Treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with secondary central nervous system involvement: encouraging efficacy using CNS-penetrating R-IDARAM chemotherapy.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with secondary involvement of the central nervous system (SCNS-DLBCL) is a rare condition carrying a poor prognosis. No optimal therapeutic regimen has been identified. We retrospectively analysed 23 patients with SCNS-DLBCL treated with R-IDARAM (rituximab 375 mg/m(2) IV day 1; methotrexate 12·5 mg by intrathecal injection day 1; idarubicin 10 mg/m(2) /day IV days 1 and 2; dexamethasone 100 mg/day IV infusion over 12 h days 1-3; cytosine arabinoside 1000 mg/m(2) /day IV over 1 h days 1 and 2; and methotrexate 2000 mg/m(2) IV over 2 h day 3. Ten out of 23 (44%) patients had CNS involvement at initial presentation ('new disease'), 10/23 (44%) had relapsed disease and 3/23 (13%) had primary refractory disease. 14/23 (61%) of patients responded - 6 (26%) complete response, 8 (35%) partial response. Grade 3-4 haematological toxicity was seen in all cycles, with no grade 3-4 or long-term neurological toxicity. Median follow-up for surviving patients was 49 months. At 2 years, estimated progression-free survival (PFS) was 39% and overall survival (OS) was 52%. Encouraging outcomes were reported in patients with new disease, with 5-year estimated PFS of 50% and OS 75%. R-IDARAM is a well-tolerated regimen with encouraging efficacy in patients with SCNS-DLBCL, although patients with relapsed or refractory disease continue to fare poorly.

Autologous stem cell transplantation outcomes in elderly patients with B cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

The precise role of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains unclear in patients over 60 years of age. There is potential for increased procedural morbidity and mortality, and differences in disease biology that could impact outcomes. We performed a retrospective single-centre review of 81 elderly B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma patients undergoing ASCT. Five-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) was 54·7% and 49·1% respectively. Non-relapse mortality (NRM) at 100 days and 1 year was 1·3% and 2·5%, suggesting no major excess compared to younger cohorts. OS and PFS were significantly worse in those over 65 years compared to those aged 60-64 (47·6% vs. 57·7%, P = 0·0437, and 27·6% vs. 57·7%, P = 0·0052 at 5 years). This resulted largely from an increased relapse risk (RR) (53·8% vs. 30·1%, P = 0·0511) rather than excess NRM, and age remained independently significant for PFS on multivariate analyses [Hazard ratio 2·56 (1·35-4·84, P = 0·0052) for PFS and 1·89 (0·99-3·61, P = 0·054) for OS]. Our data adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating that ASCT can be an effective treatment strategy with an acceptable safety profile in selected elderly patients. Further evaluation of its overall benefit is warranted, however, in those over 65 years of age, as RR appears to be considerably higher.

Predominant or complete recipient T-cell chimerism following alemtuzumab-based allogeneic transplantation is reversed by donor lymphocytes and not associated with graft failure.

The clinical significance of mixed chimerism following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains controversial. Its relevance and incidence are probably influenced by the conditioning regimen and incorporation of T-cell depletion. The presence of recipient chimerism levels >40-50% following T-cell replete reduced intensity transplantation correlates with a high risk of graft rejection, regardless of donor-lymphocyte infusions, but it is unclear whether this finding translates to T-cell depleted transplants. We conducted a retrospective single-institution analysis of patients receiving alemtuzumab-based HSCT. 27/152 (18%) evaluable cases had predominantly recipient T-cell chimerism at 3 months or beyond. By contrast, coincident chimerism in the granulocyte lineage was predominantly of donor origin (median 100%) in all but one patient. Donor lymphocyte infusion effectively converted predominantly recipient T-cell chimerism to ful donor chimerism in all evaluable cases including three cases with no detectable donor T cells. The only graft failure occurred in the patient with predominantly recipient myeloid chimerism in whom rejection occurred rapidly before donor lymphocytes could be administered. We conclude that predominant or complete recipient T-cell chimerism following alemtuzumab-based regimens does not have the same clinical implications as that following T-cell replete transplants and can be effectively converted with donor lymphocytes without the need for lympho-depleting agents or re-conditioning.

HLA-mismatched unrelated donors are a viable alternate graft source for allogeneic transplantation following alemtuzumab-based reduced-intensity conditioning.

The impact of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatch after reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (RIT) using unrelated donors (UD) is unclear, and may be modulated by T-cell depletion. We therefore examined outcomes of 157 consecutive patients undergoing RIT after uniform conditioning with fludarabine, melphalan, and alemtuzumab (FMC). Donors were 10/10 HLA-matched (MUDs, n = 107) and 6 to 9/10 HLA-matched (MMUDs, n = 50), with no significant differences in baseline characteristics other than increased cytomegalovirus seropositivity in MMUDs. Rates of durable engraftment were high. Graft failure rates (persistent cytopenias with donor chimerism) were similar (8% vs 3%, P = .21), though rejection (recipient chimerism) was more frequent in MMUDs (8% vs 0%, P < .01). There were no significant differences between donors in the incidences of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD; 20% vs 22% grade 2-4, respectively, P = .83), chronic extensive GVHD (3-year cumulative incidence [CI] 23% vs 24%, P = .56), or treatment-related mortality (1-year CI 27% vs 27%, P = .96). Furthermore, there was no difference in 3-year overall survival (OS; 53% vs 49%, P = .44). Mismatch occurred at the antigenic level in 40 cases. The outcome in these cases did not differ significantly from the rest of the cohort. We conclude that RIT using HLA-mismatched grafts is a viable option using FMC conditioning.

Rituximab in combination with CODOX-M/IVAC: a retrospective analysis of 23 cases of non-HIV related B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma with proliferation index >95%.

The safety and efficacy of rituximab with CODOX-M/IVAC (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, methotrexate/ifosfamide, etoposide, high dose cytarabine) was retrospectively analysed in 23 patients with non-human immunodeficiency virus-related B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma with proliferation index >95% [14 with classical Burkitt lymphoma (BL), five with B-cell lymphoma unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and BL, and four with DLBCL]. Six (26%) low-risk (LR) patients received three cycles of CODOX-M and 17 (74%) high-risk (HR) cases were assigned to four cycles of alternating CODOX-M/IVAC. Rituximab 375 mg/m² was infused on days 1 and 10 of each cycle. Toxicity was comparable to that reported with CODOX-M/IVAC, with no treatment-related death. Two patients developed grade 3 rituximab-induced delayed neutropenia, with no adverse outcome. After completing treatment, 83% LR patients and 71% HR patients achieved CR by positron emission tomography-computerized tomography (PET-CT). Three (13%) patients received salvage treatment. At a median follow-up of 34 months (range = 18-75), 19 (83%) patients (100% LR and 74% HR) were alive, including one case undergoing salvage for late relapse. Four HR patients (17%) had died, three from primary progressive disease and one from treatment-refractory relapse 2 months after achieving CR. These results with R-CODOX-M/R-IVAC compare favourably with existing data using CODOX-M/IVAC and warrant further prospective studies. The potential pitfalls of PET-CT to assess response are highlighted.