Research Information System
Bone Marrow Transplantation, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Tuberculosis (TB) is rare following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). In this multinational retrospective study, we report the frequency, characteristics, and outcome of TB following HCT performed during 2000–2019. Fifty-two patients (35 (67%) males, 15 (29%) children) from 24 centers developed TB following allogeneic (n = 47) or autologous (n = 5) HCT; with the relative frequency of 0.21% and 0.025%, respectively. Forty (77%) were bacteriologically, 12 (23%) clinically confirmed. The median time from HCT to TB was 135 (range, 16–3225) days. Eighteen (35%) patients with extrapulmonary TB (mainly involving lymph nodes and liver/spleen) were significantly younger, developed TB shorter after HCT, more often had inherited underlying disease, and received immunosuppressive therapy at TB diagnosis as compared to pulmonary TB. Five (22%) of 23 patients with drug-susceptibility testing performed, were resistant to at least one anti-TB drug. Treatment success was achieved in 38/50 (76%) of treated patients. One-year overall survival reached 75.7% and the 1-year cumulative incidence of TB-associated death was 18.1%. Concluding, TB is a rare, albeit severe complication, which can develop any time after HCT, frequently involves extrapulmonary sites, and results in high mortality rates. High proportion of drug-resistant TB warrants routine susceptibility testing.