[Evaluation of 196 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia based on a standard prognosis model]. / Evaluation von 196 Patienten mit chronischer myeloischer Leukämie anhand eines Standard-Prognose-Modells.

The clinical course of 196 patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) was studied. Prognostic factors were analyzed using a standard prognostic model. From a univariate analysis of patients with nonblastic Philadelphia chromosome-positive CML, splenomegaly, bone marrow fibrosis, percentage of blasts and promyelocytes in the peripheral blood and LDH activity were shown to be factors with a significant negative influence on survival. However, age and the platelet count did not influence survival. The standard prognostic model, generated with the 4 variables (1) percentage of blasts and promyelocytes, (2) spleen size, (3) platelet count and (4) age did not provide a useful representation of risk status in this heterogenous patient population. However, the addition of further variables (LDH, additional chromosomal aberrations, percentage of basophiles/eosinophiles and percentage of bone marrow blasts) to the standard model allowed a separation into 2 patient groups: one with low and the other with intermediate to high risk. Our data support the general validity of the prognostic model; however, the applicability of the model may be compromised in hematologic centers with a heterogenous CML population due to the selection of high-risk patients. In this situation additional risk factors may have to be added to the prognostic formula.

Prognostic significance of additional cytogenetic abnormalities at diagnosis of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic granulocytic leukemia.

Of 661 patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive, nonblastic chronic granulocytic leukemia, 58 had cytogenetic abnormalities in addition to the Ph at the time of diagnosis. Twenty patients had reduplication of the Ph in one or more metaphases. Twenty-one patients with a single Ph exhibited hyperdiploidy in one or more metaphases. Eleven patients had two or more hypodiploid metaphases as their only numerical abnormality. The remaining six patients had a variety of abnormalities. Many patients had more than one type of abnormality. Survival of patients in the different subgroups was similar, but these 58 patients had a shorter course than the 603 patients without additional cytogenetic abnormalities (P less than .02). Survival curves for the two populations did not diverge until the 2-year point, after which the annual death rate among patients with additional cytogenetic abnormalities was approximately 40% higher than that of patients without such abnormalities. The two populations had similar relative risk values according to a hazard ratio formula previously described by the International CGL Prognosis Study Group. Thus, they would have been expected to have essentially identical survival curves. We conclude that the presence of additional cytogenetic abnormalities at the time of diagnosis constitutes an independently significant prognostic feature with an unusually delayed influence on survival.

Evidence for a selective antileukemic effect of cytosine arabinoside in chronic granulocytic leukemia.

On the basis of in-vitro studies indicating that low concentrations of cytosine arabinoside exert preferential inhibition of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells from patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia vs normal subjects, we treated two outpatients with low doses of this agent, administered by subcutaneous infusion for 12-31 days. Both patients continued their usual activities, including employment, during these infusions. They exhibited only Ph-positive metaphases at entry into the protocol but in both cases, Ph-positive cells were reduced to approx. 10% of marrow metaphases, after 2-3 successive infusions. Both patients exhibited significant increases in Ph-positive cells, to 46 and 72% of marrow metaphases, during subsequent chemotherapy with hydroxyurea, in dosage sufficient to maintain granulocytopenia and a normal serum B12 level. After additional cytosine arabinoside, both patients again showed decreases in Ph-positive cells, to 7% (p less than 0.01) and 19% (p less than 0.0001), respectively. This clinical experience is consistent with the conclusion that cytosine arabinoside (but not, hydroxyurea) exerts a selective antileukemic effect in some patients with CGL.

Prognosis in chronic myeloid leukaemia: biology of the disease vs. treatment.

CML is best regarded as a benign neoplasm, which regularly transforms into a rapidly fatal malignant one. Survival is determined by the timing of disease transformation. The rate of transformation and death is low initially and increases gradually to a stable annual rate, reached during the third year after diagnosis. This averages 25% per year in large populations of Ph positive patients. Transformation appears to occur randomly; a patient's risk of transformation can be defined, but the time when it will occur cannot be predicted. There is no evidence that conventional antileukaemic therapy changes the risk of transformation; thus, survival is determined principally by the intrinsic biology of the disease. A number of features recorded at the time of diagnosis correlate significantly with survival and can serve as prognostic parameters. Multivariate regression and Cox model analyses can generate hazard ratio formulae which provide quantitative estimates of patients' risk. Several Cox models have been described by different groups, and it is possible that two or more models may describe survival equally well. A four-variable model described by the International CGL Prognosis Study Group in 1984 has recently been tested in a prospective study by the Italian Cooperative Study Group on Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia, and successfully classified patients into three groups with significantly different outcomes. This model produces excellent results in analyses of large patient populations, but is less satisfactory when applied to smaller series. It is likely that current prognostic models can be improved substantially to provide more accurate definition of patient risk over a broader range of hazard ratio values. Such models should prove useful in evaluating therapeutic schedules, selecting patients for investigational or hazardous treatment and making decisions regarding bone marrow transplantation.

Preferential inhibition by cytarabine of CFU-GM from patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming (CFU-GM) cells from peripheral blood of normal subjects and patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL) were cultured in soft agar. Drugs under study were added in a liquid overlay 2 days after initiation of cultures, providing prolonged exposure to these agents thereafter. Dose-dependent inhibition of colony growth was recorded with each of eleven agents examined, and at the higher concentrations tested, colony formation was often completely suppressed. Cytarabine showed selectivity against CFU-GM from patients in the chronic stage of CGL (P = 0.006); the median 50% inhibitory concentration for 12 such patients was 3.4 ng/ml versus 11.8 ng/ml for 15 healthy subjects. Such selectivity was not found with busulfan, hydroxyurea, mercaptopurine, thioguanine, daunorubicin, vincristine, vinblastine, methotrexate, desacetylmethylcolchicine, and trimethylcolchicinic acid. One other group has also reported a preferential effect of cytarabine against colony-forming cells from patients with CGL, and this appears to be the only drug for which such selective activity has been recorded to date.

Decreased stainable marrow iron in chronic granulocytic leukemia.

Stainable iron was absent or decreased in 36 of 45 bone marrow biopsy specimens (80 percent) among 33 patients with chronic-stage chronic granulocytic leukemia. Decreased iron did not correlate with sex, treatment status, duration of disease, marrow cellularity, or hemoglobin level. In contrast, marrow iron was absent or decreased in 34 percent of biopsy specimens at diagnosis of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (p less than 0.0001) and 31 percent of biopsy specimens from patients with Hodgkin's disease (p less than 0.0001). The serum ferritin level was determined in eight patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia and absent marrow iron, and it was normal in all. Fifteen of 17 patients, followed with chronic-stage disease for one to four years after the finding of absent marrow iron, demonstrated increases in their hemoglobin levels during antileukemic therapy or maintained normal values. Thus, absent or decreased stainable marrow iron is a common finding in chronic granulocytic leukemia and usually does not indicate iron deficiency.

Low dose ara-C administered by continuous subcutaneous infusion: a pharmacologic evaluation.

Low dose ara-C has been widely used in the treatment of preleukemia and leukemia. These studies have generally utilized either a twice daily, subcutaneous bolus schedule or a continuous intravenous infusion schedule. In order to surmount the logistical problems of long term intravenous infusion while providing prolonged ara-C exposure, we have studied the pharmacology of administering ara-C (20 mg/M2/d) by continuous subcutaneous infusion. The results obtained in eight patients demonstrate that steady state plasma ara-C levels achieved during continuous subcutaneous infusion (24.6-65.6 nM) are not significantly different than those obtained during intravenous infusions (26.2-61.5 nM). Subcutaneous infusions result in prolonged myelosuppression similar to that seen with continuous intravenous infusions. The continuous infusion of low dose ara-C by the subcutaneous route provides a treatment option for some outpatients and offers advantages over intravenous infusions which often require placement of venous catheters or hospitalization.

Prognostic discrimination among younger patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia: relevance to bone marrow transplantation.

To obtain information relevant to the question of bone marrow transplantation, we examined the prognostic significance of disease features recorded at the time of diagnosis among 625 patients, aged 5 to 45, with Philadelphia chromosome-positive, nonblastic chronic granulocytic leukemia. The actuarial death rate for this population was 5% during the first year after diagnosis, 12% during the second year, and averaged 22.5% per year during the next eight years. Multivariable regression analysis of features recorded in nearly all cases indicated that sex, spleen size, hematocrit, platelet count, and percentage of circulating blasts were significant prognostic indicators. Analyses of additional data available in 113 to 421 cases suggested that serum lactic dehydrogenase activity, percentage of blasts in marrow, nucleated RBCs in blood, and percentage of basophils plus eosinophils might also provide useful prognostic information. A Cox model, generated with five variables representing features recorded regularly (the first five listed), permitted segregation of these patients into three groups with significantly different survival patterns. The high-risk group exhibited an actuarial mortality of 30% during the first two years after diagnosis and an annual risk of 30% thereafter. In contrast, the most favorable group had a two-year actuarial mortality of 9% and an average risk thereafter of 17% per year, with a median survival of 5 1/2 years. We conclude that it should be possible to classify potential candidates for bone marrow transplantation according to risk with conventional therapy. Such information may be useful in making decisions regarding early v deferred marrow transplantation.

Survival in Ph1-positive chronic myelocytic leukemia: relationship to findings at diagnosis and to disease kinetics after the first course of treatment.

Survival in 73 patients with Ph1-positive chronic myelocytic leukemia was correlated with remission duration and leukocyte doubling time after initial treatment with busulfan and also, with clinical and laboratory features recorded at the time of diagnosis. There was a significant relationship between remission duration and leukocyte doubling time (correlation coefficient 0.94). On multivariate analysis, the most important factor influencing remission duration (and doubling time) was the percentage of circulating blasts (p less than 0.001). The spleen size (p less than 0.02), Liver size (p less than 0.03) and WBC (p less than 0.03) also added significantly to model fit; however, once a second variable was entered into the model no other factor produced significant improvement in model fit. In univariate analyses, the remission duration, doubling time, percentage of circulating blasts, spleen and liver size correlated significantly with survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that the percentage of circulating blasts was the most important factor affecting survival (p less than 0.001), with the liver size adding significantly to model fit (p less than 0.05). Remission duration, leukocyte doubling time and spleen size did not significantly influence survival once the percentage of blasts was included in the model. Thus, evaluation of clinical and laboratory data at the time of diagnosis is more important for prognostic classification of patients than the measurement of relapse kinetics after initial treatment with busulfan.

Prognostic discrimination in "good-risk" chronic granulocytic leukemia.

The prognostic significance of disease features recorded at the time of diagnosis was examined among 813 patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive, nonblastic chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL) collected from six European and American series. The survival pattern for this population was typical of "good-risk" patients, and median survival was 47 mo. There were multiple interrelationships among different disease features, which led to highly significant correlations with survival for some that had no primary prognostic significance, such as hematocrit. Multivariable regression analysis indicated that spleen size and the percentage of circulating blasts were the most important prognostic indicators. These features, and age, behaved as continuous variables with progressively unfavorable import at higher values. The platelet count did not influence survival significantly at values below 700 X 10(9)/liter but was increasingly unfavorable above this level. Basophils plus eosinophils over 15%, more than 5% marrow blasts, and karyotypic abnormalities in addition to the Ph1 were also significant unfavorable signs. The Cox model, generated with four variables representing percent blasts, spleen size, platelet count, and age, provided a useful representation of risk status in this population, with good fit between predicted and observed survival over more than a twofold survival range. A hazard function derived from half of the patient population successfully segregated the remainder into three groups with significantly different survival patterns. We conclude that it should be possible to identify a lower risk group of patients with a 2-yr survival of 90%, subsequent risk averaging somewhat less than 20%/yr and median survival of 5 yr, an intermediate group, and a high-risk group with a 2-yr survival of 65%, followed by a death rate of about 35%/yr and median survival of 2.5 yr.

Prognostic features at diagnosis of chronic myelocytic leukemia.

Clinical and laboratory findings at the time of diagnosis were correlated with the survival of 242 patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia. Twelve patients with the blastic stage of the disease (blasts greater than or equal to 29%) had a median survival of eight months. Of the nonblastic patients, 28 without the Philadelphia chromosome had a relatively constant mortality averaging 43% per year and a median survival of 13 months, markedly worse than the Ph1-positive group (mortality, 6% in the first year, 17% in the second year, and the 25% per year, with a median survival of 43 months; P less than 0.001). In the latter group of 202 patients, features reflecting the "quantity" of leukemia (leukocyte count, marrow cellularity, and M:E serum B12, different degrees of splenomegaly, presence or absence of symptoms) had weaker or short-term correlations with mortality, while "qualitative" abnormalities (e.g., increased percentage of circulating blast, extramedullary leukemic tumors, major abnormalities of erythropoiesis or platelet production, marked basophilia or eosinophilia) had strong and persistent correlations with mortality. Chromosome abnormalities in addition to the Ph appeared to have a delayed though significant effect on survival. Serum alkaline phosphatase and SGOT levels did not correlate significantly with survival, but major elevations of serum LDH were associated with increased mortality throughout the course of the disease.

Significance of Ph1-negative marrow cells in Ph1-positive chronic granulocytic leukemia.

Fifty-six of 195 Ph1-positive patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia were found to have Ph1-negative metaphases in marrow aspirates on one or more occasions. In 22 cases, Ph1-negative cells were found prior to initiation of antileukemic therapy. Five patients were in the blastic stage of the disease when Ph1-negative mitoses were seen. The finding of Ph1-negative cells appeared to be related principally to short duration of CGL and to administration of antileukemic therapy (conventional agents and doses, in most cases). Ph1-negative cells were usually not found more than 2 yr after the diagnosis of leukemia, but in a few cases, they were seen as long as 5-10 yr after diagnosis. Only a minority of metaphases analyzed were Ph1-negative, except in the case of 6 patients who transiently had 50% or more Ph1-negative cells after antileukemic therapy. The presence of Ph1-negative cells in marrow was not associated with any survival advantage in this series.

Moderate versus intensive chemotherapy of prognostically favorable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a progress report.

Two hundred and fifty-two patients with advanced stages of favorable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) subtypes (nodular histiocytic (NH), and diffuse well-differentiated lymphocytic (DLWD)) were analyzed for response and survival to moderate (cyclophosphamide-prednisone (CP)) vs. intensive (BCVP or COPP) chemotherapy regimens. The overall complete response (CR) rate was 57%. The median duration of remission for the entire group was 88 weeks and 65% of complete responders were in remission at one year. Survival rates at one year were 87% for BCVP, 86% for COPP, and 91% for CP. The response rate, response duration, and survival rate differences between the groups were not significant. Severe and life threatening hematologic toxicity rates were significantly higher with BCVP and COPP as compared to CP (P less than 0.001). The highest CR rate was obtained in NM (74%) and CP gave the highest CR rate in DLWD (60%). Survival rates at one year for NM (97%) and NLPD (90%) were comparable whereas the one-year survival rate for DLWD was significantly lower (75%) than that for NLPD (P less than 0.005) or NM (P less than 0.001). We conclude that in favorable NHL subtypes, cyclophosphamide-prednisone combination is an effective regimen with minimal toxicity.

Chromosomes and causation of human cancer and leukemia. XXXIV. A case of "hypereosinophilic syndrome" with unusual cytogenetic findings in a chloroma, terminating in blastic transformation and CNS leukemia.

A 47-year-old white male developed massive hepatosplenomegaly, a pleural effusion, leucocytosis, and a left parasternal mass following a relatively symptom-free persistent hypereosinophilia for about 5 years. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy and peripheral blood differential showed eosinophilia and a shift to the left with immature cells. A high serum B12 vitamin level and low LAP activity were found. Biopsy of the soft tissue mass revealed a granulocytic sarcoma (chloroma) with a hyperdiploid karyotype (49,XY, + 10, + 15, + 19,3q-), whereas the bone marrow cells had a normal male karyotype. The patient responded temporarily to chemotherapy but eventually developed CNS leukemia and went on to terminate in a frank blastic phase. This case illustrates hypereosinophilia and a myeloproliferative syndrome characterized by a somewhat indolent chronic course evolving into "eosinophilic leukemia" and granulocytic sarcoma, CNS involvement by leukemic cells and, finally, blastic transformation. It is possible that this case represents a variant of Ph1-negative CML to which the term "chronic eosinophilic leukemia" could be justifiably applied.

Use of vinblastine in the terminal phase of chronic myelocytic leukemia.

Vinblastine (6 mg/m2) was given to 15 patients in the terminal phase of Ph1 chromosome-positive chronic myelocytic leukemia and to one patient with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. In each of these patients, there was prompt reduction in leukocyte counts (median, 80% decrease). Effects on platelet counts and hematocrit levels were inconsistent. Nine patients had decreases in the percentage of circulating blast cells. Reduction in splenomegaly and relief of bone pain were recorded in patients with these manifestations. Serious leukopenia was induced in only one patient, and was of brief duration. Additional doses of vinblastine at intervals of greater than or equal to 3 weeks were given to eight patients who had shown improvement in the differential cell count, as an adjunct to maintenance schedules of combination chemotherapy. Good results were obtained initially, but the quality and duration of responses decreased after two to six injections.