Incidence of Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome/Veno-Occlusive Disease and Treatment with Defibrotide in Allogeneic Transplantation: A Multicenter Australasian Registry Study

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Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome/veno-occlusive disease (SOS/VOD) is an established complication in patients undergoing allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Defibrotide is an effective and safe pharmacologic option for treating diagnosed SOS/VOD. By exploring data provided to the Australasian Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient Registry (ABMTRR) by centers in Australia and New Zealand, this study aimed to describe the incidence of SOS/VOD and patterns of defibrotide use from 2016 to 2020. Patients who underwent allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation between 2016 and 2020 were identified from the ABMTRR. Data were extracted for a total of 3346 patients, 2692 from adult centers and 654 from pediatric centers, with a median follow-up of 21.5 months and 33.3 months, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the patient population, including the incidence of SOS/VOD and defibrotide use. Comparisons were made between patients without SOS/VOD and those with SOS/VOD, divided into defibrotide and no defibrotide cohorts. Associations with overall survival (OS) and day 100 survival with such variables as sex, age, disease at transplantation, stem cell source, conditioning agents, SOS/VOD diagnosis, and use of defibrotide, were determined. The reported incidence of SOS/VOD was 4.1% in adult centers and 11.5% in pediatric centers. Defibrotide was administered to 74.8% of adult patients and 97.3% of pediatric patients with SOS/VOD. Significant variability in the use, dosage, and duration of defibrotide was seen across the adult centers. The day 100 survival rate and median OS for patients managed with defibrotide was 51.8% and 103 days, respectively, for adult patients and 90.4% and not reached, respectively, for pediatric patients. In adults, older age at transplantation, an HLA-matched nonsibling relative donor, and a diagnosis of SOS/VOD treated with defibrotide were associated with reduced OS. In pediatric patients, the patient and transplantation characteristics associated with reduced OS were a diagnosis of SOS/VOD and a ≥2 HLA-mismatched related donor. A collaborative approach across Australasia to diagnosing and managing SOS/VOD, particularly with respect to consistent defibrotide use, is recommended.