Analysis of Donor and Recipient ABO Incompatibility and Antibody-Associated Complications after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation with Reduced-Intensity Conditioning

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can be performed across the ABO blood group barrier. The impact of ABO incompatibility on clinical outcome is controversial. A retrospective analysis of 310 patients who underwent HSCT with reduced-intensity conditioning between 1998 and 2011 was performed to investigate the frequency and clinical implications of anti-RBC antibodies in passenger lymphocyte syndrome (PLS) after minor ABO mismatch (mm), persistent or recurring recipient type ABO antibodies (PRABO) after major ABO mm HSCT, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). Transplantation characteristics and clinical outcome were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis for groups with or without anti-RBC antibodies. ABO blood group incompatibility did not affect clinical outcome despite an increased requirement of blood transfusion. Twelve patients with AIHA, 6 patients with PLS, and 12 patients with PRABO post-HSCT were identified. AIHA did not affect overall survival (OS) or transplant-related mortality (TRM), but patients with AIHA had a lower incidence of grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (P = .05). OS in the PLS group was 0% compared with 61% in the whole group receiving minor ABO mm transplants (P < .001). Comparing PRABO patients with those receiving a major ABO mm HSCT, the OS was 17% versus 73% (P = .002) and TRM was 50% versus 21% (P = .03). At our center, PLS after minor ABO mm and PRABO antibodies after major ABO mm HSCT are significant risk factors for decreased OS and TRM. Our results suggest that occurrence of unexpected ABO antibodies after HSCT warrant a wider investigation individual to find the underlying cause.