title: No evidence of transmission of chronic lymphocytic leukemia through blood transfusion.
abstract: Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) is a precursor of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Observations of MBL in blood donors raise concern that transmitted MBL may cause recipient CLL. Using a database with health information on 1.5 million donors and 2.1 million recipients, we compared CLL occurrence among 7413 recipients of blood from 796 donors diagnosed with CLL after donation cessation, and among 80, 431 recipients of blood from 7477 matched CLL-free donors. During follow-up, 12 and 107 cases of CLL occurred among the exposed and unexposed recipients, respectively, yielding a relative risk of 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.52-1.71). Analyses using the entire database showed no evidence of CLL clustering among recipients of blood from individual donors. In conclusion, when donor MBL was approximated by subsequent donor CLL diagnosis, data from 2 countries' entire computerized transfusion experience over more than 30 years indicate that MBL/CLL transmission does not contribute importantly to recipient CLL risk.
authors: Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark;
authors: Henrik
authors: H
authors: Hjalgrim
authors: Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark;
authors: Klaus
authors: K
authors: Rostgaard
authors: Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;
authors: Senthil K
authors: SK
authors: Vasan
authors: Department of Clinical Immunology, Blood Bank, Rigshospitalet, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark;
authors: Henrik
authors: H
authors: Ullum
authors: Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark;
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Erikstrup
authors: Department of Clinical Immunology, Naestved Hospital, Naestved, Denmark;
authors: Ole B V
authors: OB
authors: Pedersen
authors: Department of Clinical Immunology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark;
authors: Kaspar R
authors: KR
authors: Nielsen
authors: South Danish Transfusion Service/Department of Clinical Immunology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; and.
authors: Kjell-Einar
authors: KE
authors: Titlestad
authors: Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark;
authors: Mads
authors: M
authors: Melbye
authors: Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;
authors: Olof
authors: O
authors: Nyrén
authors: Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Hematology Centre, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Gustaf
authors: G
authors: Edgren
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D001782:Blood Donors; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008218:Lymphocytosis / Q000150:complications*; D011379:Prognosis; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D065227:Transfusion Reaction