Impact of gemtuzumab ozogamicin consolidation on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) mobilization in AML: analysis of 20 patients.

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO), is an anti-CD33 monoclonal antibody, approved for AML CD33 + , those patients with low and intermediate-risk who obtain a complete response may also be candidated for consolidation with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). However, there are scant data on the mobilization of hemopoietic stem cells (HSC) after fractionated GO. We retrospectively studied data from five Italian centers and identified 20 patients (median age 54 years, range 29-69, 15 female, 15 NPM1mutated) that attempted HSC mobilization after fractionated doses of GO + "7 + 3" regimen and 1-2 cycles of consolidation (GO + HDAC + daunorubicin). After chemotherapy and standard G-CSF, 11/20 patients (55%) reached the threshold of 20 CD34 + /µL, and HSC were successfully harvested, while 9 patients (45%) failed. The median day of apheresis was Day + 26 from the start of chemotherapy (range 22-39 days). In good mobilizer patients, the median circulating CD34 + cells were 35.9 cells/µL and the median CD34 + harvested were 4.65 × 106/kg of patients' body weight. With a median follow-up of 12.7 months, at 24 months from the first diagnosis, 93.3% of all 20 patients were alive and the median overall survival was 25 months. The 2-year RFS rate from the timepoint of the first CR was 72.6%, while the median RFS was not reached. However, only five patients underwent ASCT and achieved full engraftment.In conclusion, in our cohort of patients, the addition of GO reduced HSC mobilization and harvesting, which was reached in about 55% of patients. Nevertheless, further studies are warranted to evaluate the effects of fractionated doses of GO on HSC mobilization and ASCT outcomes.

Myeloid Sarcoma: Diagnostic and Treatment Tools from a Monocentric Retrospective Experience.

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a very rare disease in both adults and children. Prognosis is poor in adults; in the pediatric age, the prognostic impact of extramedullary disease is controversial. Systemic therapy represents the mainstay of treatment even in isolated MS, but a comparison between different induction regimens is very limited in the literature. To date, it is still not clear if induction treatment should differ from that of other acute myeloid leukemias and stem cell transplant is considered for consolidation in both leukemic patients and in those with isolated disease. Our study describes a retrospective series of 13 cases of MS (adults and children), diagnosed and treated at our institute over 18 years. We report the results of immunophenotypic, cytogenetic and molecular studies, therapeutic approaches, and outcome, in order to establish the best strategy for patients' workup.

Efficacy and safety of netupitant/palonosetron combination (NEPA) in preventing nausea and vomiting in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients undergoing to chemomobilization before autologous stem cell transplantation.

PURPOSE: Prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is particularly challenging for patients receiving highly emetogenic preparative regimens before autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) due to the daily and continuous emetogenic stimulus of the multiple day chemotherapy. While studies have shown effective prevention of CINV during the conditioning phase with NK1 receptor antagonist (NK1RA)-containing regimens, there have been no studies evaluating antiemetic use during chemomobilization prior to ASCT. METHODS: This multicenter, open-label, phase IIa study evaluated the efficacy of every-other-day dosing of NEPA administered during chemomobilization in patients with relapsed-refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Eighty-one patients participated. RESULTS: Response rates were 77.8% for complete response (no emesis and no rescue use), 72.8% for complete control (complete response and no more than mild nausea), 86.4% for no emesis, and 82.7% for no rescue use during the overall phase (duration of chemomobilization through 48 h after). NEPA was well tolerated with no treatment-related adverse events reported. CONCLUSION: NEPA, administered with a simplified every-other-day schedule, show to be very effective in preventing CINV in patients at high risk of CINV undergoing to chemomobilization of hematopoietic stem cells prior to ASCT.

Philadelphia-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia is associated with minimal residual disease persistence and poor outcome. First report of the minimal residual disease-oriented GIMEMA LAL1913.

Early recognition of Ph-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases could impact on the management and outcome of this subset of B-lineage ALL. To assess the prognostic value of the Ph-like status in a pediatric-inspired, minimal residual disease (MRD)-driven trial, we screened 88 B-lineage ALL cases negative for the major fusion genes (BCR-ABL1, ETV6-RUNX1, TCF3-PBX1 and KTM2Ar) enrolled in the GIMEMA LAL1913 front-line protocol for adult BCR/ABL1-negative ALL. The screening - performed using the BCR/ABL1-like predictor - identified 28 Ph-like cases (31.8%), characterized by CRLF2 overexpression (35.7%), JAK/STAT pathway mutations (33.3%), IKZF1 (63.6%), BTG1 (50%) and EBF1 (27.3%) deletions, and rearrangements targeting tyrosine kinases or CRLF2 (40%). The correlation with outcome highlighted that: i) the complete remission (CR) rate was significantly lower in Ph-like compared to non-Ph-like cases (74.1% vs 91.5%, p=0.044); ii) at time point 2 (TP2), decisional for transplant allocation, 52.9% of Ph-like cases vs 20% of non-Ph-like were MRD-positive (p=0.025); iii) the Ph-like profile was the only parameter associated with a higher risk of being MRD-positive at TP2 (p=0.014); iv) at 24 months, Ph-like patients had a significantly inferior event-free and disease-free survival compared to non-Ph-like patients (33.5% vs 66.2%, p=0.005 and 45.5% vs 72.3%, p=0.062, respectively). This study documents that Ph-like patients have a lower CR rate, EFS and DFS, as well as a greater MRD persistence also in a pediatric-oriented and MRD-driven adult ALL protocol, thus reinforcing that the early recognition of Ph-like ALL patients at diagnosis is crucial to refine risk-stratification and to optimize therapeutic strategies.

Single centre experience on Acquired Haemophilia A patients: Diagnosis, clinical management and analysis of factors predictive of response and outcome.

BACKGROUND: Acquired Haemophilia A (AHA) patients show a high response rate to immunosuppressive therapy (IST) but few information about predictors of response and outcome are reported. AIMS: We describe a large single-centre AHA cohort, investigating prognostic variables for the 'best response' (BR), time to BR (TTBR) and overall survival (OS). METHODS: A total of 61 patients were included, collecting data from clinical charts. RESULTS: A progressive increase in diagnoses, from 1978 to 2019, was observed. Fifty/56 patients (89%) underwent haemostatic therapy (rFVIIa 46%, aPCC 34%) with no significant differences in the response (rFVIIa 92.3% vs aPCC 100%) and no thromboembolic events. Sixty/61 patients underwent first-line IST with an initial response rate of 58.4%. The 12-months OS was 85%, the bleeding associated mortality rate 3% (2/61). The response rates at last observation were: CR 64%, PR 8%. We evaluated the influence of age, gender, associated conditions, IST, haemoglobin levels, FVIII:C, inhibitor titre on BR, TTBR and OS: post-partum AHA achieved the BR after a longer time than AHA related to other aetiologies or idiopathic (p = .05); in univariate analysis female sex (p = .03) and the achievement of BR (p = .001) had a positive impact on the OS while AHA secondary to neoplasms showed a shorter survival (p = .04); only the BR achievement remained significant in multivariate analysis (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Our data on response and survival confirmed those from the main registries. Post-partum AHA and BR achievement were significantly associated to a longer TTBR and a longer OS, respectively. Other predictors of outcome deserve to be explored in prospective studies.

Reduced mortality from KPC-K.pneumoniae bloodstream infection in high-risk patients with hematological malignancies colonized by KPC-K.pneumoniae.

BACKGROUND: KPC-K.pneumoniae bloodstream infection (KPC-KpBSI) mortality rate in patients with hematological malignancies is reported about 60%. The initial treatment active against KPC-K.pneumoniae is crucial for survival and KPC-K.pneumoniae rectal colonization usually precedes KPC-KpBSI. We evaluated the impact on KPC-KpBSI mortality of the preemptive use of antibiotics active against KPC-K.pneumoniae, as opposed to inactive or standard empiric antibiotics, for the empiric treatment of febrile neutropenia episodes in patients with hematological malignancy identified as KPC-K.pneumoniae intestinal carriers. METHODS: We compared the outcomes of KPC-KpBSIs occurring in high-risk hematological patients known to be colonized with KPC-K.pneumoniae, during two time periods: March2012-December2013 (Period 1, initial approach to KPC-K.pneumoniae spread) and January2017-October2018 (Period 2, full application of the preemptive strategy). The relative importance of the various prognostic factors that could influence death rates were assessed by forward stepwise logistic regression models. RESULTS: KPC-KpBSI-related mortality in hematological patients identified as KPC-K.pneumoniae carriers dropped from 50% in Period 1 to 6% in Period 2 (p < 0.01), from 58 to 9% in acute myeloid leukemia carriers(p < 0.01). KPC-KpBSIs developed in patients identified as KPC-K.pneumoniae carriers were initially treated with active therapy in 56% and 100% of cases in Period 1 and Period 2, respectively (p < 0.01), in particular with an active antibiotic combination in 39 and 94% of cases, respectively(p < 0.01). The 61% of KPC-KpBSI observed in Period 1 developed during inactive systemic antibiotic treatment (none in Period 2, p < 0.01), fatal in the 73% of cases. Overall, KPC-KpBSI-related mortality was 88% with no initial active treatment, 11.5% with at least one initial active antibiotic (p < 0.01), 9% with initial active combination. Only the initial active treatment resulted independently associated with survival. CONCLUSIONS: In high-risk hematological patients colonized by KPC-K.pneumoniae, the empiric treatment of febrile neutropenia active against KPC-K.pneumoniae reduced KPC-KpBSI-related mortality to 6% and prevented fatal KPC-KpBSI occurrence during inactive systemic antibiotic treatment.

Individualized prediction of leukemia-free survival after autologous stem cell transplantation in acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a potential consolidation therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This study was designed to develop a prediction model for leukemia-free survival (LFS) in a cohort of patients with de novo AML treated with ASCT during their first complete remission. METHODS: This was a registry study of 956 patients reported to the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. The primary outcome was LFS. Multivariate Cox regression modeling with backward selection was used to select variables for the construction of the nomogram. The nomogram's performance was evaluated with discrimination (the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]) and calibration. RESULTS: Age and cytogenetic risk (with or without FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication) were predictive of LFS and were used for the construction of the nomogram. Each factor in the nomogram was ascribed points according to its predictive weight. Through the calculation of the total score, the probability of LFS at 1, 3, and 5 years for each patient could be estimated. The discrimination of the nomogram, measured as the AUC, was 0.632 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.595-0.669), 0.670 (95% CI, 0.635-0.705), and 0.687 (95% CI, 0.650-0.724), respectively. Further validation with bootstrapping showed similar AUCs (0.629 [95% CI, 0.597-0.657], 0.667 [95% CI, 0.633-0.699], and 0.679 [95% CI, 0.647-0.712], respectively), and this suggested that the model was not overfitted. Calibration was excellent. Patients were stratified into 4 incremental 5-year prognostic groups, with the probabilities of LFS and overall survival ranging from 25% to 64% and from 33% to 79%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Auto-AML nomogram score is a tool integrating individual prognostic factors to provide a probabilistic estimation of LFS after ASCT for patients with AML.

High dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation in nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma: A retrospective study by the European society for blood and marrow transplantation-lymphoma working party.

Whilst autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT) is considered standard of care for relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma, the role of auto-SCT in nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is not well defined due to limited data. We report the first study on auto-SCT for NLPHL with a larger cohort. Eligible for this retrospective registry study were patients reported to the EBMT between 2003 and 2013, aged 18 or older with relapsed/refractory NLPHL who underwent first auto-SCT with disease chemosensitive to salvage therapy. NLPHL transformed to diffuse large B cell lymphoma were excluded. Sixty patients (83% male; median age 40 years) met the eligibility criteria. The median time between diagnosis and transplant was 21 months (IQR 13-58), and the median number of prior treatment lines was 2 (range 1-5), including rituximab in 63% of the patients. At auto-SCT, 62% of the patients were in complete remission (CR) and 38% in partial remission. Seventy-two percent of the patients received BEAM as high-dose therapy. With a median follow-up of 56 months (range 3-105), 5-year progression-free and overall survival (OS) were 66% and 87%, respectively. Univariate comparisons considering age, time from diagnosis to transplant, prior chemotherapy lines, and prior rituximab use failed to identify significant predictors for any survival endpoint except for being in CR at the time of auto-SCT (vs PR, P = .049) for OS. Auto-SCT in patients with relapsed/refractory NLPHL who are sensitive to salvage therapy gives excellent disease control and long-term survival independent of the time interval between diagnosis and transplant.

Independent prognostic impact of CD15 on complete remission achievement in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

The prognostic role of CD15 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been tested in different studies with conflicting results. To address this issue, we retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 460 AML patients of all ages with the exclusion of acute promyelocytic leukemia (M/F 243/217, median age 50.6 years [range 0.9-81.2]) intensively treated at our institute between January 1999 and December 2010. CD15 positivity was found in 171 of 406 evaluable patients (42.1%). Complete remission (CR) was achieved by 334 patients (72.6%), while 82 (17.8%) were resistant and 44 (9.6%) died during induction: the median CR duration was 15.5 months (range 0.6-176.0), with 2-year disease-free survival rate of 45.1% (95% confidence interval 39.6-50.6). The median overall survival was 14.4 months (range 0.3-177.0), with 2-year overall survival rate of 42.2% (95% confidence interval 37.5-46.9). At univariate analysis for CR achievement, age < 60 years (P < .001), World Health Organization classification (P = .045), low-risk karyotype (P < .001), no high-risk karyotype (P = .006), positivity for AML-ETO (P = .004)/CBFß-MYH11 (P = .003)/CD15 (P = .006)/CD11b (P = .013), negativity for FLT3-ITD (P = .001), Hb > 8 g/dL (P = .020), and white blood cell < 50 × 109 /L (P = .034) had a favorable impact. At a multivariate logistic regression model, CD15 positivity (P = .002), age < 60 years (P = .008), white blood cell < 50 × 109 /L (P = .017), and low-risk/no high-risk karyotype (P = .026/P = .025) retained an independent prognostic role on CR achievement. The baseline assessment of CD15 positivity appears to have a role in the risk evaluation for CR achievement in AML patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy and should be assessed in prospective studies together with other clinical and biologic features already reported.

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in high-risk haematological patients: factors favouring spread, risk factors and outcome of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremias.

BACKGROUND: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) spread and infections in patients with haematological malignancies are a serious concern especially in endemic areas. Treatment failures and delay in appropriate therapy for CRKP infections are frequent and the mortality rate associated with CRKP bacteremia in neutropenic haematological patients is reported about 60%. METHODS: Haematological patients harboring CRKP hospitalized between February 2012 and May 2013 in an Italian Teaching hospital were examined. Conditions favouring CRKP spread in a haematological unit, risk factors for bacteremia in CRKP-carriers and for CRKP bacteremia-related death were evaluated in this observational retrospective study. RESULTS: CRKP was isolated in 22 patients, 14 (64%) had bacteremia. Control measures implementation, particularly the weekly rectal screening for CRKP performed in all hospitalized patients and contact precautions for CRKP-carriers and newly admitted patients until proved CRKP-negative, reduced significantly the CRKP spread (14 new carriers identified of 131 screened patients vs 5 of 242 after the intervention, p = 0.001). Fifty-eight percent of carriers developed CRKP bacteremia, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) resulted independently associated with the bacteremia occurrence (p = 0.02). CRKP bacteremias developed mainly during neutropenia (86%) and in CRKP-carriers (79%). CRKP bacteremias were breakthrough in 10 cases (71%). Ten of 14 patient with CRKP bacteremias died (71%) and all had AML. The 70% of fatal bacteremias occurred in patients not yet recognized as CRKP-carriers and 80% were breakthrough. Initial adequate antibiotic therapy resulted the only independent factor able to protect against death (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The identification of CRKP-carriers is confirmed critical to prevent CRKP spread. AML patients colonized by CRKP resulted at high risk of CRKP-bacteremia and poor outcome and the adequacy of the initial antibiotic therapy may be effective to improve survival. To limit the increase of resistance, the extensive use of antibiotics active against CRKP should be avoided, but in the setting of high CRKP pressure and high-risk CRKP-colonized haematological patients, timely empiric antibiotic combinations active against CRKP could be suggested as treatment of febrile neutropenia.

Severe Thrombotic Complications in Congenital Afibrinogenemia: A Pathophysiological and Management Dilemma.

Congenital afibrinogenemia (CA) is a disease characterized by a complex pathophysiology, involving both the procoagulant and fibrinolytic systems, as well as platelet activity. Although hemorrhagic diathesis represents the most frequent clinical presentation of this disorder, severe thrombotic events can occur. It is not yet clear if these events are strictly related to the disease itself or to the fibrinogen replacement therapy. Different hypotheses on the pathophysiological mechanisms have been proposed. It is well known that fibrinogen/fibrin has a role in the downregulation of thrombin generation in plasma. In the absence of circulating fibrinogen, this "antithrombin" activity is missing and plasma thrombin levels rise; this excess of thrombin could promote clotting of the infused fibrinogen, initiating the thrombotic process. Furthermore, the observation of impaired plasmin generation in the plasma of CA patients has raised the hypothesis of a fibrinolytic system deficiency. We report the case of a CA male patient who at the age of 36 years experienced an arterial thrombosis in his left lower limb. Despite an aggressive medical treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin, fibrinolytic and antiplatelet agents, the arterial thrombosis progressed to the obstruction of the whole left arterial district and the patient underwent the amputation of the left lower limb. This case demonstrates the complexity of pathophysiology and clinical management of a "so-called" bleeding disorder as CA.

Catheter-associated bloodstream infections and thrombotic risk in hematologic patients with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC).

PURPOSE: The use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) as an alternative to other central venous access devices (CVAD) is becoming very frequent in cancer patients. To evaluate the impact of complications associated to these devices in patients with hematologic malignancies, we revised the catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) and the catheter-related thrombotic complications (CRTC) observed at our institute between January 2009 and December 2012. METHODS: A total of 612 PICCs were inserted into 483 patients at diagnosis or in subsequent phases of their hematologic disease. PICCs were successfully inserted in all cases. The median duration of in situ PICC placement was 101 days (interquartile range, 48-184 days). RESULTS: A CRBSI occurred in 47 cases (7.7 %), with a rate of 0.59 per 1000 PICC days. A CRTC was recorded in 16 cases (2.6 %), with a rate of 0.20 per 1000 PICC days. No serious complication was associated to these events. Cox regression analyses of variables associated to CRBSIs and to CRTCs showed that only the type of disease (acute leukemia compared to other diseases) was significantly associated to a higher incidence of CRBSIs, while no feature was predictive for a higher risk of CRTCs. CONCLUSIONS: PICCs represent a useful and safe alternative to conventional CVAD for the management of patients with hematologic malignancies.

Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Therapy and Open Issues.

Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathy characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and ischemic end-organ injury due to microvascular platelet-rich thrombi. iTTP pathophysiology is based on a severe ADAMTS13 deficiency, the specific von Willebrand factor (vWF)-cleaving protease, due to anti-ADAMTS13 autoantibodies. Early diagnosis and treatment reduce the mortality. Frontline therapy includes daily plasma exchange (PEX) with fresh frozen plasma replacement and immunosuppression with corticosteroids. Caplacizumab has recently been added to frontline therapy. Caplacizumab is a nanobody that binds to the A1 domain of vWF, blocking the interaction of ultra-large vWF multimers with the platelet and thereby preventing the formation of platelet-rich thrombi. Caplacizumab reduces mortality due to ischemic events, refractoriness, and exacerbations after PEX discontinuation. Until now, the criteria for response to treatment mainly took into account the normalization of platelet count and discontinuation of PEX; with the use of caplacizumab leading to rapid normalization of platelet count, it has been necessary to redefine the response criteria, taking into account also the underlying autoimmune disease. Monitoring of ADAMTS13 activity is important to identify cases with a low value of activity (<10IU/L), requiring the optimization of immunosuppressive therapy with the addition of Rituximab. Rituximab is effective in patients with refractory disease or relapsing disease. Currently, the use of Rituximab has expanded, both in frontline treatment and during follow-up, as a pre-emptive approach. Some patients do not achieve ADAMTS13 remission following the acute phase despite steroids and rituximab treatment, requiring an individualized immunosuppressive approach to prevent clinical relapse. In iTTP, there is an increased risk of venous thrombotic events (VTEs) as well as arterial thrombotic events, and most occur after platelet normalization. Until now, there has been no consensus on the use of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in patients on caplacizumab because the drug is known to increase bleeding risk.

True vs. false immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura exacerbations: a clinical case in the caplacizumab era.

Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP) is a medical emergency requiring urgent plasma exchange and immunosuppressive agents. Recently, the therapeutic options have been expanded by the approval of a novel anti-von Willebrand factor (vWF) nanobody, caplacizumab, inhibiting vWF-platelet aggregation. Here, we present a rare case of a patient affected by immune-mediated TTP (iTTP) reporting ischemic stroke caused by a real iTTP exacerbation during caplacizumab administration and subsequent pancytopenia caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection that mimicked another iTTP exacerbation. The case is a real-life example of a not-frequent iTTP exacerbation in the caplacizumab era and of the new management issues arising with the introduction of the new drugs in clinical practice, highlighting the need of new comprehensive response criteria and treatment guidelines.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for DLBCL: a report from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation on more than 40,000 patients over 32 years.

Autologous(auto-) and allogeneic(allo-) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are key treatments for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), although their roles are challenged by CAR-T-cells and other immunotherapies. We examined the transplantation trends and outcomes for DLBCL patients undergoing auto-/allo-HSCT between 1990 and 2021 reported to EBMT. Over this period, 41,148 patients underwent auto-HSCT, peaking at 1911 cases in 2016, while allo-HSCT saw a maximum of 294 cases in 2018. The recent decline in transplants corresponds to increased CAR-T treatments (1117 cases in 2021). Median age for auto-HSCT rose from 42 (1990-1994) to 58 years (2015-2021), with peripheral blood becoming the primary stem cell source post-1994. Allo-HSCT median age increased from 36 (1990-1994) to 54 (2015-2021) years, with mobilized blood as the primary source post-1998 and reduced intensity conditioning post-2000. Unrelated and mismatched allo-HSCT accounted for 50% and 19% of allo-HSCT in 2015-2021. Three-year overall survival (OS) after auto-HSCT improved from 56% (1990-1994) to 70% (2015-2021), p < 0.001, with a decrease in relapse incidence (RI) from 49% to 38%, while non-relapse mortality (NRM) remained unchanged (4%). After allo-HSCT, 3-year-OS increased from 33% (1990-1999) to 46% (2015-2021) (p < 0.001); 3-year RI remained at 39% and 1-year-NRM decreased to 19% (p < 0.001). Our data reflect advancements over 32 years and >40,000 transplants, providing insights for evaluating emerging DLBCL therapies.

BeEAM (bendamustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan) before autologous stem cell transplantation is safe and effective for resistant/relapsed lymphoma patients.

We designed a phase 1-2 study to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of increasing doses of bendamustine (160 mg/m², 180 mg/m², and 200 mg/m² given on days -7 and -6) coupled with fixed doses of etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan (BeEAM regimen) as the conditioning regimen to autologous stem cell transplantation for resistant/relapsed lymphoma patients. Forty-three patients (median age, 47 years) with non-Hodgkin (n = 28) or Hodgkin (n = 15) lymphoma were consecutively treated. Nine patients entered the phase 1 study; no patients experienced a dose-limiting toxicity. Thirty-four additional patients were then treated in the phase 2. A median number of 6 × 106 CD34(+) cells/kg (range, 2.4-15.5) were reinfused. All patients engrafted, with a median time to absolute neutrophil count > 0.5 × 109/L of 10 days. The 100-day transplantation-related mortality was 0%. After a median follow-up of 18 months, 35 of 43 patients (81%) are in complete remission, whereas 6 of 43 relapsed and 2 of 43 did not respond. Disease type (non-Hodgkin lymphomas vs Hodgkin disease) and disease status at transplantation (chemosensitive vs chemoresistant) significantly influenced DFS (P = .01; P = .007). Remarkably, 4 of 43 (9%) patients achieved the first complete remission after receiving the high-dose therapy with autologous stem cell transplantation. In conclusion, the new BeEAM regimen is safe and effective for heavily pretreated lymphoma patients. The study was registered at European Medicines Agency (EudraCT number 2008-002736-15).

Pediatric Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Safety, Efficacy, and Patient Outcomes. Literature Review.

Autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) is a part of the therapeutic strategy for various oncohematological diseases. The auto-HSCT procedure enables hematological recovery after high-dose chemotherapy, otherwise not tolerable, by the infusion of autologous hematopoietic stem cells. Unlike allogeneic transplant (allo-HSCT), auto-HSCT has the advantage of lacking acute-graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and prolonged immunosuppression, however, these advantages are counterbalanced by the absence of graft-versus-leukemia. Moreover, in hematological malignancies, the autologous hematopoietic stem cell source may be contaminated by neoplastic cells, leading to disease reappearance. In recent years, allogeneic transplant-related mortality (TRM) has progressively decreased, almost approaching auto-TRM, and many alternative donor sources are available for the majority of patients eligible for transplant procedures. In adults, the role of auto-HSCT compared to conventional chemotherapy (CT) in hematological malignancies has been well defined in many extended randomized trials; however, such trials are lacking in pediatric cohorts. Therefore, the role of auto-HSCT in pediatric oncohematology is limited, in both first- and second-line therapies and still remains to be defined. Nowadays, the accurate stratification in risk groups, according to the biological characteristics of the tumors and therapy response, and the introduction of new biological therapies, have to be taken into account in order to assign auto-HSCT a precise role in the therapeutic strategies, also considering that in the developmental age, auto-HSCT has a clear advantage over allo-HSCT, in terms of late sequelae, such as organ damage and second neoplasms. The purpose of this review is to report the results obtained with auto-HSCT in the different pediatric oncohematological diseases, focusing on the most significant literature data in the context of the various diseases and discussing this data in the light of the current therapeutic landscape.

Benefits and Safety of Empiric Antibiotic Treatment Active Against KPC-K. pneumoniae in Febrile Neutropenic Patients with Acute Leukemia Who are Colonized with KPC-K. pneumoniae. A 7-Years Retrospective Observational Cohort Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the benefits and safety of the empiric antibiotic treatment (EAT) active against KPC-K. pneumoniae in febrile neutropenic patients with acute leukaemia (AL) who are colonised by KPC-K. pneumoniae. Patients and Methods: A 7-year (2013-2019) retrospective observational cohort study was conducted at the Haematology, Sapienza Rome University (Italy) on 94 febrile neutropenia episodes (FNE) in AL patients KPC-K. pneumoniae carriers treated with active EAT. Results: Eighty-two (87%) FNE were empirically treated with antibiotic combinations [38 colistin-based and 44 ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZAVI)-based], 12 with CAZAVI monotherapy. Successful outcomes were observed in 88/94 (94%) FNE, 46/49 (94%) microbiologically documented infections, and 24/27 (89%) gram-negative bloodstream infections (GNB-BSI). Mortality due to infective causes was 4.2% (2.1% within 1 week). KPC-K. pneumoniae infections caused 28/94 FNE (30%) and KPC-K. pneumoniae-BSI was documented in 22 FNE (23.4%) (85% of GNB-BSI), in all cases patients received active EAT, and 21 survived. KPC-K.pneumoniae-BSI mortality rate was 4.5%. CAZAVI-based EAT showed better results than colistin-based EAT (55/56 vs 33/38, p = 0.037), overall and without EAT modification (41/56 vs 20/38, p = 0.02). Empirical combinations including CAZAVI were successful in 98% of cases (43/44 vs 33/38 for colistin-based EAT, p = 0.01), without modifications in 82% (36/44 vs 20/28, p = 0.02). All deaths occurred in patients treated with colistin-based EAT (4/38 vs 0/56, p = 0.02). CAZAVI-containing EAT was the only independent factor for an overall successful response (HR 0.058, CI 0.013-1.072, p = 0.058). Nephrotoxicity occurred in 3(8%) patients undergoing colistin-based EAT (none in those undergoing CAZAVI-based EAT, p = 0.02). Conclusion: KPC-K. pneumoniae infections are frequent in colonised AL patients with FNE. EAT with active antibiotics, mainly CAZAVI-based combinations, was effective, safe, and associated with low overall and KPC-K. pneumoniae-BSI-related mortality.