To test the metastatic response rate in stage 4 neuroblastoma, using dose-intensive induction chemotherapy in a multi-institutional setting.
From 1998 to 1999, 47 consecutive children were treated ...according to N7 protocol. Children received cyclophosphamide 140 mg/kg, doxorubicin 75 mg/m(2), and vincristine 0.066 mg/kg (CAV) in cycles 1, 2, 4, and 6, and cisplatinum 200 mg/m(2) and etoposide 600 mg/m(2) (P/VP) in cycles 3, 5, and 7. The International Neuroblastoma Staging system was used with an emphasis on skeletal evaluation by 123-iodine-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy. A phase II study evaluating the metastasis complete response rate after induction chemotherapy was conducted in patients who had positive metastatic sites on MIBG scans at diagnosis.
Forty-six patients were assessable for toxicity. Hematologic toxicity was the main toxicity observed. Neutropenia was more frequent after CAV than after P/VP (P < .001). A higher rate of thrombocytopenia was observed after P/VP (P = .03). Forty patients with positive MIBG were assessable for metastatic response, and complete regression of metastases was achieved in 17 patients (ie, 43%; 95% CI, 27% to 59%). Of all 47 patients, 21 achieved complete metastatic response.
The N7 induction chemotherapy protocol was feasible in a multicentric setting. The observed metastasis complete response rate was similar to that obtained in our previous studies and significantly lower than that published in a previous series using the same regimen. In our hands, escalating doses of cyclophosphamide and prolonging conventional chemotherapy with the same drugs failed to improve the metastasis complete response rate.
Spinal cord compression in Wilms’ tumor (WT) is an extremely rare event that can have a very poor prognosis if not taken care of rapidly. Most cases reported in the literature involve widely ...metastatic patient with bone or paraspinal metastases or occasionally intradural metastasis. Here, we present the case of a 3-year-old girl of WT confirmed by biopsy, with spinal cord compression due to the direct contiguous spread of a tumor through 2 vertebral foramina. Abdominal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging performed for an abdominal mass revealed a large heterogeneous tumor near the upper pole of the left kidney. A nodular infiltration extended through the T11-L1 and L1-L2 neural foramina, forming an intraspinal mass that compressed the spinal cord. Major paresthesia subsequently occurred, requiring urgent treatment with corticosteroids and chemotherapy. The evolution was rapidly satisfying. After six courses of chemotherapy, a left nephrectomy was performed. Macroscopic examination identified a large tumor attached to the kidney without renal infiltration. Microscopical examination concluded to a nephroblastoma with regressive changes, of intermediate risk. Evolution at 6 months is satisfactory, with no neurological deficit. The histological aspect of the tumor and the clinical outcome suggest that she had an extrarenal WT that spread through the vertebral foramina and was secondarily attached to the kidney.
Evans syndrome (ES) is a rare severe autoimmune disorder characterized by the combination of autoimmune hemolytic anemia and immune thrombocytopenia. In most cases, the underlying cause is unknown. ...We sought to identify genetic defects in pediatric ES (pES), based on a hypothesis of strong genetic determinism. In a national, prospective cohort of 203 patients with early-onset ES (median range age at last follow-up: 16.3 years (1.2-41.0 years) initiated in 2004, 80 nonselected consecutive individuals underwent genetic testing. The clinical data were analyzed as a function of the genetic findings. Fifty-two patients (65%) received a genetic diagnosis (the M+ group): 49 carried germline mutations and 3 carried somatic variants. Thirty-two (40%) had pathogenic mutations in 1 of 9 genes known to be involved in primary immunodeficiencies (TNFRSF6, CTLA4, STAT3, PIK3CD, CBL, ADAR1, LRBA, RAG1, and KRAS), whereas 20 patients (25%) carried probable pathogenic variants in 16 genes that had not previously been reported in the context of autoimmune disease. Lastly, no genetic abnormalities were found in the remaining 28 patients (35%, the M− group). The M+ group displayed more severe disease than the M− group, with a greater frequency of additional immunopathologic manifestations and a greater median number of lines of treatment. Six patients (all from the M+ group) died during the study. In conclusion, pES was potentially genetically determined in at least 65% of cases. Systematic, wide-ranging genetic screening should be offered in pES; the genetic findings have prognostic significance and may guide the choice of a targeted treatment.
•At least 65% of cases of pES may be genetically determined.•Genetic findings have prognostic significance and may guide the physician's choice of a targeted treatment.
Background: Pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes (cMDS) are rare and biologically different from that seen in adults. In addition to a specific genomic landscape, they are characterized by the high ...frequency of hypoplastic forms, and the recurrent association with germline predispositions (Khoury et al. 2022; Locatelli et Strahm 2018). For most patients, allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) remains the only curative option. In case of cMDS with increased blasts (cMDS-IB), pre-tranplant cytoreductive chemotherapy may be considered, but remains controversial (Strahm et al. 2011). Methods This multicenter retrospective study included all cMDS patients (<18y.o.) reported to the SFGM-TC registry who underwent an allo-HSCT between 2000 and 2020. Data have been obtained through ProMISe (internet-based system shared by all EBMT transplantation centers). All patients have given signed informed consent. Results Eighty-four cMDS patients from 17 centers were included. Median age at transplant was 10.2 years (IQR: 7.2, 14.2). Fifty-two percent of patients presented with increased blasts at diagnosis. Germline predispositions were known in 24% of patients. GATA 2 mutations were the most frequent (14%). Eighty-two percent of patients presented with hematologic cytogenetic abnormalities, including 64% of monosomy 7. Myeloablative conditioning was used in most of cases (91%). Busulfan/melphalan was the most frequent conditioning regimen (58%). HSCT were performed from sibling donors in 29% of the cases, matched unrelated donors (MUD) in 44%, umbilical cord blood (UCB) in 21% and haploidentical in 6%. Stem cell source was bone marrow in 68% of the cases. Considering the whole cohort, 5y overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 67% (IC95% 57-78%) and 63% (IC95% 54-74%) respectively (Figure 1). Five years cumulative incidences of non-relapse mortality (NRM) and relapse were 26% (IC95% 17-35%) and 12% (IC95% 5.6-20%) respectively. Of the 21 cases of reported toxic death, 15 were related to acute GVH (aGVHD). Six months cumulative incidences of grade II-IV and III-IV acute graft vs host disease were 46 % and 24 % respectively. In univariate analysis, patients under 12 years (p=0,018) or who received a BuCyMel conditioning (p=0,004) or a graft from a MUD (p=0,030) had worst 5y OS and PFS. As expected, OS increased with time (p=0,014) reflecting improvements in supportive care and HSCT procedures (Figure 2A). These results were confirmed in multivariate analysis, except for MUD. Twenty-four patients received pre-transplant cytoreductive therapy, most often intensive chemotherapy (20/24). In the overall population, pre-transplant cytoreduction was not associated with an improved survival. However, subgroup analysis of the 40 patients with cMDS-IB showed a significant improvement of the OS probability (HR 0.18 0.04-0.83, p=0.014) in patients who received a pre-transplant cytoreductive therapy in univariate analysis (Figure 2B). Cytoreductive therapy did not appear to be associated with a reduced risk of relapse, but with a lower risk of NRM. Although not statistically significant, the incidence of aGVHD was higher in patients who did not receive any cytoreductive therapy (HR 0.60 0.09-3.85). Conclusion: This retrospective study reports the outcomes of 84 patients who underwent allo-HCT for childhoodMDS. This study seems to show a benefit associated with the pre-transplant cytoreduction therapy in the subgroup of patients with cMDS-IB, notably through a reduction of aGVHD and NRM occurrence. BuCyMel conditioning, currently recommended for cMDS-IB, appears here, to be associated with excess of toxic mortality. This study also confirms the high aGVH-related toxic mortality rates already reported in cMDS (Strahm et al. 2011). Recent retrospective data have shown a benefit of post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in GATA2 patients transplanted with sibling or matched unrelated donors (Nichols-Vinueza et al. 2022). Prospective data on the use of PTCy in cMDS are therefore needed. Acknowledgment: This research is funded by the non-profit organization Etoile de Martin/SFCE.
Introduction: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains a key treatment of high-risk childhood leukemia despite a wide range of long-term complications. Chronic graft-versus-host disease ...(cGvHD) is a severe complication of HSCT characterized by the immune response of transplanted cells against the recipient's organs. Adults undergoing HSCT are particularly susceptible to experiencing cGvHD. This complication is generally considered to be much less common when HSCT is performed during childhood and adolescence, though very limited long-term data is available. The present study from the LEA program aims to provide a better understanding of cGvHD and its long-term impact in long-term childhood leukemia survivors. Methods: LEA is a long-term follow-up program involving all childhood acute leukemia survivors treated in the French participating centers since 1980 (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01756599). The patients eligible to the present study were all patients included in the LEA cohort treated with HSCT. The primary objective of this cross-sectional study was to provide a long-term and comprehensive cGvHD evaluation in childhood leukemia survivors. Secondary objectives included identifying risk factors for cGvHD, assessing the impact of the disease on quality of life (QoL), and evaluating its evolution over time. The long-term cGvHD data were generated during an in-person dedicated follow-up visit by a clinician using 1) a dedicated questionnaire, and 2) the eGVHD application (UZ Leuven, Belgium) for standardizing the evaluation. QoL was evaluated using the SF36 questionnaire. Results: The study included a cohort of 446 patients treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (59%), acute myeloid leukemia (34%), or another hematological malignancy (7%). The age at HSCT was 8.9 ±0.3 years (mean ±standard error of mean). The dedicated long-term evaluation of cGvHD was performed 8.8 ±0.3 years after HSCT. The stem cell source was matched sibling donor (32%), mismatched related donor (9%), unrelated donor (37%), and cord blood (22%). HSCT was performed in first complete remission in 47% of patients. Myeloablative conditioning and total body irradiation were administered to 91% and 56% of patients, respectively. Anti-thymocyte globulin and ciclosporin were given to 49% and 94% of patients, respectively. At the time of the study, most patients never experienced (n=324, 73%) or recovered (n=28, 6%) from cGvHD. However, a significant proportion of patients (n=94, 21%) suffered long-term cGvHD of variable severity (45% mild, 33% moderate, and 22% severe) (Figure 1). Patients mostly had isolated organ defects (most frequently skin, eyes, and mouth defects). Multiple organs defects were also reported in some patients without recurrent patterns. At the time of cGvHD evaluation, patients suffering cGvHD mostly remained untreated (83%, n=78). Systemic treatment (ruxolitinib, ciclosporine, ibrutinib, and sirolimus), as well as local treatment were used in 11% and 5% of patients, respectively. cGvHD was significantly associated with several other long-term complications (thyroid function defects, cataract, lung function defects, osteonecrosis, diabetes). In a multivariate analysis (Table 1), age at HSCT was significantly associated with long-term cGvHD (odds ratio 1.06 for each additional year, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.1, p=0.01). Sex, type of leukemia, time from HSCT, stem cell source, relapse, number of HSCT and total body irradiation were not significantly associated with long-term cGvHD risk. Long-term cGvHD had a marked detrimental effect on QoL, even after adjusting to the total number of other long-term complications. The physical and psychic SF36 adjusted composite scores in patients with versus without cGvHD were 50 ±1.5 versus 55 ±0.7 (p=0.01) and 38 ±1.9 versus 43 ±1.0 (p=0.01), respectively. Conclusion: This study shows that cGvHD is a frequent and severe complication in long-term survivors of childhood leukemia treated with HSCT. Higher age at HSCT is the main risk factor for long-term cGVHD in this population. Long-term cGvHD significantly and independently jeopardizes the survivors' QoL. This complication is probably underrecognized and undertreated. There is a great need for a systematic and standardized cGvHD evaluation in this population.
In high‐risk neuroblastoma (HR‐NB), the clinical significance of long‐term minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring using quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) for ...neuroblastoma mRNAs has not been investigated. We report long‐term MRD follow‐ups of four patients with HR‐NB throughout the disease (diagnosis, remission, and relapse) and treatment course (chemotherapy, autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation, and donor lymphocyte and natural killer cell infusions). The results showed the stability of mRNA marker expression after different treatments and demonstrated their validity to predict relapse and assess therapeutic response. This opens up the possibility of investigating the utility of long‐term molecular monitoring of MRD in prospective multicenter studies.
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