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We report results of our prospective pilot trial evaluating safety/feasibility of peritransplantation ruxolitinib for myelofibrosis treatment. Primary objectives were to determine safety and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of ruxolitinib. Ruxolitinib was administered at 2 dose levels (DLs) of 5 and 10 mg twice daily, with fludarabine/melphalan conditioning regimen and tacrolimus/sirolimus graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. We enrolled 6 and 12 patients at DL1 and DL2, respectively. Median age at transplantation was 65 years (range, 25-73). Per Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System, 4 patients were high and 14 intermediate risk. Peripheral blood stem cells were graft source from matched sibling (n = 5) or unrelated (n = 13) donor. At each DL, 1 patient developed dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs): grade 3 cardiac and gastrointestinal with grade 4 pulmonary DLTs in DL1, and grade 3 kidney injury in DL2. All patients achieved engraftment. Grade 2 to 4 and 3 to 4 acute GVHD cumulative incidence was 17% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6-47) and 11% (95% CI, 3-41), respectively. Cumulative incidence of 1-year chronic GVHD was 42% (95% CI, 24-74). With 22.6-month (range, 6.2-25.8) median follow-up in surviving patients, 1-year overall and progression-free survival were 77% (95% CI, 50-91) and 71% (95% CI, 44-87), respectively. Causes of death (n = 4) were cardiac arrest, GVHD, respiratory failure, and refractory GVHD of liver. Our results show peritransplantation ruxolitinib is safe and well tolerated at MTD of 10 mg twice daily and associated with dose-dependent pharmacokinetic and cytokine profile. Early efficacy data are highly promising in high-risk older patients with myelofibrosis. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02917096.

Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) in individuals with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) (hereafter referred to as CML LSCs) are responsible for initiating and maintaining clonal hematopoiesis. These cells persist in the bone marrow (BM) despite effective inhibition of BCR–ABL kinase activity by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Here we show that although the microRNA (miRNA) miR-126 supported the quiescence, self-renewal and engraftment capacity of CML LSCs, miR-126 levels were lower in CML LSCs than in long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) from healthy individuals. Downregulation of miR-126 levels in CML LSCs was due to phosphorylation of Sprouty-related EVH1-domain-containing 1 (SPRED1) by BCR–ABL, which led to inhibition of the RAN–exportin-5–RCC1 complex that mediates miRNA maturation. Endothelial cells (ECs) in the BM supply miR-126 to CML LSCs to support quiescence and leukemia growth, as shown using mouse models of CML in which Mir126a (encoding miR-126) was conditionally knocked out in ECs and/or LSCs. Inhibition of BCR–ABL by TKI treatment caused an undesired increase in endogenous miR-126 levels, which enhanced LSC quiescence and persistence. Mir126a knockout in LSCs and/or ECs, or treatment with a miR-126 inhibitor that targets miR-126 expression in both LSCs and ECs, enhanced the in vivo anti-leukemic effects of TKI treatment and strongly diminished LSC leukemia-initiating capacity, providing a new strategy for the elimination of LSCs in individuals with CML.

Patients seropositive for cytomegalovirus (CMV) and undergoing allogeneic haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HCT) are at risk for CMV reactivation. Stimulating viral immunity by vaccination might achieve CMV viraemia control without the need for antiviral agents. CMVPepVax is a chimeric peptide composed of a cytotoxic CD8 T-cell epitope from CMV pp65 and a tetanus T-helper epitope. It is formulated with the adjuvant PF03512676, a Toll-like receptor 9 agonist, which augments cellular immunity. We aimed to assess safety, immunogenicity, and possible clinical benefit of the CMVPepVax vaccine in patients undergoing HCT.

Imatinib mesylate treatment markedly reduces the burden of leukemia cells in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients. However, patients remain at risk for relapse on discontinuing treatment. We have previously shown that residual BCR-ABL+ progenitors can be detected in CML patients within the first 2 years of imatinib treatment. However, reduced rates of relapse and continued decline of BCR-ABL levels with prolonged treatment, together with the ability of selected patients to maintain remission after discontinuing treatment, led us to investigate whether prolonged imatinib exposure resulted in reduction or elimination of BCR-ABL+ stem cells. We evaluated BCR-ABL expression in CD34+CD38+ (38+) committed progenitors and CD34+CD38− (38−) stem/primitive progenitor cells in samples from CML patients on imatinib treatment for at least 4 years with cytogenetic and molecular response. High levels of BCR-ABL expression were maintained over time in the 38− stem cell fraction. The absolute frequency of BCR-ABL+ cells as determined by limiting dilution analysis was consistently higher in 38− compared with 38+ cells. Transplantation into NOD/SCID-IL2Rγ-chain knockout mice demonstrated that BCR-ABL+ cells had long-term in vivo repopulating capacity. These results directly demonstrate that BCR-ABL+ stem cells persist in CML patients despite prolonged treatment with imatinib, and support ongoing efforts to target this population.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only known curative modality for patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ALL). Sixty-seven patients with HLA-matched sibling donors received fractionated total body irradiation (FTBI) and high-dose VP16, whereas 11 patients received FTBI/VP16/cyclophosphamide, and 1 patient received FTBI/VP16/busulfan. The median age was 36 years. At the time of HCT, 49 patients (62%) were in first complete remission (CR1) and 30 patients (38%) were beyond CR1 (> CR1). The median follow-up was 75 months (range, 14-245 months). The 10-year overall survival for the CR1 and beyond CR1 patients was 54% and 29% (P= .01), respectively, and event-free survival was 48% and 26% (P= .02), respectively. There was no significant difference in relapse incidence (28% vs 41%, P= .28), but nonrelapse mortality was significantly higher in the beyond CR1 patients, (31% vs 54%, P= .03, respectively). By univariate analysis, factors affecting event-free and overall survival were white blood cell count at diagnosis (< 30 × 109/L vs > 30 × 109/L) and disease status (CR1 vs > CR1). The median time to relapse for CR1 and for beyond CR1 patients was 12 months and 9 months, respectively. Our results indicate that FTBI/VP16 with or without cyclophosphamide confers long-term survival in Ph+ALL patients and that disease status at the time of HCT is an important predictor of outcome.

The impact of imatinib mesylate (IM) treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) on subsequent allogeneic transplantation is uncertain. To better understand this relationship, we retrospectively compared 145 patients with CML receiving IM for a minimum of 3 months before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) to 231 patients with CML who did not. IM treatment was associated with no increase in early hepatotoxicity or engraftment delay after HCT compared with the historical cohort. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in the IM-treated cohort compared with the historical cohort with regard to overall survival, disease-free survival, relapse, and nonrelapse mortality. For chronic-phase (CP) patients, IM response prior to HCT was associated with post-HCT outcome. Patients who underwent transplantation in CP with a suboptimal response or a loss of response on IM had a statistically significant higher hazard of mortality when compared with CP patients who achieved a complete cytogenetic response (CCR) or major cytogenetic response (MCR) on IM (HR = 5.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-25.05, P= .03). These data indicate that pre-HCT IM is not associated with increased transplant-related morbidity (TRM) or poorer outcomes. However, patients with a suboptimal or loss of IM response before HCT do worse, suggesting a more aggressive disease course for these patients.

Dadwal: Shire/ Takeda: Research Funding; Karius: Research Funding; Astellas: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Other: Advisory board meeting; Ansun Biopharma: Research Funding; Chimerix: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board meeting, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Pullarkat:Dova: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Genetech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie, Inc.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Stein:Stemline: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Taplitz:Merck: Other: Immunocompromised Advisory Group. Al Malki:Neximmune: Consultancy; Rigel Pharma: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmacuticals, Inc: Consultancy. Nakamura:NapaJen Pharma: Consultancy; Magenta Therapeutics: Other: Advisory board meeting; Alexion: Other: Support on a meeting presentation; Kyowa-Kirin: Other: Support on a meeting presentation; Celgene: Other: Support on seminar; Viracor: Consultancy; Merck: Other: advisory board meeting; Kadmon Corporation: Other: Advisory board meeting.

Stein: Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Stemline: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Al Malki:Neximmune: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmacuticals, Inc: Consultancy; Rigel Pharma: Consultancy. Ali:Incyte Corporation: Consultancy. Aribi:Seattle Genetics: Consultancy. Marcucci:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Other: Research Support (Investigation Initiated Clinical Trial); Pfizer: Other: Research Support (Investigation Initiated Clinical Trial); Abbvie: Speakers Bureau; Merck: Other: Research Support (Investigation Initiated Clinical Trial); Iaso Bio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Nakamura:Alexion: Other: Support on a meeting presentation; Kyowa-Kirin: Other: Support on a meeting presentation; Merck: Other: advisory board meeting; Celgene: Other: Support on seminar; Magenta Therapeutics: Other: Advisory board meeting; Viracor: Consultancy; Kadmon Corporation: Other: Advisory board meeting; NapaJen Pharma: Consultancy. Pullarkat:AbbVie, Inc.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Genetech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Dova: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Salhotra:Celgene: Research Funding; Kadmon: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Salhotra: Celgene: Research Funding; Kadmon: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Al Malki:Rigel Pharma: Consultancy; Neximmune: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmacuticals, Inc: Consultancy. Aribi:Seattle Genetics: Consultancy. Ali:Incyte Corporation: Consultancy. Budde:Gilead Sciences: Consultancy; Merck: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy; Mustang Therapeutics: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy. Dadwal:Ansun Biopharma: Research Funding; Karius: Research Funding; Shire/ Takeda: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board meeting, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Chimerix: Research Funding; Janssen: Other: Advisory board meeting; Astellas: Speakers Bureau. Nakamura:NapaJen Pharma: Consultancy; Kadmon Corporation: Other: Advisory board meeting; Viracor: Consultancy; Magenta Therapeutics: Other: Advisory board meeting; Celgene: Other: Support on seminar; Kyowa-Kirin: Other: Support on a meeting presentation; Alexion: Other: Support on a meeting presentation; Merck: Other: advisory board meeting. Stein:Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Stemline: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Marcucci:Takeda: Other: Research Support (Investigation Initiated Clinical Trial); Merck: Other: Research Support (Investigation Initiated Clinical Trial); Iaso Bio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Other: Research Support (Investigation Initiated Clinical Trial). Pullarkat:Dova: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Genetech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie, Inc.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau.off label use of HMA+venetoclax in secondary AML

The use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) as graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD) prophylaxis after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has increased significantly over the past decade due to expansion of donor pool with haploidentical and mismatched unrelated donors. A recently completed phase 2 study, PROGRESS-2 (NCT02345850), has highlighted the efficacy of PTCy in the matched donor setting. Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is the most notable toxicity associated with high dose Cy. However, data specific to the incidence and severity of HC in the post HCT setting is sparse, with no consensus on best practices to prevent HC in patients receiving PTCy. Current strategies to prevent HC in PTCy setting have been adapted from data in pre-HCT Cy (conditioning setting), such as hyperhydration with forced diuresis, continuous bladder irrigation, mesna as an intermittent and continuous infusion, or a combination of these methods. The aim of our study was to describe the incidence and severity of HC in patients undergoing HCT with PTCy as GvHD prophylaxis, identifying potential risk factors and impact of HC on HCT outcomes.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only potential curative option for many advanced hematologic diseases. Pediatrics, adolescent and young adult (PAYA) patients overall have less pre-HCT comorbidity or organ toxicity and lower transplant related morbidity and mortality risk compared to older adults. As such, a higher percentage of patients in this age group tend to receive myeloablative conditioning (MAC) over non-myeloablative regimens. Current alternative donor sources when a matched sibling donor (MSD) is not available include matched unrelated (MUD), umbilical cord blood (UCB), and haploidentical (Haplo) donors. While there are accumulating data comparing the HCT outcomes between MUD vs. Haplo or UCB in adult patients, the data are sparse in PAYA patients.

Al Malki: Neximmune: Consultancy; Rigel Pharma: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmacuticals, Inc: Consultancy. Ali:Incyte Corporation: Consultancy. Stein:Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Stemline: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Marcucci:Merck: Other: Research Support (Investigation Initiated Clinical Trial); Takeda: Other: Research Support (Investigation Initiated Clinical Trial); Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Other: Research Support (Investigation Initiated Clinical Trial); Abbvie: Speakers Bureau; Iaso Bio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Nakamura:Merck: Other: advisory board meeting; NapaJen Pharma: Consultancy; Kadmon Corporation: Other: Advisory board meeting; Kyowa-Kirin: Other: Support on a meeting presentation; Alexion: Other: Support on a meeting presentation; Celgene: Other: Support on seminar; Magenta Therapeutics: Other: Advisory board meeting; Viracor: Consultancy.

We report 5 cases of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and 1 case of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with the dual presence of t(9;22) and inv(16). The 6 patients were 5 men and 1 woman with a median age of 42.5 years. All cases were BCR-ABL+ with p210 products detected in all CML cases and a p190 product detected in the AML case. An increase in bone marrow eosinophils was detected in 3 of 5 cases, and abnormal eosinophils were identified in these 3 cases. The CBFbeta-MYH11 fusion gene was confirmed in all 3 CML cases and the 1 AML case tested, and this correlated with the presence of abnormal eosinophils with coarse basophilic granules. Of 5 patients with CML, 4 had a rapid transformation to myeloid accelerated phase of blast crisis. The coexistence of t(9;22) and inv(16) in CML seems to correlate with more rapid transformation.

The BCR-ABL kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate induces complete cytogenetic response (CCR) in a high proportion of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients. However, patients in CCR usually demonstrate evidence of residual BCR-ABL–positive progenitors. The mechanisms underlying persistence of small numbers of malignant progenitors in imatinib-sensitive patients are unclear. BCR-ABLkinase domain mutations affecting drug binding can lead to secondary resistance to imatinib. We show here that kinase mutations could be detected in CD34+cells isolated from CML patients in CCR on imatinib. Most mutations seen have not been reported in previous clinical studies. Interestingly, several of the involved amino acid positions have been implicated in an in vitro mutagenesis screen. These BCR-ABLmutations were associated with varying levels of imatinib resistance. Two of 5 patients in whom mutations were detected on initial evaluation have relapsed. In addition, 4 patients in whom mutations were not initially detected, but with rising BCR-ABL mRNA levels on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) analysis, had mutations detected on follow-up evaluation. We conclude that BCR-ABLkinase mutations can be detected in CD34+cells from CML patients in CCR on imatinib, may contribute to persistence of small populations of malignant progenitors, and could be a potential source of relapse.

The BCR-ABL kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate induces complete cytogenetic response (CCR) in a high proportion of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients. However, patients in CCR usually demonstrate evidence of residual BCR-ABL–positive progenitors. The mechanisms underlying persistence of small numbers of malignant progenitors in imatinib-sensitive patients are unclear. BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations affecting drug binding can lead to secondary resistance to imatinib. We show here that kinase mutations could be detected in CD34+ cells isolated from CML patients in CCR on imatinib. Most mutations seen have not been reported in previous clinical studies. Interestingly, several of the involved amino acid positions have been implicated in an in vitro mutagenesis screen. These BCR-ABL mutations were associated with varying levels of imatinib resistance. Two of 5 patients in whom mutations were detected on initial evaluation have relapsed. In addition, 4 patients in whom mutations were not initially detected, but with rising BCR-ABL mRNA levels on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) analysis, had mutations detected on follow-up evaluation. We conclude that BCR-ABL kinase mutations can be detected in CD34+ cells from CML patients in CCR on imatinib, may contribute to persistence of small populations of malignant progenitors, and could be a potential source of relapse.

The purpose of this study was to analyze medical late effects among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Subjects included 248 CML survivors who received an HC transplant (related donors [RDs], n = 150; unrelated donors [URDs], n = 70; or autologous, n = 28) and had survived at least 2 years, and a comparison group of 317 siblings. Subjects completed a 238-item survey on medical late effects. Compared with siblings, survivors were at a higher risk of developing ocular, oral health, endocrine, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, neurosensory, and neuromotor impairments. Multivariate analysis limited to RD and URD recipients found that chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) was associated with a higher risk of hypothyroidism, osteoporosis, cardiopulmonary, neurosensory, and neuromotor impairments. Overall health was reported as excellent, very good, or good in 78% of subjects, although those with cGVHD were more likely to report poor overall health. URD survivors were more likely to report a need for assistance with routine activities and that their current health prevented work or school attendance. This study demonstrates that HCT survivors, regardless of donor type, have a high prevalence of long-term health-related complications. However, adverse medical late effects with significant morbidity were uncommon. Chronic GVHD is the most important predictor of adverse medical late effects and poor overall health.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by a reciprocal chromosomal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 t(9;22)(q34;q11) that causes fusion of the bcr and abl genes. Transcription and splicing of the fusion gene generate two major splice variants of the bcr/abl transcript that encode an oncoprotein with tyrosine kinase activity. We have taken advantage of lentiviral vectormediated delivery of anti-bcr/abl short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) to downregulate the bcr/abl transcript in Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) K562 leukemia cells. This downregulation caused complete inhibition of proliferation of these cells and was accompanied by >90% inhibition of the bcr/abl transcript and p210 protein. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using a lentiviral vector to stably transduce therapeutic shRNAs into leukemia cells for the potential ex vivo purging of Ph+ cells in an autologous hematopoietic cell transplant setting. Furthermore, the robust expression of the shRNAs from our lentiviral vector suggests that this system could be generally useful for the expression of other shRNAs.

The BCR/ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, STI571; Novartis, Basel, Switzerland) has shown remarkable efficacy in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), with a high proportion of patients achieving complete cytogenetic responses (CCRs). However, it is not clear whether remissions will be durable and whether imatinib mesylate can eliminate the malignant primitive progenitors in which the disease arises. We investigated whether residual BCR/ABL+ hematopoietic progenitors were present in patients who achieved CCRs with imatinib mesylate treatment. CD34+ progenitor cells were selected from bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNCs) and analyzed for the presence of the BCR/ABL fusion gene by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). CD34+ cells were also plated in committed progenitor (colony-forming cell, or CFC) and primitive progenitor (long-term bone marrow culture-initiating cell, or LTCIC) cultures and resulting colonies analyzed for the presence of BCR/ABL+ cells by FISH. Using these assays, residual BCR/ABL+ progenitors were detected in all patients studied. Quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis demonstrated increased levels of BCR/ABL mRNA in CD34+ cells compared with total MNCs. Evaluation of samples collected at different time points demonstrated persistence of BCR/ABL+ progenitors despite continued treatment with imatinib mesylate. Our results indicate that inhibition of BCR/ABL tyrosine kinase activity by imatinib mesylate does not eliminate malignant primitive progenitors in CML patients. Patients in CCR with imatinib mesylate treatment need to be followed carefully to assess for risk of relapse.

The prognosis for adult and pediatric patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with chemotherapy alone is extremely poor. An overview of the biology and clinical features of Ph+ ALL is presented in this review. The experience with chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) is summarized. Allogeneic SCT offers a curative option for patients who have an appropriately matched donor. Variables affecting outcome after allogeneic SCT, including age, stage of disease, source of stem cells, preparatory regimen, and molecular and cytogenetic details, are analyzed. The City of Hope/Stanford University experience with fractionated total body irradiation and high-dose etoposide is described, and future directions for monitoring and treating minimal residual disease are discussed.

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients treated with high-dose chemo-/radiotherapy or high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem-cell transplant (ASCT) for relapsed, refractory, or poor-risk intermediate-grade (IG) and high-grade (HG) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The secondary objectives were to determine prognostic factors for relapse and survival. Between February 1987 and August 1998, 264 patients, 169 (64%) IG and 95 (36%) HG, underwent high-dose therapy and ASCT at City of Hope National Medical Center (COHNMC). There were 157 (59%) males and 107 (41%) females with a median age of 44 years (range, 5–69 years). The median number of prior chemotherapy regimens was 2 (range, 1–4), and 71 (27%) had received prior radiation as part of induction or as salvage therapy. The median time from diagnosis to ASCT was 10.8 months (range, 3–158 months). Ninety-four patients (36%) underwent transplantation in first complete/partial remission (CR/PR), 40 (15%) in induction failure, and 130 (49%) in relapse or subsequent remission. Two preparative regimens were used: total body irradiation/high-dose etoposide/cyclophosphamide (TBI/VP/CY) in 208 patients (79%) and carmustine/etoposide/cyclophosphamide (BCNU/VP/CY) in 56 patients (21%). One hundred sixty-three patients (62%) received peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) and 101 (38%) received bone marrow (BM) alone or BM plus PBSC. At a median follow-up of 4.43 years for surviving patients (range, 1–12.8 years), the 5-year Kaplan-Meier estimates of probability of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and relapse for all patients are 55% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 49%–61%), 47% (95% CI: 40%–53%), and 47% (95% CI: 40%–54%), respectively. There were 27 deaths (10%) from nonrelapse mortality, including seven (3%) patients who developed second malignancies (five with myelodysplasia/acute myelogenous leukemia and two with solid tumors). By stepwise Cox regression analysis, disease status at ASCT was the only prognostic factor that predicted for both relapse and survival. The 5-year probability of PFS for patients transplanted in first CR/PR was 73% (95% CI: 62%–81%) as compared to 30% (95% CI: 16%– 45%) for induction failure and 34% (95% CI: 26%–42%) for relapsed patients. Our results further support the role of high-dose therapy and ASCT during first CR/PR for patients with poor-risk intermediate- and high-grade NHL. Early transplant is recommended for patients failing initial induction therapy or relapsing after chemotherapy-induced remission. Relapse continues to be the most common cause of treatment failure. An alternative approach to prevent relapse, the incorporation of radioimmunotherapy into the high-dose regimen, is being investigated. The development of a second malignancy is a serious complication of high-dose therapy, which requires close surveillance.

We analyzed data on 612 patients who had undergone high-dose chemoradiotherapy (HDT) with autologous stem cell rescue for Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) at the City of Hope National Medical Center, to evaluate the incidence of therapy-related myelodysplasia (t-MDS) or therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) and associated risk factors. A retrospective cohort and a nested case-control study design were used to evaluate the role of pretransplant therapeutic exposures and transplant conditioning regimens. Twenty-two patients developed morphologic evidence of t-MDS/t-AML. The estimated cumulative probability of developing morphologic t-MDS/t-AML was 8.6% ± 2.1% at 6 years. Multivariate analysis of the entire cohort revealed stem cell priming with VP-16 (RR = 7.7, P = 0.002) to be independently associated with an increased risk of t-MDS/t-AML. The influence of pretransplant therapy on subsequent t-MDS/t-AML risk was determined by a case-control study. Multivariate analysis revealed an association between pretransplant radiation and the risk of t-MDS/t-AML, but failed to reveal any association with pretransplant chemotherapy or conditioning regimens. However, patients who had been primed with VP-16 for stem cell mobilization were at a 12.3-fold increased risk of developing t-AML with 11q23/21q22 abnormalities (P = 0.006). Patients undergoing HDT with stem cell rescue are at an increased risk of t-MDS/t-AML, especially those receiving priming with VP-16 for peripheral stem cell collection.

Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL) represents 20% of newly diagnosed adults with B cell ALL (B-ALL), with increased frequency in adults with Hispanic ethnicity. Ph-like ALL harbors a diverse range of genetic alterations with CRLF2-rearrangement/overexpression (CRLF2r) being the most common one. When treated with chemotherapy, Ph-like ALL is associated with inferior response, high relapse rate, and low overall survival (OS). Allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) is a well-established curative modality for adults with high-risk ALL. Considering that Ph-like ALL is a high-risk leukemia subtype, it is appealing to recommend alloHCT consolidation routinely for this entity in adults. However, large datasets describing alloHCT outcomes in patients with Ph-like ALL is lacking.

Complete remission rates of 70-90% can be achieved following combination chemotherapy for patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin's disease (HD). Patients who present with unfavorable poor prognostic factors, however, have a 5-year disease-free survival of only 40-50%. In an attempt to improve the prognosis of 20 patients with poor-risk advanced-stage HD, we evaluated the role of early high-dose therapy (HDT) and autologous bone marrow/stem cell transplantation (ASCT) during the first complete or partial remission (CR/PR). Patients were eligible for ASCT if they either achieved a PR (defined as > 50% regression) (six patients), or achieved a CR (14 patients) but had presented with three or more of the following unfavorable features: stage IV disease with bone marrow involvement or > or = 2 extranodal sites of involvement; bulky mass > 10 cm or bulky mediastinal mass > 1/3 of mediastina/thoracic ratio; B symptoms; and elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. The study included 11 men (55%) and 9 women (45%). The median age was 37 years (range 20-57). Seventeen patients (85%) had stage IV disease; 14 (70%) had B symptoms; 13 (65%) had bulky mass > 10 cm; 14 (70%) had > or = 2 extra nodal sites involvement; and eight patients (40%) had elevated LDH levels. All patients were treated with standard four or 7-8 drug combination chemotherapy regimens until they achieved maximal response prior to ASCT with a median of six cycles (range 4-11). Six patients also received involved field radiotherapy to residual bulky mass > 5 cm or bony lesions before ASCT. The median time from diagnosis to ASCT was 8.6 months (range 5.5-18.9). Preparative regimens consisted of fractionated total body irradiation (FTBI) 1200 cGy in combination with etoposide 60 mg/kg and cyclophosphamide 100 mg/kg in all patients except one who had borderline pulmonary function and received lomustine 15 mg/kg instead of FTBI. All patients engrafted and there was no transplant-related mortality. One patient developed congestive cardiomyopathy at 4 years post-ASCT. All patients remain alive and in remission at a median follow-up of 42.8 months (range, 13.2-149.2). These preliminary results suggest that HDT and ASCT can be performed safely during first CR/PR in selected patients with advanced-stage HD who have an unfavorable prognosis. Further randomized studies comparing HDT and ASCT during first CR with conventional chemotherapy and ASCT at relapse in poor-risk advanced-stage HD should be conducted. The prognostic factors and risk groups described recently by an international prognostic study can be used to identify high-risk patients who may be candidates for more intensive therapy.

Deoxyribozymes, or DNA enzymes (DNAzymes), are novel nucleic acids that have the ability to bind to specific sequences of RNA, and to cleave the target site catalytically. DNAzymes are smaller and more efficient enzymatically than ribozymes (RZs), which are catalytic nucleic acids synthesized from ribonucleotides. We have designed three DNAzymes that specifically target the two variants of the p210 bcr-abl gene (splice 1, b3a2; splice 2, b2a2) and the p190 variant (e1a2). The cleavage sites for these DNAzymes are located 5 nucleotides (nt) 5 from the fusion site for b3a2, and only 1 nt 5 from the fusion sites for b2a2 and e1a2. We have shown in cell-free in vitro cleavage assays that these DNAzymes efficiently cleave their respective substrates. Mutated DNAzymes, in which only one critical base has been altered, do not cleave these targets. We have used a serum-resistant cytofectin (GS 2888; Gilead) to transfect the DNAzymes into target K562 cells, which express p210bcr-abl. In short-term transfection assays, the DNAzymes specifically inhibited p210 bcr-abl protein expression by K562 cells by about 40%, and inhibited cell growth by more than 50% in a 6-day liquid culture assay. We have also transfected freshly isolated CD34+ bone marrow cells from patients with CML with the DNAzymes, which specifically inhibited the growth of bcr-abl-positive CFU-Mix colonies by 53-80%. The potential advantages of anti-bcr-abl DNAzymes over RZs include the following: DNAzymes are much less expensive to synthesize; they are more resistant to serum; and the anti-b2a2 DNAzyme cleaves at a site only 1 nt away from the fusion site, whereas its hammerhead RZ counterpart cleaves this target at a site 8 nt 3 to the fusion site, well within abl exon 2. DNAzymes are novel RNA-cleaving molecules that may significantly improve our ability to inhibit bcr-abl oncogene expression in Ph-positive target cells.

We treated 73 patients with hematologic malignancies in first complete remission (acute lymphoblastic leukemia = 23 patients; acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia = 25 patients; chronic myelogenous leukemia in first chronic phase = 20 patients, and high grade lymphoma = five patients) with a uniform preparative regimen consisting of fractionated total body irradiation (1 320 cGy) and high dose cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg), followed by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. By radiation dosimetry we demonstrated that the calculated doses were delivered accurately and reproducibly. Actuarial survival rates (± SEM) in complete remission were as follows: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia = 74±9%; acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia = 50±11%; and chronic myelogenous leukemia = 55±11%. Actuarial relapse rates for these three diagnoses were 19±9%, 17±11%, and 0% respectively. Three of the five lymphoma patients are alive in complete remission at 22+, 28+, and 54+ months. Overall probability of survival for the 73 patients was 59±7%. Interstitial pneumonia, usually associated with cytomegalovirus infection and graft-versus-host disease, and relapse of the underlying malignancy were the major causes of death.

Fifty-three patients with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) under age 50 with a histocompatible sibling donor received high-dose radiochemotherapy followed by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The high-risk factors used to identify the patients were: white blood cell count at initial presentation, cytogenetic abnormalities, age, extramedullary leukemic infiltration, and time from initial therapy to complete remission. Patients with one or more of the above risk factors who received BMT have a disease-free survival of 61% with a median follow-up of 66 months (range 11 months to 10.6 years), and an actuarial relapse rate of 10%. This study demonstrates that patients with high-risk ALL achieve a significant disease-free survival and cure rate with the use of allogeneic fully matched sibling BMT. However, a properly designed prospective study comparing the outcome of BMT with the best currently available chemotherapy data is required to define the ultimate role of BMT in this group of patients.

The Philadelphia chromosome of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients is caused by a translocation of the c-ablgene from chromosome 9 to the breakpoint cluster region (bcr)on chromosome 22. A new bcr-ablmRNA is expressed in these cases. We have developed a modified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of this mRNA. The method is extremely sensitive, reliable, and relatively fast. The analysis of peripheral blood or bone marrow cells from CML patients treated with chemother-apy shows that the two possible mRNAs are expressed in various combinations. Our results show that even after myeloablative therapy for bone marrow transplantation bcr-ablmRNAs are still expressed. Further studies, however, are necessary to determine the clinical relevance of a small number of persisting cells expressing the bcr-ablmRNA.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of bone marrow transplant (BMT) early in the course of disease for pediatric patients with high-risk leukemia using a preparatory regimen of fractionated total body irradiation (FTBI) and etoposide (VP-16).

Eighty-five consecutive patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's disease (HD) underwent high-dose chemotherapy or chemo/radiotherapy followed by autologous bone marrow (ABMT) and/or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation. Two preparative regimens were used. Twenty-two patients (26%) without prior radiation received fractionated total body irradiation (FTBI) 1,200 Gy in combination with high-dose etoposide (VP-16) 60 mg/kg and cyclophosphamide (CTX) 100 mg/kg. Sixty-three patients (74%) with prior radiotherapy received carmustine (BCNU) 450 mg/m2instead of FTBI. The median age was 32 years (range, 16 to 56). The median number of prior chemotherapy regimens was three (range, 1 to 7). Forty-three patients (51%) received transplants in first relapse or second complete remission (CR), whereas 33 (39%) received transplants after second or subsequent relapse. All relapsed patients, except one, received conventional salvage chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in an attempt to reduce tumor bulk before transplant. At the time of analysis in April 1994, fifty-seven patients (67%) are alive, including 44 (52%) in continuous CR, with a median follow-up for the surviving patients of 28 months (range, 7 to 66). Thirty patients (35%) relapsed at a median of 9 months (range, 1 to 43). Eleven patients (13%) died of transplant-related complications including veno-occlusive disease of the liver (VOD) in five, acute and late interstitial pneumonitis in three, graft failure in one, cerebral hemorrhage in one, and therapy-induced myelodysplasia (MDS)/acute leukemia in one patient. At a median follow-up of 25 months (range, 0.6 to 66), the cumulative probability of 2-year overall and disease-free survival (DFS) of all 85 patients is 75% (95% confidence interval [CI] 64% to 84%) and 58% (95% CI 47% to 69%), respectively. Three independent prognostic variables were identified by univariate analysis: number of prior chemotherapy regimens, prior radiotherapy, and extranodal disease at ABMT. Multivariate stepwise Cox regression identified the number of prior chemotherapy regimens as the only significant prognostic factor predicting for both relapse and DFS. There were no significant differences in the outcome of the treatment between the two preparative regimens. Our results confirm that high-dose therapy and ABMT is an effective therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory HD. Earlier transplantation is recommended before the development of drug resistance and end organ damage that results from repeated attempts of salvage therapy.

The bcr-ablfusion gene is the molecular counterpart of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1) and is directly involved in the pathogenesis of Ph1+ leukemia. Inhibition of bcr-ablgene expression may have profound effects on the cell biology of Ph1+ cells, as recent experiments with antisense oligonucleotides have shown. In this study we have designed and synthesized a unique ribozyme that is directed against bcr-ablmRNA. The ribozyme cleaved bcr-ablmRNA in a cell-free in vitro system. A DNA-RNA hybrid ribozyme was then incorporated into a liposome vector and transfected into EM-2 cells, a cell line derived from a patient with blast crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia. The ribozyme decreased levels of detectable bcr-abl mRNAin these cells, inhibited expression of the bcr-ablgene product, p210bcr-abl, and inhibited cell growth. This anti–bcr-ablribozyme may be a useful tool to study the cell biology of Ph1+ leukemia and may ultimately have therapeutic potential in treating patients with Ph1leukemias.

Lipoxygenase (LPO) metabolites of arachidonic acid participate in the activation and/or proliferation of a variety of cell types. In this study, we examined the role of LPO metabolites in controlling myelopoiesis and erythropoiesis in vitro. Monocyte depleted cells (MDC) prepared from human whole blood or whole mononuclear cells from human bone marrow were cultured in methylcellulose in the presence of various growth factors. Conditioned media containing human colony stimulating factors (CSF) or the tumor-promoting phorbol ester, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), were added to induce myelopoiesis. Semipurified human erythropoietin (EPO) was added along with an endogenous source of burst-promoting activity (BPA) to induce erythropoiesis. The LPO inhibitor BW755C blocked all types of colony formation in a dose-dependent manner, with ID50 of 20 and 5 µg/mL for myeloid and erythroid colonies, respectively. MDC depleted of T cells were similarly inhibited by BW755C. Similar results were seen with two other LPO inhibitors, 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone and butylated hydroxyanisole. A fourth LPO inhibitor, nordihy-droguaiaretic acid, inhibited at higher concentrations. Indomethacin, at concentrations that inhibit cyclooxygenase, had no significant effect, either alone or in combination with the LPO inhibitors. These results suggest that certain LPO products may be important mediators of both CSF-and PMA-induced myelopoiesis, and of BPA/EPO-induced erythropoiesis.

We have conducted a pilot study to investigate the role of high-dose therapy and autologous bone marrow/stem cell transplantation (ASCT) during first complete or partial remission in 52 patients with poor-risk aggressive lymphoma. There were 42 patients with intermediate-grade or immunoblastic lymphoma who were considered to be high (60%) and high-intermediate risk (40%) groups at diagnosis based on the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (IPI) and 10 patients with high-grade, SNCCL (small non-cleaved cell, Burkitt's, and non-Burkitt's), who at presentation had poor-risk features defined as elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase level, stage IV, and bulky mass ≥10 cm. The median age was 34 years (range, 16 to 56 years). Thirty-nine were transplanted in first complete remission and 13 in first partial remission after conventional therapy. Conditioning regimens consisted of total body irradiation (TBI) administered as a single fraction 750 cGy in 3 patients and in fractionated doses for a total of 1,200 cGy in 44 patients, in combination with 60 mg/kg etoposide and 100 mg/kg cyclophosphamide. Five patients with prior radiotherapy received 450 mg/m2 carmustine instead of TBI. Stem cell sources were either bone marrow and/or peripheral blood. No in vitro purging was used. All patients engrafted. Two SNCCL patients died of venoocclusive disease at 25 days and acute leukemia at 27 months posttransplantation. There were six relapses at 1.5 to 12.8 months posttransplantation. At a median follow-up of 44 months (range, 1 to 113 months), the estimated 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) for all patients was 84% (95% confidence interval [CI], 70% to 92%) and 82% (95% CI, 68% to 91%), respectively. In the subset of patients with intermediate-grade and immunoblastic lymphoma, the 3-year DFS was 89% (95% CI, 74% to 96%) for all patients, 87% (95% CI, 67% to 96%) for high-risk patients, and 92% (95 CI, 61% to 99%) for high-intermediate risk patients. The 3-year OS and DFS for SNCCL patients were identical at 60% (95% CI, 30% to 84%). These results suggest that high-dose therapy and ASCT during first remission may improve the survival and prognosis of patients with poor-risk intermediate- and high-grade lymphoma. A prospective randomized study comparing high-dose therapy and ASCT with conventional chemotherapy in IPI high-risk patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma should be undertaken.

The bcr-abl RNA transcript is the molecular counterpart of the Philadelphia chromosome and is detectable by an extremely sensitive polymerase chain reaction assay in most patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. To determine the effectiveness of ablative radi-ochemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation in eradicating molecular evidence of the malignant clone, we assayed for bcr-abl RNA expression in specimens from 19 patients with CML in chronic phase (CP) who have survived for at least one year post-BMT. We correlated these results with the patients' remission status based on cytogenetic analysis and BM morphology, and with evidence of mixed hematopoietic chimerism by analysis of RBC antigen and DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns. Thirteen of the 19 patients had detectable bcr-abl RNA at some time following BMT. Twelve of these patients have remained in remission by morphologic and karyotypic criteria from 16.6 to 63.7 months following BMT. One of these 13 patients relapsed both by cytogenetic and clinical criteria at 28.1 months after BMT. Six of these 13 patients are still positive at the time of their most recent analysis.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia is curable by bone marrow transplantation (BMT), especially when patients are treated while in the chronic phase. Bone marrow may be procured from his to compatible siblings, matched unrelated donors, or by autologous harvest with cryopreservation. Depletion of donor T cells may decrease the incidence of graft-versus- host disease, but leads to higher rates of relapse and graft failure. The malignant clone may persist or reappear at the molecular or chromosomal level without necessarily leading to clinical relapse after BMT.

Ninety-four consecutive patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in first clinical chronic phase, median age of 34.0 years (range, 6.8 to 52.4 years), with a histocompatible sibling donor, were treated with fractionated total body irradiation (1,320 cGy) and high-dose etoposide (60 mg/kg) followed by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The median time from diagnosis to BMT was 7.0 months (range, 2.3 to 72.0 months). Sixty patients were treated before BMT with hydroxyurea alone, four patients with busul-fan alone, one patient with interferon alone, and the other 29 patients were treated with various combinations of these drugs. Cumulative probabilities of overall survival, event-free survival, and relapse at 5 years were 73%, 64%, and 14%, respectively. The median follow-up time for surviving patients was 38 months, ranging from 12 to 88 months. By stepwise Cox regression analysis, significant prognostic variables were age at transplant, acute graft-versus-host disease ≥ grade II, cytomegalovirus-associated interstitial pneumonitis, and years from diagnosis to BMT.

Twenty consecutive patients with poor-risk aggressive lymphoma who at presentation either had elevated serum lactic dehydrogenase level (LDH) and any one of the other poor-prognostic features: bulky mass ≥10 cm, advanced stage III or IV, and ≥2 extranodal sites, or normal LDH level and all other three features, underwent high-dose chemo/radiother-apy followed by unmanipulated autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) during their first complete remission. Eighteen had B-cell lymphoma and 2 had T-cell lymphoma. Eleven patients had high-grade (7 immunoblastic, 3 small noncleaved, non-Burkitt’s, and 1 Burkitt’s) and 9 had diffuse large cell lymphoma. All patients had achieved a complete remission following conventional chemotherapy. Four patients had also received involved field radiotherapy to areas of bulky disease. The preparative regimen consisted of high-dose etoposide 60 mg/kg and cyclophosphamide 100 mg/kg in combination with fractionated total body irradiation (FTBI) 1,200 cGy (15 patients), or single-dose TBI750 cGy (2 patients), or carmustine 450 mg/m2 (3 patients). All patients tolerated the treatment well and achieved complete hematologic recovery. Three patients have relapsed at days 79, 196, and 401 after transplantation. Seventeen patients (84%) are alive and relapse-free with a median follow-up of 34 months (range 2 to 54). We conclude that high-dose chemo /radiotherapy followed by autologous BMT can be given as consolidation therapy during first remission in these patients with minimal transplant-related toxicity.

Thalidomide has been reported to be an effective agent for treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease (CGVHD). To determine the efficacy of this agent in patients with refractory CGVHD a total of 80 patients who failed to respond to prednisone (PSE) or PSE and cyclosporine (CSA) were treated with thalidomide. Sixteen patients (20%) had a sustained response, 9 with a complete remission and 7 with a partial response. Twenty-nine patients (36%) had thalidomide discontinued because of side effects, which included sedation, constipation, neuritis, skin rash, and neutropenia. Side effects were reversible with drug discontinuation except for mild residual neuritis in one case. Rashes and neutropenia have not previously been reported as thalidomide side effects when used for CGVHD treatment. We conclude thalidomide is immunosuppressive and active in the treatment of CGVHD. A high incidence of reversible side effects limited dose intensity and reduced the number of patients who could benefit from treatment.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a major obstacle to successful bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from matched unrelated donor (MUD). Currently available HLA-A, -B, and -DR serologic testing may not be sensitive enough to detect clinically relevant donor/recipient (D/R) nonidentity. Better HLA matching of D/R pairs using molecular typing for class II antigens in combination with intensive GVHD prophylaxis may potentially reduce the incidence of GVHD and lead to an improved outcome of MUD transplantation. Between July 1991 and August 1993, thirty consecutive patients with hematologic malignancies underwent MUD transplantation from donors who were identical for HLA -A, -B, and -DR by serologic typing. Twenty-five D/R pairs were matched for DRB and DQB by molecular typing (restriction fragment-length polymorphism and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization analyses), whereas five were allele mismatched at either DRB or DQB. All patients also received GVHD prophylaxis with the combination of cyclosporine (CSA), methotrexate (MTX), and prednisone (PSE). The median age was 35 years (range, 15 to 50). The diagnoses were: chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in chronic phase (CP) (16), CML in more than CP (3), acute leukemia in more than first complete remission (CR) (8), acute leukemia in first CR (1), and advanced high-grade lymphoma (2). The preparative regimen consisted of 1,320 cGy fractionated total body irradiation (FTBI) and 60 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CY) daily for 2 days in 17 good-risk patients (CML/CP and acute leukemia first CR); and 1,320 cGy FTBI in combination with 60 mg/kg etoposide and 20 to 60 mg/kg CY in 13 patients with advanced leukemia and lymphoma. All patients received CSA, PSE, and MTX on days 1, 3, 6 for GVHD prophylaxis, and 10 patients also received day +11 MTX. All patients engrafted except one who died early of regimen-related toxicity. The incidence of grade III or IV acute GVHD was 24% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10% to 44%) and that of extensive chronic GVHD was 65% (95% CI, 43% to 84%). At a median follow-up of 13.6 months, 57% of the patients are alive in remission with a median Karnofsky performance status of 90%. The cumulative probability of 2-year disease-free survival for all patients was 53% (95% CI, 33% to 71%); for good-risk patients, 71% (95% CI, 46% to 87%) and for the poor-risk group, 34% (95% CI, 13% to 64%). Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that status at BMT was the only significant prognostic variable associated with severe acute GVHD, whereas donor age greater than 30 predicted for extensive chronic GVHD. These results suggest that the utilization of both serologic and molecular typing for D/R matching with an intensive GVHD regimen may reduce the incidence of acute GVHD and may potentially improve the outcome of unrelated donor BMT. Further controlled clinical trials are warranted to confirm our results.