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Background: Therapy-related MDS/AML (t-MDS/AML) is a common and devastating complication of treatment with alkylating agents and topoisomerase II inhibitors, often employed with curative intent, in standard or high-doses, in the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. Allogeneic HSC transplant is considered the standard treatment for t-MDS/AML but its applicability is limited by the unavailability of donors, comorbidities in the recipient and risk of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease. Patients carrying diseases commonly treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous HSC transplant (such as multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma) who latter develop t-MDS/AML occasionally have stored HSC harvested prior to the diagnosis of the secondary malignancy (hereafter called early-stored HSC). The benefit of using early-stored HSC to support myeloablative therapy for the treatment t-MDS/AML is unknown. Methods: Retrospective, single center analysis of patients with t-MDS/AML receiving myeloablative chemotherapy with or without irradiation supported with early-stored HSC. Results: Six patients received early-stored HSC transplant for treatment of t-MDS/AML between 2000 and 2007. Median age at the time of the transplant was 57 years (range 15–71). Three patients had been primarily diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, 2 with multiple myeloma and 1 with Ewing’s sarcoma. One patient had received prior autologous HSC transplantation. Two patients developed AML, 1 patient CMML, 1 patient RCMD, 1 patient RAEB1 and 1 patient RAEB2. Median time from diagnosis of primary malignancy to HSC harvesting was 26 (2–122) months and from harvesting to development of t-MDS/AML 44 (7–79) months. Conditioning regimen was Cy/TBI in three patients, BuCy in 2 patients and Samarium + Melphalan in one patient. Five patients engrafted neutrophils and 4 patients engrafted platelets 10–34 and 13–126 days after transplant respectively. In 3/6 patients there was disappearance of the pre-transplant chromosomic abnormality (2 patients -7 and 1 patient -7 and t(1;7)). Two patients obtained hematologic CR and two patients obtained CR without full recovery of platelets. One patient died of sepsis 230 days after transplant, one died with refractory disease on day 103 after transplant and one patient is alive with recurrence of t-MDS. Three patients are alive and free of disease 7, 73 and 87 months after transplant. Conclusion: Myeloablative conditioning followed by autologous, early-stored HSC transplant can provide prolonged survival to patients with tMDS/AML not suitable to allogeneic SCT.

Abstract Background: The prognostic significance of lymphocyte counts and immune status has been carefully examined in lymphoid malignancies, but the importance of the lymphocyte count in chronic myeloid neoplasms is less clear. In a recent analysis of MDS cases associated with deletion of chromosome 5q (Holtan SG et al AmJHem 2008 Epub 12Jun), we observed that an ALC >1.2 × 109 cells/L at diagnosis is independently associated with improved survival. The prognostic value of ALC in MDS not associated with del(5q) is unknown. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients without del(5q) diagnosed with MDS at our institution over a 10-year period and gathered data on complete blood counts and leukocyte differentials, bone marrow findings, and clinical course. Inclusion criteria included diagnosis within 6 months prior to initial consultation at our institution and <20% marrow blasts. Patients were classified according to the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) and the WHO-classification based Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS). Results: The median age of the 503 included patients (360 M, 143 F) was 69 years (range 20–91). Median follow-up was 14 months, and 65% of patients were known to have died with an overall median survival of 36 months. Cytogenetic results as classified by the IPSS were favorable in 326 (65%) patients, intermediate in 112 (22%), and poor in 65 (13%). Both IPSS and WPSS accurately stratified patients, but the WPSS was better at identifying the lowest and highest risk patients. Survival by IPSS risk group was as follows: low-risk disease (n=95, median survival 41.8 months), intermediate-1 (n=285, 23.6 months), 106 with intermediate-2 (n=106, 14.1 months), and high-risk (n=17, 8.05 months). WPSS risk groups included very low risk (n=87; median survival 71.9 months), low risk (n=149, 28.8 months), intermediate risk (n=85, 19.3 months), high risk (n=143, 14.4 months), and very high risk (n=39, 8.8 months). In univariate analysis, factors associated with poorer survival included advanced age (p = 0.0012), higher-risk WHO subtype (p<0.0001), increased marrow blast percentage (p<0.0001), poor-risk karyotype (p<0.0001), higher IPSS score or WPSS score (p<0.0001), lower hemoglobin (p<0.0001), lower MCV (p=0.03), lower ALC (p=0.001), and lower platelets (p=0.001). Factors not associated with survival included sex and ANC. In a multivariate model including only baseline CBC parameters, hemoglobin >10 g/dL (p < 0.001), MCV >96 fl (p = 0.0493), ALC >1.2 × 109/L (p = 0.0449), and platelet count >100 × 109/L (p = 0.0046) were associated with improved survival. A high baseline ALC also maintained independent prognostic significance in a multivariate model against the IPSS (RR 0.746, 95% CI: 0.598, 0.933, p = 0.0099), and the raw WPSS score (RR 0.791, 95% CI 0.633, 0.987, p=0.037) but not the WPSS group (p=0.0794). There was no significant difference in the distribution of IPSS scores between the ALC >1.2 × 109 cells/L and the ALC ≤ 1.2 × 109 cells/L groups, although there were significantly more WPSS high risk patients in the low baseline ALC group (p = 0.0163). The creation of an ALC-modified IPSS score by adding 0.5 point for an ALC ≤ 1.2 × 109 cells/L resulted in a significant increase in median overall survival of the low risk group (41.8 months versus 66.1 months, p < 0.001, Figure 1). Conclusion: ALC is a novel and easily obtained prognostic marker in MDS that provides information complementary to existing prognostic scoring systems. Figure 1. Kaplan-Meier curves based upon IPSS (a) and the ALC-modified IPSS (b), where 0.5 point was added for an ALC ≤ 1.2 × 109 cells/L. Figure 1. Kaplan-Meier curves based upon IPSS (a) and the ALC-modified IPSS (b), where 0.5 point was added for an ALC ≤ 1.2 × 109 cells/L.

Abstract The peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) on day 15 after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has been shown to be an independent predictor for overall survival (OS) for many malignancies including acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), breast cancer, multiple myeloma (MM), primary systemic amyloidosis, and Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). A recent report (Dean et al. BMT2005; 36, 1049–1052) suggested that infused autograft dendritic cells (DC) affect survival post-ASCT in NHL. Thus, DC recovery at day 15 post-ASCT was assessed and correlated with OS. Preliminary data from an ongoing prospective study of 28 NHL patients post-ASCT are reported. Absolute DC at day 15 was analyzed by four color flow cytometry using antibodies to CD3, CD14, CD16, and CD19. In this approach lymphocytes and DCs were initially gated by their similar forward and side light scatter characteristics; DCs were then identified as cells in this gate that lacked staining for the lymphocyte antigens CD3, CD16, and CD19 and the monocyte antigen CD14. The percentage of antigen negative cells cells in the lymphocyte gate was then multiplied by the coincident peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte to determine the absolute DC count. Survival was then analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. With a median follow-up of 18 months, patients recovering a DC of 10 cells/μl or above experienced superior median OS versus those who did not (not reached vs 21 months, p < 0.02, Figure 1). This study shows that an immunocompetent immune system at day 15 (not only ALC recovery, but also DC recovery) correlates with survival in NHL patients undergoing ASCT. Figure Figure

Abstract Abstract 85 Background: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with a highly variable natural history. Clinical variables describing either patient- or tumor-specific characteristics, many of which are included in the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI), are used to risk-stratify patients at the time of diagnosis. However, characteristics of non-malignant cells present within the tumor microenvironment provide important prognostic information. For example, both immunohistochemistry and gene expression profiling studies demonstrate that lymphoma-associated macrophages (LAMs) are prognostically important in FL. As LAMs are monocyte-derived, we sought to determine whether the absolute monocyte count (AMC) obtained from a CBC at diagnosis is an adverse prognostic factor in FL. Methods: Consecutive patients with FL who were evaluated and treated at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester between 1998 and 2007 were considered for study participation. Study approval was granted by the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board. The primary objective of the study was to determine the significance of the AMC, obtained at the time of diagnosis from a standard complete blood count with differential, in predicting overall survival. The secondary study objective was to determine whether the AMC is an independently significant prognostic factor when compared with the FLIPI. Results: The median follow-up was 4.2 years (range: 2 months to 11 years) for the 355 patients included in this study. At diagnosis, 43%, 34% and approximately 23% of patients were classified as low-, intermediate- or high-risk by the FLIPI. The median AMC at diagnosis was 510/μL, with 8% of patients presenting with an absolute monocytosis. At diagnosis, 45% of patients were initially observed, 42% received combination chemotherapy or immunochemotherapy alone, while the remaining 13% underwent surgery or radiation. The AMC was evaluated as both a continuous and dichotomized variable on univariate analysis. The optimal cut-point for the AMC was determined to be 570/μL by ROC analysis and was used when analyzing the AMC as a dichotomized variable. A relative elevation in the AMC was associated with inferior overall survival, whether analyzed as a continuous or dichotomized variable, with hazard ratios (HR) of 1.002 (HR per unit change in AMC; 95% confidence interval 1.001–1.002; p=0.0002) and 3.4 (95% confidence interval 2.0–6.0; p<0.0001), respectively. The median OS for patients with an AMC <570/μL at diagnosis has not been reached, whereas a median OS of 10.2 years (95% confidence interval 7.8–11.2 years; p<0.0001) was observed for those patients with an AMC ≥570/μL. For comparison, median OS has not been reached for high-risk patients identified by the FLIPI. Among those patients who were initially observed, the median time to progression (TTP) was 31 months (95% confidence interval 25–37 months) for those with an AMC <570/μL at diagnosis. In contrast, patients with an AMC ≥570/μL experienced a significantly shorter TTP following initial observation, with a median TTP of 18 months (95% confidence interval 8–28 months; p=0.03). When adjusting for prognostic factors included in the FLIPI on multivariate analysis, the association between the AMC as a dichotomized variable and survival remained significant with a HR of 2.6 (95% confidence interval 1.5–4.6; p=0.001). When the FLIPI alone (high vs. low/intermediate) was analyzed on multivariate analysis, the AMC remained an independent predictor of survival (p<0.0001). Furthermore, the AMC provided additional prognostic information when superimposed upon the FLIPI. For example, a subset of patients classified as high-risk by the FLIPI were observed to have an OS comparable to low/intermediate risk patients identified by the FLIPI upon further risk-stratification by the AMC, with a 6-year OS of 80%. In contrast, high-risk FLIPI patients with an AMC ≥570/uL were observed to have a median OS of 4.2 years (95% confidence interval 2.7–7.2) and 6-year OS of 47%. Conclusions: The AMC is associated with overall survival in FL and is independent from the FLIPI on multivariate analysis. While the AMC did not appear inferior to the FLIPI in identifying high-risk patients, it may be most helpful when used in conjunction with the FLIPI. These results further support the central role of nonneoplastic myeloid-lineage cells in FL biology. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Abstract 3040 We have previously shown that both lymphocyte and monocyte recovery are strongly associated with improved survival post-myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant for acute leukemia (Thoma et al, Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, in press). We hypothesized that rapid lymphocyte and monocyte recovery would have a similarly positive impact on overall survival in reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) HSCT with fludarabine/melphalan. To test our hypothesis, we analyzed 118 consecutive patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT with fludarabine/melphalan conditioning for AML (n=49) and MDS/MPN (n=38), ALL (n=7) and other lymphoid malignancies (n=24) at our institution from 2001–2010. The absolute lymphocyte counts and monocyte counts (ALC and AMC, respectively) derived from routine complete blood counts were determined longitudinally at days +15, +30, +60, +100 and correlated with clinical outcomes. At the day +30 time point, both ALC and AMC > 0.3 × 10(9) cells/L were strongly associated with improved survival (OS 29.6 months vs. 5.4 months, p=0.006 and 25.3 months vs. 5.1 months, p=0.01 respectively), a pattern that continued through the day +100 evaluation. Multivariate analysis including age, CD34+ cell dose, unrelated vs. related HSCT, presence of aGVHD, remission status, and longitudinal hematologic parameters revealed that day +100 ALC (RR 0.21, 95% CI 0.07–0.66, p= 0.0096) and day +100 AMC (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.2–0.9, p=0.047) were the only independent predictors of survival in the model. Pairwise correlations showed moderate negative associations between aGVHD and day +60 and day +100 ALC and AMC. To further explore whether any inherent patterns in the timing of lymphocyte and monocyte recovery had prognostic value post-HSCT, we performed unsupervised hierarchical clustering on the longitudinal hematopoietic parameters studied in this cohort and identified four clusters of patients, clusters A-D. Patient clusters A and C both demonstrated improved ALC and AMC recovery at the day +60 and day +100 time points and had significantly improved OS compared with clusters B and D (not reached for A and C vs. 54.9 and 22.3 months, respectively, p<0.001). No patient in cluster D had a day +100 AMC > 0.3 × 10(9) cells/L, and these patients experienced more acute GVHD (p=0.006) and relapse (8 of 14 patients, p=0.002) compared with clusters A, B, and C (p=0.002). 29 patients who were unable to be clustered with this algorithm, predominantly due to early toxic deaths, had a median survival of 6 months. Consistent with previous observations in our myeloablative cohort, both lymphocyte and monocyte recovery are predictive of overall survival post-RIC HSCT. However, compared to the myeloablative cohort, monocyte recovery in this series appears slightly less strongly associated with survival. Our results also extend the observation of improved survival of ALC and AMC recovery post-HSCT to diseases beyond acute leukemia. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Abstract 3095 Background: Although HDM is the standard conditioning for pts with MM undergoing ASCT, it is not sufficient for cure. In an effort to improve upon this standard, we added escalating doses of Y-90 Zevalin (a murine IgG1 kappa monoclonal antibody Ibritumomab conjugated to Y-90) to HDM in a standard 3+3 phase I trial design. Y-90 is a beta-emitting radioisotope with a path length of 5 mm allowing it to target CD20+ cells and bystander cells within 5 mm. Methods: Eligibility included being a candidate for ASCT. Consenting patients (pts) received: day -22, rituximab 250 mg/m2 with In2B8 for scanning; day -14, rituximab 250 mg/m2 with escalating doses of Y90-Zevalin; day -2 and -1, melphalan 100 mg/m2/day; day 0, at least 2 × 10(6) CD34/kg stem cells; and GM-CSF until ANC engraftment. The 6 dose levels (DL) were (in Gy): 10; 12; 14; 16; 18; and 20. Dose limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as: sustained pulmonary or liver toxicity (grade3; 96 hours duration or VOD that does not resove by day 30); delayed engraftment (ANC < 500 at day 21 or platelet transfusion dependence at day 35); and non-hematologic grade (gr) 4 toxicity excluding gastrointestinal or constitutional. Responses were according to IMWG criteria. Accrual was between May 2005 and June 2011. Data was frozen as of August 2, 2011. Results: Thirty pts have been accrued: DL1, 3; DL2, 3; DL3, 3; DL4, 6, DL5, 6; DL6, 6. The median age of patients was 59 (range 32, 73), and 70% were male. 60% had ASCT as primary therapy. The other patients were transplanted in chemosensitive relapse (n=3), chemoresistant relapse (n=7), and untested relapse (n=2). Median time from diagnosis to protocol therapy was 10.4 months (range 3.5, 94.3). Five pts had prior radiation therapy, and 11 had prior ASCT. Maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of Zevalin with fixed dose melphalan 200 mg/m2 was DL 5 (18 Gy) which amounted to 168 mCi (124, 182) administered. No DLTs were observed at DL 1, 2, 3, or 5. There was 1 DLT at DL 4, comprising hepatic failure (gr 5) CMV viremia (gr 3), and delayed engraftment, in a 73 yo patient with chemoresistant relapsed disease, and 2 DLTs at DL 6. These DL 6 DLTs included: 1) fatal bowel necrosis (day 12 post ASCT) in a 67 yo patient with relapsed refractory MM and history of CAD, ischemic colitis, DM; and 2) fatal biopsy proven venoocclusive disease (gr 5), which began day 91 post ASCT in a 62 yo patient with primary refractory MM, peri-mobilization S. aureus bacteremia with septic embolic, and line associated venous thrombosis. Overall, gr 3 or higher AEs were observed in 100% of pts. Non-heme gr 4 AEs were seen in: DL1, 1; DL2, 2; DL3, 0; DL4, 1; DL5, 0; DL6, 4. Median time to ANC >=500 and plts>=50 was 11 (range 8, 17) and 15 days (range 11, 89). Confirmed response rates from immediately pre-protocol to best confirmed response were: CR, 5; VGPR, 5; continued VGPR, 4, and continued PR, 7. If one includes best confirmed response from baseline for those patients using transplant as primary consolidation, 4 PRs are upstaged to VGPRs. Median follow-up for all pts is 24.5 months (0.8, 64.8), and 10 pts have died. The median PFS for pts proceeding to early and delayed ASCT was 30.4 months (95%CI 4.1-NR) and 10.3 months (95%CI 2.8–21.7), respectively. The median OS for pts proceeding to early and delayed ASCT was not attained and 11.4 months (95%CI 2.8-NA), respectively. Conclusions: For patients with multiple myeloma, the MTD of Zevalin with fixed high-dose melphalan is 18 Gy. The combination of a VGPR plus continued VGPR rate of 60%, a median PFS of 13.1 months, and a 73% 1 year OS rate make this a regimen worthy of further study. Disclosures: Kumar: Merck: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Abstract Abstract 4228 Background Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) are the preferred graft type for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and mobilization is typically done using growth factor (GF) alone or a combination of chemotherapy (CTX) and GF. The success of mobilization is influenced by several factors such as prior therapy, mobilization strategy, underlying disease, among others. Patients (Pts) failing to mobilize successfully often have GF dose increased and if unsuccessful, mobilization is reattempted with chemotherapy + GF or G-CSF (Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating factor) + GM-CSF (Granulocyte–Macrophage Colony-Stimulating factor). More recently, plerixafor, a CXCR4 inhibitor, has been found to enhance G-CSF based collection allowing potential early intervention in poor mobilizers. However, this approach requires valid cut-points for peripheral CD34 counts (pCD34) for cost efficient use. Methods We studied 656 first time, G-CSF based PBSC mobilizers with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (562; 86%), or Hodgkin's Disease (94; 14%). Salvage attempts were excluded, as were first attempts using CTX+GCSF, plerixafor or GF combinations. Sensitivity-specificity analysis (Receiver operating characteristic) was used to define ideal cut-points for predefined outcomes. We used a CD34 yield of 2 million/kg as the minimum required collection and 5 million/kg as the ideal collection for the current analysis. Our current practice is to initiate collection at a pCD34 of 10/uL. Results We first determined the best day 1 pCD34 cutoff for being able to collect at least 2 million/kg PBSC to be 9/uL. Among those with ≥9/uL, only 6.6 % failed to collect at least 2 million compared to 55% among the rest (P < 0.001). These numbers were 6.3% and 50% respectively using the traditional cutoff of 10/uL. We then examined how the pCD34 on day 2 predicted collection, among those failing to reach the current threshold of 10/uL. Among this group, a pCD34 on day 2 of 9.1/uL was the best cutoff to predict a collection of 2 million/kg. Among those with >=9.1/uL, only 22% failed to collect at least 2 million compared to 79% among the rest (P < 0.001). Among those with day 1 pCD34 < 10, 49% achieved a count of 9.1/uL on day 2. We then examined what pCD34 on day 1 can best predict a pCD34 ≥ 9.1 on day 2 and found this to be 5.2/uL. Among those with day 1 pCD34 ≥ 5.2/uL, 79% reached day 2 pCD34 ≥ 9.1 compared to 24% among the rest (P < 0.001). We then determined cutoffs based on ideal targets using only those patients achieving pCD34 count > 10/uL by day 2, since these patients would have started collection without any change in the mobilization technique. We used a maximum of 5 collections to achieve the goal as being ideal, taking into account the most commonly used practice of collecting during weekdays. We examined cutoffs for a target of 5 million/kg for one transplant. The best day 1 or day 2 pCD34 predicting a 5 million/kg yield in 5 collections was 17/uL. Among those with day 1or 2 pCD34 ≥ 17/uL, 4% failed to reach 5 million in ≤ 5 days compared to 96% among the rest (P < 0.001). Conclusions This study provides an estimate of optimal pCD34 count thresholds for early identification of patients with lymphoma at high risk of collection failure. It is reasonable to use the first or second day pCD34 count, since a substantial proportion of patients will achieve the threshold value by day 2 and these patients appear to have similar outcome as those reaching the threshold by day 1. Based on the results here, interventions such as addition of plerixafor can be considered if pCD34 count is < 6/uL on day 1 or < 10/uL by day 2, to achieve the minimum collection of 2 million/kg. However, in order to achieve the ideal targets, a higher threshold should be considered and the recommendation based on the current study would be 17/uL for a target of 5 million. Such a target-adapted strategy may be more appropriate. Disclosures: Kumar: Celgene,Genzyme,Millenium,Novartis,Bayer,: Honoraria, Research Funding. Gertz:Genzyme: Research Funding. Micallef:Genzyme: Research Funding.

Abstract Few data are available on the outcomes of patients who fail to engraft following URD transplantation. We describe the results of 122 patients reported to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) between 1990 and 2005, who received a second bone marrow (BM) or peripheral blood (PB) URD transplant after failing to achieve an absolute neutrophil count of ≥ 500/mm3 without evidence of recurrent disease. Patients were transplanted for leukemia (n=83), myelodysplastic disorders (n=16), severe aplastic anemia (n=20) and other disease (n=3). The median age at first transplant was 29 years. Approximately one third were in each age range, < 20 (33%), 20–40 (37%) and >40 (29%). The initial transplant was BM in 84% of patients while 51% received BM for the subsequent transplant. One hundred ten of these patients received two transplants, 11 received three and one received 4 transplants. Twenty four used a different donor whereas 98 used the original donor for the second transplant; 28 of these used cells that had been cryopreserved at the initial transplant date. Nearly two thirds of the patients received reduced intensity conditioning or no conditioning for the second transplant. Sixty one percent had ATG as a component of their second transplant. The median interval from first transplant to second transplant was 48 (range, 18–126) days. The median nucleated cell dose was 2 × 108/kg (range, <1–23) for the first transplant and 2 × 108/kg (range, <1–50) for the second. The median follow up of survivors after second transplant was 77 (range, 2–144) months. Univariate probabilities of outcomes for these patients after second transplant were: Outcome N eval Probability (95% CI) *cumulative incidence Neutrophil engraftment* 122 @ 28 days 43 (34–52) % @100 days 48 (39–57) % 30 day mortality 122 39 (31–48) % 100 day mortality 122 75 (67–82) % Overall survival (OS) @ 1 year 122 11 (6–17) % Treatment related mortality (TRM) @ 1 year* 99 86 (79–92) % Disease free survival (DFS) @ 1 year 99 7 (2–12) % Of the 122 patients analyzed, only 10 remain alive. The most common causes of death were graft failure or rejection (33%), organ failure/interstitial pnuemoniatis (22%), infection (15%), GVHD (14%) and recurrent disease (6%). Of the 37 patients who had persistent graft failure 21 (57%) died from infectious causes. We observed no differences between patients who received a graft from the same donor vs. different donor, fresh vs. cryopreserved cells, or small initial graft size vs. large initial graft size. Patients who received a T-cell depleted graft at the time of their first transplant had significantly worse survival at 1 year after their second transplant, 4% (95% CI, 0–11) compared to those patients who had a non T-cell depleted initial graft, 16% (95 % CI, 8–25)(P = 0.02). It appears that a second salvage transplant strategy may be effective in a small group of patients, although the overall DFS at 1 year of only 7% is disappointing. To improve these results, efforts might focus on early identification and treatment of those at highest risk for non engraftment to determine whether such a strategy can alter the natural history we have described.

Abstract The peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) post-autologous stem cell transplantation is an independent predictor for survival in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The role of ALC recovery during and after standard CHOP chemotherapy for newly diagnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has not been reported. We hypothesized that ALC recovery during/after CHOP chemotherapy has a direct impact on survival. 135 consecutive newly diagnosed patients with DLBCL treated with CHOP from 1994 through 2000 were retrospectively analyzed. The primary end point was to assess the role of ALC recovery during and after CHOP on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The ALC recovery before each of the 6 cycles and at 3 months follow-up after completion of therapy were analyzed. Of the 135 patients, 41 patients received concomitant radiation therapy. The median age was 64 years (range: 21–83) and median follow-up was 46 months (range: 1–124). Superior OS and PFS were identified in patients achieving the ALC cut-off value that discriminated clinical outcomes at a high level of significance for blood counts obtained before cycles 1 (ALC ≥ 1.5 x 109/L, OS = not reached vs 54 months, p< 0.0048; PFS = not reached vs 23 months, p <0.0005), 2 (ALC ≥1.5 x 109/L, OS = not reached vs 59 months, p <0.0255; PFS = not reached vs 30 months, p <0.0082), 3(ALC ≥1.2 x 109/L, OS = not reached vs 59 months, p<0.0074; not reached vs 30 months, p <0.0060), and at 3 months (ALC ≥ 1.2 x 109/L, OS = not reached vs 60 months, p< 0.0080; PFS = not reached vs 42 months, p < 0.0017). Similar cut-off points for cycles 4 through 6 could not be identified. The ALC recovery between each cycles 1–3 and at 3 months were not independent of each other. Multivariate analysis demonstrated ALC for cycles 1–3 and at 3 months post CHOP to be independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS when compared to other significant prognostic factors including International Prognostic Index and radiation therapy. Patients were stratified into three groups based on whether or not they achieved cut-off values of ALC in the first 3 cycles: group I= ALC achieved in at least 2 of 3 cycles; group II= ALC achieved in only 1/3 cycles; and group III= ALC cut-off not achieved. A trend towards worse OS (p< 0.0035) (Figure 1) and PFS (p< 0.0003) was identified if patients did not achieve any of the cut-off values of ALC in the first 3 cycles. These data further support the hypothesis that there is a critical role of lymphocyte (immune) recovery during and after CHOP chemotherapy in DLBCL.

Abstract Peripheral blood infused total autograft absolute lymphocyte count (A-ALC) correlates with day 15 absolute lymphocyte count and is an independent prognostic factor for survival after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Factors to enhance A-ALC collections are not well defined. We hypothesize that the number of peripheral blood apheresis collections (PBAC) directly correlates with A-ALC. 190 consecutive NHL patients who underwent ASCT at the Mayo Clinic between 1993 and 2001 were analyzed. The primary end point of the study was to assess the correlation between the number of PBAC and A-ALC. The secondary end point was to determine if the number of PBAC affected survival post-ASCT. Of the 190 patients, 18 patients underwent 1 PBAC, 23 patients 2 PBAC, 50 patients 3 PBAC, 37 patients 4 PBAC, 50 patients 5 PBAC, and 12 patients had ≥ 6 PBAC. There was no association between the number of PBAC and the number of CD34+ stem cells collected (p= 0.25). A strong association between number of PBAC and A-ALC (Kruskall Wallis test, p <0.0001)(Figure 1) was identified. Using a cut-off of 4 PBAC, superior overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were observed for patients that underwent 4 PBAC or more compared to patients that underwent less than 4 PBAC (86 months vs 18 months, p <0.0001; 76 months vs 10 months, p <0.0001, respectively). Multivariate analysis demonstrated PBAC ≥ 4 is an independent prognostic factor for OS (RR = 0.654, 95%CI: 0.529–0.804, p< 0.0001) and for PFS (RR = 0.682, 95%CI: 0.561–0.826, p< 0.0001) when compared with other significant factors including performance status, lactate dehydrogenase and extra nodal disease. These data suggest that increasing the number of PBAC beyond the minimum number required to meet CD34+ collection targets may result in improved overall and progression-free survival mediated by an increase in autograft absolute lymphocyte count.