ABSTRACT
High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation is a major component in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma. As a prerequisite, the successful collection of a sufficient number of viable peripheral blood hematopoietic CD34+ cells is critical. A common standard protocol for mobilization is currently not defined and critically discussed especially in German-speaking Europe. In times of the Covid-19 pandemic, safe and effective strategies have to be chosen to minimize hospitalization times and severe courses. In this single-center retrospective analysis, safety and efficacy of cyclophosphamide plus etoposide (CE) and growth-factor support (n = 33) was compared to cyclophosphamide mono treatment and growth-factor support (n = 49) in 82 patients with multiple myeloma at first diagnosis. CE was superior to cyclophosphamide mono with a significantly higher number of collected CD34+ cells (15.46 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg vs. 9.92 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg), significantly faster engraftment of granulocytes after stem cell transplantation (day 10.5 vs. day 11.6), shorter duration of the inpatient stay (17.47 days vs. 19.16 days) and significantly less transfusions (8.82 % vs. 30.61 % patients receiving transfusions). The safety profile was comparable in both groups and in line with published data. We conclude that CE is a safe and highly effective mobilization protocol in patients with multiple myeloma at first diagnosis and appears to be superior to the commonly used cyclophosphamide mono regimen.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/pharmacology , Cyclophosphamide/pharmacology , Etoposide/pharmacology , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization/methods , Hematopoietic Stem Cells/drug effects , Multiple Myeloma/therapy , Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Aged , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , COVID-19 , Cyclophosphamide/administration & dosage , Cyclophosphamide/adverse effects , Etoposide/administration & dosage , Etoposide/adverse effects , Female , Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor/pharmacology , Humans , Male , Melphalan/administration & dosage , Middle Aged , Multiple Myeloma/blood , Myeloma Proteins/analysis , Pandemics , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2 , Transplantation, AutologousABSTRACT
We established an international consortium to review and discuss relevant clinical evidence in order to develop expert consensus statements related to cancer management during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-related disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The steering committee prepared 10 working packages addressing significant clinical questions from diagnosis to surgery. During a virtual consensus meeting of 62 global experts and one patient advocate, led by the European Society for Medical Oncology, statements were discussed, amended and voted upon. When consensus could not be reached, the panel revised statements until a consensus was reached. Overall, the expert panel agreed on 28 consensus statements that can be used to overcome many of the clinical and technical areas of uncertainty ranging from diagnosis to therapeutic planning and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.