Background and objectives: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is potentially curative treatment for
malignant and non-malignant diseases. Graft versus host disease (GVHD) remains a significant cause of morbidity
and mortality following HSCT. An increased incidence of GVHD has been suggested following allogeneic
peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), however, how this affects survival is not yet clear. In this
study, our aim is to assess the impact of acute GVHD (aGVHD) on overall survival (OS) and progression free
survival (PFS) following human leukocyte antigens (HLA) identical sibling PBSCT.
Patients and methods: Data of 97 patients undergoing HLA identical sibling allogeneic PBSCT, were analyzed.
We studied the incidence of aGVHD and their effects on survival. Survival analysis was done using Kaplan-Meier
method to determine OS and PFS.
Results: The overall incidence of aGVHD was 34%. The occurrence of grade 2-4 aGVHD was associated with
decreased probability of PFS (P= 0.018). The development of grade 2-4 aGVHD was associated with lower OS
compared with the absence of aGVHD (P= 0.021).
Conclusion: These data indicate that the occurrence of aGVHD is an important factor that may influence the
survival in HLA-identical sibling allogeneic PBSCT. Patients who developed aGVHD have a high chance of
decreased probability of PFS and lower OS