Donor Specificity but Not Broadness of Sensitization Is Associated With Antibody-Mediated Rejection and Graft Loss in Renal Allograft Recipients

Abstract

Panel-reactive antibodies are widely regarded as an important immunological risk factor for rejection and graft loss. The broadness of sensitization against HLA is most appropriately measured by the “calculated population-reactive antibodies” (cPRA) value. In this study, we investigated whether cPRA represent an immunological risk in times of sensitive and accurate determination of pretransplantation donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA). Five hundred twenty-seven consecutive transplantations were divided into four groups: cPRA 0% (n = 250), cPRA 1–50% (n = 129), cPRA 51–100% (n = 43), and DSA (n = 105). Patients without DSA were considered as normal risk and received standard immunosuppression without T cell–depleting induction. Patients with DSA received an enhanced induction therapy and maintenance immunosuppression. Surveillance biopsies were performed at 3 and 6 months. Median follow-up was 5.7 years. Among the three cPRA groups, there were no differences regarding the 1-year incidence of ABMR (p = 0.16) and TCMR (p = 0.75). The 5-year allograft survival rates were similar and around 87% (p = 0.28). The estimated glomerular filtration rate at last follow-up was 50–53 mL/min (p = 0.45). On multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, the strongest independent predictor for ABMR and (death-censored) graft survival was pretransplantation DSA. cPRA were not predictive for ABMR, TCMR, or (death-censored) graft survival. We conclude that with current DSA assignment, the broadness of sensitization measured by cPRA does not imply an immunological risk.