Tolerability of induction chemotherapy dosing practices in acute myeloid leukemia patients

Dosing of 7 + 3 induction chemotherapy in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and morbid obesity

INTRODUCTION

Traditional chemotherapy dosing is based on body surface area (BSA) using standard formulas, which can pose challenges in dosing patients at body weight extremes. Studies suggest that chemotherapy dosing according to actual body weight does not increase toxicity in obese patients and current guidelines recommend full weight-based dosing of chemotherapy regardless of body mass index (BMI). However, the dosing of anthracyclines in obese patients can be challenging given limitations in maximum cumulative dosage, particularly in those at very extreme BMI. In this case, we highlight the difficulties of dosing anthracycline-based induction chemotherapy in a patient with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and BMI >90 kg/m2.

CASE REPORT

A 40-year-old female with morbid obesity is diagnosed with AML (nucleophosmin 1 (NPMI) and isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 mutated, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3-Internal tandem duplication negative).

MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME

The patient was initiated on induction therapy with 7 + 3 with dose capping of BSA at 2.75 m2 (cytarabine 200 mg/m2 continuous infusion over 24 h for 7 days, plus daunorubicin 60 mg/m2 slow intravenous push for 3 days), followed by two cycles of high-dose cytarabine consolidation therapy using actual BSA. The patient achieved morphologic complete remission; however, measurable residual disease testing for NPM1 remained positive after induction therapy.

DISCUSSION

This case suggests that dose capping of anthracyclines in the treatment of newly diagnosed AML may be an effective and safe treatment alternative in those with extreme BMI elevations beyond what has been studied in the literature. Given the increasing incidence of morbid obesity, further studies are needed to confirm appropriate dosing of anthracycline-based regimens at upper BMI extremes (>60 kg/m2).

Medical nutrition therapy during intensive remission-induction treatment and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in acute myeloid leukemia patients: Hematologists' experiences and perspectives

BACKGROUND & AIMS

The European Societies for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) and Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) recommend enteral nutrition (EN) as the first-choice medical nutrition therapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients undergoing intensive treatments, including high-dose remission-induction chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, parenteral nutrition (PN) remains the preferred method of nutrition support in current clinical practice. The aim of this qualitative study was to gain insight into hematologists' experiences and perspectives regarding the choice and ESPEN/EBMT recommendations on EN versus PN.

METHODS

Online semi-structured interviews were conducted with one hematologist from each of the 21 hospitals offering intensive AML treatments in the Netherlands, using Microsoft Teams. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using Atlas. ti. One hundred nineteen hematologists working in the same hospitals were invited to complete a short online questionnaire survey (SurveyMonkey®) regarding their knowledge and opinion on the ESPEN/EBMT guidelines recommending EN over PN during intensive AML treatments. The results of this survey are presented in a descriptive way.

RESULTS

Fifty-nine hematologists participated in this study (42% overall response rate), of which 21 in the semi-structured interviews (response rate 100%) and 38 in the online survey (response rate 32%). Hematologists considered medical nutrition therapy important for prevention and treatment of malnutrition and associated adverse outcomes in AML patients undergoing intensive remission-induction treatment and HSCT. However, opposed to the ESPEN/EBMT guidelines, the vast majority of hematologists were hesitant or reluctant to use EN instead of PN as the first-choice medical nutrition therapy in these patients. The most frequently cited barriers to use EN were the expected low feasibility and tolerance of EN, feeding tube-related discomfort and bleeding risk, and patient refusal. Other barriers to follow the guidelines on EN were related to personal factors, including hematologists' knowledge (lack of awareness and familiarity) and attitude (lack of agreement, outcome expectancy, experience, success, motivation, and learning culture), guideline-related factors (lack of evidence and applicability), and external factors (lack of collaboration and resources). Facilitators included strategies for nutrition education and dissemination of nutritional guidelines, interprofessional and patient collaboration, availability of feeding tubes that can be inserted without endoscopy and stronger scientific evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Hematologists recognized the importance of medical nutrition therapy for reducing malnutrition and related negative outcomes during intensive AML treatments. However, contrary to the ESPEN/EBMT guidelines, they preferred PN instead of EN as the medical nutrition therapy of first choice. To reduce compliance barriers, interventions should focus on improving hematologists' knowledge of medical nutrition therapy and dietary guidelines, enhancing success rates of EN by adequately triaging patients eligible for EN and inserting duodenal feeding tubes using an electromagnetic sensing device without endoscopy, developing decision aids and multidisciplinary guidelines and care pathways. Furthermore, future trials should focus on the feasibility and benefits of EN versus PN both during remission-induction treatment and HSCT.

Appropriate Systemic Therapy Dosing for Obese Adult Patients With Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update

PURPOSE

To provide recommendations for appropriate dosing of systemic antineoplastic agents in obese adults with cancer.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature collected evidence regarding dosing of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies in obese adults with cancer. PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, or cohort studies published from November 1, 2010, through March 27, 2020. ASCO convened an Expert Panel to review the evidence and formulate recommendations.

RESULTS

Sixty studies, primarily retrospective, were included in the review. Overall, the evidence supported previous findings that obese adult patients tolerate full, body-size-based dosing of chemotherapy as well as nonobese patients. Fewer studies have addressed the dosing of targeted therapies and immunotherapies in relation to safety and efficacy in obese patients.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The Panel continues to recommend that full, weight-based cytotoxic chemotherapy doses be used to treat obese adults with cancer. New to this version of the guideline, the Panel also recommends that full, approved doses of immunotherapy and targeted therapies be offered to obese adults with cancer. In the event of toxicity, the consensus of the Panel is that dose modifications of systemic antineoplastic therapies should be handled similarly for obese and nonobese patients. Important areas for future research include the impact of sarcopenia and other measures of body composition on optimal antineoplastic dosing, and more customized dosing based on pharmacokinetic or pharmacogenetic factors.Additional information is available at www.asco.org/supportive-care-guidelines.

Burden of Oral Mucositis: A Systematic Review and Implications for Future Research

BACKGROUND

Surprisingly little is known about the burden of oral mucositis (OM). We provide a systematic review of studies on the burden of OM (incidence, economic impact, health-related quality of life (HRQoL)).

METHODS

Systematic literature searches were made in BIOSIS, EMBASE, and MEDLINE. Inclusion criteria were studies on OM in hematology/oncology patients of ≥ 18 years, journal articles, English language, and published between 2000 and 2016; OM treatment studies were excluded. Quality assessment was performed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

RESULTS

We screened 4,996 hits, and identified 68 studies of which 13 were without transparency on OM grading. The evidence level of 65 studies was rated 'low' or 'very low' in 58.5%, 'moderate' in 20% and 'high' in 21.5%. Mean value of incidence (7 studies) was 83.5% for all grades of OM with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. OM incidence for all grades in head and neck cancer patients was 59.4-100%. Considering the economic impact, 16 studies showed highly variable numbers. HRQoL was measured in 16 studies using 13 different instruments. Statistically significant changes in HRQoL scores were demonstrated.

CONCLUSION

OM is common, burdensome, costly and imposes major reductions in HRQoL. However, from a quality standpoint, the level of current evidence in OM is disappointing. The field needs continued attention to address methodological challenges.

Impact of obesity in favorable-risk AML patients receiving intensive chemotherapy

We assessed the influence of obesity on the characteristics and prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Indeed, safety of intensive chemotherapy and outcome of obese AML patients in a real-life setting are poorly described, and chemotherapy dosing remains challenging. We included 619 consecutive genetically-defined cases of AML treated with intensive chemotherapy between 2004 and 2012. In this cohort, 93 patients (15%) were classified in the obese category according to WHO classification; 59% of them received capped doses of chemotherapy because of a body surface area above 2 m(2) . Obese patients were older and presented more often with cardiovascular comorbidities. Although obese patients had more frequently de novo AML, main characteristics of AML including white blood cell count, karyotype and mutations were well-balanced between obese and non-obese patients. After induction chemotherapy, early death and complete remission rates were similar. Overall (OS), event-free (EFS) and disease-free (DFS) survival were not significantly different compared to non-obese patients. However, in the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) favorable subgroup, obese patients had lower median OS, EFS and DFS than non-obese patients (18.4, 16.8 and 17.2 vs. 43.6, 31.8 and 29.7 months, respectively) and obesity showed a significant impact on OS (OR 2.54; P = 0.02) in multivariate models. Although we did not find any significant impact of obesity on outcome in the whole series, this study suggests that special efforts for chemotherapy dose optimization are needed in the ELN favorable subgroup since dose capping may be deleterious.