Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Mantle Cell Lymphoma; Insights into Its Potential Role in the Era of New Immunotherapeutic and Targeted Therapies: The GETH/GELTAMO Experience

Allo-SCT is a curative option for selected patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) MCL, but with significant NRM. We present the long-term results of patients receiving allo-SCT in Spain from March 1995 to February 2020. The primary endpoints were EFS, OS, and cumulative incidence (CI) of NRM, relapse, and GVHD. We included 135 patients, most (85%) receiving RIC. After a median follow-up of 68 months, 5-year EFS and OS were 47 and 50%, respectively. Overall and CR rates were 86 and 80%. The CI of relapse at 1 and 3 years were 7 and 12%. NRM at day 100 and 1 year were 17 and 32%. Previous ASCT and Grade 3-4 aGVHD were associated with a higher NRM. Grade 3-4 aGVHD, donor type (mismatch non-related), and the time-period 2006-2020 were independently related to worse EFS. Patients from 1995-2005 were younger, most from HLA-identical sibling donors, and were pretreated less. Our data confirmed that allo-SCT may be a curative option in R/R MCL with low a CI of relapse, although NRM is still high, being mainly secondary to aGVHD. The arrival of new, highly effective and low toxic immunotherapeutic or targeted therapies inevitably will relegate allo-SCT to those fit patients who fail these therapies, far away from the optimal timing of treatment

Impacto de la fuente de progenitores en la mortalidad relacionada con la infección post-trasplante alogénico. Factores de progresión y pronóstico de Aspergilosis Invasiva

La presente tesis doctoral consta de 3 manuscritos ya publicados, uno de ellos presentado como anexo a la misma, y se centra en las complicaciones infecciosas post-trasplante alogénico (AloTPH) en general, focalizándose en una de las más frecuentes. En el primer manuscrito se recoge un estudio multicéntrico nacional, planteado con el objetivo de estudiar el impacto de la fuente de progenitores en la mortalidad relacionada con el trasplante (MRT) y con la infección (MRI), dado el uso creciente de cordón umbilical (CU) en el adulto en las últimas décadas, y la literatura limitada sobre estudios comparativos de CU versus las fuentes de progenitores más utilizadas como sangre periférica y médula ósea (SP/MO). La principal conclusión del estudio es que el tipo de fuente de progenitores no resultó estadísticamente significativa en los siguientes resultados: MRT (a 100 días y 1 año), riesgo de infección y/ó enfermedad por Citomegalovirus y Supervivencia Global. Además la MRI fue la primera causa de muerte, en porcentaje similar en ambos grupos (alrededor del 60% de las causas). Los hallazgos descritos sugieren que el riesgo de MRI en el aloTSCU es similar al resto de fuentes si se realiza una selección adecuada de la unidad de CU. A continuación, el trabajo de investigación de la doctorando se ha centrado en la infección por Aspergillus (AI), muy común en los pacientes hematológicos. En primer lugar se diseñó un estudio multicéntrico a nivel europeo para recoger el mayor número de casos de pacientes hematológicos con antecedentes de Aspergilosis, sometidos a trasplante alogénico, y analizar en dicha serie los factores de riesgo de progresión post-trasplante de la AI. Las variables que incrementaron la Incidencia Acumulada (Inc.Ac) de AI a 2 años fueron (1) neutropenia prolongada, (2) estadio avanzado de la enfermedad basal, (3) terapia antifúngica durante menos de 6 semanas previo al aloTPH, (4) enfermedad por Citomegalovirus, (5) MO ó CU como fuente de progenitores y (6) el desarrollo de Enfermedad del injerto contra huésped (EICH) aguda grados II-IV. Además, el acondicionamiento mieloablativo aumentó el riesgo de progresión en los primeros 30 días tras el aloTPH. Con estos resultados presentamos un modelo de riesgo de progresión con 3 grados (P 3 factores de riesgo, Inc.Ac de 72%). Analizados los factores de riesgo, el siguiente área a explorar fue el posible cambio en el pronóstico de la Aspergilosis en los pacientes hematológicos, para lo cual analizamos en nuestro centro una muestra de 130 casos de Aspergilosis probable, probada ó posible, con objeto de establecer una estratificación pronóstica que permita orientar una estrategia individualizada. Cinco variables disminuyeron la Supervivencia libre de Aspergilosis a 4 meses en pacientes con aloTPH y no-aloTPH, analizados por separado: (1) disfunción de un órgano en el momento del diagnóstico, (2) disfunción de más de un órgano (2 puntos), (3) AI diseminada, (4) neutropenia prolongada más de 10 días (grupo no aloTPH) ó monocitopenia (<0.1 x 109/l) (grupo aloTPH), y (5) tratamiento esteroide prolongado (grupo no aloTPH) ó donante alternativo (grupo aloTPH). Según el número de factores pronósticos adversos presentes en el momento del diagnóstico de la AI, identificamos 3 subgrupos pronósticos: bueno (SLA de 97% y 78%), intermedio (SLA de 73% y 32%) y pobre (SLA de 20% y 11%) en no-Alo y aloTPH respectivamente.The present doctoral thesis is compound of 3 manuscripts already published, in the setting of infectious complications after allogeneic transplantation (alloSCT). The first one is focused in a Spanish multicenter study designed with the aim of studying the impact of the type of source of hematopoietic stem cells on transplant and infection-related mortality (TRM and IRM respectively), since the umbilical cord blood is increasingly used in the last decades and the literature about comparison of different sources (UCB versus bone marrow or peripheral blood) is scarce. The main conclusion of the study is that the source had not a significant impact in overall outcomes as: TRM at 100 days and 1 year, cumulative incidence of CMV infection and disease and Overall Survival. Moreover IRM is the first cause of TRM in both groups (around 60% of total causes of TRM). These findings suggest that the risk of IRM in the setting of alloSCT from UCB is similar to others sources if selection of UCB unit follows strict criteria. Next to this study, doctorand research has focused mainly in one of the most common infections in hematological patients: fungal infections by Aspergillus (IA). A multicenter study was designed in the setting of European Bone Marrow Transplantation group to report a representative sample of patients with a prior diagnosis of IA who underwent an alloSCT, to analyze risk factors for progression of IA after transplant. Variables that resulted statistically significant in multivariate analysis for a higher risk (Cumulative Incidence, Cum.Inc) of progression of IA at 2 years were (1) prolonged neutropenia, (2) advanced status of basal disease, (3) antifungal therapy for less than 6 weeks prior alloSCT, (4) CMV disease, (5) Bone marrow or UCB as source and (6) acute II-IV GHVD. In addition, myeloablative conditioning increased progression risk the first 30 days after alloSCT. With these results we present a risk model with 3 subgroups based on the presence or 0-6 risk factors (P 3 risk factors, Cum.Inc 72%). This model might orientate the choice of conditioning intensity as well as secondary antifungal prophylaxis. The third study, attached as anexum, is focused on another scarcely explored field, the prognosis of IA: we analyzed in a monocenter study from Sant Pau’s Hospital 130 cases of possible, probable or proven IA, to establish a prognosis model useful as a tool for deciding an individualized strategy in the clinical practice. Five variables diminished Aspergillosis-free survival (AFS) at 4 months from diagnosis, in both groups analyzed, alloSCT and hematological patients non-transplanted (non-alloSCT): (1) one organ dysfunction at diagnosis of IA, (2) more than one organ dysfunction (2 points), (3) disseminated IA, (4) time of neutropenia longer than 10 days (non- alloSCT) or monocytopenia (<0.1 x 109/l) (alloSCT), and (5) steroids treatment (non- alloSCT) or alternative donor (alloSCT). According with the number of adverse prognosis factors at diagnosis of IA, we identified 3 prognosis subgroups: favorable (AFS 97% and 78%), intermedial (AFS 73% y 32%) and poor (AFS 20% and 11%) in non-alloSCT and alloSCT respectively

Early detection of Toxoplasma infection by molecular monitoring of Toxoplasma gondii in peripheral blood samples after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

International audienceBackground. Isolated case reports have shown that recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants ( HSCTs) who develop toxoplasmosis may have circulating Toxoplasma gondii DNA in peripheral blood before the onset of clinical symptoms. Methods. We prospectively studied 106 T. gondii - seropositive adult recipients of HSCTs for the incidence of reactivation of toxoplasmosis in the first 6 months after transplantation. Toxoplasmosis infection ( TI) was defined by a positive result of polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) of peripheral blood specimens, whereas toxoplasmosis disease ( TD) was defined as an invasive infection. Results. The incidence of TI was 16% ( 95% confidence interval [ CI], 8% - 21%), whereas the incidence of TD was 16% ( 95% CI, 1% - 10%). In the 16 patients with TI, the incidence of disease was 38%, whereas it was 0% in patients without TI (P < .001). In most patients, the onset of TD or treatment for TI was preceded by an increase in the parasite load in peripheral blood samples, as determined by quantitative PCR. Conclusions. Toxoplasmosis occurs more commonly after HSCT than has previously been suggested, and routine PCR testing of peripheral blood specimens may be an appropriate tool for guiding preemptive therapy in patients at very high risk of developing invasive disease

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for adults with relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia in second complete remission

We retrospectively compared outcomes of a large series of adult patients with APL in CR2 receiving alloHSCT (n = 228) or autoHSCT (n = 341) reported to the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation from January 2004 to December 2018. The 2-year cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality was significantly higher for alloHSCT 17.3% (95% CI 12.5–22.8) compared with autoHSCT 2.7% (95% CI 1.2–5) (p = 0.001), while differences in relapse rate were not significant (28% versus 22.9%; p = 0.28). Leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) favored autoHSCT with 74.5% (95% CI 69–79.2) and 82.4% (95% CI 77.3–86.5) compared with alloHSCT with 54.7% (95% CI 47.5–61.3) (p = 0.001) and 64.3% (95% CI 57.2–70.6), respectively (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed significantly worse LFS after alloHSCT (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.37–0.67; p < 0.0001), older age (p = 0.001), and shorter time from diagnosis to transplant (p = 0.00015). Similar results were obtained for OS. The study shows that autoHSCT resulted in better survival outcomes (LFS and OS) for APL in CR2. These results were mainly due to reduced NRM in the autoHSCT as compared to alloHSCT

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for adults with relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia in second complete remission

We retrospectively compared outcomes of a large series of adult patients with APL in CR2 receiving alloHSCT (n = 228) or autoHSCT (n = 341) reported to the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation from January 2004 to December 2018. The 2-year cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality was significantly higher for alloHSCT 17.3% (95% CI 12.5–22.8) compared with autoHSCT 2.7% (95% CI 1.2–5) (p = 0.001), while differences in relapse rate were not significant (28% versus 22.9%; p = 0.28). Leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) favored autoHSCT with 74.5% (95% CI 69–79.2) and 82.4% (95% CI 77.3–86.5) compared with alloHSCT with 54.7% (95% CI 47.5–61.3) (p = 0.001) and 64.3% (95% CI 57.2–70.6), respectively (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed significantly worse LFS after alloHSCT (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.37–0.67; p < 0.0001), older age (p = 0.001), and shorter time from diagnosis to transplant (p = 0.00015). Similar results were obtained for OS. The study shows that autoHSCT resulted in better survival outcomes (LFS and OS) for APL in CR2. These results were mainly due to reduced NRM in the autoHSCT as compared to alloHSCT

Prognostic impact of early‐versus‐late responses to different induction regimens in patients with myeloma undergoing autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation: Results from the CALM study by the CMWP of the EBMT

In autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT)-eligible myeloma patients, prolonged induction does not necessarily improve the depth of response. We analyzed 1222 ASCT patients who were classified based on (a) the interval between induction and stem cell collection, (b) the type of induction regimen: BID (Bortezomib, IMiDs, and Dexamethasone), Bortezomib-based, or CTD (Cyclophosphamide, Thalidomide, and Dexamethasone), and (c) the time to best response (Early ie, best response within 4 or 5 months, depending on the regimen vs Late; Good ie, VGPR or better vs Poor). The length of induction treatment required to achieve a Good response did not affect PFS (P = .65) or OS (P = .61) post-ASCT. The three types of regimen resulted in similar outcomes: median PFS 31, 27.7 and 30.8 months (P = .31), and median OS 81.7, 92.7, and 77.4 months, respectively (P = .83). On multivariate analysis, neither the type nor the duration of the induction regimen affected OS and PFS, except for Early Good Responders who had a better PFS compared to Early Poor Responders (HR = 1.21, P-value = .02). However, achieving a Good response at induction was associated with a better response (≥VGPR) post-transplant. The kinetics of response did not affect outcomes