Does reduced-intensity allogeneic transplantation confer a survival advantage to patients with poor prognosis chronic lymphocytic leukaemia? A case-control retrospective analysis

Patients and methods: Cases comprised 37 patients who underwent RIC allo-HCT. Haemopoietic cell grafts were harvested from HLA-matched siblings (27) and unrelated donors (7). Controls consisted of 43 patients from the same institutions who received conventional therapy only. Matching variables were age at diagnosis and time to first CLL-specific therapy. Results: Both patient groups were well balanced in terms of cytogenetics by FISH, CD38 and ZAP-70 expression, and immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region mutational status. Median overall survival was 113 months for HCT patients and 85 months for controls when calculated from time of diagnosis (P = 0.072) and 103 and 67 months, respectively, when calculated from time of first therapy (P = 0.041). Conclusion: RIC allo-HCT is a reasonable option for patients with high-risk CLL. However, these results require confirmation before the procedure can be recommended outside clinical trials.