Risk Factors for Graft-Versus-Host Disease After Transplantation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells from Unrelated Donors in the China Marrow Donor Program

BACKGROUND We identified risk factors for acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD and cGVHD, respectively) in recipients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from unrelated donors in the China Marrow Donor Program (CMDP). MATERIAL AND METHODS We analyzed follow-up clinical information from 1824 patients who underwent HSCT between 2001 and 2010. RESULTS The incidence of aGVHD and cGVHD after transplantation was 49.29% and 27.3%, respectively. aGVHD incidence decreased as HLA matching increased (p<0.001). Incidence of aGVHD and cGVHD was higher in 2 HLA-A locus donor/recipient groups (02: 01/02: 06 and 02: 01/02: 07; p≤0.022). aGVHD incidence was associated with patient age, absence of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) pretreatment, and disease status (p≤0.040). aGVHD appeared to be a risk factor for cGVHD, and total body irradiation (TBI) was also associated with cGVHD. Patients with cGVHD after transplantation had a higher survival rate than patients without cGVHD (p<0.001), which may be due to reduced relapse rates. Survival was also associated with ATG prophylaxis and disease status. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of GVHD after HSCT from unrelated donors in the Chinese population is similar to the results reported from other countries. A high degree of HLA matching, a conditioning regimen without TBI, and the use of ATG may reduce the incidence of aGVHD.