Haploidentical Versus Mismatched Unrelated Donor Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: HLA Factors and Donor Age Considerations

HLA-mismatched unrelated donors and haploidentical related donors are suitable stem cell sources for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) when patients lack HLA-matched donors. Clinical outcome after mismatched HCT is influenced by HLA factors including the similarity of peptide-binding motifs (PBMs) between the patient and unrelated donor, and of the HLA-B leader in unrelated and haploidentical donors. Whether these factors can aid in the selection between mismatched unrelated and haploidentical donors is not known. To address this question, we investigated outcomes between the two donor types defined by matching for the PBM and leader peptide. We compared PBM-matched (n = 614) and mismatched (n = 958) MMUDs with calcineurin-inhibitor-based prophylaxis to four haploidentical groups that received post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy)-based prophylaxis. The haploidentical groups were B-leader matched/DRB1-mismatched (n = 722), B-leader matched/DRB1-matched (n = 154), B-leader mismatched/DRB1-mismatched (n = 493), and B-leader mismatched/DRB1-matched (n = 63). Multivariate analysis showed that the B-leader matched/DRB1-mismatched haploidentical group had the best overall survival (OS) compared to the PBM-matched MMUD, while other haploidentical groups had comparable OS. The PBM-mismatched MMUD showed the poorest outcomes, similar to the B-leader mismatched/DRB1-matched haploidentical group. Among non-HLA factors, donor age was the most significant predictor of OS. These results suggest that a B-leader matched/DRB1 mismatched haploidentical donor might be the preferred choice among donors of similar age. If such a donor is not available, the youngest donor from either PBM-matched unrelated or other haploidentical groups could be a beneficial choice. These findings need validation with both donor groups receiving PTCy-based graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis.