Double-Unit Cord Blood (CB) Transplantation Combined With Haplo-Identical CD34+ Cell-Selected PBSC Results In 100% CB Engraftment With Enhanced Myeloid Recovery

Double-unit CB transplantation (DCBT) has provided high rates of sustained donor engraftment in patients with hematologic malignancies. However, delayed engraftment is frequent with a median neutrophil & platelet recovery of 25 & 48 days, respectively, in adult DCBT recipients at our center. This delay is associated with increased transplant-related mortality (TRM). It is also associated with prolonged hospitalization with a median discharge time of +42 days (range 25-76) in recent adult myeloablative DCBT recipients.

We investigated the combined transplantation of a 4-6/6 HLA-A,-B antigen, -DRB1 allele matched double-unit CB allograft (infused on day 0) with peripheral blood stem cell derived Miltenyi column selected haplo-identical CD34+ cells (haplo-CD34+, infused on day 0 or +1) to speed myeloid recovery. We used DCB grafts to facilitate comparison with historic/concurrent DCB controls transplanted without haplo-CD34+.

Of 23 protocol eligible patients, 6/23 (26%) underwent DCBT only due to the lack of any suitable haplo-identical donor. Thus, 17 patients [median 39 years (range 16-69), median 78 kg (range 63-133)] were transplanted 9/2012-6/2013 with DCB plus haplo-CD34+ cells for high-risk hematologic malignancies. Diagnoses included 12 acute leukemias & 5 lymphomas. Conditioning was myeloablative with CSA/MMF immune suppression & no ATG. Median infused CB TNC x 10⁷/kg was 2.29 (larger unit, range 1.73-2.95) & 1.82 (smaller unit, range 1.26-2.48). Haplo-identical donors (median 37 years, range 19-71) had a median donor-recipient HLA-match of 5/10 (range 5-7). 15 patients received the targeted infused haplo-CD34+ cell dose of 3 x 10⁶/kg whereas 2 each received haplo-CD34+ cell doses of 1 x 10⁶/kg. The median infused haplo-CD3+ dose was 0.6 x 10³/kg (range 0.3-1.6). One patient died on day 14. Of 16 remaining evaluable patients, all (100%) engrafted with a median neutrophil recovery of 13.5 days (range 11-31) in 14 patients who received 3 x 10⁶/kg haplo-CD34+ cells, and 26 and 18 days in the 2 patients who received 1 x 10⁶/kg haplo-CD34+ cells. Platelet recovery ≥ 20 × 10⁹/l has occurred in 12/15 patients (median 27 days, range 18-46) to date. Serial chimerism results demonstrating the contribution of haplo-CD34+ cells & each CB unit to date is shown (Table). While myeloid recovery on day 14 was predominantly haplo-CD34+ cell mediated, one CB unit dominated by day 28 in both neutrophil & T-cell subsets. The median total donor chimerism was 100% the dominant CB unit by day 100. With a median follow-up of survivors of 5 months (range 1-10), to date 9 of 15 evaluable patients have developed grade II-IV aGVHD by day 100 (7 grade II, 1 grade III, 1 grade IV). One patient with refractory leukemia transplanted with disease has relapsed, & 4 have died of TRM (2 organ failure, 1 grade IV aGVHD, 1 CMV infection). Excluding early deaths, of patients who were discharged in the first 100 days (n = 13), the median day of discharge was day +33 (range 21-60).

Double-unit CBT supplemented by haplo-CD34+ cells is safe. The incidence of neutrophil engraftment is high & the speed of neutrophil recovery is enhanced compared with recent DCBT controls. A shorter time of initial hospitalization (9 days) has offset the cost of the addition of haplo-CD34+ cells. It is intriguing that the dominant CB unit can rapidly reject the haplo-identical donor. This may be facilitated by omission of ATG, and the determinants of the speed of haplo-donor rejection are under investigation. Whether the same results could be achieved with a single CB unit plus haplo-CD34+ cells requires investigation. Addition of haplo-CD34+ cells is also an alternative to expansion, although expansion remains an important strategy to augmenting myeloid recovery given some patients do not have any suitable haplo-identical donors.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.