Letermovir at a Prophylactic Dose for Cytomegalovirus Infection in Children Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Single-Center Retrospective Study in Japan

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Previous studies in adults demonstrated that letermovir prophylaxis for 100 d after HSCT reduces the occurrence of CMV infection; however, studies in children are limited. In this study, we aimed to examine the incidence of CMV infection in children who underwent allogeneic HSCT with prophylactic letermovir therapy. A single-center retrospective study was conducted among patients aged ≤17 who underwent allogeneic HSCT. We compared the cumulative incidence of CMV infection, mainly monitored by pp65-antigenemia, after HSCT between patients with and without letermovir prophylaxis (10-12 or 5-6 mg/kg/d when co-administered with cyclosporine) using Gray's test. We analyzed 79 patients with a median follow-up period of 126 d. The median age of these patients was 8.3 years (Interquartile range, 3.7-12.4). Prophylactic letermovir was used in 25 patients. Twenty-five patients developed CMV infection, and the cumulative incidence was 38.9% (95% confidence intervals, 25.0-52.5). The cumulative incidence of CMV infection was not significantly different between the letermovir and no-letermovir groups (33.1 vs. 36.6%, p = 0.228). Meanwhile, the cumulative incidence of CMV infection up to 100 d following HSCT was significantly lower in the letermovir group than in the no-letermovir group (8.0 vs. 32.8%, p = 0.026). Most patients experienced no noticeable adverse effects associated with letermovir; however, one patient discontinued letermovir because of nausea and anorexia. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that letermovir prophylaxis against CMV infection may be effective in children without severe adverse effects.

Keywords: child; cytomegalovirus infection; letermovir; transplantation.