The latest findings of gamma irradiation of blood products to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) in cancer patients: A systematic review

Blood products including RBC, platelets and plasma are used for the treatment of different diseases, especially in cancer patients. Administration of these derivatives may be associated with a wide range of adverse effects. Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) is a fatal complication resulting from blood transfusion. Currently, irradiation of blood products containing cells, which can be achieved using X-ray or gamma ray, represents an optimal approach to prevent TA-GVHD. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to address studies conducted to evaluate the effects of gamma irradiation from different sources of 60Co and 137Cs on the laboratory quality of platelets (PCs) and red blood cell concentrates (RBCCs). The results of our review on pre-storage (day 0) gamma irradiation of platelet products (apheresis and PRP) for 7 days of follow-up showed that there was no significant difference between non-irradiated and pre-storage 137Cs-irradiated PCs. In addition, 60Co-irradiated PRP before storage also showed comparable results to their non-irradiated counterparts. Results of our retrospective study on pre-storage (day 0) gamma irradiation of red blood cell concentrates (RBCCs) products for 28 days of follow-up, demonstrated that the viability of CPDA-1-preserved RBCCs appears to be 14 days post-irradiation, while this period for SAGM-preserved RBCCs is up to 21 days. Preservation of irradiated red blood cells in mannitol-containing solutions reduces lipid peroxidation. Overall, the results if our study showed that irradiation time and storage conditions, including preparation methods, anticoagulant/additive solutions, filtration, and washing, affect the quality of transfused blood products.

The latest findings of gamma irradiation of blood products to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) in cancer patients: A systematic review Keywords:

Blood components , Gamma irradiation , Platelets , Red blood cells , Storage