Insulin-like growth factor-I predicts sinusoidal obstruction syndrome following pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Semaglutide treatment for PRevention Of Toxicity in high-dosE Chemotherapy with autologous haematopoietic stem-cell Transplantation (PROTECT): study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, investigator-initiated study

INTRODUCTION

Cancer treatment with high-dose chemotherapy damages the mucosal barrier of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and is associated with severe toxicity involving mucositis, severe inflammation and organ dysfunction. Currently, there is no effective prophylaxis against this. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), a well-known regulator of blood glucose, has been suggested in mouse studies to possess trophic effects on gut epithelial cells as well as anti-inflammatory properties. In line with this, endogenous GLP-1 levels have been shown to be inversely correlated with toxicities after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and treatment with a GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) was shown to limit chemotherapy-induced mucositis in rodents. This present study investigates the effects of the GLP-1RA semaglutide on GI mucositis severity score in patients with lymphoma undergoing high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous (auto) HSCT.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-centre investigator-initiated clinical study. Forty adult patients with malignant lymphoma referred for auto-HSCT will be randomised in a 1:1 manner to receive either semaglutide or placebo once-weekly for 8 weeks. This includes a run-in period of 3-4 weeks with semaglutide 0.25 mg prior to high-dose chemotherapy treatment followed by a period of 4-5 weeks with semaglutide 0.5 mg including the 1 week of high-dose chemotherapy treatment. Clinical assessment of endpoint measurements and safety will be performed weekly during treatment and in a follow-up period of 10 weeks. The primary endpoint is GI mucositis severity (mean severity grade (0-II) during week 1-4 after auto-HSCT). Secondary endpoints include C-reactive protein increment, quality of life and safety. Fever, bacteraemia, antibiotic use, weight loss, morphine consumption, duration of hospitalisation, use of parenteral nutrition, change in muscle mass and clinical and laboratory evidence of organ toxicities will also be assessed.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study complies with Danish and European Union legislation and is approved by the Danish Medicines Agency, the Danish National Medical Research Ethics Committee (EU CT #2022-502139-20-00) and the Danish Data Protection Agency. The study is monitored by the Capital Region of Denmark's good clinical practice unit. All results, positive, negative and inconclusive, will be disseminated at national and international scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT06449625.

Upregulation of Insulin-like Growth Factor-I in Response to Chemotherapy in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

The treatment of childhood cancer is challenged by toxic side effects mainly due to chemotherapy-induced organ damage and infections, which are accompanied by severe systemic inflammation. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a key regulating factor in tissue repair. This study investigated associations between the circulating IGF-I levels and chemotherapy-related toxicity in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In this prospective study, we included 114 patients (age: 1-17 years) with newly diagnosed ALL treated according to The Nordic Society of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (NOPHO) ALL2008 protocol between 2013 and 2018. The patients' plasma levels of IGF-I, and the primary binding protein, IGFBP-3, were measured weekly during the first six weeks of treatment, including the induction therapy. The patients' systemic inflammation was monitored by their C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 levels and their intestinal epithelial damage by their plasma citrulline levels. IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were converted into sex-and age-adjusted standard deviation scores (SDS) using 1621 healthy children as reference. At ALL diagnosis, IGF-I levels were decreased (median (quartiles): -1.2 SDS (-1.9 to -0.5), p = 0.001), but increased significantly following the initiation of chemotherapy, peaking on day 8 (0.0 SDS (from -0.8 to 0.7), p < 0.001). This increase correlated with the levels of CRP (rho = 0.37, p < 0.001) and IL-6 (rho = 0.39, p = 0.03) on day 15, when these markers reached maximum levels. A larger IGF-I increase from day 1 to 15 correlated with a slower recovery rate of the intestinal damage marker citrulline from day 15 to 29 (rho = -0.28, p = 0.01). Likewise, IGFBP-3 was reduced at diagnosis, followed by an increase after treatment initiation, and was highly correlated with same-day IGF-I levels. This study demonstrates a chemotherapy-induced increase in IGF-I, with a response that appears to reflect the severity of tissue damage and systemic inflammation, preceding CRP and IL-6 increases. IGF-I may have potential as an early reactive biomarker for acute toxicity in patients with ALL.

Multiplex Proteomics in the Identification of Potential Biomarkers of Very Severe Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome/Veno-Occlusive Disease in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Patients Treated with Defibrotide

INTRODUCTION

Despite well-established clinical criteria for diagnosis of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome/veno-occlusive disease (SOS/VOD) following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), there is a lack of established diagnostic protein biomarkers.

METHODS

Prospective samples were collected from patients with very severe SOS/VOD at diagnosis and days +3, +7, +14, and +30 post-initiation of defibrotide. Samples from age-matched controls with no VOD were collected at days +14, +30, +60, +90, and +180 following allogeneic HCT. Serum samples were analyzed for 2,925 protein levels by antibody-based proximity extension assay (PEA). Mean differences in the log-transformed abundance values were compared using t tests in a volcano plot.

RESULTS

Five patients with very severe SOS/VOD and 5 control patients were compared. Ten proteins were identified that showed a statistically significant and log-transformed 3-fold increase in concentration. They were CALCA, CCL20, GPR37, IGFBP4, IL1RL1, SLC39A14, SPINK4, FABP3, MYL3, and CHCHD10. Four different proteins, namely, CD83, leukocyte associated immunoglobulin-like receptor 2 (LAIR2), CD7, and HEM6 showed a significant decrease with defibrotide treatment. SOS/VOD resolved in 80% (n = 4) of patients, while 1 patient deceased due to SOS/VOD.

CONCLUSION

PEA technology identified 10 proteins that were significantly elevated in patients with very severe SOS/VOD. Prospective studies in a larger cohort using this technology may be able to conclusively identify diagnostic protein biomarkers for SOS/VOD.

sVEGF-R1 in acute non-infectious toxicity syndromes after pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

BACKGROUND

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is challenged by acute non-infectious toxicities, including sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), engraftment syndrome (ES) and capillary leak syndrome (CLS) among others. These complications are thought to be driven by a dysfunctional vascular endothelium, but the pathophysiological mechanisms remain incompletely understood, and the diagnoses are challenged by purely clinical diagnostic criteria that are partly overlapping, limiting the possibilities for progress in this field. There is, however, increasing evidence suggesting that these challenges may be met through the development of diagnostic biomarkers to improve diagnostic accuracy of pathogenetically homogenous entities, improved pre-transplant risk assessment and the early identification of patients with increased need for specific treatment. Soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (sVEGF-R1) is emerging as an important biomarker of endothelial damage in patients with trauma and sepsis but has not been studied in HSCT.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate sVEGF-R1 as a marker of endothelial damage in pediatric HSCT patients by exploring associations with SOS, CLS, ES, and acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD).

METHODS

We prospectively included 113 children undergoing myeloablative HSCT and measured sVEGF-R1 in plasma samples obtained weekly during the early period of transplantation and 3 months post-transplant.

RESULTS

All over, sVEGF-R1 levels were significantly increased from day +7 after graft infusion, peaking at day +30, most pronounced in patients receiving busulfan. Patients considered to be at increased risk of SOS and therefore commenced on prophylactic defibrotide had significantly elevated levels of sVEGF-R1 before start of conditioning (446 pg/mL vs. 281 pg/mL, p = 0.0035), and this treatment appeared to stabilize sVEGF-R1 levels compared to patients not treated with defibrotide. Thirteen (11.5%) children meeting the modified Seattle criteria for SOS at median day +8 (1-18), had significantly elevated sVEGF-R1 levels on day +14 (489 pg/mL vs. 327 pg/mL, p = 0.007). In contrast. sVEGF-R1 levels in the much broader group of patients (45.1%) meeting EBMT-SOS criteria, including patients with very mild disease, did not overall differ in sVEGF-R1 levels, but higher sVEGF-R1 levels were seen in EBMT-SOS patients with an increased need for diuretic treatment. Importantly, sVEGF-R1 levels were not associated with ES and CLS but were significantly increased on day +30 in patients with grade III-IV aGvHD (OR = 4.2 pr. quartile, p = 0.023).

CONCLUSION

VEGF-R1 levels are found to be increased in pediatric patients developing SOS, reflecting the severity of morbidity. sVEGF-R1 were unassociated with both CLS and ES. The potential of sVEGF-R1 as a clinically useful biomarker for SOS should be further explored to improve pre-transplant SOS-risk assessment, SOS-severity grading, and to guide treatment.

Plasma Levels of MRP-8/14 Associate With Neutrophil Recovery, Bacterial Bloodstream Infections, and Engraftment Syndrome Following Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Neutrophil engraftment is essential for the successful outcome after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but neutrophil activation may also induce transplant-related complications. Myeloid-related protein (MRP)-8/14 is expressed in granulocytes during inflammatory conditions and secreted in response to tissue damage along with the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines together with leukocyte recruitment and activation. In this study, we investigated associations between levels of the neutrophil activition marker MRP-8/14, neutrophil recovery and toxicities after pediatric HSCT. We included 73 children undergoing allogeneic HSCT using bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell grafts from matched sibling or unrelated donors. Plasma levels of MRP-8/14 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay from preconditioning until 6 months after transplantation. Overall, MRP-8/14 levels decreased from pre-conditioning to a nadir at day 7 and then rose again until day 28, preceding the reappearance of neutrophils. MRP-8/14 levels were significantly reduced at day 14 in patients with delayed neutrophil engraftment compared with patients who engrafted by day 21 (0.20 versus 0.48 μg/mL, P = .0012) and in patients who developed bacterial bloodstream infections compared to patients without this complication (0.2 versus 0.36 μg/mL, P = .048). Patients developing engraftment syndrome had significantly elevated MRP-8/14 levels at day 7 and 21 compared to patients without engraftment syndrome (0.32 versus 0.2 μg/mL, P = .042 and 1.9 versus 0.80 μg/mL, P = .039, respectively), as well as increased neutrophil counts from day 9 to 25 (P ≤ .016). Similarly, neutrophil counts were increased at day 13 to 17 in patients with acute graft-versus-host disease grade III-IV compared with grade 0-II. This study is the first to monitor neutrophil activation by MRP-8/14 in HSCT patients in relation to infectious, as well as noninfectious post-transplantation complications. Our results provide increased insights into the pathophysiology of these complications, and further studies should explore the potential use of MRP-8/14 as a clinically useful biomarker.

Impact of serum insulin-like growth factor-1 on HSCT outcome in pediatric cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is associated with severe medical complications and variable outcome depending on the recipient's disease stage and health condition. Biomarkers predicting outcome may have therapeutic relevance in pediatric cancer care. Insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF 1) is a mitogenic and anabolic peptide hormone that is expressed in almost all tissues. This hormone is the major growth factor in childhood. As IGF 1 is decreased in conditions that cause catabolic metabolism, it may reflect the degree of physical robustness of the patient and serve as predictive biomarker for transplant outcome.

OBJECTIVES AND STUDY DESIGN

We evaluated the impact of pre-transplant serum-IGF 1 on both survival and adverse events in 587 pediatric cancer patients, who underwent autologous or allogeneic HSCT between 1987 and 2014 at the University Children's Hospital Tübingen, Germany. Survival probabilities of the entire cohort and of defined subgroups according to pre-transplant serum-IGF-1 were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

Mean pre-transplant IGF 1 (n = 498) was low: -1.67 SDS (SD, 1.54). Completeness of follow-up three and ten years post HSCT was 96 % and 83 %, respectively. The ten-year overall survival was 44.8 % (95 % confidence interval [CI], 40.6-48.9). With decreasing IGF-1 SDS, there was a significant increase of transplant-related mortality (p = 0.027), sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (quartiles 4 to 1: 3; 1; 12; 12%; p < 0.001) and thrombotic microangiopathy (quartiles 4 to 1: 0: 0: 2; 5%; p = 0.004). IGF 1 decile 1 showed a significantly poorer outcome (p=0.042) with lower median (12 versus 68 months) and ten-year overall survival (37 % versus 52 %) when compared to decile 2-10.

CONCLUSIONS

This retrospective study suggests pre-transplant serum-IGF 1 as a predictor of survival and selected vascular adverse events that may have diagnostic and therapeutic relevance in pediatric cancer care.