Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation provides effective salvage despite refractory disease or failed prior autologous transplant in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma: a CIBMTR analysis

BackgroundThere is a paucity of data on the role of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) in patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). Using the CIBMTR registry, we report here the outcomes of AITL patients undergoing an allo-HCT.MethodsWe evaluated 249 adult AITL patients who received their first allo-HCT during 2000-2016.ResultsThe median patient age was 56years (range=21-77). Majority of the patients were Caucasians (86%), with a male predominance (60%). Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis was predominantly calcineurin inhibitor-based approaches while the most common graft source was peripheral blood (97%). Median follow-up of survivors was 49months (range=4-170months). The cumulative incidence of grade 2-4 and grade 3-4 acute GVHD at day 180 were 36% (95% CI=30-42) and 12 (95% CI=8-17), respectively. The cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD at 1year was 49% (95%CI 43-56). The 1-year non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 19% (95% CI=14-24), while the 4-year relapse/progression, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were 21% (95% CI=16-27), 49% (95% CI=42-56), and 56% (95% CI=49-63), respectively. On multivariate analysis, chemoresistant status at the time of allo-HCT was associated with a significantly higher risk for therapy failure (inverse of PFS) (RR=1.73 95% CI=1.08-2.77), while KPS <90% was associated with a significantly higher risk of mortality (inverse of OS) (RR=3.46 95% CI=1.75-6.87).ConclusionOur analysis shows that allo-HCT provides durable disease control even in AITL patients who failed a prior auto-HCT and in those subjects with refractory disease at the time of allografting.