Determinants of refined GvHD-free, relapse-free survival after reduced-intensity allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in older patients with myeloid malignancies.

BACKGROUND: Older patients with AML/MDS have a poor prognosis with alloHCT as the only curative option. However alloHCT is challenging given its high TRM. Recently, a composite endpoint of GRFS was proposed to define transplant success. A single centre retrospective analysis was performed to determine the main variables influencing GRFS. PATIENTS AND METHODSMETHODS: 91 consecutive patients≥ 60 years (median 64 years, range 60-74) with AML/MDS who received reduced-intensity alloHCT during 2001-2017 analysed. Disease risk index (DRI) at HCT was low/intermediate in 47pts (52%) and high in 44 pts (48%). RESULTS: After median follow-up for survivors of 56 months (range 7-144), 37 (40.6%) patients were alive. The OS, LFS and GRFS were 61.4%, 58.1%, 49.1% at 1 year and 35.5%, 32.3% and 23.1% at 5 years, respectively. The 1-year and 5-year incidences of NRM and relapse were 26.9%, 21.3% and 47.9% and 35.4%, respectively. In univariate analysis, high DRI was the strongest factor for worse OS (HR 2.121; p = 0.049), LFS (HR 1.924; p = 0.0123) and GRFS (HR 2.319; p = 0.0005). The donor age ≥ 62 years had a negative impact on OS (HR 2.110; p = 0.0345) and GRFS (HR 2.014; p = 0.0341). High DRI (HR 2.652; p = 0.0003) and donor age (HR 2.304; p = 0.0257) retained its significance in multivariate analysis for GRFS. CONCLUSION: A significant portion of older patients with myeloid malignancies survive alloHCT without experiencing GRFS event with DRI as the main determinant of outcome. Negative impact of donor age≥ 62 years suggests preference of a young donor, regardless of being related or unrelated.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma-single center experience.

The standard of care in multiple myeloma (MM) consists of induction chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant (autoSCT), but this setting doesn't present curative potential. Despite advances in new, efficient, and targeted drugs, allogeneic transplant (aloSCT) remains the modality with curative potential in MM. With the knowledge of high mortality and morbidity related to the treatment in comparison to treatment with novel drugs, there is no consensus in the indication of aloSCT in MM, also the choice of ideal patients profiting from this method is difficult. Therefore, we performed a retrospective unicentric study of 36 unselected consecutive patients transplanted for MM in the University Hospital in Pilsen between the years 2000-2020 in order to define possible variables influencing survival. The median age of the patients was 52 years (38-63) and the distribution of MM subtypes was standard. The majority of the patients were transplanted in the relapse setting, 3 (8.3%) patients in the 1st line setting, and in 7 (19%) patients elective auto-alo tandem transplant was performed. 18 patients (60% of patients with available cytogenetics (CG) had high-risk disease. 12 (33.3%) patients were transplanted with chemoresistant disease (at least PR not reached). With a median follow-up of 85 months, we observed median overall survival (OS) of 30 months (range 10-60) and median progression-free survival (PFS) of 15 months (11-175). 1- and 5-year Kaplan Meier survival probabilities for OS were 55% and 30.5% respectively. During the follow-up, 27 (75%) patients died, 11 (35%) due to treatment-related mortality (TRM), and 16 patients (44%) due to a relapse. 9 (25%) patients were still alive, 3 (8.3%) of them with complete remission (CR), and 6 (16.7%) patients with relapse/progression. Altogether 21 (58%) of the patients relapsed/progressed with a median of 11 months (3-175). Incidence of clinically significant acute graft versus host disease (aGvHD gr. >II) was low (8.3%) and extensive chronic GvHD (cGvHD) developed in 4 patients (11.1%). Univariant analysis proved marginal statistical significance in disease status before aloSCT (chemosensitive × chemoresistant) for OS, favoring patients with the chemosensitive disease (HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.18-1.01, p=0.05), there was no significant impact of high-risk cytogenetics (CG) on survival. No other analyzed parameter was found to be significant. Our findings support the conclusion that aloSCT is able to overcome high-risk CG and that aloSCT still remains a valid treatment choice with acceptable toxicity in well-selected high-risk patients with curative potential, even though often with active disease, but not derogating the quality of life significantly.

Should We Stop Collecting the Preoperative Autologous Blood before Bone Marrow Harvest?

Preoperative autologous blood donation (PAD) in bone marrow (BM) donors is performed to meet potential post-harvest transfusion needs and to avoid the risk of allogeneic transfusions. We reviewed retrospectively bone marrow harvests in 216 healthy donors during a ten-year period to determine the use of autologous blood. All donors except four had undergone PAD. The initial hemoglobin level of 153 g/L (male donors) and 135 g/L (female donors), respectively, decreased by about 8 g/L after preoperative blood donation and by 23 g/L after bone marrow harvest (medians). Autologous blood was administered to 70% of donors, 30% of the units remained unused. The evaluation of the risk of reaching transfusion threshold (<115 g/L males, <105 g/L females) revealed that donors with initial hemoglobin above 145 g/L and those weighing above 75 kg have minimal risk of requiring blood substitution (about 10%). A larger volume of bone marrow was obtained from male compared to female donors (1300 vs. 1100 mL) because of their higher body weight, which resulted in a higher number of procured nucleated cells (362 vs. 307 × 106/kg TNC, ns). The donor-recipient weight difference predicted the probability of sufficient collection. Only 1.5% of donors weighing ≥ 20 kg more than recipients failed to reach ≥3 × 108/kg TNC recipient. Our findings affirm previous data that PAD is unnecessary for healthy marrow donors and may be indicated individually after considering the pre-collection hemoglobin level, donor and recipient weight, and expected blood loss. Reasonable substitution cut-offs have to be set together with clinical symptom evaluation. The effective use of PAD also requires an adequate time interval between PAD and BM harvest.

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With FLT3-ITD Mutated AML: Transplantation in CR1 Is the Decisive Factor for Good Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Patients with internal tandem duplication in fms-related tyrosine kinase receptor gene 3 (FLT3-ITD)-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a dismal prognosis and the only curative option seems to be allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). However, its timing is still matter of debate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 73 consecutive AML patients with FLT3-ITD (median age 53, range 20-68 years) allografted with consistent policy to try to refer them all for upfront alloSCT in first complete remission (CR1). RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 44 (range, 5-135) months the 5-year overall survival (OS)/disease-free survival (DFS) probabilities were 49%/47%. The cumulative incidence of relapse and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) were 37% and 14%, respectively. The estimated 5-year OS for patients who received transplantation in CR1 was 62% versus 0% for patients who received transplantation beyond CR1. Multivariable analysis identified stem cell transplantation beyond CR1 as the key factor for poor OS (hazard ratio [HR], 5.41; P < .0001), DFS (HR, 4.41; P = .0002), and high relapse incidence (HR, 8.08; P < .0001). Acute graft versus host disease Grade ≥3 predicted higher NRM (HR, 3.80; P = .059) as well as inferior OS (HR, 2.04; P = .0079). No association of patient age, nucleophosmin status, donor type, conditioning, and other variables on the survival was detected. CONCLUSION: AlloSCT should be regarded with urgency as soon as CR1 is achieved in this subset of AML patients.

Pre-transplant Quantitative Determination of NPM1 Mutation Significantly Predicts Outcome of AIlogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Normal Karyotype AML in Complete Remission.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) can influence the results of therapy. With the aim of evaluating the potential role of pre-transplant MRD, we studied the impact of pre-transplant MRD level on the outcome of alloHSCT in patients with AML in complete remission (CR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 2/2005 to 9/2014, 60 patients with a median age of 54 years (range=30-66 years) with normal karyotype-AML harboring nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) mutation [53% Fms-related tyrosine kinase receptor 3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3/ITD)-positive] in first (n=45) or second (n=15) CR underwent myeloablative (n=16) or reduced-intensity (n=44) alloHSCT (27% related, 73% unrelated). The MRD level was determined from bone marrow samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction for detection of NPM1 mutations before starting the conditioning regimen. RESULTS: The estimated probabilities of 3-year relapse, event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) for the whole cohort were 28%, 54%, and 59%, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that only age over 63 years and high MRD level affected alloHSCT outcome. Pre-transplant MRD level of 10 mutant copies of NPM1 per 10,000 Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 (ABL) copies had the strongest statistical significance, and detection of higher MRD level (>10 NPM1-mutant copies) before alloHSCT was associated with increased overall mortality (hazard ratio=3.71; 95% confidence interval=1.55-9.06; p=0.004). The estimated probabilities of 3-year relapse, EFS, and OS were 6%, 72%, and 75% for patients with a low level of MRD and 48%, 35%, and 40% for patients with a higher level. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that the pre-transplant level of MRD in patients with normal karyotype AML harboring NPM1 mutation in CR provides important prognostic information, which as an independent prognostic factor predicts transplant results.

Changes of cytokine levels during granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor stem cell mobilization in healthy donors: association with mobilization efficiency and potential predictive significance.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral blood stem cells are an important source of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for allogeneic transplantations. Some allogeneic donors mobilize HSCs poorly in response to the granulocyte--colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). The estimation of the mobilization result in an individual donor is difficult due to the absence of suitable predictive factors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed the concentrations and kinetics of certain cytokines induced by G-CSF in 76 healthy donors and compared them with the mobilization efficiency. RESULTS: The levels of the most cytokines increased after the G-CSF application: sICAM, sVCAM, MMP-9, interleukin (IL)-6, TNF-α, sE-selectin, and fibronectin. The concentrations of SDF-1α and IL-8 decreased and VEGF and fractalkine remained unchanged. The premobilization concentrations of IL-6 (p = 0.0093) and TNF-a (p = 0.0006) correlated with preapheresis CD34+ cell count. The comparison of premobilization cytokine levels between better and worse mobilizers showed a difference for TNF-α (p = 0.0006) and IL-6 (p = 0.0682). The TNF-α level below cutoff of 3.6 pg/mL implied approximately 20 times higher risk of poor mobilization (odds ratio, 19.9; p = 0.0002). The immunophenotyping of CD34+ cells suggested a negative correlation between Day +5 CD34+ count and expression of CD11a (p = 0.0319) and a positive correlation with CD44 antigen expression (p = 0.0096). CONCLUSION: The concentrations of certain cytokines corresponded to the quality of HSC mobilization in healthy donors. Their levels measured before mobilization could probably serve as predictive factors for mobilization efficacy and prospectively detect donors who might profit from new mobilization molecules.

Successful peripheral blood stem cells collection in imatinib pretreated and nilotinib-treated chronic myeloid leukemia patient.

We report a case of a successful mobilization and harvest of the peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) in imatinib-pretreated and nilotinib treated 52-year-old woman diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive and BCR-ABL (b2a2) positive chronic phase CML in 2/2002. She failed interferon-alfa and imatinib treatment. She achieved her first complete molecular remission after 16 months of nilotinib treatment and later on was mobilized with filgrastim at a dose of 10 ug/kg/day applied subcutaneously once daily. The total number of 2.98 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg was harvested on the fourth day of the mobilization. The autologous graft of the stem cells was cryopreserved and tested for the residual disease: the FISH revealed negative results and the RT-PCR was positive (BCR-ABL/ABL ratio 0,0017 in RQ-PCR). To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful PBSC harvest in a patient significantly pretreated with imatinib and nilotinib.