Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide is associated with increased bacterial infections

Results from an analysis of patients who underwent haploidentical or matched sibling donor HCT for acute leukemias or myelodysplastic syndrome showed that those who received post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) prophylaxis experienced a greater incidence of bacterial infections by day 180 regardless of donor (haploidentical HCT with PTCy 46%; matched sibling donor with PTCy 48%) compared with those who received calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)–based prophylaxis (matched sibling donor with CNI 35%; p < 0.001). Further, bacterial infections were associated with increased mortality irrespective of GVHD prophylaxis.