T Cells 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