Administration of short-term immunosuppressive agents after DLI reduces the incidence of DLI-associated acute GVHD without influencing the GVL effect

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Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) exerts a GVL effect, but its use is limited by a high incidence of GVHD. We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of administering short-term immunosuppressive agents for prophylaxis against DLI-associated acute GVHD, and its influence on the GVL effect. Seventy patients with leukaemia received G-CSF primed DLI after HLA-identical sibling haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for treatment or prophylaxis against leukaemia relapse. Short-term immunosuppressive agents were given to 54 patients for prophylaxis against DLI-associated acute GVHD. Seventeen patients experienced acute GVHD; 30 patients developed chronic GVHD; and no GVHD-related death was observed. A significant difference was observed between the group that did not receive prophylaxis against GVHD or received prophylaxis for less than 2 weeks and the group that received prophylaxis for over 2 weeks (CsA or MTX at 10 mg/week) with regard to the incidence of DLI-associated acute GVHD (14/28 vs 3/42, P=0.000); no difference was observed in the relapse rate for prophylactic DLI patients between the two groups (4/10 vs 12/29). Using immunosuppressive agents for 2-4 weeks may reduce DLI-associated acute GVHD without influencing relapse and survival after G-CSF-primed DLI.