Recent decrease in non-relapse mortality due to GVHD and infection after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in non-remission acute leukemia

Analysis of risk factors for fatal renal complications after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

Various complications can influence hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes. Renal complications can occur during the early to late phases of HCT along with various factors. However, studies focusing on fatal renal complications (FRCs) are scarce. Herein, we analyzed 36,596 first allogeneic HCT recipients retrospectively. Overall, 782 patients died of FRCs at a median of 108 (range, 0-3,440) days after HCT. The cumulative incidence of FRCs was 1.7% and 2.2% at one and five years, respectively. FRCs were associated with older age, male sex, non-complete remission (non-CR), lower performance status (PS), and HCT comorbidity index (HCT-CI) associated with renal comorbidity in multivariate analysis. The risk factors within 100 days included older age, multiple myeloma, PS, and HCT-CI comorbidities (psychiatric disturbance, hepatic disease, obesity, and renal disease). Older age and male sex were risk factors between 100 days and one year. After one year, HCT-CI was associated with the presence of diabetes and prior solid tumor; total body irradiation was identified as a risk factor. Non-CR was a common risk factor in all three phases. Furthermore, acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, reactivation of cytomegalovirus, and relapse of underlying disease also affected FRCs. Systematic follow-up may be necessary based on the patients' risk factors and post-HCT events.

Prognostic Value of Hematogones in Patients With Hematopoietic Disorders After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine whether hematogones in patients with hematopoietic disorders after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) are associated with clinical outcomes. We searched the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform databases from their inception to March 2023. The primary outcome in the summary of findings was three-year relapse-free survival (RFS), and secondary outcomes in the summary of findings included three-year relapse, non-relapse mortality (NRM), overall survival (OS), acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and infection. The certainty of evidence was determined using the grading of recommendation assessment, development, and evaluation approaches. A systematic review and meta-analysis of outcome measures were conducted using a random-effects model. This study protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework. A total of six studies (including 888 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. Hematogones were related to favorable three-year RFS (risk ratio (RR) = 1.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01 to 3.34) and favorable NRM (RR = 0.14; 95% CI = 0.04 to 0.51), OS (RR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.13 to 2.02), and acute GVHD (RR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.33 to 0.59). The certainty of the evidence was low for RFS, NRM, OS, and acute GVHD. Evidence regarding the association between hematogones, relapse, and infections is uncertain. Hematogones may be a prognostic factor for long-term prognosis and acute adverse events in patients with hematopoietic disorders after allo-HSCT. Further studies are required to address the long-term life-threatening events.

Pretransplant spleen volume and outcome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an effective treatment modality for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we investigated the predictive value of spleen volume on outcome parameters and engraftment kinetics after HSCT in a large cohort of AML patients. A total of 402 patients who received their first HSCT between January 2012 and March 2019 were included in this retrospective study. Spleen volume was correlated to clinical outcome and engraftment kinetics. Median follow-up was 33.7 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 28.9-37.4 months). Patients were subdivided based on median spleen volume of 238.0 cm3 (range 55.7-2693.5 cm3) into a small spleen volume (SSV) and a large spleen volume (LSV) group. LSV was associated with inferior overall survival (OS) after HSCT (55.7% vs. 66.6% at 2 years; P = 0.009) and higher cumulative incidence of NRM (28.8% vs. 20.2% at 2 years; P = 0.048). The adjusted hazard ratio for NRM in the LSV group was 1.55 (95% CI, 1.03-2.34). Time to neutrophil or platelet engraftment and the occurrence of acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were not significantly different between both groups. Higher spleen volume at the time of HSCT was independently linked to adverse outcomes such as inferior OS and higher cumulative incidence of NRM in AML patients after HSCT. Engraftment kinetics and GVHD were not associated with spleen volume.

Intensive oral care can reduce bloodstream infection with coagulase-negative staphylococci after neutrophil engraftment in allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation

PURPOSE

Bloodstream infection (BSI) is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-SCT). There are several causes of BSI; in particular, severe oral mucositis (OM) can induce BSI due to coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). The OM severity may be reduced with intensive oral care. Thus, we evaluated whether the type of oral care affects the BSI incidence eventually.

METHOD

We performed retrospective analysis on 206 recipients who underwent allo-SCT from 2006 to 2017 at our institute. Intensive oral care by a dental specialist was performed for 111 recipients (intensive-care group) and self-oral care was performed by 95 recipients (self-care group). Incidence of BSI was assessed by type of the oral care, before neutrophil engraftment (pre-E-BSI) and after neutrophil engraftment (post-E-BSI) period until 180 days after allo-SCT.

RESULT

A total of 112 BSI occurred in 90 of the 206 recipients and 120 bacteria were identified, with CoNS being the most prevalent. There was no significant difference in the incidence of pre-E-BSI between the self-care and intensive-care groups (30.8% and 30.6%, respectively; P = 0.508). Meanwhile, the incidence of post-E-BSI was significantly lower in the intensive-care group than in the self-care group (14.3% and 28.6%; P = 0.008). In addition, the intensive-care group had significantly lower incidence of post-E-BSI with CoNS than the self-care group (8.5% and 21.5%, respectively; P = 0.009).

CONCLUSION

Intensive oral care through the period of allo-HCT can significantly reduce the post-E-BSI occurrence, especially due to CoNS.

Heterogeneous impact of cytomegalovirus reactivation on nonrelapse mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major complication in allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The utility of CMV prophylaxis with letermovir has been reported; however, the specific applications remain unclear. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed large-scale registry data (N = 10 480) to clarify the risk factors for nonrelapse mortality (NRM) in connection with CMV reactivation. First, we identified risk factors for CMV reactivation using multivariate analysis and developed a scoring model. Although the model effectively stratified reactivation risk into 3 groups (43.7% vs 60.9% vs 71.5%; P < .001), the 3-year NRM was significantly higher in patients with CMV reactivation, even in the low (20.9% vs 13.0%, P < .001), intermediate (21.4% vs 15.6%; P < .001), and high (29.3% vs 18.0%; P < .001) reactivation risk groups. Next, survival analysis considering competing risks, time-dependent covariates, and interaction terms for exploring the heterogeneous impact of CMV reactivation on NRM in the training cohort revealed that chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-2.96; P = .033), good performance status (PS) (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.04-1.94; P = .028), HLA-matched donor (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.06-1.70; P = .013), and standard-risk disease (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.04-1.58; P = .022) were associated with increased NRM. In the test cohort, CMV reactivation was significantly associated with increased 3-year NRM among patients with 2 to 4 factors (22.1% vs 13.1%; P < .001) but was comparable among patients with 0 or 1 factor (23.2% vs 20.4%; P = .62). We propose that CMV prophylaxis should be determined based on reactivation risk, as well as these other factors.

Comparison of breakthrough Gram-positive cocci infection during vancomycin vs teicoplanin therapy in patients receiving haematopoietic stem cell transplantation

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

Our previous report indicated that teicoplanin (TEIC) caused fewer adverse effects than vancomycin (VCM) in patients with febrile neutropenia (FN) receiving haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, we observed breakthrough methicillin-resistant-Staphylococcus haemolyticus (MR-S haemolyticus) infection during TEIC therapy in these patients. In this study, we sought to compare the incidence of breakthrough Gram-positive cocci (GPC) infection during VCM and TEIC therapy in this population.

METHODS

A single-centre, retrospective cohort study was conducted. Patients who had received HSCT and were administered VCM (n = 19) or TEIC (n = 38) for FN from 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2019 were enrolled. We compared the incidence of breakthrough GPC infection between the VCM and TEIC groups.

RESULTS

Breakthrough GPC infection during glycopeptide therapy in febrile neutropenic patients received HSCT was observed in three patients (7.9%) in the TEIC group but in none of patients (0%) in the VCM group. MR-S haemolyticus with low glycopeptide susceptibility (TEIC MIC = 2-8 μg/mL, VCM MIC = 2-4 μg/mL) was isolated from blood cultures in all patients with breakthrough GPC infections. All breakthrough infections were cured by changing from TEIC to daptomycin (DAP).

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

The incidence of breakthrough GPC infection during glycopeptide therapy in febrile neutropenic HSCT patients was higher in the TEIC group than in the VCM group. MR-S haemolyticus with low glycopeptide susceptibility was isolated from all patients with breakthrough GPC infection and successfully treated with DAP.

Pre- and post-serial metagenomic analysis of gut microbiota as a prognostic factor in patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation

The human gut harbours diverse microorganisms, and gut dysbiosis has recently attracted attention because of its possible involvement in various diseases. In particular, the lack of diversity in the gut microbiota has been associated with complications of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), such as infections, acute graft-versus-host disease and relapse of primary disease, which lead to a poor prognosis. However, few studies have serially examined the composition of the intestinal microbiota after HSCT. In this study, we demonstrated, using next-generation sequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene, combined with uniFrac distance analysis, that the intestinal microbiota of patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT substantially differed from that of healthy controls and recipients of autologous transplants. Faecal samples were obtained daily throughout the clinical course, before and after transplantation. Notably, the proportions of Bifidobacterium and genera categorized as butyrate-producing bacteria were significantly lower in patients with allogeneic HSCT than in healthy controls. Furthermore, among allogeneic transplant recipients, a subgroup with a preserved microbiota composition showed a benign course, whereas patients with a skewed microbiota showed a high frequency of complications and mortality after transplantation. Thus, we conclude that the stability of intestinal microbiota is critically involved in outcomes of HSCT.

Prognostic index for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia who underwent hematopoietic cell transplantation: a KSGCT multicenter analysis

A multicenter retrospective study was performed to explore a prognostic scoring index in order to identify a population who are least likely to benefit from allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The cohort included 519 patients with AML, who received HCT between 2005 and 2015 at a status of relapse or primary induction failure. Multivariate analysis demonstrated five independent predictors for OS, including C-reactive protein ≥ 1 mg/dL, peripheral blood blast fraction ≥ 20%, poor-risk karyotype, performance status ≥ 2, and bone marrow unrelated donor as a stem cell source. A prognostic scoring index was explored based on these predictors, and successfully separated the cohort into four groups. At 2 years, OS was 47%, 24%, 8%, and 0% for Good (Score 0, 1: n = 118), Intermediate-1 (Score 2: n = 75), Intermediate-2 (Score 3: n = 39), and Poor (Score 4: n = 24), respectively (P < 0.001). The predicting value of the index was confirmed in a validation cohort. Although a further validation study is warranted, the scoring index may be useful to predict survival and to identify the population with the lowest survival prior to HCT in patients with relapsed or refractory AML.

Risk Factors Influencing Outcome of Acute Leukemia Patients Who Experience Relapse After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Prognosis of acute leukemia patients who experience relapse after hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) remains poor. Identifying risk factors influencing outcome of these patients is essential.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Follow-up of 234 acute leukemia patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT from matched related donor was performed for occurrence of posttransplantation relapse. Statuses of remission and survival were assessed at 6 months after treatment of relapse. Analysis of risk factors influencing postrelapse overall survival (prOS), complete remission (CR), and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was carried out.

RESULTS

Posttransplantation relapse occurred in 43 patients (17.9%). After treatment, 11 patients (25.6%) experienced postrelapse remission, the prOS rate was 20.9% (9 patients), and the NRM rate was 25.6% (11 patients). Older age (P = .007) and failure to experience remission after relapse treatment (P = .027) were associated with lower prOS in multivariate analysis. Female sex (P = .027), posttransplantation extramedullary relapse (P = .001), and absence of postrelapse graft-versus-host disease P = .025) were associated with lower CR rate. Also, presence of extramedullary relapse (P = .011) was associated with lower risk of NRM whereas treatment of posttransplantation relapse with donor lymphocyte infusion with or without chemotherapy (P = .002) and occurrence of postrelapse graft-versus-host disease (P = .025) were associated with higher risk of NRM.

CONCLUSION

Survival of acute leukemia patients who experience relapse after allogeneic HSCT is poor, especially in elderly patients and those who do not experience remission after relapse treatment.

Danaparoid reduces transplant-related mortality in stem cell transplantation for children

In SCT, death from transplant-related complications is the major obstacle hindering improvement of transplant outcomes, and proper supportive care is essential to reduce TRM. The transplant outcomes of 210 pediatric patients with malignant and non-malignant disorders who consecutively underwent SCT in our institution from 2000 to 2013 were analyzed. The transplant years were divided into three periods: A (2000-2004), B (2005-2008), and C (2009-2013), and an improvement in 5-year OS and a decrease in 5-year TRM were observed over these time periods; that is, OS was 61.5%, 60.3%, and 79.5% (P = .062), and TRM was 19.9%, 7.9%, and 0.0% (P < .001) in periods A, B, and C, respectively. On multivariate analysis, the prognostic factor for TRM for all patients was administration of danaparoid (HR = 0.109, 95% CI = 0.033-0.363, P < .001), and for patients with hematological malignancies in allogeneic SCT, the prognostic factors were danaparoid (HR = 0.046, 95% CI = 0.006-0.326, P = .002) and advanced disease at SCT (HR = 4.802, 95% CI = 1.734-13.30, P = .003). A reduction in TRM after SCT was observed over the time periods, and supportive care with danaparoid was found to be significantly effective in reducing TRM in SCT for children.

Neurological Complications Involving the Central Nervous System After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation During a Period of Evolution in Transplant Modalities: A Cohort Analysis

BACKGROUND

Neurological complications (NC) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are rare events. The evolution of transplant procedures has resulted in improved survival and has allowed elderly patients or those with comorbidity to receive an HSCT. The risk of NC in these patients has still not been well defined. Therefore, we carried out an observational study to estimate the occurrence and identify the risks associated with NC.

METHODS

The study cohort included 452 adult-allogeneic HSCT recipients, transplanted from 1997 to 2012. The median follow up was 1.3 year (0-15.7). A myeloablative regimen was used in 307 patients. Two hundred patients were grafted from matched unrelated donor (MUD), of these, 129 (64.5%) received an in vivo T-cell depletion.

RESULTS

Out of 452 patients, 30 (6.6%) developed NC. Infections were the most frequent causes of NC (30%). Overall survival decreased in patients developing NC (P < 0.001). Univariate survival regression on the cumulative incidence of NC identified period of transplant, linear trend between 4-year periods (1997-2012) (P < 0.001), MUD (P < 0.001), and recipient's age (P = 0.034) as significant risk factors. In multivariate analysis, period of transplant (P < 0.001) and MUD (P = 0.004) remained significant independent risk factors. Matched unrelated donor recipients showed a 3.8-fold elevated risk of developing NC.

CONCLUSIONS

Analysis highlights a temporal trend of incidence of NC that progressively increased over time and confirms a strong association between donor type and risk of NC. Our observations suggest that, although relatively uncommon, NC after allo-HSCT, may become more frequent due to the improved overall survival in recent years.

Low-dose anti-thymocyte globulin reduce severe acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

BACKGROUND

Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) administered at 5-10 mg/kg can prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We sought to investigate the potential for lower doses of ATG to decrease non-relapse mortality (NRM).

METHODS

We consecutively compared the outcomes of patients with hematological diseases who received allogeneic stem cell transplants from allogeneic related or unrelated donors before February 2010 and were not administered ATG (reference arm), with those administered 2.5 mg/kg ATG after March 2010 (treatment arm).

RESULTS

We recruited 19 patients into each arm (median age 49 years, range 19-64). 16 patients received myeloablative preparation regimens and 22 patients received toxicity-reduced preparation regimens. All but one patient achieved engraftment, and one secondary graft failure was observed. Overall incidence of acute and chronic GVHD were 63.2 and 15.8%, respectively, in the ATG arm (21.1% grade II to IV, and 0.0% grade III/IV acute GVHD), and 57.9 and 47.4%, respectively, in the reference arm (31.6% grade II to IV, and 21.1% grade III/IV acute GVHD). The estimated probability of overall survival (OS) at 6 years and relapse rate 3 years after transplantation were 49.2 and 26.3% for the ATG arm, respectively, and 54.2 and 21.1% for the reference arm, respectively. The rate of NRM was 10.5% in the ATG arm and 26.3% in the reference arm. No patients died as a result of acute or chronic GVHD.

CONCLUSIONS

Low-dose ATG may suppress severe acute GVHD and chronic GVHD without increasing NRM, and can be used safely for Japanese patients receiving transplants from HLA-matched donors.

Blood glucose control using a computer-guided glucose management system in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a potentially curative treatment for patients with hematological malignancies. However, is associated with substantial rates of morbidity and mortality. We and others have shown that malglycemia is associated with adverse transplant outcome. Therefore, improving glycemic control may improve transplant outcome. In this prospective study we evaluated the feasibility of using Glucommander (a Computer-Guided Glucose Management System; CGGM) in order to achieve improved glucose control in hospitalized HCT patients. Nineteen adult patients contributed 21 separate instances on CGGM. Patients were on CGGM for a median of 43 h. Median initial blood glucose (BG) on CGGM was 244 mg/dL, and patients on 20 study instances reached the study BG target of 100-140 mg/dL after a median of 6 h. After BG reached the target range, the median average BG level per patient was 124 mg/dL. Six patients had a total of 10 events of BG <70 mg/dL (0.9% of BG measurements), and no patients experienced BG level <40 mg/dL. The total estimated duration of BG <70 mg/dL was 3 h (0.2% of the total CGGM time). In conclusion, our study demonstrates that stringent BG control in HCT patients using CGGM is feasible.

Spiritual Well-Being in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Survivors of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Research suggests that spiritual well-being positively contributes to quality of life during and following cancer treatment. This relationship has not been well-described in ethnically diverse survivors of allogeneic transplantation.  This study compares spiritual well-being and quality of life of Hispanic (n = 69) and non-Hispanic (n = 102) survivors. Hispanic participants were significantly younger and reported significantly greater spiritual well-being than non-Hispanic survivors. Survivors with higher spiritual well-being had significantly better quality of life. Meaning and Peace significantly predicted quality of life. Although Hispanic survivors report greater spiritual well-being, Meaning and Peace, irrespective of ethnicity, have a salutary effect on quality of life.

A promising sword of tomorrow: Human γδ T cell strategies reconcile allo-HSCT complications

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is potentially a curative therapeutic option for hematological malignancies. In clinical practice, transplantation associated complications greatly affected the final therapeutical outcomes. Currently, primary disease relapse, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and infections remain the three leading causes of a high morbidity and mortality in allo-HSCT patients. Various strategies have been investigated in the past several decades including human γδ T cell-based therapeutical regimens. In different microenvironments, human γδ T cells assume features reminiscent of classical Th1, Th2, Th17, NKT and regulatory T cells, showing diverse biological functions. The cytotoxic γδ T cells could be utilized to target relapsed malignancies, and recently regulatory γδ T cells are defined as a novel implement for GVHD management. In addition, human γδ Τ cells facilitate control of post-transplantation infections and participate in tissue regeneration and wound healing processes. These features potentiate γδ T cells a versatile therapeutical agent to target transplantation associated complications. This review focuses on insights of applicable potentials of human γδ T cells reconciling complications associated with allo-HSCT. We believe an improved understanding of pertinent γδ T cell functions would be further exploited in the design of innovative immunotherapeutic approaches in allo-HSCT, to reduce mortality and morbidity, as well as improve quality of life for patients after transplantation.

Adoptive Immunotherapies After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With Hematologic Malignancies

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative therapy for patients with chemotherapy-resistant hematologic malignancies that are usually fatal in absence of treatment. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is associated with significant early and late morbidity and mortality. Graft-versus-host disease, infections, and relapse are the most important causes of mortality after HSCT. Until now, these complications have been managed mainly with pharmacological drugs, but in some situations, this approach clearly shows its limit. As such, there is a significant need for novel therapies for the treatment of complications after allogeneic HSCT. In this review, the currently available adoptive immunotherapies offering an alternative in case of treatment failure of HSCT complications will be described. The results of the main clinical trials based on immune cell infusion will be discussed and the strategies aiming at maximizing cytotoxic T-lymphocyte, regulatory T-cell, natural killer cell, cytokine-induced killer cell, and γδ T-cell efficacies in the context of immunotherapy approaches after allogeneic HSCT in patients with hematologic malignancies will be gathered.

Patient-reported quality of life after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation or chemotherapy for acute leukemia

When discussing treatment options for patients with acute leukemia, it is important to acknowledge the impact of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) or chemotherapy on quality of life (QOL). We performed a cross-sectional questionnaire study that administered SF-36, FACT-Leukemia and EuroQOL5D to 524 acute leukemia survivors, to compare patient-reported QOL between chemotherapy and allo-HCT, and to elucidate predictors of QOL. Patients who received chemotherapy alone had a better physical QOL than those who received allo-HCT. On the other hand, the allo-HCT group reported a better mental QOL. In the comparison of QOL in the allo-HCT patients according to the presence of GVHD at survey, patients who had GVHD symptoms experienced statistically and clinically significantly worse QOL than those who did not. In the allo-HCT patients without GVHD, the physical QOL was comparable to that in the chemotherapy patients, and they experienced significantly better mental and general QOL than the chemotherapy patients. GVHD and immunosuppressive drugs at survey were strongly associated with worse QOL after allo-HCT. In the chemotherapy group, a shorter time between treatment completion and survey was significantly associated with worse QOL. Further evaluation of QOL by a longitudinal assessment with quantitative and qualitative analyses are warranted.

Pre-transplant diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for non-relapse mortality, especially infection-related mortality, after allogeneic hematopoietic SCT

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a factor in the hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index. However, the impact of pre-transplant DM on morbidity and cause-specific non-relapse mortality (NRM) remains unclear. We performed a retrospective study with registry data that included a total of 7626 patients who underwent their first allogeneic hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) between 2007 and 2010. The median age was 44 years (range 0-88). Compared with patients without pre-transplant DM (non-DM group, n=7248), patients with pre-transplant DM (DM group, n=378) were older and were more likely to have high-risk disease, a reduced-intensity conditioning regimen and GVHD prophylaxis using tacrolimus. Multivariate analyses showed that pre-transplant DM was associated with increased risks of NRM (hazard ratio (HR)1.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-1.76, P<0.01) and infection-related NRM (HR 2.08, 95% CI 1.58-2.73, P<0.01). The presence of pre-transplant DM was associated with an increased risk of overall mortality in a multivariate analysis (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.35-1.78, P<0.01). In conclusion, pre-transplant DM was a risk factor for NRM, particularly infection-related mortality, after allogeneic HSCT. To improve the clinical outcome in patients with DM, the benefits of strict infection control and appropriate glycemic control should be explored in future trials.