A phase 1 trial of eltrombopag in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation after total body irradiation.

Stem cell transplantation can be associated with significant periods of thrombocytopenia, necessitating platelet transfusions and contributing to the risk of bleeding. Thrombopoietin receptor agonists have been shown to enhance platelet counts in other clinical settings, and so a phase 1 clinical trial was conducted to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and maximum tolerated dose of once-daily eltrombopag in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation with conditioning regimens containing total body irradiation ≥400 cGy. Eltrombopag was examined at dosage levels of 75, 150, 225, and 300 mg given orally once daily for 27 days, starting at 24 to 48 hours post-transplantation. Pharmacokinetic sampling was performed over a 24-hour period after the first dose of eltrombopag, as well as during the second week of treatment (steady-state). Nineteen patients were enrolled, 15 of whom completed protocol treatments. Three patients completed each dose level up to 225 mg, and 6 completed treatment at the highest dose of 300 mg. Four patients were replaced because drug compliance was <75% of planned doses. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed in this heterogeneous post-transplantation patient population. Common adverse events were related to standard stem cell transplantation. One episode of pulmonary embolus occurred 9 days after discontinuation of eltrombopag, and the only other thromboembolic episode was a grade 2 catheter-related clot. We conclude that up to 27 days of once-daily dosing of eltrombopag after stem cell transplantation is well tolerated.

Use of eltrombopag, a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, in post-transplantation thrombocytopenia.

Persistent thrombocytopenia after stem cell transplantation can lead to increased morbidity and mortality [1,2]. The underlying causes are often multifactorial in this patient population [3,4]. In autologous transplantation, thrombocytopenia is usually a result of poor engraftment or a sign of impending disease relapse. In allogeneic stem cell transplantation, the etiology is often more complex with engraftment deficits, medication effects, graft versus host disease (GVHD), and other immunologic processes potentially contributing. Eltrombopag is an orally available nonpeptide thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonist which interacts with the transmembrane domain of the receptor on bone marrow megakaryocytes and upstream progenitor/stem cells. It has been studied in patients with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura [5] and in patients with thrombocytopenia secondary to hepatitis C infection [6]. Unlike the case with recombinant human TPO, its use has not been associated with anti-platelet antibody production [7]. We report two cases of post-transplantation thrombocytopenia, one allogeneic and one autologous, where eltrombopag was given to treat prolonged thrombocytopenia. The use of eltrombopag in these two cases was effective in elevating platelet counts to levels that eliminated the need for platelet transfusions.

A Phase I trial: dose escalation of melphalan in the "BEAM" regimen using amifostine cytoprotection.

With the eventual goal of reducing relapse and thus improving overall survival in selected lymphoma patients, a Phase I study was performed using the cytoprotectant amifostine to permit safe dose-augmentation of melphalan in the carmustine (BCNU), etoposide, cytarabine (arabinosylcytosine), and melphalan (BEAM) regimen before autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Between 30 July 2003 and 25 November 2008, a total of 32 lymphoma patients were entered, of which 28 were evaluable. We found the melphalan dose in BEAM could be safely escalated to at least 260 mg/m², a substantial increase from the usual dose of 140 mg/m² in BEAM while the trial was terminated early due to poor accrual, no maximal tolerated dose or dose-limiting toxicity was found. A Phase II trial is planned.

Oral eruption cysts in a child with hepatoblastoma.

Oral eruption cysts develop when extravasated fluid, epithelial remnants of tooth embryogenesis, and blood obliterates the submucosal space encapsulating an erupting primary or permanent tooth. In immunocompetent children, these lesions are treated conservatively with watchful monitoring for spontaneous rupture, mucosal healing, and timely tooth emergence. We describe the clinical course for 2 oral eruption cysts in a child with Stage III hepatoblastoma treated with chemotherapy before liver transplant. This article provides recommendations for care when prophylactic surgical excision of oral eruption cysts is indicated in pediatric oncology patients.

Late Relapses After High-dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma in the Rituximab Era.

BACKGROUND: The standard of care for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) relapsing after front-line therapy is high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Evidence has suggested that early relapses (ie, within 1 year) after this approach portends exceptionally poor outcomes. However, data examining relapses > 1 year after ASCT for patients with refractory or relapsed DLBCL are limited, in particular, in the rituximab era. We sought to examine the effect of early (≤ 1 year) and late (> 1 year) relapse after ASCT in a single-institution cohort of patients with relapsed and refractory DLBCL treated with chemoimmunotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the data from 85 consecutive patients who had undergone ASCT for biopsy-confirmed relapsed or refractory DLBCL from 2001 to 2010 at the University of Rochester Medical Center. All patients had received rituximab as a part of treatment. Of the 85 patients, 35 developed relapse after ASCT. These 35 patients were divided into 2 groups according to the timing of the relapse (≤ 1 year and > 1 year after ASCT). RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 6.4 years. For all patients, the overall survival (OS) from post-ASCT relapse was 5.2 years. For the 27 patients developing relapse at ≤ 1 year after ASCT, the median OS was 0.6 year and progression-free survival was 0.4 year. For the 8 patients developing relapse at > 1 year after ASCT, the median OS was 5.9 years and progression-free survival was 2.9 years. CONCLUSION: Patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL experiencing relapse > 1 year after ASCT had good outcomes. Despite the relative rarity in incidence, a significant risk of relapse of DLBCL after ASCT remains, suggesting the need for continued monitoring because of the possibility of later progression.

Parathyroid hormone stimulates expression of the Notch ligand Jagged1 in osteoblastic cells.

We previously demonstrated that activation of the Parathyroid Hormone Receptor (PTH1R) in osteoblastic cells increases the Notch ligand Jagged1 and expands hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) through Notch signaling. However, regulation of Jagged1 by PTH in osteoblasts is poorly understood. The present study demonstrates that PTH treatment increases Jagged1 levels in a subpopulation of osteoblastic cells in vivo and in UMR106 osteoblastic cells in vitro. Since PTH(1-34) activates both Adenylate Cyclase/Protein Kinase A (AC/PKA) and Protein Kinase C (PKC) downstream of the PTH1R in osteoblastic cells, we independently determined the effect of either pathway on Jagged1. Activation of AC with Forskolin or PKA with PTH(1-31) or cell-permeable cAMP analogues increased osteoblastic Jagged1. This PTH-dependent Jagged1 increase was blocked by H89 and PKI, specific PKA inhibitors. In contrast, PKC activation with phorbol ester (PMA) or PTH(13-34) did not stimulate Jagged1 expression, and PTH-dependent Jagged1 stimulation was not blocked by Gö6976, a conventional PKC inhibitor. Therefore, PTH treatment stimulates osteoblastic Jagged1 mainly through the AC/PKA signaling pathway downstream of the PTH1R. Since Jagged1/Notch signaling has been implicated not only in stromal-HSC interactions but also in osteoblastic differentiation, Jagged1 may play a critical role in mediating the PTH-dependent expansion of HSC, as well as the anabolic effect of PTH in bone.

Outpatient administration of BEAM conditioning prior to autologous stem cell transplantation for lymphoma is safe, feasible, and cost-effective.

High-dose BEAM chemotherapy (BCNU, etoposide, Ara-C, and melphalan) followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is frequently used as consolidative therapy for patients with recurrent or refractory Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The BEAM regimen has traditionally been administered over 6 days in the hospital, with patients remaining hospitalized until hematologic recovery and clinical stability. In an effort to reduce the length of hospitalization for these patients, our institution has transitioned from inpatient (IP) to outpatient (OP) administration of BEAM conditioning. Here, we report the results of an analysis of the feasibility, cost, complications, and outcomes for the initial group of patients who received OP BEAM compared to a prior cohort of patients who received IP BEAM. Patient and disease characteristics were comparable for the two cohorts, as were engraftment kinetics. Length of hospital stay was reduced by 6 days for the OP cohort (P < 0.001), resulting in a cost savings of more than $17,000 per patient. Fewer complications occurred in the OP cohort, including severe enteritis (P = 0.01), organ toxicities (P = 0.01), and infections (P = 0.04). Overall survival rate up to 3 years posttransplant was better for the OP cohort (P = 0.02), likely due to differences in posttransplant therapies. We conclude that OP administration of BEAM conditioning is safe and may offer significant advantages, including decreased length of hospitalization, reduced costs, decreased risks for severe toxicities and infectious complications, and likely improvement in patient satisfaction and quality of life.

The hematopoietic cell transplantation specific comorbidity index and survival after extracorporeal photopheresis, pentostatin, and reduced dose total body irradiation conditioning prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Hematopoietic-cell-transplantation-specific-comorbidity-index (HCT-CI) has been reported as a predictor of survival in allogeneic-transplant recipients; however its validity has recently been challenged. We evaluated the association of HCT-CI with survival of transplant recipients who underwent reduced-intensity-conditioning (RIC) with photopheresis, pentostatin, and total-body-irradiation. Median age of 103 patients selected was 55 years. Most patients (58.3%) had high (≥ 3) HCT-CI. Median OS was 298 days. Age, disease-type, disease-status, HCT-CI correlated with survival on bivariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, only HCT-CI was significantly associated with OS (low HCT-CI HR=0.29, CI 0.091-0.886; intermediate HCT-CI HR=0.41, CI 0.226-0.752). Our findings suggest HCT-CI as an independent predictor of survival in the setting of RIC transplants.