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The era of reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation, with its emphasis on older patients, has created new challenges in the management of what is now an older related stem cell donor population. These donors are now on average no less than 10 years older than in the mid-1990s. Donors over 70 years of age are no longer isolated or exceptional cases. They may still be considered eligible for donation but many of them, based on the older age and their medical history, may no longer fully qualify as ‘healthy’ or ‘normal’. The older the donor, the more likely that hematologic abnormalities, comorbidities and treated malignancies will complicate the picture. Assessing the risk-benefit ratio for both donor and recipient can now be more challenging than ever.

We hypothesized that during conditioning chemotherapy for allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT), the disruption of stromal–leukemia interactions using G-CSF in combination with the CXCR4-specific inhibitor, plerixafor, may promote the release of leukemic cells from the niche and increase tumor elimination. In a phase 1/2 investigation, we treated 45 AML/myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)/CML patients (34 AML, 7 MDS and 4 CML) with G-CSF (10 μg/kg daily for 6 days starting on day −9) plus plerixafor (doses of 0, 80, 160 or 240 μg/kg daily for 4 days starting on day −7) along with the busulfan–fludarabine (Bu–Flu) conditioning regimen. In the phase 1 part, we determined that G-CSF plus plerixafor is safe in this setting. We compared the clinical effects and outcomes of AML/MDS study patients ( n =40) with 164 patients from a historical data set who received Bu–Flu alone before allo-SCT by stratifying on cytogenetics and disease status to correct for bias. Study patients had increased myeloid chimerism and lower rates of GvHD. There was no significant difference in relapse-free survival or overall survival. The G-CSF plus plerixafor combination increased circulating WBCs, CD34+ cells and CXCR4+ cells, and preferentially mobilized FISH+ leukemic cells.

Bendamustine has shown a favorable safety profile when included in chemotherapy regimens for several types of lymphoma, including CLL. This study investigated the long-term effect of adding bendamustine to a conditioning regimen on survival, rate of engraftment, immune recovery and GvHD after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) in CLL patients. These outcomes were compared with the fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab (FCR) conditioning regimen. We reviewed the data for 89 CLL patients treated on three trials at our institution. Twenty-six (29%) patients received bendamustine, fludarabine and rituximab (BFR) and 63 (71%) received FCR. Patient characteristics were similar in both groups. Ten (38%) BFR-treated patients vs only two (3%) FCR-treated patients did not experience severe neutropenia ( P =<0.001). The 3-year overall survival estimates for the BFR and FCR groups were 82 and 51% ( P =0.03), and the 3-year PFS estimates were 63% and 27% ( P =0.001), respectively. The 2-year treatment-related mortality was 8 and 23% and the incidence of grade 3 or 4 GvHD was 4% and 10%, respectively. This study is the first to report that addition of bendamustine to alloSCT conditioning for CLL patients is associated with improved survival and lower mortality, myelosuppression, and GvHD.

We analyzed the clinical factors associated with late cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in a group of 269 consecutive recipients of allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT) for hematological malignancies. Eighty-four subjects (31%) experienced late CMV reactivation, including 64 with prior early reactivation and 20 with isolated late reactivation. Multivariate analyses were conducted in patients with early CMV reactivation to identify factors associated with late recurrence. Important risk factors included lymphoid diagnosis, occurrence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), greater number of episodes of early reactivation, persistent day 100 lymphopenia and the use of a CMV-seronegative donor graft. We combined these risk factors in a predictive model to identify those at relatively low, intermediate and high risk. The low-risk group (15% cumulative incidence, CI) encompassed patients without early CMV reactivation, and subjects transplanted for a myeloid malignancy from a matched-related (MR) donor without subsequent acute GVHD. The high-risk patients (73% CI) met all of the following criteria: (1) received an MR graft but developed GVHD, or received a non-MR graft irrespective of GVHD; (2) had more than two episodes of early reactivation; and (3) received a CMV-seronegative graft and/or remained persistently lymphopenic at day 100 after SCT. The remaining patients had an intermediate incidence of 32%.

We investigated the hypothesis that gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO), an anti-CD33 immunotoxin would improve the efficacy of fludarabine/melphalan as a preparative regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in a phase I/II trial. Toxicity was defined as grades III–IV organ damage, engraftment failure or death within 30 days. ‘Response’ was engraftment and remission (CR) on day +30. We sought to determine the GO dose (2, 4 or 6 mg m −2 ) giving the best trade-off between toxicity and response. All patients were not candidates for myeloablative regimens. Treatment plan: GO (day −12), fludarabine 30 mg m −2 (days −5 to −2), melphalan 140 mg m −2 (day −2) and HSCT (day 0). GVHD prophylaxis was tacrolimus and mini-methotrexate. Diagnoses were AML ( n =47), MDS ( n =4) or CML ( n =1). Median age was 53 years (range, 13–72). All but three patients were not in CR. Donors were related ( n =33) or unrelated ( n =19). Toxicity and response rates at 4 mg m −2 were 50% ( n =4) and 50% ( n =4). GO dose was de-escalated to 2 mg m −2 : 18% had toxicity ( n =8) and 82% responded ( n =36). 100-day TRM was 15%; one patient had reversible hepatic VOD. Median follow-up was 37 months. Median event-free and overall survival was 6 and 11 months. GO 2 mg m −2 can be safely added to fludarabine/melphalan, and this regimen merits further evaluation.

We conducted a retrospective analysis of all allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) patients started on extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) for the management of steroid-dependent (SD) or steroid-refractory (SR) cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) following ASCT during a 36-month period (9/98-8/01). Only SD or SR patients who were treated by ECP after day 100 and who received at least 4 weeks of ECP were considered evaluable for this analysis. Out of 64 ASCT patients reviewed, 32 patients met the inclusion criteria. All 32 patients had been previously treated with systemic corticosteroids with 11 (34%) being SR and 21 (66%) SD. Cutaneous cGVHD was extensive in 28 patients (88%) and was accompanied by visceral (hepatic, gastrointestinal) cGVHD in 23 patients (72%). The 32 evaluated patients had received a median of three prior therapies before ECP, most commonly systemic corticosteroids, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil. Patients received a median of 36 ECP sessions (range 12-98) over a median of 5.3 months (range 1-28), with a median of six sessions per month. The complete response (CR) rate was 22% (n=7) and the partial response rate was 34% (n=11). In all, 28 patients were on systemic corticosteroid therapy at ECP initiation and 18 patients achieved 50% dose reduction while on ECP, yielding a 64% steroid-sparing response rate. Of seven CRs, five are ongoing. A total of 11 (34%) patients have died after ECP, with all cases due to visceral cGVHD or cGVHD-related infectious complications. All 21 surviving patients remain on at least some immunosuppressive cGVHD therapy (including ECP in eight). Overall, ECP displays a substantial response rate and, in particular, steroid-sparing activity in SR/SD extensive cutaneous cGVHD. However, most patients continue to require at least some chronic therapy and cGVHD-related morbidity and mortality remain high.

A total of 40 patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's disease (HD) underwent reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) from an HLA-identical sibling (n=20) or a matched unrelated donor (n=20). The median age was 31 years (range 18-58). Disease status at allo-SCT was refractory relapse (n=14) or sensitive relapse (n=26). The conditioning regimens were fludarabine-cyclophosphamide+/-antithymocyte globulin (n=14), a less intensive regimen, and fludarabine-melphalan (FM) (n=26), a more intensive one. The two groups had similar prognostic factors. The median time to neutrophil recovery (ie absolute neutrophil count >/=500/microl) was 12 days (range 10-24). The median time to platelet recovery (ie platelet count >/=20 000/microl) was 17 days (range 7-132). Day 100 and cumulative (18-month) transplant-related mortalities (TRMs) were 5 and 22%. Twenty-four patients (60%) are alive (14 in complete remission or complete remission, unconfirmed/uncertain) with a median follow-up of 13 months (4-78). In all, 16 patients expired (TRM n=8, disease progression n=8). FM patients had better overall survival (73 vs 39% at 18 months; P=0.03), and a trend towards better progression-free survival (37 vs 21% at 18 months; P=0.2). RIC allo-SCT is feasible in relapsed/refractory HD patients with a low TRM. The intensity of the preparative regimen affects survival.