Hepatic veno-occlusive disease development in the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients: incidence and associated risk factors, a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Now there are no efficient prophylactic or treatment strategies for hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD). Therefore, it is critical to early identify patients at high risk of VOD. AIM: To analyze the risk factors of VOD in the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the population was conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies with 27 679 HSCT patients were eligible. The incidence of VOD was 15% 95% confidence interval (CI) 13-17%. The following were the risk factors for VOD: mismatched HLA odds ratio (OR) 2.34, 95% CI 1.20-4.57, P = 0.01, history of liver disease (OR 2.72, 95% CI 2.03-3.64, P 12 months (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.15-2.69, P = 0.009), previous radiation (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.49-2.31, P 12 months, previous radiation and use of hepatotoxic drugs (BU and MTX) are the independent risk factors for VOD in the HSCT patients.