•Patterns of endothelial injury after allo-HCT differ between transplantation platforms.•Compared with pre-HCT, post-HCT dynamic EASIX scores may better predict NRM as patients acquire additional ...endothelial injury and toxicities.
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Endothelial activation and stress index (EASIX) predicts nonrelapse mortality (NRM) when assessed before hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We sought to determine whether changes in EASIX after HCT may be an informative marker of NRM. We evaluated 509 adults who underwent reduced intensity, unmodified (N = 149, 29%), or myeloablative ex vivo CD34+-selected allogeneic HCT (allo-HCT) (N = 306, 71%) between 2008 and 2016. Patients who underwent unmodified allo-HCT received tacrolimus-based graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, whereas CD34+-selected patients received no planned immunosuppression. EASIX (lactate dehydrogenase × creatinine/platelet count) was calculated continuously until 1-year after HCT. Log transformation using base 2 (log2) was applied to all EASIX variables to reduce skew. In total, 360 patients (71%) received CD34+-selected and 149 (29%) unmodified allo-HCT. Among all patients, EASIX scores increased rapidly, peaked at day +8, then declined rapidly until day +33. Thereafter, scores declined gradually but remained above the pre-HCT baseline. In unmodified HCT, scores appeared higher over time than in CD34+-selected patients. EASIX discrimination of NRM was highest around day +180 (concordance index = 0.85) in both platforms, but the prognostic impact of EASIX across time points differed between the 2 platforms. Mean EASIX scores were higher in men (mean log2 +0.52) and in patients who developed grade 2 to 4 GVHD (+0.81) and lower in patients who received matched vs mismatched donors (−0.81, all P < .01). EASIX scores are dynamic and variably concordant with NRM when analyzed longitudinally, and patterns differ between HCT platforms. Compared to pre-HCT evaluation, post-HCT EASIX scores may better predict risk of NRM as patients acquire additional endothelial injury and toxicities.
•Median overall survival (OS) in a contemporary cohort of patients who relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) was 6 months.•The disease burden at relapse and time to ...relapse were correlated with OS.•Second cellular therapy could improve survival after early relapse.•Survival at 2 years after second cellular therapy (donor leukocyte infusion or second allo-HCT) was 44.9%.•Molecular features may influence the efficacy of second cellular therapy.
Patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) generally have poor overall survival (OS). Interventions that result in improved OS after relapse are not well established. The efficacy of second cellular therapy and specific indications are matters of debate. This study was conducted to evaluate factors associated with postrelapse survival and the efficacy of a second course of cellular therapy. We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with AML and MDS who underwent a first allo-HCT between 2010 and 2017 at our center but subsequently relapsed. One hundred and four patients with AML and 44 patients with MDS were included (total n = 148). Bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood stem cell grafts were either unmodified or T cell-depleted (TCD) by CD34+ selection ex vivo. Forty-five patients (30.4%) received a second cellular therapy after relapse, either a second allo-HCT (n = 28; 18.9%) or donor leukocyte infusion (DLI) (n = 17; 11.5%). The median age at transplantation was 60 years (range, 24 to 78 years). The median time to relapse (TTR) after transplantation was 6.5 months (range, 1 to 60.9 months), and the ensuing median OS was 6 months (95% confidence interval CI, 4.8 to 8.9 months). In univariable analysis, longer TTR, relapse type (measurable residual disease versus morphologic), relapse occurring in the most recent years, and receipt of cellular therapy after relapse were associated with better outcomes, whereas adverse cytogenetics and/or abnormality of TP53, as well as NPM1 mutation in patients with AML, were associated with adverse outcomes. Relapse type, year of relapse, and a variable resulting from the combination of TTR and receipt of second cellular therapy remained significantly associated with postrelapse survival in multivariable analysis. In a separate multivariable model, adjusted only for TTR, relapse type, and receipt of second cellular therapy, an adverse effect of NPM1 mutation on survival was confirmed. We could not show an effect of post-transplantation maintenance on survival after relapse. In both univariable and multivariable analysis, we found a positive association for second cellular therapy with survival after relapse in patients who relapsed early (<6 months) after allo-HCT and a similar trend in patients who relapsed late (>12 months) after transplantation. Two-year OS after a second cellular therapy was 44.9% (95% CI, 28.5% to 61.4%), and it was significantly better in patients with <5% BM blasts before cell infusion. We could not show different effects on survival after second cellular therapy for DLI versus second allo-HCT in univariable analysis. Survival after relapse is improving over time, but this remains a challenging event, especially for patients who relapse early after transplantation. We found that a second cellular therapy could offer a benefit even in these cases. Nonetheless, more research is needed to clarify the most appropriate treatment choices after relapse. These are probably driven by underlying genetic and immunologic conditions, which should be the focus of future studies.
•The incidence of acute kidney injury following chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) cell therapy is low.•Previous hematopoietic cell transplantation, intensive care unit admission, and grade 3-4 ...cytokine release syndrome after CAR-T therapy may increase the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI).•Most patients who experience AKI after CAR-T therapy recover kidney function.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy using engineered cytotoxic T cells has shown promising responses in various hematologic malignancies. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurologic syndrome (ICANS) are recognized toxicities of CAR-T, whereas kidney injury remains less well recognized. The objective of the present study was to identify the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) after CAR-T cell therapy, potential risk factors, and recovery of kidney function. We performed a retrospective review of 46 adult patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with CAR-T therapy between February 2018 and February 2019 at our institution. Serum creatinine values before CAR-T therapy through day 100 were used to assess AKI, as defined by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria: grade 1, 1.5- to <2-fold of baseline; grade 2, 2- to <3-fold of baseline; grade 3, ≥3-fold of baseline. CRS and ICANS were graded using the consensus criteria of the American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. The overall incidence of CRS was 78.3% (95% confidence interval CI, 66% to 90.5%), of whom 13% (95% CI, 3.3% to 22.8%) developed grade 3-4 CRS, whereas the overall incidence of ICANS was lower at 45.7% (95% CI, 3.1% to 60.3%). The cumulative incidence of any grade AKI by day 100 was 30% (95% CI, 16.9% to 43.9%), with a grade 1 AKI incidence of 21.7% (95% CI, 9.7% to 33.8%) and a grade 2-3 AKI incidence of 8.7% (95% CI, .4% to 17%). No patients developed severe AKI necessitating renal replacement therapy. Patients with previous autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation, those requiring intensive care unit level care and with grade 3-4 CRS had a higher incidence of AKI. Most patients recovered, with kidney function returning to baseline within 30 days. We conclude that with early recognition and management of CAR-T complications, the incidence of AKI is low, the severity of injury is mild, and most patients recover kidney function within 30 days.
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.
•In CD34+ TCD allogeneic-HCT, optimum post-HCT rATG exposure decreases NRM driven by faster CD4+ IR and improves survival.•Personalized rATG exposure using a PK-directed strategy may improve survival after allogeneic CD34+ TCD HCT.
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•There are no prior prospective studies of thrombopoietin receptor agonists to enhance platelet recovery after auto-HCT.•As studied, romiplostim did not shorten the duration and depth of the platelet ...nadir, but it enhanced platelet recovery after day +15.
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There are no standard treatments to prevent or hasten the recovery from severe conditioning-regimen–induced thrombocytopenia occurring after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT). We conducted an open-label, single-arm pilot study of romiplostim, a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, to enhance platelet recovery in patients with multiple myeloma or lymphoma undergoing auto-HCT. All patients were treated weekly with romiplostim starting day +1 after auto-HCT until the platelet count was >50 × 109/L without transfusion. Compared with contemporary retrospective data from romiplostim-naïve patients (N = 853), romiplostim-treated patients (N = 59) had a similar median number of days of grade 4 thrombocytopenia or days requiring transfusions, time to platelet engraftment, and number of platelets transfusions during the auto-HCT. However, romiplostim-treated patients had enhanced platelet recovery to normal values beginning at approximately day +15. In matched cohort multivariable analyses, romiplostim treatment was associated with higher platelet counts by an average of 40 × 109/L (95% confidence interval (CI) (14, 67), P = .003) and 118 × 109/L (95% CI 84, 152, P<.001) at days +21 and +30, respectively, compared with those of no romiplostim. Only 1 adverse event was deemed possibly attributable to romiplostim: a low-risk pulmonary embolism in a patient with multiple myeloma. In conclusion, romiplostim showed promising activity and safety after auto-HCT, but the improvement in platelet counts occurred later than the goal of shortening the duration and depth of the platelet nadir. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (#NCT04478123).
Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) allows noninvasive, real-time evaluation of the skin at a resolution akin to histopathology (HP), but its application in cutaneous graft-versus-host disease ...(GVHD) has not been extensively assessed. We describe RCM features of cutaneous GVHD including acute (aGVHD), late acute, chronic (cGVHD; sclerotic and nonsclerotic subtypes), and inactive GVHD and correlate RCM with same-site HP for a subset of patients. Thirty-two adult and pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) recipients with cutaneous GVHD received RCM imaging of ≥1 lesions (n = 44), 13 of which necessitated skin biopsy. RCM images were deidentified and assessed by 2 RCM experts blinded to clinical and HP findings to reach a consensus on the features and patterns of the inflammatory dermatoses. Major RCM features (present in ≥65% of lesional sites) and patterns were reported. To determine the correlation between RCM and HP, detection of cellular features and patterns of inflammatory dermatoses were compared using percent agreement and prevalence-adjusted, bias-adjusted kappa estimates. Seven patients with early or late aGVHD (7 lesions) had irregular honeycombing, spongiosis, dermoepidermal junction (DEJ) and dermal inflammation, and melanophages; those with early aGVHD also had hyperkeratosis, dilated vessels, and coarse connective tissue. Both groups had an interface dermatitis pattern. Eighteen patients with nonsclerotic cGVHD (24 lesions) had irregular honeycombing, spongiosis, DEJ and dermal inflammation, dilated vessels, coarse connective tissue, and interface and spongiotic dermatitis patterns. Three sclerotic patients with cGVHD (7 lesions) had irregular honeycombing, DEJ and dermal inflammation with an interface dermatitis pattern. Four patients with inactive GVHD (6 lesions) showed minimal inflammation. RCM and HP had similar detection rates for 6 of 13 features and overall patterns important for diagnosis in 2 patients with late aGVHD (2 lesions; 15%) and 10 with nonsclerotic cGVHD (11 lesions; 85%) necessitating skin biopsy. RCM can detect features commonly reported in cutaneous GVHD and is comparable to HP. Additional characterization of cutaneous GVHD by RCM may enable future use in diagnosing, monitoring, or predicting disease in real time.
High-dose melphalan is one of the main cytotoxic DNA alkylating agents and is used in many transplantation conditioning regimens. Studies have shown a wide range of drug exposure when a traditional ...weight-based dose of melphalan is used. The optimal melphalan dose in BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan), which results in maximum efficacy with acceptable toxicity, is unknown. In this pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis of 105 patients with lymphoma undergoing treatment with BEAM and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation, we initially estimated melphalan exposure as area under the curve (AUC) by a noncompartmental analysis and subsequently compared it with a newly developed 2-compartment population-PK model. The 2 models correlated closely with each other. We found that the traditional fixed weight-based dosing of propylene glycol-free (captisol-enabled) melphalan in BEAM results in a wide variation in exposure as estimated by both models. Higher melphalan exposure was significantly associated with increased metabolic toxicities but did not seem to impact progression-free survival. Although our study suggests a melphalan AUC of 8 mg·h/L as a potential target in BEAM, larger prospective studies using personalized PK-directed melphalan dosing are needed to determine the optimal melphalan exposure in lymphomas.
Background: Deep and durable hematologic remissions following RA-ASCT are associated with improved organ function and extended overall survival (OS) in AL amyloidosis. Achieving at least a very good ...partial response (VGPR) defined by a dFLC <4mg/dL is an accepted goal of therapy based on favorable outcomes, including improved renal survival (REF: Palladini JCO 2012, Palladini Blood 2014). Recently more profound clonal suppression as indicated by no evidence of minimal residual plasma cell disease (MRD) in bone marrow (BM) (Muchtar Blood 2017) and achieving dFLC <1mg/dL (Manwani Blood 2018) have shown additional benefit. While depth of hematologic response by standard criteria are important, this study assessed additional factors that influence renal response and time to renal response.
Methods: All patients (pts) with AL and renal involvement (biopsy proven renal tissue diagnosis and/or 24hr proteinuria >500mg/day) undergoing RA-ASCT at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2016 were included. Pts with follow up less than 12 months post RA-ASCT, hemodialysis prior to RA-ASCT and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia were excluded. Melphalan dose was assigned based on age, cardiac involvement and renal compromise (Landau Leukemia 2013). Hematologic response was assessed at 3 and 12 months (mos) post RA-ASCT (Palladini JCO 2012) and those with less than complete response (CR) were offered consolidation therapy with bortezomib and dexamethasone (BD). All pts underwent serial organ function assessment (Palladini Blood 2014). Logistic regression models were used to assess association with renal response by 12 mos. Covariates for adjustment in multivariate models were chosen based on univariate analyses and clinical relevance.
Results: Sixty-four patients with renal AL meeting the inclusion criteria were identified; 3 pts died within a year post RA-ASCT were excluded. Median age (range) was 61 years (44-73), M:F 49%:51%, white 90% and 34% had cardiac involvement. Median (IQR) 24 hr proteinuria pre RA-ASCT was 5014 mg/day (2632-7514) and eGFR 68 ml/min/1.73 m2 (44-91). Renal amyloid stage I:II:III was 33%:52%:15%. Mayo cardiac stage (2004) I:II:III was 28%:61%:11% and revised Mayo stage (2012) I:II:III:IV was 13%:57%:21%:8%. Median BM plasma cells pre RA-ASCT was 9% (IQR 2-14%). 46% pts received treatment prior to ASCT. Melphalan dose (mg/m2) 200:140:100 was 44%:43%:11%. 46% pts received BD consolidation.
Hematologic response at 3 mos post RA-ASCT was CR 44%, VGPR 29%, partial response (PR) 20% and stable disease (SD) 7%. MRD in BM by 10-color flow cytometry was assessed in 33 pts and 13 (39%) were MRD negative. dFLC <1mg/dL was achieved in 63% of pts. Renal response by 12 mos following RA-ASCT was achieved in 32 pts (53%). Median (IQR) time to renal response in these pts was 5.8 mos (5.1 - 11.3). Amongst renal responders, 50% were in CR, 53% had MRD negative BM (of 15 pts) and 78% with dFLC <1mg/dL early post RA-ASCT. In pts who achieved dFLC <1mg/dL early post RA-ASCT, 66% had renal response.
By univariate analysis (Table 1) OR (95% CI) Mayo cardiac Stage (2004) II and III 0.23 (0.07-0.83, p=0.025), early post RA-ASCT dFLC <1mg/dL 3.00 ( 1.01-8.93, p=0.048), VGPR early post RA-ASCT 7.80 (1.69-36.06, p=0.009), dFLC <1mg/dL at 12 mos 7.20 (2.14-24.21, p=0.001) and CR at 12 mos 10.27 (1.14-92.26, p=0.038) were significantly associated with renal response. Neither renal stage, Mayo stage (2012), MRD negativity, melphalan dose nor consolidation was associated with renal response. By multivariate analysis (Table 2), early post RA-ASCT dFLC <1mg/dL continued to be the most significant factor predicting renal response, OR (95% CI) 4.52 (1.26-16.24, p=0.021), when adjusted for renal amyloid stage and Mayo cardiac stage (2004).
Conclusion: In this single center study, we report that RA-ASCT results in renal response in more than half (53%) of the patients at 1 year. Achieving dFLC <1mg/dL early post ASCT is significantly associated with renal response. Renal response is independent of baseline proteinuria and BM plasma cells or MRD status post ASCT. Our study supports that pathologic entity in organ damage is not the plasma cells but rather light chains. Further studies using dFLC <1mg/dL should be evaluated in organ response. Mass spectrometric light chain monitoring may even be more sensitive and could potentially serve as a non-invasive way to measure disease burden.
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Shah:Janssen: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding. Hassoun:Janssen: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy. Giralt:Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding. Landau:Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Prothena: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caelum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
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