Checkpoint Inhibitor Exposure Before Allogeneic Transplant Improves PFS in Hodgkin Lymphoma
A joint CIBMTR/EBMT analysis of 2,186 adult Hodgkin lymphoma patients showed that prior checkpoint inhibitor exposure before allogeneic HCT reduced relapse incidence (HR 0.58) and improved progression-free survival, though acute GVHD rates increased. Post-transplant cyclophosphamide-based prophylaxis mitigated GVHD risk in CPI-exposed patients. These findings inform MRD monitoring strategies and flow cytometric GVHD surveillance protocols in the post-immunotherapy transplant setting.
The original study
Outcomes of allogeneic HCT in Hodgkin lymphoma in the era of checkpoint inhibitors: a joint CIBMTR and EBMT analysis.
- Authors
- Perales MA, Awan FT, Boumendil A, Patel J, Castagna L, Angelucci E, et al.
- Journal
- Blood
- Type
- Journal Article, Multicenter Study
- PMID
- 40623049
Original abstract
Checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) have shown remarkable efficacy in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and are now used routinely. While allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) remains a curative option for HL, there are concerns prior CPIs may exacerbate post-allo-HCT complications, particularly graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and lead to worse outcomes. Given the relative paucity of data, we performed a Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research/European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation study to examine the impact of prior CPIs in allo-HCT. We included 2186 adult patients aged >18 years who received a first allo-HCT using a matched related, unrelated, or haploidentical donor from 2008 to 2023. Twenty-seven percent of patients received prior CPIs. GVHD prophylaxis was posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in 55.8% of patients in the CPI cohort, and 35% in the non-CPI cohort. Median follow-up among survivors was longer for the non-CPI (39 months) than CPI cohort (16.5 months). In multivariate analysis, prior CPI exposure did not affect overall survival (OS) or nonrelapse mortality, but resulted in improved progression-free survival (non-CPI vs CPI hazard ratio [HR], 0.81; 0.67-0.98; P = .03) and lower relapse incidence (HR, 0.58; 0.45-0.76; P < 001). While grade 2 to 4 (HR, 1.26; 1.04-1.53; P = .02) and 3 to 4 (HR, 1.41; 1.04-1.92; P = .03) acute GVHD (aGVHD) were increased, differences in chronic GVHD (cGVHD) were not significant. PTCy-based GVHD prophylaxis resulted in improved OS, lower grade 2 to 4 aGVHD, and cGVHD in patients with prior CPI exposure. In summary, allo-HCT should still be considered a curative option for patients with HL in the era of CPIs.