ABSTRACT
The clinical value of serial routine bone marrow aspirates (rBMAs) in the first year after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) to detect or predict relapse of acute leukemia (AL) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in pediatric and young adult patients is unclear. The purpose of this analysis was to determine if assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD) by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC, MFC-MRD) or donor chimerism (DC) in rBMAs or serial complete blood counts (CBCs) done in the year after alloHCT predicted relapse of AL or MDS in pediatric and young adult patients. We completed a retrospective analysis of patients with AL or MDS who had rBMAs performed after alloHCT between January 2012 and June 2018. Bone marrow (BM) was evaluated at approximately 3, 6, and 12 months for disease recurrence by morphology, MFC-MRD, and percent DC by short tandem repeat molecular testing. CBCs were performed at every clinic visit. The main outcome of interest was an assessment of whether MFC-MRD or DC in rBMAs or serial CBCs done in the year after alloHCT predicted relapse in AL or MDS pediatric and young adult patients. A total of 121 recipients with a median age of 13 years (range 1 to 32) were included: 108 with AL and, 13 with MDS. A total of 423 rBMAs (median 3; 0 to 13) were performed. Relapse at 2 years was 23% (95% CI: 16% to 31%) and at 5 years 25% (95% CI: 18% to 33%). One hundred fifty-four of 157 (98%) rBMAs evaluated for MRD by MFC were negative and did not preclude subsequent relapse. Additionally, low DC (<95%) did not predict relapse and high DC (≥95%) did not preclude relapse. For patients alive without relapse at 1 year, BM DC (P = .74) and peripheral T-cell DC (P = .93) did not predict relapse. Six patients with low-level T-cell and/or BM DC had a total of 8 to 20 BM evaluations, none of these patients relapsed. However, CBC results were informative for relapse; 28 of 31 (90%) relapse patients presented with an abnormal CBC with peripheral blood (PB) blasts (16 patients), cytopenias (9 patients), or extramedullary disease (EMD, 3 patients). Two patients with BM blasts >5% on rBMA had circulating blasts within 5 weeks of rBMA. Neutropenia (ANC <1.5 K/mcl) at 1 year was predictive of relapse (P = .01). Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia (<160 K/mcl) were predictive of disease-free survival (DFS) with inferior DFS for ANC <1.5 K/mcl, P = .001, or platelet count <160 K/mcl (P = .04). These results demonstrate rBMAs after alloHCT assessed for MRD by MFC and/or for level of DC are poor predictors for relapse in pediatric and young adult patients with AL or MDS. Relapse in these patients presents with PB blasts, cytopenias, or EMD. ANC and platelet count at 1-year were highly predictive for DFS.
Subject(s)
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Myelodysplastic Syndromes , Recurrence , Humans , Myelodysplastic Syndromes/therapy , Child , Male , Adolescent , Female , Young Adult , Adult , Child, Preschool , Retrospective Studies , Bone Marrow/pathology , Neoplasm, Residual , Leukemia/therapy , Infant , Acute Disease , CytopeniaABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AIMS: Daratumumab, a human IgG monoclonal antibody targeting CD38, is a promising treatment for pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). We describe a case of delayed engraftment following a mismatched, unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) in a 14-year-old female with relapsed T-ALL, treated with daratumumab and chemotherapy. By Day 28 post-HSCT, the patient had no neutrophil engraftment but full donor myeloid chimerism. METHODS: We developed two novel, semi-quantitative, antibody-based assays to measure the patient's bound and plasma daratumumab levels to determine if prolonged drug exposure may have contributed to her slow engraftment. RESULTS: Daratumumab levels were significantly elevated more than 30 days after the patient's final infusion, and levels inversely correlated with her white blood cell counts. To clear daratumumab, the patient underwent several rounds of plasmapheresis and subsequently engrafted. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of both delayed daratumumab clearance and delayed stem cell engraftment following daratumumab treatment in a pediatric patient. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the optimal dosing of daratumumab for treatment of acute leukemias in pediatric populations as well as daratumumab's potential effects on hematopoietic stem cells and stem cell engraftment following allogenic HSCT.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Transplantation, Homologous , Humans , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Female , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Transplantation, Homologous/methods , Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/therapy , Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy , Graft Survival/drug effectsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AIMS: Traditional weight-based dosing of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) used in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and graft rejection leads to variable exposures. High exposures induce delayed CD4+immune reconstitution (CD4+IR) and greater mortality. We sought to determine the impact of rATG exposure in children and young adults receiving various types of EX-VIVO T-cell-depleted (EX-VIVO-TCD) HCT. METHODS: Patients receiving their first EX-VIVO-TCD HCT (CliniMACS CD34+, Isolex or soybean lectin agglutination), with removal of residual T cells by E-rosette depletion (E-) between 2008 and 2018 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were retrospectively analyzed. rATG exposure post-HCT was estimated (AU*d/L) using a validated population pharmacokinetic model. Previously defined rATG-exposures, <30, 30-55, ≥55 AU*d/L, were related with outcomes of interest. Cox proportional hazard and cause-specific models were used for analyses. RESULTS: In total, 180 patients (median age 11 years; range 0.1-44 years) were included, malignant 124 (69%) and nonmalignant 56 (31%). Median post-HCT rATG exposure was 32 (0-104) AU*d/L. Exposure <30 AU*d/L was associated with a 3-fold greater probability of CD4+IR (P < 0.001); 2- to 4-fold lower risk of death (P = 0.002); and 3- to 4-fold lower risk of non-relapse mortality (NRM) (P = 0.02). Cumulative incidence of NRM was 8-fold lower in patients who attained CD4+IR compared with those who did not (P < 0.0001). There was no relation between rATG exposure and aGVHD (P = 0.33) or relapse (P = 0.23). Effect of rATG exposure on outcomes was similar in three EX-VIVO-TCD methods. CONCLUSIONS: Individualizing rATG dosing to target a low rATG exposure post-HCT while maintaining total cumulative exposure may better predict CD4+IR, reduce NRM and increase overall survival, independent of the EX-VIVO-TCD method.
Subject(s)
Graft vs Host Disease , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Humans , Child , Young Adult , Antilymphocyte Serum , Retrospective Studies , T-Lymphocytes , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects , Transplantation ConditioningABSTRACT
Isavuconazonium sulfate (ISA) is a triazole antifungal approved for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis in adults. This single-center, retrospective review of pediatric oncology and stem cell transplant patients receiving ISA for prophylaxis (n=20) or treatment (n=6) of invasive fungal disease (IFD) aims to characterize real-world clinical efficacy and toxicity of ISA in patients <18 years of age. Of 20 patients receiving ISA for prophylaxis, three patients had presumed breakthrough IFD (1 proven, 2 probable/possible). No adverse effects were attributed to ISA use or led to the discontinuation of therapy.
Subject(s)
Invasive Fungal Infections , Neoplasms , Nitriles , Pyridines , Adult , Child , Humans , Retrospective Studies , Antifungal Agents , Invasive Fungal Infections/drug therapy , Triazoles , Stem Cell Transplantation , Neoplasms/drug therapyABSTRACT
The only curative approach for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) arising in patients with Fanconi anemia (FA) is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT); however, HCT approaches are inconsistent and limited data on outcomes exist. We retrospectively evaluated outcomes of thirty patients with FA and MDS/AML who underwent first allogeneic HCT with a T-cell depleted (TCD) graft at our institution. Patients were transplanted on successive protocols with stepwise changes in cytoreduction and GVHD prophylaxis. All but two patients (93%) experienced durable hematopoietic engraftment. With median follow-up of 8.7 years, 5-year OS was 66.8% and DFS 53.8%. No significant differences in survival were found in patients with high-risk prognostic features (age ≥20 years, AML diagnosis, alternative donor graft) or when stratified by conditioning regimen. The 5-year cumulative incidences of relapse and NRM were 24.3% and 21.9%, respectively. NRM was higher in patients ≥20 years at HCT but did not otherwise differ. We herein demonstrate promising outcomes following allogeneic HCT for patients with FA and MDS/AML using TCD grafts, particularly in a cohort of high-risk patients with 50% ≥20 years and a majority receiving mismatched grafts. Future prospective studies are needed to compare this approach with other HCT platforms.
Subject(s)
Fanconi Anemia , Graft vs Host Disease , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute , Humans , Young Adult , Adult , Fanconi Anemia/therapy , Fanconi Anemia/complications , Retrospective Studies , Transplantation, Homologous/adverse effects , Transplantation Conditioning/methods , T-Lymphocytes , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Graft vs Host Disease/etiologyABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Serial prognostic evaluation after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) might help identify patients at high risk of lethal organ dysfunction. Current prediction algorithms based on models that do not incorporate changes to patients' clinical condition after allo-HCT have limited predictive ability. We developed and validated a robust risk-prediction algorithm to predict short- and long-term survival after allo-HCT in pediatric patients that includes baseline biological variables and changes in the patients' clinical status after allo-HCT. The model was developed using clinical data from children and young adults treated at a single academic quaternary-care referral center. The model was created using a randomly split training data set (70% of the cohort), internally validated (remaining 30% of the cohort) and then externally validated on patient data from another tertiary-care referral center. Repeated clinical measurements performed from 30 days before allo-HCT to 30 days afterwards were extracted from the electronic medical record and incorporated into the model to predict survival at 100 days, 1 year, and 2 years after allo-HCT. Naïve-Bayes machine learning models incorporating longitudinal data were significantly better than models constructed from baseline variables alone at predicting whether patients would be alive or deceased at the given time points. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that unlike traditional prognostic tools that use fixed variables for risk assessment, incorporating dynamic variability using clinical and laboratory data improves the prediction of mortality in patients undergoing allo-HCT.
Subject(s)
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Young Adult , Humans , Child , Transplantation, Homologous/adverse effects , Bayes Theorem , Retrospective Studies , Prognosis , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effectsABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) identified by somatic gene variants with variant allele fraction (VAF) ≥ 2% is associated with an increased risk of hematologic malignancy. However, CH defined by a broader set of genotypes and lower VAFs is ubiquitous in older individuals. To improve our understanding of the relationship between CH genotype and risk of hematologic malignancy, we analyzed data from 42 714 patients who underwent blood sequencing as a normal comparator for nonhematologic tumor testing using a large cancer-related gene panel. We cataloged hematologic malignancies in this cohort using natural language processing and manual curation of medical records. We found that some CH genotypes including JAK2, RUNX1, and XPO1 variants were associated with high hematologic malignancy risk. Chronic disease was predicted better than acute disease suggesting the influence of length bias. To better understand the implications of hematopoietic clonality independent of mutational function, we evaluated a set of silent synonymous and noncoding mutations. We found that silent CH, particularly when multiple variants were present or VAF was high, was associated with increased risk of hematologic malignancy. We tracked expansion of CH mutations in 26 hematologic malignancies sequenced with the same platform. JAK2 and TP53 VAF consistently expanded at disease onset, whereas DNMT3A and silent CH VAFs mostly decreased. These data inform the clinical and biological interpretation of CH in the context of nonhematologic cancer.
Subject(s)
Clonal Hematopoiesis , Hematologic Neoplasms , Humans , Aged , Hematopoiesis/genetics , Mutation , Hematologic Neoplasms/epidemiology , Hematologic Neoplasms/genetics , Hematologic Neoplasms/pathology , GenotypeSubject(s)
Candidiasis, Chronic Mucocutaneous , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Humans , Gain of Function Mutation , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics , Antibodies, Neutralizing/genetics , STAT1 Transcription Factor/genetics , STAT1 Transcription Factor/metabolism , Candidiasis, Chronic Mucocutaneous/geneticsABSTRACT
Busulfan is an alkylating drug routinely used in conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). A myeloablative conditioning regimen, including busulfan, is commonly used in patients undergoing T-cell depletion (TCD) and allo-HCT, but data on optimal busulfan pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure in this setting are limited. Between 2012 and 2019, busulfan PK was performed to target an area under the curve exposure between 55 and 66 mg × h/L over 3 days using a noncompartmental analysis model. We retrospectively re-estimated busulfan exposure following the published population PK (popPK) model (2021) and correlated it with outcomes. To define optimal exposure, univariable models were performed with P splines, wherein hazard ratio (HR) plots were drawn, and thresholds were found graphically as the points at which the confidence interval crossed 1. Cox proportional hazard and competing risk models were used for analyses. 176 patients were included, with a median age of 59 years (range, 2-71). Using the popPK model, the median cumulative busulfan exposure was 63.4 mg × h/L (range, 46.3-90.7). The optimal threshold was at the upper limit of the lowest quartile (59.5 mg × h/L). 5-year overall survival (OS) with busulfan exposure ≥59.5 vs <59.5 mg × h/L was 67% (95% CI, 59-76) vs 40% (95% CI, 53-68), respectively (P = .02), and this association remained in a multivariate analyses (HR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.29; 0.88; P = .02). In patients undergoing TCD allo-HCT, busulfan exposure is significantly associated with OS. The use of a published popPK model to optimize exposure may significantly improve the OS.
Subject(s)
Busulfan , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Humans , Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Young Adult , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Busulfan/adverse effects , Retrospective Studies , Transplantation, Homologous , Transplantation Conditioning/adverse effects , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Although allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT) is curative for high-risk pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML), disease relapse remains the primary cause of posttransplant mortality. To identify pressures imposed by allo-HCT on AML cells that escape the graft-versus-leukemia effect, we evaluated immune signatures at diagnosis and posttransplant relapse in bone marrow samples from 4 pediatric patients using a multimodal single-cell proteogenomic approach. Downregulation of major histocompatibility complex class II expression was most profound in progenitor-like blasts and accompanied by correlative changes in transcriptional regulation. Dysfunction of activated natural killer cells and CD8+ T-cell subsets at relapse was evidenced by the loss of response to interferon gamma, tumor necrosis factor α signaling via NF-κB, and interleukin-2/STAT5 signaling. Clonotype analysis of posttransplant relapse samples revealed an expansion of dysfunctional T cells and enrichment of T-regulatory and T-helper cells. Using novel computational methods, our results illustrate a diverse immune-related transcriptional signature in posttransplant relapses not previously reported in pediatric AML.
Subject(s)
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute , Humans , Child , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Transplantation, Homologous , Histocompatibility Antigens Class II , RecurrenceSubject(s)
Cancer Survivors , Neoplasms , Humans , Child , Neoplasms/genetics , Clonal Hematopoiesis , Mutation , Hematopoiesis/geneticsABSTRACT
Patients with high-risk neuroblastoma generally present with widely metastatic disease and often relapse despite intensive therapy. As most studies to date focused on diagnosis-relapse pairs, our understanding of the genetic and clonal dynamics of metastatic spread and disease progression remain limited. Here, using genomic profiling of 470 sequential and spatially separated samples from 283 patients, we characterize subtype-specific genetic evolutionary trajectories from diagnosis through progression and end-stage metastatic disease. Clonal tracing timed disease initiation to embryogenesis. Continuous acquisition of structural variants at disease-defining loci (MYCN, TERT, MDM2-CDK4) followed by convergent evolution of mutations targeting shared pathways emerged as the predominant feature of progression. At diagnosis metastatic clones were already established at distant sites where they could stay dormant, only to cause relapses years later and spread via metastasis-to-metastasis and polyclonal seeding after therapy.
Subject(s)
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local , Neuroblastoma , Humans , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/genetics , Neuroblastoma/genetics , Clonal Evolution , Mutation , Neoplasm MetastasisABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Stage 4a metastatic retinoblastoma (RB) is curable with intensive multimodality therapy including myeloablative chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplant (HDC-ASCT) and involved field radiation therapy (IFRT). To our knowledge, no data exist on the impact of (a) pre-ASCT disease status, and (b) IFRT to sites of metastatic disease post ASCT on survival. PROCEDURE: We retrospectively reviewed patients with stage 4a metastatic RB who underwent induction chemotherapy followed by HDC-ASCT, with or without IFRT, to residual tumor sites at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) (n = 24). RESULTS: The degree of postinduction response prior to ASCT did not affect outcome, with 5-year overall survival (OS) of 68% and 86% in patients who achieved complete response (CR) and very good partial response (VGPR)/partial response (PR) prior to ASCT, respectively. IFRT administered post ASCT in patients with possible residual bony metastatic disease increases the likelihood of developing osteosarcoma in the radiation field. CONCLUSION: OS for patients with stage 4a metastatic RB treated with ASCT with VGPR or PR to pretransplant chemotherapy was not significantly different from patients with CR. In addition, IFRT does not seem to be required for bony disease control and increased the likelihood of developing osteosarcoma.
Subject(s)
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Osteosarcoma , Retinal Neoplasms , Retinoblastoma , Humans , Disease-Free Survival , Retrospective Studies , Retinoblastoma/therapy , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Transplantation, Autologous , Retinal Neoplasms/therapy , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Poor graft function (PGF) is a life-threatening complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Historically, outcomes of patients with PGF have been very poor, and there are no standardized approaches to treatment. Furthermore, few outcomes after CD34-selected stem cell boost (CD34+SCB) for PGF in pediatric alloSCT recipients have been reported. Here we report on a single center experience with CD34+SCB for PGF after alloSCT in patients treated on the Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy Service at MSK Kids, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. A retrospective analysis of patients transplanted for malignant and nonmalignant disorders who received a CD34+SCB between 2008 to 2020 for treatment of PGF defined as the need for granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and/or packed red blood cell or platelet transfusion support with bone marrow donor chimerism ≥85%. Peripheral blood stem cells from the original donor were the source for CD34+SCB. Durable complete recovery (durable CR) was defined as recovery of peripheral blood counts without recurrent need for G-CSF or transfusion support. The main outcomes of interest were recovery of hematopoiesis and overall survival. Development of graft versus host disease (GVHD) was an additional outcome of interest. Fourteen patients with PGF received a boost. Six patients had no known infection, while 8 patients had PGF associated with an infection. The probability of CR at 60 days was 79% (95% confidence interval [CI], 57%-100%). The overall survival at both 2 and 5 years was 78% (95% CI, 56%-100%). One patient developed GVHD, which was fatal. No other CD34+SCB-related toxicities were observed. While including patients with PGF as recently defined by the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, as well as PGF in patients with concomitant infections, we demonstrate that CD34+SCB is safe and can provide for durable trilineage hematopoietic recovery and long-term survival in pediatric patients after alloSCT.
Subject(s)
Graft vs Host Disease , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Peripheral Blood Stem Cells , Humans , Child , Retrospective Studies , Transplantation, Homologous/adverse effects , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects , Antigens, CD34/analysis , Graft vs Host Disease/etiology , Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Data concerning the treatment approach and clinical outcomes in younger patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are lacking. Furthermore, published results from genomic profiling in the young adult MDS population are few. We identified patients aged 20-50 at diagnosis evaluated for de novo MDS at our institution over a 32-year period. Clinical information and results from sequencing panels were extracted for analysis. 68 eligible patients were found, including 32% with multilineage dysplasia and 29% with excess blasts-2 WHO subtypes. Revised International Prognostic Scoring System for MDS (IPSS-R) categorization had 47% high/very high-risk, and this classification held prognostic significance. The median overall survival was 59 months, and most patients (75%) underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT). Thirty-four patients had mutational profiling; the most commonly mutated gene was TP53 and most commonly altered gene category was epigenetic regulators. Younger patients with de novo MDS represented a unique subset with high-risk disease features (adverse cytogenetics, higher R-IPSS) frequently observed along with alterations in TP53 and genes related to epigenetic and transcription pathways.
Subject(s)
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Myelodysplastic Syndromes , Adult , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Humans , Middle Aged , Mutation , Myelodysplastic Syndromes/diagnosis , Myelodysplastic Syndromes/genetics , Myelodysplastic Syndromes/therapy , Prognosis , Risk Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and acute leukemias (t-MDS/AL) are a major cause of nonrelapse mortality among pediatric cancer survivors. Although the presence of clonal hematopoiesis (CH) in adult patients at cancer diagnosis has been implicated in t-MDS/AL, there is limited published literature describing t-MDS/AL development in children. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We performed molecular characterization of 199 serial bone marrow samples from 52 patients treated for high-risk neuroblastoma, including 17 with t-MDS/AL (transformation), 14 with transient cytogenetic abnormalities (transient), and 21 without t-MDS/AL or cytogenetic alterations (neuroblastoma-treated control). We also evaluated for CH in a cohort of 657 pediatric patients with solid tumor. RESULTS: We detected at least one disease-defining alteration in all cases at t-MDS/AL diagnosis, most commonly TP53 mutations and KMT2A rearrangements, including involving two novel partner genes (PRDM10 and DDX6). Backtracking studies identified at least one t-MDS/AL-associated mutation in 13 of 17 patients at a median of 15 months before t-MDS/AL diagnosis (range, 1.3-32.4). In comparison, acquired mutations were infrequent in the transient and control groups (4/14 and 1/21, respectively). The relative risk for development of t-MDS/AL in the presence of an oncogenic mutation was 8.8 for transformation patients compared with transient. Unlike CH in adult oncology patients, TP53 mutations were only detectable after initiation of cancer therapy. Last, only 1% of pediatric patients with solid tumor evaluated had CH involving myeloid genes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate the clinical relevance of identifying molecular abnormalities in predicting development of t-MDS/AL and should guide the formation of intervention protocols to prevent this complication in high-risk pediatric patients.
Subject(s)
Cancer Survivors , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute , Neuroblastoma , Adult , Bone Marrow/pathology , Child , Clone Cells , Humans , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics , Neuroblastoma/pathologyABSTRACT
Traditional weight-based dosing results in variable rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) clearance that can delay CD4+ T-cell immune reconstitution (CD4+ IR) leading to higher mortality. In a retrospective pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analysis of patients undergoing their first CD34+ T-cell-depleted (TCD) allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) after myeloablative conditioning with rATG, we estimated post-HCT rATG exposure as area under the curve (arbitrary unit per day/milliliter [AU × day/mL]) using a validated population PK model. We related rATG exposure to nonrelapse mortality (NRM), CD4+ IR (CD4+ ≥50 cells per µL at 2 consecutive measures within 100 days after HCT), overall survival, relapse, and acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) to define an optimal rATG exposure. We used Cox proportional hazard models and multistate competing risk models for analysis. In all, 554 patients were included (age range, 0.1-73 years). Median post-HCT rATG exposure was 47 AU × day/mL (range, 0-101 AU × day/mL). Low post-HCT area under the curve (<30 AU × day/mL) was associated with lower risk of NRM (P < .01) and higher probability of achieving CD4+ IR (P < .001). Patients who attained CD4+ IR had a sevenfold lower 5-year NRM (P < .0001). The probability of achieving CD4+ IR was 2.5-fold higher in the <30 AU × day/mL group compared with 30-55 AU × day/mL and threefold higher in the <30 AU × day/mL group compared with the ≥55 AU × day/mL group. In multivariable analyses, post-HCT rATG exposure ≥55 AU × day/mL was associated with an increased risk of NRM (hazard ratio, 3.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.26-9.30). In the malignancy subgroup (n = 515), a tenfold increased NRM was observed in the ≥55 AU × day/mL group, and a sevenfold increased NRM was observed in the 30-55 AU × day/mL group compared with the <30 AU × day/mL group. Post-HCT rATG exposure ≥55 AU × day/mL was associated with higher risk of a GVHD (hazard ratio, 2.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-5.16). High post-HCT rATG exposure is associated with higher NRM secondary to poor CD4+ IR after TCD HCT. Using personalized PK-directed rATG dosing to achieve optimal exposure may improve survival after HCT.
Subject(s)
Antilymphocyte Serum , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Antigens, CD34 , Antilymphocyte Serum/pharmacology , Antilymphocyte Serum/therapeutic use , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Humans , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local , Retrospective Studies , T-LymphocytesABSTRACT
The study of clonal hematopoiesis is rapidly evolving, with the highest prevalence in aging populations and wide-ranging implications for health and disease, including an increased risk of subsequent myeloid malignancies and cardiovascular disease. In their article, Feusier and colleagues report on an expanded driver mutation list for capture of higher-risk clonal hematopoiesis mutations implicated in leukemia transformation. They also describe the prevalence of clonal hematopoiesis in several additional large studies, including, most importantly, in the pediatric context, which has not yet been extensively studied with respect to clonal hematopoiesis and clonal hematopoiesis-related sequelae. See related article by Feusier et al., p. 226.
ABSTRACT
Myeloid/lymphoid neoplasm with eosinophilia (MLN-Eo) is a World Health Organization (WHO) established category of hematologic malignancies primarily arising in adults. We discuss an 8-month-old infant who presented with clinical features similar to those of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) but who was diagnosed with MLN-Eo driven by an ETV6-FLT3 fusion. Results of patient-derived leukemia ex vivo studies demonstrated increased sensitivity to type I FLT3 inhibitors as compared with type II inhibitors. Treatment with the type I inhibitor gilteritinib resulted in complete immunophenotypic and cytogenetic remission. This patient subsequently underwent a hematopoietic stem cell transplant and remains in complete remission 1 year later. This is the youngest patient reported with an ETV6-FLT3 fusion and adds to the mounting reports of FLT3-rearranged MLN-Eo, supporting its addition to the WHO classification. Furthermore, this case highlights the clinical utility of ex vivo drug testing of targeted therapies.