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Subsequent neoplasms (SNs) compromise long-term survivors after hematopoietic cell transplantion. We performed a retrospective analysis of SNs in a cohort of 10358 recipients of umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) reported to Eurocord/EBMT registries from 1988 to 2018. A total of 233 patients developed SNs. Median age at UCBT was 31 years (y) (0.3-69), and 84 were pediatric patients. Indications for UCBT were malignant hematological diseases in 199 patients (85%). Three groups of SNs were observed. Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) were reported in 145 patients in a median of 4 months after UCBT. Of these, 9/145 patients died from relapse, 83/145 from PTLD, and 24/145 from transplant-related causes. At last follow-up, 29/145 were alive; 5y-overall survival (OS) after PTLD diagnosis was 21±3%. Acute leukemia / myelodysplasia (AL/MDS) was diagnosed in 23 patients in a median of 28 months after UCBT and included 3 donor-cell AL. Four of 23 patients died from relapse of primary disease, 8/23 from progression of SNs, and 4/23 from TRM. Seven patients were alive at last follow-up; 5y-OS after AL/MDS diagnosis was 36±10%. Solid tumors (ST) were reported in 65 patients in a median of 54 months after UCBT. Most common tumor sites were lung, thyroid, bone and soft tissue. A total of 33/65 patients died (26 due to ST, 6 to relapse of primary disease, 1 cause missing). At last follow-up, 32/65 patients were alive; 5y-OS after the diagnosis of ST was 51±6%. In conclusion, despite their poor outcomes, SNs that occur after UCBT are extremely rare. Identification of associated risk factors and early detection may help to improve OS.

Children, adolescents, and young adults (CAYA) with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) without complete metabolic response (CMR) before autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) have poor survival outcomes. CheckMate 744, a phase 2 study for CAYA (aged 5-30 years) with relapsed/refractory cHL, evaluated a risk-stratified, response-adapted approach with nivolumab plus brentuximab vedotin (BV) followed by BV plus bendamustine for patients with suboptimal response. Risk stratification was primarily based on time to relapse, prior treatment, and presence of B symptoms. We present the primary analysis of the standard-risk cohort. Data from the low-risk cohort are reported separately. Patients received 4 induction cycles with nivolumab plus BV; those without CMR (Deauville score >3, Lugano 2014) received BV plus bendamustine intensification. Patients with CMR after induction or intensification proceeded to consolidation (high-dose chemotherapy/auto-HCT per protocol). Primary endpoint was CMR any time before consolidation. Forty-four patients were treated. Median age was 16 years. At a minimum follow-up of 15.6 months, 43 patients received 4 induction cycles (1 discontinued); 11 of whom received intensification, 32 proceeded to consolidation. CMR rate was 59% after induction with nivolumab plus BV, and 94% any time before consolidation (nivolumab plus BV ± BV plus bendamustine). One-year PFS rate was 91%. During induction, 18% of patients experienced grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events. This risk-stratified, response-adapted salvage strategy had high CMR rates with limited toxicities in CAYA with relapsed/refractory cHL. Most patients did not require additional chemotherapy (bendamustine intensification). Additional follow-up is needed to confirm durability of disease control. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02927769.

The public French Cord Blood Banks Network was established in 1999 with the objective of standardizing the practices governing umbilical cord blood (UCB) banking in France. The Network adopted a strategy to optimize its inventory and improve the quality of its banked units based on a quality improvement process using outcome data regularly provided by Eurocord. This study aimed to describe the results, over 10 years, of UCBT facilitated by a national network that used the same criteria of UCB collection and banking and to assess how modifications of banking criteria and unit selection might influence transplant outcomes. Nine hundred and ninety-nine units (593 single-unit and 203 double-unit grafts) were released by the Network to transplant 796 patients with malignant (83%) and non-malignant (17%) diseases. Median cell dose exceeded 3.5 × 107 TNC/kg in 86%. There was a trend to select units more recently collected and with higher cell dose. Neutrophil engraftment was 88.2% (85.7–90.7) and 79.3% (72.6–86.5) respectively for malignant and non-malignant diseases with a trend to faster recovery with higher cell doses. The respective 3-year transplant-related mortality were 31.1% (27.5–35.1) and 34.3% (27.0–43.5). OS was 49% ± 4 in malignant and 62% ± 4 in non-malignant disorders. In multivariate analysis, cell dose was the only unit-related factor associated with outcomes. Our results reflect the benefit on clinical outcomes of the strategy adopted by the Network to bank units with higher cell counts.

Outcomes for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with leukemia differ from other age groups and are still under-represented in clinical research. The aim of this study was to analyze outcomes of umbilical cord blood transplant (UCBT) in AYAs with acute leukemia reported to Eurocord/European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Patients (N = 504) had acute lymphoblastic (59%) or myeloid leukemia (41%), were aged 15 to 25 years, and received UCBT after myeloablative conditioning regimens between 2004 and 2016. The primary endpoint was 3-year overall survival (OS). Median follow-up was 3.9 years. Transplant was single in 58% and double UCBT in 42%. Three-year OS was 45% and leukemia free survival (LFS) was 41%. Cumulative incidence functions (CIFs) of nonrelapse mortality (NRM) and relapse were 31% and 28%, respectively. CIF of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) grades II to IV at day 100 was 28%. Three-year CIF of chronic GVHD was 25%. In adjusted analysis, better disease status at UCBT (hazard ratio [HR], 2.74; P.001) and more recent UCBT (HR, 1.43; P = .01) were associated with increased OS, and a similar effect of these factors was observed on LFS. Contrastingly, the use of antithymocyte globulin had a negative effect in LFS. The risk of acute GVHD grades II to IV increased with the use of double UCBT (HR, 1.65; P = .02) and decreased with more recent transplant period (HR, .65; P = .02) and antithymocyte globulin use (HR, .55; P = .01). Outcomes of AYA UCBT improved in more recent years, becoming comparable with pediatric results. Demonstrating the feasibility of UCBT in AYAs facilitates stem cell source selection and provides the basis for future prospective studies.

International audience; Context A negative association between a history of allergy and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) has been reported in previous studies, but remains debated. This work aimed to investigate this association accounting for genetic polymorphisms of the Th2 pathway cytokines (IL4, IL10, IL13 and IL4-receptor (IL4R)). Methods Analyses were based on the French case-control study ESTELLE (2010-2011). The complete sample included 629 ALL cases and 1,421 population-based controls frequency-matched on age and gender. The child's medical history was collected through standardised maternal interview. Biological samples were collected, and genotyping data were available for 411 cases and 704 controls of European origin. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using unconditional regression models adjusted for potential confounders. Results In the complete sample, a significant inverse association was observed between ALL and reported history of allergic rhinitis or sinusitis (OR=0.65 [0.42-0.98]; p= 0.04), but there was no obvious association with allergies overall. There was an interaction between genetic polymorphisms in IL4 and IL4R (pinteraction=0.003), as well as a gene-environment interaction between IL4R-rs1801275 and a reported history of asthma (IOR=0.23; pint=0.008) and eczema (IOR= 0.47; pint=0.06). We observed no interaction with the candidate polymorphisms in IL4 and IL13. Conclusion These results suggest that the association between allergic symptoms and childhood ALL could be modified by IL4R-rs1801275, and that this variant could also interact with a functional variant in IL4 gene. While they warrant confirmation, these results could help understand the pathological mechanisms under the reported inverse association between allergy and childhood ALL.

International audience; We previously reported results of a French randomized clinical trial (RCT) comparing the risk of transplantation failure (including transplant-related mortality [TRM], engraftment failure, and autologous recovery) in single and double unrelated cord blood (UCB) transplantation in children and young adults with hematologic malignancies. We concluded that single-UCB transplantation with an adequate cell dose is the standard of care, leading to a 70% two-year overall survival (OS). It remains unclear, however, whether RCT participants have better outcomes than comparable patients not treated in the setting of a clinical trial. We compared the characteristics and outcomes of RCT participants (n = 137) to a Francophone population-based registry of patients (real-world [RW] group) fulfilling the eligibility criteria used in our RCT and transplanted with 1 or 2 UCB units after a myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimen between March 2015 (end of inclusion in the RCT) and February 2019 (n = 141). The primary endpoint was the 2-year cumulative incidence (CI) of transplantation strategy failure as defined in our RCT. The 2 groups were comparable in terms of age, disease distribution, hematologic status at transplantation, follow-up, and HLA compatibility. Patients in the RW group were more likely to be transplanted with a single-unit UCB (87.9% versus 49.6%, P< .001) and to receive a radiation-free regimen (39.0% versus 60.6%, P< .001). The 2-year CI of transplantation strategy failure, TRM, and the 2-year probability of OS were similar between the 2 groups, although the relapse risk was higher in the RW group (31.2% ± 7.7% versus 20.4% ± 6.8%, P= .01), resulting in a significantly lower disease-free survival (DFS) (59.2% ± 8.4% versus 69.3% ± 8.0%, P= .047). This difference remained statistically significant only in the group of patients with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) who did not receive the conditioning regimen recommended by the RCT (fludarabine 75 mg/m2, total body irradiation 12 Gy, cyclophosphamide 120 mg/kg). The results of our RCT appear to be reproducible in real-world conditions, provided that the same cord blood selection criteria and conditioning regimen are used.

Introduction Pediatric-onset Evans syndrome (pES) is defined by the association between immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) before the age of 18 years and may be associated to various immunopathological manifestations (IMs). No comprehensive study of this rare disease exists, and its long-term outcomes are poorly described. Methods Patients from the nationwide French prospective OBS'CEREVANCE cohort with pES and more than 5 years of follow-up were included (excepted pES secondary to bone marrow transplantation or primary immunodeficiencies known at the inclusion). All patients, including those with less than 5 years of follow-up, were included in survival analyses. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze factors associated with time-dependent variables. Results Of the 216 patients with pES in the cohort, 151 (88 males and 63 females) were included with a median (min-max) follow-up time after first cytopenia diagnosis of 11.3 (5.1-38) years. Median age at final follow-up was 18.5 (6.8-50.0) years. The proportion of patients achieving a sustained complete response (i.e. persisting until final follow-up) increased after cytopenia onset (Fig. 1A). ITP and AIHA were in complete remission in 40.5% and 54.5%, 74.1% and 62.3%, and 78.4% and 86% of patients at 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. Clinical IMs (cIMs) developed in 100/151 patients (66%), before the first diagnosis of cytopenia in 21/100 cases. The number of cIMs increased over time (Fig. 1B). The proportions of patients with one and more than one cIM were 50% and 14%, 57% and 19%, and 81% and 44% at 5, 10, and 15 years after the first cytopenia diagnosis, respectively. A broad spectrum of cIMs were present, lymphoproliferation (n = 71), dermatological (n = 26), gastrointestinal/hepatic (n = 23), and pneumological manifestations (n = 16) being the most common. Three patients had a hematological malignancy. Biological IMs (bIMs) were diagnosed in 101/151 patients (67%) and also increased over time, with hypogammaglobulinemia (n = 54) being the most common. Autoimmune neutropenia developed in 43 patients (28.5%) and was independently associated with the number of cIMs (hazard ratio [HR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-3.8; p = 0.0002). Severe or recurrent infections were present in 53 patients (35%). The number of second-line treatments received (i.e. other than steroids and immunoglobulins) increased over time without reaching a plateau (Fig. 1C). Half of the patients had received at least one, two, and three different treatments at 2.7, 10.5, and 14.7 years after the first cytopenia diagnosis, respectively. The number of cIMs was independently associated with the number of second-line treatments received (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.08-1.6; p = 0.006). Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was diagnosed in 11/151 patients (7.3%, 1/88 males and 10/63 females) and autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) in six (4.0%). Sixteen of the 151 patients followed for more than 5 years (10.6%) died, and seven died before the fifth year of follow-up (23 deaths in total). Survival at 5, 10, and 15 years after the first cytopenia was 97%, 92%, and 84%, respectively (Fig. 1D). Deaths occurred regularly throughout the follow-up period, at a median age of 18.0 (1.7-31.5) years. The most frequent cause of death was infections (n = 12, 52%). Four patients (18%) died of hemorrhage, all were less than 13 years old. The numbers of second-line treatments (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.6; p = 0.004) and severe or recurrent infections (HR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.2-9.7; p = 0.02) were independently associated with mortality after 5 years of follow-up. Overall, 20-year-old compared to 10-year-old patients more frequently showed a sustained complete response for AIHA (72% vs. 30%) and ITP (50% vs. 26%), but more frequently had cIMs (74% vs. 37%), bIMs (75% vs. 39%), and ongoing second-line treatments (88% vs. 47%; p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Conclusions Long-term outcomes of pES were associated to IMs and second-line treatment burden, not active cytopenia. The significant mortality rates, mostly among adolescents and young adults, were linked to drug-induced and/or constitutive immunodeficiencies. Few cases were associated with SLE or ALPS, which is consistent with a heterogeneous genetic background. These results highlight the importance of multidisciplinary care during the transition from childhood to adulthood. Figure 1 Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD) is a rapidly progressing, often fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene, resulting in deficiency of ALD protein. Clinical benefit has been reported following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We conducted a large multicenter retrospective chart review to characterize the natural history of CALD, to describe outcomes after HSCT, and to identify predictors of treatment outcomes. Major functional disabilities (MFDs) were identified as having the most significant impact on patients' abilities to function independently and were used to assess HSCT outcome. Neurologic function score (NFS) and Loes magnetic resonance imaging score were assessed. Data were collected on 72 patients with CALD who did not undergo HSCT (untreated cohort) and on 65 patients who underwent transplantation (HSCT cohort) at 5 clinical sites. Kaplan-Meier (KM) estimates of 5-year overall survival (OS) from the time of CALD diagnosis were 55% (95% confidence interval [CI], 42.2% to 65.7%) for the untreated cohort and 78% (95% CI, 64% to 86.6%) for the HSCT cohort overall (P = .01). KM estimates of 2-year MFD-free survival for patients with gadolinium-enhanced lesions (GdE+) were 29% (95% CI, 11.7% to 48.2%) for untreated patients (n = 21). For patients who underwent HSCT with GdE+ at baseline, with an NFS ≤1 and Loes score of 0.5 to ≤9 (n = 27), the 2-year MFD-free survival was 84% (95% CI, 62.3% to 93.6%). Mortality rates post-HSCT were 8% (5 of 65) at 100days and 18% (12 of 65) at 1 year, with disease progression (44%; 7 of 16) and infection (31%; 5 of 16) listed as the most common causes of death. Adverse events post-HSCT included infection (29%; 19 of 65), acute grade II-IV graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (31%; 18 of 58), and chronic GVHD (7%; 4 of 58). Eighteen percent of the patients (12 of 65) experienced engraftment failure after their first HSCT. Positive predictors of OS in the HSCT cohort may include donor-recipient HLA matching and lack of GVHD, and early disease treatment was predictive of MFD-free survival. GdE+ status is a strong predictor of disease progression in untreated patients.‎ This study confirms HSCT as an effective treatment for CALD when performed early. We propose survival without MFDs as a relevant treatment goal, rather than solely assessing OS as an indicator of treatment success.

International audience

Depuis l’émergence de l’infection à SARS-CoV-2, de très nombreuses recommandations ont été émises. Cependant la nature de la maladie et la spécificité du traitement des leucémies aiguës lymphoblastiques de l’enfant et de l’adolescent ont conduit le Comité Leucémies de la Société Française de lutte contre les Cancers et leucémies de l’Enfant et de l’adolescent (SFCE) à proposer des recommandations propres. Voici la deuxième version de ces recommandations prenant en compte l’évolution des connaissances sur l’infection COVID19.

Limited data are available on legionellosis after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The aim of this study was to report the cases of legionellosis and to identify predictors of legionellosis, legionellosis-associated death, and non-relapse mortality (NRM). All cases of post-HSCT legionellosis from the EBMT registry were included and matched with controls in a 3:1 ratio for the analyses of risk factors. In the years 1995–2016, 80 cases from 52 centers in 14 countries were identified (mainly from France, Italy, and Spain). Median time from HSCT to legionellosis was 203 days (range, 0–4099); 19 (23.8%) patients developed early legionellosis (within-day +30 post-HSCT). Patients were mainly male (70%), after allogeneic HSCT (70%), with acute leukemia (27.5%), lymphoma (23.8%), or multiple myeloma (21.3%), and the median age of 46.6 (range, 7.2–68.2). Predictors of legionellosis were allogeneic HSCT (OR = 2.27, 95%CI:1.08–4.80, p = 0.03) and recent other infection (OR = 2.96, 95%CI:1.34–6.52, p = 0.007). Twenty-seven (33.8%) patients died due to legionellosis (44% after early legionellosis), NRM was 50%. Predictors of NRM were female sex (HR = 2.19, 95%CI:1.13–4.23, p = 0.02), early legionellosis (HR = 2.24, 95%CI:1.13–4.46, p = 0.02), and south-eastern geographical region (HR = 2.16, 95%CI:1.05–4.44, p = 0.036). In conclusion, legionellosis is a rare complication after HSCT, mainly allogeneic, occurring frequently within 30 days after HSCT and associated with high mortality.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative therapy for most children with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML). Novel therapies controlling the disorder prior to HSCT are needed. We conducted a phase 2, multicenter, open-label study to evaluate the safety and antileukemic activity of azacitidine monotherapy prior to HSCT in newly diagnosed JMML patients. Eighteen patients enrolled from September 2015 to November 2017 were treated with azacitidine (75 mg/m2) administered IV once daily on days 1 to 7 of a 28-day cycle. The primary end point was the number of patients with clinical complete remission (cCR) or clinical partial remission (cPR) after 3 cycles of therapy. Pharmacokinetics, genome-wide DNA-methylation levels, and variant allele frequencies of leukemia-specific index mutations were also analyzed. Sixteen patients completed 3 cycles and 5 patients completed 6 cycles. After 3 cycles, 11 patients (61%) were in cPR and 7 (39%) had progressive disease. Six of 16 patients (38%) who needed platelet transfusions were transfusion-free after 3 cycles. All 7 patients with intermediate- or low-methylation signatures in genome-wide DNA-methylation studies achieved cPR. Seventeen patients received HSCT; 14 (82%) were leukemia-free at a median follow-up of 23.8 months (range, 7.0-39.3 months) after HSCT. Azacitidine was well tolerated and plasma concentration-–time profiles were similar to observed profiles in adults. In conclusion, azacitidine monotherapy is a suitable option for children with newly diagnosed JMML. Although long-term safety and efficacy remain to be fully elucidated in this population, these data demonstrate that azacitidine provides valuable clinical benefit to JMML patients prior to HSCT. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02447666.

Background There are currently few data on the outcome of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adolescents after allogeneic HSCT. The aim of this study is to describe the outcome and its specific risk factors for children, adolescents and young adults after a first allogeneic HSCT for AML. Methods In this retrospective study, we compared the outcome of AML patients receiving a first allogeneic HSCT between 2005 and 2017 according to their age at transplantation’s time: children (n = 564), adolescent and post-adolescent (APA) patients (15–25 years, n = 647) and young adults (26–40 years; n = 1434). Results With a median follow-up of 4.37 years (min–max 0.18–14.73 years), the probability of 2-year overall survival (OS) was 71.4% in children, 61.1% in APA patients and 62.9% in young adults (p = 0.0009 for intergroup difference). Both relapse and non-relapse mortality (NRM) Cumulative Incidence (CI) estimated at 2 years were different between the age groups (30.8% for children, 35.2% for APA patients and 29.4% for young adults—p = 0.0254, and 7.0% for children, 10.6% for APA patients and 14.2% for young adults, p p Conclusion Age is an independent risk factor for NRM and extensive chronic GVHD. This study suggests that APA patients with AML could be beneficially treated with a chemotherapy-based MAC regimen and bone marrow as a stem cells source.

We included 255 patients from the L.E.A. French long-term follow-up cohort. All had received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and/or testicular radiation for childhood acute leukemia and were older than 18 years at last L.E.A. evaluation. Total testosterone deficiency was defined as a12 nmol/l level or by substitutive therapy, partial deficiency as normal testosterone with elevated luteinizing hormone (10 UI/l). After myeloablative total body irradiation (n = 178), 55.6% had total deficiency, 15.7% partial deficiency, and 28.7% were normal. A 4-6 Gy testicular boost and a younger age at HSCT increased significantly the risk. After a Busulfan-containing myeloablative conditioning regimen (n = 53), 28.3% had total deficiency, 15.1% partial deficiency, 56.6% were normal (62.5% vs. 0% in patients without or with additional testicular radiation). A 24-Gy testicular radiation without HSCT induced total or partial deficiency in 71.4% and 28.6%, respectively (n = 21). Total testosterone deficiency increased the risk of metabolic syndrome: 25% vs. 12.1% in men with partial testosterone deficiency and 8.8% when Leydig cell function was normal (p = 0.031).

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is curative for bone marrow failure in patients with Fanconi anemia (FA), but the presence of a malignant transformation is associated with a poor prognosis and the management of these patients is still challenging. We analyzed outcome of 74 FA patients with a diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (n = 35), acute leukemia (n = 35) or with cytogenetic abnormalities (n = 4), who underwent allo-HSCT from 1999 to 2016 in EBMT network. Type of diagnosis, pre-HSCT cytoreductive therapies and related toxicities, disease status pre-HSCT, donor type, and conditioning regimen were considered as main variables potentially influencing outcome. The 5-year OS and EFS were 42% (30-53%) and 39% (27-51%), respectively. Patients transplanted in CR showed better OS compared with those transplanted in presence of an active malignant disease (OS:71%[48-95] vs 37% [24-50],P = .04), while none of the other variables considered had an impact. Twenty-two patients received pre-HSCT cytoreduction and 9/22 showed a grade 3-4 toxicity, without any lethal event or negative influence on survival after HSCT(OS:toxicity pre-HSCT 48% [20-75%] vs no-toxicity 51% [25-78%],P = .98). The cumulative incidence of day-100 grade II-IV a-GvHD and of 5-year c-GvHD were 38% (26-50%) and 40% (28-52%). Non-relapse-related mortality and incidence of relapse at 5-years were 40% (29-52%) and 21% (11-30%) respectively, without any significant impact of the tested variables. Causes of death were transplant-related events in most patients (34 out of the 42 deaths, 81%). This analysis confirms the poor outcome of transformed FA patients and identifies the importance of achieving CR pre-HSCT, suggesting that, in a newly diagnosed transformed FA patient, a cytoreductive approach pre-HSCT should be considered if a donor have been secured.

Although most children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receive fractionated total body irradiation (FTBI) as myeloablative conditioning (MAC) for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), it is an important matter of debate if chemotherapy can effectively replace FTBI. To compare outcomes after FTBI versus chemotherapy-based conditioning (CC), we performed a retrospective EBMT registry study. Children aged 2–18 years after MAC for first allo-HSCT of bone marrow (BM) or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) from matched-related (MRD) or unrelated donors (UD) in first (CR1) or second remission (CR2) between 2000 and 2012 were included. Propensity score weighting was used to control pretreatment imbalances of the observed variables. 3.054 patients were analyzed. CR1 (1.498): median follow-up (FU) after FTBI (1.285) and CC (213) was 6.8 and 6.1 years. Survivals were not significantly different. CR2 (1.556): median FU after FTBI (1.345) and CC (211) was 6.2 years. Outcomes after FTBI were superior as compared with CC with regard to overall survival (OS), leukemia-free survival (LFS), relapse incidence (RI), and nonrelapse mortality (NRM). However, we must emphasize the preliminary character of the results of this retrospective “real-world-practice” study. These findings will be prospectively assessed in the ALL SCTped 2012 FORUM trial.

International audience; Since the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 infection many recommendations have been made. However the very nature of acute lymphoblastic leukemias and their treatment in children and adolescents led the Leukemia Committee of the French Society for the fight against cancers and leukemias in children and adolescents (SFCE) to propose more specific recommendations even if data for this population are still scarce. They may have to evolve according to the rapid evolution of knowledge on COVID-19.

International audience; Childhood chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (cITP) is a rare disease. In severe cases, there is no evidence for the optimal therapeutic strategy. Our aim was to describe the real‐life management of non‐selected children with cITP at diagnosis. Since 2004, patients less than 18 years old with cITP have been enrolled in the national prospective cohort, OBS’CEREVANCE. From 1990 to 2014, in 29 centres, 392 children were diagnosed with cITP. With a median follow‐up of six years (2·0–25), 45% did not need second‐line therapy, and 55% (n = 217) received one or more second lines, mainly splenectomy (n = 108), hydroxychloroquine (n = 61), rituximab (n = 61) or azathioprine (n = 40). The overall five‐year further second‐line treatment‐free survival was 56% [95% CI 49·5–64.1]. The use of splenectomy significantly decreased over time. Hydroxychloroquine was administered to children with positive antinuclear antibodies, more frequently older and girls, and reached 55% efficacy. None of the patients died. Ten years after the initial diagnosis, 55% of the 56 followed children had achieved complete remission. Children with cITP do not need second‐line treatments in 45% of cases. Basing the treatment decision on the pathophysiological pathways is challenging, as illustrated by ITP patients with positive antinuclear antibodies treated with hydroxychloroquine.

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among adults from the French LEA childhood acute leukemia survivors’ cohort was prospectively evaluated considering the type of anti-leukemic treatment received, and compared with that of controls. The metabolic profile of these patients was compared with that of controls. A total of 3203 patients from a French volunteer cohort were age- and sex-matched 3:1 to 1025 leukemia survivors (in both cohorts, mean age: 24.4 years; females: 51%). Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Metabolic syndrome was found in 10.3% of patients (mean follow-up duration: 16.3±0.2 years) and 4.5% of controls, (OR=2.49; P

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement at diagnosis of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is not considered as an independent prognostic factor. This study describes the prognostic value of pediatric AML with CNS involvement at diagnosis. Pediatric patients were treated for de novo AML in the French multicenter trial ELAM02. Lumbar puncture was carried out in the first week, and the treatment was adapted to the CNS status. No patient received CNS radiotherapy. The patients were classified into 2 groups: CNS+ and CNS-. Of the 438 patients, 16% (n=70) had CNS involvement at diagnosis, and 29% showed clinical signs. The patients with CNS disease were younger (40% were below 2 y old), had a higher white blood cell count (median of 45 vs. 13 G/L), and had M4 and M5 morphologies. The complete remission rate was similar at 92.8% for CNS+ and 88.5% for CNS-. There was no significant difference between the CNS+ and the CNS- group in overall survival (76% and 71%, respectively) and event-free survival (57% and 52%, respectively). Regarding the occurrence of first relapse, the CNS+ group had a higher combined relapse rate of 26.1% compared with 10% for the CNS- group. The results indicate that CNS involvement at diagnosis of pediatric AML is not an independent prognostic factor. Triple intrathecal chemotherapy combined with high-dose intravenous cytarabine should be the first-line treatment for CNS disease.

Introduction: Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) represent a specific population in the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) landscape, often presenting high-risk diseases and increased chemotherapy-related toxicities. Indications of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for pediatric patients (HSCT) have been restricted to those with early poor response to chemotherapy. The same trend has led to a decrease of HSCT indications in AYAs, which are nevertheless still more frequent than in younger counterpart. Outcomes of AYAs after HSCT seemed to be worse than the ones of children in two previous studies published in 2013 and 2014. In Minneapolis, the decrease of overall survival in AYA was attributed to an excess of Treatment Related mortality (TRM) (28% versus 14%; p=0.04), but because of small numbers, factors influencing TRM were not identified. Our study aimed to compare, in a large cohort, the outcomes of children and AYA with ALL after HSCT and to determine factors influencing potential differences. Material and Methods: All patients aged between 1 and 25 years, reported in the SFGM-TC (Francophone Society of bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapy) registry, who received a first HSCT in treatment for ALL between 2005 and 2012 were included. The AYA group was defined by age range between 15 and 25 years old, according to European studies and the SFGM-TC. Data about diagnosis and transplantation procedure were prospectively collected in the registry. Before transplant procedure, patients or their parents/guardians provide a signed consent in order to be included in the registry. Results: 891 patients were included, 494 children and 397 AYA. Median time of follow up was 45.6 months (0 to 114). HSCT was performed in first CR for 56.8% of the AYAs, whereas 57.5% of children received HSCT in second CR or more advanced phase (p Five-year OS was lower in AYA 53.1% versus 64% (p = 0.0012) and we confirmed higher 5-years TRM in AYA 19% versus 13% (p=0.04). TRM incidence markedly rose after 10 years of age (from 9% before 10 years old to 20% between 10 and 15 years, and 17% after 15 years). Graft versus host disease and Relapse Free Survival probability (GRFS) was lower in AYA: 36% versus 47% (p=0.007), while Cumulative Incidence of Relapse (CIR) and acute Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD) incidence were both similar in our two groups: 32% and 61% in AYAs versus 27% and 59% in children, (p=0.19 and p=0.62), respectively. Thus, chronic GvHD, which occurred more frequently in AYA than in children (32% versus 19%, p In our multivariate analysis, two factors were associated with higher risk of cGvHD: use of PBSC as stem cell source (HR 1.41 [0.96-2.07], p=0.083), and absence of ATG use (HR associated with use of ATG: 0.62 [0.42-0.92], p=0.017) (Figure 3). Of note a subgroup analysis in patients who received a bone marrow transplant after a MAC, showed no TRM difference between AYA and children. Conclusion: AYA or patients aged more than 10 years, compared to ones aged less than 10 years have a worse outcome after HSCT for ALL. Excess of death in this specific population is mainly due cGvHD. Transplantation practices in those patients, particularly choice of stem cells source and GvHD prophylaxis, should be discussed. Their treatment adherence should also be questioned and reinforced by development of multidisciplinary teams. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Peffault De Latour: Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Other, Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel support, Research Funding. Forcade: Novartis: Other: travel grant.

Background: Pediatric patients younger than two years of age with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) commonly receive a chemotherapy-based myeloablative conditioning regimen before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The optimal choice of cytotoxic agents is still controversial. Methods: A retrospective EBMT-registry based study was conducted to investigate the impact of different chemotherapy-based conditionings on the outcomes in young children. Children younger than two years of age receiving a first HSCT of bone marrow (BM), peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) or cord blood (CB) from matched siblings (MSD) or unrelated donors (UD) in first complete remission (CR1) between 2000 and 2019 were included. Busulfan/Cyclophosphamide (BuCy) and BuCy/Melphalan (BuCyMel) were the most frequent combinations on which this analysis focused. The primary endpoint was leukemia-free survival (LFS). Multivariate analysis adjusting for differences between the conditioning regimens and risk factors influencing outcome was performed using the Cox's proportional hazards regression model. Results: 289 patients (56% male) transplanted at a median age of 1.2 years (IQR 0.9-1.6) after BuCy (164, 57%) or BuCyMel (125, 43%) were included. 184 (64%) patients received BM, 71 (24%) CB and 34 (12%) PBSC from UD (201, 70%) and MSD (88, 30%). In-vivo T-cell-depletion (TCD) was performed in 160 (58%, missing data 14) of the HSCTs with anti-thymocyte-globulin (ATG, 153) or alemtuzumab (7). Ex-vivo TCD was performed in 13 (5%, missing data 3) of the HSCTs. Graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD)-prophylaxis was Cyclosporin-A-based in 90% of the HSCTs. Median follow-up (FU) was 4.9 years (95% CI 3.9-5.5). After a median FU of 4 years, 4-y-LFS after BuCyMel (74.3%, 95% CI 65.1-81.4) was significantly better compared to BuCy (59.7%, 95% CI 51.2-67.2), hazard ratio (HR) 0.56 (95% CI 0.35-0.90, P=0.02). Overall survival (4-y-OS) after BuCyMel (77.2%, 95% CI 68.1-84.0) was significantly better compared to BuCy (66.6%, 95% CI 58.0-73.8), HR=0.58 (95% CI 0.35-0.97, P=0.04). No significant differences were found in the probability of relapse (4-y-RI (whole cohort) 26.2% (95% CI 21.0-31.7), HR of BuCyMel 0.59 (95% CI 0.34-1.02), P=0.06), non-relapse mortality (4-y-NRM (whole cohort) 7.8% (95% CI 5.0-11.4), HR of BuCyMel 0.49 (95% CI 0.19-1.24), P=0.13) and incidence of acute grade II-IV GvHD at day 100 (day-100-aGvHD II-IV (whole cohort) 36.8% (95% CI 31.2-42.5), HR of BuCyMel 0.59 (95% CI 0.35-1.01), P=0.06). Incidence of chronic GvHD (4-y-cGvHD (whole cohort)) was 9.8% (95%-CI 6.3-14.2). The donor type had no significant influence on the outcome. Conclusion: Bu-based conditionings of HSCT for infants with AML at high risk of relapse offer a high probability of cure. Conditioning with three alkylators (BuCyMel) resulted in better LFS and OS compared with two alkylators (BuCy) without significantly increasing the risk of both NRM and aGvHD. Future trials will evaluate the impact of the more recently introduced alkylator Treosulfan within the conditioning of HSCT in pediatric AML. Disclosures Peters: Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel grants. Locatelli: Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Miltenyi: Speakers Bureau; Medac: Speakers Bureau; Jazz Pharamceutical: Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau. Moraleda: Pfizer: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Sanofi: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; MSD: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; ROCHE: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Sandoz: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; NovoNordisk: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Janssen: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Celgene: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Amgen: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding. Biffi: BlueBirdBio: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board. Corbacioglu: Gentium/Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria.

Although most children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receive fractionated total body irradiation (FTBI) as myeloablative conditioning (MAC) for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), it is an important matter of debate if chemotherapy can effectively replace FTBI. To compare outcomes after FTBI versus chemotherapy-based conditioning (CC), we performed a retrospective EBMT registry study. Children aged 2-18 years after MAC for first allo-HSCT of bone marrow (BM) or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) from matched-related (MRD) or unrelated donors (UD) in first (CR1) or second remission (CR2) between 2000 and 2012 were included. Propensity score weighting was used to control pretreatment imbalances of the observed variables. 3.054 patients were analyzed. CR1 (1.498): median follow-up (FU) after FTBI (1.285) and CC (213) was 6.8 and 6.1 years. Survivals were not significantly different. CR2 (1.556): median FU after FTBI (1.345) and CC (211) was 6.2 years. Outcomes after FTBI were superior as compared with CC with regard to overall survival (OS), leukemia-free survival (LFS), relapse incidence (RI), and nonrelapse mortality (NRM). However, we must emphasize the preliminary character of the results of this retrospective "real-world-practice" study. These findings will be prospectively assessed in the ALL SCTped 2012 FORUM trial.

ETV6 is a target of recurrent aberrations in sporadic and familial acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Here, we report on a new pedigree with a germline ETV6 mutation in which the index patient and his father developed high hyperdiploid (HeH) ALL and polycythemia vera at age 13 and 51, respectively. The index patient achieved durable complete remission without transplantation but had persistent moderate thrombocytopenia without bleeding tendency. To determine the prevalence of ETV6 alterations in HeH-ALL, we screened 81 unrelated subjects with HeH-ALL by single nucleotide polymorphism array and high-throughput sequencing for the ETV6 gene. Overall, ETV6 microdeletions and mutations were identified in 9% of cases, all of which were somatic and considered as secondary events. Apart from the index patient, no germline ETV6 aberration was identified. Finally, we reviewed the literature for ETV6 germline aberrations and predispositions to ALL.

For pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), relapse is an important cause of treatment failure after unrelated cord blood transplant (UCBT). Compared to other donor sources, relapse is similar or even reduced after UCBT despite less graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). We performed a retrospective analysis to identify risk factors associated with the 5-year cumulative incidence (CI) of relapse after UCBT. In this retrospective, registry-based study, we examined the outcomes of 640 children (

The standard for selecting unrelated umbilical cord blood units for transplantation for non-malignant diseases relies on antigen-level (lower resolution) HLA typing for HLA-A and HLA-B, and allele-level for HLA-DRB1. We aimed to study the effects of allele-level matching at a higher resolution-HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, and HLA-DRB1, which is the standard used for adult unrelated volunteer donor transplantation for non-malignant diseases-for umbilical cord blood transplantation.We retrospectively studied 1199 paediatric donor-recipient pairs with allele-level HLA matching who received a single unit umbilical cord blood transplantation for non-malignant diseases reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research or Eurocord and European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplant. Transplantations occurred between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2012. The primary outcome was overall survival. The effect of HLA matching on survival was studied using a Cox regression model.Compared with HLA-matched transplantations, mortality was higher with transplantations mismatched at two (hazard ratio [HR] 1·55, 95% CI 1·08-2·21, p=0·018), three (2·04, 1·44-2·89, p=0·0001), and four or more alleles (3·15, 2·16-4·58, p0·0001). There were no significant differences in mortality between transplantations that were matched and mismatched at one allele (HR 1·18, 95% CI 0·80-1·72, p=0·39). Other factors associated with higher mortality included recipient cytomegalovirus seropositivity (HR 1·40, 95% CI 1·13-1·74, p=0·0020), reduced intensity compared with myeloablative conditioning regimens (HR 1·36, 1·10-1·68, p=0·0041), transplantation of units with total nucleated cell dose of more than 21 × 10These data support a change from current practice in that selection of unrelated umbilical cord blood units for transplantation for non-malignant diseases should consider allele-level HLA matching at HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, and HLA-DRB1.National Cancer Institute; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases; US Department of Health and Human Services-Health Resources and Services Administration; and US Department of Navy.

Background Outcomes for younger patients with R/R cHL are poor, particularly for those without complete metabolic response (CMR) before autologous transplant (auto-HCT). CheckMate 744 ( NCT02927769 ) is an ongoing phase 2 study for CAYA with R/R cHL, evaluating a risk-stratified, response-adapted approach using nivolumab plus BV, and for patients without CMR, BV plus bendamustine. In the initial analysis of the standard-risk cohort (R2), the regimen was well tolerated with high CMR rates before consolidation with high-dose chemotherapy plus auto-HCT. We report primary analysis data. Patients 5–30 years old; had first-line treatment without auto-HCT. Design Risk stratification has been described (Harker-Murray, ASH 2018). Patients received 4 induction cycles of nivolumab plus BV; patients without CMR by blinded independent central review (BICR) received BV plus bendamustine intensification. Patients with CMR at any time could proceed to consolidation off study. Response was per Lugano 2014 criteria. Primary endpoint: CMR rate (Deauville ≤3) per BICR any time before consolidation. Results 44 patients were treated in R2 (median follow-up: 20.9 months); 43 received 4 induction cycles and 11 received intensification. Median age was 16 years (range, 9–30); 24 (55%) patients had primary refractory cHL. CMR rate (90% CI) any time before consolidation was 88% (77–95) and 89% (78–95) per BICR and investigator, respectively; objective response rate (ORR) was 98% by either assessment. After 4 cycles of induction, CMR was 59% and 66% per BICR and investigator, respectively; ORR (90% CI) was 82% (70–91) and 89% (78–95), respectively. One-year progression-free survival rate by BICR was 91% (90% CI, 77–96). During induction, 8 patients (18%) experienced grade (G) 3–4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs); the most common any-grade TRAEs were nausea and hypersensitivity (20% each). One TRAE led to discontinuation (G3 anaphylaxis). Most treatment-related immune-mediated AEs were G1–2 (1 patient had 2 G3 infusion-related reactions). Conclusions This risk-stratified, response-adapted approach offers a well-tolerated salvage strategy with high CMR rates and no new safety signals for CAYA with R/R cHL. Most patients avoided bendamustine prior to consolidation. Further follow-up may confirm durability of disease control. Funding BMS. Previous presentation ASCO 2020

International audience; Introduction: Our objectives were to assess the quality of life (QoL) of parents of childhood leukemia survivors compared with population norms and to identify the determinants of parents' long-term QoL.Methods: Parents of minors who had survived childhood leukemia participating in the French LEA cohort (Leucémie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent-French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study for Leukemia) were asked to complete the French version of the WHOQOL-BREF. Results were compared with age- and sex-matched values from a French reference population. Parents' and survivors' characteristics likely to be associated with QoL, long after the child's leukemia diagnosis, were explored using multivariate analysis.Results: We included 487 parents (mean age 42.9 ± 6.0 years, mean follow-up time from diagnosis 7.3 ± 3.3 years). Compared with the reference population, scores for physical health and social relationships for parents of childhood leukemia survivors were significantly lower (P < 0.001, effect size = 0.24 and P < 0.001, effect size = 0.29, respectively) contrary to scores for psychological health which were significantly higher (P < 0.001, effect size = 0.29). Even if health- and cancer-related characteristics were associated with parents' QoL in some dimensions, the only factor associated with each of the three dimensions (social relationships, physical health, and psychological) in the multivariate analysis was the parent's financial situation.Conclusions: Long after leukemia diagnosis, the parents reported lower scores in the physical health and social relationship domains. Despite the difficulties of actually influencing socioeconomic characteristics, it is important to consider the social situation of each family in the long-term care of survivors and their families.

Background Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia (AA) is a rare syndrome combining acute hepatitis of variable severity and AA. Hepatitis may be severe enough to require urgent liver transplantation (LT). Herein, we describe clinical presentation and management of a cohort of pediatric patients diagnosed with AA after undergoing LT for nonviral hepatitis. Methods To describe this rare clinical situation, we performed a national survey and identified nine children treated for AA following LT during the last 10 years in France. Results All patients were treated first for hepatic failure with urgent LT. AA was diagnosed with a median delay of 34 days [21-200] from the diagnosis of hepatitis. Seven children were treated with antithymocyte globulin/cyclosporine, one with CSA alone and one received bone marrow transplantation. At the last visit (median follow-up: 4 years), outcomes were excellent: all patients were alive and in hematological remission (complete remission: 7; partial remission: 2). Immunosuppressive therapy was pursued in all patients due to the liver transplant. No unusual toxicities were reported. Conclusion AA after LT is considered a therapeutic challenge. Nevertheless, hematological outcome is good using a standard immunosuppressive approach.

This prospective study aimed to analyze determinants that can influence bone mineral density evolution in childhood acute leukemia survivors. Patients included were selected from the long-term follow-up LEA cohort and had dual energy radiograph absorptiometry scan between 10 and 18 years and after the age of 18. All scans were centrally reviewed. Bone mineral density was measured at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, total hip, and whole body, and expressed as z-score. Eighty-nine patients (female 39, lymphoblastic leukemia 68, relapse 25, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation 44, and mean age 15.4 and 20.1 years at the first and second scans, respectively) were studied. The first and second scan z-scores were significantly correlated (P < 10(-3)). Mean femoral neck and total hip z-scores improved significantly between the first and second scans, whereas no significant evolution occurred at the lumbar spine and whole-body level. On the second evaluation, 14.6% of patients had z-score

International audience; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a curative treatment for most hematologic diseases. To evaluate the level of donor engraftment, chimerism must be carefully monitored after HSCT. Short tandem repeats, quantitative PCR (qPCR), and, more recently, digital PCR (dPCR) are widely used to determine the proportions of donor and recipient cells after HSCT. The screening and quantification of chimerism have been evaluated by 2 new methods: a ready-to-use next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based method using the Devyser ChimerismNGS kit and an original combination of the Stilla crystal digital PCR (cdPCR) platform with 3-color multiplexing capacity using GenDX KMRtrack reagents. The genotyping of 4 HSCT pairs by cdPCR using 11 triplex mixes of the GenDX KMRtype kit was consistent at 98.8% with qPCR. Informative samples (n = 20) from 6 donor-recipient pairs and 1 external proficiency test demonstrated the reliability of the results (0.1% to 50%) for the 2 methods. The methods are also highly sensitive (0.1%) and accurate. The chimerism values of the 2 methods are correlated and concordant with those of the reference methods. In addition, the ADVYSER software (Devyser) is user-friendly and well adapted to chimerism monitoring. In conclusion, these 2 innovative methods are easy to perform and user-friendly in all molecular, hematology, and immunogenetic laboratories and allow the genotyping and monitoring of chimerism with high performance and sensitivity.

Background: Although approximately 80% - 85% of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood malignancy, achieve durable complete remissions (CRs) after initial treatment, the remaining 15% - 20% of patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) ALL have unfavorable outcomes (Leukemia2018;32:2316-25; N Engl J Med 2015;373:1541-52) and could benefit from effective new therapies. KTE-X19 is an autologous, anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy approved for the treatment of R/R mantle cell lymphoma and under investigation for additional R/R hematologic malignancies including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, adult ALL, and pediatric B cell ALL and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). KTE-X19 treatment has shown high rates of CRs, with a manageable safety profile for adult patients with R/R B cell ALL in the Phase 1 portion of ZUMA-3, including those with poor risk factors (J Clin Oncol 2019;37[suppl, abstr]:7006). ZUMA-4 is an ongoing Phase 1/2 study evaluating KTE-X19 in pediatric and adolescent patients with R/R B cell ALL or NHL (NCT02625480). End-of-Phase 1 interim analysis of ZUMA-4 showed the feasibility of KTE-X19 therapy with optimized dosing and adverse event (AE) management strategies for the treatment of pediatric patients with R/R ALL (Pediatr Blood Cancer 2019;66[suppl]:S24). The protocol for Phase 2 of ZUMA-4 has been amended to include broader B cell ALL enrollment criteria with a focus on patients with early relapse associated with poorer outcomes, and an NHL cohort was added. Methods: Key B cell ALL enrollment criteria include age ≤ 21 years, weight ≥ 10 kg, and B cell ALL that is primary refractory, relapsed within 18 months of first diagnosis, R/R after ≥ 2 lines of systemic therapy, or R/R after allogeneic stem cell transplantation at least 100 days prior to enrollment. Criteria for disease burden have been amended to also include patients with minimal residual disease-positive disease at enrollment. Patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL are eligible if intolerant to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy or if R/R after ≥ 2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapies. Patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia lymphoid blast crisis or clinically significant infections are not eligible. For B cell NHL, key enrollment criteria include age < 18 years, weight ≥ 10 kg, histologically confirmed diffuse large B cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (DLBCL NOS), primary mediastinal large B cell lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma (BL), Burkitt-like lymphoma or unclassified B cell lymphomas intermediate between DLBCL and BL, with ≥ 1 measurable lesion. For NHL, disease must be primary refractory, R/R after ≥ 2 lines of systemic therapy, or R/R after autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation ≥ 100 days prior to enrollment. Patients with acute graft-versus-host disease or chronic graft-versus-host disease requiring treatment within 4 weeks of enrollment are not eligible. Patients with central nervous system-1 disease (no detectable lymphoblasts in cerebrospinal fluid), with central nervous system-2 disease (detectable disease, but white blood cell count < 5/μL in cerebrospinal fluid) without clinically evident neurologic changes, or who had prior blinatumomab treatment can be included in the ALL and NHL cohorts. Patients with prior CD19-directed therapy, except for blinatumomab, are excluded. Patients receive conditioning chemotherapy with fludarabine 25 mg/m2 on Days −4, −3, and −2 and cyclophosphamide 900 mg/m2 on Day −2 followed by a single infusion of KTE-X19 at a target dose of 1 × 106 anti-CD19 CAR T cells/kg on Day 0. The study has completed the Phase 1 portion and is currently enrolling in Phase 2, with a target accrual of approximately 50 additional patients with ALL and 16 with NHL. For ALL, the primary Phase 2 objective is to evaluate KTE-X19 efficacy as assessed by overall CR rate (CR + CR with incomplete hematologic recovery). For NHL, the primary Phase 2 objective is KTE-X19 efficacy assessment by objective response rate (complete response + partial response). Secondary Phase 2 objectives for ALL and NHL cohorts include safety and tolerability, additional efficacy endpoints, and changes in patient-reported outcome scores. ZUMA-4 is currently recruiting at 23 sites in the United States, Canada, France, and the Netherlands. Disclosures Wayne: Servier: Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Research Funding. Lee:Amgen Oncology: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Research Funding; Juno: Consultancy; Harpoon Therapeutics: Consultancy. Baruchel:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bellicum: Consultancy. Brown:Novartis: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Servier: Honoraria; Jazz: Honoraria. Hermiston:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sobi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Krueger:Atara: Other: Travel support; Kite, a Gilead Company: Other: Travel support; Novartis: Consultancy, Other: Travel support; no honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Shen:Gilead: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Kite, a Gilead Company: Current Employment, Other: Travel support. Tailford:Kite, a Gilead Company: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Masouleh:Kite, a Gilead Company: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

International audience

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, Despite major treatment improvements over the past decades, pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is still a life-threatening malignancy with relapse rates up to 30% and survival rates below 75%. A better description of the pattern of molecular aberrations in childhood AML is needed to refine prognostication in such patients. We report here the comprehensive molecular landscape using both high-throughput sequencing focused on 36 genes and ligation-dependent RT-PCR in 385 children with de novo AML enrolled in the prospective ELAM02 trial and we evaluated their prognostic significance. Seventy-six percent of patients had at least 1 mutation among the genes we screened. The most common class of mutations involved genes that control kinase signaling (61%) followed by transcription factors (16%), tumor suppressors (14%), chromatin modifiers (9%), DNA methylation controllers (8%), cohesin genes (5%), and spliceosome (3%). Moreover, a recurrent transcript fusion was detected in about a half of pediatric patients. Overall, CBF rearrangements, NPM1 and double CEBPA mutations represented 37% of the cohort and defined a favorable molecular subgroup (3 years OS: 92.1%) while NUP98 fusions, WT1, RUNX1, and PHF6 mutations (15% of the cohort) segregated into a poor molecular subgroup (3 years OS: 46.1%). KMT2A-rearrangements (21% of the cohort) were associated with an intermediate risk. Despite some overlaps, the spectrum of molecular aberrations and their prognostic significance differ between childhood and adult AML. These data have important implications to contribute in refining risk stratification of pediatric AML and show the need for further validations in independent pediatric cohorts.

Risk stratification in childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is mainly based on minimal residual disease (MRD) quantification. Whether oncogenetic mutation profiles can improve the discrimination of MRD-defined risk categories was unknown. Two hundred and twenty FRALLE2000T-treated patients were tested retrospectively for NOTCH1/FBXW7/RAS and PTEN alterations. Patients with NOTCH1/FBXW7 (N/F) mutations and RAS/PTEN (R/P) germ line (GL) were classified as oncogenetic low risk (gLoR; n = 111), whereas those with N/F GL and R/P GL mutations or N/F and R/P mutations were classified as high risk (gHiR; n = 109). Day 35 MRD status was available for 191 patients. Five-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) and disease-free survival were 36% and 60% for gHiR patients and 11% and 89% for gLoR patients, respectively. Importantly, among the 60% of patients with MRD

International audience

International audience; Bone marrow (BM) failure (BMF) in children and young adults is often suspected to be inherited, but in many cases diagnosis remains uncertain. We studied a cohort of 179 patients (from 173 families) with BMF of suspected inherited origin but unresolved diagnosis after medical evaluation and Fanconi anemia exclusion. All patients had cytopenias, and 12.0% presented ≥5% BM blast cells. Median age at genetic evaluation was 11 years; 20.7% of patients were aged ≤2 years and 36.9% were ≥18 years. We analyzed genomic DNA from skin fibroblasts using whole-exome sequencing, and were able to assign a causal or likely causal germ line mutation in 86 patients (48.0%), involving a total of 28 genes. These included genes in familial hematopoietic disorders (GATA2, RUNX1), telomeropathies (TERC, TERT, RTEL1), ribosome disorders (SBDS, DNAJC21, RPL5), and DNA repair deficiency (LIG4). Many patients had an atypical presentation, and the mutated gene was often not clinically suspected. We also found mutations in genes seldom reported in inherited BMF (IBMF), such as SAMD9 and SAMD9L (N = 16 of the 86 patients, 18.6%), MECOM/EVI1 (N = 6, 7.0%), and ERCC6L2 (N = 7, 8.1%), each of which was associated with a distinct natural history; SAMD9 and SAMD9L patients often experienced transient aplasia and monosomy 7, whereas MECOM patients presented early-onset severe aplastic anemia, and ERCC6L2 patients, mild pancytopenia with myelodysplasia. This study broadens the molecular and clinical portrait of IBMF syndromes and sheds light on newly recognized disease entities. Using a high-throughput sequencing screen to implement precision medicine at diagnosis can improve patient management and family counseling.

Leukodystrophies (LD) are devastating inherited disorders leading to rapid neurological deterioration and premature death. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can halt disease progression for selected LD. Cord blood is a common donor source for transplantation of these patients because it is rapidly available and can be used without full HLA matching. However, precise recommendations allowing care providers to identify patients who benefit from HSCT are lacking. In this study, we define risk factors and describe the early and late outcomes of 169 patients with globoid cell leukodystrophy, X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, and metachromatic leukodystrophy undergoing cord blood transplantation (CBT) at an European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation center or at Duke University Medical Center from 1996 to 2013. Factors associated with higher overall survival (OS) included presymptomatic status (77% vs 49%; P = .006), well-matched (≤1 HLA mismatch) CB units (71% vs 54%; P = .009), and performance status (PS) of >80 vs 80 pre-CBT, 50% remained stable, 20% declined to 60 to 80, and 30% to

Body mass index (BMI) may influence outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, the impact of BMI on survival in children undergoing HSCT is not well defined, with conflicting results being reported on this issue. We analyzed 855 patients age 2 to 20 years with diagnosis of acute leukemia who underwent umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) from 1990 to 2015. Patients were classified according to BMI as normal (fifth to 85th percentile), underweight (less than fifth percentile), overweight (85th to 95th percentile), and obese (>95th percentile) using growth charts for age and sex. All patients received single-unit UCBT after a myeloablative conditioning regimen. Diagnosis was acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 68% of the patients. Sixty-one percent of patients (n = 523) were in the normal BMI category, 11% (n = 96) were underweight, 16% (n = 137) overweight, and 12% (n = 99) obese. The cumulative incidence of grade II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 35% (32% to 38%). According to pretransplantation BMI, aGVHD was 46% (33% to 59%) for underweight, 34% (31% to 42%) for normal, 36% (18% to 38%) for overweight, and 27% (15% to 37%) for obese (P = .04). In multivariate analysis, a BMI less than the fifth percentile was associated with higher incidence of acute grade II to IV GVHD compared with normal-BMI patients (hazard ratio, 1.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.15 to 2.26; P = .006). Our results show that being underweight at the time of transplantation is associated with an increased risk of aGVHD, highlighting the importance of nutritional status before UCBT.

International audience; In this retrospective study, we evaluate long-term complications in nearly all β-thalassemia-major patients who successfully received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in France. Ninety-nine patients were analyzed with a median age of 5.9 years at transplantation. The median duration of clinical follow up was 12 years. All conditioning regimens were myeloablative, most were based on busulfan combined with cyclophosphamide, and more than 90% of patients underwent a transplant from a matched sibling donor. After transplantation, 11% of patients developed thyroid dysfunction, 5% diabetes, and 2% heart failure. Hypogonadism was present in 56% of females and 14% of males. Female patients who went on to normal puberty after transplant were significantly younger at transplantation than those who experienced delayed puberty (median age 2.5 vs. 8.7 years). Fertility was preserved in 9 of 27 females aged 20 years or older and 2 other patients became pregnant following oocyte donation. In addition to patient’s age and higher serum ferritin levels at transplantation, time elapsed since transplant was significantly associated with decreased height growth in multivariate analysis. Weight growth increased after transplantation particularly in females, 36% of adults being overweight at last evaluation. A comprehensive long-term monitoring, especially of endocrine late effects, is required after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for thalassemia.

Discrimination between lymphoid blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and de novo BCR-ABL1 positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) represents a diagnostic challenge because this distinction has a major incidence on the management of patients. Here, we report an uncommon pediatric case of ALL with cryptic ins(22;9)(q11;q34q34) and p190-type BCR-ABL1 transcript. We performed interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for BCR-ABL1 rearrangement on blood neutrophils, which was positive consistent with the diagnosis of lymphoid blast crisis of CML. This case illustrates the major interest of interphase FISH for BCR-ABL1 rearrangement on blood neutrophils as a decisive method to discriminate a lymphoid blast crisis of CML from a de novo BCR-ABL1 positive ALL.

The early persistence of minimal residual disease (MRD) is considered a poor prognostic factor indicative of chemoresistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In French children, chemosensitivity is assessed at day 21 post-induction by cytomorphology. Here, it was investigated whether a more precise evaluation could be obtained at this time point with multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC). This study enrolled 123 children with de novo acute lymphoblastic leukemia. MRD0 was investigated at day 21 in MFC with a combination of antibodies based on the immunophenotype of diagnosis. It was also evaluated at day 35 by immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (MRD1). Three risk groups could be delineated based on MRD0. Patients with MFC/MRD0 levels >10-2 (n = 25) were considered high risk, those with levels between 10-2 and 10-4 (n = 46) intermediate risk, and those

Resume Dans le cadre du suivi a long terme des patients traites dans l’enfance ou adolescence pour un cancer, nous presentons plus specifiquement dans cet article le suivi a long terme et donc les sequelles possibles des patients ayant eu une allogreffe de cellules souches hematopoietiques. Cet article est base sur un travail collaboratif organise par la Societe francaise de greffe de moelle et therapie cellulaire (SFGM-TC) qui a eu lieu au cours des 4 es journees d’harmonisation des pratiques en allogreffe. Les patients concernes sont les enfants et jeunes adultes (0–25 ans). Nous avons defini le suivi des sequelles au-dela de 1 an post-greffe. Nos recommandations sont basees sur une revue de la litterature, en coherence avec l’etude Leucemie Enfant Adulte (LEA), cohorte de suivi a long terme des patients traites pour une hemopathie maligne dans l’enfance, greffes ou non. Il est apparu important de determiner la nature des troubles rencontres, leurs facteurs de risque, leur frequence et le suivi necessaire a mettre en place pour leur detection. Nous n’aborderons pas la prise en charge therapeutique des sequelles.

Patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) refractory to conventional chemotherapy have a poor outcome. There are currently two promising treatment strategies for high-risk patients: the first involves the combination of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine and cytarabine; the other approach is allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Here we evaluated 87 patients with high-risk LCH who were transplanted between 1990 and 2013. Prior to the year 2000, most patients underwent HSCT following myeloablative conditioning (MAC): only 5 of 20 patients (25%) survived with a high rate (55%) of transplant-related mortality (TRM). After the year 2000 an increasing number of patients underwent HSCT with reduced intensity conditioning (RIC): 49/67 (73%) patients survived, however, the improved survival was not overtly achieved by the introduction of RIC regimens with similar 3-year probability of survival after MAC (77%) and RIC transplantation (71%). There was no significant difference in TRM by conditioning regimen intensity but relapse rates were higher after RIC compared to MAC regimens (28% vs. 8%, P = 0·02), although most patients relapsing after RIC transplantation could be salvaged with further chemotherapy. HSCT may be a curative approach in 3 out of 4 patients with high risk LCH refractory to chemotherapy: the optimal choice of HSCT conditioning remains uncertain.