No evidence of transmission of chronic lymphocytic leukemia through blood transfusion

TY - JOUR

T1 - No evidence of transmission of chronic lymphocytic leukemia through blood transfusion

AU - Hjalgrim, Henrik

AU - Rostgaard, Klaus

AU - Vasan, Senthil K

AU - Ullum, Henrik

AU - Erikstrup, Christian

AU - Pedersen, Ole B V

AU - Nielsen, Kaspar Rosengreen

AU - Titlestad, Kjell-Einar

AU - Melbye, Mads

AU - Nyrén, Olof

AU - Edgren, Gustaf

N1 - © 2015 by The American Society of Hematology.

PY - 2015/10/22

Y1 - 2015/10/22

N2 - Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) is a precursor of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Observations of MBL in blood donors raise concern that transmitted MBL may cause recipient CLL. Using a database with health information on 1.5 million donors and 2.1 million recipients, we compared CLL occurrence among 7413 recipients of blood from 796 donors diagnosed with CLL after donation cessation, and among 80, 431 recipients of blood from 7477 matched CLL-free donors. During follow-up, 12 and 107 cases of CLL occurred among the exposed and unexposed recipients, respectively, yielding a relative risk of 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.52-1.71). Analyses using the entire database showed no evidence of CLL clustering among recipients of blood from individual donors. In conclusion, when donor MBL was approximated by subsequent donor CLL diagnosis, data from 2 countries' entire computerized transfusion experience over more than 30 years indicate that MBL/CLL transmission does not contribute importantly to recipient CLL risk.

AB - Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) is a precursor of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Observations of MBL in blood donors raise concern that transmitted MBL may cause recipient CLL. Using a database with health information on 1.5 million donors and 2.1 million recipients, we compared CLL occurrence among 7413 recipients of blood from 796 donors diagnosed with CLL after donation cessation, and among 80, 431 recipients of blood from 7477 matched CLL-free donors. During follow-up, 12 and 107 cases of CLL occurred among the exposed and unexposed recipients, respectively, yielding a relative risk of 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.52-1.71). Analyses using the entire database showed no evidence of CLL clustering among recipients of blood from individual donors. In conclusion, when donor MBL was approximated by subsequent donor CLL diagnosis, data from 2 countries' entire computerized transfusion experience over more than 30 years indicate that MBL/CLL transmission does not contribute importantly to recipient CLL risk.

KW - B-Lymphocytes

KW - Blood Donors

KW - Blood Transfusion

KW - Follow-Up Studies

KW - Humans

KW - Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell

KW - Lymphocyte Count

KW - Lymphocytosis

KW - Prognosis

KW - Scandinavian and Nordic Countries

KW - Journal Article

KW - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

U2 - 10.1182/blood-2015-03-632844

DO - 10.1182/blood-2015-03-632844

M3 - Letter

C2 - 26302757

SN - 0006-4971

VL - 126

SP - 2059

EP - 2061

JO - Blood

JF - Blood

IS - 17

ER -