Cytomegalovirus reactivation after allogeneic stem cell transplantation reduces the risk of relapse in patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is still a major infectious complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Recently, CMV reactivation was reported to be associated with a decreased risk of relapse in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We herein retrospectively evaluated the impact of early CMV reactivation on the incidence of disease relapse after allo-HCT using the database of the Transplant Registry Unified Management Program (TRUMP) at the JSHCT. Patients who underwent their first allo-HCT from HLA-matched related or unrelated donors between 2000 and 2009, and who survived without disease relapse until day 100 after transplantation, were analyzed. CMV reactivation was associated with a decreased cumulative incidence of relapse among patients with AML, but not in patients with other hematological malignancies in our study. However, this benefit was nullified by the increased rate of non-relapse mortality. The underlying mechanism is unclear, but the immunological reaction against CMV reactivation plays an essential role in this association. Thus, immune augmentation treatment options including vaccination and adoptive T-cell transfer might be useful for taking advantage of the efficacy of CMV reactivation while minimizing the increase in non-relapse mortality.