HLA Mismatching as a Stragtegy to Reduce Relapse after Alternative Donor Transplantation

HLA mismatches are targets of alloreactive T cells, mediators of graft versus leukemia and graft versus host disease after alternative donor transplantation. Exploitation of HLA mismatching in order to reduce relapse is hampered by necessary interventions aimed at controlling graft versus host disease on the one hand, and by the possibility of immune escape through selective loss of mismatched HLA in relapsing leukemia on the other. Retrospective studies reporting the impact of HLA mismatches on post-transplant relapse need to be interpreted with caution, due to many confounding factors including disease and use of T cell depletion, and to be constantly updated to the rapidly changing clinical protocols.
Source: Seminars in Hematology - Category: Hematology Authors: Source Type: research