A comparative study of unrelatedversus matched-sibling donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for leukemic children

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of unrelated donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for leukemic children. Methods Clinical data of 54 leukemic children undergoing allo-HSCT were retrospectively analyzed from May 2006 to March 2018. According to the source of donor, they were divided into matched sibling donor allo-HSCT group (MSD, n=27) and unrelated donor group (URD, n=27). The clinical outcomes of leukemic children receiving URD allo-HSCT were assessed and those in MSD allo-HSCT group were enrolled as control. Results One patient with refractory AML was not implanted in URD group and the remaining 53 cases were successful in hematopoietic reconstitution. The time of neutrophil and platelet, the incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), chronic GVHD (cGVHD), generalized cGVHD and their transplant-related complications including pulmonary complications, hemorrhagic cystitis between two groups were not statistically different (P>0.05). The incidence of serious aGVHD, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and EB virus (EBV) infection was significantly higher in URD group than that in MSD group (P 0.05). Conclusions In leukemic children, although the incidence of complications post URD allo-HSCT is significantly increased, the prognosis is comparable to MSD allo-HSCT. It is a good choice when there is no suitable sibling donor. Key words: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Children; Leukemia; Unrelated donor; Matched sibling donor