Current incidence, severity, and management of veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in adult allogeneic HSCT recipients: an EBMT Transplant Complications Working Party study.

The current incidence, diagnostic policy, management, and outcome of VOD/SOS at EBMT centers were studied. All centers that had performed allogeneic HSCTs in adult patients within one defined year were invited to the study. Seventy-one centers participated with a total of 2886 allogeneic transplantations and 93 cases of VOD/SOS in 2018. The cumulative incidence of VOD/SOS at day 21 was 1.8% and at day 100 2.4%. Of 67 cases with detailed data, 52 were classical and 15 (22%) late onset (>day 21). According to the EBMT criteria, 65/67 patients had at least two VOD/SOS risk factors. The severity grades were: mild 0, moderate 3, severe 29, very severe 35. Fifty-four patients were treated with defibrotide. VOD/SOS resolved in 58% of the patients, 3/3 with moderate, 22/28 with severe, and 12/33 with very severe grade (p < 0.001). By day 100, 57% of the patients were alive; 3/3 with moderate, 22/29 with severe, and 13/35 with very severe VOD/SOS (p = 0.002). In conclusion, the incidence of VOD/SOS was low. Severe and very severe grades dominated. Very severe grade predicted poor outcome compared to severe grade further supporting the concept of early diagnosis and treatment to avoid a dismal outcome.

Assessment of the proposed EBMT pediatric criteria for diagnosis and severity grading of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome.

Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is a potentially life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We assessed the proposed pediatric EBMT criteria along with the Baltimore and modified Seattle criteria in a population-based cohort. Eighty-seven children (1.1-17.3 years) undergoing myeloablative HSCT from 2010 to 2017 were consecutively included at the Danish National Transplantation Center. In total, 39 (44.8%) patients fulfilled the EBMT criteria and 30 patients (35%) fulfilled the criteria for severe or very severe SOS. Nine (10.3%) patients fulfilled the modified Seattle criteria while none met the Baltimore criteria. Patients fulfilling the EBMT criteria for SOS had longer primary admission (31 days (23-183) vs. 27 days (17-61), p = 0.001), were treated more intensively with diuretics within the first 3 months (29 days (0-90) vs. 3.5 days (0-90), p < 0.0001), and had a longer time to stable platelet counts >50 × 109/L (32 days (16-183) vs. 23 days (14-101), p < 0.0001). Two patients, fulfilling neither Baltimore nor Seattle criteria, but selectively fulfilling EBMT criteria, died of treatment-related acute inflammatory complications within 1 year post-HSCT. In conclusion, application of the pediatric EBMT diagnostic and severity criteria may be helpful in identifying patients at increased risk of severe treatment-related complications and mortality, although with a risk of over-diagnosing SOS.

Economic Burden of Veno-occlusive Disease in Patients With B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the United States.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to evaluate the incidence, inpatient mortality, and economic burden of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) in adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in the United States. METHODS: Using MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database and Medicare Supplemental and Coordination of Benefits Database, data for patients with B-cell ALL from April 1, 2009, to October 31, 2016, were extracted by using diagnosis codes. VOD was identified based on clinical criteria and expert opinions. Patients with VOD were followed up from diagnosis of VOD until the earliest occurrence of inpatient death, end of continuous enrollment, end of study period, or for a maximum of 100days. The incidence of VOD and VOD-associated inpatient mortality were calculated. VOD-related health care costs based on paid adjudicated claims were calculated. FINDINGS: Of the 2571 adults with B-cell ALL, the overall incidence of VOD was low at 3.4% (88 of 2571). Of these patients with VOD, 52% (46 of 88) experienced multiorgan failure and were identified as having severe VOD. VOD was only identified in patients having undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (5.4% [88 of 1624]). The inpatient mortality rate of those with any VOD over the 100-day postindex period was 26.1%, and the inpatient mortality was even higher for patients with severe VOD (37.0%). Total mean (SD) medical costs per patient during the 100 days' post-VOD diagnosis were $55,975 ($160,335); mean (SD) costs per patient were ∼4-fold higher for severe ($86,953 [$206,906]) versus nonsevere ($22,047 [$72,847]) VOD. IMPLICATIONS: Clinical criteria were used to identify VOD events and thus VOD might be underdiagnosed. The mortality of VOD also might be underestimated because only inpatient deaths are captured in the data. The incidence and mortality of VOD could also be underestimated because we focused on adult patients who might receive reduced-intensity treatment. The economic burden of VOD may be underestimated because the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code specific for defibrotide was not available, and thus the cost for defibrotide might not be included. Finally, as the study population consisted of patients with commercial or Medicare supplemental insurance, results may not be generalizable to all patients with VOD in the United States. Although VOD occurred infrequently in adults with B-cell ALL, it was associated with high inpatient mortality and substantial costs. Patients with severe VOD were associated with highest mortality and highest costs. Given the clinical and economic burden associated with VOD, it is important that patients at high risk for VOD be identified and treated to minimize this risk.

Defibrotide in Severe Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome: Medicine and Economic Issues.

In Europe, Defitelio (defibrotide) has a Market Authorization in curative treatment of severe sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) but not in prophylaxis (2013). In France, defibrotide has had a compassionate-use program since 2009. Today, the high cost of defibrotide remains a major hurdle for hospital budgets. Medicine and economic issues were evaluated for the 39 hospitals of the French Public Assistance-Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP). We analyzed literature reviews, consumption, and expenditures through AP-HP data in 2014 and patient profiles with defibrotide in the corresponding diagnostic-related groups (DRGs) and consulted a board of hematologists. Finally, 18 publications were selected. Between 2011 and 2014 consumption increased to €5.2M. In 2014, 80 patients receiving defibrotide were mainly ascribed to the DRG "hematopoietic stem cell transplantation" levels 3 or 4. The tariffs attributed to drugs (€3544 to 4084) cover a small part of treatment costs (€97,524 for an adult). French experts thus recommended a harmonization of indications in prophylaxis (off-label use), improvement of pretransplant care, and optimization of the number of vials used. The economic impact led experts to change their practices. They recommended the restriction of defibrotide use to SOS curative treatment and to high-risk situations in prophylaxis.

Economic and clinical aspects of intravenous versus oral busulfan in adult patients for conditioning prior to HSCT.

PURPOSE: Busulfan (BU) used as cytoreductive conditioning prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is available as intravenous (IV) and oral (O) preparation. IV-BU has clinical advantages associated with relevant incremental costs. The aim was to determine the economic impact of IV-BU versus O-BU in adult HSCT recipients from a German health care providers' perspective. METHODS: A budget-impact model (BIM) including costs and risks for oral mucositis (OM), infection with OM, and hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) was developed. Model inputs are literature data comparing clinical effects of IV-BU versus O-BU and German cost data (conditioning therapy, treatment of OM, infections, SOS without/with multiorgan failure) from literature and tariff lists. RESULTS: Base case calculations resulted the following: total costs of adverse events were €86,434 with O-BU and €44,376 with IV-BU for ten patients each. Considering costs of adverse events and drugs, about €5840 for ten patients receiving IV-BU are saved. Sensitivity analyses were conducted in several ways. Cost savings range between €4910 and €12,640 per ten patients for all adverse events and €2070 or €1140 per ten patients considering SOS only. Drug treatment of SOS and treatment of multiorgan failure during severe SOS are major cost drivers. Worst case scenario calculations (assuming -25% risk of all adverse events for O-BU and +25% for IV-BU) yield up to €27,570 per ten patients with IV-BU. CONCLUSIONS: Considering costs of adverse events and drugs, IV-BU is the dominant alternative from a German providers' perspective. For more comprehensive economic evaluations, additional epidemiological data, evidence on clinical outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, and treatment patterns are needed.

Risk assessment for acute kidney injury after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation based on Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria.

OBJECTIVE: This is a retrospective study for risk assessment of acute kidney injury after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo HSCT) based on the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria. METHODS: Two hundred and eighty-nine consecutive patients who received allo HSCT were studied retrospectively to identify the risk factors for AKI according to the AKIN criteria. The incidence of AKI based on AKIN staging and overall survival (OS) was evaluated using Cox proportional hazard regression models treating each AKIN stage as a time-dependent covariate. PATIENTS: We identified a total of 180 patients who developed AKI within 100 days after allo HSCT; AKI was classified as stage 1 in 88 patients (30.5%), stage 2 in 46 patients (15.9%) and stage 3 in 46 patients (15.9%). RESULTS: Patients who developed stage 3 AKI had a significantly worse survival compared to those who developed no AKI or lower stage AKI (HR: 7.6, 95%CI: 4.8-12.1; p<0.001). Multivariate analysis for risks for developing AKI revealed an episode of sepsis or sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) and the use of liposomal amphotericin as a major cause of the severe stage of AKI. CONCLUSION: On the basis of our analysis, sepsis, hemorrhagic cystitis, and acute GVHD were associated with severe AKI, and SOS was associated any stage of AKI.