Early Versus Delayed Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation and Interferon Maintenance in Multiple Myeloma: Single-Center Experience of 18 Years.

BACKGROUND: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has become the mainstay of 1st-line treatment in younger patients with multiple myeloma (MM), but statistical confirmation of its superiority over other therapies, especially in the era of novel agents, is still lacking. METHODS: We reviewed the results of all 548 myeloma ASCTs performed in our institute over the past 18 years. RESULTS: More than one-half of the patients had access to novel agents before their transplantations. Although the age of the transplanted patients increased significantly over the years, treatment-related mortality (TRM) was remarkably low, especially in 1st-line transplanted patients (100-day TRM, 0.3%). The median overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was 98.4 months. Patients transplanted within 12 months from the start of their therapy had significantly better responses than those having delayed ASCT (complete response rate, 58.1% vs 46.8%; P = .016) and significant post-ASCT progression-free survival (PFS) benefit (30.2 [26.1-34.3] mo vs 23.3 [16.8-29.8] mo; P = .036), but we found no significant overall survival difference. The results were similar in patients treated with or without novel agents before ASCT. During a period of time, interferon maintenance was our standard approach to post-ASCT maintenance. Our analysis showed not only a significant PFS advantage with interferon, but also a highly significant overall survival benefit (150.4 [105.1-195.8] mo vs 86.1 [72.5-99.7] mo; P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that delayed ASCT can be feasible in selected patients.

Remarkably reduced transplant-related complications by dibromomannitol non-myeloablative conditioning before allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in chronic myeloid leukemia.

A non-myeloablative conditioning protocol containing dibromomannitol (DBM/cytosine arabinoside/cyclophosphamide) has been applied to 36 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients followed by bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from sibling donors. Risk factors include: accelerated phase (10 patients), older age (17 patients over >40 years) and long interval between diagnosis and BMT (27 months on average). Severe mucositis did not occur. Venoocclusive liver disease was absent. Infectious complications were rare. Although grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was present in 9 (25%) cases, there were only 2 serious (III-IV) ones. Chronic GVHD occurred in 25 (69%) cases, preceded by acute GVHD in 9 of the 25 affected patients. Early hematological relapse, 7-29 weeks after BMT, developed in 6 patients (17.6%). No relapse was noted in the completely chimeric patients, however molecular genetic residual disease was observed in 6 patients, in most of them after transient short-term mixed chimeric state. Overall actual survival rate is 83.3% for the 36 cases, and leukemia-free survival is 72.2% for the 34 engrafted patients.

[Regeneration of the immune system after bone marrow transplantation]. / Az immunrendszer regenerációja csontvelö-átültetés után.

After haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, reconstitution of bone marrow consists of two distinct phenomena, numerical recovery of bone marrow cellular elements on the one hand and functional recovery of cellular interactions on the other. Immune reactivity during the first month postgrafting is extremely low. Cytotoxic and phagocytic functions usually recover by day 100, while more specialized and cooperative functions of T and B cells remain impaired up to one year or more postgrafting. Regeneration of total CD4+ T cell number in adult (and especially in elderly) transplant recipients is severely limited and occurs largely by peripheral expansion of mature CD4+ T cells. While restoration of total CD8+ T cell number is commonly seen in adults, potentially important alterations in the subset composition of CD8+ populations remain. Contracted T cell repertoires for CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are consistently found in adults after T cell regeneration. This suggests that thymic function is frequently limiting in adults and that thymic-independent pathways are insufficient for restoring host immunocompetence. Although there are similarities in immune reconstitution after alllo- and autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantations, allogeneic transplantation involves graft versus host disease and the use of immunosuppressive therapy to control it, both of which further interfere in the early developmental stages of immune reconstitution.

[Clinical and immunopathological significance of chimerism in bone marrow and organ transplantations] / A kimerizmus immunpatológiai és klinikai jelentosége csontvelô-transzplantációban és szervátültetésekben.

Chimerism is an exceptional immunogenetic state, characterized by the survival and collaboration of cell populations originated from two different individuals. The prerequisites to induce chimerism are immunosuppression, myeloablation or severe immunodeficiency of the recipients on one side and donor originated immuno-hematopoietic cells in the graft on the other. Special immunogenetic conditions to establish chimerism are combined with bone marrow transplantation, transfusion and various kinds of solid organ grafting. There are various methods to detect the type of chimera state depending on the immunogenetic differences between the donor and recipient. The chimera state seems to be one of the leading factors to influence the course of the post-transplant period, the frequency and severity of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and the rate of relapse. However, the most important contribution of the chimeric state is the development of graft versus leukemia (GVL) effect. A new conditioning protocol (DBM/Ara-C/Cy) for allogeneic BMT in CML patients and its consequence on chimera state and GVL effect is demonstrated.

Immunological importance of chimerism in transplantation: new conditioning protocol in BMT and the development of chimeric state.

Chimerism is an exceptional immunogenetic state, characterized by the survival and collaboration of cell populations originated from two different individuals. The prerequisits to induce chimerism are immuno-suppression, myeloablation, or severe immunodeficiency of the recipients on the one side and donor originated immuno-hematopoietic cells in the graft on the other. The pathologic or special immunogenetic conditions to establish chimerism are combined with bone marrow transplantation, transfusion, and various kinds of solid organ grafting. Different types of chimerism are known including complete, mixed and mosaic, or split chimerism. There are various methods used to detect the type of chimera state, depending on the immunogenetic differences between the donor and recipient. The induction of complete or mixed chimerism is first determinated by the effect of myeloablative therapy. The chimera state seems to be one of the leading factors to influence the course of the post-transplant period, the frequency and severity of GVHD, and the rate of relapse. However, the most important contribution of the chimeric state is in development of graft versus leukemia effect. A new conditioning protocol (DBM/Ara-C/Cy) for allogeneic BMT in CML patients and its consequence on chimera state and GVL effect is demonstrated.

Haemopoietic cell transplantation activity and results: a single institution experience.

Between February 1993 and November 1997, 62 patients with severe aplastic anaemia (SAA), acute myeloid (AML), acute lymphoid (ALL), or chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) as well as two patients with NHL underwent allogeneic marrow transplantation (BMT) from HLA-identical or one-antigen mismatched sibling or unrelated donors. Patients received preparative regimens according to the baseline disease. Patients with SAA were conditioned with ATG/Cy (2 cases) and TAI/Cy (3 cases), AML, ALL and NHL with TBI/Cy (21 cases including two retransplantations) and CML with Mitobronitol/Ara-C/Cy except two patients conditioned traditionally with Bu/Cy. For GVHD prevention, patients received cyclosporin-A (CsA) with short course methotheraxe according to the Seattle protocol. Significantly better overall survival rates were associated with the Mitobronitol (DBM)/Ara-C/Cy conditioning regarded the patients as a whole. Autologous stem cell transplantation (bone marrow and/or peripheral blood) were performed in ten cases including 2 AML, 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), 3 Hodgkin's disease (HD) and 1 patient with multiple myeloma (MM). Patients with AML and two patients with NHL were conditioned with TBI/Cy and the others with BEAM combined chemotherapy. Eight out of ten patients are leukaemia- or lymphoma-free survivors. One patient relapsed having conventional chemotherapy and interferon maintenance therapy. One patient died in a rapid relapse five months post-BMT.

[The bone-marrow transplantation program in Hungary: report from the period 1990-1995]. / Csontveló-transzplantációs program Magyarországon: beszámoló az 1990-1995 közötti idószakról.

The article summarises the statistical data of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) carried out in Hungary between 1990-1995 in yearly distribution. Since the first BMT up to the end of 1995, 168 BMT were performed. The number of transplantations since 1990 to our days was gradually increasing. As a result of this activity in the three transplantation centers (National Institute of Haematology and Immunology, St. László Hospital and County Hospital in Miskolc) 36 allogeneic and 12 autologous BMT were performed in 1995. Out of the allogeneic BMT cases, 14% of them were completed with unrelated, donors in the last three years. The most frequent indications for allogenic BMT are: chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), myelodysplasia, severe aplastic anaemia. Child allogenic BMTs are carried out on pediatric patients in St. László Hospital in leukaemia, severe aplastic anaemia cases and children born with immunodeficiency. Autologous BMTs started in an organised way in 1995 for adult patients in cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and for children with solid tumour indication in the Miskolc Centre. BMT activity in Hungary compared with international data, especially within Europe, shows a significant drop behind. To calculate for ten million inhabitants, the optimal BMT activity should be between 100-200 transplantations (allogeneic and autologous BMT together) in 1994. Among the Central European countries Hungary and Poland fall most behind. Autologous BMTs in most countries of Europe are above of allogeneic BMTs in numbers as indication in cases of lymphoma and solid tumours (first of all mamma carcinoma) comes into focus. This summary emphasises the most important difficulties in connection with the development of the National BMT program.