{"title":"Incidence and risk factors of Epstein-Barr virus infection and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in paediatric haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.","authors":"Xin Yee Chiew, Lu Bai, Hui-Fang Wang, Feng Zhang, Pan Suo, Guan-Hua Hu, Ying-Xi Zuo, Yu-Qian Sun, Xiao-Dong Mo, Yu Wang, Lan-Ping Xu, Xiao-Hui Zhang, Xiao-Jun Huang, Yi-Fei Cheng","doi":"10.1038/s41409-026-03003-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-026-03003-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation after haploidentical stem cell transplant (haplo-HSCT) is a serious complication, which sometimes progresses to post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). We retrospectively analyzed 448 pediatric patients ( ≤ 18 years) undergoing anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG)-based haplo-HSCT with letermovir prophylaxis at Peking University People's Hospital (Oct 2022-Oct 2025), using a 1:3 propensity score-matched design. EBV viremia and PTLD incidences were 12.4% and 4.9%. Multivariate analysis showed prior Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (Hazard ratio (HR) = 2.040, 95% CI 1.061-3.920; p = 0.033) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia preceding EBV viremia (HR = 6.075, 95% CI 3.377-10.928; p < 0.001) were risk factors for EBV viremia. The PTLD risk was higher with a total body irradiation (TBI)-based conditioning regimen (HR = 1.917, 95% CI 0.980-3.750; p = 0.050). Overall survival did not differ between groups (EBV + : 92.9% vs. EBV-: 96.4%; p = 0.10), but event-free survival was inferior in EBV-infected patients (86.6% vs. 94.6%; p = 0.004). Chronic graft-versus-host disease (17.0% vs. 6.5%; p < 0.001) and transplant-related mortality (7.1% vs. 2.1%; p = 0.005) were significantly higher in the EBV viremia cohort. EBV reactivation and PTLD pose serious challenges, and risk factors include TBI conditioning, prior CAR-T therapy, and CMV viremia preceding EBV viremia. Preemptive cytotoxic T lymphocyte therapy may benefit high-risk patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":9126,"journal":{"name":"Bone Marrow Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148817560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erin L Frost, Adrianna Westbrook, Tracy Huang, Sang Nguyen, Benjamin Watkins, Muna Qayed, Taylor Fitch, Kirsten M Williams, Staci D Arnold, Michelle L Schoettler
{"title":"Social vulnerability is not associated with reduced access to hematopoietic cell transplantation among referred pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies.","authors":"Erin L Frost, Adrianna Westbrook, Tracy Huang, Sang Nguyen, Benjamin Watkins, Muna Qayed, Taylor Fitch, Kirsten M Williams, Staci D Arnold, Michelle L Schoettler","doi":"10.1038/s41409-026-03021-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-026-03021-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9126,"journal":{"name":"Bone Marrow Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148788142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guillaume Manson, Roberta Di Blasi, Roch Houot, Franck Morschhauser, Guillaume Cartron, Thomas Gastinne, Didier Blaise, François-Xavier Gros, Pierre Bories, Fabien Le Bras, Marie-Thérèse Rubio, Mohammad Mohty, Jacques-Olivier Bay, Stéphanie Guidez, Cristina Castilla Llorente, Fabrice Jardin, Amandine Durand, Blandine Guffroy, Michaël Loschi, Laurianne Drieu La Rochelle, Julie Abraham, Adrien Chauchet, Laura Herbreteau, Sylvain Choquet, Magalie Joris, Sylvain Carras, Gandhi-Laurent Damaj, Justine Decroocq, Tanguy-Schmidt Aline, Olivier Hermine, Emmanuelle Nicolas-Virelizier, Elodie Gat, Steven Le Gouill, Emmanuel Bachy, Remy Dulery
{"title":"Response kinetics following CAR T-cell therapy for large B-cell lymphoma: a LYSA study from the DESCAR-T registry.","authors":"Guillaume Manson, Roberta Di Blasi, Roch Houot, Franck Morschhauser, Guillaume Cartron, Thomas Gastinne, Didier Blaise, François-Xavier Gros, Pierre Bories, Fabien Le Bras, Marie-Thérèse Rubio, Mohammad Mohty, Jacques-Olivier Bay, Stéphanie Guidez, Cristina Castilla Llorente, Fabrice Jardin, Amandine Durand, Blandine Guffroy, Michaël Loschi, Laurianne Drieu La Rochelle, Julie Abraham, Adrien Chauchet, Laura Herbreteau, Sylvain Choquet, Magalie Joris, Sylvain Carras, Gandhi-Laurent Damaj, Justine Decroocq, Tanguy-Schmidt Aline, Olivier Hermine, Emmanuelle Nicolas-Virelizier, Elodie Gat, Steven Le Gouill, Emmanuel Bachy, Remy Dulery","doi":"10.1038/s41409-026-03001-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-026-03001-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Response kinetics after CAR T-cell therapy remain poorly characterized. In this nationwide real-world evidence study using the French DESCAR-T registry (NCT04328298), we analyzed outcomes in 1542 adults with large B-cell lymphoma treated with CAR T cells after ≥2 prior therapies. At one month (M1), 49.1% achieved complete remission (CR), 28.9% partial response (PR), 6.1% stable disease (SD), and 15.9% progressive disease. Median event-free survival (EFS) at M1 was 22.3 months for CR, 3.5 for PR, and 2.3 for SD (p < 0.001). Among 484 patients with incomplete response (PR/SD) at M1, 35.5% subsequently converted to CR, mostly within 6 months. These conversions were associated with response duration and overall survival (OS) comparable to sustained early CR. Multivariate analyses identified age >65 years, lack of response to bridging therapy, and tisagenlecleucel use as independent predictors of lower CR conversion, shorter EFS, and reduced OS. A prognostic score combining these factors stratified PR/SD patients into four risk groups with distinct outcomes. In conclusion, an incomplete response at M1 should not automatically prompt watch-and-wait. Although over one-third convert to CR with favorable outcomes, most progress or die and may require early intervention. These findings support risk-adapted post-infusion management and inform future prospective trials. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The DESCAR-T registry is registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04328298.</p>","PeriodicalId":9126,"journal":{"name":"Bone Marrow Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148788220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Irwin Walker, Uday Deotare, Mohamed Elemary, Mahmoud Elsawy, Geneviève Gallagher, David Kliman, Tony Panzarella, Nada Hamad, Kirk R Schultz, Jan Storek, Kristjan Paulson
{"title":"A randomized pilot trial comparing anti-thymocyte globulin with anti-thymocyte globulin plus post transplant cyclophosphamide for prophylaxis against acute and chronic graft versus host disease in matched donor hematopoietic cell transplants - a study from the Cell Therapy Transplant Canada/ Australasian Leukemia Lymphoma Group Consortium.","authors":"Irwin Walker, Uday Deotare, Mohamed Elemary, Mahmoud Elsawy, Geneviève Gallagher, David Kliman, Tony Panzarella, Nada Hamad, Kirk R Schultz, Jan Storek, Kristjan Paulson","doi":"10.1038/s41409-026-03024-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-026-03024-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In a randomized pilot trial we compared ATG (standard Arm A, 4.5 mg/kg) with ATG plus PTCy (experimental Arm BE, ATG 4.5 mg/kg, PTCy 100 mg/kg). The primary safety endpoint was overall survival at 100 days. We analyzed 79 patients with AML (n = 55) or MDS (n = 24). Median age (range) was 59 (19 to 74), 47 (59.5%) were male. Conditioning was either myeloablative (n = 49) or reduced intensity (n = 30). Donors were 8/8 HLA-matched. Overall survival at 100 days was 95.0% (37 of 39 patients) vs 94.9% (38 of 40 patients) in arm A vs arm BE (p > 0.9). In arms A versus BE, serious adverse events (SAEs) occurred in 26 (65.0%) and 25 (64.1%) patients, graft failure occurred in 3 and 1 patients (p > 0.9), median (range) days to neutrophil engraftment were 19 (10-45) versus 22 (15-56) days p = 0.007), cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus reactivations occurred in 11 and 7 patients (p = 0.45) and in 6 and 5 patients (p = 0.29). Overall survival at 12 months was 72.5% versus 75.8% (p = 0.79), cumulative incidence at 6 months of relapse was 15.0% versus 15.7% (p = 0.88) and of non-relapse mortality (NRM) 7.5% versus 8.0 (p = 0.45). The combination of ATG and PTCy can safely be used in phase III trials.Registration: clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04202835), November 29, 2019.</p>","PeriodicalId":9126,"journal":{"name":"Bone Marrow Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148788226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Long-term complications after total body irradiation in children younger than 4 years transplanted for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.","authors":"Quentin Neven, Julie Berbis, Gérard Michel, Carine Domenech, Cécile Pochon, Sandrine Visentin, Cécile Renard, André Baruchel, Mony Fahd, Virginie Gandemer, Marilyne Poirée, Charlotte Jubert, Stéphane Ducassou, Catherine Paillard, Laura Olivier-Gougenheim, Alexandre Theron, Corinne Armari-Alla, Justyna Kanold, Sandrine Thouvenin-Doulet, Mathilde Veneziano Broccia, Caroline Thomas, Marie-Dominique Tabone, Guy Leverger, Pascal Auquier, Jean-Hugues Dalle, Paul Saultier","doi":"10.1038/s41409-026-03014-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-026-03014-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Total body irradiation (TBI)-based conditioning is the standard regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in high-risk or relapsed pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but is variably used before age 4 because of concerns about long-term toxicity. Long-term physical, educational, and quality-of-life outcomes were assessed in patients from the French long-term follow-up program LEA who underwent TBI-based HSCT for ALL at 2 to <4 years of age (younger group, n = 37) and compared with those of matched prepubertal older children transplanted at ≥4 years (older group, n = 105). After a mean follow-up of 15.6 years, the number of complications was similar in the two groups (3.3 vs 3.2, p = 0.90). Among the 20 complications analyzed, pulmonary dysfunction was the only event that differed significantly, being more frequent in the older group (43% vs 19%, p = 0.01). In a multivariate multistate model, age group was not associated with a higher risk of transition to a greater complication burden (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.83-1.32; p = 0.70). Educational outcomes and quality of life were also comparable. These findings do not suggest greater long-term toxicity in children undergoing TBI-based HSCT at 2 to <4 years of age and support reconsideration of the lower age limit for its use.</p>","PeriodicalId":9126,"journal":{"name":"Bone Marrow Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148788171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jean El Cheikh, Maria El Tannir, Sally Chahine, Hasan Numan, Roy El Darzi, Christopher Ashy, Jad Assi, Ali Tarhini, Toufic Eid
{"title":"Total body irradiation across conditioning intensities: historical context, dose-fractionation strategy, and the role of the chemotherapy backbone.","authors":"Jean El Cheikh, Maria El Tannir, Sally Chahine, Hasan Numan, Roy El Darzi, Christopher Ashy, Jad Assi, Ali Tarhini, Toufic Eid","doi":"10.1038/s41409-026-03011-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-026-03011-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Total body irradiation (TBI) is a form of radiotherapy that provides a uniform dose of ionizing radiation to the entire body. It has been a mainstay of the conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for many decades. The clinical usefulness of TBI is based on the balance of its cytotoxic and immunosuppressive effects, which allow for the eradication of remaining malignant cells, including sanctuary sites, as well as the establishment of a successful transplant. Early \"supra-lethal\" single-dose schedules of TBI were highly effective but also came with a substantial treatment-related toxicity burden. As a result, fractionated doses of TBI were developed to improve the tolerability of the regimen. Currently, TBI is used as a component of the conditioning regimen for all three types of allo-HSCT conditioning: myeloablative conditioning (MAC, typically TBI ≥ 12 Gy or equivalent), nonmyeloablative conditioning (NMA, typically TBI ≤ 2 Gy), and reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC, intermediate doses). The dose of TBI is intended to balance the efficacy of the regimen against non-relapse mortality (NRM). High doses of TBI are more effective in reducing the risk of relapse but also increase the risk of NRM, particularly in the elderly. The lowest doses of NMA, typically 2 Gy, have expanded the scope of allo-HSCT but may be insufficient for durable disease control in high-risk disease because relapse remains a major cause of failure. intermediate TBI doses (4-8 Gy) are used in reduced or intermediate-intensity platforms to enhance antileukemic activity while limiting toxicity relative to fully myeloablative regimens. It is important to note that the outcomes of the regimen are not determined by TBI dose only, but by the interaction among dose/fractionation, the chemotherapy backbone, disease status, and transplant platform. The available data suggests a need for a platform-specific dose-adapted regimen of TBI rather than a standard dose.</p>","PeriodicalId":9126,"journal":{"name":"Bone Marrow Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148788205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}