CMV Infection Alone Does Not Affect The Survival In Patients After Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation: Can We Put Off The Time Of Preemptive Therapy?

Analysis and discuss the time of cytomegalovirus (CMV) preemptive therapy after umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). Analysis the risk factors of CMV infection and the effect on survival of CMV infection after UCBT.

From April 2000 to March 2013, 176 cases of patients undergo UCBT who were detected plasma CMV-DNA twice a week routinely. Preemptive antiviral therapy was initiated with ganciclovir or foscarnet for positive PCR of 10³ DNA copies or more per ml.

125 of 176 patients developed CMV infection (71%) at a median of 32d (range 19 to 98) post-transplant and only 4 patients developed CMV disease (2.3%). The 5-year overall (OS) was 59.4% in the patients with CMV infection and 64.9% in patients without CMV infection (P=0.193). The study identified that younger age, high-risk disease, infused little CD34 positive cells, developed III-IV degree acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), high-dose methylprednisolone, and treated with basiliximab and other strong immunosuppressive agent as significant risk factors for developing CMV infection. It had nothing to do with the gender of patients, transplantation of UCB units, the conditioning regime, the day of neutrophil recovery and chronic GVHD. Preemptive therapy when the CMV-DNA copies are greater than 10³ does not increase the incidence of CMV disease, and the survival has not been impacted.

Preemptive therapy can be initiated when CMV-DNA copies are greater than 10³ which can achieve the same effects in UCBT.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.