Citations 163

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Other Expensive Cellular Therapies: A Miracle for the Few but Off Limits to Many?

Journal of Clinical Oncology | November 15, 2019 | Volume: 38 | Issue: 12 | Pages: 1268-1272

10.1200/jco.19.02232 | PMID 31730388

Histopathologic Acute Lung Injury after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Clinical Findings, Radiologic Features, Treatments and Outcomes

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 132 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 2113-2113

10.1182/blood-2018-99-118930

Abstract BACKGROUND Respiratory failure syndromes are common after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), and are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. These syndromes are incompletely understood, and may be associated with histopathologic evidence of acute lung injury (ALI). The role of biopsy in this setting is controversial, with uncertain benefits and considerable procedural risk. We report the clinical, radiologic and histopathologic features of patients with biopsy-proven ALI following allo-HCT in a large multi-site retrospective series. METHODS The medical records of 1,864 consecutive adults who underwent allo-HCT at Mayo Clinic, Minnesota (n = 916), Arizona (n = 694), and Florida (n = 254) (Jan 2005-Dec 2017) were reviewed. A total of 152 patients underwent a lung biopsy: 126 bronchoscopic, 22 surgical, and 4 CT-guided biopsies (Figure 1). Patients with a histopathologic diagnosis of ALI were included in the study, and were classified into clinicopathologic subgroups per published American Thoracic Society guidelines (Am J Resp Crit Care Med, 2011). Patients whose diagnosis remained uncertain after a detailed review of the medical records were included in a separate subgroup as undifferentiated ALI. Transplant characteristics, radiologic features, pulmonary function test (PFT) results, treatments, and outcomes were compared between groups. RESULTS Clinicopathologic diagnoses in 62 patients with biopsy-proven ALI consisted of an infectious etiology in 15 (24%), cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) in 15 (24%), idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS) in 9 (15%), bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) in 9 (15%), diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in 3 (5%), periengraftment respiratory distress syndrome in 2 (3%), and undifferentiated ALI in 9 (15%) patients (Figure 2). Transplant characteristics were comparable between groups. Infectious pneumonia and IPS were the most common diagnoses during the first 100 days post HCT (50% and 36%, respectively). Between 100 and 365 days, a range of diagnoses were seen including infectious pneumonia (20%), COP (23%), IPS (14%), BOS (23%), and undifferentiated ALI (20%) (Table 1). In 14/15 (93%) infectious pneumonia cases, biopsy did not change management and diagnosis was concurrently established by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) or non-invasive testing. Patients with IPS, BOS, and undifferentiated ALI more commonly had a pleural effusion (66%, 44%, and 44%, respectively). Nodular infiltrates were most commonly seen in patients with infectious pneumonia (55%). Other radiographic findings were not clearly discriminative. BOS and infectious pneumonia were more commonly associated with an obstructive PFT (78% and 33%, respectively), whereas restrictive pattern was more frequently seen in COP and IPS (50% and 57%, respectively) (Table 2). Despite a histopathologic diagnosis of ALI, 9 (15%) patients had clear clinical and radiographic evidence of BOS. Steroids were used commonly in noninfectious syndromes: 93% of patients with COP and in 100% of IPS patients. Of 4 patients with IPS who received Etanercept, 2 (50%) showed complete recovery, whereas the remaining 5 patients who did not receive Etanercept died from fulminant respiratory failure. Most common treatment response was complete recovery in COP (73%), fulminant respiratory failure leading to death in IPS (78%), and chronic respiratory failure in BOS (78%). Estimated OS was shortest in the group with IPS and undifferentiated ALI (median 5 and 17 mons, respectively), whereas patients with COP had the best prognosis (mOS not reached) followed by the infectious pneumonia and the BOS groups (mOS of 59 and 55 mons, respectively). Pulmonary complications were the most common cause of death in patients with non-infectious ALI. Lung biopsy was associated with post-procedural pneumothorax in 17 (27%) patients; 12 of whom required a chest tube. CONCLUSIONS In this largest case series to date of histopathologic ALI after allo-HCT, biopsy does not appear to meaningfully change management in the majority of patients, and is associated with substantial procedural risk. Histopathologic findings do not clearly correlate with the clinical and radiographic picture in a sizeable proportion of the patients. PFT results, BAL findings, the timing of the onset of respiratory failure after HCT, and the response to steroids seem to be of greater diagnostic and/or prognostic value. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Does Early T Cell Chimerism Predict Outcomes after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation ?

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 132 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 3360-3360

10.1182/blood-2018-99-115287

Abstract Introduction: Donor T cell chimerism is tested frequently early after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, the predictive ability of testing this early after HCT, i.e. at day +30 or day +60, has not been well described, outside of smaller single center studies. Herein, we evaluate the correlation of early donor T cell chimerism with clinical outcomes of overall survival (OS) and relapse in patients undergoing HCT for various hematological malignancies. Methods: We identified patients who received HCT with 8/8 matched unrelated donors at our center between 2007 and 2016 and obtained the clinical data retrospectively. Chimerism studies were included for patients who had testing done at day+30 and/ or day +60. Chimerism is tested using PCR based technique. Due to limited variability in chimerism levels <100% donor chimerism, a cut-off of 100% was used for analysis. Hence, patients were divided into those who achieved full donor chimerism in CD3 fraction (100%) and those in whom CD3 donor chimerism was < 100% at the respective time points. Clinical outcomes evaluate for this abstract were OS and time to relapse. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used using variables of interest, the later adjusted for age at HCT, use of ATG, conditioning regimen and disease risk index (DRI). Results: Baseline patient and HCT data: There were 209 patients who met the selection criteria of which 4 died within 30 days from HCT and hence, were not included in the analysis. Among the 205, 87 (42%) were women and median age at HCT was 55 (range, 18 - 74) years. The hematological malignancy diagnosis was acute myeloid leukemia (AML)/ myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in 112 (55%), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 35 (17%), chronic leukemias in 13 (6%), lymphomas in 13 (6%) and myeloproliferative neoplasm in 20 (10%); with DRI being very high in 9 (5%), high in 53 (27%), intermediate in 120 (60%) and low in 17 (9%) patients. Myeloablative conditioning was used in 81 (40%) and reduced intensity conditioning in 124 (60%). Graft versus host disease prophylaxis used was calcineurin inhibitor with methotrexate of mycophenolate in all patients while anti-thymocyte globulin was used in 125 (61%) patients. All patients received a peripheral blood graft. Outcomes: Median follow-up for all included patients was 615 (range, 30 - 3147) days. At day +30, 138 patients had achieved 100% donor CD3 chimerism of 189 patients in whom this data was available (73%) while at day +60, 131 (76%) out of 173 had 100% donor CD3 chimerism. In the univariate model, CD3 donor chimerism level at day +30 as well as day +60, was not predictive of OS (HR 1.5, 95% CI 0.82 - 2.9; p = 0.18 for day +30, HR 1.8, 95% CI 0.81 - 4.0, p = 0.15 for day +60). As for time to relapse, CD3 chimerism did not significantly affect the risk of relapse at these time points (HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.17 - 1.1, p = 0.08 for day +30; HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.18 - 1.6, p = 0.28 for day +60). In the multivariate model also, after adjustment as described above, CD3 at day +30 or at day +60 was not significantly associated with the risk of OS or time to relapse (Figure 1). Kaplan Meier curves for OS for CD3 chimerism at day +30 and day +60 are shown in Figure 2. Conclusions: In this study, T cell chimerism as early as day +30 or day +60 does not seem to predict OS or relapse in patients undergoing HCT for various hematological malignancies. Given the limitations of a smaller retrospective design, this must be validated in a larger study, possibly using registry data. If these findings are indeed confirmed, then the practice of testing chimerism early and frequently, that adds additional expense to the overall cost of HCT, must be reconsidered. Disclosures Palmer: Novartis: Research Funding.
Lost to Follow-up Rates Are Higher in Pediatric Than Adult Survivors, but Not By Transplant Type: A Report from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 132 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 2260-2260

10.1182/blood-2018-99-116531

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.
Area-Based Socioeconomic Status and Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Outcomes: A CIBMTR Analysis

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 132 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 714-714

10.1182/blood-2018-99-118544

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.
Prospective Outcomes of Second Line Therapy in Acute Gvhd: Six Month Freedom from Treatment Failure and Day 28 Response in a Multicentre Study

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 132 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 3408-3408

10.1182/blood-2018-99-115376

Abstract Introduction Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a significant cause of mortality post allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). First line therapy is corticosteroid based for patients with aGVHD ≥grade (Gd) II. Steroid refractory (SR) aGVHD is associated with a dismal prognosis. Although experimental therapeutics is an unmet need, there is no recent prospective real world data to establish a benchmark for outcomes of best available therapy. We undertook a prospective observational multi-centre international clinical trial of outcomes of second line therapy of steroid refractory aGVHD. The aim was to measure recently defined endpoints including Day 28 (D28) overall response rate (ORR), and 6 month freedom from treatment failure (6mFFTF; defined as a patient (pt) being alive, without relapse of underlying disease or addition of new systemic therapy for aGVHD, prior to the development of chronic(c) GVHD. Methods Data was collected prospectively in a longitudinal observational study in patients starting second line therapy for SR aGVHD. Twelve UK and 2 US sites participated. Adult pts with Gd II-IV aGVHD refractory to corticosteroids were enrolled within 5 days of starting second line therapy. Modified Glucksberg criteria were used to grade aGVHD. Expert panel consensus recommendations (Martin et al 2009) were used for complete response (CR), very good partial response (VGPR), partial response (PR), stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD). Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log rank tests for comparison were done on Prism7. Results Between 2014-2018, 64pts were enrolled; 4pts were excluded due to incomplete data. Baseline characteristics of the cohort are outlined in Table 1. GVHD prophylaxis varied according to centre. Forty-seven percent had T depletion; 32% ATG and 25% Alemtuzumab. GVHD was donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) induced in 7%. At start of second line therapy,5% had Gd I, 27% Gd II and 68% Gd III-IV aGVHD. All patients had received corticosteroids at a minimum dose of 1mg/kg. Second line therapies varied, 60% received ECP and 40% non-ECP therapy including anti-TNF-alpha antibodies (20%), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) (8%), mesenchymal stem cells (4%) and 'other' (8%). The cumulative incidence of 6mFFTF was 32% (n=19), with 68% (n=41) failing to meet the 6mFFTF endpoint. The causes of failure were, addition of third line therapy in 40% (n=24), relapse 8%(n=5), cGVHD 7% (n=4) and death 13% (n=8). The 6m incidence of death was 45% (n=27); death due to GVHD 30%, infection 8% and relapse 7%. D28 responses were: 56% ORR (8% CR, 28% VGPR, 20% PR), 13% SD, 18% PD and 13% died before D28. Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, median OS was 7.3m with a median follow up of 1 year. The overall cumulative incidence of death was 63% (n=38); GVHD was the leading cause of death 40%, infection 8% and relapse 8%. D28 ORR was associated with a significantly improved median OS not reached versus (vs) 5.2m (p=0.03) in pts who had SD or PD at D28. In pts that achieved 6mFFTF, median survival beyond 6m was not yet reached vs median survival of 3.9m in those that did not achieve 6mFFTF (p=0.0004). The trend was for a longer median OS of 8.2m in the ECP arm vs 5.3m in non ECP (p=0.79). GVHD Gd at start of second line therapy was associated with a longer median survival, not reached in Gd II cohort vs 5.7m in Gd III-IV cohort (p=0.25). Discussion Our multi-centre prospective study illustrates 'real-life' data of clinical outcomes in pts starting second line therapy for SR aGVHD. Median survival from start of second line therapy was 7.3m with a high mortality rate of 63%. D28 ORR was 56% but only 32% met the composite 6mFFTF endpoint, although both outcomes predicted survival. The leading cause for failure of 6mFFTF was starting third line therapy which may be subject to clinician bias, however the 6m mortality was 45%, thus pts went on to die after failing for another cause. This data can be used as a contemporary data while planning studies of experimental intervention vs. best available therapy. Disclosures Radia: Mallinckrodt: Research Funding. Alfred:Mallinckrodt: Speakers Bureau. Dignan:Mallinckrodt: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Jagasia:Incyte Corporation: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Reduced Toxicity Conditioning With Fludarabine, BCNU, Melphalan and Anti-Thymocyte Globulin Followed By Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant For Patients With Primary and Post ET/PV Myelofibrosis: Single Center Experience At Mayo Clinic Arizona

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 122 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 2835-2835

10.1182/blood.v122.21.2835.2835

Abstract Introduction Myelofibrosis (MF), both primary myelofibrosis (PMF) and post essential thrombocytosis/polycythemia vera myelofibrosis (post ET/PV-MF), are chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms that are incurable with standard medical therapy. The only potential curative therapeutic modality remains allogeneic stem cell transplant (ASCT), but the optimum conditioning regimen has yet to be defined and may vary due to pre-ASCT factors such as age, donor source, and comorbidities. In the past, traditional myeloablative (MA) regimens have proven toxic. Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens have generally become the accepted standard of care for patients with PMF or Post PV/ET MF in need of ASCT, but with the potential for increase in relapse especially for high risk disease. The optimal conditioning regimen has yet to be defined. The regimen of Fludarabine, BCNU, and melphalan (FBM) is considered a reduced toxicity regimen that may afford the benefit of reduction in relapse without increase in toxicity and may “bridge the gap” between MA and RIC especially in older patients. Patients with MF have high inflammatory cytokine levels which may act as mediators of MF symptom burden and may further aggravate mediators of acute GVHD, which is one of the most frequent and severe complications of ASCT. Selection of conditioning regimen and GVHD prophylaxis are keys to MF transplant outcomes. We report here the results of 16 patients who received conditioning with FBM with rATG (FBM-A) with PMF and post PV/ET MF. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all patients from October 2009 to November 2012 with PMF or post ET/PV-MF who underwent an ASCT with FBM-A. Patient demographic and transplant data were analyzed from a comprehensive database. The use of such data for reporting purpose was approved by the Mayo Clinic Arizona Institutional Review Board. Overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier. Results There were 16 patients analyzed who had PMF or post PV/ET MF or overlap syndromes. The median follow-up of surviving patients is 20.4 months (range 8 months – 46 months). The median age was 60 (range 47-68 yrs) with 56% of patients being ≥ 60yrs. There were 8 males and 8 females. The JAK2 V617F mutation was present in 64% of patients. 86% were high risk according to the DIPSS system with 14% being intermediate-2 risk. None of the patients underwent splenectomy prior to transplant. The median HCT-CI score was 1.5 with 6 (38%) of the patients having an HCT-CMI ≥3. Donors were related in 10 patients (8 matched, 2 mismatched at 1 antigen) and unrelated in 6 (matched, n=3, 1-antigen mismatch, n=3). GVHD prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus, MMF, and ATG 2.5 – 5.0 mg/kg. The cumulative incidence of acute GVHD grades III-IV was 15.3% at 6 months, and the cumulative incidence of NIH-defined moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD was 25% at 2 years. No patient has relapsed, and no patient has developed graft failure. There have been 4 deaths, 3 from GVHD, and 1 from infection. Among the 3 patients who died from GVHD, all were unrelated donor transplants, and 2 were mismatched unrelated transplants. The 2-year Kaplan-Meier estimate of overall survival (OS) is 72% (95% CI, 45 – 91%). The cumulative incidence of TRM was 12.6% (95% CI 3.9%-34%) at 1 year. Conclusion The reduced-toxicity regimen of FBM-A in PMF, Post ET/PV MF and overlap syndromes appear to provide the benefit of an ablative regimen with the tolerance of a RIC. The 2-year overall survival of 72% in our series is encouraging in an older population of predominantly high-risk patients. Treatment failure was related predominately to GVHD, which continues to be a significant obstacle to better long-term outcomes, especially in unrelated and mismatched patients. Reduced toxicity ASCT conditioning regimens in the setting of MF warrant further investigation. Disclosures: Reeder: Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Millenium: Research Funding.
Patterns of Acute and Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Following ATG-Based Conditioning for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 120 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 4479-4479

10.1182/blood.v120.21.4479.4479

Abstract Abstract 4479 Background: In vivo T-cell depletion with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is known to decrease the incidence of acute and chronic graft vs. host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, the detailed patterns of GVHD (incidence, severity, timing, and quality) after ATG-based conditioning have not been examined in large patient cohorts, and it is unknown whether they differ from those seen in patients who do not receive ATG during conditioning therapy. Patients and Methods: We analyzed the incidence and characteristics of acute and chronic GVHD, requirements for immunosuppressive therapy (IST) and survival in a cohort of 174 patients who underwent a first HCT for hematologic malignancy with ATG as a part of their conditioning regimen. The median age was 54 years (range 19–76); all but 5 pts received PBSC, and median follow-up of survivors was 16.9 months (range 3–70 months). Donors were matched related in 18% (n=32), matched unrelated in 44% (n=77), and mismatched unrelated in 37% (n=65). Conditioning regimens were myeloablative in 33% (n=57) and reduced intensity in 67% (n=117). Additional GVHD prophylaxis included tacrolimus in all patients combined with either methotrexate (42%) or MMF (58%). Results: The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV and III-IV acute GVHD at 100 days was 34% and 7%, respectively, with the median time of onset at 43 days (range 11–98 days) after transplant. Eleven patients (6.3%) required additional immunosuppressive treatment due to steroid refractory GVHD. Late/persistent acute GVHD without any evidence of chronic occurred in 25% of patients. NIH chronic GVHD developed in 25 patients, with a cumulative incidence of 24.4% at 2 years. Forty four percent of these patients were classified as classic chronic, and 56% as overlap. The onset of chronic GVHD was quiescent in 20 (80%), progressive in 3 (12%), and de-novo in 2 (8%) patients. The global severity was mild in 9 (36%), moderate in 11 (44%) and severe in 5 (20%) cases. The median time of onset for chronic GVHD was 185 days (range 99–763). In a multivariate analysis of factors predictive for development of chronic GVHD, the only factor associated with development of chronic GVHD was prior grade II-IV acute GVHD (HR 2.5, p =.03). The most common diagnostic organ was mouth (n=16), followed by skin (n=8) and eye (n=1). The median number of sites involved during the course of chronic GVHD was 4 (range 1–7), and the median number of systemic immunosuppressive agents for treatment was 2 (range 0–4). Among the 25 chronic GVHD patients, 5 have discontinued immunosuppression at a median time of 13.1 months (range 6–26) since the diagnosis of chronic GVHD. The cumulative incidence of discontinuation of IST was 23% at one year and 50% at two years. Three deaths in the overall cohort were attributed to complications related to acute (n=2) or chronic GVHD (n=1). At 2 years, the overall survival among all 174 pts was 62.4%, cumulative incidence of relapse was 23.1%, and non-relapse mortality was 22.7%. Conclusion: These data from a large, uniformly treated and graded, predominantly peripheral blood stem cell transplant recipient population, confirm that ATG decreases both the incidence and severity of acute and chronic GVHD. In particular, the rate of moderate to severe chronic GVHD is extremely low, resulting in minimal need for tertiary treatment and decreased duration of immunosupression. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The Impact of Marital Status on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HCT) Recipient Outcomes: A Surrogate for Consistent Caregiver. a CIBMTR Registry Study

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 132 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 4788-4788

10.1182/blood-2018-99-117027

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.
Clinical Outcomes of Matched Unrelated Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Patients: Low Dose ATG Vs. No ATG

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 132 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 5715-5715

10.1182/blood-2018-99-112217

Abstract Introduction - Allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) remains potential curative treatment for hematologic malignancies. Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) is an immunoglobulin directed to human T lymphocytes, and may decrease the risk of chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD). Use of ATG has been associated with higher incidence of disease relapse and infection. While the optimal dosing of ATG has not been well established, higher doses (≥ 7.5 mg/kg) have a stronger association with infection and disease relapse. Our institution utilizes low dose rabbit ATG at 2.5 mg/kg for in-vivo T-cell depletion. In this retrospective study we evaluated outcomes in patients receiving low dose ATG to those not undergoing in-vivo T-cell depletion with the hypothesis that low dose ATG protects against cGVHD without impacting infectious complications or relapse. Patients and Methods - We evaluated all patients with 8/8 HLA Matched unrelated Donors (MUD) undergoing HCT between 2007 and 2016. Patients were divided in to two cohorts, those receiving low dose ATG to those that did not. Both cohorts received standard GVHD prophylaxis with calcineurin inhibition plus methotrexate or mycophenolate. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes included relapse free survival (RFS), EBV reactivation, CMV reactivation, CMV disease, invasive fungal infection, incidence of acute GVHD (aGVHD) grades III-IV, and moderate to severe cGVHD. A subset analysis was performed to assess relapse free survival (RFS) in patients with myeloid malignancies. Descriptive statistics were utilized for baseline characteristics; and a series of univariate and multivariant Cox proportional hazard regression models were conducted for outcomes of interest. A Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curve was used to depict probability of survival by ATG cohort. Results - We identified 209 patients, with 129 (62%) in ATG group and 80 (38%) in non-ATG group. At baseline, there were no differences in the age at transplant, sex, ABO incompatibility, or performance status. The ATG cohort had fewer low disease risk index (DRI) patients and more patients with intermediate or high DRI (2.4%, 64.6%, 28.3% vs 18.4%, 51.3%, 23.7% respectively), and Fisher's Exact test showed that this difference between ATG groups was statistically significant, p = <0.001. The ATG cohort also had significantly different rates of myeloablative (MA) conditioning regimens from the non-ATG cohort with fewer receiving MA (31% vs 53% p < 0.01). No statistically significant differences in OS were observed between the two ATG cohorts at up to 5 years post-transplant (p=0.35; Fig. 1). The primary predictor of OS was DRI very high vs low [HR 6.0 (2-18) p < 0.01]. The ATG exposed cohort had significantly lower risk of cGVHD [HR 0.17 (0.08-0.37) p = <0.001]. There was no difference in risk of death from relapse, incidence of EBV or CMV reactivation, CMV disease, invasive fungal infection, or grade III-IV acute GVHD. Low dose ATG was not associated with inferior RFS, including in subset analysis of patients with myeloid malignancies [HR 0.85 (0.5-1.4) p = 0.549]. Conclusions - Our study shows no significant difference in survival or death from relapse for patients who receive ATG. Importantly, patients receiving ATG had a lower rate of cGVHD with no increased rates of infectious complications. Low dose ATG did not appear to increase the risk of relapse, even when considering only myeloid malignancies. These findings suggest that low dose ATG can improve cGVHD with no impact on survival, relapse, or infectious complications. Additional prospective trials using low dose ATG compared to no ATG are warranted. Disclosures Palmer: Novartis: Research Funding.