A case of associated refractory acute graft-versus-host disease following umbilical cord blood transplantation in an adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma patient pretreated with mogamulizumab

Abstract

 Adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive peripheral T-cell neoplasm. Humanized anti-CC chemokine receptor 4 monoclonal antibody (mogamulizumab) has been shown to be effective for relapsed/refractory ATLL. However, the effects of mogamulizumab application before allogeneic stem cell transplantation are uncertain. Here, we present an ATLL patient who was administered mogamulizumab and suffered from refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). This was accompanied by delayed reconstitution and a long-lasting reduction of regulatory T cells (Tregs). We suggest that this attenuation of Tregs influenced the clinical course of the severe/refractory GVHD following UCBT in a patient pretreated with mogamulizumab therapy.