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1.
Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) Recommendations Regarding Essential Medications Required To Establish An Early Stage Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Program
El Fakih, R., Greinix, H., Koh, M., Shaw, B., Mohty, M., Al Nahedh, M., Saber, W., Kharfan-Dabaja, M. A., Perales, M. A., Savani, B. N., et al
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 2021;27(3):267.e1-267.e5
Abstract
Establishing a hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) program is complex. Planning is essential while establishing such a program to overcome the expected challenges. Authorities involved in HCT program establishment will need to coordinate the efforts between the different departments required to start up the program. One essential department is pharmacy and the medications required. To help facilitate this, the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation organized a structured survey to address the essential medications required to start up an HCT program. A group of senior physicians and pharmacists prepared a list of the medications used at the different phases of transplantation. These drugs were then rated by a questionnaire using a scale of necessity based on the stage of development of the transplant program. The questionnaire was sent to 30 physicians, in different parts of the world, who have between 5 and 40 years of experience in autologous and/or allogeneic transplantation. This group of experts scored each medication on a 7-point scale, ranging from an absolute requirement (score of 1) to not required (score of 7). The results are presented here to help guide the prioritization of required medications.
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Indications for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Immune Effector Cell Therapy: Guidelines from the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy: Guidelines for Hematopoietic Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
Kanate, A. S., Majhail, N. S., Savani, B. N., Bredeson, C., Champlin, R. E., Crawford, S., Giralt, S. A., LeMaistre, C. F., Marks, D. I., Omel, J. L., et al
Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 2020
Abstract
The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) published its first white paper on indications for autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in 2015. It was identified at the time that periodic updates of indications would be required to stay abreast with state of the art and emerging indications and therapy. In recent years, the field has not only seen an improvement in transplantation technology thus widening the therapeutic scope of HCT, but additionally a whole new treatment strategy using modified immune effector cells including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART-cell) and T-cell receptors (TCRs) has emerged. The guidelines review committee of the ASTCT deemed it optimal to update the ASTCT recommendations for indications for HCT to include new data and to incorporate indications for immune effector cell therapy (IECT) where appropriate. The guidelines committee established multi-stakeholder task force consisting of transplant experts, payer representatives and a patient advocate to provide guidance on indications for HCT and IECT. This manuscript presents the updated recommendations from the ASTCT on indications for HCT and IECT. Indications for HCT/IECT were categorized as (1) Standard of care, where indication is well defined and supported by evidence, (2) Standard of care, clinical evidence available, where large clinical trials and observational studies are not available but has been shown to be effective therapy, (3) Standard of care, rare indication, for rare diseases where demonstrated effectiveness exist but large clinical trials and observational studies are not feasible, (4) Developmental, for diseases where pre-clinical and/or early phase clinical studies show HCT/IECT to be a promising treatment option, and (5) Not generally recommended, where available evidence does not support the routine use of HCT/IECT. The ASTCT will continue to periodically review these guidelines and update them as new evidence becomes available.
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3.
Clinical practice recommendation on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia patients with FLT3 internal tandem duplication: a position statement from the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Bazarbachi, A., Bug, G., Baron, F., Brissot, E., Ciceri, F., Abou Dalle, I., Dohner, H., Esteve, J., Floisand, Y., Giebel, S., et al
Haematologica. 2020
Abstract
The FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) gene is mutated in 25-30% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia . Because of the poor prognosis associated with FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication mutated Acute myeloid leukemia, allogeneic-hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation was commonly performed in first complete remission. Remarkable progress has been made in frontline treatments with the incorporation of FLT3 inhibitors and the development of highly sensitive minimal/measurable residual disease assays. Similarly, recent progress in allogeneic-hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation includes improvement of transplant techniques, the use of haplo-identical donors in patients lacking an HLA matched donor, and the introduction of FLT3 inhibitors as posttransplant maintenance therapy. Nevertheless, current transplant strategies vary between centers and differ in terms of transplant indications based on the internal tandem duplication allelic ratio and concomitant nucleophosmin-1 mutation, as well as in terms of post-transplant maintenance/consolidation. This review generated by international leukemia or transplant experts, mostly from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, attempts to develop a position statement on best approaches for allogeneic-hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia with FMS-like tyrosine kinase internal tandem duplication including indications and modalities of allogeneic-hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation and on potential optimization of post-transplant maintenance with FMS-like tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
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4.
Bone Health Management After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: An Expert Panel Opinion from the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
Bar, M., Ott, S. M., Lewiecki, E. M., Sarafoglou, K., Wu, J. Y., Thompson, M. J., Vaux, J. J., Dean, D. R., Saag, K. G., Hashmi, S. K., et al
Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 2020
Abstract
Bone health disturbances occur commonly after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) with loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and avascular necrosis (AVN) being foremost. BMD loss is related to pre-transplant chemotherapy and radiation exposures, immunosuppressive therapy for graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), and results from deficiencies in growth or gonadal hormones, disturbances in calcium and vitamin D homeostasis, as well as osteoblast and osteoclast dysfunction. While the pathophysiology of AVN remains unclear, high-dose glucocorticoid exposure is the most frequent association. Different societal treatment guidelines for osteoporosis exist but focus mainly on menopausal-associated osteoporosis. HCT survivors comprise a distinct population with unique comorbidities, making general approaches to bone health management sometimes inappropriate. To address a core set of 16 frequently asked questions (FAQ) relevant to bone health in HCT, the American Society of Transplant and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) Committee on Practice Guidelines convened a panel of experts in HCT, adult and pediatric endocrinology, orthopedics and oral medicine. Due to a lack of relevant prospective controlled clinical trials that specifically address bone health in HCT, the answers to the presented FAQs rely on evidence derived from retrospective HCT studies, results extrapolated from prospective studies in non-HCT settings, relevant societal guidelines, and expert panel opinion. Given heterogenous comorbidities and needs of individual HCT recipients, answers to FAQs in this article should be considered as general recommendations with good medical practice and judgment ultimately dictating care of individual patients. Readers are referred to the supplement for answers to additional FAQs that did not make the core set.
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5.
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in the Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia: An Evidence-Based Review from the American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
Dholaria, B., Savani, B. N., Hamilton, B. K., Oran, B., Liu, H. D., Tallman, M. S., Ciurea, S. O., Holtzman, N. G., Ii, G. L. P., Devine, S. M., et al
Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 2020
Abstract
The role of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in the management of newly diagnosed adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is reviewed and critically evaluated in this evidence-based review. An AML expert panel, consistent of both transplant and non-transplant experts was invited to develop clinically relevant frequently asked questions covering disease- and HCT-related topics. A systematic literature review was conducted to generate core recommendations that were graded based on the quality and strength of underlying evidence based on the standardized criteria established by American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Steering Committee for evidence-based reviews. Allogeneic HCT offers a survival benefit in patients with intermediate and high-risk AML and is currently a part of standard clinical care. We recommend the preferential use of myeloablative conditioning in eligible patients. A haploidentical related donor marrow graft is preferred over a cord blood unit in the absence of a fully HLA-matched donor. The evolving role of allogeneic HCT in the context of measurable residual disease monitoring and recent therapeutic advances in AML with regards to maintenance therapy after HCT are also discussed.
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6.
Maintenance Therapies for Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas After Autologous Transplantation: A Consensus Project of ASBMT, CIBMTR, and the Lymphoma Working Party of EBMT
Kanate, A. S., Kumar, A., Dreger, P., Dreyling, M., Le Gouill, S., Corradini, P., Bredeson, C., Fenske, T. S., Smith, S. M., Sureda, A., et al
JAMA oncology. 2019
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Abstract
Importance: Maintenance therapies are often considered as a therapeutic strategy in patients with lymphoma following autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) to mitigate the risk of disease relapse. With an evolving therapeutic landscape, where novel drugs are moving earlier in therapy lines, evidence relevant to contemporary practice is increasingly limited. The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT), Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), and European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) jointly convened an expert panel with diverse expertise and geographical representation to formulate consensus recommendations regarding the use of maintenance and/or consolidation therapies after auto-HCT in patients with lymphoma. Observations: The RAND-modified Delphi method was used to generate consensus statements where at least 75% vote in favor of a recommendation was considered as consensus. The process included 3 online surveys moderated by an independent methodological expert to ensure anonymity and an in-person meeting. The panel recommended restricting the histologic categories covered in this project to Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and follicular lymphoma. On completion of the voting process, the panel generated 22 consensus statements regarding post auto-HCT maintenance and/or consolidation therapies. The grade A recommendations included endorsement of: (1) brentuximab vedotin (BV) maintenance and/or consolidation in BV-naive high-risk HL, (2) rituximab maintenance in MCL undergoing auto-HCT after first-line therapy, (3) rituximab maintenance in rituximab-naive FL, and (4) No post auto-HCT maintenance was recommended in DLBCL. The panel also developed consensus statements for important real-world clinical scenarios, where randomized data are lacking to guide clinical practice. Conclusions and Relevance: In the absence of contemporary evidence-based data, the panel found RAND-modified Delphi methodology effective in providing a rigorous framework for developing consensus recommendations for post auto-HCT maintenance and/or consolidation therapies in lymphoma.
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Utilization of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cell Therapy in Clinical Practice for Relapsed/Refractory Aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: An Expert Panel Opinion from the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
Jain, T., Bar, M., Kansagra, A. J., Chong, E. A., Hashmi, S. K., Neelapu, S. S., Byrne, M., Jacoby, E., Lazaryan, A., Jacobson, C. A., et al
Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 2019
Abstract
Axicabtagene ciloleucel (YESCARTA(R), Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company) and tisagenlecleucel (KYMRIAH(R), Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.) are two CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CD19 CAR T) products that are currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, Health Canada, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (Japan) and Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia) for treatment of specific subtypes of relapsed/ refractory aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). While this approval has been transformative in the use of cellular immunotherapy in lymphoma, there are concerns regarding appropriate utilization of this novel therapy, as well as short- and long-term toxicities. To address these issues, representatives of American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) convened to recognize and address key issues surrounding the clinical application of CD19 CAR T cell therapy in B cell lymphomas, in collaboration with worldwide experts and members of International Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT), American Society of Hematology (ASH), Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) and European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT). The aim of this article is to provide consensus opinion from experts in the fields of hematopoietic cell transplantation, cellular immunotherapy, and lymphoma regarding key clinical questions pertinent to the utilization of CD19 CAR T for the treatment of NHL. As the clinical practice using CAR T cells grows worldwide, we anticipate that this guidance will be relevant for hematology/oncology physicians who care for patients with lymphomas.
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8.
Clinical utilization of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells (CAR-T) in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)-an expert opinion from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT)
Kansagra, A. J., Frey, N. V., Bar, M., Laetsch, T. W., Carpenter, P. A., Savani, B. N., Heslop, H. E., Bollard, C. M., Komanduri, K. V., Gastineau, D. A., et al
Bone marrow transplantation. 2019
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Editor's Choice
Abstract
On August 30, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) approved tisagenlecleucel (KYMRIAH, Novartis, Basel, Switzerland), a synthetic bioimmune product of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-T cells (CAR-T), for the treatment of children and young adults with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). With this new era of personalized cancer immunotherapy, multiple challenges are present ranging from implementation of a CAR-T program to safe delivery of the drug, long-term toxicity monitoring and disease assessments. To address these issues, experts representing the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplant (ASBMT), the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), the International Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT), and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), formed a global CAR-T task force to identify and address key questions pertinent for hematologists and transplant physicians regarding the clinical use of anti CD19 CAR-T therapy in patients with B-ALL. This article presents an initial roadmap for navigating common clinical practice scenarios that will become more prevalent now that the first commercially available CAR-T product for B-ALL has been approved.
PICO Summary
Population
Children and young adults with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Intervention
Expert opinion on clinical utilization of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells (CAR-T) in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Comparison
None
Outcome
An initial roadmap for navigating common clinical practice scenarios since the approval of the first commercially available CAR-T product for B-ALL.
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The European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) consensus recommendations for donor selection in haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation
Ciurea, S. O., Al Malki, M. M., Kongtim, P., Fuchs, E. J., Luznik, L., Huang, X. J., Ciceri, F., Locatelli, F., Aversa, F., Castagna, L., et al
Bone marrow transplantation. 2019
Abstract
The number of HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplants continues to increase worldwide due to recent improvements in outcomes, allowing more patients with hematological malignancies and non-malignant disorders to benefit from this procedure and have a chance to cure their disease. Despite these encouraging results, questions remain as multiple donors are usually available for transplantation, and choosing the best HLA-haploidentical donor for transplantation remains a challenge. Several approaches to haploidentical transplantation have been developed over time and, based on the graft received, can be grouped as follows: T-cell depleted haploidentical transplants, either complete or partial, or with T-cell replete grafts, performed with post-transplant cyclophosphamide-based graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, or G-CSF-primed bone marrow graft and enhanced GVHD prophylaxis. Carefully selecting the donor can help optimize transplant outcomes for recipients of haploidentical donor transplants. Variables usually considered in the donor selection include presence of donor-specific antibodies in the recipient, donor age, donor/recipient gender and ABO combinations, and immunogenic variables, such as natural killer cell alloreactivity or KIR haplotype. Here we provide a comprehensive review of available evidence for selecting haploidentical donors for transplantation, and summarize the recommendations from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) on donor selection for different transplant platforms.
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Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation for treatment-refractory relapsing multiple sclerosis: Position statement from the american society for blood and marrow transplantation
Cohen, J. A., Baldassari, L. E., Atkins, H. L., Bowen, J. D., Bredeson, C., Carpenter, P. A., Corboy, J. R., Freedman, M. S., Griffith, L. M., Lowsky, R., et al
Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 2019
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, disabling, immune-mediated, central nervous system demyelinating and degenerative disease. Approved disease modifying therapies may be incompletely effective in some patients with highly active relapsing disease and high risk of disability. Immunoablative or myeloablative therapy followed by autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) has been investigated in retrospective studies, clinical trials, and meta-analyses/systematic reviews as an approach to address this unmet clinical need. On behalf of the American Society for Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT), a panel of experts in AHCT and MS convened to review available evidence and make recommendations on MS as an indication for AHCT. Review of recent literature identified eight retrospective studies, eight clinical trials, and three meta-analyses/systematic reviews. In aggregate, these studies indicate that AHCT is an efficacious and safe treatment for active relapsing forms of MS to prevent clinical relapses, MRI lesion activity, and disability worsening, and to reverse disability, without unexpected adverse events. Based on the available evidence, the ASBMT recommends that treatment-refractory relapsing MS with high risk of future disability be considered a "standard of care, clinical evidence available" indication for AHCT. Collaboration of neurologists with expertise in treating MS and transplant physicians with experience performing AHCT for autoimmune disease is crucial for appropriate patient selection and optimizing transplant procedures to improve patient outcomes. Transplant centers in the United States and Canada are strongly encouraged to report baseline and outcomes data on patients receiving AHCT for multiple sclerosis to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research.