Roberta Fedele

Long-term outcome and prospective validation of NIH response criteria in 39 patients receiving imatinib for steroid-refractory chronic GVHD

Forty adults aged 28 to 73 years were entered into a prospective trial of imatinib for the treatment of steroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease (SR-cGVHD). After 6 months, intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis of 39 patients who received the drug, regardless of the duration of treatment, revealed 14 partial responses (PR), 4 minor responses (MR) with relevant steroid sparing (46%) according to Couriel criteria, and 20 ≥ PR (51.3%), as per the National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria and NIH severity score changes. The best responses were seen in the lungs, gut, and skin (35%, 50%, and 32%, respectively). After a median follow-up of 40 months, 28 patients were alive, with a 3-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival of 72% and 46%, respectively. The 3-year OS was 94% for patients responding at 6 months and 58% for nonresponders according to NIH response, suggesting that these criteria represent a reliable tool for predicting OS after second-line treatment. Monitoring of anti-platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGF-R) antibodies showed a significant decrease in PDGF-R stimulatory activity in 7 responders, whereas it remained high in 4 nonresponders. This study confirms the efficacy of imatinib against SR-cGVHD and suggests that the response at 6 months significantly predicts long-term survival.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma: immunotherapy and new drugs

Introduction: Autologous (auto) stem cell transplantation (SCT) and the development of new drugs have improved the survival of multiple myeloma (MM) patients. By contrast, though potentially curative, the use of allogeneic (allo)-SCT is controversial. Areas covered: A review has been conducted to examine the current evidence for the use of allo-SCT in MM. We have examined novel cell therapies that may be exploited to induce myeloma-specific immune responses including the new promising frontier of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T and -natural killer (NK) cells. Expert opinion: One of the major controversies facing researchers in exploring the allo approach is the remarkable recent treatment improvement observed with second- and third-generation proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs, monoclonal antibodies and deacetylase inhibitors. Despite these great advances, the disease remains to be incurable and allo-SCT may still play a role in the cure of MM. We think that allo-SCT conserves a role in MM and its curative potential in high-risk patients should be explored in the setting of control clinical trials. Novel cell therapies such as CAR technologies may open new avenues of research toward a potential cure. Data from currently ongoing prospective studies will be helpful to clarify pending clinical questions.

The impact of early CD4+ lymphocyte recovery on the outcome of patients who undergo allogeneic bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND Different factors influence the clinical outcome of allogeneic transplants, the foremost being good immune recovery. MATERIALS AND METHODS The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of different factors, such as stem cell source, type of donor, conditioning regimen and acute graft-versus-host disease, on early lymphocyte recovery after transplantation. We then analyzed the impact of early CD4+ cell count on overall survival, transplant-related mortality and disease-related mortality. RESULTS Univariate analysis with Spearmans rho showed a significant correlation between early CD4+ cell recovery and overall survival, transplant-related mortality, stem cell source and type of donor. In multivariate analysis CD4+ cell count was significantly associated with (i) stem cell source, being higher in patients whose haematopoietic progenitor cells were obtained by apheresis than in those whose source of grafted cells was bone marrow, and (ii) type of donor, being higher in patients transplanted from sibling donors than in those whose graft was from an alternative donor. The ROC curve of CD4+ cell count indicated that a cut-off of 115 CD4+ cells/mL could differentiate groups with different outcomes. At 2 years follow-up, patients achieving this CD4+ cell count had significantly lower cumulative transplant-related mortality compared to patients who did not have this count (10%±4% versus 40%±8%, p=0.0026). At the 5-year follow-up, the overall survival rates were 77.5%±0.6% and 36%±7% (p=0.000) in patients with a CD4+ cell count ≥115/mL and in patients with CD4+ cell count ≤ 115/mL, respectively. CONCLUSION Early CD4+ cell recovery after allogeneic transplantation has a relevant impact on overall survival and transplant-related mortality and is influenced by two factors: stem cell source and type of donor.

Long-term safety of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in normal donors: is it all clear?

Introduction: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a hematopoietic growth factor that stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of neutrophil precursor cells. G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood (PB) hematopoietic progenitor stem cells (HPSCs) collected by apheresis are being increasingly employed for allogeneic transplantation in patients with malignancies as an alternative to bone marrow (BM) transplant. Documenting the safety of G-CSF as a mobilizing agent for HPSC donation has long been a matter of importance for physicians, particularly when volunteer, unrelated adult donors are involved Areas covered: We review publications in the field with the goal of providing an overview of these approaches. Expert opinion: Trials and international donor registries have not shown any long-term effects associated with G-CSF therapy and a threefold-or-greater increased risk of leukemia or other malignancies through PB HPSC donation can be excluded. Our conclusions are that the administration of G-CSF to healthy donors has a favorable long-term risk–benefit profile, although it is essential to encourage the enrolment of donors in carefully designed programs for follow-up monitoring.

Identification of hematopoietic progenitor cell donor characteristics predicting successful mobilization: results of an Italian multicenter study

Peripheral blood (PB) hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) collected by apheresis are the first‐choice source for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The target HPC dose is usually considered to be 4 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg of the recipient, but higher doses are required in reduced‐intensity conditioning and haploidentical transplants. Thus, prolonged stimulation and repeated collections or failure to reach HPC target may occur, increasing risks for donors and recipients. We carried out a retrospective multicenter study on healthy donors, to identify donor variables which may correlate with HPC mobilization.

Optimizing Outcomes Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplantation in AML: The Role of Hypomethylating Agents

Aberrant DNA methylation is a key pathological mechanism in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and provides rationale for the clinical development of hypomethylating agents (HMAs) for the treatment of these diseases. One HMA, azacitidine (Vidaza®, Celgene Corp.), has demonstrated improved survival versus conventional care regimens in patients with intermediate-2/high-risk MDS and AML (20-30% blasts) and has a favorable tolerability profile. Emerging evidence indicates that azacitidine can have an immunomodulatory effect by, for example, increasing functional regulatory T-cell (Treg) numbers and killer-cell-immunoglobulin-like receptor expression. Allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (allo HPCT) is the only potentially curative treatment approach in patients with advanced MDS or AML. Unfortunately, allo HPCT in these settings is limited because most patients are ineligible due to age/comorbidities, or are at a high risk of treatment failure due to disease relapse. Recent studies have shown that azacitidine after allo HPCT increases Treg numbers while inducing a cytotoxic CD8+ T-cell response, suggesting a potential mechanism for augmenting the graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effect without increasing graft-versushost- disease (GVHD). In patients at a high risk of relapse following allo HPCT, pre-emptive azacitidine may help prevent/delay relapse. For patients who have relapsed following allo HPCT, azacitidine may be a salvage therapy option, either as monotherapy or in combination with donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI). In this mini-review, we discuss these emerging clinical data for HMAs in the post-allo HPCT regimens and highlight the possible future role of azacitidine in this setting.

Addressing the questions of tomorrow: melphalan and new combinations as conditioning regimens before autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation in multiple myeloma.

Introduction: The role of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) followed by autologous-progenitor cell transplantation (auto-HPCT) in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) continues to evolve in the novel agent era. Administration of high-dose melphalan (HDM) is considered the standard conditioning regimen. Nevertheless, several attempts have recently been made to improve the conditioning phase of the HDC procedure. Areas covered: We reviewed all the reported experiences and illustrated current knowledge in the field of conditioning regimens. Expert opinion: For fit MM patients, HDC followed by auto-HPCT remains the standard of care. The available data confirm that melphalan (MEL) 200 mg/m2 should continue to be considered the gold standard conditioning regimen, with dose reduction based on age and renal function. Targeting exposure to MEL by using area under the curve is a particularly appealing approach that could be explored to maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity of this drug. Other strategies are currently being evaluated in different trials, and the most interesting areas of research involve the incorporation of newer agents like bortezomib (BOR) into conditioning regimens. Moreover, intravenous busulfan has become available and this formulation may reduce toxicity and result in greater efficacy in association with MEL-based conditioning.

Long-Term Results in Multiple Myeloma After High-Dose Melphalan and Autologous Transplantation According to Response Categories in the Era of Old Drugs

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the long-term prognosis of multiple myeloma (MM) and the quality of response to therapy in a cohort of 173 patients treated with high-dose melphalan (HDM) and autologous transplantation in the era of old drugs. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 173 patients with de novo MM who received a transplant between 1994 and 2010 were analyzed. VAD (vincristine, doxorubicin [Adriamycin], dexamethasone) was used as front-line regimen before auto-HPCT. The conditioning was HDM 200 mg/m(2). Patients were evaluated for clinical response using the criteria from the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, modified to include near complete remission (nCR) and very good partial remission (VGPR). RESULTS The response distribution after transplantation in our series was complete remission (CR) in 33 cases (19%), nearly complete remission (nCR) in 38 cases (22%), VGPR in 30 cases (17%), partial remission (PR) in 65 cases (38%), and stable disease (SD) in 7 cases (4%). Patients were followed for 48 ± 36 months. Median overall survival (OS) was not reached for the CR group. Progression-free survival (PFS) was 122 months for CR, 55 months for nCR, 56 months for VGPR, 32 months for PR, and 22 months for SD. Significant differences in PFS and OS were found between the CR and nCR groups (P = .003 and P = .001, respectively), between the CR and VGPR groups (P = .002 and P = .001, respectively), and between the CR and PR groups (P = .000 and P = .001, respectively). Responses were clustered in 3 main categories, ie, CR, nCR + VGPR + PR, and SD. The respective 10-year PFS and OS values were 58% and 70% for CR, 15% and 18% for nCR + VGPR + PR, and 0% and 0% for SD. CONCLUSION The achievement of depth and prolonged response represents the most important prognostic factor. The relapse rate is low for patients in CR after 10 years of follow-up, possibly signifying a cure.

Autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation for multiple myeloma through an outpatient program

Introduction: There are considerable concerns regarding the appropriate use of health care resources to reduce costs and waiting lists associated with autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (AHPCT). One of the strategies to reach this goal is outpatient-based (OpB) AHPCT. Areas covered: We reviewed all the reported experiences in this field and illustrated the various models of OpB AHPCT. Expert opinion: The role of high-dose melphalan (HDM) followed by AHPCT in the treatment of Multiple Myeloma (MM) continues to evolve in the novel agent era and the International Myeloma Working Group recommends that AHPCT should be offered at some point in the course of the treatment program for a medically fit patient. The relatively short neutropenia and the limited extra-marrow toxicity after HDM support the hypothesis that MM patients are the most suitable for outpatient transplant programs. Various models have shown that the procedure is feasible and safe and may highly contribute to shorten waiting lists and to considerably cut health costs, with an improvement of quality of life. Ideal candidates may be those who are asymptomatic and fully active, who have a full-time caregiver and who can reside within easy reach from the transplant center.

Extracorporeal photopheresis, a therapeutic option for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and immunological diseases: state of the art

Introduction: Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) has been extensively used for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases for over 20 years and has a consistent and predictable safety profile with long-term use. Documenting the efficacy of ECP as therapeutic treatment has long been a matter of importance for physicians. Areas covered: The authors reviewed publications in this field with the goal of providing an overview of this therapeutic approach. Expert opinion: ECP is efficacious in a high percentage of those cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients who have circulating malignant T cells in the context of a still-near-normal immune competence. From the side of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), the use of ECP showed a clinical benefit in patients with steroid-refractory acute GVHD (aGVHD) and it is believed that ECP deserves to be evaluated as part of a combination strategy in first-line therapy of aGVHD. In chronic GHVD, the published data show that ECP can be effective in extensive and long-standing disease even when treatment is initiated at an advanced stage after conventional immunosuppressive and corticosteroid therapy has failed. ECP should be considered most beneficial for patients with predominantly mucocutaneous chronic GVHD. The fields of application of the procedure could be vast, and could also include autoimmune and metabolic diseases. The most important methodological issues which affect ECP evaluation is that the large majority of data about ECP result from single-arm observational series and the significant efficacy is mainly based on small and retrospective studies. ECP has never been proved to offer any survival advantage in a context of a randomized trial and the above-mentioned limitation also affects the accuracy of many biological modifications observed during ECP. Starting from these considerations, the need of a prospective randomized study becomes increasingly urgent.