Wood, William A.

BackgroundThe association of community factors and outcomes after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has not been comprehensively described. Using the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps (CHRR) and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), this study evaluated the impact of community health status on allogeneic HCT outcomes.MethodsThis study included 18,544 adult allogeneic HCT recipients reported to the CIBMTR by 170 US centers in 2014‐2016. Sociodemographic, environmental, and community indicators were derived from the CHRR, an aggregate community risk score was created, and scores were assigned to each patient (patient community risk score [PCS]) and transplant center (center community risk score [CCS]). Higher scores indicated less healthy communities. The impact of PCS and CCS on patient outcomes after allogeneic HCT was studied.ResultsThe median age was 55 years (range, 18‐83 years). The median PCS was –0.21 (range, –1.37 to 2.10; standard deviation [SD], 0.42), and the median CCS was –0.13 (range, –1.04 to 0.96; SD, 0.40). In multivariable analyses, a higher PCS was associated with inferior survival (hazard ratio [HR] per 1 SD increase, 1.04; 99% CI, 1.00‐1.08; P = .0089). Among hematologic malignancies, a tendency toward inferior survival was observed with a higher PCS (HR, 1.04; 99% CI, 1.00‐1.08; P = .0102); a higher PCS was associated with higher nonrelapse mortality (NRM; HR, 1.08; 99% CI, 1.02‐1.15; P = .0004). CCS was not significantly associated with survival, relapse, or NRM.ConclusionsPatients residing in counties with a worse community health status have inferior survival as a result of an increased risk of NRM after allogeneic HCT. There was no association between the community health status of the transplant center location and allogeneic HCT outcomes.

Abstract Background Prior comparisons of chemotherapy adverse events (AEs) by age and performance status (PS) are limited by the traditional maximum grade approach, which ignores low-grade AEs and longitudinal changes. Materials and Methods To compare fatigue and neuropathy longitudinally by age (<65, ≥65 years) and PS (0–1, 2), we analyzed data from a large phase III trial of carboplatin and paclitaxel versus paclitaxel for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (CALGB 9730, n = 529). We performed multivariable (a) linear mixed models to estimate mean AE grade over time, (b) linear regression to estimate area under the curve (AUC), and (c) proportional hazards models to estimate the hazard ratio of developing grade ≥2 AE, as well as traditional maximum grade analyses. Results Older patients had on average a 0.17-point (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.00–0.34; p = .049) higher mean fatigue grade longitudinally compared with younger patients. PS 2 was associated with earlier development of grade ≥2 fatigue (hazard ratio [HR], 1.56; 95% CI, 1.07–2.27; p = .02). For neuropathy, older age was associated with earlier development of grade ≥2 neuropathy (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.00–1.97; p = .049). Patients with PS 2 had a 1.30 point lower neuropathy AUC (95% CI, −2.36 to −0.25; p = .02) compared with PS 0–1. In contrast, maximum grade analyses only detected a higher percentage of older adults with grade ≥3 fatigue and neuropathy at some point during treatment. Conclusion Our comparison of complementary but distinct aspects of chemotherapy toxicity identified important longitudinal differences in fatigue and neuropathy by age and PS that are missed by the traditional maximum grade approach. Clinical trial identification number: NCT00003117 (CALGB 9730) Implications for Practice The traditional maximum grade approach ignores persistent low-grade adverse events (AEs) and changes over time. This toxicity over time analysis of fatigue and neuropathy during chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer demonstrates how to use longitudinal methods to comprehensively characterize AEs over time by age and performance status (PS). We identified important longitudinal differences in fatigue and neuropathy that are missed by the maximum grade approach. This new information about how older adults and patients with PS 2 experience these toxicities longitudinally may be used clinically to improve discussions about treatment options and what to expect to inform shared decision making and symptom management.

Abstract Introduction Follow-up is an integral part of hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) care which ensures accurate characterization of HCT-related outcomes as well as surveillance and intervention for complications. Despite the importance of follow-up of all HCT recipients at transplant centers, they may be lost to follow-up (LTFU). HCT recipients who are LTFU may be demographically or clinically distinct from HCT recipients who maintain regular center follow-up. Using population-based data from 17,550 adult and 4,279 pediatric HCT recipients from United States centers reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), we characterize the incidence of, and predictors for, becoming LTFU. Methods The study included 2-year (yr) survivors of first allogeneic (10,367 adults and 3,865 children) or autologous (7,183 adults and 414 children) HCT for malignant and non-malignant disorders in the United States from 2002-2013 reported to the CIBMTR. LTFU was defined as a patient having missed 2 consecutive follow-up reporting periods. CIBMTR follow-up forms are collected annually for the first 6 yrs post-HCT and bi-annually thereafter. The cumulative incidence of LTFU HCT recipients was calculated. Marginal Cox models allowing adjustment for center effect were fit to evaluate risk factors for becoming LTFU among adults and pediatric allogeneic and autologous HCT survivors. Risk factors evaluated included: sociodemographic (age at HCT, sex, performance status, race, distance to center, income, health insurance, marital status) and disease/HCT-related (disease type, yr of HCT) factors. Results Among 2-yr allogeneic HCT survivors, the median age at the time of HCT was 49 yrs (range, 18-81) and 7 yrs (range, <1-18) for adult and pediatric recipients, respectively. Corresponding median follow-up was 75 months (mos) (range, 12-173) and 74 mos (range, 3-173). Health insurance coverage was public (23%) or private (64%) for adult recipients, and public (40%) or private (43%) for pediatric recipients. For 2-yr autologous HCT survivors, the median age at the time of HCT was 58 yrs (range, 18-82) and 4 yrs (range, <1-18) for the adult and pediatric recipients, respectively. Corresponding median follow-up was 76 mos (range, 3-174) and 73 mos (range, 6-173). Health insurance coverage was public (27%) or private (57%) for adult recipients, and public (48%) or private (39%) for pediatric recipients. The 10-year cumulative incidence of becoming LTFU among adult and pediatric allogeneic HCT recipients was 13% (95% CI, 12-14) and 25% (95% CI, 24-27), respectively. Among autologous HCT recipients, the 10-year cumulative incidence of becoming LTFU among adults and children was 15% (95% CI, 14-16) and 23% (95% CI, 19-28), respectively. (Figure 1) Among pediatric allogeneic HCT survivors, older age, non-white race, public or no insurance (referent: private), and earlier yr of HCT were significantly associated with increased LTFU risk. However, in adult allogeneic HCT survivors, younger age, non-malignant disease, public or no insurance (referent: private), living farther from the HCT center, and unmarried were significantly associated with higher risk of LTFU (Table 1). In pediatric autologous HCT survivors, males and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)/Hodgkin lymphoma patients (referent: central nervous system tumors) were significantly associated with higher risk of becoming LTFU (Table 1), whereas for adult autologous HCT survivors, older age and multiple myeloma (referent: NHL) were significantly associated with decreased risk of LTFU. Conclusions The incidence of LTFU is significantly higher in pediatric than adult patients, with no difference between autologous and allogeneic HCT patients, regardless of age. We identified risk factors for LTFU that differed by age and HCT donor type. A national, comprehensive, risk-based approach to long-term follow-up focusing on minimizing the attrition in high-risk groups such as adolescent and young adult-aged HCT survivors and HCT survivors with non-private health insurance is needed. Future studies incorporating patient reported outcomes may help describe reasons for lack of long-term follow-up. Collection of accurate and meaningful epidemiologic and clinical data from all survivors can help develop and refine strategies to improve long-term outcomes of this population. Disclosures Parsons: Seattle Genetics: Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction: Outcome disparities related to race and area-based socioeconomic status (SES) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) have been identified in adult patients [Baker et al. 2009]. The relationship between SES and outcomes in pediatric allo-HCT has not been previously described. Among a large cohort of pediatric allo-HCT recipients we sought to determine the impact of area-based poverty on 5-year outcomes of overall survival (OS), acute and chronic graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD, cGVHD); as well as the short-term outcome of infection through day 100 . Methods: We utilized the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) database to examine the association of sociodemographic variables with outcomes in two cohorts of pediatric transplant recipients aged <=18 years who received allo-HCT at U.S. centers between 2006-2015. Cohort 1 (malignant) included 2053 children who received myeloablative conditioning for any malignancy. Cohort 2 (non-malignant) included 1696 children who received myeloablative or reduced-intensity conditioning for any non-malignant disease. Zip codes of child's residence were categorized as high-poverty area (>=20% households living below 100% federal poverty level (FPL)) versus low-poverty area (<20% households below 100% FPL) by linkage to U.S. Census data [Krieger et al. 2002]. Individual-level sociodemographic variables including insurance (Medicaid-only vs Other), race (Caucasian vs Black vs Other) and ethnicity (non-Hispanic vs Hispanic) were included as covariates. Cox regression was used to examine the effect of patient-related (age, performance status, insurance, race, and ethnicity), disease-related (disease type and status), and HCT-related (donor/graft type, CMV status, stem cell source, HLA match, donor age and gender, conditioning regimen and intensity, GVHD prophylaxis, year of HCT) variables on the outcomes of interest between the two area-based poverty groups. Results: Fifteen percent (N=299) of children in Cohort 1 lived in a high-poverty area; 35% (N=711) were insured by Medicaid-only; 11% (N=227) were African-American and 20% (N=417) Hispanic. Median follow-up of survivors was 74 months. In multivariable analysis, there was no association between area-based poverty and OS; however, OS was inferior in children with Medicaid-only insurance compared to those with private insurance (HR 1.22 (95% CI 1.06-1.40), p=0.0037) and in Black children compared to Caucasian (HR 2.02 (95% CI 1.10-3.73), p=0.0234). For the secondary outcomes of aGVHD, cGVHD or infection through day 100, there were no associations between area-based poverty, insurance, race, or ethnicity in multivariable analysis. To further explore the independent association of insurance with OS, we performed an ad hoc univariate analysis that demonstrated that insurance-related differences in OS for malignant disease appear to be driven by differences in treatment-related mortality (TRM) (5-year TRM: Medicaid-only 25% (95% CI 22-28) versus 18% (95% CI 16-21) other). Thirteen percent (N=228) of children in Cohort 2 lived in a high-poverty zip code; 35% were insured by Medicaid-only (N=597); 20% (N=332) were African-American and 20% (N=344) Hispanic. Median follow-up of survivors was 74 months. In multivariable analyses, there was no association between area-based poverty, insurance, race or ethnicity and any outcome. Conclusion: Area-based poverty is not associated with disparate outcomes in pediatric allo-HCT for malignant or non-malignant disease. In the setting of malignant disease, insurance-a household-level measure of socioeconomic status-and Black race are independently associated with inferior OS. These results suggest that future prospective investigation of more refined measures of household-level socioeconomic status may identify risk-factors for treatment-related mortality in this population. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Background Current literature suggests that the presence and quality of social support may provide meaningful benefits in overall survival of HCT recipients. Further, studies in general oncology and renal transplantation population suggest that married patients have favorable outcomes. Caregivers of HCT recipients are an important source of both instrumental and emotional support, and a reasonable surrogate for presence of social support. Using data from Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), we examined the potential influence of marital status (surrogate for caregiver) at the time of HCT on outcomes of HCT. Methods Patients, >40 years of age who underwent either autologous or allogeneic-HCT from 2008 to 2015 were included. Marital status was defined as either 1) Married, 2) Single, never married, 3) Separated/divorced, and 4) Widowed. The probability of OS at 5 years, Grade 2-4 acute GVHD at 100 days and chronic GVHD at 2 years were estimated as appropriate using the Kaplan-Meier method with the log-rank test used for univariate comparisons. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the association of marital status with these outcomes, while adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic variables. Results We identified 10,226 allogeneic and 5,714 autologous HCT patients; the median follow-up of survivors was 37 months (range 1-102 months) and 40 months (range 1-106 months) respectively. In the allogeneic population, there were n=7,999 married, n=741 single, n=1,175 separated/divorced and n=311 widowed patients. There were n=4,308, n=478, n=695 and n=233 respectively in the autologous population. The baseline characteristics amongst the 4 groups of marital status were comparable. In the allogeneic population, the 5-year probability of OS, 100-day Grade 2-4 acute GVHD, 2-year probability of chronic GVHD were 38% [95%CI (36-39%)], 16% [95%CI (15-17%)]and 46% [95%CI (45-47%)] respectively; while the 5-year probability of OS in the autologous population was 63% [95%CI (61-64%)]. When compared with married patients, single, separated/divorced and widowed patients were not at an increased risk of death [HR 1.09, 95%CI (0.98-1.2); HR 1.01, 95%CI (0.93-1.09); HR 1.09, 95%CI (0.98-1.2)] in the allogeneic setting. Similarly, there was no association of marital status and OS in the autologous setting [HR 1.10, 95%CI (0.92-1.33); HR 1.17, 95%CI (1.01-1.36); HR 1.08, 95%CI (0.86-1.37)] respectively. In contrast, marital status in the allogeneic setting was associated with an increased risk of grade 2-4 acute GVHD in patients who are divorced/separated as compared to married patients [HR 1.13, 95%CI (1.03-1.24)] but not chronic GVHD [HR 0.90, 95%CI (0.80-1.02); HR 0.94, 95%CI (0.86-1.04); HR 0.82, 95%CI (0.68-0.99)] respectively. We did not identify an interaction between marital status and gender. Conclusions Our data suggest the marital status in patients undergoing either autologous or allogeneic HCT is not associated with overall survival or chronic GVHD, while the risk of acute GVHD maybe increased in patients who are divorced/separated. Taken together, the effect of marital status on post-HCT outcomes is negligible when other patient, disease and transplant variables are considered. Alternatively, marital status maybe an imperfect marker for positive social support. Future research should consider measuring social support using validated scales and assess health related quality of life together with health care utilization outcomes to better appreciate the potential impact of social support. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Introduction Older patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation may experience a higher degree of morbidity and limitations from transplant related complications. Chronic graft-versus –host disease (GVHD) causes a significant reduction in patients’ quality of life (QOL), physical functioning, and functional status. However, it is not known if moderate to severe chronic GVHD has a worse impact on QOL, or survival outcomes for older patients. Methods We analyzed data of patients with moderate or severe chronic GVHD (N=522, 1661 follow-up visits, a total of 2,183 visits) from the Chronic GVHD Consortium, a prospective observational multicenter cohort. Moderate or severe chronic GVHD was defined by the National Institutes of Health global severity score at the time of enrollment. We examined the relationship between age group (adolescent and young adult “AYA” 18-40, “middle-aged” 41-59, and “older” ≥ 60 years) and clinical manifestations of chronic GVHD, patient-reported outcomes, functional status, non-relapse mortality and overall survival. Clinical manifestations of chronic GVHD were determined by the clinician-reported individual organ scores. Patient-reported outcomes included (1) QOL as measured by Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT-BMT) and the Medical Outcome Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) (2) chronic GVHD symptom burden as measured by the Lee Symptom Scale; and (3) physical fitness as measured by the Human Activity Profile (HAP). Functional status was assessed using the 2-minute walk test (2MWT). Because of multiple testing, p-values <0.01 were considered significant. Results There were 115 (22%) AYA, 279 (53%) middle-aged and 128 (25%) older patients with moderate (58%) or severe (42%) chronic GVHD included. At study enrollment, older patients (≥60) were similar to younger patients in sex, time from transplant (median 12 months), prior acute GVHD, percentage of severe chronic GVHD, and current co-morbidity scores but differed in disease distribution and conditioning regimen intensity. At enrollment, in unadjusted analyses using all available data, older patients had similar rates and severity of global and organ-specific manifestations of chronic GVHD compared to younger patients, except for genital involvement, which was more prevalent and severe in AYA patients. Although older patients reported worse physical functioning [SF-36 Physical Functioning (p=0.01)], shorter 2MWT (p=0.002), and lower HAP scores (p=0.001) than AYA and middle-aged patients suggesting they have more physical limitations, older patients had better QOL [FACT-BMT (p=0.01)] scores compared to middle-aged patients and similar to AYA patients. Older patients had better psychological [Lee Psychological Scale (p<0.001), SF-36 Mental Health (p=0.01)] and emotional functioning [FACT-Emotional Well-being (p=0.001)] and less pain [SF-36 Bodily Pain (p=0.006)] than AYA and middle-aged patients but similar chronic GVHD symptom burden [Lee Symptom Scale (p=0.47)]. In multivariable linear mixed models utilizing all visit data and adjusted for clinical covariates, older patients had QOL (FACT-BMT) that was comparable to AYA patients (estimate -0.04, p=0.99) and better than middle-aged patients (estimate 5.7, p=0.004), while the SF36 physical and mental component scores and symptom burden were not different between the groups. Non-relapse mortality and overall survival were similar between the age groups in unadjusted analyses (p=0.23, p=0.17) and after adjusting for clinical covariates (p=0.17, p=0.15) in Cox models. In a subgroup analysis, we found that there were no differences in overall and organ-specific chronic GVHD manifestations, QOL and survival between patients in the 60-64 (n=73), 65-70 (n=39), and >70 (n=16) age groups, except for more moderate-severe skin involvement in the 65-70 year olds. Conclusion Despite higher physical and functional limitations, older patients with moderate or severe chronic GVHD have preserved QOL, comparable disease manifestations and symptom burden, and similar overall survival and non-relapse mortality when compared to younger patients. Therefore we did not find evidence that older age itself is associated with worse QOL or survival in patients with moderate or severe chronic GVHD. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Background: The association of clinical trial participation with outcomes in cancer patients is controversial, with some studies reporting better outcomes for trial participants while others do not. It is possible that the difference in outcomes is due to differences in baseline characteristics of participants and non-participants. The Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) 0201 trial was a large randomized, multi-center study comparing peripheral blood (PB) with bone marrow (BM) for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from HLA-matched or 1 allele mismatched unrelated donors (URD) in patients with acute leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. The trial reported no significant survival differences between PB and BM; there was decreased risk of graft failure but increased risk of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) with PB grafts (Anasetti et al NEJM 2012). Methods: We compared characteristics of BMT CTN 0201 study participants (n=494) with HCT recipients who did not participate on the trial (n=1384) but were potentially eligible by virtue of known characteristics. These patients received similar conditioning and GVHD prophylaxis as trial participants at 38 United States trial centers during the study time-period. Centers that had no eligible non-trial participants were excluded. Outcomes between patients on and off trial were compared using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Data were obtained from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) that collects patient data on all trial and non-trial allogeneic HCT recipients through its registry function. Results: Approximately 29% [494/1878] of apparently eligible patients were randomized and analyzed as part of the trial. There were no significant differences between study participants and non-participants in age or sex distribution, disease types, HLA or sex matching, comorbidities, or interval from diagnosis to HCT. Higher proportions of non-participants were Hispanic, had a lower performance status and lower disease risk, and received myeloablative conditioning and antithymocyte globulin (ATG) or Campath than the study participants. PB was used more commonly as the graft source in the non-participants as compared to the study participants (65% vs. 50%, p<0.001). In multivariate models, overall mortality (HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.95-1.25, p=0.22), transplant-related mortality (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.89-1.32, p=0.42) and risks of acute grade II-IV (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.82-1.12, p=0.57) and chronic GVHD (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.92-1.23, p=0.41) were comparable between study non-participants and participants. Non-participants were at higher risk for relapse than participants (HR 1.24, 95%CI 1.04-1.49, p=0.02) in the multivariate analysis adjusted for disease risk and other clinical variables. Center effect was examined and was not found to be significant (p=0.10). There was no significant interaction between graft source and trial participation (P=0.22) and the risk of mortality was comparable for BM (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.80-1.22, p=0.90) and PB recipients (HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.97-1.41, p=0.09) whether on trial or off trial. (Figure) Conclusion: Approximately 29% of patients who appeared eligible and were treated with conditioning and GVHD prophylaxis regimens allowed on the trial were enrolled. Despite some differences in clinical characteristics, most of the outcomes of non-trial participants were comparable to trial participants, suggesting that there is no definitive evidence that the outcomes of patients in a clinical trial are superior to those of the non-participants treated in a similar fashion. The comparable outcomes also indicate that the results of this trial were not seriously affected by selection bias and are therefore representative of the larger population. Figure 1: Adjusted overall survival in BMT CTN 0201 trial participants and non-participants Figure 1:. Adjusted overall survival in BMT CTN 0201 trial participants and non-participants Figure 2 Figure 2. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Key PointsHigh-circulating AREG (≥33 pg/mL) reclassifies additional patients into HR categories and further refines the Minnesota aGVHD risk score. Patients with aGVHD and AREG ≥33 pg/mL have lower rates of steroid response, higher NRM, and poorer OS.

Key Points Over the last decade, allogeneic HCT has been increasingly administered in the United States to adults aged 70 and older with hematologic malignancies. Allogeneic transplant outcomes were reasonable; high comorbidity and ablative conditioning regimens were associated with inferior outcomes.

BACKGROUNDTo evaluate the impact of depression before autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) on clinical outcomes post‐transplantation.METHODSWe analyzed data from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research to compare outcomes after autologous (n = 3786) or allogeneic (n = 7433) HCT for adult patients with hematologic malignancies with an existing diagnosis of pre‐HCT depression requiring treatment versus those without pre‐HCT depression. Using Cox regression models, we compared overall survival (OS) between patients with or without depression. We compared the number of days alive and out of the hospital in the first 100 days post‐HCT using Poisson models. We also compared the incidence of grade 2‐4 acute and chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) in allogeneic HCT.RESULTSThe study included 1116 (15%) patients with pre‐transplant depression and 6317 (85%) without depression who underwent allogeneic HCT between 2008 and 2012. Pre‐transplant depression was associated with lower OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04‐1.23; P = 0.004) and a higher incidence of grade 2‐4 acute GVHD (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.14‐1.37; P < 0.0001), but similar incidence of chronic GVHD. Pre‐transplant depression was associated with fewer days‐alive‐and‐out‐of‐the hospital (means ratio [MR] = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95‐0.99; P = 0.004). There were 512 (13.5%) patients with Pre‐transplant depression and 3274 (86.5%) without depression who underwent autologous HCT. Pre‐transplant depression in autologous HCT was not associated with OS (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.98‐1.34; P = 0.096) but was associated with fewer days alive and out of the hospital (MR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97‐0.99; P = 0.002).CONCLUSIONPre‐transplant depression was associated with lower OS and higher risk of acute GVHD among allogeneic HCT recipients and fewer days alive and out of the hospital during the first 100 days after autologous and allogeneic HCT. Patients with pre‐transplant depression represent a population that is at risk for post‐transplant complications. Cancer 2017;123:1828–1838. © 2017 American Cancer Society.