Toxicity Profile According to Etoposide and Cytarabine Dosing in Patients with Lymphoma Receiving Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Following BEAM Conditioning.

High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is part of the treatment strategy for some patients with high-risk lymphoma by improving survival with an acceptable toxicity profile. Although the BEAM (BCNU, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan) intensification regimen is the most used, the optimal dosing for each drug is unclear. Here, we retrospectively compared the outcome of 110 patients receiving higher (400 mg/m2, n = 69) or lower (200 mg/m2, n = 41) etoposide and cytarabine doses in our institution between 2012 and 2019. Patients in the BEAM 200 group experienced less toxicity with reduced fever duration (P < 0.001), number of platelet transfusions (P = 0.008), antibiotic duration (P < 0.001), antifungal therapy (P < 0.001), and mucositis (P < 0.001) whereas length of stay, admission to the intensive care unit, and in-hospital mortality were not different between groups. Progression-free survival (PFS) was non-significantly lower in the BEAM 200 group (36-month PFS, 68% vs. 80%, P = 0.053) whereas OS was similar between the two groups (36-month OS, 87% vs. 91%, respectively, P = 0.12). Albeit a non-significant reduction in PFS, BEAM 200 conditioning intensity was associated with a reduced toxicity profile.

Randomized Phase III Trial Evaluating Subcutaneous Rituximab for the First-Line Treatment of Low-Tumor Burden Follicular Lymphoma: Results of a LYSA Study.

PURPOSE: Rituximab improves progression-free survival (PFS) and time to next treatment (TTNT) when compared with the watch and wait strategy for patients with low-tumor burden follicular lymphoma (FL). Prolonged rituximab maintenance did not prolong TTNT, whereas it raises concerns about resources use and patient adhesion. Our aim was then to investigate the use of short rituximab maintenance using the subcutaneous (SC) route in patients with low-tumor burden FL. METHODS: Patients with histologically confirmed CD20+ low-tumor burden FL were randomly assigned to receive either rituximab, 375 mg/m2 once daily on D1, D8, D15, and D22, intravenous route (IV, control arm), or rituximab, 375 mg/m2, on day 1 (D1), IV followed by rituximab 1,400 mg total dose, SC once daily on D8, D15, and D22, with maintenance at months 3 (M3), M5, M7, and M9 (experimental arm). The primary end point was PFS. Secondary end points included safety, overall response rates, TTNT, and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Two hundred two patients with low-tumor burden FL were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 100) or control arm (n = 102). The primary end point was met: the 4-year PFS was 58.1% (95% CI, 47.5 to 67.4) and 41.2% (95% CI, 30.6 to 51.6) in experimental and control arms, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.585 [0.393 to 0.871]; P = .0076). Complete response (CR) rates were 59.0% (95% CI, 48.7 to 68.7) in the experimental arm and 36.3% (95% CI, 27.0 to 46.4) in the control arm (P = .001). TTNT and OS were not significantly different. CR was associated with longer PFS and TTNT. High rituximab exposure during the first three months was independently associated with higher CR, PFS, and TTNT. CONCLUSION: SC rituximab improves PFS for patients with low-tumor burden FL when used in induction followed by short maintenance. High rituximab exposure during the first 3 months after treatment initiation is, however, the only parameter influencing patient outcomes.

A New Option for Pain Prevention Using a Therapeutic Virtual Reality Solution for Bone Marrow Biopsy (REVEH Trial): Open-Label, Randomized, Multicenter, Phase 3 Study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the analgesic effect of distraction through immersion in virtual reality (VR) for care-induced pain has been documented in several phase 2 trials, but comparison with standard treatments in large, randomized studies is needed. OBJECTIVE: In this open-label, multicenter, randomized, phase 3 trial, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of a novel VR therapy solution for distraction in the context of bone marrow biopsy. METHODS: Bliss is a VR software with 4 imaginary interactive environments in 3 dimensions with binaural sound (head-mounted display). Efficacy regarding pain intensity was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS; score from 0 to 10) immediately after the biopsy. Secondary end points were anxiety and tolerance. Modified intention-to-treat analysis was performed. RESULTS: Overall, 126 patients with previously documented untreated or suspected malignant hemopathy between September 6, 2018, and May 18, 2020, were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive pain prevention with a mixture of nitrous oxide/oxygen (MEOPA; n=63) or VR (n=63) before and during the bone marrow biopsy. We excluded 8 patients from the final analysis (3 in the MEOPA group and 5 in the VR group). All patients received local anesthesia (lidocaine) before biopsy. Follow-up was limited to 1 month after the biopsy. Participants' median age was 65.5 (range 18-87) years, and 54.2% (64/118) of patients were male. The average pain intensity was 3.5 (SD 2.6, 95% CI -1.6 to 8.6) for the MEOPA group and 3.0 (SD 2.4, 95% CI -1.7 to 7.7) for the VR group, without any significant differences in age, sex, center, and hemopathy (P=.26). Concerning anxiety, 67.5% (79/117; fear of pain questionnaire) of the patients were afraid before the biopsy, and anxiety scores were moderate to very high in 26.3% (30/114; revised Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire) of the patients before the biopsy and 9.0% (10/114) after the biopsy for all patients, without a significant difference between the 2 groups (P=.83). Immersion in VR was well tolerated by the majority (54/57, 95%) of patients in the VR group. CONCLUSIONS: The intensity of pain did not significantly differ between both arms. VR was well tolerated, and the satisfaction of patients, nurses, and physicians was very high. VR could be an alternative treatment in case of contraindication or intolerance to MEOPA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03483194; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03483194.

Efficacy of a short sandwich protocol, methotrexate, gemcitabine, L-asparaginase and dexamethasone chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy, in localised newly diagnosed NK/T-cell lymphoma: A French retrospective study.

Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type is a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma, historically associated with poor prognosis. We report here the results of a retrospective multi-centre study evaluating the efficacy of MGAD (methotrexate, gemcitabine, L-asparaginase and dexamethasone) regimen (two cycles) combined with 'sandwich' radiotherapy in 35 patients with localised newly diagnosed extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma. Thirty-two patients (91%) reached complete remission. With a long median follow-up of 59.6 months, progression-free and overall survival at 2 and 5 years were 71%, 80% and 53%, 73%, respectively. Around one third of the patients experienced relapse within a median time of 14.5 months. Side-effects were manageable with grades 3-4 cytopenias, mucositis and infection in 50%, 24% and 21% of the cases, respectively. Monitoring of asparaginase activity was performed in 13 patients and showed inactivation of the drug in seven (54%) patients. Our results indicate that a short therapy by sandwich MGAD chemoradiotherapy is a tolerable and effective treatment option in localised newly diagnosed extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma patients.

Timing of high-dose methotrexate CNS prophylaxis in DLBCL: a multicenter international analysis of 1384 patients.

Prophylactic high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) is often used for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients at high risk of central nervous system (CNS) relapse, despite limited evidence demonstrating efficacy or the optimal delivery method. We conducted a retrospective, international analysis of 1384 patients receiving HD-MTX CNS prophylaxis either intercalated (i-HD-MTX) (n = 749) or at the end (n = 635) of R-CHOP/R-CHOP-like therapy (EOT). There were 78 CNS relapses (3-year rate 5.7%), with no difference between i-HD-MTX and EOT: 5.7% vs 5.8%, P = .98; 3-year difference: 0.04% (-2.0% to 3.1%). Conclusions were unchanged on adjusting for baseline prognostic factors or on 6-month landmark analysis (n = 1253). In patients with a high CNS international prognostic index (n = 600), the 3-year CNS relapse rate was 9.1%, with no difference between i-HD-MTX and EOT. On multivariable analysis, increasing age and renal/adrenal involvement were the only independent risk factors for CNS relapse. Concurrent intrathecal prophylaxis was not associated with a reduction in CNS relapse. R-CHOP delays of ≥7 days were significantly increased with i-HD-MTX vs EOT, with 308 of 1573 (19.6%) i-HD-MTX treatments resulting in a delay to subsequent R-CHOP (median 8 days). Increased risk of delay occurred in older patients when delivery was later than day 10 in the R-CHOP cycle. In summary, we found no evidence that EOT delivery increases CNS relapse risk vs i-HD-MTX. Findings in high-risk subgroups were unchanged. Rates of CNS relapse in this HD-MTX-treated cohort were similar to comparable cohorts receiving infrequent CNS prophylaxis. If HD-MTX is still considered for certain high-risk patients, delivery could be deferred until R-CHOP completion.

Humoral response to mRNA anti-COVID-19 vaccines BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Immunocompromised individuals such as patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are at risk of impaired immune responses to vaccination. The objective of our study was to evaluate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibody responses in patients with CLL after the first, second, and third doses of the BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccines and after a single dose for patients with confirmed previous COVID-19. In all, 530 patients were included in the study. Patients received 2 doses at a 4-week interval and a third dose if they were seronegative after the second dose. Response rate was 27% after dose 1 and 52% after dose 2. Post-dose 2 treatment-naïve patients had the highest response rate (72%) followed by patients previously treated by chemoimmunotherapy (60%). Among patients receiving therapy, those receiving Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor alone (22%) or in combination with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies or venetoclax (0%) had the poorer response rate whereas patients who received venetoclax monotherapy achieved a significantly higher response rate (52%). A multivariable analysis identified age older than 65 years, ongoing CLL treatment, and gamma globulin ≤6 g/L as independent predictors of the absence of seroconversion. Post-dose 2 seronegative patients had a global response rate of 35% after dose 3. This study provides an argument for the use of a third dose and for prophylactic SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing monoclonal antibodies.

Impact of High-Dose Methotrexate on the Outcome of Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Skeletal Involvement.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with extra nodal skeletal involvement is rare. It is currently unclear whether these lymphomas should be treated in the same manner as those without skeletal involvement. We retrospectively analyzed the impact of combining high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) with an anthracycline-based regimen and rituximab as first-line treatment in a cohort of 93 patients with DLBCL and skeletal involvement with long follow-up. Fifty patients (54%) received upfront HD-MTX for prophylaxis of CNS recurrence (high IPI score and/or epidural involvement) or because of skeletal involvement. After adjusting for age, ECOG, high LDH levels, and type of skeletal involvement, HD-MTX was associated with an improved PFS and OS (HR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1-0.3, p < 0.001 and HR: 0.1, 95% CI: 0.04-0.3, p < 0.001, respectively). Patients who received HD-MTX had significantly better 5-year PFS and OS (77% vs. 39%, p <0.001 and 83 vs. 58%, p < 0.001). Radiotherapy was associated with an improved 5-year PFS (74 vs. 48%, p = 0.02), whereas 5-year OS was not significantly different (79% vs. 66%, p = 0.09). A landmark analysis showed that autologous stem cell transplantation was not associated with improved PFS or OS. The combination of high-dose methotrexate and an anthracycline-based immunochemotherapy is associated with an improved outcome in patients with DLBCL and skeletal involvement and should be confirmed in prospective trials.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Recommendations of the French CLL Study Group (FILO).

As a result of significant recent developments, the management of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is changing, and new therapeutic options will continue to emerge in the near future. The recommendations of the French Innovative Leukemia Organization (FILO-CLL) group presented here are intended to provide practical recommendations for physicians taking care of CLL patients, taking into account the availability of both biological tests and therapies in daily practice in France at the time of publication. This text details the documented information and guidelines on diagnosis, indications for treatment, infectious complications and therapeutic strategies in frontline and relapsed CLL as well as in particular conditions such as autoimmune cytopenia or Richter syndrome.

R-DHA-oxaliplatin (R-DHAOx) versus R-DHA-cisplatin (R-DHAP) regimen in B-cell lymphoma treatment: A eight-year trajectory study.

BACKGROUND: The R-DHAP regimen (rituximab, cisplatin, dexamethasone, and high-dose cytarabine) is standardly used to treat relapsed Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Despite scarce data, cisplatin is frequently substituted with oxaliplatin (R-DHAOx) to avoid nephrotoxicity. We compared nephrotoxicity of cisplatin and oxaliplatin based on creatinine-based trajectory modeling. METHODS: All patients with NHL treated by R-DHAP or R-DHAOx in Angers hospital between January 01, 2007, and December 31, 2014, were included. Patients received cisplatin 100 mg/m2 or oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 (d1) with cytarabine (2000 mg/m2 , two doses, d2), dexamethasone (40 mg, d1-4), and rituximab (375 mg/m2 , d1). Creatinine levels were recorded before each cycle. Individual profiles of trajectories were clustered to detect homogeneous patterns of evolution. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients received R-DHAP, 35 R-DHAOx, 6 switched from R-DHAP to R-DHAOx due to nephrotoxicity. Characteristics of patients were similar between two groups. Patients receiving R-DHAP experienced more severe renal injury than patients receiving R-DHAOx (68% vs. 7.7%, P < .001). Two homogeneous clusters appeared: cluster A, with a majority of R-DHAOx (32, 91.4%), was less nephrotoxic than B, with a majority of R-DHAP (19, 86.4%), with a decreased average serum creatinine level (P < .0001). There were no other differences between clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that R-DHAOx regimen causes less nephrotoxicity than R-DHAP regimen.

Impact of front line relative dose intensity for methotrexate and comorbidities in immunocompetent elderly patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL) are non-Hodgkin lymphomas strictly localized to the CNS, occurring mainly in elderly patients with comorbidities. Current treatment in fit patients relies on high-dose methotrexate and high-dose cytarabine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of this treatment in elderly patients and to assess potential prognostic factors associated with survival. We conducted a retrospective study in two centers between January 2008 and September 2015 including 35 elderly immunocompetent patients who received first-line treatment with high-dose methotrexate. With a median follow-up of 19.8 months (range: 1.7-73.4 months), median overall survival (OS) was 39.5 months (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 18.3-60.7) and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 25.8 months (95% CI: 5.2-46.4). In univariate analysis, administration of high-dose cytarabine and achieving a relative dose intensity for methotrexate > 75% were associated with increased OS (p = 0.006 and p = 0.003, respectively) and PFS (p = 0.003 and p = 0.04, respectively) whereas comorbidities, defined by a CIRS-G score ≥ 8, were associated with decreased OS and PFS (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively). A high MSKCC score was associated with decreased OS (p = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, administration of high-dose cytarabine was associated with increased OS and PFS (p = 0.02 and p = 0.007, respectively). Comorbidities and relative dose intensity for methotrexate are important for the prognosis of elderly patients with PCNSL. These results must be confirmed in prospective trials.

Late Complications and Quality of Life after Reduced-Intensity Conditioning Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Late complications (LC) and quality of life (QOL) were analyzed in 110 adult patients who underwent reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) and were alive for more than 2 years after allo-SCT. Overall survival of these patients was 93% (95% confidence interval [CI], 88% to 99%) and 81% (95% CI, 71% to 94%) at 5 and 10 years, respectively. The primary cause of death was a recurrence of primary malignancy. With a median follow-up of 4.6 years (range, 2 to 12.1), chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) was the most prevalent late effect, with a cumulative incidence of 66% (95% CI, 57% to 74%) at 10 years. Cardiovascular complications were the most prevalent LC with a cumulative incidence of 47% (95% CI, 35% to 59%), followed by pulmonary complications with a cumulative incidence of 33% (95% CI, 21% to 46%) and renal impairment with a cumulative incidence of 34% (95% CI, 25% to 43%) at 10 years. Secondary malignancies occurred with a cumulative incidence of 11% (95% CI, 5% to 20%) at 10 years. In this series, 61 patients (55%) responded to QOL survey. With the use of European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplant questionnaires, most of the patients reported good to excellent QOL and patients with cGVHD had significantly lower QOL than patients without cGVHD. In conclusion, QOL after RIC is comparable to that seen after myeloablative conditioning, while the natural history of LC after RIC appears to be different from that described in the standard myeloablative setting, warranting further research in this field.

Bendamustine for the treatment of relapsed or refractory peripheral T cell lymphomas: A French retrospective multicenter study.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a group of diseases with poor outcome and few therapeutic options. We aimed to assess the efficacy of bendamustine in real life cohort of patients.Between November 2009 and March 2015, 138 PTCL patients were treated with bendamustine in 27 centers. Population median age was 64 (28-89) years with male/female ratio of 1.4. There were mainly angio-immunoblastic (AITL = 71), PTCL-not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS = 40) and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL = 8). The majority of patients (96%) had disseminated disease and extranodal localizations (77%). Median number of chemotherapy lines prior to bendamustine was 2 (1-8). Median duration of response (DoR) after the last chemotherapy prior to bendamustine was 4.3 months (1-70) and 50% of patients had refractory disease.Median number of administered bendamustine cycles was 2 (1-8) and 72 patients (52%) received less than 3 mostly because of disease progression. Median dose was 90 (50-150) mg/m². Overall response rate (ORR) was 32.6% with complete response (CR) rate of 24.6% and median DoR was 3.3 months (1-39). AITL patients were more sensitive than PTCL-NOS patients (ORR: 45.1 versus 20%, p = 0.01). Median PFS and OS were 3.1 (0.2-46.3) and 4.4 (0.2-55.4) months. On multivariate analysis, refractory disease (p = 0.001) and extranodal localization (p = 0.028) adversely influenced ORR. Grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and infections were reported in 22, 17 and 23% of cases respectively.Bendamustine as single agent could be considered as a therapeutic option for relapsed or refractory PTCL, particularly in chemosensitive or AITL patients. Combinations of bendamustine with other drugs warrant further evaluation.

Contribution of Revised International Prognostic Scoring System Cytogenetics to Predict Outcome After Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation for Myelodysplastic Syndromes: A Study From the French Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation is critically determined by cytogenetic abnormalities, as previously defined by International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) cytogenetics. It has been shown that a new cytogenetic classification, included in the IPSS-R (cytogenetic-IPSS-R [C-IPSS-R]), can better predict the outcome of untreated MDS patients. METHODS: In this study, we assessed the impact of the IPSS-R cytogenetic score (C-IPSS-R) on the outcome of 367 MDS patients transplanted from HLA-identical siblings or HLA allele-matched unrelated donors. RESULTS: According to the C-IPSS-R, 178 patients (48%) fell in the good risk, 102 (28%) in the intermediate risk, 77 (21%) in the poor risk, and 10 (3%) in the very poor risk group. In multivariate analysis, after a median follow-up of 4 years, the poor and very poor-risk categories correlated with shorter overall survival (OS) (4-year OS, 32%; hazard ratio [HR], 1.59; P = 0.009 and OS, 10%; HR, 3.18; P = 0.002, respectively) and higher cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) (CIR, 52%; HR, 1.82; P = 0.004 and CIR, 60%; HR, 2.44; P = 0.060, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the C-IPSS-R changed the IPSS cytogenetic risk only in 8% of cases but identified a new risk group, the very poor C-IPSS-R category, with dismal outcome after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (10% 4-year OS, 60% 4-year CIR). Posttransplantation maintenance therapy should be investigated in prospective trials for patients with high-risk C-IPSS-R karyotypes.

A phase 1 dose escalation study of idarubicin combined with methotrexate, vindesine, and prednisolone for untreated elderly patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma. The GOELAMS LCP 99 trial.

Treatment of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) in elderly patients remains unsatisfactory. To develop a new high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-based regimen including idarubicin, a phase 1 multicenter dose escalation study was conducted to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of idarubicin. Thirty-five immunocompetent patients with PCNSL were enrolled. The median age was 65 years (range, 60-70 years). MTX and vindesine (VDS) were given at the fixed dose of 3 g/m(2) (6-hr intravenous [IV]) and 3 mg/m(2) IV on day 1, respectively. Prednisolone (PRED) was given at the fixed dose of 60 mg/m(2) (IV or orally) on days 1-5. Idarubicin was escalated in increments of 2 mg/m(2) with doses ranging from 12-18 mg/m(2) IV on day 1. Treatment was repeated three times every 3 weeks. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as grade 4 neutropenia for more than 7 days, thrombocytopenia grade 4 or nonhaematological toxicity more than grade 2. The MTD of idarubicin was reached at 16 mg/m(2) . At this level, the main haematological toxicities were thrombocytopenia grade 4: 5% and neutropenia grade 3 or 4 (52%); the main nonhaematological toxicities were grade 3 or 4 infectious disease (5%) and grade 2 renal failure (9%). For the study population, median overall and progression-free survival were 19 and 13 months, respectively. Our study suggests that the MTD of idarubicin in combination with HD-MTX, VDS, and PRED, should be 16 mg/m(2) . Further studies will be necessary to challenge a standard treatment in elderly patients with PCNSL.

Upfront allogeneic stem cell transplantation after reduced-intensity/nonmyeloablative conditioning for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome: a study by the Société Française de Greffe de Moelle et de Thérapie Cellulaire.

Cytoreduction before allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes remains a debatable issue. After excluding patients who had received preconditioning induction chemotherapy, we analyzed 128 consecutive patients with myelodysplastic syndrome who received reduced-intensity or nonmyeloablative conditioning (RIC/NMA) allo-SCT. Among them, 40 received azacitidine (AZA) before transplant (AZA group) and 88 were transplanted up front (best supportive care [BSC] group). At diagnosis, 55 patients had intermediate 2 or high-risk scores per the International Prognostic Scoring System and 33 had a high cytogenetic risk score. Progression to a more advanced disease before allo-SCT was recorded in 22 patients. Source of stem cells were blood (n = 112) or marrow (n = 16) from sibling (n = 78) or HLA-matched unrelated (n = 50) donors. With a median follow-up of 60 months, 3-year overall survival, relapse-free survival, cumulative incidence of relapse, and nonrelapse mortality were, respectively, 53% versus 53% (P = .69), 37% versus 42% (P = .78), 35% versus 36% (P = .99), and 20% versus 23% (P = .74), for the AZA group and BSC group, respectively. Multivariate analysis confirmed the absence of statistical differences in outcome between the AZA and BSC groups, after adjusting for potential confounders using the propensity score approach. The absence of cytoreduction before RIC/NMA allo-SCT did not seem to alter the outcome. However, our results emphasize the need to perform prospective protocols to delineate the role of debulking strategy and to identify subsets of patients who may benefit from this approach.

Prognostic impact of immune status and hematopoietic recovery before and after fludarabine, IV busulfan, and antithymocyte globulins (FB2 regimen) reduced-intensity conditioning regimen (RIC) allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT).

This retrospective analysis aimed to assess hematopoietic and immune recovery in a cohort of 53 patients [males: n = 33; median age: 59 yr (range: 22-70)] who received a FB2 (fludarabine 120-150 mg/m² + IV busulfan 6.4 mg/kg + antithymocyte globulin thymoglobulin 5 mg/kg) reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) allo-stem cells transplantations (SCT). With a median follow-up of 19 months (range: 2-53), the 2-yr overall survival, disease-free survival (DFS), relapse incidence, and non-relapse mortality were 63%, 59.5%, 35%, and 6%, respectively. In univariate analysis, the factors correlated with a significantly higher 2-yr OS and DFS were a higher total circulating lymphocytes count at transplant (>730/mm(3) ; OS: 81% vs. 43%, P = 0.02; DFS: 73% vs. 45.5%, P = 0.03) and a higher recovery of leukocytes (>5300/mm(3) ) (2-yr OS: 81% vs. 44%, P = 0.007; 2-yr DFS: 72% vs. 46%, P = 0.08), neutrophils (>3200/mm(3) ) (2-yr OS: 76% vs. 50%, P = 0.03; 2-yr DFS: 67% vs. 52.0%, P = 0.1), and monocytes (>590/mm(3) ; 2-yr OS: 80% vs. 45%, P = 0.004; 2-yr DFS: 76% vs. 42%, P = 0.01) at day +30 post-transplant. In multivariate analysis, the only independent factors associated with a significantly higher OS and DFS were a better immune status at transplant (lymphocytes count >730/mm(3) ) and a higher monocytes count (>590/mm(3) ) at day +30 post-transplant. These results suggest that immune status and hematopoietic recovery before and after FB2 RIC allo-SCT can be significant predictors of outcome. This paves the way for future studies aiming to closely monitor the kinetics of immune recovery after RIC allo-SCT and to evaluate the impact of growth factors and other immunostimulatory cytokines in the setting of RIC allo-SCT.

Is ASCT with TBI superior to ASCT without TBI in mantle cell lymphoma patients?

BACKGROUND: Impact of total-body irradiation (TBI) in conditioning regimen on outcome for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) remains unknown. METHODS: Patients with MCL who underwent autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) in our institution were eligible for the present study (n=73). We analyzed the impact of various biologic and clinical parameters, with and without TBI, on patient outcome. RESULTS: All patients presented with chemosensitive disease at transplantation. Median follow-up from ASCT was 37.2 months. One- and three-year overall survival (OS) rates were 90.3% and 74.5%, progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 85% and 59%, respectively. Three-year OS and PFS rates in the non-TBI group versus TBI group were similar: 80% versus 72.5% and 60% versus 57%, respectively. In univariate analysis, the use of TBI did not modify OS or PFS (P=0.93 and P=0.48, respectively). This remains true for patients who underwent ASCT up front. According to multivariate analysis, OS tended to be shorter for patients presenting with high Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index or low hemoglobin level. CONCLUSIONS: Absence of TBI in conditioning regimen modifies neither PFS nor OS. The present retrospective and monocentric analysis shows that transplant patients with MCL remain highly exposed to relapse.