A phase 2 trial of CD24Fc for prevention of graft-versus-host disease.

ABSTRACT: Patients who undergo human leukocyte antigen-matched unrelated donor (MUD) allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with myeloablative conditioning for hematologic malignancies often develop acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) despite standard calcineurin inhibitor-based prophylaxis in combination with methotrexate. This trial evaluated a novel human CD24 fusion protein (CD24Fc/MK-7110) that selectively targets and mitigates inflammation due to damage-associated molecular patterns underlying acute GVHD while preserving protective immunity after myeloablative conditioning. This phase 2a, multicenter study evaluated the pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of CD24Fc in combination with tacrolimus and methotrexate in preventing acute GVHD in adults undergoing MUD HSCT for hematologic malignancies. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation phase to identify a recommended dose was followed by an open-label expansion phase with matched controls to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of CD24Fc in preventing acute GVHD. A multidose regimen of CD24Fc produced sustained drug exposure with similar safety outcomes when compared with single-dose regimens. Grade 3 to 4 acute GVHD-free survival at day 180 was 96.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 75.7-99.4) in the CD24Fc expansion cohort (CD24Fc multidose), compared with 73.6% (95% CI, 63.2-81.4) in matched controls (hazard ratio, 0.1 [95% CI, 0.0-0.6]; log-rank test, P = .03). No participants in the CD24Fc escalation or expansion phases experienced dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). The multidose regimen of CD24Fc was well tolerated with no DLTs and was associated with high rates of severe acute GVHD-free survival after myeloablative MUD HSCT. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT02663622.

Double unrelated umbilical cord blood vs HLA-haploidentical bone marrow transplantation: the BMT CTN 1101 trial.

Results of 2 parallel phase 2 trials of transplantation of unrelated umbilical cord blood (UCB) or bone marrow (BM) from HLA-haploidentical relatives provided equipoise for direct comparison of these donor sources. Between June 2012 and June 2018, 368 patients aged 18 to 70 years with chemotherapy-sensitive lymphoma or acute leukemia in remission were randomly assigned to undergo UCB (n = 186) or haploidentical (n = 182) transplant. Reduced-intensity conditioning comprised total-body irradiation with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine for both donor types. Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis for UCB transplantation was cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and for haploidentical transplantation, posttransplant cyclophosphamide, tacrolimus, and MMF. The primary end point was 2-year progression-free survival (PFS). Treatment groups had similar age, sex, self-reported ethnic origin, performance status, disease, and disease status at randomization. Two-year PFS was 35% (95% confidence interval [CI], 28% to 42%) compared with 41% (95% CI, 34% to 48%) after UCB and haploidentical transplants, respectively (P = .41). Prespecified analysis of secondary end points recorded higher 2-year nonrelapse mortality after UCB, 18% (95% CI, 13% to 24%), compared with haploidentical transplantation, 11% (95% CI, 6% to 16%), P = .04. This led to lower 2-year overall survival (OS) after UCB compared with haploidentical transplantation, 46% (95% CI, 38-53) and 57% (95% CI 49% to 64%), respectively (P = .04). The trial did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the primary end point, 2-year PFS, between the donor sources. Although both donor sources extend access to reduced-intensity transplantation, analyses of secondary end points, including OS, favor haploidentical BM donors. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01597778.

NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Version 3.2022.

The NCCN Guidelines for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) provide an evidence- and consensus-based approach for the use of autologous and allogeneic HCT in the management of malignant diseases in adult patients. HCT is a potentially curative treatment option for patients with certain types of malignancies; however, recurrent malignancy and transplant-related complications often limit the long-term survival of HCT recipients. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide guidance regarding aspects of HCT, including pretransplant recipient evaluation, hematopoietic cell mobilization, and treatment of graft-versus-host disease-a major complication of allogeneic HCT-to enable the patient and clinician to assess management options in the context of an individual patient's condition. These NCCN Guidelines Insights provide a summary of the important recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines for HCT, including the incorporation of a newly developed section on the Principles of Conditioning for HCT.

Tisagenlecleucel in Adult Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that is refractory to primary and second-line therapies or that has relapsed after stem-cell transplantation have a poor prognosis. The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel targets and eliminates CD19-expressing B cells and showed efficacy against B-cell lymphomas in a single-center, phase 2a study. METHODS: We conducted an international, phase 2, pivotal study of centrally manufactured tisagenlecleucel involving adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who were ineligible for or had disease progression after autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. The primary end point was the best overall response rate (i.e., the percentage of patients who had a complete or partial response), as judged by an independent review committee. RESULTS: A total of 93 patients received an infusion and were included in the evaluation of efficacy. The median time from infusion to data cutoff was 14 months (range, 0.1 to 26). The best overall response rate was 52% (95% confidence interval, 41 to 62); 40% of the patients had complete responses, and 12% had partial responses. Response rates were consistent across prognostic subgroups. At 12 months after the initial response, the rate of relapse-free survival was estimated to be 65% (79% among patients with a complete response). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events of special interest included cytokine release syndrome (22%), neurologic events (12%), cytopenias lasting more than 28 days (32%), infections (20%), and febrile neutropenia (14%). Three patients died from disease progression within 30 days after infusion. No deaths were attributed to tisagenlecleucel, cytokine release syndrome, or cerebral edema. No differences between response groups in tumor expression of CD19 or immune checkpoint-related proteins were found. CONCLUSIONS: In this international study of CAR T-cell therapy in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in adults, high rates of durable responses were produced with the use of tisagenlecleucel. (Funded by Novartis; JULIET ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02445248 .).

Immunopathology and biology-based treatment of steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is 1 of the major life-threating complications after allogeneic cell transplantation. Although steroids remain first-line treatment, roughly one-half of patients will develop steroid-refractory GVHD (SR-GVHD), which portends an extremely poor prognosis. Many agents that have shown encouraging response rates in early phase 1/2 trials for prevention and treatment have been unsuccessful in demonstrating a survival advantage when applied in the setting of SR-GVHD. The discovery of novel treatments has been further complicated by the absence of clinically informative animal models that address what may reflect a distinct pathophysiology. Nonetheless, the combined knowledge of established bone marrow transplantation models and recent human trials in SR-GVHD patients are beginning to illuminate novel mechanisms for inhibiting T-cell signaling and promoting tissue tolerance that provide an increased understanding of the underlying biology of SR-GVHD. Here, we discuss recent findings of newly appreciated cellular and molecular mechanisms and provide novel translational opportunities for advancing the effectiveness of treatment in SR-GVHD.

α1-Antitrypsin infusion for treatment of steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease.

Corticosteroid resistance after acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD) results in high morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Current immunosuppressive therapies for SR-aGVHD provide marginal effectiveness because of poor response or excessive toxicity, primarily from infection. α1-Antitrypsin (AAT), a naturally abundant serine protease inhibitor, is capable of suppressing experimental GVHD by downmodulating inflammation and increasing ratios of regulatory (Treg) to effector T cells (Teffs). In this prospective multicenter clinical study, we sought to determine the safety and response rate of AAT administration in SR-aGVHD. Forty patients with a median age of 59 years received intravenous AAT twice weekly for 4 weeks as first-line treatment of SR-aGVHD. The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR), the proportion of patients with SR-aGVHD in complete (CR) or partial response by day 28 without addition of further immunosuppression. Treatment was well tolerated without drug-related adverse events. A significant increase in serum levels of AAT was observed after treatment. The ORR and CR rates by day 28 were 65% and 35%, respectively, and included responses in all aGVHD target organs. At day 60, responses were sustained in 73% of patients without intervening immunosuppression. Infectious mortality was 10% at 6 months and 2.5% within 30 days of last AAT infusion. Consistent with preclinical data, correlative samples showed an increase in ratio of activated Tregs to Teffs after AAT treatment. These data suggest that AAT is safe and may be potentially efficacious in treating SR-aGVHD. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01700036.

Assessment of Individual versus Composite Endpoints of Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease in Determining Long-Term Survival after Allogeneic Transplantation.

The overall composite of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS), defined as survival free of grade III-IV acute GVHD (aGVHD), chronic GVHD (cGVHD) requiring systemic immunosuppressive therapy (IST), or relapse, has emerged as a useful composite in clinical trials and to capture clinically meaningful events that impact quantity and quality of survival after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We reviewed 565 consecutive patients aged ≥18 years undergoing HCT for hematologic malignancy to analyze how baseline incidence, specifics of clinical definitions, and proposed reductions in any one individual event may dynamically alter the overall performance of the composite To determine the relative impact of each GRFS event (excluding death), we accounted for competing risks using Fine and Gray methods, and correlated each event with overall survival (OS) using Kaplan-Meier methods. The consequences of modulating individual or composite endpoints on OS, such as hypothesized reductions of events of an HCT interventional trial, were examined using Monte Carlo simulations. The median age of the cohort was 54 years (range, 18 to 73 years). The majority of patients received HLA-matched unrelated donor HCT (53%), consisting of peripheral blood stem cell grafts (90%) after myeloablative conditioning (68%). Relapse conferred the greatest risk for death (hazard ratio [HR], 7.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.83 to 10.69), followed by grade III-IV aGVHD (HR, 6.16; 95% CI, 4.42 to 8.56) and cGVHD requiring IST (HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.46). The overall GRFS composite correlated with an HR of 4.81 (95% CI, 3.61 to 6.41), which was lower compared with either relapse or grade III-IV aGVHD. Statistical simulations found that modulating the combined risk of both relapse and grade III-IV aGVHD predicted the greatest change in 5-year OS. These simulations suggest that GRFS as currently defined may be less optimal for correlating with OS, and further refinement of composite endpoints is needed. Nonetheless, composite endpoints may be particularly helpful in mitigating potential difficulties in interpretation when competing risks are present, most commonly seen in HCT studies.

A Phase 2 Study of Pembrolizumab during Lymphodepletion after Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma.

The programmed death-1 (PD-1) axis can suppress immune surveillance against multiple myeloma (MM). We tested the safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, in MM after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT). We enrolled patients with MM who did not achieve a complete response (CR) to induction therapy. The study intervention involved a total of 9 doses of i.v. pembrolizumab, with 1 dose given every 21 days starting on day +14 post-AHCT. The primary endpoint was the rate of CR at end of treatment (EOT) in patients receiving ≥2 pembrolizumab doses. Thirty-two patients were enrolled, but 3 withdrew consent before receiving the first dose. The study was terminated early after failing to meet its interim analysis endpoint to detect a 20% difference in EOT CR rate conversion. The median patient age was 59 years. All but 1 patient received triplet induction for a median of 4 cycles (range, 2 to 7 cycles), with 69% partial response (PR) and 31% very good PR (VGPR). No grade 4/5 toxicities or graft failures occurred. Among 26 evaluable patients, 23 had an EOT evaluation, and 7 of these 23 (31%) achieved CR. Two patients had EOT serologic CR but no bone marrow confirmation (CRu), and 1 patient had no EOT evaluation. Bone marrow was minimal residual disease-negative by flow cytometry in 12 of 16 patients (75%) at day +180. With a median follow-up of 23.7 months (range, 15.1 to 33.5 months), no patient achieving EOT CR/CRu had relapsed, whereas 3 patients progressed before EOT and 1 patient progressed at 8 months after EOT VGPR. The estimated 2-year progression-free rate was 83% (95% confidence interval, 68% to 100%). Our data show that early post-AHCT pembrolizumab with lenalidomide maintenance is feasible; however, the efficacy is uncertain and requires further study. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02331368).

Vorinostat plus tacrolimus/methotrexate to prevent GVHD after myeloablative conditioning, unrelated donor HCT.

The oral histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor (vorinostat) is safe and results in low incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after reduced-intensity conditioning, related donor hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, its safety and efficacy in preventing acute GVHD in settings of heightened clinical risk that use myeloablative conditioning, unrelated donor (URD), and methotrexate are not known. We conducted a prospective, phase 2 study in this higher-risk setting. We enrolled 37 patients to provide 80% power to detect a significant difference in grade 2 to 4 acute GVHD of 50% compared with a reduction in target to 28%. Eligibility included adults with a hematological malignancy to receive myeloablative HCT from an available 8/8-HLA matched URD. Patients received GVHD prophylaxis with tacrolimus and methotrexate. Vorinostat (100 mg twice daily) was started on day -10 and continued through day +100 post-HCT. Median age was 56 years (range, 18-69 years), and 95% had acute myelogenous leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. Vorinostat was safe and tolerable. The cumulative incidence of grade 2 to 4 acute GVHD at day 100 was 22%, and for grade 3 to 4 it was 8%. The cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 29%; relapse, nonrelapse mortality, GVHD-free relapse-free survival, and overall survival at 1 year were 19%, 16%, 47%, and 76%, respectively. Correlative analyses showed enhanced histone (H3) acetylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and reduced interleukin 6 (P = .028) and GVHD biomarkers (Reg3, P = .041; ST2, P = .002) at day 30 post-HCT in vorinostat-treated subjects compared with similarly treated patients who did not receive vorinostat. Vorinostat for GVHD prevention is an effective strategy that should be confirmed in a randomized phase 3 study. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01790568.

Impact of a health information technology tool addressing information needs of caregivers of adult and pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients.

PURPOSE: We developed BMT Roadmap, a health information technology (HIT) application on a tablet, to address caregivers' unmet needs with patient-specific information from the electronic health record. We conducted a preliminary feasibility study of BMT Roadmap in caregivers of adult and pediatric HSCT patients. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03161665; NCT02409121). METHODS: BMT Roadmap was delivered to 39 caregivers of adult and pediatric patients undergoing first-time HSCT at a single study site. We assessed person-reported outcome measures (PROMs) at baseline (hospital admission), discharge, and day 100: usefulness of BMT Roadmap (Perceived Usefulness); activation (Patient Activation Measure-Caregiver version [PAM-C]); mental health ([POMS-2®]: depression, distress, vigor, and fatigue); anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory); and quality of life (Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer [CQOLC]). To identify determinants of caregiver activation and quality of life, we used linear mixed models. RESULTS: BMT Roadmap was perceived useful and activation increased from baseline to discharge (p = 0.001). Further, burden decreased through discharge (p = 0.007). Overall, a pattern of increasing vigor and decreasing depression, distress, fatigue, and anxiety was apparent from baseline to discharge. However, overall quality of life lowered at discharge after accounting for BMT Roadmap use, depression, anxiety, and fatigue (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: BMT Roadmap was a feasible HIT intervention to implement in HSCT caregivers. BMT Roadmap was associated with increased activation and decreased burden, but quality of life lowered across hospitalization. Findings support the need to further develop caregiver-specific self-directed resources and provide them both inpatient and outpatient across the HSCT trajectory.

Infectious Risk after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Complicated by Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease.

The occurrence of infections after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is nearly universal. However, the relationship between infections and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is complex and attribution of infectious-related mortality is highly inconsistent, making comparison of infectious complication rates across allogeneic HCT clinical studies difficult. We categorized infectious complications from diagnosis or 1 year before HCT (whichever occurred later) through 2 years after HCT according to timing, frequency, causative organism, severity, and contribution to mortality for 431 consecutive patients who underwent allogeneic HCT from 2008 to 2011. We then assessed the contribution of risk factors, such as the frequency of pre-HCT infections and post-HCT GVHD, on post-HCT infection frequency and severity. We found that each pre-HCT bacterial infection/year leads to an additional 2.15 post-HCT bacterial infection/year (P = .004). Pre-HCT viral and fungal infections were not predictors for post-HCT infections. Acute GVHD (aGVHD) significantly increased the risk of developing life-threatening (hazard ratio [HR], 1.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 to 2.90) and fatal (HR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.10 to 7.08) infections. Furthermore, patients who develop aGVHD experienced ~60% more infections than patients who never develop aGVHD. Quantification of infection frequency and severity for patients with and without GVHD may facilitate comparison of infectious outcomes across allogeneic HCT trials.

Combination Therapy for Graft-versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis with Etanercept and Extracorporeal Photopheresis: Results of a Phase II Clinical Trial.

Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens minimize early toxicity after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) by placing greater reliance on establishing a graft-versus-leukemia effect (GVL). Because graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and GVL are tightly linked, inhibition of T cell populations that cause GVHD may lead to an unintended increased risk of relapse in the RIC setting. Although not completely understood, etanercept and extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) are thought to ameliorate GVHD without direct T cell inhibition. We hypothesized that adding these 2 agents to a standard GVHD prophylaxis regimen of tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) would improve survival by reducing GVHD-related mortality without increasing relapse rates. Therefore, we conducted a prospective phase II clinical trial that incorporated tacrolimus, MMF, etanercept, and ECP as GVHD prophylaxis in 48 patients undergoing RIC unrelated donor transplantation. The preferred RIC was fludarabine 160 mg/m(2) + busulfan 6.4 mg/kg to 12.8 mg/kg ± total body irradiation 200 cGy. Etanercept .4 mg/kg (maximum dose, 25 mg) was given subcutaneously twice weekly for 8 weeks after HCT and ECP was given for 12 treatments, starting weekly on day 28 weekly and tapering off by day 180. The median age of the study patients was 60 (range, 18 to 71) years. Donors were 7/8 (n = 14, 29%) or 8/8 (n = 34, 71%) HLA matched. All patients engrafted neutrophils at a median of 12 days. The cumulative incidence of grades II to IV acute GVHD at day 100 was 46%, but it was typically sensitive to initial steroid treatment (84% day 56 complete response/partial response rate). Overall survival at 1 year in this older, frequently mismatched unrelated donor setting was excellent (73%) because of low rates of nonrelapse mortality (21%) and relapse (19%). However, this strategy was not effective at preventing a high incidence of chronic GVHD and late deaths led to a drop in 2-year survival, declining to 56%, reflecting a high incidence of chronic GVHD.

Reducing Treatment-Related Mortality Did Not Improve Outcomes of Allogeneic Myeloablative Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for High-Risk Multiple Myeloma: A University of Michigan Prospective Series.

Despite the ongoing advent of more effective immunomodulators and proteasome inhibitors, multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable and no effective therapy is available for advanced aggressive disease. Although allogeneic (Allo) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has a curative potential, the outcomes remain poor because of high treatment-related mortality (TRM), mostly due to regimen-related toxicities and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in case of myeloablative conditionings, high relapse rate in case of reduced-intensity or nonmyeloablative regimens, and possibly other unknown MM-specific issues. In an attempt to improve TRM, without compromising conditioning intensity, we prospectively explored the feasibility and efficacy of a myeloablative but reduced-toxicity conditioning regimen, consisting of fludarabine and busulfan (FluBu4; fludarabine 40 mg/m(2)/day and busulfan 3.2 mg/kg/day i.v. × 4 days) in 22 patients with high-risk or advanced refractory MM. The majority (14 of 22, 64%) had prior autologous HCT. The median HCT-specific comorbidity index score was 3 (range, 0 to 6), with 46% having a Karnofsky performance score < 80%. Ten patients had unrelated donors, 3 of whom were 7/8 HLA-loci matched. GVHD prophylaxis was tacrolimus and methotrexate in 20 (91%). Most patients had active MM at transplantation, with a partial response in 12 of 22 (46%) and stable disease in 1 of 22 (4.5%). All 22 patients tolerated the FluBu4 conditioning well, without early toxic deaths or graft failure. Common regimen-related toxicities included mild to moderate mucositis (18 of 22, 82%) and mild transient liver function abnormality (9 of 22, 41%). There were no grade 4 toxicities but grade 3 mucositis occurred in 7 of 22 patients (32%). The cumulative incidence of severe, grades III and IV acute GVHD at day 180 was 23% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10% to 47%) and that of chronic GVHD was 68% (95% CI, 46% to 88%). The cumulative incidences of TRM at 100 days, 1 year, and 3 years were 9% (95% CI, 2% to 33%), 19% (95% CI, 7% to 44%), and 29% (95% CI, 13% to 55%), respectively. Two TRMs were due to idiopathic pneumonia syndrome and 1 was due to cirrhosis. They all had decreased pre-HCT corresponding organ function, with HCT-specific comorbidity index scores of > 3. With a median follow-up of 58.7 (range, 39 to 82) months, the cumulative incidences of relapse at 1 and 3 years were 37% (95% CI, 20% to 61%) and 50% (95% CI, 29% to 75%); those for 1-year and 3-year overall survival (OS) were 58% (95% CI, 40% to 83%) and 29% (95% CI, 15% to 57%), respectively, and those for the 1-year and 3-year progression-free survivals (PFS) were 40% (95% CI, 23% to 67%) and 15% (95% CI, 5% to 42%), respectively. In summary, the use of the myeloablative FluBu4 conditioning Allo-HCT for high-risk MM resulted in decreased TRM, compared with that of Allo-HCT using conventional myeloablative regimens; however, the relapse rate was high, including in those developing moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD. This suggested a less robust graft-versus-myeloma effect against high-risk MM, thus resulting in poor PFS and OS. Nonetheless, the FluBu4 regimen may be used as a lower-TRM platform to combine with other strategies, eg, addition of an MM-targeted agent and/or maintenance therapy with these agents, to decrease relapse or progression in patients with high-risk MM.

Advances in understanding the pathogenesis of graft-versus-host disease.

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a potent immunotherapy with curative potential for several haematological disorders. Overcoming the immunological barrier of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a fundamental impediment to expanding the efficacy of HCT. GVHD reflects a complex pathological interaction between the innate and adaptive immune systems of the host and donor. Over the past decade there has been a tremendous advancement in our understanding of the cellular and molecular underpinnings of this devastating disease. In this review, we cover several recently appreciated facets of GVHD pathogenesis including novel extracellular mediators of inflammation, immune subsets, intracellular signal transduction, post-translation modifications and epigenetic regulation. We begin to develop general themes regarding the immunological pathways in GVHD pathogenesis, discuss critical outstanding questions, and explore new avenues for GVHD treatment and prevention.

Predictive value of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome stage 0p in chronic graft-versus-host disease of the lung.

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is a significant post-transplant complication with low survival. BOS stage 0p (BOS 0p) is a parameter detected on pulmonary function tests (PFTs) after lung transplantation to identify patients at risk to develop BOS. We performed a retrospective study on 442 patients who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplant from 2007 to 2011 to evaluate whether development of BOS 0p is a risk factor in this population for BOS. Patients who met criteria for BOS 0p were significantly more likely to develop BOS (hazard ratio [HR], 3.22; P < .001). BOS 0p was significantly associated with a history of lung disease pretransplant (HR, 2.48; P = .001) and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) outside the lung post-transplant (HR, 23; P < .001). Finally, BOS 0p criteria were adequately sensitive in predicting BOS (85%), with a high negative predictive value (98%). Our findings suggest a routine PFT screening strategy with the intent of detecting BOS 0p, especially among patients with prior lung disease and who developed chronic GVHD, could suitably identify an at-risk population for the development of BOS.

Allogeneic transplantation with myeloablative FluBu4 conditioning improves survival compared to reduced intensity FluBu2 conditioning for acute myeloid leukemia in remission.

The optimal intensity of conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains undefined. Traditionally, myeloablative conditioning regimens improve disease control, but at the risk of greater nonrelapse mortality. Because fludarabine with myeloablative doses of intravenous busulfan using pharmacokinetic monitoring has excellent tolerability, we reasoned that this regimen would limit relapse without substantially elevating toxicity when compared to reduced intensity conditioning. We retrospectively analyzed 148 consecutive AML patients in remission receiving T cell replete HCT conditioned with fludarabine and intravenous busulfan at doses defined as reduced (6.4 mg/kg; FluBu2, n = 63) or myeloablative (12.8 mg/kg; FluBu4, n = 85). Early and late nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was similar among FluBu4 and FluBu2 recipients, respectively (day + 100: 4 vs 0 %; 5 years: 19 vs 22 %; p = 0.54). NRM did not differ between FluBu4 and FluBu2 in patients >50 years of age (24 vs 22 %, p = 0.75). Relapse was lower in recipients of FluBu4 (5 years: 30 vs 49 %; p = 0.04), especially in patients with poor risk cytogenetics (22 vs 59 %; p = 0.02) and those >50 years of age (28 vs 51 %; p = 0.02). Overall survival favored FluBu4 recipients at 5 years (53 vs 34 %, p = 0.02), a finding confirmed in multivariate analysis (HR: 0.57; 95 % CI: 0.34-0.95; p = 0.03). These data suggest that myeloablative FluBu4 may provide equivalent NRM, reduced relapse, and improved survival compared to FluBu2, emphasizing the importance of busulfan dose in conditioning for AML.

Vorinostat plus tacrolimus and mycophenolate to prevent graft-versus-host disease after related-donor reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation: a phase 1/2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a barrier to more widespread application of allogeneic haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Vorinostat is an inhibitor of histone deacetylases and was shown to attenuate GVHD in preclinical models. We aimed to study the safety and activity of vorinostat, in combination with standard immunoprophylaxis, for prevention of GVHD in patients undergoing related-donor reduced-intensity conditioning haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation. METHODS: Between March 31, 2009, and Feb 8, 2013, we did a prospective, single-arm, phase 1/2 study at two centres in the USA. We recruited adults (aged ≥18 years) with high-risk haematological malignant diseases who were candidates for reduced-intensity conditioning haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation and had an available 8/8 or 7/8 HLA-matched related donor. All patients received a conditioning regimen of fludarabine (40 mg/m(2) daily for 4 days) and busulfan (3.2 mg/kg daily for 2 days) and GVHD immunoprophylaxis of mycophenolate mofetil (1 g three times a day, days 0-28) and tacrolimus (0.03 mg/kg a day, titrated to a goal level of 8-12 ng/mL, starting day -3 until day 180). Vorinostat (either 100 mg or 200 mg, twice a day) was initiated 10 days before haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation until day 100. The primary endpoint was the cumulative incidence of grade 2-4 acute GVHD by day 100. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00810602. FINDINGS: 50 patients were assessable for both toxic effects and response; eight additional patients were included in the analysis of toxic effects. All patients engrafted neutrophils and platelets at expected times after haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation. The cumulative incidence of grade 2-4 acute GVHD by day 100 was 22% (95% CI 13-36). The most common non-haematological adverse events included electrolyte disturbances (n=15), hyperglycaemia (11), infections (six), mucositis (four), and increased activity of liver enzymes (three). Non-symptomatic thrombocytopenia after engraftment was the most common haematological grade 3-4 adverse event (nine) but was transient and all cases resolved swiftly. INTERPRETATION: Administration of vorinostat in combination with standard GVHD prophylaxis after related-donor reduced-intensity conditioning haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation is safe and is associated with a lower than expected incidence of severe acute GVHD. Future studies are needed to assess the effect of vorinostat for prevention of GVHD in broader settings of haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation. FUNDING: Merck, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, National Institutes of Health, St Baldrick's Foundation, Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research.

Engraftment syndrome after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation predicts poor outcomes.

Engraftment syndrome (ES), characterized by fever, rash, pulmonary edema, weight gain, liver and renal dysfunction, and/or encephalopathy, occurs at the time of neutrophil recovery after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). In this study, we evaluated the incidence, clinical features, risk factors, and outcomes of ES in children and adults undergoing first-time allogeneic HCT. Among 927 patients, 119 (13%) developed ES at a median of 10 days (interquartile range 9 to 12) after HCT. ES patients experienced significantly higher cumulative incidence of grade 2 to 4 acute GVHD at day 100 (75% versus 34%, P < .001) and higher nonrelapse mortality at 2 years (38% versus 19%, P < .001) compared with non-ES patients, resulting in lower overall survival at 2 years (38% versus 54%, P < .001). There was no significant difference in relapse at 2 years (26% versus 31%, P = .772). Suppression of tumorigenicity 2, interleukin 2 receptor alpha, and tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 plasma biomarker levels were significantly elevated in ES patients. Our results illustrate the clinical significance and prognostic impact of ES on allogeneic HCT outcomes. Despite early recognition of the syndrome and prompt institution of corticosteroid therapy, outcomes in ES patients were uniformly poor. This study suggests the need for a prospective approach of collecting clinical features combined with correlative laboratory analyses to better characterize ES.

Etanercept plus topical corticosteroids as initial therapy for grade one acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Clinical diagnosis of grade 1 acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) marks the beginning of a potentially progressive and fatal course of GVHD after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, interventional studies to treat early GVHD are lacking. We conducted a single-arm prospective phase II trial to test the hypothesis that treatment of newly diagnosed grade 1 acute GVHD with etanercept and topical corticosteroids would reduce progression to grade 2 to 4 within 28 days. Study patients (n = 34) had a median age of 51 years (range, 10 to 67 years) and had undergone unrelated (n = 22) or related (n = 12) donor HSCT. Study patients were treated with etanercept (.4 mg/kg, maximum 25 mg/dose) twice weekly for 4 to 8 weeks. Ten of 34 patients (29%) progressed to grade 2 to 4 acute GVHD within 28 days. The cumulative incidence of grade 2 to 4 and grade 3 to 4 acute GVHD at 1 year was 41% and 3%, respectively. Nonrelapse mortality was 19% and overall survival was 63% at 2 years. Among a contemporaneous control cohort of patients who were diagnosed with grade 1 acute GVHD and treated with topical corticosteroids but not etanercept during the study period, 12 of 28 patients (43%) progressed to grade 2 to 4 GVHD within 28 days, with a 1-year incidence of grade 2 to 4 GVHD and grade 3 to 4 GVHD of 61% (41% versus 61%, P = .08) and 18% (3% versus 18%, P = .05), respectively. Patients treated with etanercept also experienced less increase in GVHD plasma biomarkers suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (P = .06) and regenerating islet-derived 3-alpha (P = .01) 28 days after grade 1 acute GVHD diagnosis compared with contemporaneous control patients. This study was terminated early because of poor accrual. Future prospective studies are needed to identify patients with grade 1 acute GVHD at risk of swift progression to more severe GVHD and to establish consensus for the treatment of grade 1 acute GVHD. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00726375.

Comparing 2-day vs 3-day flu-CY lymphodepleting regimens for CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in patients with non-hodgkin's lymphoma.

Introduction: Lymphodepleting chemotherapy (LDC) is critical to CAR T-cell expansion and efficacy. Despite this, there is not a consensus in the literature regarding the optimal LDC regimen, including dose and frequency. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients at a single institution that received LDC prior to treatment with the CD19 directed CAR T-cell products axicabtagene ciloleucel and tisagenlecleucel. Patients treated at our center received fludarabine 30 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 for 3 consecutive days prior to May 2019. After this timepoint patients routinely received fludarabine 40 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 for 2 consecutive days. Clinical data from each cohort were obtained from the electronic medical record and compared for differences in CAR T-cell efficacy and toxicity. Results: From June 2018 to August 2023, LDC was given to 92 patients prior to CD19 directed CAR T-cell therapy for relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Twenty-eight patients received a 3-day regimen, and 64 patients received a 2-day regimen. In the total cohort, 75% of patients received axicabtagene ciloleucel and 25% received tisagenlecleucel. The overall response rates in both the 2-day regimen group and the 3-day regimen group were similar (69% vs 75%, p= 0.21) as were the complete response rates (50% vs 54%, p=0.82). There were no significant differences between the 2-day and 3-day regimens for grade 2-4 cytokine release syndrome (55% vs 50%, p=0.82), grade 2-4 immune effector cell associated-neurotoxicity syndrome (42% vs 29%, p=0.25), or time to resolution of neutropenia or thrombocytopenia. The rate of prolonged platelet recovery lasting greater than 60 days was higher with the 3-day regimen (9% vs 27%, p=0.026). Discussion: As the number of patients eligible for CAR T-cell therapy continues to increase, optimizing each component of therapy is necessary. We show that a 2-day regimen of LDC with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide is feasible without significant impact on CAR T-cell efficacy or toxicity. Prospective studies are necessary to further determine the most effective LDC regimen.