A prospective, open-label, randomised, parallel design study of 4 generic formulations of intramuscular L-asparaginase in childhood precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)

AIMS

L-asparaginase is an essential medicine for childhood ALL. The quality of generic L-asparaginase available in India is a matter of concern. We compared four commonly used generic formulations of L-asparaginase in India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a prospective, open-label, randomised trial of four generic formulations of asparaginase for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed intermediate-risk B-ALL. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive generic asparaginase at a dose of at 10,000 IU/m 2 on days 9, 12, 15, and 18 of a 35-day cycle (Induction treatment). The primary end points were to determine the difference in the asparaginase activity and asparagine depletion. Historical patients who received L-asparaginase Medac (innovator) served as controls.

RESULTS

A total of 48 patients underwent randomization; 12 patients each in the four arms. Failure to achieve predefined activity threshold of 100 IU/L was observed in 9/40 samples of Generic A (22·5%), 23/40 of Generic B (57·5%), and 43/44 (98%) each of Generic C and D. All 27 samples from seven historical patients who were administered Medac had activity > 100 IU/L. The average activity was significantly higher for Genericm A, 154 (70·3, 285·4) IU/L followed by Generic B 84·5(44·2, 289·1) IU/L, Generic C 45(14·4, 58·4) IU/L, and Generic D 20·4(13, 35) IU/L. Only 6 patients had asparaginase activity > 100 IU/L on each of the four occasions (Generic A = 5; Generic B = 1), and none of them developed Anti-Asparaginase Antibodies (AAA). On the other hand, AAA was observed in 12/36 patients who had at least one level < 100 IU/L (P < 0·05): Generic A 3/5, Generic B = 3/9, Generic D (4/11), and Generic C (5/11).

CONCLUSION

Generic A and B had better trough asparaginase activity compared to Generic D and C. Overall, generic formulations had lower asparaginase activity which raises serious clinical concerns regarding their quality. Until strict regulatory enforcement improves the quality of these generics, dose adaptive approaches coupled with therapeutic drug monitoring need to be considered.

Clinical features, predictors and outcome of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in children with hematolymphoid malignancies

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a clinico-radiological syndrome characterized by a neurotoxic state with vasogenic edema. We studied the clinical profile, predisposing factors, imaging features, and outcome of PRES in children receiving treatment for hematolymphoid malignancies.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of the clinical data and radiological features of patients with PRES diagnosed between June 2014 and December 2019.

RESULTS

Fifty-two patients (boy: girl = 3:1) were diagnosed with PRES during the study period with a median age of 11 (range:1-15) years. Primary diagnoses were acute leukemias (n = 42), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 8), Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 1), and Langerhan's cell histiocytosis (n = 1). Most common presenting symptoms were seizures (n = 52), altered sensorium (n = 42), headache (n = 39), and visual disturbances (n = 8). Hypertension at time of diagnosis was noted in 50 (96%) patients. Classic hyper-intense lesions on FLAIR and diffusion weighed (DW) images were noted in parieto-occipital region in 39 patients (75%). Central PRES involving basal ganglia was seen in 3 (6%) patients. A subsequent neuro-imaging was done in 18 patients (MRI: 13; CT: 5) at a median interval of 16.2 weeks. Neurological sequelae were observed in 10 (19%) patients, whereas 1 succumbed due to PRES.

CONCLUSIONS

PRES is an important clinico-radiological syndrome in patients undergoing chemotherapy for hematological malignancies. High index of suspicion, early diffusion-weighted images on MRI in children with classic symptoms help in early diagnosis. A small minority of patients may develop long-term sequelae.

Outcomes and prognostic variables of extracranial germ cell tumors in children and adolescents treated over a decade: A developing world perspective

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this single-center study was to analyze the outcomes of extracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) in children treated on a multimodality regimen.

METHODS

Retrospective study of children (<18 years) with a histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of extracranial GCT over a period of 10 years (January 2009 to December 2018) treated on a uniform institution-based protocol consisting of both cisplatin- and carboplatin-based regimens. All completely excised teratomas and stage I gonadal tumors received no further therapy (low risk [LR]); stage IV ovarian, stage III-IV extragonadal GCTs received six cycles of chemotherapy (high risk [HR]), and the remaining received four cycles of chemotherapy (intermediate risk [IR]).

RESULTS

A total of 297 children were treated with a female:male ratio of 1.72:1 and median age of 4 years. Forty-three children had pure teratomas. Gonadal GCTs (N = 180) were more common than extragonadal GCTs (N = 117) with ovary as primary site in 128 children (43%) and sacrococcygeal site being the commonest extragonadal location (N = 41; 14%). LR, IR, and HR disease were noted in 60 (20.2%), 125 (42%), and 112 (37.8%) patients, respectively. Three-fourths of ovarian tumors and half of testicular tumors operated prior to presentation needed upstaging. Forty-one patients relapsed and 43 children expired (disease-related: 33; toxic deaths: 9; unknown: 1). The 5-year event-free survival (EFS)/overall survival (OS) of malignant GCT (n = 254) was 72.50%/82.70%, respectively, with gonadal site (p = .001), LR and IR (p = .001) and nonmetastatic disease (p = .001) being favorable prognostic variables.

CONCLUSIONS

The LR and IR GCTs in our cohort had an excellent outcome. A significant proportion of IR gonadal GCTs can be spared of systemic chemotherapy by adhering to strict surgical guidelines. In HR GCTs however, intensifying therapies to improve outcomes must be balanced against the risk of cumulative toxicity, more so in a resource-limited setting.

Mebendazole plus lomustine or temozolomide in patients with recurrent glioblastoma: A randomised open-label phase II trial

BACKGROUND

Recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) has dismal outcomes and limited treatment options. Mebendazole (MBZ) has activity in glioma both in-vivo and in-vitro, and is well tolerated in combination with lomustine (CCNU) and temozolomide (TMZ). In this study, we sought to determine whether the addition of MBZ to CCNU or TMZ would improve overall survival (OS) in recurrent GBM.

METHODS

In this phase II randomized open-label trial, adult patients with ECOG PS 0-3, with recurrent GBM who were not eligible for re-radiation, were randomized 1:1 to the CCNU-MBZ and TMZ-MBZ arms. CCNU was administered at 110 mg/m² every 6 weeks with MBZ 800 mg thrice daily and TMZ was administered at 200 mg/m² once daily on days 1-5 of a 28 days cycle with MBZ 1600 mg thrice daily. The primary endpoint was OS at 9 months. A 9-month OS of 55% or more in any arm was hypothesized to warrant further evaluation and a value below 35% was too low to warrant further investigation. OS was analyzed using intention to treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses. Per-protocol analysis was used for safety analysis. Clinical Trials Registry-India number, CTRI/2018/01/011542.

FINDINGS

Participants were recruited from 14^th March 2019 to 18^th June 2021, 44 patients were randomised on each arm. At 17.4 months, 68 events for OS analysis had occurred, 33 in the TMZ-MBZ and 35 in the CCNU-MBZ arm. The 9-month OS was 36.6% (95% CI 22.3-51.0) and 45% (95% CI 29.6-59.2) in the TMZ-MBZ and CCNU-MBZ arms respectively, in the ITT population. ECOG PS was the only independent prognostic factor impacting OS (HR-0.48, 95% CI 0.27-0.85; P = 0.012). Grade 3-5 adverse events were seen in 8 (18.6%; n = 43) and 4 (9.5%; n = 42) patients in the TMZ-MBZ and CCNU-MBZ arms respectively. There were no treatment related deaths.

INTERPRETATION

The addition of MBZ to TMZ or CCNU failed to achieve the pre-set benchmark of 55% 9-month OS. This was probably due to 28.6% of patients having poor PS of 2-3.

FUNDING

Brain Tumor Foundation (BTF) of India, Indian Cooperative Oncology Network (ICON), and India Cancer Research Consortium (ICRC) under ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research).

The prevalence of cognitive impairment in older Indian persons with cancer and brain metastases

Background

Older patients with cancer are more vulnerable to the effects of cognitive impairment affecting their functional status, quality of life, compliance to treatment and ultimately survival. Cancer-related cognitive impairment may be due to the cancer itself or due to the treatment of cancer. There are no data regarding the prevalence of cognitive impairment in older persons with cancer and brain metastasis.

Methods

This retrospective analysis was conducted on a prospectively collected data set of patients who attended the geriatric oncology clinic at a tertiary care comprehensive cancer centre in India from June 2018 to July 2021. Patients aged 60 years and above with malignancy were included. Cognition was assessed with the mini-mental status examination (MMSE); the Hindi MMSE was used for illiterate patients. A score of ≤23 on the MMSE was considered abnormal. Correlation between the presence of cognitive impairment and brain metastasis was tested using the chi-square test.

Results

A total of 597 patients were included, of which 462 (77.4%) were male. The median age was 69 years (range: 60–100 years). All patients had solid tumours; 244 (40.9%) had lung, 189 (31.7%) had gastrointestinal and 75 (12.6%) had head and neck malignancies. Forty-one (6.9%) patients had brain metastases, of which 10 (24.4%) had solitary, 30 (73.2%) had multiple lesions and 1 (2.4%) had leptomeningeal metastases. Cognitive impairment was noted in 11 (26.8%) of the 41 patients with brain metastases and 91 (16.4%) of the 556 patients without brain metastases. There was no significant correlation between the presence of brain metastases and cognitive impairment, p = 0.086.

Conclusion

Older persons with cancer and brain metastases were not found to have a higher occurrence of cognitive impairment than those without brain metastases in this study. The next step is to understand whether older persons with brain metastases are at a higher risk for cognitive decline as a result of therapeutic interventions such as cranial radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Clinicopathologic Profile and Treatment Outcomes of Children With Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphomas: Experience From a Tertiary Cancer Center in India

Clinicopathologic profile and outcome of 15 children (15 years or above) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with MCP-842 protocol are reported. Eleven of 15 presented with advanced (stage-III/IV) disease. Post-2 cycles of chemotherapy, complete metabolic and morphologic response was documented in 10 (66%) and rest 5 (33%) with partial response achieved complete metabolic remission by end of treatment. At a median follow-up of 44 months (range: 16 to 79 mo), the 3-year event-free survival and overall-survival were 77.1%±11.7% and 85.7%±9.4%, respectively. Though majority of our patients had advanced disease, outcome on MCP-842 protocol was satisfactory.

Solitary Bone Plasmacytoma of Humerus Presenting as a Nonhealing Fracture in a Child: A Rare Entity

Solitary bone plasmacytoma is an extremely rare entity and is characterized by localized proliferation of monoclonal plasma cells. Plasmacytomas are extremely rare in the pediatric population. The median age at diagnosis is usually the fifth or sixth decade, with axial skeleton being more commonly involved than appendicular. We hereby, report the case of a 13-year-old boy with solitary bone plasmacytoma of the right humerus. Though extremely rare in the pediatric age group, plasmacytomas may be considered as one of the remote differentials in children presenting with solitary bone tumors.

Imatinib-induced retroperitoneal fibrosis in a child with chronic myeloid leukemia: a case report

A 12 year old boy with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) presenting with bilateral pitting pedal edema and abdominal distension after about 41 months of imatinib therapy and was diagnosed to have retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) based on imaging and biopsy findings. He was found to have bilateral hydroureteronephrosis needing double-J stenting to the more severely affected right ureter. Imatinib was briefly interrupted and restarted later due to rising transcript levels and unavailability of other alternatives at that time which was later substituted by dasatinib once generic versions became available. Child remains asymptomatic after 18 months of DJ stenting. RPF is a rare complication of imatinib this being the second case reported in the literature.

Demographics, Pattern of Care, and Outcome Analysis of Malignant Melanomas - Experience From a Tertiary Cancer Centre in India

Background

Treatment of malignant melanoma has undergone a paradigm shift with the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and targeted therapies. However, access to ICI is limited in low-middle income countries (LMICs).

Patients and Methods

Histologically confirmed malignant melanoma cases registered from 2013 to 2019 were analysed for pattern of care, safety, and efficacy of systemic therapies (ST).

Results

There were 659 patients with a median age of 53 (range 44–63) years; 58.9% were males; 55.2% were mucosal melanomas. Most common primary sites were extremities (36.6%) and anorectum (31.4%). Nearly 10.8% of the metastatic cohort were BRAF mutated. Among 368 non-metastatic patients (172 prior treated, 185 de novo, and 11 unresectable), with a median follow-up of 26 months (0–83 months), median EFS and OS were 29.5 (95% CI: 22–40) and 33.3 (95% CI: 29.5–41.2) months, respectively. In the metastatic cohort, with a median follow up of 24 (0–85) months, the median EFS for BSC was 3.1 (95% CI 1.9–4.8) months versus 3.98 (95% CI 3.2–4.7) months with any ST (HR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.52–0.92; P = 0.011). The median OS was 3.9 (95% CI 3.3–6.4) months for BSC alone versus 12.0 (95% CI 10.5–15.1) months in any ST (HR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.28–0.50; P < 0.001). The disease control rate was 51.55%. Commonest grade 3–4 toxicity was anemia with chemotherapy (9.5%) and ICI (8.8%). In multivariate analysis, any ST received had a better prognostic impact in the metastatic cohort.

Conclusions

Large real-world data reflects the treatment patterns adopted in LMIC for melanomas and poor access to expensive, standard of care therapies. Other systemic therapies provide meaningful clinical benefit and are worth exploring especially when the standard therapies are challenging to administer.

Mimics and artefacts of measurable residual disease in a highly sensitive multicolour flow cytometry assay for B-lymphoblastic leukaemia/lymphoma: critical consideration for analysis of measurable residual disease

High-sensitivity multicolour flow cytometry (MFC)-based B-lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) measurable residual disease (BMRD) assay is increasingly being used in clinical practice. Herein, we describe six consistently present low-level populations immunophenotypically mimicking abnormal B-ALL blasts in 441 BMRD samples from 301 children. These included CD19⁺ CD123⁺ plasmacytoid dendritic cells differentiating from lymphoid precursors, CD10⁺ transitional B cells with CD10⁺ /CD38dim-to-negative/CD20bright/CD45bright phenotype, CD19⁺ natural killer (NK) cells, CD73bright/CD10⁺ mesenchymal stromal/stem cells, CD73bright/CD34⁺ endothelial cells, and a CD34⁺ CD38dim-to-negative/CD10^- /CD20bright/CD45bright subset of mature B cells. We provide the proportions, comprehensive immunophenotype, and practical clues for proper identification of these low-level populations. Knowledge regarding the presence and immunophenotype of these mimics is essential for accurate interpretation in high-sensitivity MFC-BMRD analysis.

Efficacy of ready-to-use therapeutic food in malnourished children with cancer: Results of a randomized, open-label phase 3 trial

BACKGROUND

The adverse influence of undernutrition in children with cancer may be remediated by early nutritional intervention. This study assessed the efficacy of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) in improving nutritional status and reducing treatment-related toxicities (TRTs) in such children.

METHODS

In a randomized controlled phase-3 open-label trial, severely and moderately undernourished children with cancer were randomized 1:1 to receive standard nutritional therapy (SNT) or SNT+RUTF for 6 weeks. The primary outcome (weight gain >10%) and secondary outcomes (improved/maintained nutritional status, improved body composition) were assessed after 6 weeks. TRTs were assessed over 6 months.

RESULTS

Between July 2015 and March 2018, 260 subjects were enrolled, 126 were analyzable in both arms at 6 weeks. More children on RUTF had weight gain (98 [77.8%] vs. 81 [64.2%], p = .025) with a greater increase in fat mass as a percentage of body mass (median 2% [IQR -0.12 to 4.9] vs. 0.5% [IQR -1.45 to 2.27, p = .005]) but a greater loss of lean mass (median -1.86% [IQR -4.4 to 0.50] vs. -0.4% [IQR -2.4 to 1.4, p = .007]) compared to the SNT arm. Fewer subjects on the RUTF arm had episodes of severe infection (10.6% vs. 31%, p < .0001), treatment delays (17.7% vs. 39%, p < .0001), and severe mucositis (11% vs. 23.8%, p = .006) compared to the SNT arm. The odds of developing TRTs on the RUTF arm were lower even after adjusting for improvement in nutritional status.

CONCLUSIONS

RUTF is efficacious in improving weight gain and nutritional status in undernourished children with cancer and decreases TRTs. Incorporating RUTF into a healthy, balanced diet should be considered in undernourished children with cancer.