Abstract

We report the 12-year follow-up of the prospective randomized EBMT LYM1 trial to determine whether the benefit of brief duration rituximab maintenance (RM) on progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma (FL) receiving an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is sustained. One hundred and thirty-eight patients received RM with or without purging. The median follow-up after random assignment is 12 years (range 10-13) for the whole series. The 10-year PFS after ASCT is 47% (95% CI 40-54) with only 4 patients relapsing after 7.5 years. RM continues to significantly improve 10-year PFS after ASCT in comparison with NM [P?=?0.002; HR 0.548 (95% CI 0.38-0.80)]. Ten-year non-relapse mortality (NRM) was not significantly different between treatment groups (7% overall). 10-year overall survival (OS) after ASCT was 75% (69-81) for the whole series, with no significant differences according to treatment sub-groups. 10-year OS for patients who progressed within 24 months (POD24T) was 60%, in comparison with 85% for patients without progression. Thus the benefit of rituximab maintenance after ASCT on relapse prevention is sustained at 12 years, suggesting that RM adds to ASCT-mediated disease eradication and may enhance the curative potential of ASCT.

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.

Abstract

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is an alternative for patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) but only limited data on unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) are available. We analyzed 131 adults with HL who underwent UCBT in EBMT centers from 2003 to 2015. Disease status at UCBT was complete remission (CR) in 59 (47%) and almost all patients had received a previous autologous stem cell transplantation. The 4-year PFS and OS were 26% (95% CI 19-34%) and 46% (95% CI 37-55%), respectively. Relapse incidence was 44% (95% CI 36-54%) and non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 31% (95% CI 23-40%) at 4 years. In multivariate analysis, refractory/relapsed disease status at UCBT was associated with increased relapse incidence (HR=3.14 [95% CI 1.41-7.00], p=0.005) and NRM (HR=3.61 [95% CI 1.58-8.27], p=0.002), lower PFS (HR=3.45 [95% CI 1.95-6.10], p<0.001) and OS (HR=3.10 [95% CI 1.60-5.99], p=0.001). Conditioning regimen with cyclophospamide+fludarabine+2Gy total body irradiation (Cy+Flu+2 GyTBI) was associated with decreased risk of NRM (HR=0.26 [95% CI 0.10-0.64], p=0.004). Moreover, Cy+Flu+2 GyTBI conditioning regimen was associated with a better OS (HR=0.25 [95% CI 0.12-0.50], p<0.001) and PFS (HR=0.51 [95% CI 0.27-0.96], p=0.04). UCBT is feasible in heavily pretreated patients with HL. The reduced intensity conditioning regimen with Cy+flu+2 GyTBI is associated with a better OS and NRM. However, outcomes are poor in patients not in CR at UCBT.

Abstract

A recent shortage of melphalan has prompted the use of alternatives to BEAM (BCNU, Etoposide, Cytarabine, Melphalan) conditioning for autologous stem cell transplantion (ASCT). The BEAC (BCNU, Etoposide, Cytarabine, Cyclophosphamide) regimen has been employed as a conditioning regimen in lymphoma patients. However, there have been recent concerns about the toxicity of BEAC. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the EBMT database comparing the outcome of patients conditioned using BEAC with a matched cohort of patients conditioned with BEAM. In the BEAC cohort (n = 383), 25 patients died from non-relapse mortality (NRM) events (32% owing to MOF or cardiac toxicity). In the BEAM cohort (n = 766) there were 34 NRM events (23% owing to MOF or cardiac toxicity). The 1-year cumulative incidence of NRM was 4% in the BEAC cohort and 3% in the BEAM group (p = ns). The 2-year relapse/progression rate was 32% with BEAC and 33% with BEAM (p = ns). At 2 years the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 63% and 78% for BEAC and 63% and 77% for BEAM-conditioned patients (p = ns for PFS and OS). The toxicity observed with BEAC conditioning as measured by NRM was similar to that seen with BEAM. The outcomes following BEAC were similar to those seen with BEAM, suggesting that BEAC is a safe conditioning regimen.

Abstract

In the era of chemoimmunotherapy, the optimal treatment paradigm for relapsed and refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma has been challenged. We reviewed the outcome of standard salvage therapy with an autologous stem cell transplant (autoSCT) over the last two decades and the outcome of allogeneic SCT (alloSCT) in the most recent decade. AutoSCT recipients diagnosed between 1992 and 2002 (n=2737) were compared with those diagnosed between 2002 and 2010 (n=3980). Patients diagnosed after 2002 had a significantly lower non-relapse mortality (NRM) and relapse incidence (RI) and a superior PFS and overall survival (OS). A total of 4210 patients diagnosed between 2002 and 2010 underwent either an autoSCT or an alloSCT as their first transplant procedure. Two-hundred and thirty patients received an alloSCT (myeloablative (MACalloSCT) n=132, reduced intensity (RICalloSCT) n=98). The 4-year NRM rates were 7%, 20% and 27% for autoSCT, RICalloSCT and MACalloSCT, respectively. The 4-year RI was 45%, 40% and 38% for autoSCT, RICalloSCT and MACalloSCT, respectively (NS). The 4-year PFS were 48%, 52% and 35% for autoSCT, RICalloSCT and MACalloSCT, respectively. The 4-year OS was 60%, 52% and 38% for autoSCT, RIC alloSCT and MACalloSCT, respectively. After adjustment for confounding factors NRM was significantly worse for patients undergoing alloSCT whilst there was no difference in the RI.

Abstract

BACKGROUND Patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) relapsing after an autologous transplant (autoSCT) may be treated with a variety of therapies including a reduced intensity allogeneic transplant (RICalloSCT). We conducted a retrospective analysis of a large cohort of patients undergoing RICalloSCT for FL in this setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS 183 patients, median age 45 years (range 21-69), had undergone an autoSCT at a median of 30 months prior to the RICalloSCT. Before the RICalloSCT they had received a median of 4 lines (range 3-10) of therapy and 81% of patients had chemosensitive disease and 16% had chemoresistant disease. Grafts were donated from sibling (47%) or unrelated donors (53%). RESULTS With a median follow up of 59 months the non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 27% at 2 years. The median remission duration post autoSCT and RICalloSCT were 14 and 43 months respectively. The 5 year relapse/progression rate, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 16%, 48% and 51% respectively and were associated with age and disease status at RICalloSCT. CONCLUSION This data suggests that a RICalloSCT is an effective salvage strategy in patients with FL recurring after a prior autoSCT and might overcome the poor prognostic impact of early relapse after autoSCT. Copyright © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.