Pulmonary Actinomycosis and Mucormycosis Coinfection in a Patient With Philadelphia Chromosome-positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Undergoing Chemotherapy.

Mucormycosis is an opportunistic and progressive infection, while actinomycosis usually grows gradually and rarely develops in immunocompromised patients. Here we report a patient with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia who developed a pulmonary actinomycosis and mucormycosis coinfection. Once the diagnosis of actinomycosis was confirmed by bronchoscopy, lobectomy performed before stem cell transplantation revealed mucormycosis. The patient successfully underwent transplantation using a therapeutic antifungal agent for mucormycosis. When an immunocompromised patient develops an infection of unknown etiology, physicians should consider these pathogens as the possible cause. In addition, surgical intervention should be considered as an important treatment option.

Unrelated cord blood transplantation with myeloablative conditioning for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission: prognostic factors.

The number of individuals undergoing unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT) has increased in recent years; however, information on prognostic factors is limited. We retrospectively analyzed data from 475 children and adolescents receiving UCBT with myeloablative conditioning for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in complete remission (CR), based on a nationwide registry. In the total patient cohort, 5-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) rates after UCBT were 61.1% and 67.7%, respectively. UCBT at first CR and UCBT after 2007 were associated with good survival, while grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was associated with low relapse rate but did not affect survival. Analysis according to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) disparity revealed that tacrolimus-based GVHD prophylaxis resulted in higher OS and lower relapse rate and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) than cyclosporine-based GVHD prophylaxis in patients transplanted with 6/6 and ≤4/6 HLA-matched umbilical cord blood. Furthermore, grade II-IV acute GVHD was associated with good LFS and low relapse rate, without high NRM, in patients receiving 5/6 HLA-matched UCBT. These data indicate that prognostic factors for ALL differ depending on HLA disparity in UCBT.

Prognosis of pediatric patients with anicteric and late-onset sinusoidal obstruction syndrome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is a life-threatening complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Most adult patients with SOS present with jaundice, whereas hyperbilirubinemia does not always occur in children. Additionally, while late-onset SOS is rare in adults, 15-20% of SOS cases develop beyond day 30 after HSCT in children. PROCEDURE: We investigated the incidence and prognosis of children with anicteric and late-onset SOS. We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who developed SOS after HSCT conducted at our center between 2000 and 2016. RESULTS: A total of 22 patients with a median age of 6.5 years (range: 0-16), including 14 males and eight females, developed SOS. Eight of the twenty-two patients were diagnosed as having anicteric SOS, and nine as having late-onset SOS. Patients with anicteric SOS had significantly lower incidence of SOS-related death at 100 days after HSCT (12.5% vs 64.3%, P = 0.03) and higher 2-year overall survival (OS) rate (60.0% vs 14.3%, P = .04) than patients with icteric SOS. One patient with anicteric SOS died from progression of SOS. There were no significant differences observed in these endpoints between patients who developed SOS before and after 21 days from HSCT. CONCLUSIONS: Careful monitoring is needed for the development of SOS even in the absence of jaundice, and even at 3 weeksafter HSCT in children.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and Graft Failure Following Unrelated Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in Children.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is closely correlated with graft failure and poor prognosis. Because of its rarity, the incidence, risk factors, and optimal treatment strategy are unclear. We analyzed data from cases of HLH following umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) performed for pediatric patients at our center. Among 66 UCBT recipients, 5 developed HLH and imminent graft failure. The median time of diagnosis of HLH was 22 (range, 19 to 30) days after UCBT, and the cumulative incidence of HLH was 7.6% (95% confidence interval, 2.8-15.7) at day 60. In univariate analysis, the cumulative incidence of HLH was significantly higher in patients with infused CD34 cells <1.0×10/kg than in patients with higher CD34 cells. Patients with preengraftment infection showed a trend toward higher incidence of HLH compared with patients without any infection. All 5 patients with HLH received corticosteroids and low-dose etoposide (VP-16), with or without high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin. Following these treatments, successful engraftment was observed in 2 patients. Corticosteroids and low-dose VP-16 may be worthy of a trial before attempting salvage hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Further analyses are required to identify risk factors and to develop methods for prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment of HLH.

Successful outcome with reduced-intensity condition regimen followed by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for relapsed or refractory anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.

We report a retrospective analysis of 38 patients (age ≤ 30 years) who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) for relapsed or refractory anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL). Median follow-up for survivors after undergoing allo-SCT was 72 months (range, 35-96 months). Eight patients received reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens, including three patients with fludarabine plus melphalan-based regimens and five patients with fludarabine plus busulfan-based regimens. The remaining 30 patients received myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimens. Median ages in the RIC and MAC groups were 24 and 15 years, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates in the RIC and MAC groups were 100% and 49%, respectively (P = 0.018). The 5-year event-free survival rates in the RIC and MAC groups were 88% and 43%, respectively (P = 0.039). In the RIC group, four of the eight patients showed residual disease at allo-SCT, but all eight patients survived with complete remission (CR), including one patient with relapse. This result suggests that allo-SCT using the RIC regimen may be effective for relapsed or refractory ALCL in children, adolescents, and young adults, even in non-CR cases.

Impact of graft-versus-host disease on relapse and survival after allogeneic stem cell transplantation for pediatric leukemia.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occasionally leads to morbidity and mortality but is thought to reduce the risk of relapses in patients with a hematological malignancy. However, information on the effect of GVHD in pediatric leukemia is limited. Using a nationwide registry, we retrospectively analyzed 1526 children who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation for leukemia. Grades 0-I acute GVHD were associated with a higher relapse rate at three years after transplantation, at 25.4 and 24.3%, respectively, than grades II, III, or IV acute GVHD at 18.9%, 21.2%, and 2.6%, respectively. In contrast, the overall survival curve of the grades 0 and I GVHD groups (79.0% and 79.5%, respectively) approximated that of the grade II GVHD group (76.3%), and the probability of survival was worst in the severe GVHD groups (66.9% for grade III and 42.5% for grade IV). Chronic GVHD also reduced the relapse risk but conferred no survival advantage. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia was more sensitive to acute GVHD than acute myeloid leukemia (AML) while AML was more sensitive to chronic GVHD. Our study reproduced the preventive effects of GVHD against pediatric leukemia relapses but failed to demonstrate a significant survival advantage.

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Adolescents and Young Adults with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Few reports have focused on adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We performed a retrospective analysis based on data obtained from a Japanese nationwide registration database to compare HSCT outcomes in AYA patients with AML with those in children with AML. An analysis of the 2973 patients with de novo AML who received allogeneic HSCT from 1990 to 2013 showed inferior 5-year overall survival (OS) (54% versus 58%, P <.01) and increased treatment-related mortality (TRM) (16% versus 13%, P = .02) in AYA patients. Multivariate analysis for both OS and TRM showed a significant negative impact on AYAs. However, the negative impact of older age lost its significance in an additional analysis focusing on 1407 recent transplant recipients with high-resolution HLA typing (2000 to 2013). Finally, we analyzed the impact of transplantation center type on HSCT outcomes in 317 adolescent patients (15 to 18 years old) and found no difference in outcomes between patients treated at a pediatric or an adult hospital. Higher age was a strong predictive factor for inferior OS resulting from increased TRM, which can be eliminated with better donor selection using high-resolution HLA typing.

A single-center analysis of chronic graft-versus-host disease-free, relapse-free survival after alternative donor stem cell transplantation in children with hematological malignancies.

We assessed the clinical outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) from alternative donors for pediatric patients with hematological malignancies, defining graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS) as a composite endpoint. We also defined chronic GVHD-free, relapse-free survival (cGRFS) as survival without severe chronic GVHD, relapse, or death. The probabilities of 2-year disease-free survival from a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched unrelated donor (n = 57), related donor with HLA-1 antigen mismatch in the graft-versus-host direction (1Ag-GvH-MMRD, n = 28), and unrelated umbilical cord blood (n = 35) were 52.2, 38.5, and 40.4%, respectively (P = 0.14), and for 2-year GRFS were 26.2, 13.4, and 30.4%, respectively (P = 0.089), and for 2-year cGRFS were 36.2, 16.7, and 40.4%, respectively (P = 0.015). Of the three groups, the 1Ag-GvH-MMRD group showed a significantly higher cumulative incidence of severe cGVHD, and was identified as a significant risk factor for worse cGRFS. These results suggest that intensification of GVHD prophylaxis may be needed for SCT from 1Ag-GvH-MMRD. As with GRFS, cGRFS should be used as an endpoint of the clinical study to predict long-term morbidity and mortality for patients who need longer follow-up such as pediatric SCT recipients.

Comparison of Donor Sources in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Childhood Acute Leukemia: A Nationwide Retrospective Study.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) remains the best therapeutic option for childhood high-risk acute leukemia. However, which donor source is optimal for children lacking an identical sibling remains unclear. To evaluate the clinical impact of donor source on allo-HSCT in childhood acute leukemia, we analyzed data from 577 children who underwent allo-HSCT after a myeloablative regimen during first or second complete remission from 2005 to 2012, using registry data of the Japan Society for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, and we compared outcomes of 7/8 to 8/8 HLA allelic-matched unrelated bone marrow transplantation (UR-BMT, n = 218) and 4/6 to 6/6 HLA allelic-matched unrelated cord blood transplantation (UR-CBT, n = 200) to those of HLA-identical related bone marrow transplantation (ID-BMT, n = 159). The median follow-up of survivors was 40.0 months. Three-year overall survival (OS) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) rates for ID-BMT, UR-BMT, and UR-CBT were 74.8% and 69.0%, 75.0% and 69.6%, and 71.8% and 63.8%, respectively. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that OS and LFS for the 3 groups are comparable, although UR-CBT carries a greater risk of nonrelapse mortality (hazard ratio, 2.20; P = .03, compared to ID-BMT) in the myeloablative setting for childhood high-risk acute leukemia.

Relapsed childhood acute myeloid leukemia patient with inversion of chromosome 16 harboring a low FLT3 internal tandem duplication allelic burden and KIT mutations.

Inversion of chromosome 16 [inv(16)] has a good prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but additional genetic aberrations influence the outcome. We herein describe the case of a 15-year-old Japanese boy with inv(16) harboring a low-allelic burden internal tandem duplication of FLT3 (FLT3-ITD) and KIT mutations. Conventional chemotherapy eradicated a clone with a low-allelic burden FLT3-ITD mutation, although another clone with a KIT mutation occurred 17 months later. Further investigation is necessary to identify AML with inv(16) conferring poor prognosis, to facilitate appropriate treatment with additional drugs, such as dasatinib or gemtuzumab ozogamicin.

Phase 1 study of clofarabine in pediatric patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Japan.

A phase 1 study was conducted to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), efficacy and pharmacogenetic characteristics of clofarabine in seven Japanese pediatric patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Patients in Cohort 1 received clofarabine 30 mg/m(2)/day for 5 days, followed by 52 mg/m(2)/day for 5 days in subsequent cycles. Cohort 2 patients were consistently treated with 52 mg/m(2)/day for 5 days. No more than six cycles were performed. Every patient had at least one ≥Grade 3 adverse event (AE). AEs (≥Grade 3) related to clofarabine were anaemia, neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, alanine aminotransferase increased, aspartate aminotransferase increased, haemoglobin decreased, and platelet (PLT) count decreased. C max and AUC of clofarabine increased in a dose-dependent fashion, but its elimination half-life (T 1/2) did not appear to be dependent on dose or duration of treatment. Clofarabine at 52 mg/m(2)/day shows similarly tolerable safety and PK profiles compared to those in previous studies. No complete remission (CR), CR without PLT recovery, or partial remission was observed. Since clofarabine is already used as a key drug for relapsed/refractory ALL patients in many countries, the efficacy of clofarabine in Japanese pediatric patients should be evaluated in larger study including more patients, such as by post-marketing surveillance.

Central nervous system EBV lymphoproliferative disorder in a patient with rhabdomyosarcoma.

Epstein-Barr virus associated lymphoproliferative disorder (EBV-LPD) occurs in patients with immunodeficiency, but it has not been well described in patients who have received chemotherapy for solid tumors. We describe a child with rhabdomyosarcoma who developed isolated central nervous system (CNS) EBV-LPD during combination chemotherapy with vincristine, actinomycin D and cyclophosphamide. The patient was treated with high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) for CNS EBV-LPD and then treated with rituximab in addition to HD-MTX because of the emergence of LPD in the liver. I.v. rituximab combined with HD-MTX might be effective therapy for CNS EBV-LPD.

Effect of Cytomegalovirus Reactivation on Relapse after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Pediatric Acute Leukemia.

Recent studies have demonstrated the protective effect of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation against relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for adult myeloid malignancies. We assessed the association of CMV reactivation, defined as the development of CMV antigenemia (at least 1 pp65 antigen-positive cell per 5.0 × 10(4) WBCs) within 100 days after HSCT, with the risk of relapse in 143 patients with pediatric acute leukemia. The median age at HSCT was 7 years, and underlying diseases included acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 101 patients and acute myeloid leukemia in 42. The cumulative incidence of CMV reactivation at day 100 after HSCT was 45.4%. At a median follow-up of 88 months, patients with CMV reactivation had significantly lower 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse compared with patients without CMV reactivation. In a multivariate analysis, high-level CMV reactivation (≥10 pp65 antigen-positive cells) was an independent factor associated with reduced relapse. However, CMV reactivation was also associated with higher nonrelapse mortality (NRM), mostly caused by opportunistic infection after grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which resulted in decreased probability of survival. High-level CMV reactivation was a risk factor for increased NRM and worse overall survival in multivariate analysis. Although CMV reactivation may reduce the risk of relapse after HSCT for pediatric acute leukemia, effective management of severe acute GVHD and better prophylaxis and treatment of opportunistic infections are required to reduce the incidence of NRM and improve survival. Further studies on pediatric HSCT that include a larger number of patients and more homogenous patient cohorts are desirable.

Effective VCR/DEX pulse maintenance therapy in the KYCCSG ALL-02 protocol for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In a previous study of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) by the Kyushu-Yamaguchi Children's Cancer Study Group, ALL-96, we achieved a 72.1 % 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and an 84.8 % 5-year overall survival (OS). In a subsequent study, ALL-02, we adopted a vincristine dexamethasone (VCR/DEX) pulse regimen as maintenance therapy in the context of the ALL-96 study using the same risk classification and treatment schedule. A total of 156 pediatric cases of ALL were treated with ALL-02. All of the patients were classified as standard-risk or high-risk. Risk stratification was based on white cell counts, immunophenotype, the presence of central nervous system (CNS) disease at diagnosis, organomegaly, and early treatment response (day 14 bone marrow status). The 7-year EFS and OS rates were 77.7 % (95 % CI 70.6-84.8 %) and 89.5 % (95 % CI 84.6-94.4 %), respectively. CNS 3 status [hazard ratio (HR) = 5.0, p = 0.009] and high white blood cell count at diagnosis (HR = 2.6, p = 0.047) were risk factors for poor EFS in multivariate analysis. Our strategies to categorize patients into two risk groups, and to treat with a VCR/DEX pulse were feasible and reasonably effective treatments for pediatric ALL.

Long-Term Morbidity and Mortality in Children with Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Classified by National Institutes of Health Consensus Criteria after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

We report the long-term morbidity and mortality of 105 pediatric patients who developed chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). According to the consensus criteria of the National Institutes of Health, the global severity of cGVHD was mild in 26 patients (25%), moderate in 30 patients (29%), and severe in 49 patients (47%). Patients with severe cGVHD had a significantly lower cumulative incidence of cGVHD remission and higher probability of continuing cGVHD at 8 years from cGVHD diagnosis compared with those with mild or moderate cGVHD. The 10-year cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality in severe cGVHD patients was significantly higher and the probability of disease-free survival was significantly lower than those among patients with mild and moderate cGVHD. Of the 59 patients who survived for more than 5 years, 20 (34%) (4 with moderate and 16 with severe cGVHD) had persistent functional impairment caused by cGVHD with a Karnofsky/Lansky performance score of 90% in 3 patients, 80% in 4 patients, and below 70% in 13 patients at the time of relapse, death, or last follow-up. Better therapeutic strategies are needed to lower the incidence of severe cGVHD, considering the longer life expectancy of pediatric HSCT survivors.

Comparison of Outcomes for Pediatric Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Remission and Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation With Myeloablative Conditioning Regimens Based on Either Intravenous Busulfan or Total Body Irradiation: A Report From the Japanese Society for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) mainly receive myeloablative conditioning regimens based on busulfan (BU) or total body irradiation (TBI) before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT); however, the optimal conditioning regimen remains unclear. To identify which of these regimens is better for pediatric patients, we performed a retrospective analysis of nationwide registration data collected in Japan between 2006 and 2011 to assess the outcomes of patients receiving these regimens before a first allo-HCT. Myeloablative conditioning regimens based on i.v. BU (i.v. BU-MAC) (n = 69) or TBI (TBI-MAC) (n = 151) were compared in pediatric AML patients in first or second complete remission (CR1/CR2). The incidences of sinusoid obstruction syndrome, acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, and early nonrelapse mortality (NRM) before day 100 were similar for both conditioning groups; however, the incidence of bacterial infection during the acute period was higher in the TBI-MAC group (P = .008). Both groups showed a similar incidence of NRM, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of relapse between the groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed no significant differences in the 2-year relapse-free survival rates for the i.v. BU-MAC and TBI-MAC groups in the CR1/CR2 setting (71% versus 67%, P = .36; hazard ratio, .73; 95% CI, .43 to 1.24, respectively). TBI-MAC was no better than i.v. BU-MAC for pediatric AML patients in remission. Although this retrospective registry-based analysis has several limitations, i.v. BU-MAC warrants further evaluation in a prospective trial.

Mycophenolate mofetil for treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

A standard treatment is yet to be established for steroid-refractory acute aGVHD following HSCT. The effects of MMF have not been well studied in children with aGVHD. We evaluated the effectiveness of oral MMF in 14 children with steroid-refractory aGVHD (grade II in one patient, grade III to IV in 13 patients). The median initial dose of MMF was 40 mg/kg/day (range, 30-74) and was increased by 1.5-2 times if manifestations of GVHD did not improve. Within four wk of treatment, seven patients (50%) achieved CR, and four (29%) had a PR. Within eight wk, 11 patients (79%) achieved CR without using additional agents. Overall, 12 patients are alive and in remission with a median follow-up of 35 months (range, 14-86). The median maximum dose of MMF was 60 mg/kg/day (range, 34-107). No fatal toxicity was observed, including MMF-related infections. MMF appears to be highly effective for steroid-refractory aGVHD when used at a higher dose than has been described previously. Larger studies and pharmacokinetic analysis are required to evaluate its efficacy and toxicity and find the optimal dose of MMF in children.