Impact of Donor Statin Treatment on Graft-versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Some retrospective studies have suggested that long-term donor statin use may protect against graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients receiving cyclosporine (CSP)-based immunosuppression after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), but prospective studies of short-term treatment of donors with statin have shown conflicting results. We conducted 2 consecutive prospective clinical trials to assess whether donor statin treatment was associated with protection against severe acute GVHD (aGVHD). In a single-arm phase II trial (study 1), we evaluated whether short-term statin treatment of HLA-matched related donors for 14 days before HCT prevented grade III-IV aGVHD. In a prospective observational cohort study (study 2), we evaluated whether longer-term (>14 days) donor statin use was required for GVHD-protective effects. Study 1 was terminated after 6 of the 35 recipients (17%) developed grade III-IV GVHD. For study 2, we identified 135 patients whose unrelated donors had received long-term treatment with statins up to the time of HCT and 4942 patients whose donors had not received long-term statin treatment. The adjusted odds ratio for grade III-IV aGVHD (statin versus no statin) was .83 (95% confidence interval [CI], .46 to 1.50; P = .54). Multivariable analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in the risk of grade II-IV aGVHD, chronic GVHD, nonrelapse mortality, recurrent malignancy, or overall mortality. Among patients receiving CSP-based immunosuppression, including 35 with donors receiving long-term statin treatment and 973 with donors who did not receive statins, the adjusted odds ratio of grade III-IV aGVHD was .30 (95% CI, .07 to 1.35; P = .12). In study 1, short-term statin treatment of donors was ineffective in preventing grade III-IV GVHD. In study 2, in the prespecified subgroup of recipients given CSP-based immunosuppression, nondefinitive evidence suggested that donor statin use was associated with a reduced risk of severe aGVHD.

Pilot study of lithium to restore intestinal barrier function in severe graft-versus-host disease.

Severe intestinal graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) causes mucosal ulceration and induces innate and adaptive immune responses that amplify and perpetuate GVHD and the associated barrier dysfunction. Pharmacological agents to target mucosal barrier dysfunction in GVHD are needed. We hypothesized that induction of Wnt signaling by lithium, an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK3), would potentiate intestinal crypt proliferation and mucosal repair and that inhibition of GSK3 in inflammatory cells would attenuate the deregulated inflammatory response to mucosal injury. We conducted an observational pilot study to provide data for the potential design of a randomized study of lithium. Twenty patients with steroid refractory intestinal GVHD meeting enrollment criteria were given oral lithium carbonate. GVHD was otherwise treated per current practice, including 2 mg/kg per day of prednisone equivalent. Seventeen patients had extensive mucosal denudation (extreme endoscopic grade 3) in the duodenum or colon. We observed that 8 of 12 patients (67%) had a complete remission (CR) of GVHD and survived more than 1 year (median 5 years) when lithium administration was started promptly within 3 days of endoscopic diagnosis of denuded mucosa. When lithium was started promptly and less than 7 days from salvage therapy for refractory GVHD, 8 of 10 patients (80%) had a CR and survived more than 1 year. In perspective, a review of 1447 consecutive adult HCT patients in the preceding 6 years at our cancer center showed 0% one-year survival in 27 patients with stage 3-4 intestinal GVHD and grade 3 endoscopic appearance in the duodenum or colon. Toxicities included fatigue, somnolence, confusion or blunted affect in 50% of the patients. The favorable outcomes in patients who received prompt lithium therapy appear to support the future conduct of a randomized study of lithium for management of severe GVHD with extensive mucosal injury. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00408681.

Low immunosuppressive burden after HLA-matched related or unrelated BMT using posttransplantation cyclophosphamide.

The intensive and prolonged immunosuppressive therapy required to prevent or treat graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic blood or marrow transplantation (alloBMT) puts patients at substantial risk for life-threatening infections, organ toxicity, and disease relapse. Posttransplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) can function as single-agent GVHD prophylaxis after myeloablative, HLA-matched related (MRD), or HLA-matched unrelated (MUD) donor T-cell-replete bone marrow allografting, obviating the need for additional prophylactic immunosuppression. However, patients who develop GVHD require supplemental treatment. We assessed the longitudinal requirement for immunosuppressive therapy in 339 patients treated with this transplantation platform: 247 receiving busulfan/cyclophosphamide (BuCy) conditioning (data collected retrospectively) and 92 receiving busulfan/fludarabine (BuFlu) conditioning (data collected prospectively). Approximately 50% of MRD patients and 30% of MUD patients never required immunosuppression beyond PTCy. In patients requiring further immunosuppression, typically only 1 to 2 agents were required, and the median durations of systemic pharmacologic immunosuppression for the BuCy MRD, BuFlu MRD, BuCy MUD, and BuFlu MUD groups all were 4.5 to 5 months. For these 4 groups, 1-year probabilities of being alive and off all systemic immunosuppression were 61%, 53%, 53%, and 51% and 3-year probabilities were 53%, 48%, 49%, and 56%, respectively. These data suggest that PTCy minimizes the global immunosuppressive burden experienced by patients undergoing HLA-matched alloBMT.

Posttransplantation cyclophosphamide for prevention of graft-versus-host disease after HLA-matched mobilized blood cell transplantation.

The cumulative incidence of National Institutes of Health (NIH)-defined chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) requiring systemic treatment is ∼35% at 1 year after transplantation of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized blood cells from HLA-matched related or unrelated donors. We hypothesized that high-dose cyclophosphamide given after G-CSF-mobilized blood cell transplantation would reduce the cumulative 1-year incidence of chronic GVHD to 15% or less. Forty-three patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies (median age, 43 years) were enrolled between December 2011 and September 2013. Twelve (28%) received grafts from related donors, and 31 (72%) received grafts from unrelated donors. Pretransplant conditioning consisted of fludarabine and targeted busulfan (n = 25) or total body irradiation (≥12 Gy; n = 18). Cyclophosphamide was given at 50 mg/kg per day on days 3 and 4 after transplantation, followed by cyclosporine starting on day 5. The cumulative 1-year incidence of NIH-defined chronic GVHD was 16% (95% confidence interval, 5-28%). The cumulative incidence estimates of grades 2-4 and 3-4 acute GVHD were 77% and 0%, respectively. At 2 years, the cumulative incidence estimates of nonrelapse mortality and recurrent malignancy were 14% and 17%, respectively, and overall survival was projected at 70%. Of the 42 patients followed for ≥1 year, 21 (50%) were relapse-free and alive without systemic immunosuppression at 1 year after transplantation. Thus, myeloablative pretransplant conditioning can be safely combined with high-dose cyclophosphamide after transplantation, and the risk of chronic GVHD associated with HLA-matched mobilized blood cell grafts can be substantially reduced. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01427881.

Multi-institutional study of post-transplantation cyclophosphamide as single-agent graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation using myeloablative busulfan and fludarabine conditioning.

PURPOSE: The clinical safety and efficacy of intravenous busulfan and fludarabine (IV Bu/Flu) myeloablative conditioning as well as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis with high-dose, post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) have been demonstrated independently in several single-institutional studies. We hypothesized that combining these two promising approaches in a multi-institutional study of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -matched bone marrow transplantation would provide low rates of severe acute and chronic GVHD, low toxicity, and effective disease control. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-two adult patients (median age, 49 years; range, 21 to 65 years) with high-risk hematologic malignancies were enrolled at three centers (clinical trial No. NCT00809276). Forty-five patients received related allografts, and 47 received unrelated allografts. GVHD prophylaxis was solely with PTCy at 50 mg/kg/day on post-transplantation days +3 and +4. RESULTS: The cumulative incidences of grades 2 to 4 acute, grades 3 to 4 acute, and chronic GVHD were 51%, 15%, and 14%, respectively. Nonrelapse mortality (NRM) at 100 days and 1 year were 9% and 16%, respectively. With a median follow-up period of 2.2 years, the 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 62% and 67%, respectively. Donor relatedness did not affect NRM, DFS, or OS. Patients in complete remission (CR) without evidence of minimal residual disease (MRD) had markedly better DFS (80%) and OS (80%) than patients in CR with MRD or with active disease at the time of transplantation (DFS, P = .0005; OS, P = .019). CONCLUSION: This multi-institutional study demonstrates that PTCy can be safely and effectively combined with IV Bu/Flu myeloablative conditioning and confirms PTCy's efficacy as single-agent, short-course GVHD prophylaxis for both acute and chronic GVHD after bone marrow transplantation from HLA-matched donors.

A pilot pharmacologic biomarker study of busulfan and fludarabine in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients.

PURPOSE: Sixteen patients diagnosed with various hematologic malignancies participated in a phase II study evaluating the addition of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG, Thymoglobulin(®)) to the hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) conditioning regimen of IV fludarabine monophosphate (fludarabine) and targeted intravenous (IV) busulfan (fludarabine/(T)busulfan). Our goal was to evaluate pharmacologic biomarkers pertinent to both medications in these patients. METHODS: We characterized the interpatient variability of pharmacologic biomarkers relevant to busulfan, specifically busulfan concentration at steady state, and fludarabine, specifically F-ara-A area under the curve (AUC) and fludarabine triphosphate (F-ara-ATP) intracellular accumulation and concentration in separate CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-lymphocyte populations. RESULTS: Acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GvHD) occurred in 11 patients and one patient, respectively. Four patients died before day +100 of non-relapse causes, which met the protocol stopping guidelines. The cumulative incidence of relapse was 25% at 3 year post-HCT. Interpatient variability in the busulfan- and fludarabine-relevant pharmacologic biomarkers was 2.1- to 2.5-fold. F-ara-A AUC and accumulated F-ara-ATP in CD8(+) cells had the highest hazard ratio for non-relapse mortality and overall survival, respectively. However, neither achieved statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The low rates of GvHD, particularly in its chronic form, were encouraging, and further biomarker studies are warranted to optimize the fludarabine/(T)busulfan/rATG conditioning regimen.

Evaluation of oral beclomethasone dipropionate for prevention of acute graft-versus-host disease.

Results from two randomized trials have shown that oral beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) is effective for treatment of acute gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease. Here, we report results of a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled phase II study designed to test the hypothesis that acute graft-versus-host disease could be prevented by administration of oral BDP, beginning before hematopoietic cell transplantation and continuing until day 75 after hematopoietic cell transplantation after myeloablative conditioning. Study drug (BDP or placebo) was administered as 1-mg immediate-release formulation plus 1-mg delayed-release formulation orally four times daily. According to the primary endpoint, systemic glucocorticoid treatment for graft-versus-host disease was given to 60 of the 92 participants (65%) in the BDP arm, versus 31 of 46 participants (67%) in the placebo arm. The secondary efficacy endpoints showed no statistically significant differences between the two arms. The proportion of participants who took at least 90% of the prescribed study drug during the first 4 weeks after hematopoietic cell transplantation was 54% overall. Lower severity of mucositis strongly correlated with higher adherence to the schedule of study drug administration. Inconsistent adherence related to mucositis during recovery after myeloablative conditioning may have obscured a beneficial therapeutic effect in the current study.

A retrospective comparison of tacrolimus versus cyclosporine with methotrexate for immunosuppression after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation with mobilized blood cells.

This retrospective study was performed to compare results with tacrolimus versus cyclosporine in combination with methotrexate for immunosuppression after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mobilized blood cells. The cohort included 456 consecutive patients who received first allogeneic T cell-replete HCT with mobilized blood cells from related or unrelated donors after high-intensity conditioning for treatment of hematologic malignancies. Study endpoints included grades II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), grades III-IV aGVHD, chronic GVHD (cGVHD), end of treatment for cGVHD, overall mortality, disease-free survival (DFS), recurrent malignancy, and nonrelapse mortality (NRM). Adjusted multivariate Cox regression analysis showed no statistically significant differences between tacrolimus and cyclosporine for any of the endpoints tested. Although the size of the cohort is not sufficient to exclude clinically meaningful differences in outcomes, these results support the continued use of cyclosporine at centers that have not adopted tacrolimus as the standard of care after HCT with mobilized blood cells after high-intensity conditioning regimens. A larger registry study should be performed to provide more definitive information comparing outcomes with the 2 calcineurin inhibitors.

Longitudinal assessment of morbidity and acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: retrospective analysis of a multicenter phase III study.

Because morbidity early after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) results in large part from the development of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), we previously proposed that a longitudinal assessment of morbidity involving the skin, liver, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract might provide a more complete, objective approach for comparing 2 arms of open-label randomized clinical trials for acute GVHD prevention. In this study, we determined both morbidity across time and GVHD across time in a retrospective analysis of a database from an open-label randomized clinical trial comparing tacrolimus/methotrexate and cyclosporine/methotrexate after myeloablative conditioning and marrow transplantation from HLA-matched unrelated donors. The results confirm differences in overall morbidity across time in patients with peak grade II-IV GVHD compared with those with grade 0-I GVHD, but no significant differences in morbidity associated with grade II GVHD compared with grade 0-I GVHD. We observed less skin morbidity and a trend toward less liver morbidity across time in the tacrolimus group (P = .04 and .09, respectively), but not for GI morbidity or overall morbidity, despite significantly decreased skin and liver stages and overall grades of GVHD across time in this group. Thus, our objective assessment of differences in morbidity (regardless of cause) as a measure of acute GVHD in a randomized clinical trial of acute GVHD prevention has only limited utility. The difficulty of demonstrating clinical benefits from objective parameters, such as survival and morbidity, and the subjectivity of grading acute GVHD emphasize the need for blinded assessments in clinical trials of GVHD prevention.

Initial therapy of acute graft-versus-host disease with low-dose prednisone does not compromise patient outcomes.

We hypothesized that initial treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) with low-dose glucocorticoids (prednisone-equivalent dose of 1 mg/kg per day) instead of standard-dose glucocorticoids (prednisone-equivalent dose of 2 mg/kg per day) does not compromise major transplantation outcomes. We retrospectively analyzed outcomes among 733 patients who received transplants between 2000 and 2005 according to initial treatment with low-dose (n=347) versus standard-dose (n=386) systemic glucocorticoids. The mean cumulative prednisone-equivalent doses at day 100 after starting treatment were 44 and 87 mg/kg for patients given low-dose and standard-dose glucocorticoids, respectively. Adjusted outcomes between the groups given low-dose versus standard-dose glucocorticoids were not statistically significantly different: overall mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.9-1.4), relapse (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.9-1.7), nonrelapse mortality (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.8-1.5). The small number of patients with grades III/IV acute GVHD at onset precluded definitive conclusions for this subgroup. In multivariate analysis, the risks of invasive fungal infections (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.3-1.0) and the duration of hospitalization (odds ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.4-0.9) were reduced in the low-dose prednisone group. We conclude that initial treatment with low-dose glucocorticoids for patients with grades I-II GVHD did not compromise disease control or mortality and was associated with decreased toxicity.

Sirolimus in combination with cyclosporine or tacrolimus plus methotrexate for prevention of graft-versus-host disease following hematopoietic cell transplantation from unrelated donors.

In 2 consecutive prospective clinical trials, we evaluated the efficacy of sirolimus together with a calcineurin inhibitor (cyclosporine or tacrolimus) and low-dose methotrexate for prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after unrelated hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Nine patients received sirolimus with cyclosporine, and 17 received sirolimus with tacrolimus. The incidence of grade II-IV GVHD was 77%, with the median onset at day 7 after HCT. Because of toxicity, administration of sirolimus was discontinued earlier than planned in 11 patients, but after the onset of GVHD. Three patients developed renal failure requiring hemodialysis. Accrual in both studies was terminated because of lack of efficacy. In these studies, the addition of sirolimus to regimens containing a calcineurin inhibitor and methotrexate appeared to cause toxicity and provided no detectable improvement in preventing GVHD.

A phase I/II study of mycophenolate mofetil in combination with cyclosporine for prophylaxis of acute graft-versus-host disease after myeloablative conditioning and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Abstract In a phase I/II study, the combination of cyclosporine (CSP) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was investigated as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis after myeloablative conditioning and hematopoietic cell transplantation from an HLA-matched sibling donor. In phase I, 3 groups, each with 10 or 11 patients, received MMF (15 mg/kg) from day 0 to day 27 at decreasing dose intervals of every 12, 8, and 6 hours to determine a safe and effective total daily dose. At the 45 mg/kg/d dosage level, 4 of 11 patients developed only grade II GVHD, and a concentration at steady state of mycophenolic acid (the active moiety of MMF) consistent with a therapeutic range described for solid-organ transplantation was achieved. There was a suggestion of increased toxicity without improved efficacy at the 60 mg/kg/d dosage level. Accordingly, the 45 mg/kg/d dosage was therefore selected for phase II, and another 15 patients were added to this group from the phase I study (n=26). The concentrations at steady state for this dosage at days 0, 6, 13, 20, and 27 were 2.73, 3.02, 3.20, 2.62, and 2.64 microg/mL, respectively. No toxicities were attributed to MMF at this dose. The median time to engraftment after hematopoietic cell transplantation was 15 days (range, 10-20 days). The incidence of acute GVHD was 62%, which was comparable to a group of historical controls receiving CSP and methotrexate (MTX) for GVHD prophylaxis. Although a significant improvement in the prevention of GVHD was not suggested, compared with CSP and MTX, MMF in combination with CSP could be considered in cases in which MTX is contraindicated.

Psoralen and ultraviolet A irradiation (PUVA) as therapy for steroid-resistant cutaneous acute graft-versus-host disease.

Psoralen plus ultraviolet A irradiation (PUVA) has immunomodulatory effects and is used to treat a variety of immune-mediated dermatologic diseases. We administered PUVA to 103 patients for treatment of steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) of the skin. Twenty-nine patients had related donors (12 HLA-mismatched) and 74 had unrelated donors (23 HLA-mismatched). The median onset of GVHD was day 13 after transplantation, and the median onset of PUVA treatment was day 46. PUVA was administered as secondary therapy for 86 patients and tertiary therapy or greater for 17 patients. The median number of treatments was 16, and the mean cumulative exposure was 41 J/cm2. PUVA was generally well tolerated with 8 patients discontinuing therapy because of toxicity. At the start of PUVA treatment, 48 patients had rash affecting >50% of their body surface area (BSA), and 91 had rash involving >25% BSA. Of 65 patients who were evaluated after 6 weeks of PUVA treatment, 11 still had rash involving >50% BSA, 24 had rash involving >25% BSA, and 24 had no rash. The mean daily dose of prednisone at the start of PUVA therapy was 1.6 mg/kg compared to 0.7 mg/kg after 6 weeks of therapy. Fifty-nine patients (57%) did not require additional therapy for skin GVHD after starting PUVA. Ninety-two percent of patients developed chronic GVHD. Fifty-three patients (51%) remain alive at 129-1883 days after transplantation. These results suggest that PUVA can be an effective therapy for steroid-resistant acute GVHD of the skin.