Immune profiling in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma patients treated with autologous hematopoietic cell transplant

This is the first longitudinal study of immune profiles and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (AHCT) survival in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) patients and the effect of plerixafor mobilization on immune reconstitution in this population. A comprehensive immunophenotyping panel was performed in 104 consecutive adult B-NHL patients (58% diffuse large B cell and 42% mantle cell) who received AHCT (1/2008–11/2014), at a median of 28 days pre-AHCT ( N = 104) and Day +100 ( N = 83) post-AHCT. Median follow-up post-AHCT was 61 months (range: 8–120 months). Compared to patients mobilized with filgrastim and plerixafor, patients mobilized with filgrastim alone had a higher proportion of CD4+ naïve ( p = 0.006) and CD8+ central memory T-cells ( p = 0.006) pre-AHCT. For patients transplanted in complete remission (CR), a higher proportion of CD8+ effector memory T-cells pre-AHCT was associated with worse progression-free survival (PFS; p < 0.01) and overall survival (OS; p < 0.01). A higher ratio of CD8:CD4+ central memory T-cells pre-AHCT was associated with worse PFS ( p < 0.0001) and OS ( p = 0.0034). This same ratio measured post-AHCT among patients in CR on Day +100 was associated with worse and OS ( p = 0.008) but not PFS ( p = not significant). These immune subsets are complementary biomarkers which identify patients transplanted in CR who have poor survival prognoses and may warrant further clinical interventions.