-
1.
Donor Lymphocyte Infusion and Molecular Monitoring for Relapsed Myelofibrosis After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Gagelmann, N., Wolschke, C., Badbaran, A., Janson, D., Berger, C., Klyuchnikov, E., Ayuk, F., Fehse, B., Kröger, N.
HemaSphere. 2023;7(7):e921
Abstract
Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative approach for myelofibrosis patients, but relapse is a major cause of treatment failure. We investigated the effect of donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) in 37 patients with molecular (n = 17) or hematological relapse (n = 20) after HCT. Patients received median of 2 (range, 1-5) cumulative DLI (total of 91 infusions). Median starting dose was 1 × 10(6) cells/kg, escalated by half-log ≥6 weeks if no response nor graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) occurred. Median time to first DLI was 40 weeks for molecular relapse versus 145 weeks for hematological relapse. Overall molecular complete response (mCR) at any time was 73% (n = 27) and was significantly higher for initial molecular relapse (88%) versus hematological relapse (60%; P = 0.05). The 6-year overall survival was 77% versus 32% (P = 0.03). Acute GvHD 2-4 occurred in 22% and half of the patients achieved mCR without any GvHD. All patients who relapsed from mCR achieved after first DLI could be salvaged with subsequent DLI, showing long-term survival. No second HCT was needed for molecular relapse versus 6 for hematological relapse. This comprehensive and largest study to date suggests molecular monitoring together with DLI as standard of care and a crucial approach to achieve excellent outcomes in relapsed myelofibrosis.
-
2.
Comparison of Outcomes of Donor Lymphocyte Infusions With or Without Lenalidomide in Patients with Hematological Malignancies Post Allogeneic HSCT
Punatar, S., Murugaiyan, V., Kumbhalwar, K., Gokarn, A., Chichra, A., Mirgh, S., Nayak, L., Bonda, A., Jindal, N., Shirure, V., et al
Indian journal of hematology & blood transfusion : an official journal of Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. 2023;39(1):40-49
Abstract
Outcomes with DLI alone for post-transplant relapsed hematological malignancies are poor especially in acute leukemias. Addition of immunomodulatory drugs to DLI may augment GVL effect. Use of lenalidomide with DLI to augment GVL has not been previously reported. This retrospective analysis was to compare the outcomes of DLI with or without lenalidomide. All consecutive patients who received DLI from 01/2010 through 01/2020 were included. DLIs were given without any immunosuppression. Lenalidomide, when used, was given continuously, starting with 1st or subsequent DLI. Patients who received lenalidomide were compared with those who did not. Event (hematological relapse or death) free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated from 1st DLI. Primary objective was to compare OS. Secondary objectives were EFS, CR rates, acute GVHD, lenalidomide toxicities and DLI related mortality (TRM). Total 61 patients received DLI-43 without and 18 with lenalidomide; all outcomes in the 2 groups were similar. There were 26 patients with HLA-A*24 and/or HLA-B*40. Among these, trend towards improvement in OS (median OS not reached vs. 8 months, 4 year OS was 62% vs. 32%, p = 0.1) and EFS (median 9 vs. 1 month, 4 year EFS 50% vs. 22%, p = 0.1) was seen with lenalidomide. Overall, there was no improvement in outcomes by adding lenalidomide to DLI. However, among patients with HLA*24 or B*40, there was a trend to improved survival with lenalidomide. Use of lenalidomide to augment the GVL effect of DLI warrants further exploration.
-
3.
A phase II study of chidamide, cytarabine, aclarubicin, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and donor lymphocyte infusion for relapsed acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Wei, Y., Wang, L., Zhu, C., Li, H., Bo, J., Zhang, R., Lu, N., Wu, Y., Gao, X., Dou, L., et al
Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England). 2023;40(2):77
Abstract
Chemotherapy followed by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is a promising treatment for relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, the best strategy for administering this therapy is still unclear. This study sought to explore the efficacy and safety of chidamide and CAG (cytarabine, aclarubicin, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) (CCAG) regimen followed by DLI in relapsed AML/MDS after allo-HSCT. This was a single-arm, phase II trial in patients with relapsed AML/MDS after allo-HSCT. CCAG regimen followed by DLI was given according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Twenty adult patients were enrolled. The median follow-up time was 12 months. The complete remission (CR) rate was 45% and the partial remission (PR) rate was 5%. The 1-year overall survival (OS) was 56.7% (95% confidence interval (95% CI), 31.6-75.6%), and the median OS was 19 months. The 1-year relapse-free survival (RFS) was 83.3% (95% CI, 27.3-97.5%). Patients relapsing more than 6 months after HSCT and achieving CR/PR after CCAG plus DLI regimen attained significantly higher survival rates. The cumulative incidence of grade III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 9.4%. There was no treatment-related mortality (TRM). These data suggest that CCAG plus DLI regimen is safe and induces durable remission and superior survival in patients with relapsed AML/MDS after allo-HSCT. Trial registration number: ChiCTR.org identifier: ChiCTR1800017740 and date of registration: August 12, 2018.
-
4.
The graft-versus-leukemia effect of prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusions after allogeneic stem cell transplantation is equally effective in relapse prevention but safer compared to spontaneous graft-versus-host disease
Stadler, M., Hambach, L., Dammann, E., Diedrich, H., Kamal, H., Hamwi, I., Schultze-Florey, C., Varvenne, M., Ehrlich, S., Buchholz, S., et al
Annals of hematology. 2023
Abstract
Therapeutic donor lymphocyte infusions (tDLI) are used to reinforce the graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effect in relapse after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). In contrast, the role of prophylactic DLI (proDLI) in preventing leukemia relapse has been less clearly established, although supported by retrospective, case-control, and registry analyses. We report a prospective, monocentric, ten year cohort of patients with high risk acute leukemias (AL) or myelodysplasia (MDS) in whom proDLI were applied beyond day +120 post alloSCT to compensate for lack of GvL.272 consecutive allotransplanted AL or MDS patients in complete remission and off immunosuppression at day +120 were stratified according to the prior appearance of relevant GvHD (acute GvHD °II-IV or extensive chronic GvHD) as a clinical indicator for GvL. Escalating doses of unmodified proDLI were applied to 72/272 patients without prior relevant GvHD. Conversely, 157/272 patients with prior spontaneous GvHD did not receive proDLI, nor did 43/272 patients with contraindications (uncontrolled infections, patient refusal, DLI unavailability).By day 160-landmark analysis (median day of first DLI application), proDLI recipients had significantly higher five-year overall (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) (77% and 67%) than patients with spontaneous GvHD (54% and 53%) or with contraindications (46% and 45%) (p=0.003). Relapse incidence for patients with proDLI (30%) or spontaneous GvHD (29%) was significantly lower than in patients with contraindications (39%; p=0.021). With similar GvHD incidence beyond day +160, non-relapse mortality (NRM) was less with proDLI (5%) than without proDLI (18%; p=0.036).In conclusion, proDLI may be able to compensate for lack of GvL in alloSCT recipients with high risk AL or MDS.
-
5.
Feasibility, safety, and efficacy of early prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusion after T cell-depleted allogeneic stem cell transplantation in acute leukemia patients
van der Zouwen, B., Koster, E. A. S., von dem Borne, P. A., Oosten, L. E. M., Roza-Scholten, M. W. I., Snijders, T. J. F., van Lammeren, D., van Balen, P., Marijt, W. A. F., Veelken, H., et al
Annals of hematology. 2023
Abstract
Prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) starting at 6 months after T cell-depleted allogeneic stem cell transplantation (TCD-alloSCT) can introduce a graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effects with low risk of severe graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD). We established a policy to apply low-dose early DLI at 3 months after alloSCT to prevent early relapse. This study analyzes this strategy retrospectively. Of 220 consecutive acute leukemia patients undergoing TCD-alloSCT, 83 were prospectively classified to have a high relapse risk and 43 were scheduled for early DLI. 95% of these patients received freshly harvested DLI within 2 weeks of the planned date. In patients transplanted with reduced intensity conditioning and an unrelated donor, we found an increased cumulative incidence of GvHD between 3 and 6 months after TCD-alloSCT for patients receiving DLI at 3 months compared to patients who did not receive this DLI (0.42 (95%Confidence Interval (95% CI): 0.14-0.70) vs 0). Treatment success was defined as being alive without relapse or need for systemic immunosuppressive GvHD treatment. The five-year treatment success in patients with acute lymphatic leukemia was comparable between high- and non-high-risk disease (0.55 (95% CI: 0.42-0.74) and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.42-0.84)). It remained lower in high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (0.29 (95% CI: 0.18-0.46)) than in non-high-risk AML (0.47 (95% CI: 0.42-0.84)) due to an increased relapse rate despite early DLI.
-
6.
Joint models quantify associations between immune cell kinetics and allo-immunological events after allogeneic stem cell transplantation and subsequent donor lymphocyte infusion
Koster, E. A. S., Bonneville, E. F., Borne, Pavd, van Balen, P., Marijt, E. W. A., Tjon, J. M. L., Snijders, T. J. F., van Lammeren, D., Veelken, H., Putter, H., et al
Frontiers in immunology. 2023;14:1208814
Abstract
Alloreactive donor-derived T-cells play a pivotal role in alloimmune responses after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT); both in the relapse-preventing Graft-versus-Leukemia (GvL) effect and the potentially lethal complication Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GvHD). The balance between GvL and GvHD can be shifted by removing T-cells via T-cell depletion (TCD) to reduce the risk of GvHD, and by introducing additional donor T-cells (donor lymphocyte infusions [DLI]) to boost the GvL effect. However, the association between T-cell kinetics and the occurrence of allo-immunological events has not been clearly demonstrated yet. Therefore, we investigated the complex associations between the T-cell kinetics and alloimmune responses in a cohort of 166 acute leukemia patients receiving alemtuzumab-based TCD alloSCT. Of these patients, 62 with an anticipated high risk of relapse were scheduled to receive a prophylactic DLI at 3 months after transplant. In this setting, we applied joint modelling which allowed us to better capture the complex interplay between DLI, T-cell kinetics, GvHD and relapse than traditional statistical methods. We demonstrate that DLI can induce detectable T-cell expansion, leading to an increase in total, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell counts starting at 3 months after alloSCT. CD4+ T-cells showed the strongest association with the development of alloimmune responses: higher CD4 counts increased the risk of GvHD (hazard ratio 2.44, 95% confidence interval 1.45-4.12) and decreased the risk of relapse (hazard ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.92). Similar models showed that natural killer cells recovered rapidly after alloSCT and were associated with a lower risk of relapse (HR 0.62, 95%-CI 0.41-0.93). The results of this study advocate the use of joint models to further study immune cell kinetics in different settings.
-
7.
MRD as Biomarker for Response to Donor Lymphocyte Infusion after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Patients with AML
Teich, K., Stadler, M., Gabdoulline, R., Kandarp, J., Wienecke, C., Heida, B., Klement, P., Büttner, K., Venturini, L., Wichmann, M., et al
Cancers. 2023;15(15)
Abstract
Donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) can directly target leukemic cells through a graft-versus-leukemia effect and play a key role in the prevention and management of relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT). Predictors of response to DLIs are not well established. We evaluated measurable residual disease (MRD) before, 30 and 90 days after DLI treatment as biomarkers of response. MRD was assessed by next-generation sequencing in 76 DLI-treated acute myeloid leukemia patients. MRD status before DLI treatment was independently prognostic for event-free survival (EFS, p < 0.001) and overall survival (OS, p < 0.001). Within 90 days of DLI treatment, 73% of MRD(+) patients converted to MRD(-) and 32% of patients without remission achieved remission. MRD status 90 days after DLI treatment was independently prognostic for the cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR, p = 0.011) and relapse-free survival (RFS, p = 0.001), but not for OS. To evaluate the role of DLI treatment in MRD(-) patients, 23 MRD(-) patients who received DLIs were compared with a control cohort of 68 MRD(-) patients not receiving DLIs. RFS (p = 0.23) and OS (p = 0.48) were similar between the two cohorts. In conclusion, MRD is prognostic before (EFS, OS) and after (CIR, RFS) DLI treatment and may help in the selection of patients who benefit most from DLIs.
-
8.
Azacitidine, lenalidomide and donor lymphocyte infusions for relapse of myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia after allogeneic transplant: the Azalena-Trial
Schroeder, T., Stelljes, M., Christopeit, M., Esseling, E., Scheid, C., Mikesch, J. H., Rautenberg, C., Jäger, P., Cadeddu, R. P., Drusenheimer, N., et al
Haematologica. 2023
Abstract
Azacitidine combined with donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) is an established treatment for relapse of myeloid malignancies after allogeneic transplantation. Based on its immunomodulatory and anti-leukemic properties we considered Lenalidomide to act synergistically with Azacitidine/DLI to improve outcome. We therefore prospectively investigated tolerability and efficacy of this combination as first salvage therapy for adults with post-transplant relapse of AML, MDS and CMML. Patients were scheduled for 8 cycles Azacitidine (75 mg/m2 day 1-7), Lenalidomide (2.5 or 5mg, day 1-21) and up to 3 DLI with increasing T cell dosages (0.5×106-1.5×107 cells/kg). Primary endpoint was safety, while secondary endpoints included response, graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and overall survival (OS). Fifty patients with molecular (52%) or hematological (48%) relapse of MDS (n=24), AML (n=23) or CMML (n=3) received a median of 7 (range, 1 to 8) cycles including 14 patients with 2.5mg and 36 with 5mg Lenalidomide daily dosage. Concomitantly, 34 patients (68%) received at least one DLI. Overall response rate was 56% and 25 patients (50%) achieved complete remission being durable in 80%. Median OS was 21 months and 1-year OS rate 65% with no impact of type of or time to relapse and Lenalidomide dosages. Treatment was well tolerated indicated by febrile neutropenia being the only grade ≥3 non-hematologic adverse event in >10% of patients and modest acute (grade II-IV 24%) and chronic (moderate/severe 28%) GvHD incidences. In summary, Lenalidomide can be safely added to Azacitidine/DLI without excess of GvHD and toxicity. Its significant anti-leukemic activity suggests that this combination is a novel salvage option for post-transplant relapse. (NCT02472691).
-
9.
Comparison of the effect of DLI according to cell sources in relapsed AML after allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Park, W., Byun, J. M., Hong, J., Kim, I., Shin, D. Y., Park, S., Koh, Y., Yoon, S. S.
Annals of Hematology. 2023;102(3):629-639
Abstract
For relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is an effective therapy. However, the cell source of DLI remains a topic of debate. In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of G-CSF mobilized cells (G-DLI) with conventionally collected DLI (C-DLI). A total of 81 patients (50 C-DLI vs. 31 G-DLI) were assessed for clinical outcomes. There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the two groups including AML risk, donor types, interval from relapse to DLI, and infused CD3(+) cell count. Although not statistically significant, complete remission (CR) and chimerism conversion rates were higher in G-DLI than in C-DLI: 51.6% vs. 28.0%, P = 0.057 and 42.3% vs. 28.2%, P = 0.363, respectively. There was no difference in acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) incidence and severity of acute GVHD between the two groups. The median overall survival (OS) of the G-DLI and C-DLI groups was 139 days and 106 days, respectively (P = 0.58). In conclusion, G-DLI appears to be a safe and an equally efficacious substitute for C-DLI, which is more readily available.
-
10.
Navigating preemptive and therapeutic donor lymphocyte infusions in advanced myeloid malignancies by high-sensitivity chimerism analysis
Stadler, M., Venturini, L., Bünting, I., Dammann, E., Weissinger, E. M., Schwarzer, A., Schultze-Florey, C., Ehrlich, S., Markel, D., Lueck, C., et al
Frontiers in oncology. 2022;12:867356
Abstract
Preemptive and therapeutic donor lymphocyte infusions (preDLI and tDLI) are widely used in relapsing and relapsed hematopoietic malignancies after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) to enhance the graft-versus-malignancy effect. However, in advanced myeloid malignancies, long-term survival after preDLI and tDLI remains low, reflecting our inability to master the double-edged sword of alloreactivity, balancing anti-neoplastic activity versus graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). We previously evaluated a quantitative PCR-based high-sensitivity chimerism (hs-chimerism) based on insertion/deletion polymorphisms instead of short tandem repeats, where increasing host chimerism in peripheral blood predicts relapse more than a month before clinical diagnosis, and declining host chimerism signals anti-host alloreactivity. Here we report 32 consecutive patients with advanced myeloid malignancies receiving preDLI or tDLI "navigated" by hs-chimerism ("navigated DLI"). We compared them to a historical cohort of 110 consecutive preDLI or tDLI recipients, prior to implementation of hs-chimerism at our institution ("controls"). Both groups were comparable regarding age, gender, conditioning, donor type, and time to DLI. With longer median follow-up of the navigated DLI group (8.5 versus 5 months), their landmark overall (64%) and disease-free survival (62%) at 2 years from first DLI compared favorably with controls (23% and 21%, respectively). Improved survival of navigated DLI was due to both reduced relapse incidence (38% versus 60%) and non-relapse mortality (17% versus 44%) at 2 years. Early relapse prediction by hs-chimerism allowed a preemptive approach in 28% of navigated DLI versus 7% in controls. Our results confirm hs-chimerism as a highly valuable tool for monitoring and steering immune interventions after alloSCT.