Search

Background The use of haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (haplo-HCT) with posttransplantation cyclophosphamide prophylaxis is gaining traction in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods The Acute Leukemia Working Party/European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry was used to evaluate the outcomes of adult patients with ALL who underwent haplo-HCT during 2011 through 2015 and compared them with the outcomes of those who underwent transplantation during 2016 through 2018. Results The analysis consisted of 195 patients, including 79 who underwent transplantation during 2011 through 2015 and 116 who underwent transplantation during 2016 through 2018. Overall, the 2-year leukemia-free survival and relapse incidence rates were 56.5% and 21%, respectively. The 100-day incidence of grade 2 through 4 acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) was 34.5%. The rates of nonrelapse mortality (NRM) and overall survival (OS) were 22.5% and 64.7%, respectively. Patients who underwent transplantation during 2016 through 2018 experienced improved rates of leukemia-free survival (64.9% vs 47.3%; P = .019) and OS (75.5% vs 53.5%; P = .006). Patients who underwent transplantation during 2016 through 2018 developed more grade 2 through 4 acute GVHD (42% vs 26.4%; P = .047). The incidence of relapse, GVHD-free/relapse-free survival, grade 3 and 4 acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, and extensive chronic GVHD did not differ significantly between groups. In multivariate analysis, more recently transplanted patients had a significantly reduced risk of NRM (hazard ratio, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.22-0.89; P = .022) and improved OS (hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.26-0.86; P = .014). A comparable analysis of patients who had acute myeloid leukemia during the same timeframes did not reveal any statistically significant differences in any outcomes. Conclusions The outcome of adult patients with ALL who receive posttransplant cyclophosphamide has improved over time, with an impressive 2-year OS of 75% and, most recently, an NRM rate of only 17%.

Die allogene hamatopoetische Stammzelltransplantation (HSZT) stellt fur viele Patienten mit maligner, aber auch nichtmaligner hamatologischer Grunderkrankung die einzige Chance auf Heilung dar. Dies gilt insbesondere fur Patienten, die genetisch bedingt ein hohes Rezidivrisiko haben oder sich refraktar auf eine konventionelle Therapie zeigen. Durch die allogene HSZT eroffnet sich fur diese Patienten eine Langzeitperspektive bei ansonsten infauster Prognose. Diese Therapieform ist jedoch mit einer nicht unerheblichen Morbiditat und Mortalitat assoziiert. Ein Teil der Patienten wird aufgrund von infektiosen, immunologischen und/oder toxischen Komplikationen intensivpflichtig. Nach wie vor ist unklar, ob Patienten in solchen klinischen Situationen von einer Intensivtherapie mit mechanischer Beatmung und Nierenersatztherapie profitieren, da die Mortalitat der Betroffenen hoch ist. Diese Arbeit beschreibt die wichtigsten Komplikationen und mogliche Behandlungsstrategien von allogen blutstammzelltransplantierten Patienten auf der Intensivstation.

The Acute Leukemia Working Party (ALWP) of the EBMT assessed the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) in patients with relapsed/refractory AML (r/rAML) evaluating six sequential conditioning regimens (SR) groups. A total of 2132 patients were included. LFS at 2 years was 28.9%, 33.6%, 35.3%, 20.6%, 24.4%, and 27% for the FLAMSA-TBI4, FLAMSA-Chemo, Mel-Flu-TBI8, Mel-Treo-Flu, Thio-ETO-Cy-Bu2-Flu, and Clo-ARAC-(Bu2/TBI4)-Cy groups, respectively. In patients55 years of age Mel-Flu-TBI8 had the best LFS, which was statistically significant only in comparison to the Mel-Treo-Flu group, while in patients ≥55 years LFS was best with FLAMSA-Chemo without significant differences compared to FLAMSA-TBI4 and Mel-Flu-TBI8. Furthermore, best NRM rates were obtained with the two FLAMSA regimens groups. Our study suggests that in younger (55 years) patients a more intense regimen might be used whereas in older (≥55 years) patients the focus might be more on tolerability.

Karyotypic analysis at time of diagnosis has an important value in determining initial response to treatment, remission duration and overall survival (OS) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Less is known about its value before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) in patients transplanted with active disease, either relapsed or primary refractory (Rel-Ref) AML. We explored the impact of cytogenetic risk (stratification according to MRC-UK) in 2089 patients with either Ref (n = 972) or Rel AML (n = 1117) transplanted during the period 2000-2017. Overall, 154 patients had a favorable risk, 1283 had an intermediate risk and 652 had an adverse cytogenetic risk. Median follow-up was 49 months. Compared to the favorable risk group, intermediate and adverse risk patients were associated with worse leukemia-free survival and OS and also with a higher incidence of relapse. In a subgroup analysis of patients in the intermediate risk group harboring Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3-internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD), this remained an important prognostic factor, being associated with worse outcomes. When analyzing patients according to the intensity of the conditioning regimen, no differences were observed for the main transplant outcomes. In conclusion, in patients diagnosed with AML and transplanted with active disease, karyotype remains an important prognostic factor, allowing splitting patients into different risk groups according to their cytogenetics. Similarly, FLT3-ITD mutation also remains a negative prognostic factor in this population.

Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis for unmanipulated haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation includes posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG). Utilizing data in the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry, we compared ATG- versus PTCy-based GvHD prophylaxis in 434 adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation. Of the 434 patients included in this study, ATG was used in 98 and PTCy in 336.. The median follow-up was approximately 2 years. The baseline characteristics of the patients were similar between the groups except that the ATG group was more likely to have had relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (P=0.008), had conditioning not including total body irradiation (P

BACKGROUND The successful initiation of enteral nutrition is frequently hampered by various complications occurring in patients treated in the intensive care unit (ICU). Successful placement of a nasojejunal tube by CORTRAK enteral access system (CEAS) has been reported to be a simple bedside tool for placing the postpyloric (PP) feeding tube. METHODS We evaluated the efficacy and side effects using CEAS to establish EN in patients with critical illness, thrombocytopenia, and/or anticoagulation. RESULTS Fifty-six mechanically ventilated patients were analyzed. Twenty-four of them underwent prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Sixteen patients received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment because of acute respiratory distress syndrome. The median platelet count at PP placement was 26 g/L (range, 4-106 g/L); 16 patients received therapeutic anticoagulation (activated partial thromboplastin time, 50-70 s). CEAS-assisted placement of a PP nasojejunal tube was performed successfully in all patients. The most frequent adverse event was epistaxis in 27 patients (48.2%), which was mostly mild (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade 1, n = 21 [77.8%], and grade 2, n = 6). A significant association between a low platelet count and bleeding complications was observed (P

Treatment of relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (RR-ALL) remains a clinical challenge with generally dismal prognosis. Allogeneic stem-cell transplantation using sequential conditioning (“FLAMSA”-like) has shown promising results in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia, but little is known about its efficacy in RR-ALL. We identified 115 patients (19–66 years) with relapsed (74%) or primary-refractory (26%) ALL allografted from matched related (31%), matched unrelated (58%), or haploidentical donor (11%). Median follow-up was 37 (13–111) months. At day 100, cumulative incidences of grade II–IV/III–IV acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) were 30% and 17%, respectively. Two-year cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 25% with 11% extensive cases. Two-year relapse incidence (RI) was 45%, non-relapse mortality was 41%. Two-year leukemia free survival (LFS) was 14%, overall survival (OS) 17%, and GVHD relapse-free survival (GRFS) was 14%. In multivariable analysis, Karnofsky score

The prognosis of patients with blast crisis (BC) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is still dismal. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation represents the only curative treatment option, but data on transplant outcomes are scarce. We therefore conducted a retrospective, registry-based study of adult patients allografted for BC CML, focusing on patients with active disease at transplant and pretransplant prognostic factors. One hundred seventy patients allografted for BC CML after tyrosine kinase inhibitor pretreatment between 2004 and 2016 were analyzed. Before transplant, 95 patients were in remission, whereas 75 patients had active BC. In multivariable analysis of the entire cohort, active BC at transplant was the strongest factor associated with decreased overall survival (hazrd ratio, 1.87; P = .010) and shorter leukemia-free survival (LFS; hazard ratio, 1.69; P = .017). For patients with BC in remission at transplant, advanced age (≥45 years), lower performance status (≤80%), longer interval from diagnosis BC to transplant (>12 months), myeloablative conditioning, and unrelated donor (UD) transplant were risk factors for inferior survival. In patients with active BC, only UD transplant was significantly associated with prolonged LFS and trended toward improved overall survival. In summary, survival of patients allografted for BC CML was strongly dependent on pretransplant remission status. In patients with remission of BC, conventional prognostic factors remained the major determinants of outcome, whereas in those with active BC at transplant, UD transplant was associated with prolonged LFS in our study. ispartof: BIOLOGY OF BLOOD AND MARROW TRANSPLANTATION vol:25 issue:10 pages:2008-2016 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Background There is no information on the impact of donor type in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) using homogeneous graft-versus-host (GVHD) prophylaxis with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods We retrospectively analyzed outcomes of adult patients with ALL in CR1 that had received HCT with PTCy as GVHD prophylaxis from HLA-matched sibling (MSD) (n = 78), matched unrelated (MUD) (n = 94) and haploidentical family (Haplo) (n = 297) donors registered in the EBMT database between 2010 and 2018. The median follow-up period of the entire cohort was 2.2 years. Results Median age of patients was 38 years (range 18–76). Compared to MSD and MUD, Haplo patients received peripheral blood less frequently. For Haplo, MUD, and MSD, the cumulative incidence of 100-day acute GVHD grade II–IV and III–IV, and 2-year chronic and extensive chronic GVHD were 32%, 41%, and 34% (p = 0.4); 13%, 15%, and 15% (p = 0.8); 35%, 50%, and 42% (p = 0.01); and 11%, 17%, and 21% (p = 0.2), respectively. At 2 years, the cumulative incidence of relapse and non-relapse mortality was 20%, 20%, and 28% (p = 0.8); and 21%, 18%, and 21% (p = 0.8) for Haplo, MUD, and MSD, respectively. The leukemia-free survival, overall survival and GVHD-free, relapse-free survival for Haplo, MUD, and MSD was 59%, 62%, and 51% (p = 0.8); 66%, 69%, and 62% (p = 0.8); and 46%, 44%, and 35% (p = 0.9), respectively. On multivariable analysis, transplant outcomes did not differ significantly between donor types. TBI-based conditioning was associated with better LFS. Conclusions Donor type did not significantly affect transplant outcome in patient with ALL receiving SCT with PTCy.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) offers the highest chance for cure in patients with adverse-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when performed in first remission (CR1). In contrast, patients in CR1 with favorable risk do not seem to benefit from allogeneic HCT due to the inherent risk of transplant-related mortality. Donor vs. no donor comparisons as well as prospective matched-pair analyses have suggested that allogeneic HCT performed in intermediate-risk AML may provide a higher probability of overall survival or relapse-free survival in patients ≤ 60 years of age with an acceptable risk for transplant-related mortality. On the other hand, many intermediate-risk patients relapsing after conventional chemotherapy may be successfully salvaged by allogeneic HCT. The role of allogeneic HCT in cytogenetically defined intermediate-risk AML patients in CR1 was addressed by a prospective randomized trial performed in 16 centers in Germany. Key inclusion criteria were: AML with intermediate-risk cytogenetics, first CR or CRi after conventional induction therapy, age of 18-60 years, and availability of an HLA-matched sibling or unrelated donor. For unrelated donors, a 9 out of 10 HLA allelic match was acceptable except for patients with an NPM1 mutation, for whom full 10/10 allele matching was required. Randomization was stratified according to age (< 40 vs. 40-60), NPM1/FLT3, and CEBP-alpha mutational status and unrelated vs. related donor availability. Endpoints included overall-survival as primary outcome and relapse-free survival (RFS), cumulative incidence of relapse, treatment-related mortality, and quality of life measured according to the short form (36) health status. From 2010 - 2018, 143 patients in CR1 were randomized into Arm A (n=76, allogeneic HCT) and Arm B (n=67, conventional consolidation and allo-HCT only in case of relapse). In July 2018, the trial was stopped prematurely due to slow accrual (143 out of 356 pts. randomized). Median age of the trial cohort was 51 years (range, 19-60), with 42% exhibiting an NPM1 and 25% a FLT3 mutation. A normal karyotype was reported in 84% of the included patients. All mentioned characteristics did not differ between both treatment arms. Sibling donors were available for 44 (31% of patients), matched unrelated donors for 99 (69%) patients. According to the intent-to-treat analysis, the probability of survival at 2 years was 71% (95% CI 60-81%) and 84% (95% CI 73-92%) in Arm A (Transplant) and Arm B (conventional consolidation), respectively (p=0.120, Figure 1A). RFS after allogeneic HCT was 69% (95% CI 57-80%) compared to 41% (95% CI 29-54%) after conventional consolidation (p=0.001, Figure 1B). Primary allogeneic HCT reduced the cumulative incidence of relapse at 2 years from 57% [95%-CI 46-71%] after conventional consolidation to 20% [95%-CI 13-31%] after HCT (p SF (36) scoring suggested a trend towards a lower physical functioning throughout the first 3 months after randomization in the primary HCT arm. No significant differences in vitality, mental health, social and emotional functioning could be documented between both treatment arms. In summary, the results of this first prospective randomized trial did not show that allogeneic HCT performed immediately after achievement of CR1 in patients with cytogenetically defined intermediate-risk AML ≤ 60 years of age conveys an overall survival advantage. However, allogeneic HCT in CR1 significantly reduced the relapse risk and was not associated with relevant impairments in quality of life. Although the limited statistical power of the trial does not allow definitive conclusions, delayed allogeneic transplantation seems to be a potential treatment algorithm in CR1 intermediate-risk AML with an available donor. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Schliemann: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy; Philogen S.p.A.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Boehringer-Ingelheim: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy, Other: travel grants; Astellas: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy, Other: travel grants. Schetelig: Roche: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; BMS: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; Abbvie: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; Gilead: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees . Glass: Riemser: Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Kite: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Helios Klinik Berlin-Buch: Current Employment. Platzbecker: Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene/BMS: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Geron: Honoraria; AbbVie: Honoraria. Burchert: Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; AOP Orphan: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria; Incyte: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria. Haenel: Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria; GSK: Consultancy; Bayer Vital: Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria. Mueller: Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel Support; CTI: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gentium: Other: Travel Support; Gilead: Other: Travel Support; Janssen: Other: Travel Support; Novartis: Other: Travel Support; Pfizer: Other: Travel Support; Sanofi: Other: Travel Support. Berdel: Philogen S.p.A.: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Stelljes: Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Kite/Gilead: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Medac: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau.

The EBMT Chronic Malignancies Working Party performed a retrospective analysis of 215 patients who underwent a second allo-HCT for myeloma between 1994 and 2017, 159 for relapse and 56 for graft failure. In the relapse group, overall survival (OS) was 38% (30–46%) at 2 years and 25% (17–32%) at 5 years. Patients who had a HLA-identical sibling (HLAid-Sib) donor for their first and second transplants had superior OS (5 year OS: HLAid-Sib/HLAid-Sib: 35% (24–46%); Others 9% (0–17%), p p = 0.03). More as opposed to fewer than 2 years between transplants was associated with superior 5-yr OS (31% (21–40%) vs. 10% (1–20%), P = 0.005). On multivariate analysis, consecutive HLA-identical sibling donor transplants conferred a significant OS advantage (0.4 (0.24–0.67), p

Optimal donor choice for a second allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT) in relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains undefined. We compared outcomes using HLA-matched unrelated donors (MUD) versus haploidentical donors in this population. Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). The MUD allo-HCT group comprised 104 patients (male = 56, 54%), median age 36 years, mostly (76%) with B-cell phenotype in complete remission (CR) (CR2/CR3 + = 76, 73%). The 61 patients (male = 38, 62%) in the haploidentical group were younger, median age 30 years (p = 0.002), had mostly (79%) a B-cell phenotype and the majority were also in CR at time of the second allo-HCT (CR2/CR3 + = 40, 66%). Peripheral blood stem cells was the most common cell source in both, but a significantly higher number in the haploidentical group received bone marrow cells (26% vs. 4%, p < 0.0001). A haploidentical donor second allo-HCT had a 1.5-fold higher 2-year OS (49% vs. 31%), albeit not statistically significant (p = 0.13). A longer time from first allo-HCT to relapse was associated with improved OS, leukemia-free survival, graft-versus-host disease-free-relapse-free survival, and lower cumulative incidences of relapse and non-relapse mortality. Results suggest no major OS difference when choosing either a MUD or haploidentical donor for ALL patients needing a second allo-HCT.

Introduction Acute and chronic graft vs. host disease (a/cGVHD) are major causes of treatment failure and non-relapse mortality (NRM) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients (pts) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) is now an established method for GVHD prophylaxis after HLA haplo-identical (haplo)-HCT. We previously reported data in MM pts undergoing haplo-HCT (EBMT/CIBMTR) and showed that PTCy was associated with promising overall survival (OS) (Sahebi et al., BBMT 2019). However, data using PTCy for GVHD prophylaxis in other donor types are very limited in MM. Methods We evaluated PTCy as GVHD prophylaxis in MM pts who underwent a first allo-HCT using matched related (MRD), matched unrelated (MUD), mismatched related or unrelated (MMRD/MMUD, one antigen), and haplo donors within EBMT centers. OS and progression free survival (PFS) were determined by means of the Kaplan-Meier estimator. Neutrophil and platelet engraftment, relapse and NRM, and a/cGVHD were analyzed individually in a competing risks framework with relapse and death as competing events. Cox proportional hazards regression was used in the multivariable analyses. All estimates include 95% confidence intervals. All included covariates are listed in the Table. Patient Characteristics Between 2012-2018, a total of 295 MM pts received PTCy as GVHD prophylaxis. Median age at transplant was 55 yrs. Allo-HCT was given at a median interval of 34.9 mo from MM diagnosis. The conditioning regimen included reduced intensity (RIC, 193, 65.4%) and myeloablative (MAC, 102, 34.6%). All pts except 10 (3.4%) had prior autologous HCT; all of these 10 pts received a haplo-HCT. GVHD prophylaxis included PTCy + cyclosporine A or tacrolimus +/- mycophenolate mofetil in the majority of patients (239, 81%), and this combination was used in nearly every patient with haplo-HCT. Overall, peripheral blood was used as the stem cell source in about 80% of pts, but bone marrow was used in nearly 40% of haplo-HCTs. Results (Median and 95% confidence interval are provided)1) Median time to neutrophil engraftment was 19 d (18-19 d) with no apparent difference among donor types.2) Median time to platelet engraftment was 23 d (21-26 d), whereas haplo-HCT engraftments were longer (27 d (25-33 d)).3) NRM at 1 yr was 18% (12-22%) and at 2 yrs was 19% (14-24%), with no significant difference among different donor types. Age < 50 yrs significantly decreased NRM to 9% (2-16%, p=0.027) at 2 yrs.4) Cumulative incidence of grade II-IV aGVHD at +100 d was 30% (25-36%), and 1 yr cGVHD was 27% (21-32%), with no apparent difference among donor types.5) OS was 63% (57-69%) at 1 yr and 51% (45-58%) at 2 yrs for the whole group, with no statistical difference among different donor types after a median follow-up of 26.1 mo. Disease status at transplant < PR significantly decreased OS to 35% (22-47%, p=0.005) at 2 yrs.6) PFS was 42% (36-49%) at 1 yr and 26% (20-32%) at 2 yrs for the whole group without apparent significant difference among donor types. Disease status at transplant < PR significantly decreased PFS to 16% (6-26%, p=0.028) at 2 yrs.7) However, in multivariable analyses, donor type using haplo, HR 1.65 (0.56-1.67, p=0.03), was associated with increased mortality in addition to disease status at allo-HCT < PR, HR 1.93 (1.25-2.97, p=0.003). Finally, MUD was associated with an improved PFS, HR=0.63 (0.4-0.99, p=0.04). Disease status < PR, HR=1.85 (1.24-2.74, p=0.002) was again associated with inferior PFS. Summary PTCy in MM patients undergoing allo-HCT throughout donor types resulted in a low incidence of aGVHD grade II-IV of 30% and cGVHD of 27%, with OS of 51% and PFS of 26% at 2 yr. Our first donor comparison using PTCy revealed improved survival in matched (MRD and MUD) versus haplo allo-HCT after adjusting for other risk factors. Disclosures Blaise: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Tarella:TG-therapeutics: Research Funding; ImmunoGen: Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. McDonald:venetoclax advisory board in South Africa (in CLL context): Consultancy; Alberts Cellular Therapy: Current Employment. Milpied:Roche: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Astellas: Honoraria; Gilead Sciences: Other: consultancy or advisory role; Celgene: Other: Travel support; Sandoz: Honoraria, Other: consultancy or advisory role; Janssen: Honoraria. Yakoub-Agha:Celgene: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Gilead/Kite: Honoraria, Other: travel support; Janssen: Honoraria; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Schonland:Janssen: Honoraria, Other: travel support to meetings, Research Funding; Prothena: Honoraria, Other: travel support to meetings, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: travel support to meetings, Research Funding.

Background The anti-CD19 CAR T-cell products Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Axi-cel) and Tisagenlecleucel have been approved by the EMA for the treatment of patients (pts) with relapse/refractory (r/r) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in August 2018. In clinical trials, both cell products induced ongoing complete responses in heavily pretreated patients. However, this activity was associated with significant toxicity. We evaluated the outcomes of DLBCL pts treated with Axi-cel and Tisagenlecleucel at the LMU Munich. Materials and Methods CAR T cell product characteristics, toxicity and response rates of pts treated at our center between January and October 2019 were retrospectively assessed. Results As of October 2019, 24 out of 34 r/r DLBCL pts (71%) with confirmed CAR T cell treatment indication were leukapheresed. Four apheresed pts died before CAR T cell therapy due to rapidly progressive disease. So far, 17 DLBCL pts have been treated. Median age was 60 years (range 19–74). ECOG was 0–1 in eleven, and 2–3 in six pts. Eight pts had undergone prior stem cell transplant (6 autologous, 2 allogeneic SCT). 13 pts received bridging chemotherapy between leukapheresis and CAR T cell transfusion. Only 6 (35%) of the 17 transfused pts would have met the inclusion criteria of the pivotal clinical trials (JULIET, ZUMA-1). CRS occurred in all pts (53% CRS °1, 29% °2 and 18% °3) with a median onset on day 2 (range days 0–7) and a median duration of 4 days (range 1–21). Tocilizumab was administered at least once in all pts. Ten pts (59%) experienced Immune Effector Cell associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS, 30% °1, 10% °2, 30% °3, 20% °4 and 10% °5) with a median onset between day 7 and 8 and a median duration of 8 days (range 3–49). Cytopenia was significant following CAR T-cell treatment: all but one pts had neutropenia Response assessment four weeks after CAR T-cell transfusion was available for 15 pts. Objective response rate (ORR) at this early follow-up was 67%, with complete remission (CR) in four (27%) and partial remission (PR) in six pts (40%). Interestingly, ORR was higher in the four pts not receiving bridging chemotherapy between leukapheresis and CAR T-cell therapy than in pts in which bridging was applied (100% vs. 55%). Responders had significantly higher LDH levels at apheresis, start of lymphodepletion and CAR T-cell transfusion than non-responders. Conclusions Since January 2019, the CAR T cell program has been successfully initiated at the LMU Munich, and 17 r/r DLBCL pts have been treated at our center to date. CAR T cells induced responses in heavily pretreated pts with response rates within the expected range. Toxicity was significant but manageable in most pts. Involvement of a multidisciplinary ImmunoTaskforce was a key element for adequate patient care. Preliminary data supports the hypothesis that low tumor dynamics are associated with favorable outcomes of CD19 CAR T cell therapy. Disclosure Information V. Bucklein: None. V. Blumenberg: None. C. Schmidt: None. K. Rejeski: None. M. Ruzicka: None. N. Muller: None. A. Reischer: None. L. von Baumgarten: None. A. Volkl: None. B. Wagner: None. A. Humpe: None. J. Tischer: None. H. Stemmler: None. M. von Bergwelt: None. M. Subklewe: None.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a curative procedure in patients with Shwachman–Diamond syndrome (SDS) with bone marrow abnormalities. The results of 74 patients with SDS (6 acute myeloid leukemia, 7 myelodysplastic syndrome, and 61 bone marrow failure) treated with HSCT between 1988 and 2016 are reported. The donor source was: 24% sibling, 8% parent, and 68% unrelated donor. The stem cell source was: 70% bone marrow, 19% peripheral blood stem cells, and 11% cord blood. The conditioning regimen was myeloablative in 54% and reduced intensity in 46%. Neutrophil engraftment was achieved in 84% of patients after a median time of 17.5 days. Graft failure occurred in 15% of HSCTs. Grades I–IV acute and chronic GVHD were observed in 55% and 20% of patients, respectively. After a median follow-up of 7.3 years (95% CI 4.8–10.2), 28 patients died for progression/relapse (7) or toxicity (21). The 5-year overall survival and nonrelapse mortality were 63.3% (95% CI 50.8–73.4) and 19.8% (95% CI 10.8–30.8), respectively. In conclusion, this is the largest series so far reported and confirms that HSCT is a suitable option for patients with SDS. Further efforts are needed to lower transplant-related toxicity and reduce graft failure.

The timing of immunosuppressive therapy used in combination with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCY) in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplant (haplo-HSCT) is not standardized. We evaluated the schedules of immunosuppression therapy after haplo-HSCT in 509 patients with acute leukemia receiving PTCY on days +3 and +4 along with tacrolimus (group 1; n = 215), with cyclosporine A (CSA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) from day +5 (group 2; n = 170), or CSA + MMF from day 0 or 1 with PTCY on days +3 and +5 (group 3; n = 124). Compared with the other 2 groups, patients in group 3 were younger (median age, 46 years; P = .02) and more often received bone marrow (77%; P < .01) and a regimen containing thiotepa, fludarabine, and busulfan (84%; P< .01). At 2 years, overall survival was 44% was in group 1, 48% in group 2, and 59% in group 3 (P= .15); leukemia-free survival (LFS) was 43%, 46%, and 53% (P= .05); and refined graft-versus-host disease-free, relapse-free survival (rGRFS) was 33%, 39%, and 36% (P = .02). The incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD was 25% in group 1, 39% in group 2, and 18% in group 3 (P< .01); incidence of chronic GVHD was 25%, 21%, and 24% (P= .50); relapse incidence was 36%, 37%, and 26% (P= .02); and nonrelapse mortality was 26%, 20%, and 21% (P= .35). On multivariate analysis, early start of immunosuppression therapy at day +1 followed by PTCY was associated with a better LFS (hazard ratio [HR],. 58; P= .02) and improved rGRFS (HR,. 62; P = .02). In this study, the timing of immunosuppression influenced the outcomes of haplo-HSCT with PTCY. An early start of CSA + MMF with PTCY administered on days +3 and +5 improves LFS and rGRFS.

Haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haploSCT) is becoming a major transplant modality for lymphoma. To assess the effects of donor characteristics, stem cell source and conditioning on outcomes, we identified 474 adults with Hodgkin (HL; 240), peripheral T-cell (PTCL; 88), diffuse large B-cell (77), mantle cell (40) or follicular lymphoma (FL; 29), who received haploSCT with post-transplant cyclophosphamide. Median follow-up of alive patients was 32 months. On multivariate analysis, acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) grade 2-4 was lower with offspring donors or bone marrow cells, whereas extensive chronic GVHD was higher in partial response at haploSCT or when using sisters, haploidentical donors beyond first degree, or female donors in male patients. Progression-free survival (PFS) was better for FL, HL and PTCL, whereas overall survival (OS) was better for HL and PTCL. Complete remission at haploSCT improved PFS and OS whereas these were negatively affected by cytomegalovirus donor positive/recipient positive status. No other donor characteristics (age, gender, human leucocyte antigen mismatch, ABO incompatibility) affected PFS or OS except use of haploidentical donors beyond first degree, which negatively affected OS. PFS and OS are mostly influenced by disease status and lymphoma subtype, supporting the use of any first degree haploidentical family member as a donor.

The use of myeloablative conditioning (MAC) in the setting of active relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been hindered by high historical rates of nonrelapse mortality (NRM). FLAMSA (fludarabine, Ara-C, and amsacrine) chemotherapy (CT) followed by reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) has been proposed as an effective and potentially safer alternative in this scenario. As improvements in supportive care have contributed to decreasing NRM rates after MAC, a comparative reassessment of these two strategies was performed. This was a registry-based analysis by the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Eligibility criteria included age 18 to 50 years, primary refractory, first or second relapsed active AML, first allogeneic stem cell transplantation from a matched sibling donor (MSD) or an unrelated donor (UD) performed between 2005 and 2018, MAC or FLAMSA-RIC. A total of 1018 patients were included. The median patient age was 39 years (range, 18 to 50). Two hundred and fifty-eight patients received busulfan (Bu)/cyclophosphamide (Cy), 314 received Cy/total body irradiation (TBI), 318 received FLAMSA-TBI, and 128 received FLAMSA-CT. The median duration of follow-up was 50 months. In univariate analysis, the 2-year relapse incidence (RI) (54%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 50%-57%), leukemia-free survival (LFS) (30%; 95% CI, 27%-33%), and refined graft-versus-host disease-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS) (21%; 95% CI, 18%-24%) were not significantly different between cohorts. Lower 2-year NRM was observed in the FLAMSA-CT group (7% versus 16% in Bu/Cy, 19% in Cy/TBI, and 18% in FLAMSA-TBI; P = .04), as well as increased 2-year overall survival (OS) (50% versus 33% in Bu/Cy, 34% in Cy/TBI, and 36% in FLAMSA-TBI; P = .03). These results were maintained in the multivariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR] for NRM: .40, P = .01; HR for OS: .65, P = .01; Bu/Cy as reference). These data suggest that FLAMSA-CT may be a preferred conditioning regimen in patients with active R/R AML due to lower NRM. Yet, the high relapse rates observed in our analyses emphasize the need for novel therapeutic strategies in this clinical setting., E.R.A. is a recipient of a Río Hortega academic clinical fellowship (CM19/00194) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain.

Primary refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia is associated with a dismal prognosis. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is the only therapeutic option that offers prolonged survival and cure in this setting. In the absence of a matched sibling donor, transplantation from unrelated 10/10 HLA allele-matched or 9/10 HLA allele-mismatched donors and haploidentical donors are potential alternatives. The current study aimed to compare the outcomes of acute myeloid leukemia patients with active disease who received allogeneic stem cell transplantation from a haploidentical donor with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (n=199) versus an unrelated 10/10-matched donor (n=1111) and versus an unrelated 9/10-mismatched donor (n=383) between 2007 and 2014 and who were reported to the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry. Propensity score weighted analysis was conducted in order to control for disease risk imbalances between the groups. The leukemia-free survival rates at 2 years of recipients of grafts from a haploidentical donor, an unrelated 10/10-matched donor and an unrelated 9/10-mismatched donor were 22.8%, 28% and 22.2%, respectively (P=NS). In multivariate analysis, there were no significant differences in leukemia-free survival, overall survival, relapse incidence, non-relapse mortality, or graft-versus-host-disease-free relapse-free survival between the three groups. Two predictive factors were associated with a higher relapse incidence: transplantation during first or second relapse compared to primary refractory acute myeloid leukemia and poor cytogenetics. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation may rescue about 25% of acute myeloid leukemia patients with active disease. Importantly, the outcomes of transplants from haploidentical donors were comparable to those from 10/10-matched and 9/10-mismatched unrelated donors. Therefore, a haploidentical donor is a valid option for acute myeloid leukemia patients with active disease.

Donor cell leukaemia (DCL) is a rare complication of allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We have investigated the prevalence and outcome of donor cell haematology malignancies within centres registered with the European Society of Blood and Marrow transplantation (EBMT). We have sought to identify risk factors to shed light on the pathogenesis of DCL as a model for leukaemogenesis. DCL cases were identified by questionnaire and a follow-up questionnaire requested detailed data. Control subjects from the EBMT registry who had not developed DCL were used for a matched pair analysis to identify risk factors. We identified 38 patients with DCL; the estimated prevalence was 80.5/100,000 transplants. Patients were predominantly treated for haematological malignancy. A clone was retrospectively identified in 7/25 (28%) donors for whom data was available. Overall survival was poor with 29/38 patients dead a median of 11 (range 0-91) months after DCL diagnosis. Matched case-pair analysis identified three factors on multivariate analysis as significantly associated with an increased risk for DCL: use of growth factors within the first 100 days after transplantation, in vivo T-cell depletion and multiple allografts. The risk factors identified, support reduced immune surveillance and replicative stress as pathogenic in the development of DCL.

BACKGROUND Incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in haploidentical bone marrow (BM) transplants using posttransplantion cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) is low, whereas GVHD using mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) ranges between 30% and 40%. METHODS To evaluate the effect of stem cell source in haploidentical transplantation with PT-Cy, we analyzed 451 patients transplanted for acute myeloid leukemia or acute lymphoblastic leukemia reported to the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. RESULTS BM was used in 260 patients, and PBSC were used in 191 patients. The median follow-up was 21 months. Engraftment was lower in BM (92% vs 95%, P < 0.001). BM was associated with a lower incidence of stage II-IV and stage III-IV acute GVHD (21% vs 38%, P ≤ .01; and 4% vs 14%, P < .01, respectively). No difference in chronic GVHD, relapse, or nonrelapse mortality were found for PBSC or BM. The 2-year overall survival (OS) was 55% versus 56% (P = .57) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) was 49% versus 54% (P = .74) for BM and PBSC, respectively. On multivariate analysis, PBSC were associated with an increased risk of stage II-IV (hazard ratio [HR], 2.1; P < .001) and stage III-IV acute GVHD (HR, 3.8; P < .001). For LFS and OS, reduced intensity conditioning was the only factor associated with treatment failure (LFS: HR, 1.40; P = .04) and relapse (HR, 1.62; P = .02). CONCLUSION In patients with acute leukemia in first or second remission receiving haploidentical transplantation with PT-Cy, the use of PBSC increases the risk of acute GVHD, whereas survival outcomes are comparable. Cancer 2018;124:1428-37. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Primary therapy resistance is a major problem in acute myeloid leukemia treatment. We set out to develop a powerful and robust predictor for therapy resistance for intensively treated adult patients. We used two large gene expression data sets (n=856) to develop a predictor of therapy resistance, which was validated in an independent cohort analyzed by RNA sequencing (n=250). In addition to gene expression markers, standard clinical and laboratory variables as well as the mutation status of 68 genes were considered during construction of the model. The final predictor (PS29MRC) consisted of 29 gene expression markers and a cytogenetic risk classification. A continuous predictor is calculated as a weighted linear sum of the individual variables. In addition, a cut off was defined to divide patients into a high-risk and a low-risk group for resistant disease. PS29MRC was highly significant in the validation set, both as a continuous score (OR=2.39, P=8.63·10−9, AUC=0.76) and as a dichotomous classifier (OR=8.03, P=4.29·10−9); accuracy was 77%. In multivariable models, only TP53 mutation, age and PS29MRC (continuous: OR=1.75, P=0.0011; dichotomous: OR=4.44, P=0.00021) were left as significant variables. PS29MRC dominated all models when compared with currently used predictors, and also predicted overall survival independently of established markers. When integrated into the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) 2017 genetic risk stratification, four groups (median survival of 8, 18, 41 months, and not reached) could be defined (P=4.01·10−10). PS29MRC will make it possible to design trials which stratify induction treatment according to the probability of response, and refines the ELN 2017 classification.

Aims: The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a frequent condition following pneumonia in immunocompromised cancer patients. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may serve as a rescue therapy in refractory ARDS but has still not been studied in predominantly leuco- and thrombocytopenic cancer patients. Patients and Methods: In this monocentric, retrospective, observational study, we assessed all cancer patients treated with ECMO for ARDS between 2013 and 2017. Results: 25 patients, 11 of whom underwent haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT), were analysed. The main reason for ARDS was pneumonia in 72%. All patients were under invasive ventilation at ECMO. All but 9/3 patients suffered from leuco-/thrombocytopenia due to anti-cancer treatment or underlying disease. Overall, 17 patients (68%) died on ECMO, whereas 5 patients survived to hospital discharge (20%). All patients after recent allogeneic (allo-)SCT have died. 4 patients experienced severe bleeding events. Conclusions: Discouraging survival rates in patients treated after allo-SCT do not support the use of ECMO for ARDS in this patient subgroup. On the contrary, cancer patients in at least stable disease otherwise eligible for full-code intensive care unit management, even those with severe thrombocytopenia, may be potential candidates for ECMO in case of severe ARDS failing conventional measures.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains among the major causes of treatment failure in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). The use of post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) is now a well-established and widely used method for GVHD prophylaxis after HLA haploidentical HCT. However, the rationale for using PT-Cy in the setting of matched donor transplantation is less apparent, given the lesser degree of bidirectional alloreactivity. In this retrospective study, we investigated the role of PT-Cy as GVHD prophylaxis in patients with multiple myeloma underoing allo-HCT, among different donor types, to determine cumulative incidence of acute and chronic GVHD and impact on engraftment, progression-free survival (PFS), GVHD-free/relapse- free survival (GRFS), overall survival (OS), and NRM A total of 295 patients with MM underwent allo-HCT using grafts from a matched related donor (MRD; n = 67), matched unrelated donor (MUD; n = 72), mismatched related or unrelated donor (MMRD/MMUD, 1 antigen; n = 27), or haploidentical donor (haplo; n = 129) using PT-Cy between 2012 and 2018. In addition to PT-Cy, agents used in GVHD prophylaxis included calcineurin inhibitors in 239 patients (81%), with mycophenolate mofetil in 184 of those 239 (77%). For grade II-IV acute GVHD, the cumulative incidence at day +100 was 30% (95% confidence interval [CI], 25% to 36%), 9% (95% CI, 5% to 12%) for grade III-IV acute GVHD, and 27% (95% CI, 21% to 32%) for chronic GVHD (limited, 21%; extensive, 6%), with no differences by donor type. The median time to neutrophil engraftment was 19d (95% CI, 18-19), with no significant difference by donor type. The median time to platelet engraftment was delayed in haploidentical donor graft recipients (27 days versus 21 days; P < .001). Two-year OS, PFS, GRFS, and NRM were 51% (95% CI, 45% to 58%), 26% (95% CI, 20% to 32%), 24% (95% CI, 18% to 30%), and 19% (95% CI, 14% to 24%), respectively, with no significant difference between different donor types. In multivariable analyses, compared with the haplo donors, the use of MRDs was associated with significantly better OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.6; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.95; P = .029), and the use of MUDs was associated with a significantly higher GRFS (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.42 to 0.97; P = .034). There was a trend toward improved PFS with use of MUDs (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.04; P = .08). Our data show that PT-Cy in MM patients undergoing allo-HCT resulted in low rates of acute and chronic GVHD and led to favorable survival, especially in the matched related donor setting. © 2021 American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Introduction. Malignant diseases treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) predominantly occur beyond the 7 th decade of life. Numerical age per se is not regarded an adverse risk factor in alloHSCT. In an aging society, interventions historically deemed high risk are increasingly used in elder patients. Methods. Epidemiology, outcomes and risk factors of patients aged ≥70 years undergoing alloHSCT in Germany 1999-2019 and registered with the DRST/EBMT database were analyzed retrospectively. Baseline patient, disease, and transplant data were collected from MED-A forms. Centers were contacted to provide additional treatment and follow-up information. Results. Between 1999 and 2019, 1648 patients aged ≥70 years (median 72, range 70-79.7; 585 female) were transplanted in 50 German centers. More than 90% of all patients were transplanted 2010-2019. Centers transplanted between 2 and 192 patients, with 14 centers contributing 100 patients each. Most patients suffered acute leukemia (1084, 65.8%) or MDS/MPN (410, 24.9%). Karnofsky index before start of conditioning was 100% (n=230, 14%), 90% (n=651, 39.5%), 80% (n=480, 29.1%), 70% (n=94, 5.7%), Conclusion. AlloHSCT is increasingly used to treat elder patients in Germany with a sharp increase during the last decade. Age per se is a modest adverse risk factor for adult patients after alloHSCT with slightly increased mortality in patients 70-80 versus those at 60-69. Further research might concentrate on patient selection and further reduction of procedural toxicity. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Schetelig: Roche: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; BMS: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; Abbvie: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; Gilead: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: lecture fees . Einsele: Janssen, Celgene/BMS, Amgen, GSK, Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Stelljes: Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Medac: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Kite/Gilead: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Dreger: AbbVie: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Bluebird Bio: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Gilead Sciences: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy; Riemser: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Wulf: Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Clinigen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Scheid: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Bethge: Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Kite-Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Miltenyi Biotec: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau.

Haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (haplo-HCT) is being increasingly used in acute leukemia patients as an alternative transplant modality when matched sibling or matched unrelated donors are unavailable. As several potential haploidentical relative donors are typically available for a given patient, optimizing donor selection to improve clinical outcome is crucial. The impact of donor age and kinship on the outcome of acute leukemia patients is not clearly established in this setting. Using the multinational registry of the acute leukemia working party of the European society for blood and marrow transplantation we retrospective analyzed the clinical outcome of 1270 acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients who underwent haplo-HCT between 2005 and 2015. Patients over the age of 40 were significantly affected by increasing donor age resulting in higher non-relapse mortality (NRM) [Hazard ratio (HR)=1.86, confidence interval (CI) 95%, 1.18-2.94; P = .007], inferior leukemia-free survival (LFS) (HR = 1.59, CI 95%, 1.13-2.24; P = .007), and overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.74, CI 95%, 1.22-2.47; P = .002) when donors were over the age of 40. Additionally, kinship was found to be prognostically significant as patients transplanted from children donors over the age of 35 experienced an increased rate of NRM (HR = 1.82, CI 95%, 1.13-2.9; P = .01), inferior LFS (HR = 1.5, CI 95%, 1.05-2.13; P = .03), and OS (HR = 1.5, CI 95%, 1.04-2.15; P = .03). For patients younger than 40 years, donor age and kinship were mostly not clinically impactful. Our data establish donor age and kinship as significant determinants of outcome following haplo-HCT for acute leukemia patients.

Background: Prediction of patient outcomes following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains a tenacious problem. An important limitation of current prediction models is the heterogeneity in outcome even among similar cases. We introduce a novel approach to individualizing estimates of leukemia-free survival (LFS) in acute leukemia patients undergoing haploidentical (haplo) HSCT. Methods: Data were obtained from the registry of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation for all cases of haplo HSCT for acute leukemia performed between 2011 and 2017. Patients receiving ex-vivo T-cell depleted grafts were excluded. Acute myeloid leukemia patients were classified by clinical disease ontogeny (de novo vs. secondary), cytogenetics, and FLT3-ITD/NPM1mut status; acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients by disease status and the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome. Common patient and transplantation parameters including recipient age, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), time from diagnosis to transplantation, conditioning and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis were included. Data were split into training and geographic validation sets. Results: A total of 2,001 patients was included in the training set and another 270 in the validation cohort. In the training set, the median age was 50 years; 68% of patients were in complete remission, and 69% had a KPS ≥ 90; 87% received post-transplant cyclophosphamide and 13% antithymocyte globulin for GvHD prophylaxis. To provide the clinician insight on outcomes of similar patients, we developed a descriptive tool to visually explore outcomes of cases with comparable features. We next generated 50 random survival forest models for the prediction of 1-year LFS. In contrast to single point-estimates, the ensemble of 50 models generates a prediction interval accounting for predictive uncertainty. There was heterogeneity of variable importance between models, with either disease status or KPS leading in all models (Figure A). The model was well calibrated (Figure B); the median c-statistic was 0.64 on the validation set. An online interface presents the individual outcomes of the fifteen patients most similar to the index case, the prediction interval, and a visualization of all 50 survival forest predictions. Predictions for a sample patient are shown in Figure (C). Conclusions: We present the first system for individualized prediction of leukemia-free survival following T-cell replete haplo transplantation. A key, novel component of the model, distinguishing it from standard risk scores, is that it provides a measure of predictive certainty. This is essential for judging the robustness of prediction. Our approach is applicable to other clinical settings and can be used for designing risk-guided interventions and for informing patients and clinicians. Figure Disclosures Labopin: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Blaise:Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Sica:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Other: All authors received support for third-party writing assistance, furnished by Scott Battle, PhD, provided by F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland., Research Funding. Mohty:Stemline: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.

Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) using T-cell-replete grafts and post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCY) provides a popular curative approach for older patients (pts) with high-risk (HR) MDS/AML. The sequential therapeutic concept herein, is used to optimize disease control and gain time, especially in patients suffering from active disease at time of haplo-HSCT. Yet, sequential conditioning regimens prior to haplo-HSCT are often associated with a considerable risk of severe adverse events especially in older comorbid patients. Previous studies in the HLA-matched setting have demonstrated feasibility and safety of treosulfan-based reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) by stable engraftment and low non-relapse mortality (NRM). However, data for treosulfan-based conditioning in the unmanipulated HLA-haplo-HSCT setting in HR AML/MDS pts are rare, especially in the context of sequential conditioning. Here we report on a matched-pair analysis of 26 patients treated with either a treosulfan- or melphalan-based sequential conditioning for haplo-HSCT using PTCY as GvHD prophylaxis in HR MDS/AML. We retrospectively analyzed the outcome and toxicity profile of 26 patients undergoing sequential haplo-HSCT at our center between January 2009 and June 2019. Thirteen patients with HR AML/MDS and >54 years old who underwent sequential haplo-HSCT using treosulfan (3x10g/m2) for RIC were considered for potential matching with recipients (n=30) of a sequential melphalan-based RIC regimen. Matching criteria comprised (1) disease activity (blast yes or no), (2) disease status (relapse, refractory, high-risk cytogenetics), (3) HCT-CI and (4) age (+/- 5 years). Post-grafting immunosuppression consisted of cyclophosphamide, tacrolimus and MMF. Thirteen patients undergoing treosulfan-haplo-HSCT were successfully pair-matched with thirteen recipients of melphalan-based haplo-HSCT, respectively ((1) p=1.0; (2) p=1.0; (3) p=1.0; (4) p=0,76). Median age of the entire cohort was 63 years (54-71). Each group consisted of two MDS patients and eleven AML patients. All recipients treated with treosulfan showed neutrophil engraftment with a median of 20 days while only 69% of the melphalan treated patients engrafted (median=19 days, p= 0.9). In the melphalan group one graft rejection occurred, three patients died in early aplasia. Acute GvHD °II-IV occurred in 23% and 44% of the patients treated with treosulfan or melphalan, respectively. Severe (°III-IV) non-hematologic regimen-related toxicities were seen in 2/13 pts of the treosulfan and 7/13 pts of the melphalan group, predominately affecting the GI-tract in both. NRM at day +100 was 0% and 31% (p=0.06) for the treosulfan and melphalan group, respectively. Thereby, infections made up for most NRM events. Conversely, CI of relapse at one year was 23% vs 0 % (p=0.004) for treosulfan vs melphalan. OS at 1-year (treosulfan group: 69% vs melphalan gropup: 62%) and PFS at 1-year (treosulfan group: 69% vs melphalan group: 62%) did not differ significantly between the groups (p=0.72) Sequential haplo-HSCT using treosulfan and PTCY in older advanced MDS/AML patients is safe, resulting in lower NRM at the expense of higher relapse incidence compared to the melphalan-based sequential conditioning approach. Treosulfan-based RIC in haplo-HSCT though might be an alternative in older pts with low leukemic burden. However for disease control its intensity should be reconsidered and all available post-grafting mantainance strategies applied. Disclosures Fraccaroli: Medac: Other: Travel Grant. Buecklein:Celgene: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding.

The ideal stem cell graft source remains unknown in haploidentical haematopietic cell transplantation (haplo-HCT) with posttransplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy). This study compared outcomes of bone marrow (BM) versus peripheral blood (PB) stem cell graft for haplo-HCT in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). A total of 314 patients with ALL (BM—157; PB—157) were included in this study. The cumulative incidence of engraftment at day 30 was higher in the PB group compared with BM (93% vs. 88%, p

Objective To evaluate the prognostic effect of allogenic red blood cell transfusion (RBT) and preoperative anemia in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) undergoing primary tumor resection. Methods We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 621 patients, diagnosed with OSCC receiving tumor resection in curative intention. Preoperative anemia and perioperative RBT were evaluated according to WHO definition. Overall survival (OAS) as well as recurrence-free survival (RFS) was evaluated in transfused and non-transfused as well as in anemic and non-anemic patients. In addition, outcome parameters were calculated for distinct amounts of perioperatively administered RBTs. Data analysis was performed by uni- and multivariate statistics. Mean follow-up time was 7.3 years. Results Preoperative anemia was diagnosed in 29% of OSCC patients. Anemic patients displayed a significantly decreased five-year OAS (44%) in comparison to non-anemic equivalents (69%). 70% of non-transfused OSCC patients were alive after five years, whereas in case of RBT five-year OAS was 41%. These findings were substantiated by subgroup analysis in patients without preoperative anemia. For anemic patients however, no deleterious effect on survival in case of perioperative RBT was seen. Increasing numbers of received RBTs were shown to worsen outcome of OSCC patients in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion Preoperative anemia and RBT are significantly associated with impaired long-term outcome of patients suffering from OSCC. Future studies are needed to evaluate differentiated effects of RBTs in anemic and non-anemic OSCC patients and accordingly providing individual transfusion strategies to ameliorate outcome of patients suffering from OSCC.

Background Limited data is available to guide the choice of the conditioning regimen for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing transplant with persistent disease. Methods We retrospectively compared outcome of fludarabine-treosulfan (FT), thiotepa-busulfan-fludarabine (TBF), and sequential fludarabine, intermediate dose Ara-C, amsacrine, total body irradiation/busulfan, cyclophosphamide (FLAMSA) conditioning in patients with refractory or relapsed AML. Results Complete remission rates at day 100 were 92%, 80%, and 88% for FT, TBF, and FLAMSA, respectively (p = 0.13). Non-relapse mortality, incidence of relapse, acute (a) and chronic (c) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) rates did not differ between the three groups. Overall survival at 2 years was 37% for FT, 24% for TBF, and 34% for FLAMSA (p = 0.10). Independent prognostic factors for survival were Karnofsky performance score and patient CMV serology (p = 0.01; p = 0.02), while survival was not affected by age at transplant. The use of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) was associated with reduced risk of grade III–IV aGVHD (p = 0.02) and cGVHD (p = 0.006), with no influence on relapse. Conclusions In conclusion, FT, TBF, and FLAMSA regimens provided similar outcome in patients undergoing transplant with active AML. Survival was determined by patient characteristics as Karnofsky performance score and CMV serology, however was not affected by age at transplant. ATG appears able to reduce the incidence of acute and chronic GVHD without influencing relapse risk. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13045-019-0727-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The investigation of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) plus standard of care (SoC) (SoC+ECP) in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) within prospective, randomized clinical studies is limited, despite its frequent clinical use. This phase 1/pilot study was the first randomized, prospective study to investigate ECP use as first-line therapy in cGVHD, based on the 2015 National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus criteria for diagnosis and response assessment. Adult patients with new-onset (≤3 years of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) moderate or severe cGVHD were randomized 1:1 to 26 weeks of SoC+ECP vs SoC (corticosteroids and cyclosporine A/tacrolimus) between 2011 and 2015. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR), defined as complete or partial response, at week 28 in the intention-to-treat population (ITT). Other outcomes included quality of life (QoL) measures and safety. Sixty patients were randomized; ITT included 53 patients (SoC+ECP: 29; SoC: 24). Week 28 ORR was 74.1% (SoC+ECP) and 60.9% (SoC). Investigator-assessed ORR was 56.0% (SoC+ECP) and 66.7% (SoC). Patients treated with SoC experienced a decline in QoL over the 28-week study period; QoL remained unchanged in SoC+ECP patients. Most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in SoC+ECP patients were hypertension (31.0%), cough (20.7%), dyspnea (17.2%), and fatigue (17.2%). Seventeen patients (SoC+ECP: 8; SoC: 9) experienced 35 serious adverse events (SAEs). No TEAEs or SAEs were considered related to the ECP instrument or methoxsalen. The encouraging short-term results of this study could inform the design of subsequent studies. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01380535.

We report on 499 patients with severe aplastic anemia aged >= 50 years who underwent hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from HLA-matched sibling (n = 275, 55%) or HLA-matched (8/8) unrelated donors (n =187, 37%) between 2005 and 2016. The median age at HCT was 57.8 years; 16% of patients were 65 to 77 years old. Multivariable analysis confirmed higher mortality risks for patients with performance score less than 90% (hazard ratio HR], 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.92; P= .03) and after unrelated donor transplantation (HR, 1.47; 95% CI,1 to 2.16; P = .05). The 3-year probabilities of survival for patients with performance scores of 90 to 100 and less than 90 after HLA-matched sibling transplant were 66% (range, 57% to 75%) and 57% (range, 47% to 76%), respectively. The corresponding probabilities after HLA-matched unrelated donor transplantation were 57% (range, 48% to 67%) and 48% (range, 36% to 59%). Age at transplantation was not associated with survival, but grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) risks were higher for patients aged 65 years or older (subdistribution HR [sHR], 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.07 to 2.72; P= .026). Chronic GVHD was lower with the GVHD prophylaxis regimens calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) + methotrexate (sHR, .52; 95% CI, .33 to .81; P= .004) and CNI alone or with other agents (sHR, .27; 95% CI, .14 to .53; P < .001) compared with CNI + mycophenolate. Although donor availability is modifiable only to a limited extent, choice of GVHD prophylaxis and selection of patients with good performance scores are key for improved outcomes. (C) 2018 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unmanipulated haploidentical allogeneic stem cell transplantation (Allo-SCT) has become an attractive alternative for patients lacking HLA-matched sibling or unrelated donors. However, data of outcome in ALL is still scarce. The outcomes of 1234 adult patients with ALL in first complete remission (CR1) who underwent Allo-SCT between 2007 and 2016 were analyzed. Comparison was done between haploidentical donor (Haplo) (136 patients), matched unrelated donor (MUD 10/10) (809 patients), and mismatched unrelated donor (MMUD 9/10) (289 patients). Univariate analysis showed similar outcomes in Haplo, MUD, and MMUD, including OS, LFS, RI, NRM, AGVHD, and CGVHD. In multivariate analysis, Haplo was not associated with worse outcomes compared to MUD 10/10 and MMUD 9/10. Indeed, compared to Haplo, the hazard ratio (HR) for LFS, OS, RI, NRM, AGVHD, and CGVHD were 1.1 (p = 0.7), 0.9 (p = 0.4), 1.35 (p = 0.2), 0.7 (p = 0.2), 1.1 (p = 0.8), and 0.8 (p = 0.2) for MUD, respectively, and 1.1 (p = 0.8), 1.0 (p = 1.0), 1.2 (p = 0.3), 0.8 (p = 0.4), 1.2 (p = 0.3), and 0.9 (p = 0.6) for MMUD, respectively. In conclusion, outcomes of adult patients with ALL in CR1 receiving Haplo Allo-SCT are comparable to MUD or MMUD transplants. Haplo should be considered as a clinically relevant option for patients lacking a matched sibling donor.

Background: T cell–replete haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) is a valid therapeutic option for adult patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) lacking an HLA-matched sibling or unrelated donor. Method: We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 912 AML patients ≥45 years of age who had undergone haplo-SCT with either myeloablative conditioning (MAC; n=373) or reduced intensity conditioning (RIC; n=539) regimens. Results: The median follow-up was 31.1 and 25.7 months for MAC and RIC, respectively. The incidence of relapse and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) were 25.1% versus 28.7% and 31.0% versus 30.3% for MAC and RIC, respectively; 2-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) was 43.9% for MAC versus 41.0% for RIC. In multivariate analysis, the use of MAC versus RIC was not associated with a difference in the outcomes. Results were confirmed in the propensity score–weighted analysis. Disease status and performance status at transplantation were associated with outcomes. Notably, the use of posttransplantation cyclophosphamide was associated with reduced acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) stage III-IV, and NRM and increased overall survival, LFS, and GVHD-free, relapse-free survival. The use of mobilized peripheral blood stem cells was associated with an increased risk of stage II-IV aGVHD. Conclusion: No differences were found between MAC and RIC regimens for haplo-SCT in adults with AML who were ≥45 years of age. The type of GVHD prophylaxis, disease status, and performance status were the major predictors of transplantation outcome. These results may serve as the background for randomized study comparing RIC versus MAC for haplo-SCT in adults with AML.

Survival of patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) is poor. Cord blood transplantation (UCBT) and non-T-cell-depleted stem cell transplantation from haploidentical donors (HAPLO) are both strategies that have shown encouraging results in patients who do not have an human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling or unrelated donor. We retrospectively analyzed outcomes of 409 adults with sAML receiving either UCBT (n = 163) or HAPLO (n = 246) in EBMT centers. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or myeloproliferative disorder (MPD) was the antecedent diagnosis in 79% of UCBT and 85% of HAPLO recipients. In multivariate analysis, UCBT was associated with higher risk of grade II–IV acute GVHD (HR 1.9, p = 0.009) and lower GHVD-free-relapse-free-survival (GRFS) (HR 1.57, p = 0.007) compared to HAPLO. Chronic-GVHD, RI, NRM, LFS, and OS were not statistically different between the two. Early disease stage at transplant was independently associated with lower RI and NRM and higher OS and LFS. These results indicate that HAPLO is associated with better GRFS and lower aGvHD compared to UCBT in patients with sAML and that UCBT can be a valid alternative for sAML patients who lack a matched sibling, a proper haploidentical or an unrelated donor.

Refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (R/R-AML) has poor prognosis. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) may provide cure in this scenario. We compared outcomes of HSCT from HLA-identical (HLA-id, n = 1654) sibling or haploidentical (Haplo, n = 389) donors in patients with R/R-AML, performed during the period 2007–2015. The Haplo group included patients receiving an unmanipulated graft (post-transplant cyclophosphamide, n = 278; in vivo T-cell depletion, n = 95; or both, n = 16). Median age at HSCT was 52 (range 18–74) years. Median follow-up was 16 and 22 months for HLA-id sibling and Haplo recipients, respectively (p = 0.11). Compared to MSD, Haplo HSCT were performed more recently (2013 vs 2011, p < 0.01), at longer interval from diagnosis (7 vs 5 months, p < 0.01), more frequently using bone marrow as stem cell source (47% vs 8%, p < 0.01) and with a reduced intensity conditioning regimen (50% vs 43%, p = 0.03). Engraftment was higher (93% vs 83%, p < 0.01) in HLA-id sibling. In multivariate analysis, Haplo HSCT was associated with lower GVHD/relapse-free survival, inferior LFS and OS and higher NRM, mainly due to a higher rate of infections (41% vs 25%, p < 0.01). For R/R-AML, HLA-id sibling donors remain the gold standard, when available, due to higher mortality in Haplo without significant gain in disease control.

Background As information on incidence, risk factors, and outcome of acute leukemia (AL) relapse after unmanipulated haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) is scarce, a retrospective registry study was performed by the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Methods Among 1652 transplants performed for lymphoblastic and myeloid AL between 2007 and 2014, 587 patients (acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) 131, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 456) with detailed information were analyzed aiming to identify risk factors for post-transplant relapse and for overall survival (OS) after relapse. Results The cumulative incidence of relapse at 3 years was 44% (35–53%) for ALL and 32% (27–36%) for AML (p = 0.023). In ALL, risk factors for relapse were disease status different from the first complete remission (CR1) at haplo-SCT (CR2 vs CR1: HR 2.85, p = 0.011; advanced vs CR1: HR 14.28, p < 0.0001) and male donor gender (HR 3.64, p = 0.0002), while in AML, risk factors were advanced disease at haplo-SCT (advanced vs CR1: HR 3.95, p < 0.0001) and comorbidities (HCT-CI) ≥ 3 (HR 1.75, p = 0.014). Transplants performed in more recent years were associated with lower relapse incidence (RI) in AML, but not in ALL (HR 0.91, p = 0.042). After relapse, median follow-up was 13 months (mos). OS at 1-year post relapse was 18%. Prognostic factors for superior OS after relapse were remission at time of haplo-SCT (CR vs advanced: HR 0.71, p = 0.028), time from transplant to relapse (≥ 5 mos vs < 5 mos: HR 0.530, p < 0.0001), and bone marrow as a stem cell source (peripheral blood (PB) vs bone marrow (BM): HR 1.473, p = 0.016). Conclusions Risk factors for relapse after haploidentical transplantation were disease specific. Longer OS after relapse was achieved in particular by patients both in CR at haplo-SCT and relapsing more than 5 months after transplant (1-year OS 33%). Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13045-019-0751-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Few therapeutic options are available for patients with acute myeloid or lymphoblastic leukemia (AML/ALL) relapsing after a second allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT2). In selected patients a third allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT3) has been used, but no detailed analysis is available so far. The European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) registry was screened for patients with acute leukemia (AL) receiving alloSCT3 from an identical or alternative donor to treat AL in either haematological relapse or disease persistence after alloSCT2 between 2001 and 2018. Feasibility, efficacy, outcome, and risk factors of this approach were analyzed retrospectively. Forty-five patients (median age, 37 years, range 12-71) with AML (n=34) or ALL (n=11) were identified. Eleven patients received alloSCT3 in complete remission (CR), 34 had active disease. Fifteen patients were transplanted from the same donor at all three transplants, 30 patients had at least 2 different donors. Between alloSCT2 and alloSCT3, the donor was changed in 25 patients. After alloSCT3, 38 patients engrafted, and 26 achieved CR or CR with incomplete hematological reconstitution (CRi). Acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) grade II-IV was observed in 19%, chronic GvHD occurred in 13%. After 1-year, cumulative incidences of leukemia relapse and non-relapse mortality were 47% and 42%, respectively. Median progression free and overall survival (PFS/OS) from alloSCT3 were 2.5 and 4 months, respectively, 1-year PFS and OS were 11% and 20%,. Outcome was improved in patients with at least one donor change (1-year PFS/OS: 17%/30%), further factors for better outcome included an unrelated donor for alloSCT3, Karnofsky performance score >80, and more recent year of alloSCT3. Only patients with AML achieved >1 year OS. In conclusion, results after a third alloSCT are poor, limiting this procedure to few, highly selected patients. Recurrent relapses of acute leukemia after alloSCT remain an unmet therapeutic need.

The optimal myeloablative conditioning (MAC) for patients undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (haplo-HCT) is unknown. We studied the outcomes of total body irradiation (TBI)-based versus chemotherapy (CT)-based MAC regimens in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The study included 427 patients who underwent first haplo-HCT with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy), following TBI-based (n = 188; 44%) or CT-based (n = 239; 56%) MAC. The median patient age was 32 years. Fludarabine-TBI (72%) and thiotepa-busulfan-fludarabine (65%) were the most frequently used TBI- and CT-based regimens, respectively. In the TBI and CT cohorts, 2-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) was 45% versus 37% (P = .05), overall survival (OS) was 51% versus 47% (P = .18), relapse incidence (RI) was 34% versus 32% (P = .44), and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was 21% versus 31% (P < .01). In the multivariate analysis, TBI was associated with lower NRM (hazard ratio [HR], 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33 to 0.86; P = .01), better LFS (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.98; P =.04), and increased risk for grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.08 to 2.34; P = .02) compared with CT-based MAC. The type of conditioning regimen did not impact RI, chronic GVHD, OS, or GVHD-free, relapse-free survival after adjusting for transplantation-related variables. TBI-based MAC was associated with lower NRM and better LFS compared with CT-based MAC in patients with ALL after haplo-HCT/PTCy.

Background Adenovirus (ADV) infections can have a high mortality in immunocompromised patients and are difficult to treat. Objectives and study design We retrospectively analyzed occurrence and risk factors of ADV infection in 399 adults with hematological disorders undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), focusing on alternative donor transplantation (ADT) and disseminated disease. Results ADV infection occurred in 42 patients (10.5%). Disease was localized in 18 and disseminated in 6 patients. ADV infection was observed in 15% after ADT, performed in 29% of all recipients, and was less frequent (6%) in T-cell-replete (TCR) haploidentical transplantation using post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCY) than in other ADT protocols. Lower age, the use of alternative donor grafts and acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) ≥ grade II were risk factors for ADV infection. After failure of standard antiviral treatment, three patients with disseminated ADV disease received one dose of ADV-specific T cells, resulting in virological response in 2/3 patients, clearance of ADV viremia in 2/2 patients, and survival of 1/3 patients; both patients with pneumonia died. Conclusions ADV infection was of moderate occurrence in our adult recipients of allo-HSCT despite a high proportion of potential high-risk patients receiving ADT. TCR strategies using PTCY might limit ADV complications in haploidentical transplantation. Despite feasible adoptive therapy strategies, outcome of disseminated disease remains dismal.

Post-transplant cyclophosphamide-based haplo-identical transplantation as alternative to matched sibling or unrelated donor transplantation for non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a registry study by the European society for blood and marrow transplantation

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) offers the chance of cure for patients with non-transformed follicular lymphoma (FL), but is associated with the risk of non-relapse mortality (NRM). The aim of this study was to identify subgroups of FL patients who benefit from HCT. The European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) Minimum-Essential-A Data of 146 consecutive patients who received HCT for FL between 1998 and 2008 were extracted from the database of the German Registry 'DRST'. Diagnosis of FL was verified by contact with the reference pathologists. Estimated 1-, 2- and 5-year overall survivals (OS) were 67%, 60% and 53%, respectively. Day 100 NRM was 15%. Thirteen out of 33 patients (40%) with treatment-refractory disease (RD) at the time of transplantation survived long term. Univariate statistical analysis suggested limited chronic GvHD, donor age ⩽42 years and TBI-based conditioning in treatment refractory patients to correlate with favorable OS. Independent prognostic factors for OS were treatment-sensitive disease and limited chronic GvHD for the whole cohort, and additionally TBI-based conditioning for the treatment refractory subgroup. In contrast, patient age ⩾55 years had no impact on outcome. Thus, HCT for FL is associated with acceptable NRM, and offers a substantial chance of cure for patients with RD or advanced age. Donors ⩽42 years should be preferred if available.

BK-virus and JC-virus are the most common polyomaviridae associated with hemorrhagic cystitis in the allogeneic transplant setting. Hemorrhagic cystitis and symptomatic viruria caused by these viruses are a major cause of morbidity in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation. We performed a retrospective evaluation on a highly uniform study population of 73 patients receiving allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Patients were treated according to the FLAMSA-RIC-protocol, and were examined for the incidence of BK-/JC-viruria and late-onset BK-positive hemorrhagic cystitis within a two-year period. The occurrence of BK-viruria was correlated with published risk factors (acute GvHD, oral mucositis, donor type, conditioning, age, gender). Thirty patients (41 %) were found to excrete either BK-virus (n = 17), JC-virus (n = 3) or both (n = 10), of whom 18 patients (60 %) developed higher-grade hemorrhagic cystitis as opposed to none in the virus-negative control group. Higher grade GvHD (grade B–D) was more common in patients with viruria (p = 0.013) and also more common in patients with manifest hemorrhagic cystitis (p = 0.048). Similarly, oral mucositis was associated both with viruria (p = 0.014) and hemorrhagic cystitis (p = 0.005). Manifest cystitis but not viruria was significantly associated with male gender (p = 0.016). No significant correlation was found with age, conditioning with busulfane vs total body irradiation or related vs unrelated donor. Severe GvHD and oral mucositis are significantly associated with reactivation of polyomaviridae in the genitourinary-tract already at the level of asymptomatic viruria.

Der Onko-Nexus („Kummererprojekt“), gefordert vom Bayerischen Staatsministerium fur Gesundheit und Pflege, widmet sich der Verbesserung der ambulanten/stationaren Schnittstellenproblematik fur Patienten mit hochkomplexen malignen Erkrankungen, die einen Aufenthalt an einem universitaren Zentrum benotigten. Die Patienten wurden von einer ambulanten und einer stationaren „Kummerin“ (medizinische Fachangestellte) mitbetreut. Zusatzlich wurde vom universitaren Zentrum eine Spezialsprechstunde in der heimatnahen onkologischen Praxis angeboten. Wahrend der 3-jahrigen Laufzeit konnten 26 Patienten in das Projekt eingeschlossen werden. Nach Abschluss des Projektes wurden 9 Patienten und die 2 „Kummerinnen“ mittels qualitativer Leitfadeninterviews befragt. Die Patienten profitierten v. a. von der intensivierten Betreuung, der Vermeidung von Fahrstrecken und dem engen Kontakt zwischen Klinik und Praxis. Das Projekt wirkte sich deutlich positiv auf die Lebensqualitat der Patienten aus.

Introduction: The prognosis of patients diagnosed with blast crisis (BC) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is dismal. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) represents the only curative treatment option. In the current tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) era, however, data on transplant outcomes in patients with BC CML, particularly those with active BC at transplant, are scarce. We hereby report on a multicentre, EBMT-registry based retrospective study of adult patients allografted for BC CML focusing on patients with active disease at transplant and pre-transplant prognostic factors. Patients and methods: Patients with BC CML at transplant (i.e. prior to the start of the conditioning) who underwent alloSCT after the year 2004 within the EBMT database were identified. Next, transplant centers were asked to report the exact disease status at transplant (including blood count, blast count in peripheral blood and bone marrow, achievement and type of remission with corresponding assessment dates, and the reason to proceed with alloSCT in BC CML). A total of 170 patients allografted for BC CML between 2004 and 2016 had complete data for analysis. Overall survival (OS) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) were calculated from date of alloSCT to the appropriate endpoint. For multivariable analysis of predictors of OS and LFS, Cox proportional hazard regression models were performed. Confounding prognostic factors (full models) were: age, disease status prior to alloSCT, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) prior to transplant, interval from diagnosis to transplant, year of transplant, stem cell source, conditioning intensity, donor type, and donor/recipient sex match. All patients provided informed consent for data collection and analysis. Results: Median age at alloSCT was 45 years (range [r], 18-75). Median time from diagnosis to alloSCT was 13.9 months (r, 1.6-367.4). Median follow-up time was 54.7 months (r, 0.1-135.2). Stem cell source was peripheral blood, bone marrow and cord blood in 145 (85%), 18 (11%) and 7 (4%) patients, respectively. Donor types were: unrelated (UD), matched related, and mismatched related in 91 (54%), 64 (38%), and 15 (9%) patients, respectively. Conditioning was myeloablative in 108 (64%) of patients. KPS at alloSCT was ≤80% in 31% of patients. Information on BCR-ABL mutations was available for 41 patients; T315I was present in 28 patients. After thorough analysis of disease parameters, a total of 95 patients had any kind of remission of BC CML (including secondary chronic phase) prior to transplant (termed BC in remission); 75 patients had active BC CML prior to transplant (termed BC active). Main reason for proceeding with alloSCT despite active disease was resistance/refractoriness towards TKI in combination with polychemotherapy. Extramedullary disease was documented in 4 patients. In uni- and multivariable analyses of the entire cohort, besides low KPS, only disease status prior to transplant was significantly associated with shorter OS and LFS (for BC active: HR 2.00, 95%CI 1.35-2.96, p=0.001 and HR 1.80 95%CI 1.27-2.57, p=0.001, respectively). Accordingly, for patients allografted for active BC estimated 3-year OS and LFS was rather short (23.8% 95%CI 13.6-34.0 and 11.6% 95%CI 3.0-20.2, respectively) and significantly lower as compared to patients allografted for BC in remission (3-year OS and LFS: 51.1% 95%CI 40.5-61.7 and 33.8% 95% CI 23.6-44.0, respectively) (Figure 1A and B). Consequently, prognostic factors for survival were analyzed separately according to disease status at alloSCT (slim models, Table 1). For patients with BC in remission at transplant advanced age, lower KPS, shorter interval from diagnosis to transplant, myeloablative conditioning, and UD transplant were risk factors for inferior survival, whereas in patients allografted for active BC, only UD transplant was associated with prolonged LFS and with a trend towards improved OS (Table 1). Conclusion: Survival of BC CML patients after alloSCT in the TKI era remains poor unless disease remission could be achieved. In patients who achieve remission prior to alloSCT, conventional prognostic indicators remain the determinants of transplant outcomes. In patients with active BC CML, UD transplantation appears to be associated with a survival advantage in our study. Disclosures Finke: Neovii: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel grants, Research Funding; Medac: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel grants, Research Funding; Riemser: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel grants, Research Funding. Tischer:Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Jazz Advisory Board. Mayer:Eisai: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Johnson & Johnson: Research Funding. Byrne:Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Ganser:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Chalandon:Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel costs.