Outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction

A high risk of regimen-related toxicity with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) limits this potentially curative treatment for patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of > or =50%. We evaluated the frequency of cardiac complications and 100-day nonrelapse mortality (NRM) in 56 patients with a LVEF of < or =45%, who received allo HCT at our institution. The results were retrospectively compared with a matched control group with LVEF of > or =50%, which received an allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). After a median follow-up of 29 months in the study group, grade > or =2 cardiac complications were seen in 7 of 56 (12.5%) patients and cumulative incidence of 100-day NRM was 12.5% with no deaths from cardiac causes. In contrast, after a median follow-up of 49 months in the control group, grade >2 cardiac complications were seen in 19 of 161 patients (11.8%; P = 1.00) and cumulative incidence of 100-day NRM was 14.9% (P = .82). The presence of at least 1 of the 7 pretransplant cardiac risk factors (past history of smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, prior myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure) was associated with a higher cardiac complication rate in the study group (P = .03). In conclusion, selected patients with a LVEF of < or =45% can safely receive allo-HCT without a significant increase in cardiac toxicity or NRM.