T Cells in Predicting Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease in Patients Undergoing Donor Stem Cell Transplant

Regulatory T Cells at Engraftment as Predictors of Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

RATIONALE: Studying samples of blood from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors predict whether patients undergoing donor stem cell transplant will develop acute graft-versus-host disease.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying T cells to see how well they help in predicting acute graft-versus-host disease in patients undergoing donor stem cell transplant.

OBJECTIVES:

• To determine the association between regulatory T-lymphocyte (Treg) subsets present at engraftment and at day 28 with the incidence of acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD) in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
• To identify gut-homing and skin-homing Treg subsets and determine their role during engraftment and at day 28 as a predictor of gut and skin aGVHD, respectively.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo blood sample collection at the time of neutrophil engraftment prior to stem cell transplant (SCT) and post-SCT on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Blood samples are analyzed for T-cell subsets and for the percentage of regulatory T-lymphocyte (Treg) or other T-cell subsets expressing specific homing receptors for the gut or skin via flow cytometry.

Patients' medical records are also reviewed periodically.

Inclusion criteria:

• Patients undergoing allogeneic SCT
• Age >= 18 years

Exclusion criteria:

• Inability to give informed consent
• Patients who have not received an allogeneic SCT
• Any condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, might interfere with study objective
• Any reason which, in the opinion of the investigator, adds additional risk to the patient