Total body irradiation dose and risk of subsequent neoplasms following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

Abstract

We examined the impact of total body irradiation (TBI) dose and fractionation on risk of subsequent malignant neoplasms (SMNs) in the era of reduced-intensity and nonmyeloablative conditioning regimens for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Among 4905 1-year survivors of allogeneic HCT for hematologic malignancies (N = 4500) or nonmalignant disorders (N = 405) who received transplants between 1969 and 2014, we identified 581 SMNs (excluding squamous and basal cell of skin) in 499 individuals. With a median length of follow-up of 12.5 years, the cumulative incidence of SMNs by 30 years after HCT was 22.0%. Compared with age-, sex-, and calendar year–matched Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) population rates, the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of SMNs was increased 2.8-fold. The highest SIRs were for SMNs of bones (SIR, 28.8), oral cavity (SIR, 13.8), skin (SIR, 7.3), central nervous system (SIR, 6.0), and endocrine organs (SIR, 4.9). The highest excess absolute risks (EARs) were seen with breast cancer (EAR, 2.2) and cancers of the oral cavity (EAR, 1.5) and skin (EAR, 1.5) per 1000 person-years. The highest incidence of SMNs was in survivors exposed to unfractionated (600-1000 cGy) or high-dose fractionated (1440-1750 cGy) TBI. For patients receiving low-dose TBI, the incidence was comparable to myeloablative chemotherapy alone, although still twofold higher than in the general population. These data demonstrate a strong effect of TBI dose, dose fractionation, and risk of SMNs after HCT. The cumulative incidence of SMNs increases with follow-up time; thus, HCT survivors require lifetime monitoring for early detection and effective therapy of SMNs.