We conducted a nested case-control study within a cohort of 6,244 patients to assess risk factors for avascular necrosis (AVN) of bone in children and adolescents following allogeneic ...transplantation. Eligible patients were ≤21 years of age, received their first allogeneic transplant between 1990 and 2008 in the United States and had survived ≥ 6 months from transplantation. Overall, 160 cases with AVN and 478 controls matched by year of transplant, length of followup and transplant center were identified. Cases and controls were confirmed via central review of radiology, pathology and/or surgical procedure reports. Median time from transplant to diagnosis of AVN was 14 months. On conditional logistic regression, increasing age at transplant (≥5 years), female gender and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were significantly associated with increased risks of AVN. Compared to patients receiving myeloablative regimens for malignant diseases, lower risks of AVN were seen in patients with non-malignant diseases and those who had received reduced intensity conditioning regimens for malignant diseases. Children at high risk for AVN include those within the age group where rapid bone growth occurs as well as those who experience exposure to myeloablative conditioning regimens and immunosuppression post-HCT for the treatment of GVHD. More research is needed to determine whether screening strategies specifically for patients at high risk for developing AVN with early interventions may mitigate the morbidity associated with this complication.
We analyzed the outcomes of patients who survived disease-free for 1-year or more following second allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for relapsed acute leukemia or myelodysplastic ...syndromes between 1980 and 2009. A total of 1285 patients received a second allogeneic transplant following disease relapse; among these 325 survived relapse-free at 1-year after the second HCT. The median time from first to second HCT was 17 and 24 months for children and adults, respectively. A myeloablative preparative regimen was used in the second transplant in 62% of children and 45% of adult patients. The overall 10-year conditional survival rates after second transplantation in this cohort of patients who had survived disease-free for at least one year were 55% in children and 39% in adults. Relapse was the leading cause of mortality (77% and 54% of deaths in children and adults, respectively). In multivariate analyses, only disease status prior to second HCT was significantly associated with higher risk for overall mortality (HR 1.71 for patients with disease not in complete remission prior to second HCT, P<0.01). Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) developed in 43% and 75% of children and adults following second transplant. Chronic GVHD was the leading cause of non-relapse mortality followed by organ failure and infection. The cumulative incidence of developing at least one of the studied late effects at 10-years after second HCT was 63% in children and 55% in adults. The most frequent late effects in children were growth disturbance (10-year cumulative incidence 22%) and cataracts (20%), and in adults were cataracts (20%) and avascular necrosis (13%). Among patients with acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes who receive a second allogeneic HCT for relapse and survive disease-free for at least 1-year, many can be expected to survive long term. However, they continue to be at risk for relapse and non-relapse morbidity and mortality. Novel approaches are needed to minimize relapse risk and long-term transplant morbidity in this population.
The purpose of this study was to determine long-term outcome of unrelated donor nonmyeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with poor-risk multiple myeloma. Twenty-four patients ...were enrolled. Seventeen patients (71%) had chemotherapy-refractory disease and 14 patients (58%) had disease relapse or progression after prior autologous transplantation. Thirteen patients underwent planned autologous transplantation followed 43–135 days later with unrelated transplantation, while 11 proceeded directly to unrelated transplantation. All 24 patients were treated with fludarabine (90 mg/m
2
) and 2 Gray total body irradiation and human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched unrelated peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Postgrafting immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil. The median follow-up was 3 years after allografting. One patient experienced non-fatal graft rejection. The incidences of acute grades II, III and chronic graft-versus-host disease were 54%, 13% and 75%, respectively. The 3-year non-relapse mortality was 21%. Complete responses were observed in 10 patients (42%) and partial responses in 4 (17%). At 3 years, overall and progression-free survival rates were 61% and 33%, respectively. Patients receiving tandem autologous-unrelated transplantation had superior overall and progression-free survivals, 77% and 51%, compared to patients proceeding directly to unrelated donor transplantation, 44% and 11%, respectively (progression-free survival
p
-value, 0.03). In summary, for patients with poor-risk, relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, cytoreductive autologous transplantation followed with nonmyeloablative conditioning and unrelated hematopoietic cell transplantation is effective treatment with low non-relapse mortality, high complete remission rates and prolonged disease-free survival.
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