1
|
Merli P, Ifversen M, Truong TH, Marquart HV, Buechner J, Wölfl M, Bader P. Minimal Residual Disease Prior to and After Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children and Adolescents With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia: What Level of Negativity Is Relevant? Front Pediatr 2021; 9:777108. [PMID: 34805054 PMCID: PMC8602790 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2021.777108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment plays a central role in risk stratification and treatment guidance in paediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). As such, MRD prior to haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a major factor that is independently correlated with outcome. High burden of MRD is negatively correlated with post-transplant survival, as both the risk of leukaemia recurrence and non-relapse mortality increase with greater levels of MRD. Despite growing evidence supporting these findings, controversies still exist. In particular, it is still not clear whether multiparameter flow cytometry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, which is used to recognise immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor gene rearrangements, can be employed interchangeably. Moreover, the higher sensitivity in MRD quantification offered by next-generation sequencing techniques may further refine the ability to stratify transplant-associated risks. While MRD quantification from bone marrow prior to HSCT remains the state of the art, heavily pre-treated patients may benefit from additional staging, such as using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography to detect focal residues of disease. Additionally, the timing of MRD detection (i.e., immediately before administration of the conditioning regimen or weeks before) is a matter of debate. Pre-transplant MRD negativity has previously been associated with superior outcomes; however, in the recent For Omitting Radiation Under Majority age (FORUM) study, pre-HSCT MRD positivity was associated with neither relapse risk nor survival. In this review, we discuss the level of MRD that may require pre-transplant therapy intensification, risking time delay and complications (as well as losing the window for HSCT if disease progression occurs), as opposed to an adapted post-transplant strategy to achieve long-term remission. Indeed, MRD monitoring may be a valuable tool to guide individualised treatment decisions, including tapering of immunosuppression, cellular therapies (such as donor lymphocyte infusions) or additional immunotherapy (such as bispecific T-cell engagers or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Merli
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Marianne Ifversen
- Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant and Immune Deficiency, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tony H Truong
- Division of Pediatric Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant, Alberta Children's Hospital, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Hanne V Marquart
- Section for Diagnostic Immunology, Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jochen Buechner
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Matthias Wölfl
- Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Children's Hospital, Würzburg University Hospital, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Peter Bader
- Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, Department for Children and Adolescents, Goethe University, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Place AE, Pikman Y, Stevenson KE, Harris MH, Pauly M, Sulis ML, Hijiya N, Gore L, Cooper TM, Loh ML, Roti G, Neuberg DS, Hunt SK, Orloff-Parry S, Stegmaier K, Sallan SE, Silverman LB. Phase I trial of the mTOR inhibitor everolimus in combination with multi-agent chemotherapy in relapsed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2018; 65:e27062. [PMID: 29603593 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.27062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We sought to determine the feasibility of co-administering everolimus with a four-drug reinduction in children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) experiencing a first marrow relapse. PROCEDURE This phase I study tested everolimus with vincristine, prednisone, pegaspargase and doxorubicin in patients with marrow relapse occurring >18 months after first complete remission (CR). The primary aim was to identify the maximum tolerated dose of everolimus. Three dose levels (DLs) were tested during dose escalation (2, 3, and 5 mg/m2 /day). Additional patients were enrolled at the 3- and 5 mg/m2 /day DLs to further evaluate toxicity (dose expansion). RESULTS Thirteen patients enrolled during dose escalation and nine during dose expansion. During dose escalation, one dose-limiting toxicity occurred (grade 4 hyperbilirubinemia) in six evaluable patients at DL3 (5 mg/m2 /day). The most common grade ≥3 adverse events were febrile neutropenia, infections, transaminitis, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypophosphatemia. Two of the 12 patients treated at DL3 developed Rothia mucilaginosa meningitis. Nineteen patients (86%) achieved a second CR (CR2). Of those, 13 (68%) had a low end-reinduction minimal residual disease (MRD) level (≤10-3 by polymerase chain reaction-based assay). The CR2 rate for patients with B-cell ALL treated at DL3 (n = 12) was 92%; 82% of these patients had low MRD. CONCLUSIONS Everolimus combined with four-drug reinduction chemotherapy was generally well tolerated and associated with favorable rates of CR2 and low end-reinduction MRD. The recommended phase 2 dose of everolimus given in combination with a four-drug reinduction is 5 mg/m2 /day. This promising combination should be further evaluated in a larger patient cohort.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E Place
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yana Pikman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kristen E Stevenson
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marian H Harris
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Melinda Pauly
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Maria-Luisa Sulis
- Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplant, Columbia University, New York City, New York
| | - Nobuko Hijiya
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital/Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Lia Gore
- Section of Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Todd M Cooper
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington
| | - Mignon L Loh
- Department of Pediatrics, Benioff Children's Hospital, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Giovanni Roti
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Donna S Neuberg
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sarah K Hunt
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sarah Orloff-Parry
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kimberly Stegmaier
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stephen E Sallan
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lewis B Silverman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|