Cytomegalovirus antigenemia and outcomes of patients undergoing allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation: effects of long-term high-dose acyclovir prophylaxis and preemptive ganciclovir treatment.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In order to investigate the relationships between antigenemia, high-dose acyclovir (HDACV) prophylaxis, preemptive ganciclovir (GCV) therapy, and outcomes, we analyzed the records of 105 patients, including both pediatric and adult populations, who underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) and who were at risk for CMV reactivation and disease (both recipient and donor seropositive). All received HDACV until neutrophil engraftment, but prophylaxis was continued till post-transplant day 180 only in pediatric patients in conjunction with weekly CMV pp65 antigenemia monitoring.

The impact of granulocyte colony stimulating factor at content of donor lymphocytes collected for cellular immunotherapy.

Background And Objectives: Donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) have become widely used for prevention or treatment of relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Increasing use of reduced intensity conditioning regimens (RICR) and subsequent application of DLI forced the hemapheresis centers to collect donor lymphocytes in certain quantity and quality. The place of growth factors especially granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF, filgrastim) in allogeneic hemapoietic stem cell (HSC) collection is established, but there is no consensus about the role of rhG-CSF.