Prophylactic antiviral therapy in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in hepatitis B virus patients

AIM: To investigate the timing, safety and efficacy of prophylactic antiviral therapy in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). METHODS: This prospective study recruited a total of 57 patients diagnosed with malignant hematological diseases and HBV infection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between 2006 and 2013. The patients were classified as hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive or HBsAg-negative/ antiHBc-positive. Patients were treated with chemotherapy followed by antiviral therapy with nucleoside analogues. Patients underwent allo-HSCT when serum HBV DNA was < 103 IU/mL. Following allo-HSCT, antiviral therapy was continued for 1 year after the discontinuation of immunosuppressive therapy. A total of 105 patients who underwent allo-HSCT and had no HBV infection were recruited as controls. The three groups were compared for incidence of graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), drug-induced liver injury, hepatic veno-occlusive disease, death and survival time. RESULTS: A total of 29 of the 41 subjects with chronic GVHD exhibited extensive involvement and 12 exhibited focal involvement. Ten of the 13 subjects with chronic GVHD in the HBsAg(-)/hepatitis B core antibody(+) group exhibited extensive involvement and 3 exhibited focal involvement. Five of the 10 subjects with chronic GVHD in the HBsAg(+) group exhibited extensive involvement and 5 exhibited focal involvement. The non HBV-infected group did not differ significantly from the HBsAg-negative/antiHBc-positive and the HBsAg-positive groups which were treated with nucleoside analogues in the incidence of graft-vs-host disease (acute GVHD; 37.1%, 46.9% and 40%, respectively; P = 0.614; chronic GVHD; 39%, 40.6% and 40%, respectively; P = 0.98), drug-induced liver injury (25.7%, 18.7% and 28%, respectively; P = 0.7), death (37.1%, 40.6% and 52%, respectively; P = 0.4) and survival times (P = 0.516). One patient developed HBV reactivation (HBsAg-positivity) due to early discontinuation of antiviral therapy. CONCLUSION: Suppression of HBV DNA to < 103 IU/mL before transplantation, continued antiviral therapy and close monitoring of immune markers and HBV DNA after transplantation may assure the safety of allo-HSCT.