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1.
Disease Status and Interval between HCTs Predict Outcome of Pediatric Patients who Undergo a Subsequent HCT for Relapsed Hematologic Malignancy
Epperly, R., Li, Y., Selukar, S., Zeng, E., Madden, R., Mamcarz, E., Naik, S., Qudeimat, A., Sharma, A., Talleur, A., et al
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 2024
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with hematologic malignancies who relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) have a poor prognosis. While proceeding to subsequent HCT can provide potential for long-term survival, there is limited data to guide which patients are most likely to benefit and which HCT strategies are best in this heavily pre-treated population. OBJECTIVE The goals of this study were to: i) describe the clinical outcomes of a subsequent HCT in pediatric patients with relapsed hematologic malignancies in a cohort enriched for haploidentical donors, and ii) evaluate the association of patient-, disease-, and treatment-related factors with survival. STUDY DESIGN We retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent a subsequent HCT for management of post-HCT relapse at a single institution between 2000-2021. RESULTS Among 106 patients who received a second allogeneic HCT, one-year event-free survival (EFS) was 34% and one-year overall survival (OS) was 46%, with five-year EFS of 26% and five-year OS of 31%. Only disease-related factors were associated with outcome after second HCT, specifically the interval between HCTs and presence or absence of active disease at the time of HCT. In this cohort, patient- and treatment-related factors were not associated with differences in EFS or OS. Patients receiving a third or fourth HCT (n=13) had comparable survival outcomes to those receiving a second HCT. CONCLUSIONS Our experience highlights that a subsequent HCT has curative potential for a subset of patients who relapse after HCT, including those who receive a subsequent HCT from a haploidentical donor. While relapse and treatment-related toxicities remain major challenges, our study indicates that achieving complete remission prior to subsequent HCTs has the potential to further improve outcomes.
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Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for pediatric patients with non-anaplastic peripheral T-cell lymphoma. An EBMT pediatric diseases working party study
Moser, O., Ngoya, M., Galimard, J. E., Dalissier, A., Dalle, J. H., Kalwak, K., Wössmann, W., Burkhardt, B., Bierings, M., Gonzalez-Vicent, M., et al
Bone marrow transplantation. 2024
Abstract
Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) other than anaplastic large-cell lymphoma are rare in children, and the role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has not been clarified yet. In a retrospective analysis of registry-data of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation we analyzed 55 patients aged < 18 years who received allogeneic (N = 46) or autologous (N = 9) HSCT for PTCL. Median age at HSCT was 13.9 years; 33 patients (60%) were in first remission, and 6 (19%) in progression at HSCT. Conditioning was myeloablative in 87% of the allogeneic HSCTs and in 27 (58.7%) based on total body irradiation. After allogeneic HSCT the 5-year overall- and progression-free survival was 58.9% (95% CI 42.7-71.9) and 52.6% (95% CI 36.8-66.1), respectively. 5-year relapse incidence was 27.6% (95% CI 15.1-41.6), the non-relapse mortality rate was 19.8% (95% CI 9.7-32.6). Five of the six patients with progression at HSCT died. Seven of nine patients after autologous HSCT were alive and disease-free at last follow-up. Our data suggest a role of allogeneic HSCT in consolidation-treatment of patients with high-risk disease, who reach at least partial remission after primary- or relapse-therapy, whereas patients with therapy-refractory or progressive disease prior to transplantation do not profit from HSCT.
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3.
The Impact of NK Cell-Associated Factors on Acute Leukemia Outcomes after Haplo-HSCT with αβ T Cell Depletion in Pediatric Cohort
Glushkova, S., Shelikhova, L., Voronin, K., Pershin, D., Vedmedskaya, V., Muzalevskii, Y., Kazachenok, A., Kurnikova, E., Radygina, S., Ilushina, M., et al
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 2024
Abstract
INTRODUCTION αβ T cell-depletion (αβTCD) is a well-established method of HSCT for children with acute leukemia due to the low rate of graft-versus-host disease and non-relapse mortality. The graft-versus-leukemia effect is generally ascribed to the NK cells, conserved within the graft. However, it is not known whether NK-related factors affect the outcome of αβTCD HSCT. OBJECTIVES The aim of this retrospective study is to explore the impact of NK-alloreactivity (based on donor-recipient KIR mismatch), graft NK-cell dose, and blood NK-cell recovery on day +30 after HSCT on the incidence of leukemia relapse and non-relapse mortality (NRM). STUDY DESIGN The pediatric acute leukemia cohort includes 295 patients first transplanted from haploidentical donors in complete remission. During post hoc analysis, the total cohort was divided into subcohorts by diagnosis (ALL/AML), NK alloreactivity prediction (KIR match/KIR mismatch), graft NK cell dose (less vs. greater than the median value), and blood NK cell recovery on day +30 after HSCT (less vs. greater than the median value). We also investigated the influence of serotherapy (ATG group) versus abatacept + tocilizumab combination (aba+toci group) on relapse risk in the context of KIR mismatch. The relapse and NRM risk were calculated by the cumulative risk method, and groups were compared by Gray's test. Multivariate analysis was provided. RESULTS There was no apparent impact of predicted NK alloreactivity, or other studied NK-related factors for the total cohort. For patients with AML, a significantly higher relapse risk associated with high NK graft content on the background of no predicted KIR mismatch (p=0.002) was shown. Multivariate analysis confirmed this finding (p=0.018); on the other hand, for KIR mismatch cohort, there was a trend towards lower relapse risk associated with high NK-cell dose. The use of ATG was associated with a trend of reduced relapse risk (p=0.074) for AML cohort. There was no significant impact of NK-related factors among ALL patients. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the evaluated NK-related factors did not show a clear and straightforward correlation with the key outcomes of HSCT in the total cohort of children with acute leukemia. In practice, the data support prioritization of KIR-mismatched donors for patients with AML. Importantly, a potential interaction of KIR ligand mismatch and NK cell content in the graft was identified. Indirect evidence suggests that additional cellular constituents of the graft could influence the function of NK cells after HSCT and affect their role as GVL effectors.
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A predictive classifier of poor prognosis in transplanted patients with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia: a study on behalf of the Société Francophone de Greffe de Moelle et de Thérapie Cellulaire
Meyran, D., Arfeuille, C., Chevret, S., Neven, Q., Caye-Eude, A., Lainey, E., Petit, A., Rialland, F., Michel, G., Plantaz, D., et al
Haematologica. 2024
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Editor's Choice
Abstract
Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is an aggressive pediatric myeloproliferative neoplasm requiring hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in most cases. We retrospectively analyzed 119 JMML patients who underwent first allogeneic HSCT between 2002 and 2021. The majority (97%) carried a RAS-pathway mutation, and 62% exhibited karyotypic alterations or additional mutations in SETBP1, ASXL1, JAK3 and/or the RAS pathway. Relapse was the primary cause of death, with a 5-year cumulative incidence of 24.6% (95%CI: 17.1-32.9). Toxic deaths occurred in 12 patients, resulting in treatmentrelated mortality (TRM) of 9.0% (95%CI: 4.6-15.3). The 5-year overall (OS) and event-free survival were 73.6% (95%CI: 65.7-82.4) and 66.4% (95%CI: 58.2-75.8), respectively. Four independent adverse prognostic factors for OS were identified: age at diagnosis >2 years, time from diagnosis to HSCT >6 months, monocyte count at diagnosis >7.2x109/L, and the presence of additional genetic alterations. Based on these factors, we proposed a predictive classifier. Patients with three or more predictors (21% of the cohort) had a 5-year OS of 34.2%, whereas those with none (7%) had a 5-year OS of 100%. Our study demonstrates improved transplant outcomes compared to prior published data, which can be attributed to the synergistic impacts of a low TRM and a reduced yet still substantial relapse incidence. By integrating genetic information with clinical and hematological features, we have devised a predictive classifier. This classifier effectively identifies a subgroup of patients who are at a heightened risk of unfavorable post-transplant outcomes who would benefit novel therapeutic agents and post-transplant strategies.
PICO Summary
Population
Consecutive children diagnosed with Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) in centres in France (n=119)
Intervention
First allogeneic HSCT between 2002 and 2021
Comparison
None
Outcome
The majority (97%) carried a RAS-pathway mutation, and 62% exhibited karyotypic alterations or additional mutations in SETBP1, ASXL1, JAK3 and/or the RAS pathway. Relapse was the primary cause of death, with a 5-year cumulative incidence of 24.6% (95%CI: 17.1-32.9). Toxic deaths occurred in 12 patients, resulting in treatment related mortality (TRM) of 9.0% (95%CI: 4.6-15.3). The 5-year overall (OS) and event-free survival were 73.6% (95%CI: 65.7-82.4) and 66.4% (95%CI: 58.2-75.8), respectively. Four independent adverse prognostic factors for OS were identified: age at diagnosis >2 years, time from diagnosis to HSCT >6 months, monocyte count at diagnosis >7.2x109/L, and the presence of additional genetic alterations. Based on these factors, we proposed a predictive classifier. Patients with three or more predictors (21% of the cohort) had a 5-year OS of 34.2%, whereas those with none (7%) had a 5-year OS of 100%.
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TBI, etoposide, and cyclophosphamide conditioning for intermediate-risk relapsed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Ueki, H., Ogawa, C., Goto, H., Nishi, M., Yamanaka, J., Mochizuki, S., Nishikawa, T., Kumamoto, T., Nishiuchi, R., Kikuta, A., et al
International journal of hematology. 2024
Abstract
BACKGROUND In children with intermediate-risk relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has markedly improved the outcome of patients with an unsatisfactory minimal residual disease (MRD) response. Total body irradiation (TBI), etoposide (ETP), and cyclophosphamide (CY) have been shown to be equivalent to or better than TBI + ETP for conditioning, so we hypothesized that even greater survival could be achieved due to recent advances in HSCT and supportive care. PROCEDURE We prospectively analyzed the efficacy and safety of allo-HSCT with a unified conditioning regimen of TBI + ETP + CY in children with intermediate-risk relapsed ALL, based on MRD in the bone marrow after induction, from the Japanese Pediatric Leukemia/Lymphoma Study Group (JPLSG) ALL-R08-II nationwide cohort (UMIN000002025). RESULTS Twenty patients with post-induction MRD ≥ 10(-3) and two not evaluated for MRD underwent allo-HSCT. Engraftment was confirmed in all patients, and no transplantation-related mortality was observed. The 3-year event-free survival and overall survival rates after transplantation were 86.4% ± 7.3% and 95.5% ± 4.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION Allo-HSCT based on post-induction MRD with TBI + ETP + CY conditioning was feasible in Japanese children with intermediate-risk relapsed ALL.
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The prognosis of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in infants and patients under 3 years old with acute leukemia
Hu, G. H., Zhang, X. H., Wang, Y., Xu, L. P., Hou, X. L., Cheng, Y. F., Huang, X. J.
Clinical transplantation. 2024;38(2):e15247
Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in patients <3 years of age remains controversial. Data on haploidentical donor (HID) transplants in this age group is limited. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the prognosis of 97 patients with acute leukemia aged <3 years who underwent HID transplantation at our institute. RESULTS With a median follow-up of 45 months, the 3-year disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and 3-year cumulative incidence rate of treatment-related mortality were 69.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 59.9%-78.7%), 74.2% (95% CI: 65.2%-83.2%), and 3.6% (95% CI: 0.9%-9.7%) in all 97 patients, respectively. The 3-year DFS and OS rate in patients diagnosed <1 year and patients diagnosed ≥1 year were comparable: 77.8% (95% CI: 62.2%-93.4%) versus 66.3% (95% CI: 55.0%-77.6%, p = .253) and 82.5% (95% CI: 66.3-98.7%) versus 72.8% (95% CI: 61.9%-83.7%, p = .153), respectively. At the last follow-up, 23 patients had died, and 20 had died of relapse. Multivariate analysis revealed that positive pre-HSCT flow cytometric minimal residual disease (hazard ratio 5.605, p = .000) and AML-M7 expression (hazard ratio 2.906, p = .014) were independent adverse prognostic variables for relapse. CONCLUSIONS HID transplantation is potent and safe for infants and young patients with acute leukemia. Relapse is the primary cause of treatment failure.
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Cytogenetic abnormalities predict survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia: a PDWP/EBMT study
Sharma, A., Galimard, J. E., Pryce, A., Bhoopalan, S. V., Dalissier, A., Dalle, J. H., Locatelli, F., Jubert, C., Mirci-Danicar, O., Kitra-Roussou, V., et al
Bone marrow transplantation. 2024
Abstract
Poor-risk (PR) cytogenetic/molecular abnormalities generally direct pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). We assessed the predictive value of cytogenetic risk classification at diagnosis with respect to post-HSCT outcomes in pediatric patients. Patients younger than 18 years at the time of their first allogeneic HSCT for AML in CR1 between 2005 and 2022 who were reported to the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry were subgrouped into four categories. Of the 845 pediatric patients included in this study, 36% had an 11q23 abnormality, 24% had monosomy 7/del7q or monosomy 5/del5q, 24% had a complex or monosomal karyotype, and 16% had other PR cytogenetic abnormalities. In a multivariable model, 11q23 (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.66, P = 0.03) and other PR cytogenetic abnormalities (HR = 0.55, P = 0.02) were associated with significantly better overall survival when compared with monosomy 7/del7q or monosomy 5/del5q. Patients with other PR cytogenetic abnormalities had a lower risk of disease relapse after HSCT (HR = 0.49, P = 0.01) and, hence, better leukemia-free survival (HR = 0.55, P = 0.01). Therefore, we conclude that PR cytogenetic abnormalities at diagnosis predict overall survival after HSCT for AML in pediatric patients.
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8.
Early Allogeneic Transplantation Favorably Influences the Outcome of Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia-A Retrospective Study in a Single Center Over 2 Decades
Lo, T. Y., Wang, Y. L., Jaing, T. H., Chang, T. Y., Wen, Y. C., Chiu, C. C., Hsiao, Y. W., Chen, S. H.
Transplantation proceedings. 2024
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transplantation advancements offer the potential for improving the prognosis of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Controversies surrounding indications and timing persist. We focused on identifying prognostic factors and exploring the advantages of early transplantation. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied 102 pediatric patients with AML (February 1999-August 2022), using Cox regression to analyze survival and hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes and Kaplan-Meier curves to assess HCT timing's impact on prognosis. RESULTS "Treatment in First Complete Remission [CR1]: Chemotherapy" showed increased risk in multivariate and univariate Cox regression analyses, whereas "HCT during the study period" displayed divergent outcomes. Focusing on transplanted patients, "Treatment in CR1: Chemotherapy" still correlated with higher mortality risk. These findings emphasize the pivotal role of the treatment strategy adopted in CR1 on overall survival rather than HCT alone. Donor cytomegalovirus (CMV) positivity is also related to reduced mortality risk. Kaplan-Meier analysis supported superior 5-year survival rates with "HCT" compared with "chemotherapy" in CR1. In the 3-arm analysis, "HCT in CR1" demonstrated better 5-year overall survival (OS) and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) compared with "Never HCT," whereas "HCT in CR2" had the least favorable prognosis (5-year OS: 79.2% vs 57.1% vs 50%, P = .056; 5-year DFS: 73.6% vs 55.2% vs 0%, P = .000). CONCLUSION Our study highlights the benefits of transplantation during CR1 on prognosis. However, when contemplating CR1 transplantation recommendations, evaluation of various factors, such as the patient's clinical state, relapse risk, transplant-related mortality, CMV status, and other pertinent considerations, is vital. Comprehensive case discussions with patients and families are demanded in optimizing treatment.
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Intensified conditioning regimen with fludarabine combined with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide for haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with high-risk acute leukemia
Cao, J., Xu, X., Lu, Y., Wang, T., Chen, D., Li, S., Liu, X., Ye, P., Zheng, Z. Z., Pei, R.
Hematology (Amsterdam, Netherlands). 2023;28(1):2223873
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) can reduce the incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and this intervention is often applied on adults with hematologic malignancy. However, the high relapse rate hinders the development of the intervention and data of PTCy used on children with hematologic malignancy remains limited. In order to overcome issue of high relapse rate in PTCy treatment, we used fludarabine (Flu), enhanced dose of cytarabine (Ara-C, 9 g/m(2)), busulfan (Bu), Cy, anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) combined with PTCy for an intensified conditioning regimen. METHODS A total of 22 children with acute leukemia received intensified PTCy conditioning regimen (PTCy intensified group). We matched with 18 children who received modified Bu-Cy and ATG conditioning regimen in the same period (ATG group). RESULTS The two-year cumulative incidences of grade II-IV acute GVHD was significantly lower in PTCy intensified group (13.6 ± 7.7% vs 38.9 ± 11.5%, P = 0.048). Two-year GVHD-free relapse free survival (GRFS) in PTCy seems to be better among the increment group despite not being significant (63.3 ± 10.3% vs 35.4 ± 11.9%, P = 0.092). The positive rate of minimal residual disease after transplantation was significantly lower than that before transplantation (20.0% vs 2.5%, P = 0.029). CONCLUSION In conclusion, ATG and PTCy combined with Flu-based increased intensity conditioning regimen is effective for acute leukemia in children. It could reduce GVHD rate significantly and potentially improve GRFS.
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10.
Efficacy of Azacitidine and Prophylactic Donor Lymphocyte Infusion after HSCT in Pediatric Patients with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia: A Retrospective Pre-Post Study
Booth, N., Mirea, L., Huschart, E., Miller, H., Salzberg, D., Campbell, C., Beebe, K., Schwalbach, C., Adams, R. H., Ngwube, A.
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 2023
Abstract
Pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) continue to have high rates of relapse. In 2018, Phoenix Children's Hospital started using post-HSCT maintenance therapy in patients with AML in attempt to decrease the number of relapses after HSCT. This therapy consisted of the hypomethylating agent azacitidine (AZA; 6 cycles starting on day +60) and prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI; 3 escalating doses beginning after day +120). We aimed to compare 2-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) post-HSCT between patients with AML who received post-HSCT maintenance therapy with AZA and prophylactic DLI and historical control patients who did not receive post-HSCT therapy. This retrospective pre-post study was conducted at Phoenix Children's Hospital and included patients with AML who underwent HSCT between January 1, 2008, and May 31, 2022. We compared LFS, overall survival (OS), and immune reconstitution patterns post-HSCT between patients with AML who received post-HSCT maintenance therapy with AZA and prophylactic DLI (postintervention group) and historical control patients who did not receive this post-HSCT maintenance therapy (preintervention group). Sixty-three patients were evaluable. After excluding 7 patients who died or relapsed prior to day +60, 56 patients remained, including 39 in the preintervention group and 17 in the postintervention group. The median age at transplantation was 9.1 years in the preintervention group and 11 years in the postintervention group (P = .33). The 2-year LFS was 61.5% in the preintervention group, compared to 88.2% in the postintervention group (P = .06). The 2-year OS was 69.2% in the preintervention group and 88.2% in the postintervention group (P = .15). The rates of CD3(+)CD4(+) T cell and CD19(+) B cell recovery were faster in the preintervention group compared to the postintervention group (P = .004 and .0006, respectively). In this limited retrospective study, post-HSCT maintenance therapy using AZA and prophylactic DLI was well tolerated; however, its efficacy is yet to be fully determined.