in HIVpos-NHL patients (cases) and HIVneg-NHL patients (controls). Twenty-nine patients with HIVpos-NHL were matched with HIVneg-NHL controls on sex, time to ASCT, year of transplant, histology, age, disease status, number prior regimens, and conditioning regimen. Nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was similar: 11% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4%-28%) in HIVpos-NHL patients and 4% (95% CI: 1%-25%) in HIVneg-NHL controls (P = .18). Two-year disease-free survival (DFS) for the HIVpos-NHL patients was 76% (95% CI: 62%-85%) and 56% (95% CI: 45%-66%) for the HIVneg-NHL controls (P = .33). Overall survival was also similar; the 2-year point estimates were 75% (95% CI: 61%-85%) and 75% (95% CI: 60%-85%), respectively (P = .93), despite inclusion of more poor risk HIVpos-NHL patients. These results provide further evidence that HIV status does not affect the long-term outcome of ASCT for NHL, and therefore HIV status alone should no longer exclude these patients from transplant clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology/Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope Cancer Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA. akrishnan@coh.org
authors.forename: Amrita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krishnan
authors.forename: Joycelynne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zaia
authors.forename: Ni-Chun
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alvarnas
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Forman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017741:Survivors; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult