Objective: To investigate infection-related mortality (IRM) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with refractory/relapse acute leukemia.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 127 patients with refractory/relapse acute leukemia and investigated the incidence, causes and risk factors of IRM.
Results: Sixty-seven of the patients died after the transplantation. The 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival was (35.2∓5.3)% and (30.8∓5.6)% among these patients, respectively. IRM occurred in 28.3% (36/127) of the patients. Multivariate analysis showed that grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host diseases (aGVDH, P=0.049, OR=3.017) and post-transplant invasive fungal infection (P=0.032, OR=3.223) were independent risk factors of IRM.
Conclusion: As a common cause of transplant-related mortality, IRM is more frequent in cases of refractory/relapse acute leukemia than in cases with a standard risk profile, and effective prophylaxis and treatment of severe GVHD remain currently the primary measures for reducing post-transplant IRM.