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Aygun B, Lane A, Smart LR, Santos B, Tshilolo L, Williams TN, Olupot-Olupot P, Stuber SE, Tomlinson G, Latham T, Ware RE. Hydroxyurea dose optimisation for children with sickle cell anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa (REACH): extended follow-up of a multicentre, open-label, phase 1/2 trial. Lancet Haematol 2024; 11:e425-e435. [PMID: 38701812 PMCID: PMC11289976 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3026(24)00078-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Realizing Effectiveness Across Continents with Hydroxyurea (REACH) is an open-label non-randomised trial of hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide) in children with sickle cell anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. The short-term results of REACH on safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of hydroxyurea were published previously. In this paper we report results from extended hydroxyurea treatment in the REACH cohort up to 8 years. METHODS In this open-label, non-randomised, phase 1/2 trial, participants were recruited from four clinical sites in Kilifi, Kenya; Mbale, Uganda; Luanda, Angola; and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Eligible children were 1-10 years old with documented haemoglobin SS or haemoglobin Sβ zero thalassaemia, weighing at least 10 kg. Participants received fixed-dose hydroxyurea of 17.5 (±2.5) mg/kg per day for 6 months (fixed-dose phase), followed by 6 months of dose escalation (2·5-5·0 mg/kg increments every 8 weeks) as tolerated, up to 20-35 mg/kg per day (maximum tolerated dose; MTD), defined as mild myelosuppression. After the MTD was reached, hydroxyurea dosing was optimised for each participant on the basis of changes in bodyweight and laboratory values over time (MTD with optimisation phase). After completion of the first 12 months, children with an acceptable toxicity profile and favourable responses were given the opportunity to continue hydroxyurea until the age of 18 years. The safety and feasibility results after 3 years has been reported previously. Here, haematological responses, clinical events, and toxicity rates were compared across the dosing phases (fixed-dose hydroxyurea vs MTD with optimisation phase) as protocol-specified outcomes. REACH is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01966731) and is ongoing. FINDINGS We enrolled 635 children between July 4, 2014, and Nov 11, 2016. 606 children were given hydroxyurea and 522 (86%; 266 [51%] boys and 256 [49%] girls) received treatment for a median of 93 months (IQR 84-97) with 4340 patient-years of treatment. The current (Oct 5, 2023) mean dose is 28·2 (SD 5·2) mg/kg per day with an increased mean haemoglobin concentration (7·3 [SD 1·1] g/dL at baseline to 8·5 [1·5] g/dL) and mean fetal haemoglobin level (10·9% [SD 6·8] to 23·3% [9·5]) and decreased absolute neutrophil count (6·8 [3·0] × 109 cells per L to 3·6 [2·2] × 109 cells per L). Incidence rate ratios (IRR) comparing MTD with fixed-dose hydroxyurea indicate decreased vaso-occlusive episodes (0·60; 95% CI 0·52-0·70; p<0·0001), acute chest syndrome events (0·21; 0·13-0·33; p<0·0001), recurrent stroke events (0·27; 0·07-1·06; p=0·061), malaria infections (0·58; 0·46-0·72; p<0·0001), non-malarial infections (0·52; 0·46-0·58; p<0·0001), serious adverse events (0·42; 0·27-0·67; p<0·0001), and death (0·70; 0·25-1·97; p=0·50). Dose-limiting toxicity rates were similar between the fixed-dose (24·1 per 100 patient-years) and MTD phases (23·2 per 100 patient-years; 0·97; 0·70-1·35; p=0·86). Grade 3 and 4 adverse events were infrequent (18·5 per 100 patient-years) and included malaria infection, non-malarial infections, vaso-occlusive pain, and acute chest syndrome. Serious adverse events were uncommon (3·6 per 100 patient-years) and included malaria infections, parvovirus-associated anaemia, sepsis, and stroke, with no treatment-related deaths. INTERPRETATION Hydroxyurea dose escalation to MTD with dose optimisation significantly improved clinical responses and treatment outcomes, without increasing toxicities in children with sickle cell anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. FUNDING US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Banu Aygun
- Northwell Health, Department of Pediatrics, New Hyde Park, NY, USA; Division of Hematology, Oncology and Cellular Therapy, Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY, USA.
| | - Adam Lane
- Division of Hematology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Luke R Smart
- Division of Hematology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Brígida Santos
- Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola
| | - Léon Tshilolo
- Department of Pediatrics, Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Thomas N Williams
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Department of Surgery and Cancer, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Peter Olupot-Olupot
- Mbale Clinical Research Institute, Mbale, Uganda; Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital, Busitema University, Mbale Uganda
| | - Susan E Stuber
- Division of Hematology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - George Tomlinson
- Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Teresa Latham
- Division of Hematology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Russell E Ware
- Division of Hematology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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Roberts DJ, Dhabangi A. Debate: Should the loss of disability adjusted life years (DALY) define the focus of Global Hematology?: The case for prioritizing capacity building in anemia management and blood transfusion. Semin Hematol 2023; 60:182-188. [PMID: 37863704 DOI: 10.1053/j.seminhematol.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Setting priorities in healthcare is always contentious given the array of possible services at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care, not to mention potential public health interventions. The central goals in global policy have been reducing inequity within and between countries, protecting vulnerable groups (particularly women and children) and reducing the major communicable diseases which have historically been a major burden in lower- and middle-income countries. Here limited relative and absolute spending on healthcare have spurred a series of initiatives in Global Health over the last 50 years which have led to significant gains in measures of morbidity and mortality. Against this background there remains the continuing question of how to adapt current medical practice in higher income countries for training and planning of services in lower- and middle-income countries. Here, the historical development of Global Health is outlined, and lessons drawn from the surveys of the global burden of disease and health economic analysis to understand how we can apply these principles to define Global Hematology. It remains likely that in lower-income countries effort should be concentrated on developing laboratory services and blood transfusion, to allow safe and effective support for the assessment of treatment of anemia, sickle cell disease, maternal and child health and urgent surgery and obstetric services. However, the principles of Global Health, could also be used for hematological malignancies to develop a framework for Global Hematology for all settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Roberts
- Clinical Services Directorate, NHSBT Blood and Transplant, Oxford, UK; Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
| | - Aggrey Dhabangi
- Child Health and Development Centre, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
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