The role of induction therapy before autologous stem cell transplantation in low disease burden AL amyloidosis patients

Acute kidney injury during autologous stem cell transplantation in light chain amyloidosis with kidney involvement and their impact on prognosis

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complication related to important organ dysfunction during autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in light chain (AL) amyloidosis. This study aims to validate the risk factors of AKI during different periods of ASCT and the impact of AKI on long-term outcomes. 302 patients with AL amyloidosis and kidney involvement who underwent ASCT were included. The procedures from stem cell mobilization to 30 days after transplantation were categorized into four periods: Period 0 (stem cell mobilization and harvest), Period 1 (preparation), Period 2 (conditioning and transplantation), and Period 3 (engraftment). The incidence of AKI during ASCT was 27.15% (0.66% in Period 0, 6.62% in Period 1, 15.23% in Period 2, and 6.95% in Period 3). The major causes of AKI were capillary leak syndrome in Period 0, ganciclovir or sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim in Period 1, high-dose melphalan in Period 2, and engraftment syndrome in Period 3. AKI in different periods had distinct risk factors and predictive models. AKI was a risk factor for both kidney survival and overall survival (OS). Even recovered AKI reduced 10-year kidney survival from 91.7% to 68.4% (p = 0.002) and 10-year OS from 91.1% to 77.7% (p = 0.005).

Risk factors, treatments and outcomes of patients with light chain amyloidosis who relapse after autologous stem cell transplantation

Relapse after ASCT is an important factor affecting the long-term prognosis of patients with AL amyloidosis. However, the risk factors of relapse are unknown and there are limited studies on treatment outcomes of these patients. We retrospectively reviewed 170 patients with AL amyloidosis who underwent ASCT between 2010 and 2021. Seventy-six patients confirmed as relapse and the median time from ASCT to relapse was 39 months. On multivariate analysis of variables before and after ASCT, lambda restricted, dFLC >30 mg/L pre ASCT, reduced dose melphalan and dFLC >10 mg/L at 6 months after ASCT were independent risk factors for relapse, and achieving CR after induction therapy and renal response after ASCT were protective factors. Most relapsed patients were treated with bortezomib-based regimens (50%) followed by daratumumab-based regimens (22.2%) and other chemotherapy regimens (13.9%). The overall hematological response in evaluable patients was 68.2% with 56.8% achieving CR/VGPR. The median PFS and OS from post-transplant relapse were 25 months and 81 months, respectively. Patients receiving bortezomib or daratumumab showed a better survival compared to other chemotherapy regimens. In conclusion, this study identified independent risk factors of post-transplant relapse and demonstrated the superiority of bortezomib or daratumumab treatment for these patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04210791.

The Clinical Characteristics of Immunoglobulin Light Chain Amyloidosis in the Chinese Population: A Systematic Scoping Review

Immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis is the most common type of systemic amyloidosis in China and is associated with increased morbidity and a poor prognosis. However, the clinical characteristics of Chinese patients with AL amyloidosis have not been systematically investigated. This scoping review aimed to summarize the available literature regarding the clinical characteristics of patients with AL amyloidosis and identify potential knowledge gaps. We searched three electronic databases from inception to 7 February 2021. PICOS (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome and Study) design structure was used to formulate the data extraction. All statistical calculations and analyses were performed with R (version 3.6.0). Sixty-seven articles with 5022 patients were included. Results suggest Chinese patients were younger (57 years) at the time of diagnosis when compared with other patient populations and were predominantly male (61.2%). The time interval from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis was between 6 and 12 months. It was found that 41.1% of Chinese patients with AL amyloidosis were diagnosed with an advanced stage III disease when diagnosed, and 20.2% had a concurrent disease. The most involved organs were the kidneys (84.3%) and the heart (62.5%). In conclusion, our study shows some similarities and differences with other studies on the clinical characteristics of Chinese patients with AL amyloidosis, including the age at diagnosis, Mayo stage, and organ involvement. However, a nationwide epidemiological investigation is still needed to provide a comprehensive overview of this patient population in China.

Systematic literature review of evidence in amyloid light-chain amyloidosis

Introduction: Treatment of amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, a rare disease with a <5-year lifespan, remains challenging. This systematic literature review (SLR) aimed to evaluate the current evidence base in AL amyloidosis. Methods: Literature searches on clinical, health-related quality of life, economic and resource use evidence were conducted using the Embase, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases as well as gray literature. Results: This SLR yielded 84 unique studies from: five randomized controlled trials; 54 observational studies; 12 health-related quality of life studies, none with utility values; no economic evaluation studies; and 16 resource use studies, none with indirect costs. Conclusion: This SLR highlights a paucity of published literature relating to randomized controlled trials, utility values, economic evaluations and indirect costs in AL amyloidosis.