Natural Killer Cells Are Key Host Immune Effector Cells Affecting Survival in Autologous Peripheral Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract

The infusion of autograft immune effector cells directly impacts the clinical outcomes of patients treated with autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, suggesting the possibility of an autologous graft-versus tumor cells. Furthermore, the early recovery of immune effector cells also affects survival post-autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Natural killer cells are among the immune effector cells reported to be collected, infused, and recovered early post-autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In this review, I attempt to give an update on the role of natural killer cells regarding improving survival outcomes on patients treated with autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Activated NK cells with a predominance of inhibitory receptors and a decidual-like phenotype expand after autologous HSCT in children with tumors

“…NK cells phenotype changes during the immune system reconstitution after autoHSCT 12,24,25,27 . In this work we have studied the NK cell reconstitution in a cohort of 13 pediatric patients with cancer undergoing autoHSCT using blood samples taken at different time points: before autoHSCT (S1), after reaching leucocyte recovery (>1000 leukocytes/µl, usually around day 12 after autoHSCT, S2) and 30 days (S3), 100 days (S4) and 180 days (S5) after autoHSCT.…”

“…In addition, it has been described that the number of NK cells and the frequency of several subsets are associated with survival 12,27 . For example, it has been shown that MM patients with lower frequencies of the mature highly differentiated NKG2A-CD57+ NK cell subset after autoHSCT had a better outcome 25 .…”

“…Early immune reconstitution following autoHSCT is associated with a better outcome in a variety of cancers [4][5][6] . Day 15 absolute lymphocyte count (ALC-15) of ≥ 500 cells/µl after autoHSCT is an independent prognostic indicator in MM and NHL patients 5 and natural killer (NK) cells are a relevant lymphocyte subset in ALC-15 that affects the outcome following autoHSCT [7][8][9] , as they are the first lymphocyte subset reaching normal circulating levels after HSCT [10][11][12] .…”

Day 100 Natural Killer Cell/CD14+HLA‐DRDIM ratio and survival in lymphoma post‐autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

“…The primary end points of this study were the impact of Day 100 NKC/CD14 + HLA-DR DIM ratio on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary end points of the study included: (1) to assess if Day 100 NKC/CD14 + HLA-DR DIM ratio further discriminate survival in patients with a day 100 negative Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan, and (2) to assess if the combination of the autograft and Day 100 NKC/CD14 + HLA-DR DIM ratios predicts OS and PFS.…”

“…Natural killer cells 1 and CD14 + HLA‐DR DIM cells 2,3 have been reported to be immune effector cells affecting survival in lymphoma patients treated with autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (APBHSCT). Our group previously published that the infusion of autograft Natural Killer Cells (NKC)/CD14 + HLA‐DR DIM ratio ≥.29, as a surrogate marker of host immunity (NKC) and tumor microenvironment (CD14 + HLA‐DR DIM ), was a predictor of clinical outcomes of lymphoma patients post APBHSCT 4 .…”