Abstract
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) may potentially cure patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and Richter's transformation (CLL-RT) or CLL without RT, but the impact of novel agents on HSCT is unclear. CLL-RT patients have a grave prognosis, and their outcomes after HSCT are uncertain. We conducted a retrospective analysis of all 58 CLL patients, including 23 CLL-RT patients, who underwent reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) HSCT at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY) between September 2006 and April 2017. With a median follow-up of 68 months (range, 24-147 months), 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 40% (95% confidence interval [CI], 28%-56%), and overall survival (OS) was 58% (95% CI, 48%-74%). The 1-year graft-versus-host disease/relapse-free survival (GRFS) was 38% (95% CI, 25%-50%). Patients with CLL-RT and CLL patients without RT had comparable outcomes. In both cohorts, treatment-sensitive response and ≤3 previous lines of therapy produced superior PFS and OS. Outcomes were agnostic to adverse cytogenetic and molecular features. Novel agents did not have a negative impact on HSCT outcomes. Total body irradiation (TBI)-containing RIC yielded inferior PFS, OS, and GRFS. CLL-RT patients older than age 55 years who had an HSCT Comorbidity Index score of ≥2 demonstrated inferior OS. This study, which is the largest series of RIC-HSCT for patients with CLL-RT, provides evidence supporting RIC-HSCT in early remission courses for patients with CLL-RT and poor-risk CLL patients. TBI-containing RIC should be considered with caution.