In this multicenter retrospective study, the long-term outcomes of 878 adults with AML and refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB) with BM blasts <10% who underwent transplantation with an ...HLA-identical sibling donor between 1998 and 2004 were analyzed according to four regimens of conditioning intensity: reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) (either intermediate RIC (IntermRIC) or non-myeloablative (NMA) RIC), and myeloablative conditioning (MC) in 718 patients (either conventional MC or hyperintense MC. In multivariate cox analysis, patients undergoing NMA transplantation had lower non-relapse mortality risk in the first 100 days after transplantation (P<0.01), but a higher risk beyond day +100 (P=0.02), as well as higher relapse incidence in the first 12 months (P<0.01), but the risk was similar in all groups beyond 12 months. The probabilities of PFS and OS up to 7 years were significantly lower only in the NMA subgroup (P0.01 for both). The 7-year OS was 53%, 29%, 56% and 51%, respectively. Our data suggest that prospective studies comparing RIC regimens (especially IntermRIC) with MC are appropriate in patients with AML and RAEB who are in a non-advanced disease status.
The MHC region on chromosome 6 contains a large number of non-HLA genes next to the HLA genes. Matching for HLA in unrelated hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) does not necessarily mean that these non-HLA ...genes are also matched. We selected 348 Northwest European patients transplanted with an HLA-A-, -B-, -C-, -DRB1-, -DQB1-matched unrelated donor (MUD) between 1987 and 2008. Patients' haplotypes were identified via descend. We were unable to determine the haplotypes of the donor; therefore we used frequent haplotypes (FH) in high linkage disequilibrium (LD) as a proxy for haplotype matching. Presence of a FH in a patient positively affected the probability and speed of identifying a matched unrelated donor. Competing risk survival analysis showed that patients with one or two FH have a statistically significantly decreased probability of developing ≥ grade II acute GVDH (aGVHD) without increased risk of relapse compared to patients without FH (HR (95% CI): 0.53 (0.31-0.91)). This association was strongest for those FH with the highest LD between both HLA-A and -C or -B, and HLA-C or -B and -DRB1 (HR (95% CI): 0.49 (0.26-0.92)). These results extend evidence that non-HLA allele coding regions have a significant impact on development of ≥ grade II aGVHD. We conclude that there is more to successful HSCT than matching for HLA genes.
Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) may increase the risk of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) when used prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We assessed SOS incidence and outcomes after ...HSCT of 146 adults, with a median age of 50 years, previously receiving GO. SOS prophylaxis was used in 69 patients (heparin n=57, ursodeoxycholic acid n=8, defibrotide n=4). Cumulative incidence (CI) of SOS was 8% (n=11), with death in 3 patients. Median interval between last GO dose and HSCT was 130 days. Overall survival (OS) and SOS incidence did not differ for patients receiving GO ⩽3.5 months before HSCT and the others. CI of acute and chronic GVHD was 31% and 25%, respectively. Probability of OS and leukemia-free survival (LFS) at 5 years was 40% and 37%, respectively. Relapse incidence and non-relapse mortality were 42% and 21%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, active disease at HSCT was associated with relapse and worse LFS and OS (P<0.03). Liver abnormalities before HSCT correlated with worse OS (P<0.03). Use of low-dose GO prior to HSCT is associated with an acceptable SOS incidence. Prospective studies investigating the role and the utility of SOS prophylaxis are warranted.
The prognosis of adult patients with ALL remains unsatisfactory. AlloSCT is associated with a beneficial GVL response mediated by donor T cells. However, GVHD results in substantial mortality and ...long-term morbidity. T-cell depletion (TCD) of the graft reduces the severity of GVHD, but is associated with an increased relapse rate after alloSCT. Therefore, early sequential donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is likely to be necessary for a successful GVL reaction. Twenty-five adult ALL patients (10 Ph(+)ALL) were eligible for early DLI after initial disease control with myeloablative TCD-alloSCT in first CR (CR1), if active GVHD was absent at 3-6 months after alloSCT. Patients with a sibling donor or an unrelated donor were scheduled for 3.0 × 10(6) CD3(+) cells/kg or 1.5 × 10(6) CD3(+) cells/kg, respectively, at 6 months after alloSCT. Three patients died before evaluation (one early relapse). Five patients had active GVHD. Fourteen of the remaining seventeen patients received DLI (median time-to-DLI: 185 days). Overall, only 17% required long-term systemic immunosuppression for GVHD. With a median follow-up after TCD-alloSCT of 50 months, 2-year survival probability was 68% (95% confidence interval (CI) 49-87%). In conclusion, myeloablative TCD-alloSCT with early sequential DLI is an efficient and safe post-remission treatment for adult ALL patients in CR1.
BU is used in conditioning regimens before hemopoietic SCT. High BU exposure is associated with toxicity, whereas low BU exposure leads to higher rates of therapy failure. The pharmacokinetics of BU ...show large interpatient variability, hypothesized to be caused by variability in BU metabolism. In this report, the effect of genetic polymorphisms in three gluthatione S-transferase genes involved in BU metabolism (hGSTA1), GSTM1 (deletion-mutation) and GSTP1 (313A/G) on the pharmacokinetics of BU in Caucasian adult patients was investigated. In all, 66 adult patients received BU as part of their conditioning regimen. After the first infusion, two serum samples were collected and measured using a HPLC assay. A one-compartment population model was used to estimate individual pharmacokinetic parameters. The genetic variants of the three glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes were determined by pyrosequencing and PCR. A reduction of 14% in BU clearance was seen for the GSTA1*B allele and an increase in BU exposure was found. No relationship was found between polymorphisms in GSTM1 and GSTP1 and BU pharmacokinetics. This study shows that an increasing number of copies of GSTA1*B allele results in a significant decrease of BU clearance.
Abstract
Background
Increasing resistance of Aspergillus fumigatus to triazoles in high-risk populations is a concern. Its impact on mortality is not well understood, but rates from 50% to 100% have ...been reported.
Objectives
To determine the prevalence of voriconazole-resistant A. fumigatus invasive aspergillosis (IA) and its associated mortality in a large multicentre cohort of haematology patients with culture-positive IA.
Methods
We performed a multicentre retrospective study, in which outcomes of culture-positive haematology patients with proven/probable IA were analysed. Patients were stratified based on the voriconazole susceptibility of their isolates (EUCAST broth microdilution test). Mycological and clinical data were compared, along with survival at 6 and 12 weeks.
Results
We identified 129 A. fumigatus culture-positive proven or probable IA cases; 103 were voriconazole susceptible (79.8%) and 26 were voriconazole resistant (20.2%). All but one resistant case harboured environment-associated resistance mutations in the cyp51A gene: TR34/L98H (13 cases) and TR46/Y121F/T289A (12 cases). Triazole monotherapy was started in 75.0% (97/129) of patients. Mortality at 6 and 12 weeks was higher in voriconazole-resistant cases in all patients (42.3% versus 28.2%, P = 0.20; and 57.7% versus 36.9%, P = 0.064) and in non-ICU patients (36.4% versus 21.6%, P = 0.16; and 54.4% versus 30.7%; P = 0.035), compared with susceptible ones. ICU patient mortality at 6 and 12 weeks was very high regardless of triazole susceptibility (75.0% versus 66.7%, P = 0.99; and 75.0% versus 73.3%, P = 0.99).
Conclusions
A very high prevalence of voriconazole resistance among culture-positive IA haematology patients was observed. The overall mortality at 12 weeks was significantly higher in non-ICU patients with voriconazole-resistant IA compared with voriconazole-susceptible IA.
In patients with invasive aspergillosis (IA), fungal cultures are mostly negative. Consequently, azole resistance often remains undetected. The AsperGenius
multiplex real-time PCR assay identifies ...clinically relevant Aspergillus species and four resistance-associated mutations (RAMs; TR34/L98H/T289A/Y121F) in the Cyp51A gene. This multicentre study evaluated the diagnostic performance of this assay on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and correlated the presence of RAMs with azole treatment failure and mortality.
Stored BAL samples from patients with haematological diseases with suspected IA were used. BAL samples that were galactomannan/culture positive were considered positive controls for the presence of Aspergillus. Azole treatment failure and 6 week mortality were compared in patients with and without RAMs that had received ≥5 days of voriconazole monotherapy.
Two hundred and one patients each contributed one BAL sample, of which 88 were positive controls and 113 were negative controls. The optimal cycle threshold cut-off value for the Aspergillus species PCR was <38. With this cut-off, the PCR was positive in 74/88 positive controls. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 84%, 80%, 76% and 87%, respectively. 32/74 BAL samples were culture negative. Azole treatment failure was observed in 6/8 patients with a RAM compared with 12/45 patients without RAMs (P = 0.01). Six week mortality was 2.7 times higher in patients with RAMs (50.0% versus 18.6%; P = 0.07).
The AsperGenius
assay had a good diagnostic performance on BAL and differentiated WT from Aspergillus fumigatus with RAMs, including in culture-negative BAL samples. Most importantly, detection of RAMs was associated with azole treatment failure.
Summary
Subcorneal pustular dermatosis (SPD), or Sneddon–Wilkinson disease, is a rare pustular skin disease that follows a chronic relapsing course. A well‐known association exists between SPD and ...IgA monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which exists in up to 40% of cases. SPD has also been observed in patients with IgA myeloma. In SPD, direct and indirect immunofluorescence studies do not reveal in vivo bound IgA to the epithelial cell surface, in contrast to IgA pemphigus, which has similar clinicopathological features. Here we describe the case of a male patient with SPD and a concurrent IgA MGUS who had been treated with dapsone for 20 years with frequent relapses. Following development of multiple myeloma, the patient was treated with intensive antimyeloma treatment consisting of high‐dose melphalan with autologous stem cell transplantation. This resulted in a complete remission of the myeloma with disappearance of the M‐protein. In addition, a sustained remission of SPD was achieved without further treatment. Twenty‐eight months after melphalan therapy the M‐protein reappeared in the serum, and 2 months later SPD reappeared with histopathologically proven skin lesions at predilection sites. Presence and absence of skin lesions was found to correlate with the presence and absence of the M‐protein in the serum. This is the first report of antimyeloma therapy inducing a long‐lasting remission in SPD. The findings in this patient strongly suggest a causal role for circulating IgA antibodies in the pathogenesis of SPD. Antimyeloma treatment should be considered in patients with IgA MGUS‐associated SPD refractory to other therapies.
What's already known about this topic?
Subcorneal pustular dermatosis (SPD) is highly associated with IgA monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and IgA myeloma.
The pathogenesis of SPD is poorly understood.
What does this study add?
The observed association between the presence and absence of SPD skin lesions and the presence and absence of IgA M‐protein in the serum suggests a causal role for circulating IgA antibodies in the pathogenesis of SPD.
Antimyeloma treatment should be considered in patients with IgA MGUS‐associated SPD refractory to other therapies.
Prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) starting at 6 months after T cell-depleted allogeneic stem cell transplantation (TCD-alloSCT) can introduce a graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effects with low ...risk of severe graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD). We established a policy to apply low-dose early DLI at 3 months after alloSCT to prevent early relapse. This study analyzes this strategy retrospectively. Of 220 consecutive acute leukemia patients undergoing TCD-alloSCT, 83 were prospectively classified to have a high relapse risk and 43 were scheduled for early DLI. 95% of these patients received freshly harvested DLI within 2 weeks of the planned date. In patients transplanted with reduced intensity conditioning and an unrelated donor, we found an increased cumulative incidence of GvHD between 3 and 6 months after TCD-alloSCT for patients receiving DLI at 3 months compared to patients who did not receive this DLI (0.42 (95%Confidence Interval (95% CI): 0.14–0.70) vs 0). Treatment success was defined as being alive without relapse or need for systemic immunosuppressive GvHD treatment. The five-year treatment success in patients with acute lymphatic leukemia was comparable between high- and non-high-risk disease (0.55 (95% CI: 0.42–0.74) and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.42–0.84)). It remained lower in high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (0.29 (95% CI: 0.18–0.46)) than in non-high-risk AML (0.47 (95% CI: 0.42–0.84)) due to an increased relapse rate despite early DLI.
Highlights • Results of a strategy to bring all elderly AML patients to transplant are shown. • 32% of patients starting with intensive chemotherapy reach transplant. • Long-term survival is only ...observed in patients achieving CR after 1st induction. • Reasons of failure of the strategy may help develop new treatment algorithms