Respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Impact of the immunodeficiency scoring index, viral load, and ribavirin treatment on the outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory viral infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among stem cell transplant recipients. While there is a substantial amount of information on prognostic factors and response to ribavirin therapy is available for RSV infections, this information is largely lacking for hMPV. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total, 71 patients were included in this study: 47 patients with RSV and 24 with hMPV. Forty-one patients presented as an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and 30 as a primary lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Patients were stratified as per ISI criteria into low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups. Twenty-two patients in the URTI cohort received treatment with ribavirin (mainly oral), and 19 patients received no antiviral therapy. The decision for antiviral treatment was at the discretion of the attending physician. All 30 patients with primary LRTI and 10 patients with secondary LRTI were treated with ribavirin, 95% with the intravenous formulation. 45% of these patients received additional treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins. The viral load was assessed indirectly by using the CT value of the RT-PCR. RESULTS: In the cohort, as whole 11.5% suffered a virus-associated death, 5% in the URTI group, and 20% in the LRTI group. Sixty-day mortality was significantly higher in the ISI high-risk group (log-rank P = .05). Mortality was independent of the type of virus (P = .817). Respiratory failure with an indication for mechanical ventilation developed in 11.5%, this risk was independent of the type of virus. Progression from URTI to LRTI was observed in 24% of cases with a significantly higher risk (75%) in the ISI high group (log-rank P = .001). In the ISI high-risk group, treatment with ribavirin significantly reduced the risk of progression (log-rank P < .001). Neither the type of virus nor the viral load in the nasopharyngeal swab impacted the risk of progression (P = .529 and P = .141, respectively). The detection of co-pathogens in the BAL fluid was borderline significant for mortality (P = .07). CONCLUSIONS: We could detect no differences between RSV and hMPV with respect to progression to LRTI, risk of respiratory failure or need for mechanical ventilation and virus-associated death. The ISI index is of predictive value in hMPV patients with a high ISI score and treatment with oral ribavirin has an equivalent protective effect in RSV and hMPV patients. Treatment of LRTI with intravenous ribavirin results in a similar outcome in RSV- and hMPV-infected patients. We could not detect any benefit of adjunctive treatment with immunoglobulins in both primary and secondary LRTI. No role of viral load as an independent prognostic marker could be detected either for progression to LRTI or death.

Treatment of newly diagnosed moderate or severe chronic graft-versus-host disease with prednisone and everolimus (PredEver first): a prospective multicenter phase IIA study.

Although most patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) show initial response to first-line therapy, long-term clinically meaningful success of first-line treatment remains rare. In a prospective multicentre phase II trial in 6 German centers, patients with newly diagnosed moderate or severe cGVHD received prednisone and everolimus for 12 months followed by a 1-year follow-up period. Primary endpoint was treatment success (TS) at 6 months defined as patient being alive, achieving PR or CR of cGVHD, having no relapse of underlying disease and requiring no secondary treatment for cGVHD. Of the 34 patients evaluable for efficacy, 19 (56%) had TS at 6 months with 22 and 52% of the patients in a CR and PR respectively. Overall 30 patients (88%) had a CR or PR as best response, nearly all responses (29/30) occurring within the first 6 weeks of treatment. The cumulative incidence of treatment failure at 1 year was 63%, corresponding to 37% TS. Predefined safety endpoint (thrombotic microangiopathy, pneumonitis, and avascular necrosis) were not observed in any patient. Addition of everolimus to prednisolone is well tolerated and may improve long-term treatment success. Larger studies are necessary to ascertain the possible role of everolimus in first-line treatment of cGVHD.

Radioimmunotherapy with yttrium-90-ibritumomab tiuxetan as part of a reduced- intensity conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma: results of a phase 2 study.

Forty patients were enrolled in this phase 2 study combining radioimmunotherapy (RIT) using yttrium-90-ibritumomab-tiuxetan (15 MBq [0.4 mCi]/kg) with reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) using fludarabine (90 mg/m(2)) and 2 Gy total body irradiation followed by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from related (n = 13) or unrelated (n = 27) donors for the treatment of advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Diagnoses were follicular lymphoma (n = 17), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n = 13), mantle cell lymphoma (n = 8), marginal zone lymphoma (n = 1), and lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (n = 1). Median age was 55 years (range, 34-68 years). All patients were high risk with refractory disease or relapse after preceding autologous HCT. No additional toxicities attributable to RIT were observed. Engraftment was rapid and sustained. Incidences of acute graft-versus-host disease 2-4 and chronic graft-versus-host disease were 43% and 53%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier-estimated nonrelapse mortality was 45% at 2 years. Twenty-two of 40 patients (55%) are alive, resulting in a Kaplan-Meier-estimated 2-year survival of 51% for all, 67% for follicular lymphoma, 49% for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and 37% for mantle cell lymphoma patients. The combined use of RIT with RIC is feasible with acceptable toxicity, even in elderly and heavily pretreated patients. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00302757.

Consensus Conference on Clinical Practice in Chronic GVHD: Second-Line Treatment of Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease.

Steroid refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is associated with a significant morbidity and mortality. Although first-line treatment of cGVHD is based on controlled trials, second-line treatment is almost solely based on phase II trials or retrospective analyses. The consensus conference on clinical practice in cGVHD held in Regensburg aimed to achieve a consensus on the current evidence of treatment options as well as to provide guidelines for daily clinical practice. Treatment modalities are the use of steroids and calcineurin inhibitors as well as immunomodulating modalities (photopheresis, mTOR-inhibitors, thalidomide, hydroxychloroquine, vitamin A analogs, clofazimine), and cytostatic agents (mycophenolate mofetil, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, pentostatin). Recent reports showed some efficacy of rituximab, alemtuzumab, and etanercept in selected patients. Moreover, tyrosine kinase inihibitors such as imatinib came into the field because of their ability to interfere with the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-R) pathway involved in fibrosis. An other treatment option is low-dose thoracoabdominal irradiation. Although different treatment options are available, the "trial-and-error system" remains the only way to identify the drug effective in the individual patient, and valid biomarkers are eagerly needed to identify the likelihood of response to a drug in advance. Moreover, the sparse evidence for most treatment entities indicates the urgent need for systematic evaluation of second-line treatment options in cGVHD.

Adoptive transfer and selective reconstitution of streptamer-selected cytomegalovirus-specific CD8+ T cells leads to virus clearance in patients after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease constitutes a serious complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. For the clearance of CMV, CD8+ T cells are pivotal. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Here, the novel streptamer technology was used at good manufacturing practice (GMP) level for adoptive transfer of CMV-specific T cells into acute leukemia patients with recurrent high CMV antigenemia after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. RESULTS: After a single transfusion, the frequency of CMV-specific CD8+CD45RA+CCR7- effector T cells increased dramatically from 0.0% to a maximum of 27.1% of all T cells. These T cells were clearly donor derived and did not stem from intrinsic reconstitution, as demonstrated by analysis of 1) donor chimerism through single-tandem repeats, 2) T-cell receptor excision circles, and 3) Vß-chain typing by polymerase chain reaction. Clinically, the specific T-cell transfer resulted in a persistent clearance of the CMV antigenemia, which allowed the patients to discontinue toxic antiviral drug therapy without further high-level reactivation of CMV, demonstrating the power of the streptamer technology. CONCLUSION: Taken together, the streptamer technology offers the advantage of selecting virus-specific CD8+ T cells at GMP level for adoptive T-cell transfer, thus inducing long-lasting specific CD8+ T-cell responses without increasing the risk for graft-versus-host disease.

Fatal late-onset CAR T-cell-mediated encephalitis after axicabtagene-ciloleucel in a patient with large B-cell lymphoma.

Treatment with CD19-directed (CAR) T cells has evolved as a standard of care for multiply relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL). A common side effect of this treatment is the immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). Severe ICANS can occur in up to 30% to 40% of patients treated with axicabtagene-ciloleucel (axi-cel), usually within the first 4 weeks after administration of the dose and usually responding well to steroids. We describe a case of progressive central neurotoxicity occurring 9 months after axi-cel infusion in a patient with r/r LBCL who had undergone a prior allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant. Despite extensive systemic and intrathecal immunosuppression, neurological deterioration was inexorable and eventually fatal within 5 months. High CAR T-cell DNA copy numbers and elevated levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6 were found in the cerebral spinal fluid as clinical symptoms emerged, and CAR T-cell brain infiltration was observed on autopsy, suggesting that CAR T cells played a major pathogenetic role. This case of unexpected, devastating, late neurotoxicity warrants intensified investigation of neurological off-target effects of CD19-directed CAR T cells and highlights the need for continuous monitoring for late toxicities in this vulnerable patient population.

Validation of the human activity profile questionnaire in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) associated morbidity and mortality remain major barriers for successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). Currently, no reliable measures are established to monitor cGVHD activity changes for use in clinical trials. The Human Activity Profile (HAP) patient self-report was proposed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) cGVHD consensus project as an independent measure of patients' functional status that could also indirectly reflect improvement of cGVHD, but that has not been validated in an alloHSCT patient population. One hundred seventy-six patients (median age 44 years [range: 18-72 years] after alloHSCT were evaluated with a German translation of the HAP, the NIH criteria-based cGVHD activity assessment, the Lee cGVHD Symptom-Scale, FACT-BMT, SF36, Berlin Social Support Scale, 24-Item Adjective Measure (24-AM), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the NCCN-Distress-Thermometer. Enrollment occurred a median of 286 (range: 85-4003) days after alloHSCT. Follow-up surveys were conducted at 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 12 months after the baseline survey. Although 117 patient had cGVHD at time of enrollment (mild n = 33, moderate n = 50, or severe n = 34), 59 patients were included into the study in the absence of cGVHD between days 85 and 395 after transplantation. The maximum activity score (MAS) and adjusted activity score (AAS) of the HAP correlated inversely with grading of cGVHD severity (mild, moderate, or severe) (r = -0.25 for MAS and -0.24 for AAS). Lung manifestations of cGVHD correlated with AAS (r = 0.17), but not with MAS. HAP scores correlated with subscales from other instruments measuring physical domains, especially the physical functioning scale of the SF36. Performance was improved by use of an HSCT-modified HAP scoring system that excluded activities prohibited within the first year after alloHSCT. No significant correlation of the HAP was found with personality, age, sex, symptom burden, or social functioning or social well-being. Moreover, the HAP displayed a higher sensitivity to change of cGVHD activity compared to the SF36 and the FACT-BMT. In addition, steroid myopathy correlated with both HAP scores, but not the SF36. The HAP is a simple and valid questionnaire for the evaluation of the physical activity in patients after alloHSCT, with the advantage of detecting changes in cGVHD status independently of other quality-of-life measures and with a superior sensitivity compared to the SF36.

Neoplastic meningitis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia scheduled for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

We analyzed the frequency of neoplastic meningitis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia prior to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at our institution. Between 1996 and 2009, cerebrospinal fluid samples of 204 adult patients were examined during pre-transplant work-up for cell counts and, if abnormal, morphologically. We found blasts in cerebrospinal fluid samples of 17 patients with either persistent (n=9) or newly diagnosed (n=8) neoplastic meningitis. All patients proceeded to transplant. The proportion of patients with central nervous system involvement was significantly higher in patients with refractory disease at the time of transplantation compared with patients responding to prior systemic therapy (19% vs. 4.6%; P=0.003). Since most of the patients with central nervous system involvement were asymptomatic, cerebrospinal fluid evaluation should be considered at least in patients with refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

Stem cell transplantation for osteopetrosis in patients beyond the age of 5 years.

Osteopetrosis (OP) is a rare disease caused by defective osteoclast differentiation or function. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative treatment available in the infantile "malignant" form of OP. Improved clinical and genetic diagnosis of OP has seen the emergence of a cohort of patients with less severe and heterogeneous clinical presentations. This intermediate form of OP does not call for urgent intervention, but patients accumulate debilitating skeletal complications over years and decades, which are severe enough to require curative treatment and may also require intermittent transfusion of blood products. Here we present data from 7 patients with intermediate OP caused by mutations in TCIRG1 (n = 2), CLCN7 (n = 2), RANK (n = 1), SNX10 (n = 1), and CA2 (n = 1), who were transplanted between the ages of 5 to 30 years (mean, 15; median, 12). Donors were matched siblings or family (n = 4), matched unrelated (n = 2), or HLA haploidentical family donors (n = 1). Conditioning was fludarabine and treosulfan based. All 6 patients transplanted from matched donors are currently alive with a follow-up period between 1 and 8 years at time of publication (median, 4 years) and have demonstrated a significant improvement in symptoms and quality of life. Patients with intermediate OP should be considered for HSCT.

Multimer staining of cytomegalovirus phosphoprotein 65-specific T cells for diagnosis and therapeutic purposes: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease represents a serious complication after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation. If possible, stem cell donors for transplantation are selected on the basis of their CMV serostatus. However, the cytomegalovirus-specific immune status can be further characterized by measuring CMV phosphoprotein 65-specific CD8(+) T cell frequencies using tetramers, pentamers, and streptamers. We therefore investigated the specificity and sensitivity of all 3 methods and compared the results to patient serostatus. METHODS: Twenty-three samples from CMV-seropositive healthy volunteers and 15 samples from CMV-seropositive patients before and after allogeneic PBSC transplantation were stained with tetramers, pentamers, or streptamers and analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Similar frequencies of CD8(+) and multimer(+) T cells could be measured by all 3 multimer technologies. The lowest background signals (< or =0.02%) were obtained using tetramer technology. Frequencies of 0.19%-2.48% of CMV phosphoprotein 65 495-503-specific CD8(+) T cells were detected in healthy volunteers. Antigen-specific T cells were detected in only 11 (48%) of 23 seropositive healthy volunteers. CMV antigenemia before day 100 after allogeneic PBSC transplantation occurred in 2 of 3 patients without any specific T cells. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the power of multimer staining and a certain limitation of serologic testing to define appropriate donors for transplantation. Therefore, whenever possible, CMV-seropositive donors of transplants to seropositive recipients should be screened for their CD8(+) T cell frequency. All 3 multimer technologies can be used, yielding similar results. The streptamer technology additionally offers the advantage of selecting CMV phosphoprotein 65-specific CD8(+) T cells at the good manufacturing practice level for adoptive T cell transfer.

Physical and psychosocial aspects of adolescent and young adults after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation: results from a prospective multicenter trial.

PURPOSE: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (alloHSCT) is physically and psychosocially demanding. Among transplant recipients, adolescent and young adults (AYA) represent a special group, as disease occurs early in life, resulting in the prospect of long survival time and high burden of alloHSCT sequelae. However, data focusing on AYA undergoing alloHSCT are rare. METHODS: Data resulting from a prospective multicenter trial initially focusing on graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) after alloHSCT were reused to analyse the differences between AYA and elderly patients. In total, data of 205 alloHSCT recipients were evaluated. Patients completed the FACT-BMT, HAP, SF-36, 24-AM, LOT-R, BSSS, HADS, and GvHD questionnaires. RESULTS: Median age of AYA and non-AYA patients was 29 and 52 years. Using 24-AM-Test, evaluating personality traits, non-AYA reported to be more conscientious (p = 0.033). However, AYA described higher quality of life regarding physical role functioning (p = 0.001), physical functioning (p = 0.002), bodily pain (p = 0.023), and emotional role function (p = 0.027) in the SF-36. General health perception, vitality, social role functioning, and mental health were comparable among both groups. On HAP scale, AYA reported higher maximum (p = 0.003) and adjusted activity scores (p = 0.002), but showed similar restrictions regarding activity, self-supply, and self-determination. CONCLUSION: AYA represent a particular group characterized by higher physical well-being and activity scores, and significantly vary from non-AYA patients in psychosocial aspects. Studies covering distinctive features of AYA undergoing alloHSCT are warranted to improve awareness of the special needs of this group.

Bone marrow transplantation nephropathy after an intensified conditioning regimen with radioimmunotherapy and allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

UNLABELLED: Intensification of the conditioning regimen with a radioactively labeled anti-CD66 antibody is feasible before allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The use of radioimmunotherapy may deliver a significant dose of radiation to the kidneys. We therefore studied the incidence and clinical picture of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) nephropathy in our patients receiving radioimmunotherapy before allogeneic stem cell transplantation. METHODS: This study was a clinical trial of 114 consecutive patients who received conditioning with a radiolabeled anti-CD66 antibody-188Re (n = 93) or 90Y (n = 21)-between 1998 and 2003. RESULTS: Although BMT nephropathy has developed in none of the patients in the [90Y]anti-CD66 group, 6 of 93 patients receiving [188Re]anti-CD66 presented with signs of BMT nephropathy at a median of 11.5 mo after stem cell transplantation. The absorbed renal dose was significantly lower in the 90Y group (4 vs. 7 Gy, P < 0.0001). Of the patients receiving [188Re]anti-CD66 who are alive, BMT nephropathy developed in 19% (6/32). Five of 6 patients with BMT nephropathy received total-body irradiation. The patients presented with elevated serum creatinine, proteinuria, anemia, hypertension, and signs of microangiopathy. All 6 patients in whom BMT nephropathy has developed are alive at a median follow-up of 58 mo after stem cell transplantation, and 1 patient has entered a dialysis program. CONCLUSION: BMT nephropathy appears to be a significant problem after allogeneic stem cell transplantation with intensified conditioning using the 188Re-labeled anti-CD66 applied in this study, particularly when combined with total-body irradiation.

Imatinib impairs CD8+ T lymphocytes specifically directed against the leukemia-associated antigen RHAMM/CD168 in vitro.

The Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate is highly effective in the front-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and is increasingly used in patients with residual disease or relapse after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Since an impairment of anti-viral CD8+ T-lymphocyte function by imatinib has been described, we question whether imatinib also affects specific anti-leukemic CD8+ T lymphocytes generated from the peripheral blood of healthy donors, and of CML patients after allo-SCT. Here, we assessed CD8+ T-cell expansion and function from healthy donors and patients with CML. The release of IFN-gamma and granzyme B by CD8+ T-lymphocytes specific for R3, a recently described T-cell epitope peptide derived from a leukemia-associated antigen designated RHAMM/CD168 (receptor for hyaluronic acid mediated motility), was inhibited by imatinib in a dose-dependent fashion (range: 1-25 microM). These T cells were able to lyse cognate peptide labeled T2 cells and CD34+ CML progenitor cells. This lysis was inhibited by imatinib. The inhibitory effect was not associated with an increased rate of apoptosis of T cells and reversible after removal of imatinib. In the light of these findings, clinical administration of imatinib might result in the reduction of efficacy of the graft-versus-leukemia effect or other T-cell-based immunotherapies.

188Re or 90Y-labelled anti-CD66 antibody as part of a dose-reduced conditioning regimen for patients with acute leukaemia or myelodysplastic syndrome over the age of 55: results of a phase I-II study.

In a phase I-II study for patients aged 55-65 years, we employed radioimmunotherapy using an anti-CD-66 antibody as part of a dose-reduced conditioning regimen, which was followed by a T-cell-depleted graft. 20 patients with a median age of 63 years suffering from acute leukaemia (n=17) or myelodysplastic syndrome (n=3) received the antibody labelled either with 188Rhenium (n=8) or with 90Yttrium (n=12) during conditioning. Radioimmunotherapy provided a mean dose of 21.9 (+/-8.4) Gy to the bone marrow with a significantly higher dose when 90Yttrium was used. Additional conditioning was fludarabine-based plus anti-thymocyte globulin in matched related donor transplants (n=11), or plus melphalan in matched unrelated donor transplants (n=9). Regimen-related toxicity was low, with two patients developing three episodes of grade III organ toxicity. All patients engrafted, grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) was observed in one patient (5%) and chronic GvHD in three patients (15%). The cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality was 25%, the cumulative incidence of relapse 55%. The probability of survival was estimated to be 70% at 1 year and 52% at 2 years post-transplant, although no plateau was reached afterwards. In conclusion, radioimmunotherapy using the anti-CD66 antibody was feasible and safe in our elderly patient group and provided a high marrow dose.