Prognostic role of pre-transplantation serum C-reactive protein levels in patients with acute leukemia undergoing myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

The aim of this study was to identify indicators of outcome prior to transplantation in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). Clinical data of 106 patients with acute leukemia were retrospectively analyzed. We examined the role of pre-conditioning serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin levels, HCT-CI and European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) scores on transplant toxicities, transplant-related mortality (TRM), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). High pre-conditioning serum CRP levels showed a positive correlation with higher EBMT scores (p < 0.001), HCT-CI (p = 0.004), and ferritin levels (p < 0.001). In univariate Cox regression analysis, serum CRP ≥10 mg/L, serum ferritin ≥1500 ng/mL, and HCT-CI ≥3 had a significant adverse effect on OS. Serum CRP ≥10 mg/L and HCT-CI ≥3 predicted increased risk of TRM in univariate analysis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that HCT-CI score ≥3 independently predicted increased risk of TRM and CRP ≥10 mg/L predicted increased risk of disease progression. Although CRP lost its significance on TRM in multivariate analysis, as an inexpensive and readily available serum biomarker of inflammation, the prognostic role of pre-transplant CRP levels should be analyzed in selected diseases and increased number of patient groups.