Long-Term Outcomes After Autologous Versus Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Molecularly-Stratified Patients With Intermediate Cytogenetic Risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A PETHEMA Study.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with intermediate risk cytogenetics (IRcyto) comprises a variety of biological entities with distinct mutational landscapes that translate into differential risks of relapse and prognosis. Optimal postremission therapy choice in this heterogeneous patient population is currently unsettled. In the current study, we compared outcomes in IRcyto AML recipients of autologous (autoSCT) (n = 312) or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) (n = 279) in first complete remission (CR1). Molecular risk was defined based on CEBPA, NPM1, and FLT3-ITD mutational status, per European LeukemiaNet 2017 criteria. Five-year overall survival (OS) in patients with favorable molecular risk (FRmol) was 62% (95% confidence interval [CI], 50-72) after autoSCT and 66% (95% CI, 41-83) after matched sibling donor (MSD) alloSCT (P = .68). For patients of intermediate molecular risk (IRmol), MSD alloSCT was associated with lower cumulative incidence of relapse (P < .001), as well as with increased nonrelapse mortality (P = .01), as compared to autoSCT. The 5-year OS was 47% (95% CI, 34-58) after autoSCT and 70% (95% CI, 59-79) after MSD alloSCT (P = .02) in this patient subgroup. In a propensity-score matched IRmol subcohort (n = 106), MSD alloSCT was associated with superior leukemia-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.33, P = .004) and increased OS in patients alive 1 year after transplantation (HR 0.20, P = .004). These results indicate that, within IRcyto AML in CR1, autoSCT may be a valid option for FRmol patients, whereas MSD alloSCT should be the preferred postremission strategy in IRmol patients.

Bone marrow evaluation in initial staging of lymphoma: 18F-FDG PET/CT versus bone marrow biopsy.

PURPOSE: The evaluation of bone marrow infiltration (BMI) is of crucial importance in the staging of lymphoma. Although bone marrow biopsy (BMB) is the reference standard for the evaluation of BMI, it has limitations. PET/CT has become an excellent tool in staging of lymphoma, and bone marrow uptake is correlated with the involvement of lymphoma. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of PET/CT and its concordance with BMB in the detection of BMI in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred forty-seven patients with DLBCL (84) and HL (63) were referred for a PET/CT and a BMB (unilateral) at the initial staging. The reference standard was BMB. RESULTS: Bone marrow infiltration was detected by PET/CT in 39 (26%) and by BMB in 21 (14%) cases. There was concordance between PET/CT and BMB in 128 patients (87%) (74 DLBCL, 54 HL), 21 with positive PET/CT and BMB results and 107 with negative PET/CT and BMB results. Discordant results were observed in 19 patients (14%); 18 of them with positive PET/CT and negative standard BMB results (not performed in active sites). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, as well as positive and negative predictive values of FDG-PET/CT for the detection of BMI were 95%, 86%, 87%, 54%, and 99%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PET/CT detects more bone marrow involvement in DLBCL and HL compared with BMB. Its good concordance with BMB makes it a complementary technique, as it helps select the biopsy site in cases with negative results.