Influence of preoperative anti-HLA antibodies on short- and long-term graft survival in recipients with or without rituximab treatment

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between preoperative anti-HLA antibodies (donor-specific antibody, DSA) and the graft survival rate in recipients who had or had not received rituximab (Rit) treatment. The subjects were categorized into four groups as follows: DSA+Rit-, n = 39; DSA-Rit-, n = 121; DSA+Rit+, n = 74; and DSA-Rit+, n = 47. We examined the influence of preoperative DSA on the incidence of graft rejection and the survival rate of recipients who had or who had not received rituximab before transplantation. The 6-month acute rejection rates based on graft biopsies were 39%, 19%, 15%, and 0% for the DSA+Rit-, DSA-Rit-, DSA+Rit+, and DSA-Rit+ groups. The rates of chronic antibody-mediated rejection after more than 6 months were 50%, 22%, 18%, and 0%. The 5-year graft survival rate was significantly lower in the DSA+Rit- group (84%) than in the other groups (95% for DSA-Rit-, 98% for DSA+Rit+, and 91% for DSA-Rit+). The rate of the appearance of de novo anti-HLA antibodies was higher in the groups that did not receive rituximab treatment. The rate of graft loss associated with chronic antibody-mediated rejection was also higher in the DSA+Rit- group than in the other groups (P = 0.01). The presence of DSA and the administration of rituximab had strong impacts on not only short-term graft rejection, but also long-term graft rejection and its association with the graft survival time.