Therapy to reduce the risk of relapse after transplantation does not increase the risk of graft-versus-host disease

After allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation to treat cancer, patients can still be at risk of relapse. Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is a therapy given post-transplant to reduce this risk. Transplantation is associated with a well-known side effect called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a condition in which donor immune cells attack the recipient’s tissues. Investigators at St. Jude wanted to better understand whether DLI after transplantation contributes to this risk, gaining insight into how and when DLI should be used.

In a study recently published in Blood ICT, St. Jude researchers found that children who received a DLI did not experience higher rates of GVHD compared to those who did not. They also confirmed previous findings that a longer interval between transplantation and DLI lowers the risk of GVHD.

“These findings show that DLI does not raise the risk of GVHD beyond what is typically seen after transplant,” explained first author Shruthi Suryaprakash, MD, Department of Hematology and Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy.

“These findings reinforce that it’s reasonable to move forward when a patient truly needs a DLI,” said corresponding author Akshay Sharma, MBBS, MSc, Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy.

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