Effects of HPgV-1 Infections on Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Matched Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND Although the human pegivirus 1 (HPgV-1) infection is highly prevalent in immunocompromised populations, the effects of the infections on clinical outcomes in leukemia patients after stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are unclear. METHODS A total of 16 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients with allogeneic HSCT (allo-HSCT) were included in this matched case-control study and 1-year survival outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS One-year survival analysis showed that HPgV-1 infections could significantly decrease overall survival (OS), but non-significant differences in acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) grade III-IV, severe chronic GVHD, leukemia relapse, progression-free survival (PFS), and GVHD-free relapse-free survival (GRFS) were observed when compared with those without HPgV-1 infections. The infections also did not significantly impact the immune reconstitution. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that HPgV-1 infections can decrease overall survivals in ALL patients at 1 year after allo-HSCT, which provides a foundation for larger, prospective, case-control studies to evaluate the overall effects of HPgV-1 infection on survival outcomes of leukemia patients with allo-HSCT.