Krzysztof Warzocha

Rituximab Plus Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide Prolongs Progression-Free Survival Compared With Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide Alone in Previously Treated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

PURPOSE Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody that targets the CD20 cell surface antigen, has clinical activity in patients with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and other B-lymphocyte disorders when administered alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Promising results have previously been reported in nonrandomized studies in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This trial was designed to compare chemoimmunotherapy with chemotherapy alone in patients with previously treated CLL. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter, randomized trial compared six cycles of rituximab plus fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (R-FC) with six cycles of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide alone (FC) in patients with previously treated CLL. A total of 552 patients with Binet stage A (1%), B (59%), or C (31%) disease entered the study and were randomly assigned to receive R-FC (n = 276) or FC (n = 276). RESULTS After a median follow-up time of 25 months, rituximab significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with previously treated CLL (hazard ratio = 0.65; P < .001; median, 30.6 months for R-FC v 20.6 months for FC). Event-free survival, response rate, complete response rate, duration of response, and time to new CLL treatment or death were also significantly improved. Although the rates of adverse events, grade 3 or 4 events, and serious adverse events were slightly higher in the R-FC arm, R-FC was generally well tolerated, with no new safety findings and no detrimental effect on quality of life. CONCLUSION R-FC significantly improved the outcome of patients with previously treated CLL.

Cladribine, But Not Fludarabine, Added to Daunorubicin and Cytarabine During Induction Prolongs Survival of Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Multicenter, Randomized Phase III Study

PURPOSE The goal of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of a purine analog, cladribine or fludarabine, to the standard induction regimen affects the outcome of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). PATIENTS AND METHODS A cohort of 652 untreated AML patients with median age 47 years (range, 17 to 60 years) were randomly assigned to receive one of three induction regimens: DA (daunorubicin plus cytarabine), DAC (DA plus cladribine), or DAF (DA plus fludarabine). Postremission treatment was the same for all arms. RESULTS Complete remission rate in the DAC arm was higher compared with the DA arm (67.5% v 56%; P = .01) as a consequence of reduced incidence of resistant disease (21% v 34%; P = .004). There was no significant difference in early outcome between the DAF and DA arms. The probability of overall survival was improved for the DAC arm (45% ± 4% at 3 years) compared with the DA arm (33% ± 4%; P = .02), and leukemia-free survival was comparable. Long-term outcome did not differ significantly for the comparison of the DAF and DA arms. A survival advantage of the DAC arm over the DA arm was observed among patients age 50 years or older (P = .005), those with initial leukocyte count above 50 × 10(9)/L (P = .03), and those with unfavorable karyotype (P = .03). DAF revealed a significant advantage over DA in patients with adverse karyotype (P = .02). CONCLUSION The addition of cladribine to the standard induction regimen is associated with increased rate of complete remission and improved survival of adult patients with AML.

Status of minimal residual disease after induction predicts outcome in both standard and high-risk Ph-negative adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The Polish Adult Leukemia Group ALL 4-2002 MRD Study

The treatment of adults with Philadelphia‐negative acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) depends on the presence of risk factors including age, white blood cell count, immunophenotype and time to complete remission. In recent years, status of minimal residual disease (MRD) has been postulated as an additional risk criterion. This study prospectively evaluated the significance of MRD. Patients were treated with a uniform Polish Adult Leukemia Group (PALG) 4‐2002 protocol. MRD status was assessed after induction and consolidation by multiparametric flow cytometry. Out of 132 patients included (age, 17–60 years), 116 patients were suitable for analysis. MRD level ≥0·1% of bone marrow cells after induction was found to be a strong and independent predictor for relapse in the whole study population (P < 0·0001), as well as in the standard risk (SR, P = 0·0003) and high‐risk (P = 0·008) groups. The impact of MRD after consolidation on outcome was not significant. The combination of MRD status with conventional risk stratification system identified a subgroup of patients allocated to the SR group with MRD <0·1% after induction who had a very low risk of relapse of 9% at 3 years as opposed to 71% in the remaining subjects (P = 0·001). We conclude that MRD evaluation after induction should be considered with conventional risk criteria for treatment decisions in adult ALL.

Phase II, multicenter, randomized trial of CPX-351 (cytarabine:daunorubicin) liposome injection versus intensive salvage therapy in adults with first relapse AML.

CPX‐351 is a liposome‐encapsulated fixed‐molar‐ratio formulation of cytarabine and daunorubicin that exploits molar ratio–dependent drug‐drug synergy to enhance antileukemic efficacy.

Factors That Predict Chemotherapy-Induced Myelosuppression in Lymphoma Patients: Role of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand-Receptor System

PURPOSE To analyze factors that predict the occurrence of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression and, in particular, the role of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand-receptor system in lymphoma patients at the beginning of their treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS We investigated the predictive factors for myelosuppression after the first course of chemotherapy in a cohort of 101 consecutive, previously untreated lymphoma patients receiving regimens that include doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. Plasma samples were tested at baseline by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for TNF and its soluble receptors. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed with a forward regression procedure that included all of the parameters that were found to be significant in the univariate analysis. The dose of chemotherapy and the prophylactic treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor were deliberately included in this model. RESULTS Sixty-seven patients experienced World Health Organization (WHO) grade 4 neutropenia, and 37 patients experienced febrile neutropenia, which was responsible for WHO grade 2 through 4 infections in 23 patients. In multiparametric regression analysis, the occurrence of grade 4 neutropenia was associated with high doses of cyclophosphamide (odds ratio ¿OR, 19.8; P =.008) and high levels of soluble p75-R-TNF (OR, 8.52; P =.001). The duration of grade 4 neutropenia for more than 5 days was associated with the lack of hematopoietic growth factor administration (OR, 6.76; P =.004) and high levels of soluble p75-R-TNF (OR, 5.84; P =.0023). The occurrence of febrile neutropenia was associated with high doses of cyclophosphamide (OR, 4.7; P =.007), altered performance status (OR, 18.8; P <.0001) and high levels of soluble p75-R-TNF (OR, 3.49; P =.029). CONCLUSION This study indicates that in addition to the dose of chemotherapy and the administration of hematopoietic growth factors, poor performance status and high p75-R-TNF levels can predict the occurrence of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression in lymphoma patients. This model may help in selecting patients for prophylactic growth factor administration.

The influence of palifermin (Kepivance) on oral mucositis and acute graft versus host disease in patients with hematological diseases undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant

In this multicenter study, we assessed the use of palifermin (recombinant human–keratinocyte growth factor 1) in the prevention of oral mucositis (OM) and acute GvHD (aGvHD) induced by a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Fifty-three patients with hematological diseases received three doses of palifermin (60 μg/kg once daily i.v.) pre- and post-conditioning regimens (total six doses). A retrospective control group of 53 transplant patients received no palifermin. There was a significant reduction in the incidence of OM of WHO (World Health Organization) grades 1–4 (58 vs 94%, P<0.001), 3–4 (13 vs 43%, P<0.001) and the median duration of OM (4 vs 9 days, P<0.001) in the palifermin group compared to the control group. The incidence of analgesics (32 vs 75.5%, P<0.001), opioid analgesics (24 vs 64%, P<0.001) and total parenteral nutrition (11 vs 45%, P<0.001) was also significantly reduced. The analysis of distribution of affected organs revealed that aGvHD was less prevalent in the palifermin group (P=0.036). There was no significant difference in the onset of any OM after HSCT, time to engraftment and length of hospitalization between groups. The drug was generally well tolerated and safe. Our results suggest that the use of palifermin reduces OM and probably aGvHD after HSCT, but a randomized trial is needed.

Effect of FCGR2A and FCGR3A variants on CLL outcome

Polymorphisms of activating Fc-γ receptors (FCGRs) on natural killer cells and macrophages result in variable affinity for immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibodies and subsequently modulate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity. Whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms of FCGRs correlate with survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients treated with a monoclonal antibody containing regimen is unclear. We assessed the FCGR3A and FCGR2A genotype of patients enrolled in the REACH trial, where patients received fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) or rituximab plus FC (R-FC). FCGR3A and FCGR2A polymorphisms did not demonstrate prognostic significance in the FC arm (P = .42 and P = .64, respectively) or R-FC arm (P = .41 and P = .88, respectively) with respect to progression free survival. Patients with intermediate affinity genotypes (FV and HR) benefited significantly from addition of rituximab (hazard ratio = 0.55 [0.37-0.8 CI]; P = .0017 and hazard ratio = 0.63 [0.44-0.9 CI]; P = .011, respectively). Similar benefit was suggested for patients with high- affinity VV and HH (hazard ratio = 0.86 [0.4-1.84 CI]; P = .7 and hazard ratio = 0.7 [0.41-1.18 CI]; P = .18, respectively) and low-affinity FF and RR (hazard ratio = 0.85 [0.56-1.29 CI]; P = .44 and hazard ratio = 0.82 [0.47-1.42 CI]; P = .48, respectively). Overall, our results suggest that FCGR2A and FCGR3A polymorphisms do not significantly influence the outcomes of relapsed or refractory CLL patients treated with FC or the monoclonal antibody regimen R-FC.

The Tumor Necrosis Factor Signaling Complex: Choosing a Path Toward Cell Death or Cell Proliferation

Signal transduction pathways which are initiated by the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) utilize receptors which are devoid of intrinsic catalytic activity. Recently identified two families of proteins that directly associate with the cytoplasmic domains of the TNF receptor family members, have partially bridged a molecular gap within the TNF-induced signaling pathways. Clearly, there are numerous alternate routes that originate from the TNF ligand-receptor assembly and terminate on the diverse cellular responses, including proliferation, differentiation, or death. This review focuses on recent advances characterizing the TNF ligand-receptor signaling network, which allow to better understand its participation in a life-death balance within the target cell.

Activity of Cladribine Combined With Cyclophosphamide in Frontline Therapy for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia With 17p13.1/ TP53 Deletion : Report From the Polish Adult Leukemia Group

The 17p13.1 deletion that causes loss of the p53‐encoding TP53 gene is the most powerful predictor of a poor response to conventional therapy and shortened survival in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The results of this study have demonstrated that the cladribine and cyclophosphamide regimen may improve treatment results in this poor‐risk patient population.

Hodgkin's lymphoma and tuberculosis coexistence in cervical lymph nodes

We describe the case of a 47-year-old man admitted to the Department of Hematology because of fever, enlarged cervical and supraclavicular lymph nodes, hepatosplenomegaly and non-specific lung infiltrations. The histopathological examination of the cervical lymph node revealed Hodgkins lymphoma (HL) NS type I. Clinical evaluation revealed stage IVB according to Ann Arbor classification and the presence of 5 unfavorable prognostic factors according to the International Prognostic Index. Despite BEACOPP chemotherapy (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone), the enlarged lymph nodes, lung infiltrations and fever persisted. Microbiological and serological tests did not lead to the identification of any viral or bacterial pathogens. Bronchoscopy showed chronic inflammation and post-tuberculosis (TB) scars in bronchi without acid-fast bacilli in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. However, the biopsy of the supraclavicular lymph node revealed multiple, caseating and necrotizing granulomatous lesions with scattered Reed - Sternberg (R - S) cells. The auramin staining presented acid-fast bacilli and allowed the diagnosis of productive and caseating TB coexisting with HL. The 4 tuberculostatics regimen and ABVD chemotherapy (adriamycin, bleomycin, vincristine, dacarbazine) resulted in a complete clinical response after 3 months of treatment. In conclusion, the association between HL and TB must be considered, especially in countries where the latter is endemic. The diagnosis may be difficult due to similarities in the clinical course, laboratory tests and imaging procedures.