Sleeping beauty generated CD19 CAR T-Cell therapy for advanced B-Cell hematological malignancies.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has emerged recently as a standard of care treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and several subtypes of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). However, its use remains limited to highly specialized centers, given the complexity of its administration and its associated toxicities. We previously reported our experience in using a novel Sleeping Beauty (SB) CD19-specific CAR T-cell therapy in the peri-transplant setting, where it exhibited an excellent safety profile with encouraging survival outcomes. We have since modified the SB CD19 CAR construct to improve its efficacy and shorten its manufacturing time. We report here the phase 1 clinical trial safety results. Fourteen heavily treated patients with relapsed/refractory ALL and NHL were infused. Overall, no serious adverse events were directly attributed to the study treatment. Three patients developed grades 1-2 cytokine release syndrome and none of the study patients experienced neurotoxicity. All dose levels were well tolerated and no dose-limiting toxicities were reported. For efficacy, 3 of 8 (38%) patients with ALL achieved CR/CRi (complete remission with incomplete count recovery) and 1 (13%) patient had sustained molecular disease positivity. Of the 4 patients with DLBCL, 2 (50%) achieved CR. The SB-based CAR constructs allow manufacturing of targeted CAR T-cell therapies that are safe, cost-effective and with encouraging antitumor activity.

Haploidentical versus Matched Unrelated versus Matched Sibling Donor Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation with Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide.

With the use of post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy), the outcomes of mismatched related donor hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are now approaching those of matched donor HCT. Here we compared haploidentical donor HCT versus HLA-matched unrelated donor (MUD) HCT and HLA-identical sibling donor (MSD) HCT in a cohort in which all patients received PTCy for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. We included 661 patients (275 haploidentical, 246 MUD, and 140 MSD HCT). The most common diagnoses were acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. In multivariate analysis, the haploidentical group was found to have significantly higher nonrelapse mortality (NRM) (hazard ratio [HR], 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2 to 4.9; P < .001) and inferior progression-free survival (HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.4 to 2.4; P < .001) and overall survival (OS; HR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.6 to 3; P < .001) compared with the MUD group. Relapse was the most common cause of death in all groups. Among causes of NRM, the haploidentical group had more infection-related deaths and fewer GVHD-related deaths than the other groups. The haploidentical group also had a higher risk of viral and fungal infections, grade ≥3 hemorrhagic cystitis, and cardiovascular toxicities and slower reconstitution of CD4, CD8, and regulatory T cells but faster reconstitution of natural killer cells. In an exploratory analysis, older patients with older donors (>50 years for both) appeared to have particularly high NRM and lower OS in the haploidentical group compared with the other groups. Our data suggest that even with the use of PTCy, the outcomes of haploidentical HCT are inferior to those of HLA-matched donor HCT.

Vorinostat Combined with Busulfan, Fludarabine, and Clofarabine Conditioning Regimen for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Acute Leukemia: Long-Term Study Outcomes.

Conditioning regimens play a major role in determining disease outcomes following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The use of i.v. busulfan (Bu) as part of conditioning chemotherapy has been shown to be effective in controlling disease relapse; however, disease relapse remains a major cause of death following allo-HSCT. This study was conducted to determine the long-term outcomes of vorinostat with i.v. Bu plus dual nucleoside analogs clofarabine (Clo) and fludarabine (Flu) in the conditioning regimen for patients undergoing allo-HSCT. This was a rapid dose escalation phase I/II study designed to determine whether the addition of vorinostat would improve the efficacy of standard i.v. Bu/Flu/Clo conditioning regimen. This report presents the long-term disease outcomes of this combination in 68 patients with high-risk leukemia, including 31 (46%) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 37 (54%) with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Fifty-eight patients (85%) were in morphologic complete remission at time of transplantation, and 38 (56%) received a matched unrelated donor graft. Over the median follow-up of 37.6 months, 29 of the 68 patients died (43%), and the nonrelapse mortality (NRM) rate was 22% (n = 15). The median overall survival and median NRM were not reached. Nineteen patients (28%) experienced disease progression. The median progression-free survival was 36.8 months. Thirty-seven patients (57%) developed grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and 20 patients (31%) developed chronic GVHD. Our results suggest a lack of benefit from adding a short course of vorinostat to i.v. Bu/Flu/Clo conditioning regimens for leukemia patients undergoing allo- HSCT.

Autologous stem cell transplantation for large B-cell lymphoma with secondary central nervous system involvement.

Secondary central nervous system large B-cell lymphoma (SCNSL) is rare, with a generally poor prognosis. There is limited data about the role of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in these high-risk patients. We explored in this study treatment outcomes and prognostic factors for patients with SCNSL who underwent ASCT. We included all consecutive patients who underwent ASCT at our institution. Primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). One-hundred two patients were identified. Median age at transplant was 56 (range, 21-71) years. With a median follow-up of 56 (range, 1-256) months, the median PFS and OS were 40 and 88 months, respectively. The 4-year PFS and OS were 48% and 57%, respectively. In univariate analysis, complete remission (CR) at transplant, prior lines of therapy (≤2), normal lactate dehydrogenase, and parenchymal involvement were significantly associated with improved PFS. For OS, only CR at transplant and ≤2 prior lines of therapy were associated with improved survival. On multivariable analysis for PFS, CR at transplant (hazard ratio [HR], 0.278; 95% CI, 0.153-0.506; P ≤ .0001) and ≤2 prior lines of therapy (HR, 0.485; 95% CI, 0.274-0.859; P = .0131) were significantly associated with superior PFS. Similarly, CR at transplant (HR, 0.352; 95% CI, 0.186-0.663; P = .0013) and ≤2 prior lines of therapy (HR, 0.476; 95% CI, 0.257-0.882; P = .0183) were associated with improved survival. In the largest single-center study, our findings indicate that ASCT is associated with durable responses and prolonged survival in patients with SCNSL. Patients in CR at transplant and those who received ≤2 lines of therapy have particularly excellent outcomes.

Improved outcomes of high-risk relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma patients after high-dose chemotherapy: a 15-year analysis.

High-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem-cell transplant (HDC/ASCT) is standard treatment for chemosensitive relapsed classical Hodgkin lymphoma, although outcomes of high-risk relapse (HRR) patients remain suboptimal. We retrospectively analyzed all HRR classical Hodgkin lymphoma patients treated with HDC/ASCT at our institution between 01/01/2005 and 12/31/2019. HRR criteria included primary refractory disease/relapse within 1 year, extranodal extension, B symptoms, requiring more than one salvage line, or positron emission tomography (PET)-positive disease at ASCT. All patients met the same ASCT eligibility criteria. We treated 501 patients with BEAM (n=146), busulphan/melphalan (BuMel) (n=38), gemcitabine( Gem)/BuMel (n=189) and vorinostat/Gem/BuMel (n=128). The Gem/BuMel and vorinostat/Gem/BuMel cohorts had more HRR criteria and more patients with PET-positive disease at ASCT. Treatment with brentuximab vedotin (BV) or anti-PD1 prior to ASCT, PET-negative disease at ASCT, and maintenance BV increased over time. BEAM and BuMel predominated in earlier years (2005-2007), GemBuMel and BEAM in middle years (2008-2015), and vorinostat/GemBuMel and BEAM in later years (2016-2019). The median follow-up is 50 months (range, 6-186). Outcomes improved over time, with 2-year progressionfree survival (PFS)/overall survival (OS) rates of 58%/82% (2005-2007), 59%/83% (2008-2011), 71%/94% (2012-2015) and 86%/99% (2016- 2019) (P<0.0001). Five-year PFS/OS rates were 72%/87% after vorinostat/ GemBuMel, 55%/75% after GemBuMel, 45%/61% after BEAM, and 39%/57% after BuMel (PFS: P=0.0003; OS: P<0.0001). These differences persisted within the PET-negative and PET-positive subgroups. Prior BV and vorinostat/GemBuMel were independent predictors of more favorable outcome, whereas primary refractory disease, ≥2 salvage lines, bulky relapse, B symptoms and PET-positivity at ASCT correlated independently with unfavorable outcomes. In conclusion, post-HDC/ASCT outcomes of patients with HRR classic Hodgkin lymphoma have improved over the last 15 years. Pre-ASCT BV treatment and optimized synergistic HDC (vorinostat/GemBuMel) were associated with this improvement.

Bone Marrow versus Peripheral Blood Grafts for Haploidentical Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation with Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide.

In the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic era, the number of haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantations (HCTs) with peripheral blood (PB) grafts increased significantly compared with HCTs with bone marrow (BM) grafts, which may be associated with adverse outcomes. We compared outcomes of HCT in BM graft and PB graft recipients age ≥18 years with hematologic malignancies who underwent T cell- replete haploidentical HCT and received graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil. Among the 264 patients, 180 (68%) received a BM graft and 84 (32%) received a PB graft. The median patient age was 50 years in both groups. The majority (n = 199; 75%) received reduced-intensity conditioning. The rate of acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome was higher in the BM graft recipients compared with the PB graft recipients (85% [n = 152] versus 55% [n = 46]; P < .01). The median times to neutrophil and platelet engraftment and the incidence of grade II-IV and grade III-IV acute GVHD (aGVHD) were comparable in the 2 groups. Among the patients with grade II-IV aGVHD, the rate of steroid-refractory aGVHD was 9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5% to 18%) in the BM group versus 32% (95% CI, 19% to 54%) in the PB group (hazard ratio [HR], 3.7, 95% CI, 1.5 to 9.3; P = .006). At 1 year post-HCT, the rate of chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was 8% (95% CI, 4% to 13%) in the BM group versus 22% (95% CI, 14% to 36%) in the PB group (HR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.4-6.6; P = .005), and the rate of systemic therapy-requiring cGVHD was 2.5% (95% CI, 1% to 7%) versus 14% (95% CI, 7% to 27%), respectively (HR, 5.6; 95% CI, 1.7 to 18; P = .004). The PB group had a significantly higher risk of bacterial and viral infections, with no appreciable advantage in the duration of hospitalization, immune reconstitution, relapse, nonrelapse mortality, or survival. Our data suggest a benefit of the use of BM grafts over PB grafts for haplo-HCT.

Nine-Year Follow-up of Patients with Relapsed Follicular Lymphoma after Nonmyeloablative Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant and Autologous Transplant.

PURPOSE: To compare outcomes between patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma who received a nonmyeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplant (alloSCT) and those who received an autologous transplant (autoSCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated 194 patients with follicular lymphoma who received an alloSCT (n = 98) or autoSCT (n = 96) at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX). The transplant type used was based on donor availability and by Medicare reimbursement guidelines. Patients who received an alloSCT were enrolled in four consecutive trials in which they received fludarabine, cyclophosphamide (or bendamustine), and rituximab conditioning. autoSCT patients received R-BEAM (rituximab, carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan). RESULTS: The median follow-up of survivors was 108 months for the alloSCT group and 102 months for the autoSCT group. Overall survival was significantly better for patients who received an alloSCT compared with those who received an autoSCT (62% vs. 46%; P = 0.048). Similarly, progression-free survival rates were 52% in patients who received an alloSCT and 31% in those who received an autoSCT (P < 0.001), and the 8-year relapse rates were 11% and 43%, respectively (P < 0.0001). Only three patients in the alloSCT group relapsed beyond 3.5 years. In the alloSCT group, the rates for grade 2 to 4 acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), grade 3 to 4 acute GVHD, and extensive chronic GVHD were 22%, 9%, and 38%, respectively. In the autoSCT group, the 8-year incidence of secondary myelodysplasia was 11%. Nonrelapse mortality was similar between the two groups (15% vs. 11% at 8 years; P = 0.27). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that alloSCT is curative and confers superior survival compared with autoSCT in patients with follicular lymphoma.

Myeloablative Fractionated Busulfan With Fludarabine in Older Patients: Long Term Disease-Specific Outcomes of a Prospective Phase II Clinical Trial.

Compared to reduced-intensity conditioning regimen, myeloablative conditioning (MAC) for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) reduces relapse but is avoided in older patients because of higher non-relapse mortality (NRM). To meet the need for a myeloablative regimen for older patients, we developed a novel fludarabine and busulfan MAC regimen. We fractionated the dose of busulfan and gave it for 6 days over a 2-week period and demonstrated the feasibility and safety of this approach. However, the disease-specific efficacy of this regimen is not known. The purpose of this study was to estimate the efficacy of fractionated busulfan regimen by estimating diseases specific survival outcomes. The conditioning regimen consisted of busulfan and fludarabine. On days -13 and -12 before HCT, patients received 80 mg/m2 busulfan intravenously (IV) daily in an outpatient clinic. Additional chemotherapy was administered during inpatient treatment from day -6 through day -3, including fludarabine 40 mg/m2 and busulfan IV once daily. The dosing of busulfan was determined from pharmacokinetic analyses to achieve for the course a target area under the curve of 20,000 ± 12% µmol/min, which is close to the average exposure of myeloablative dose of busulfan. One hundred fifty patients with high-risk hematological malignancies up to 75 years were enrolled in this prospective phase II study. The objective was to evaluate NRM, relapse, survival, the rates of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and long-term complications. The median age of the patient population was 61 years (interquartile range, 55-67). The most common diagnoses were acute myeloid leukemia (AML; N = 59 [39.3%]), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; n = 29 [19.3%]), and myelofibrosis (MF; N = 22 [14.7%]). Most had an unrelated donor (n = 93 [62%]) and received peripheral blood graft (n = 110 [73.3%]). Over half had an HCT-specific comorbidity index of ≥3 (n = 79 [52.7%]). The median follow-up among survivors was 43.4 months (interquartile range, 38.9-50.4). In patients with AML in complete remission, MDS, and myelofibrosis, 3-year overall survival was 66.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 50.2-88.5%), 43.6% (95% CI, 28.6-66.4%), and 59.1% (95% CI, 41.7-83.7%) respectively. The cumulative incidence of NRM was 22% (15.3%-28.7%), extensive chronic GVHD was 27% (95% CI, 20-34%), bronchiolitis obliterans was 4.7% (95% CI, 1.3-8.1%), and secondary malignancy was 8.7% (95% CI, 4.1-13.2%) at 3 years. Lengthening the duration of busulfan (fractionation) permits safe delivery of myeloablative conditioning in older patients, leading to prolonged survival. © 2021 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of Cell of Origin Classification on Survival Outcomes after Autologous Transplantation in Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.

The cell of origin (COO) classification into germinal center B cell (GCB) and non-GCB types has been shown to predict survival outcomes in newly diagnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In the relapsed/refractory (R/R) setting, there is building evidence that COO does not predict prognosis after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT). The present analysis aimed to compare survival outcomes based on COO classification in R/R DLBCL patients who underwent auto-SCT. This retrospective study included adult patients with R/R DLBCL who underwent auto-SCT at MD Anderson Cancer Center between January 2007 and December 2016. The Hans algorithm using CD10, BCL6, and MUM1 markers was used to classify patients by COO. A total of 122 patients with DLBCL (71 GCB, 51 non-GCB) were included in the analysis. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between the 2 groups, except for older median age in the GCB cohort (64 years versus 58 years; P < .004). The median overall survival (OS) time was 68.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 51.3 to not reached) months for the total population, 68.5 (95% CI, 44.8 to not reached) for GCB, and not reached for non-GCB. The 3-year OS rate was 0.659 (95% CI, 0.575 to 0.755) for the total population, 0.653 (95% CI, 0.547 to 0.779) for GCB, and 0.666 (95% CI, 0.537 to 0.824) for non-GCB. When adjusted for age and other factors of interest, no statistically significant associations for OS or progression-free survival were observed between the 2 cohorts. Our results confirm that COO loses its prognostic potential in patients with R/R DLBCL who receive high-dose chemotherapy followed by auto-SCT and both GCB and non-GCB types of DLBCL derive similar benefit from auto-SCT. Younger age, female sex, and pretransplantation disease status were associated with better OS.

Shorter Interdonation Interval Contributes to Lower Cell Counts in Subsequent Stem Cell Donations.

Approximately 7% of unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donors are asked to donate stem cells a subsequent time to the same or a different recipient. Recent studies have shown that donation-related symptoms for second donations are similar to those for the first donation. Little is known about differences in stem cell mobilization and yields for subsequent peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) and bone marrow (BM) collections. We hypothesized that CD34+ cell yields and total nucleated cell (TNC) concentrations for subsequent PBSC or BM donations are lower than those at the first donation. We also evaluated the factors influencing stem cell yields in healthy unrelated second-time donors. Data were gathered from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database on 513 PBSC and 43 BM donors who donated a second time between 2006 and 2017 through the National Marrow Donor Program. Among the second-time PBSC donors, we found significantly lower preapheresis peripheral blood CD34+ cell counts (68.6 × 106/L versus 73.9 × 106/L; P = .03), and collection yields (556 × 106 versus 608 × 106; P = .02) at the second donation compared to the first. This decrease at the subsequent donation was associated with a shorter interdonation interval, lower body mass index (BMI), and a lower total G-CSF dose. In most instances, suboptimal mobilizers at their first donation donated suboptimal numbers of stem cells at their subsequent donations. Among repeat BM donors, the TNC concentration was lower at the second donation. The small size of this group precluded additional analysis. Overall, when considering repeat donations, increasing the interdonation intervals and evaluating for BMI changes should be considered to optimize stem cell yields. Some of these parameters may be improved by increasing G-CSF dose in PBSC donors within permissible limits.

Third-Party BK Virus-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Therapy for Hemorrhagic Cystitis Following Allotransplantation.

PURPOSE: BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC) is a common complication of allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT), particularly in recipients of alternative donor transplants, which are being performed in increasing numbers. BKV-HC typically results in painful hematuria, urinary obstruction, and renal dysfunction, without a definitive therapeutic option. METHODS: We performed a clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02479698) to assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of administering most closely HLA-matched third-party BKV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), generated from 26 healthy donors and banked for off-the-shelf use. The cells were infused into 59 patients who developed BKV-HC following AHSCT. Comprehensive clinical assessments and correlative studies were performed. RESULTS: Response to BKV-CTL infusion was rapid; the day 14 overall response rate was 67.7% (40 of 59 evaluable patients), which increased to 81.6% among evaluable patients at day 45 (40 of 49 evaluable patients). No patient lost a previously achieved response. There were no cases of de novo grade 3 or 4 graft-versus-host disease, graft failure, or infusion-related toxicities. BKV-CTLs were identified in patient blood samples up to 3 months postinfusion and their in vivo expansion predicted for clinical response. A matched-pair analysis revealed that, compared with standard of care, after accounting for prognostic covariate effects, treatment with BKV-CTLs resulted in higher probabilities of response at all follow-up timepoints as well as significantly lower transfusion requirement. CONCLUSION: Off-the-shelf BKV-CTLs are a safe and effective therapy for the management of patients with BKV-HC after AHSCT.

Vedolizumab for Steroid Refractory Lower Gastrointestinal Tract Graft-Versus-Host Disease.

Steroid-refractory (SR) lower gastrointestinal (LGI) acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) has poor prognosis, and novel drugs are needed. We describe outcomes of patients with SR-LGI aGVHD treated with vedolizumab. The primary objective was to determine overall response rate (ORR) at days 14, 28, and 56. Secondary outcomes included overall survival (OS), non-relapse mortality and toxicities. Twenty patients, median age 46 years (range, 23-71), were included. All but 2 patients (90%) had grade 3 to 4 aGVHD (45% stage 4, 40% stage 3 LGI). Median time to vedolizumab was 21 days (range, 5-1031) and 13 days (range, 0-533) after diagnosis of LGI aGVHD and SR-LGI aGVHD, respectively. It was given as ≥3rd line (median 3; range 2-6) in 75% after failure of steroids, and additional treatments including ruxolitinib (n = 12) and others. Median follow-up was 17 months (range, 10-34). The days 14, 28 and 56 ORRs were 45% (9/20; complete response [CR] 25%), 35% (7/20; CR 20%), and 25% (5/20; CR 20%), respectively. Among ruxolitinib failures, it was 50% (6/12; CR 25%), 50% (6/12; CR 25%) and 25% (3/12; CR 16.7%), respectively. Fifteen patients died (14 GVHD, 1 leukemia relapse). The actuarial 6-month OS was 35% (95% confidence interval 16-55). No progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy or infusion reaction occurred. Forty-four infection events (22 viral, 18 bacterial, and 4 fungal) were noted in 16 patients. Vedolizumab was well tolerated and demonstrated potential efficacy even after ruxolitinib failure for SR-LGI aGVHD. Yet the responses were suboptimal, and its use requires further investigation.

Optimizing the Conditioning Regimen for Hematopoietic Cell Transplant in Myelofibrosis: Long-Term Results of a Prospective Phase II Clinical Trial.

Optimal conditioning regimens for older patients with myelofibrosis undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant are not known. Likewise, the role of dose intensity is not clear. We conducted a nonrandomized, prospective, phase II trial using low-dose, later escalated to high-dose (myeloablative conditioning), busulfan with fludarabine (Bu-Flu) in myelofibrosis patients up to age 74 years. The first 15 patients received i.v. busulfan 130 mg/m2/day on days -3 and -2 ("low dose"); 31 patients received high-dose conditioning, either 100 mg/m2/day (days -5 to -2; n = 4) or pharmacokinetic-guided area under the curve of 4000 µmol/min (days -5 to -2; n = 27). The primary endpoint was day 100 nonrelapse mortality (NRM). Median age was 58 years (interquartile range [IQR], 53-63). Dynamic international prognostic scoring system-plus was intermediate (n = 28) or high (n = 18). Donors were related (n = 19) or unrelated (n = 27). Cumulative incidence of NRM was 9.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0-20.3) at day 100 and at 3 years in the high-dose group and 0% in the low-dose group at day 100, which increased to 20% (95% CI, 0-41.9) at 3 years. With a median follow-up of 5.1 years (IQR, 3.8-6), 3-year relapse was 32.3% (95% CI, 15.4-49.1) in high dose versus 53.3% (95% CI, 26.6-80.1) in low dose. Event-free survival was 58% (95% CI, 43-78) versus 27% (95% CI, 12-62), and overall survival was 74% (95% CI, 60-91) versus 60% (95% CI, 40-91). In multivariate analysis, high-dose busulfan had a trend toward lower relapse (hazard ratio, .44; 95% CI, .18-1.07; P = .07), with no impact on NRM. Intensifying the Bu-Flu regimen using pharmacokinetic-monitoring appears to be promising in reducing relapse without increasing NRM.

Idiopathic refractory ascites after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a previously unrecognized entity.

At our center, we observed a series of patients who developed transudative refractory ascites secondary to noncirrhotic, non-veno-occlusive disease (VOD)-related portal hypertension after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Patients were considered to have idiopathic portal hypertension-related refractory ascites (IRA) if they developed ascites secondary to intrahepatic portal hypertension (serum ascites albumin gradient ≥1.1 g/dL or hepatic venous pressure gradient [HVPG] >5 mm Hg), but did not meet the clinical criteria for classical VOD/sinusoidal obstructive syndrome (SOS) and did not have any alternate etiology of portal hypertension. From our institutional database, we identified 40 patients who developed IRA after allo-HSCT between 2004 and 2018. The patients' median age at the time of allo-HSCT was 54 years (range, 21-73 years). The median time to development of IRA after allo-HSCT was 80 days (range, 16-576 days). The median number of paracentesis was 3 (range, 1-11), and 15 (38%) patients had an intraperitoneal catheter placed for continued drainage of the rapidly accumulating ascites. Portal pressures were measured in 19 patients; 6 (15%) had moderate portal hypertension (HVPG 6-9 mm Hg), and 13 (33%) had severe portal hypertension (HVPG ≥ 10 mm Hg). Liver biopsy was performed in 24 patients. None of the patients met the criteria for classical VOD/SOS (clinical/histological) or cirrhosis (histological). The cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality was 63%, and the median survival duration after the development of the IRA was 7 months (range, 0.8-125.6 months). IRA is a poorly understood and often fatal complication of allo-HSCT.

Weighty choices: selecting optimal G-CSF doses for stem cell mobilization to optimize yield.

There are limited data on the effect of donor body mass index (BMI) on peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mobilization response to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), especially in unrelated donors. Obesity has been associated with persistent leukocytosis, elevated circulating progenitor cells, and enhanced stem cell mobilization. Therefore, we hypothesized that adequate collection of CD34+ cells may be achieved with lower doses (per kilogram of body weight) of G-CSF in donors with higher BMI compared with donors with lower BMI. Using the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database, we evaluated the impact of donor BMI on G-CSF-mobilized PBSC yield in healthy unrelated donors. We examined 20 884 PBSC donations collected at National Marrow Donor Program centers between 2006 and 2016. We found significantly higher collection yields in obese and severely obese donors compared with normal and overweight donors. An increase in average daily G-CSF dose was associated with an increase in stem cell yield in donors with normal or overweight BMI. In contrast, an increase in average daily G-CSF dose beyond 780 µg per day in obese and 900 µg per day in severely obese donors did not increase cell yield. Pain and toxicities were assessed at baseline, during G-CSF administration, and postcollection. Obesity was associated with higher levels of self-reported donation-related pain and toxicities in the pericollection and early postdonation recovery periods. This study suggests a maximum effective G-CSF dose for PBSC mobilization in obese and severely obese donors, beyond which higher doses of G-CSF add no increased yield.

Allogeneic Transplantation after Myeloablative Rituximab/BEAM ± Bortezomib for Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Lymphoid Malignancies: 5-Year Follow-Up Results.

Although bortezomib and rituximab have synergistic activity in patients with lymphoma and both can attenuate graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), the drugs have not been used together in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). In this phase I/II trial, we assessed the safety and activity of bortezomib added to the rituximab (R) plus BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan) regimen in patients with relapsed lymphoma undergoing alloSCT. Primary GVHD prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus and methotrexate. Bortezomib (1 to 1.3 mg/m2 per dose) was administered i.v. on days -13, -6, -1, and +2. We performed inverse probability weighting analysis to compare GVHD and survival results with an historical control group that received R-BEAM without bortezomib. Thirty-nine patients were assessable for toxic effects and response. The median age was 54 years. The most common diagnosis was diffuse large B cell lymphoma (41%). Twenty-two patients (56%) and 17 patients (44%) received their transplants from matched related and matched unrelated donors, respectively. The maximum tolerated bortezomib dose was 1 mg/m2. The weighted cumulative incidences of grades II to IV and III or IV acute GVHD were 50% and 34%, respectively; these incidences and survival rates were not significantly different from those of the control group. Median survival was not reached in patients age ≤ 50 years and with a long follow-up time of 60.7 months. The R-BEAM regimen has a survival benefit in lymphoma patients age ≤ 50 years undergoing alloSCT. The addition of bortezomib has no impact on survival or incidence of GVHD.

Impact of Donor Type and Melphalan Dose on Allogeneic Transplantation Outcomes for Patients with Lymphoma.

We analyzed 186 patients with lymphoma who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) with fludarabine-melphalan (FM) conditioning and different types of donors (25 haploidentical [HD], 98 matched unrelated [MUD], and 63 matched related [MRD]) at our institution between September 2009 and January 2018. Patients received fludarabine 160 mg/m2 (40 mg/m2/day for 4 days) in combination with 1 dose of melphalan 140 mg/m2 (FM140) or 100 mg/m2 (FM100). Engraftment was similar among the 3 groups (92%, 89%, and 98%, respectively; P = .7). The 6-month cumulative incidence of grade III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 4% in the HD group, 14% in the MUD group, and 8% in the MRD group (P not significant), and the respective 3-year cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 5%, 16%, and 26% (P not significant). The respective 3-year nonrelapse mortality and relapse rates were 31%, 32%, and 10% (HD versus MUD, P = .9; HD versus MRD, P = .02) and 15%, 21%, and 39% (HD versus MUD, P = .4; HD versus MRD, P = .04). At 3 years, progression-free survival (PFS) was 59%, 44%, and 46% (P not significant); overall survival (OS) was 52%, 54%, and 67% (P not significant); and GVHD-free, relapse-free survival was 39%, 31%, and 24% (P not significant). No differences in the 3-year PFS (57% versus 43%; P = .3) and OS (64% versus 58%; P = .7) were seen between patients receiving FM100 and those receiving FM140. Our data demonstrate that in patients with lymphoma, ASCT with HD transplants have similar outcomes as ASCT with HLA-matched transplants, and the FM100 conditioning regimen appears to be at least as effective as the FM140 regimen.