Cytomegalovirus infection in patients with malignant lymphomas who have not received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Background Life-threatening cytomegalovirus infection (CMVI) has been reported even in patients with malignant lymphoma (ML) who have not received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (w/o HSCT) but had been treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, the CMVI incidence and risk factors (RFs) in patients with ML w/o HSCT have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical aspects, including incidence and RFs, of CMVI in patients with ML w/o HSCT. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients with ML who received chemotherapy or radiotherapy in our department from 2005 to 2013. The overall survival (OS), incidence and RFs of CMVI, and other characteristics of patients with CMVI were analyzed. Results Overall, 236 patients with ML w/o HSCT were evaluated. Of these, 5.5% (13/236) developed CMVI; 54% (7/13) received steroid pretreatment before primary therapy (PT) for ML; and 62% (8/13) received > 2 therapeutic regimens for ML. The OS curve of patients with CMVI was significantly worse than that of patients without CMVI (p < 0.0001, log-rank test). A univariate analysis identified B symptoms (p = 0.00321), serum albumin < 3.5 g/dL (p = 0.0007837), C-reactive protein level > the upper limit of normal (p = 0.0006962), steroid pretreatment before PT for ML (p = 0.0004262), > 2 therapeutic regimens for ML (p = 0.0000818), T cell lymphoma (p = 0.006406), and non-complete remission (p = 0.02311) as RFs for CMVI. A multivariate analysis identified steroid pretreatment before PT for ML [odds ratio (OR): 4.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-21.0); p = 0.0419] and > 2 therapeutic regimens for ML [OR: 9.25 (95% CI: 2.33-36.8); p = 0.00159] as independent RFs for CMVI in patients with ML w/o HSCT. Conclusions Attention should be paid to CMVI development in patients with ML w/o HSCT pretreated with steroids or who had multiple therapeutic regimens.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and risk factors of cytomegalovirus infection in patients with malignant lymphoma who did not receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The study found that pretreatment with steroids and multiple therapeutic regimens were independent risk factors for cytomegalovirus infection in these patients.