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1.
Addition of venetoclax to myeloablative conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in high-risk AML
Cao, X. Y., Chen, J. Q., Wang, H., Ma, W., Liu, W. W., Zhang, F. F., Xue, S., Dong, L., Liu, T., Zhao, X. Z., et al
Annals of medicine. 2023;55(1):388-400
Abstract
BACKGROUND Venetoclax monotherapy is an effective option for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Venetoclax has also been used in non-myeloablative conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for high-risk AML with a tolerable toxicity profile. However, the efficacy and safety of a venetoclax-containing myeloablative conditioning (MAC) allo-HSCT regimen for high-risk AML have not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a MAC regimen containing venetoclax for high-risk AML. STUDY DESIGN From 25 February 2021 to 4 September 2022, a total of 31 patients with high-risk AML who underwent allo-HSCT and a MAC regimen with venetoclax were analyzed. RESULTS At the time of transplantation, 21 patients were in first complete remission (CR1), 4 were in a second complete remission (CR2), and 6 in non-remission (NR). Twenty-four patients (77.4%) were minimal residual disease (MRD)-positive before transplant. The FLT3-ITD gene mutation was present in 51.6% of patients. NUP98 rearrangement, MLL rearrangement or MLL-PTD and DEK::CAN fusion genes were found in 5 (16.1%), 7(22.6%) and 2 (6.5%) patients, respectively. Twenty-nine (93.6%) patients underwent haploidentical allo-HSCT. The median follow-up time was 278 days (range: 52-632 days). The 100-day cumulative incidence of grade 3 to 4 acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 16.1% (95%CI, 7.2-36.0%). The 180-day cumulative incidence of moderate to severe chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) was 7.1% (95%CI, 1.9-26.9%). Cumulative incidence of 100-day cytomegalovirus (CMV) viraemia and 100-day Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viraemia was 61.6% (95%CI, 46.5-81.4%) and 3.2% (95%CI, 0.4-22.2%), respectively. The 600-day overall survival (OS) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) were 80.9% (95%CI, 63.5-93.6%) and 81.3% (95%CI, 64.2-93.7%), respectively. The 600-day relapse incidence (RI) and non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 6.9% (95%CI, 1.8-26.3%) and 11.7% (95%CI, 3.9-35.0%). CONCLUSION Our study shows that the addition of venetoclax to a MAC allo-HSCT was feasible, safe and effective for high-risk AML patients.
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2.
Myeloablative dose of busulfan and fludarabine combined with in vivo T-cell depletion is a safe and effective conditioning for acute myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndrome patients
Avenoso, D., Mehra, V., Slonim, L. B., de Farias, M., Alshehri, H., Bouziana, S., Krishnamurthy, P., Kulasekararaj, A., Dazzi, F., Wood, H., et al
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 2023
Abstract
BACKGROUND Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is a curative strategy for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The prediction of transplant related mortality (TRM) using the HCT-CI score and an arbitrary upper limit of 55 years for administering myeloablative conditioning (MAC) are common strategies to ensure a safe procedure. Reduced toxicity conditioning regimens are additional methods to deliver safe and effective myeloablation. OBJECTIVES Herein we report the outcome of AML and MDS patients conditioned with fludarabine and a myeloablative dose of busulfan (FB4) stratified by age and HCT-CI score. The primary objective was overall survival (OS) for patients aged ≥55 years. Secondary objectives were total OS, TRM, graft versus-host disease (GVHD) and GVHD-relapse-free survival (GRFS). RESULTS The two years' OS in patients aged < 55 and aged ≥ 55 were 72% and 51%, respectively. In patients aged ≥55 with an HCT-CI <2, the estimated two years' OS was 64%, with median OS not reached. In those with HCT-CI ≥2, the two-year OS was 43%, with median OS of 14 months. The total cumulative incidence of relapse was 30% regardless of age or HCT-CI score. CONCLUSIONS FB4 conditioning regimen offers a high rate of prolonged remission with a relapse rate similar to that reported in previous studies. These positive outcomes suggest that this conditioning platform can be offered to patients aged ≥55 in absence of comorbidities, and that age should not be the sole determinate of conditioning intensity.
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3.
Myeloablative conditioning regimens in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in complete remission: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Luo, C., Wu, G., Huang, X., Ding, Y., Huang, Y., Song, Q., Hou, Y., Chen, J., Li, X., Xu, S.
Bone Marrow Transplantation. 2023;58(2):175-185
Abstract
The optimal myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimens in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in complete remission (CR) remain unclear. We performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis to compare the effects of different MAC regimens. Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed using WinBUGS version 1.4.3. The commonly used MAC regimen Bu/Cy (4-day busulfan for toal 16 mg/kg orally or 12.8 mg/kg intravenously, plus 2-day cyclophosphamide for toal 120 mg/kg intravenously) is chosen as the common comparator. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with the associated 95% credibility interval (95% CrI) are obtained for all comparisons. We included 19 eligible studies, involving 8104 AML patients and 9 MAC regimens. Compared with Bu/Cy, 3-day busulfan plus fludarabine and thiotepa (Bu3/Flu/TT) is associated with significantly better overall survival (HR, 0.70; 95% CrI, 0.51 to 0.96) and lower risk of relapse (HR, 0.59; 95% CrI, 0.35 to 0.98). Bu3/Flu/TT is also associated with superior overall survival than Cy/TBI (cyclophosphamide plus total body irradiation), and lower risk of relapse than Bu4/Flu (4-day busulfan plus fludarabine). These results suggest that thiotepa-based new MAC regimen Bu3/Flu/TT is associated with improved outcomes in AML patients undergoing allo-HSCT in CR and worth further investigation.
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4.
Clofarabine and busulfan myeloablative conditioning in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant for patients with active myeloid malignancies
Connor, M. P., Loren, A. W., Hexner, E. O., Martin, M. E., Gill, S. I., Luger, S. M., Mangan, J. K., Perl, A. E., McCurdy, S. R., Pratz, K. W., et al
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 2022
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with refractory or relapsed and refractory myeloid malignancies have a poor prognosis. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) with myeloablative conditioning (MAC) in patients with active, chemotherapy-refractory myeloid disease is historically associated with high rates of relapse and non-relapse mortality. A MAC regimen combining clofarabine with busulfan (Clo/Bu4) has been described to exhibit anti-leukemic activity with acceptable toxicity in patients ≤ 70 years old. OBJECTIVES To describe clinical outcomes of a real-world population of patients with active myeloid malignancies undergoing allogeneic HCT with Clo/Bu4 MAC. STUDY DESIGN In a single-center, retrospective descriptive analysis, we identified patients who underwent HCT for myeloid malignancies not in remission using Clo/Bu4 MAC between 2012 and 2020. We report event-free (EFS) and overall survival (OS), cumulative incidence of relapse, non-relapse mortality (NRM), and incidence and severity of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). RESULTS We identified 69 patients with a median age of 60 years (range 22-70). Most patients had relapsed/refractory or primary refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML, n = 55), or refractory myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS, n = 12); one patient had chronic myeloid leukemia and one had blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm. Fifty patients (72.5%) had complete remission at day 100 after transplant. Two-year EFS and OS were 30% (95% CI 20-44) and 40% (95% CI 29-54), respectively. Patients with AML had 2-year EFS and OS of 28% (95% CI 18-44) and 38% (95% CI 27-54), respectively; those with MDS had 2-year EFS and OS of 47% (95% CI 25-88) and 56% (95% CI 33-94), respectively. Cumulative incidence of relapse at 2 years was 39% (95% CI 27-51) for all patients: 45% (95% CI 31-58) in AML and 18% (95% CI 2-45) in MDS. NRM at 2 years was 31% (95% CI 20-42): 27% (95% CI 15-39) in AML and 35% (95% CI 10-63) in MDS. The total incidence of aGVHD of any severity was 80%. Incidence of grade 3-4 aGVHD at was 22%. In patients who achieved remission, those who required systemic immunosuppression for aGVHD (58%) had poorer 2-year EFS (29% versus 54%, p = 0.05) and 2-year OS (39% versus 70%, p = 0.04) compared to those who did not. The 2-year cumulative incidence of cGVHD was 44% (95% CI 28-58). CONCLUSIONS Clo/Bu4 MAC followed by allogeneic HCT for patients with active myeloid malignancies is an effective transplant strategy up to age 70, particularly for those with advanced MDS. High incidence of and poor outcomes associated with aGVHD highlight the importance of optimizing preventative strategies.
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5.
Comparison of the impact of two post-remission therapy regimens on cardiac events in acute myeloid leukemia patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Hayakawa, J., Nakasone, H., Minakata, D., Fujiwara, S. I., Gomyo, A., Akahoshi, Y., Komiya, Y., Harada, N., Ugai, T., Kameda, K., et al
International journal of hematology. 2022;116(2):239-247
Abstract
High-dose cytarabine (HD-AraC) or anthracycline-containing chemotherapies are used as post-remission therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. However, it remains unclear which regimen would be better as post-remission therapy before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Thus, we compared the incidence of cardiac events and event-free survival (EFS) after allo-HSCT at two Japanese hospitals between HD-AraC and anthracycline-containing post-remission therapy to clarify the safety of post-remission therapy. Of a total of 132 patients, 68 received HD-AraC (HD-AraC group) and 64 received anthracycline-containing chemotherapy (ANT group). HD-AraC was preferentially selected for core-binding factor AML patients (p = 0.008). The median cumulative anthracycline dose was 115.2 mg/m(2) in the HD-AraC group and 318.7 mg/m(2) in the ANT group (p < 0.0001). Cardiac events were observed in 18 (13.6%) patients during the follow-up period. The 3-year cumulative incidence of cardiac events was 9.1% in the HD-AraC group and 11.0% in the ANT group (p = 0.70). EFS at 3 years after allo-HSCT was 40.9% in the HD-AraC group and 39.6% in the ANT group (p = 0.51). In conclusion, incidence of cardiac events did not differ significantly between post-remission therapy regimens in AML patients who underwent allo-HSCT.
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6.
Comparable outcomes among unmanipulated haploidentical, matched unrelated, and matched sibling donors in BU-based myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for intermediate and adverse risk acute myeloid leukemia in complete remission: a single-center study
Lu, Y., Zhao, Y. L., Zhang, J. P., Xiong, M., Cao, X. Y., Liu, D. Y., Sun, R. J., Wei, Z. J., Zhou, J. R., Lu, D. P.
Annals of hematology. 2020
Abstract
There are a limited number of studies comparing outcomes of busulfan (BU)-based myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using unmanipulated haploidentical donors (HIDs), HLA-matched unrelated donors (MUDs), and HLA-matched sibling related donors (MSDs) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with complete remission (CR) status. With this background, we compared outcomes among 377 cases of CR following consecutive HID-HSCT for AML (CR) to 86 MUD and 92 MSD-HSCT cases. All patients received BU-based myeloablative conditioning and an unmanipulated graft within the same period. The median patient age was 23 years (range 1.1 to 65 years), and 230 patients (41.4%) were under age18. Among the 555 patients, 432 (77.8%) were of intermediate cytogenetic risk and 123 (22.2%) were of adverse risk. A total of 113 patients (20.5%) had FLT3-ITD+ AML, 425 patients (76.6%) were in first complete remission (CR1) post-transplant, and 130 (23.4%) patients were in second CR (CR2). GVHD prophylaxis included mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), cyclosporine-A (CSA) with short-term methotrexate (MTX) for HID, and MUD-HSCT. MMF is not used for MSD-HSCT. The median survival follow-up time was 42 months (range 18-91 months). The 3-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) among the HID, MUD, and MSD cohorts was 73.8% ± 4.8%, 66.4% ± 8.5%, 74.5% ± 2.4%, respectively (P = 0.637). Three-year overall survival (OS) was 74.9% ± 2.4%, 81.8% ± 4.3%, and 77.5% ± 4.5% among the HID, MUD, and MSD cohorts, respectively (P = 0.322). There were no difference among the relapse rate among the HID, MUD, and MSD donor cohorts (14.3% ± 4.0% vs 20.3% ± 6.4% vs 14.5% ± 2.2, respectively; P = 0.851) or the non-relapse mortality (NRM) (12.3% ± 3.5% vs 9.5% ± 3.2% vs 14.0% ± 1.8%, respectively; P = 0.441). Multivariate analyses showed that MRD-positive pre-HSCT was the only risk factor associated with a lower OS and LFS and higher risk of relapse among all 555 patients. Compared with the use of a MUD or MSD, an HID for HSCT had similar outcomes among AML patients with CR states who underwent an allo-HSCT with BU-based myeloablative conditioning. MFC-MRD-positive pre-HSCT was an independent negative factor impact on outcomes for AML patients in CR. We conclude that for AML patients who do not have a MSD or if an urgent transplant is required, HSCT from an HID is a valid option.
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7.
Myeloablative single-unit cord blood transplantation overcomes the negative prognostic impact of FLT3-ITD in adult acute myeloid leukemia
Konuma, T., Kato, S., Oiwa-Monna, M., Mizusawa, M., Isobe, M., Yokoyama, K., Takahashi, S., Tojo, A.
Leukemia & lymphoma. 2019;:1-4
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8.
Myeloablative conditioning using timed-sequential busulfan plus fludarabine in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia: long term results of a prospective phase II clinical trial
Mehta, R. S., Bassett, R., Olson, A., Chen, J., Ahmed, S., Alousi, A. M., Anderlini, P., Al-Atrash, G., Bashir, Q., Ciurea, S. O., et al
Haematologica. 2019
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9.
Comparison of conditioning regimens for autologous stem cell transplantation in children with acute myeloid leukemia: A nationwide retrospective study in Japan
Sakaguchi, H., Muramatsu, H., Hasegawa, D., Kudo, K., Ishida, H., Yoshida, N., Koh, K., Noguchi, M., Shiba, N., Tokimasa, S., et al
Pediatric blood & cancer. 2018;:e27459
Abstract
BACKGROUND Indications for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have decreased with the improvement in chemotherapy for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the last decade. We conducted reevaluation of autologous HSCT (AHSCT) to compare myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimens for pediatric AML without the need for consideration of toxicities caused by allogeneic immune reactions. PROCEDURE This retrospective study analyzed the clinical outcomes of 220 children with AML who underwent consecutive AHSCT between 1989 and 2002 in Japan by the national prospective registry. The transplantation outcomes of various conditioning regimens were compared. RESULTS The median follow-up period of the survivors was 160 months. The clinical outcomes of busulfan + cyclophosphamide +/- etoposide or busulfan + melphalan regimens were significantly superior compared with other busulfan-based and total body irradiation-based regimens (leukemia-free survival [LFS]: 68% vs 42% and 55%, P = 0.001; overall survival [OS]: 74% vs 49% and 61%, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that busulfan + cyclophosphamide +/- etoposide and busulfan + melphalan regimens were independent favorable factors for LFS (hazard ratio: 0.46; P < 0.001) and OS (hazard ratio: 0.40; P < 0.001) compared with the other busulfan-based regimen, and both age 2 years or older and advanced stage at AHSCT were independent poor predictors for LFS and OS, simultaneously. CONCLUSION Busulfan + cyclophosphamide +/- etoposide and busulfan + melphalan regimens exhibited superior antileukemic effects compared with other BU-based myeloablative regimens.
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10.
High-dose melphalan-based sequential conditioning chemotherapy followed by allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia
Steckel, N. K., Groth, C., Mikesch, J. H., Trenschel, R., Ottinger, H., Kordelas, L., Mueller-Tidow, C., Schliemann, C., Reicherts, C., Albring, J. C., et al
British journal of haematology. 2018
Abstract
Considering the unsatisfactory results of salvage therapies for patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (R/R-AML), their value before allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains questionable. However, direct allogeneic HSCT following established conditioning regimens applied in patients with R/R-AML during active disease has been equally disappointing. In this retrospective observational study, high-dose melphalan, as part of a sequential preparative regimen, followed by a total body irradiation (4 x 2 Gy)-based or a treosulfan-based dose-adapted conditioning therapy for allogeneic HSCT was administered to 292 adult patients (median age 56 years, range 17-74) with primary refractory (144 patients), secondary refractory (97 patients) or relapsed AML (51 patients). Overall survival rates at 3 years were 34%, 29% and 41%, respectively. Risk factors associated with an inferior survival were higher age, transplantation from a human leucocyte antigen-mismatched donor and high disease burden. Patients transplanted with blast infiltration <20% showed a notable survival rate of 51% at 3 years. In particular, patients with primary refractory AML showed a more favourable outcome when transplanted early during their disease course. Thus, high-dose melphalan-based sequential conditioning chemotherapy followed by an allogeneic HSCT is feasible and enables long-term remission to be achieved in a substantial proportion of patients with active R/R-AML.