Autologous peripheral blood progenitor-cell transplantation versus autologous bone marrow transplantation for adults and children with non-leukaemic malignant disease. A randomised economic study

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation following high-dose chemotherapy for non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas

BACKGROUND

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a highly heterogeneous group of rare malignant solid tumors. Non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS) comprise all STS except rhabdomyosarcoma. In patients with advanced local or metastatic disease, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) applied after high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) is a planned rescue therapy for HDCT-related severe hematologic toxicity.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness and safety of HDCT followed by autologous HSCT for all stages of soft tissue sarcomas in children and adults.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the electronic databases CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2010, Issue 2), MEDLINE and EMBASE (February 2010). Online trial registers, congress abstracts and reference lists of reviews were searched and expert panels and authors were contacted.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Terms representing STS and autologous HSCT were required in the title, abstract or keywords. In studies with aggregated data, participants with NRSTS and autologous HSCT had to constitute at least 80% of the data. Comparative non-randomized studies were included because randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were not expected. Case series and case reports were considered for an additional descriptive analysis.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Study data were recorded by two review authors independently. For studies with no comparator group, we synthesised results for studies reporting aggregate data and conducted a pooled analysis of individual participant data using the Kaplan-Meyer method. The primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and treatment-related mortality (TRM).

MAIN RESULTS

We included 54 studies, from 467 full texts articles screened (11.5%), reporting on 177 participants that received HSCT and 69 participants that received standard care. Only one study reported comparative data. In the one comparative study, OS at two years after HSCT was estimated as statistically significantly higher (62.3%) compared with participants that received standard care (23.2%). In a single-arm study, the OS two years after HSCT was reported as 20%. In a pooled analysis of the individual data of 54 participants, OS at two years was estimated as 49% (95% CI 34% to 64%). Data on TRM, secondary neoplasia and severe toxicity grade 3 to 4 after transplantation were sparse. All 54 studies had a high risk of bias.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Due to a lack of comparative studies, it is unclear whether participants with NRSTS have improved survival from autologous HSCT following HDCT. Owing to this current gap in knowledge, at present HDCT and autologous HSCT for NRSTS should only be used within controlled trials.

Costs and consequences of stem cell transplantation in children

Economic evaluation is a comparison of the costs and consequences of alternative healthcare interventions. Consequences are best assessed as utilities; quality-adjusted measures of effectiveness. Although few substantive data are available, it appears that hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is even more cost-effective in children than in adults.

The whys and hows of hematopoietic progenitor and stem cell mobilization

Intentional mobilization of hematopoietic/stem cells into the circulation has improved the efficiency of their collection. Transplantation of mobilized blood stem cells to patients with marrow aplasia results in a faster pace of hematopoietic recovery than transplantation of marrow-derived stem cells. Autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are increasingly performed with blood-derived cells. Donors of both autologous and allogeneic blood stem cells do not always respond well to therapies designed to produce mobilization. Autologous donors may respond poorly as a result of myelotoxic damage inflicted by prior antitumor therapy, but this explanation is not valid for allogeneic donors. The mechanism(s) involved in the process of mobilization are incompletely understood. Until these mechanisms are elucidated, methods to improve mobilization vigor on a rational basis will not be obvious. In the meanwhile, clinical observations may provide some hints regarding the whys and hows of mobilization and permit incremental improvements in this process.

Use of filgrastim for stem cell mobilisation and transplantation in high-dose cancer chemotherapy

Myeloablative or high-dose chemotherapy regimens utilise doses that are significantly greater than those used in standard treatments. The neutropenia caused by these high-dose therapies can be associated with an increased incidence of bacterial and fungal infections and remains an important clinical issue among patients with advanced-stage cancers. Filgrastim is approved for stem cell mobilisation in both chemotherapy-treated patients and normal donors. Harvested peripheral blood progenitor cells have been used effectively in allogeneic and autologous transplantation, increasing the speed and extent of neutrophil and platelet recovery. Accelerated haematopoietic recovery is associated with a significantly shorter hospital stay and, therefore, leads to a reduction in treatment costs. The contribution of filgrastim to the acceleration of haematopoietic recovery after peripheral blood progenitor cell transplant has been assessed in a number of prospective clinical trials after high-dose chemotherapy. Controversy remains over whether growth factors should be administered shortly after stem cell infusion or after several days. The recently approved, once-weekly form of filgrastim, pegfilgrastim, has been shown to have efficacy comparable to that of the native molecule and can be expected to enhance patient quality of life through the need for fewer injections. This article will review the role of filgrastim for stem cell mobilisation and transplantation in patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy.

Can sequential administration minimise the cost of high dose chemotherapy? An economic assessment in inflammatory breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the potential cost savings of using sequential high dose chemotherapy (HDC), with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim) and stem cell support, rather than single course administration of HDC with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT).

PERSPECTIVE

French public hospital perspective.

METHODS

Direct medical costs of sequential treatment, estimated on the basis of physical quantities of resources consumed by 95 patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) included in a French pilot multicentric trial (PEGASE 02), were compared with those of historical control groups of patients treated with single course HDC, either with BMT (n = 27) or PBSCT (n = 14). Costs were evaluated in 1998 French francs (1 Euro = 6.55957 French francs).

RESULTS

The total cost of sequential HDC was significantly lower than that for single course HDC both with BMT (-29%; 22,755 Euros vs 32,284 Euros; p < 0.001) or PBSCT (-16%; 22,755 Euros vs 27,209 Euros; p = 0.026). This was mainly due to a reduction in the length of hospitalisation in transplantation units.

CONCLUSION

According to our results, economic arguments cannot be used against the widespread use of sequential HDC for patients with IBC. However, further economic evaluations based on overall and disease-free survivals alongside a randomised clinical trial are still needed to definitively establish the cost effectiveness of sequential administration of HDC.

The importance of lowering the costs of stem cell transplantation in developing countries

The effectiveness and efficiency of health care systems can be assessed by economic evaluation, comparing the costs and outcomes of alternative interventions. Direct costs include accommodation, nursing, physicians' fees, diagnostic tests and treatment. Indirect costs derive from the loss of a persons ability to use life in a productive way e.g. employment. In cost-effectiveness analyses, cost is the numerator and effectiveness (related to health outcomes) is the denominator. The unit of measurement of effectiveness is usually years of life saved. Cost utility analyses require a preference-based measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQL) to allow the calculation of utility scores for health states and so the adjustment of effectiveness for quality. Typically, this allows the calculation of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). A review of published reports, to be presented in detail, yields the following summation. The greater cost of stem cell harvest from peripheral blood is more than offset by the reduced costs associated with a shorter hospital stay. Transplants early in first remission cost less than those undertaken at later points in disease evolution/treatment experience. Changing the primary locus of care from inpatient to outpatient may result in notable cost savings but can produce cost-shifting (from inpatient to outpatient). Nevertheless, in selected patient, the use of non-myeloablative transplants may offer a cost-effective option, especially in the developing country context.

Modulations of dose intensity of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in association with G-CSF and peripheral blood stem cells in adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: comparative evaluation of completion and safety of three intensive regimens

The aim of this study was to evaluate and to compare in terms of toxicity the modulations of dose intensity of cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin in adjuvant chemotherapy for high-risk breast cancer. Four cycles of sequential high-dose chemotherapy with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC), supported with G-CSF and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were administered to 81 women. Three successive cohorts were studied: doxorubicin (75 mg/m(2)) + cyclophosphamide (3000 mg/m(2)) every 21 days (group 1), doxorubicin (75 mg/m(2)) + cyclophosphamide (3000 mg/m(2)) every 15 days (group 2), and doxorubicin (75 mg/m(2)) + cyclophosphamide (6000 mg/m(2)) every 21 days (group 3). Seventy-five patients received four cycles of treatment with a total of 310 cycles administered. The received dose intensity of doxorubicin was higher in group 2 and that of cyclophosphamide was lower in group 1 than in the other two groups. Hematological and extra-hematological toxicities, as well as the number and duration of hospitalizations for toxicity, were significantly higher in group 3. We conclude that the group 3 regimen is associated with toxicities comparable to autologous transplantation. Increasing dose intensity of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide is feasible in an outpatient setting and safe in groups 1 and 2 with the support of hematopoietic factor and PBSC.

Economic aspects of high-dose chemotherapy: a clinician's perspective review

Over the last 15 years, the increased use of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) has led to a considerable increase in the cost of cancer treatments. After making a general economic analysis of the benefits and costs of healthcare initiatives, this paper considers all of the different phases and elements of HDC, as well as the strategies for reducing basic, indirect and out-of-pocket costs. The cost of HDC has decreased by 40-60% over the last decade and its cost-effectiveness ratios are now similar or only slightly higher than those of other widely accepted medical interventions. However, except in the case of some hematological and paediatric neoplasms, the efficacy of the treatment has not yet been clearly defined and so it should only be used in well-designed clinical trials that should also include prospective cost evaluation measures.

High-dose melphalan-based chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation after second look laparotomy in patients with chemosensitive advanced ovarian carcinoma: long-term results

The importance of dose intensity has been suggested in ovarian carcinoma. We retrospectively evaluated the long-term results of melphalan-based high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with hematopoietic rescue in a unicentric series of 33 patients with advanced ovarian cancer sensitive to first-line chemotherapy. Before HDC, treatment with debulking surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy was followed by second-look operation (SLO). HDC consisted of melphalan (n = 8), melphalan and cyclophosphamide (n = 9), or melphalan, etoposide and carboplatinum (n = 16). Toxicity was mainly hematological. One death occurred from infection during aplasia. With a median follow-up of 60 months after intensification, the 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 29% and the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 45%. Survival differed significantly according to tumor status at SLO. Women with microscopic or macroscopic disease at SLO, ie with a pathological partial response to first-line therapy (PPR), had survivals of 7% at 5 years, similar to other salvage therapies. Better results were obtained in the 20 women with a complete pathological response (PCR) at SLO with 43% 5-year PFS (median, 51 months) and 75% 5-year OS (median not reached). In conclusion, melphalan-based HDC with hematopoietic rescue had an acceptable toxicity in patients with chemosensitive advanced ovarian cancer. In situations of salvage therapy for patients in PPR, this treatment was not effective in long-term analysis. On the contrary, long-term results were favorable in patients with PCR, suggesting further prospective randomized studies comparing HDC and other consolidation treatments should be undertaken in this particular situation.

Update of the economic analyses of the use of the colony-stimulating factors

The colony-stimulating factors have been used effectively in a variety of clinical settings to prevent febrile neutropenia and to assist patients receiving dose-intensive chemotherapy with or without stem cell support. Several studies have confirmed the clinical efficacy of the colony-stimulating factors used prophylactically in both solid tumors and the hematologic malignancies. The cost of these agents, along with their large scale clinical use, has prompted a number of economic investigations. Economic analyses based on measures of resource utilization derived from randomized clinical trials have provided febrile neutropenia risk threshold estimates for the cost saving use of prophylactic colony-stimulating factor. A number of important studies concerning the clinical and economic impact of these agents have been reported over the past year. These include a revised cost minimization study based on improved febrile neutropenia cost information and a cost-effectiveness analysis in the adjuvant breast cancer setting based on a clinical prediction model to select patients at high risk for neutropenic complications. Continuing clinical and economic evaluation along with updating of clinical practice guidelines is needed due to rapid technologic and clinical advances in this area.

Psychosocial aspects of haematopoietic stem cell donation for allogeneic transplantation: how family donors cope with this experience

Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) allogeneic transplantation is an innovative medical procedure which has many advantages in comparison with bone marrow (BM) transplantation, but it involves administering haematopoietic growth factors (HGFs) to donors, the long-term physiological effects of which have not yet been established. The main aim of the present study was to analyse how family PBSC donors cope when confronted with this particular risk context. In addition to data collected on the personal and social aspects of the donors' experience, questionnaires were used to measure their quality of life (pain and anxiety) before, during and after donation, and they were subsequently interviewed in depth by a psychologist. Twenty-two donors participated in this study. They did not all react to the experience of blood cell donation in the same way, in terms of their own personal feelings, attitudes towards the donation, their relationships with the other members of the family, and their awareness of the risk involved.

The economics of febrile neutropenia: implications for the use of colony-stimulating factors

The occurrence of fever and neutropenia following cancer chemotherapy generally prompts hospitalisation for evaluation and treatment. Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) have been shown to reduce the risk of febrile neutropenia (FN) and the need for hospitalisation in such patients. This study was undertaken to obtain estimates of the actual institutional costs associated with FN and the impact of these costs on threshold estimates for the appropriate use of CSFs. Total hospital expenditures for patients admitted with FN over a 2 year period were studied. A cost allocation function was utilised to allocate all direct costs for non-revenue-generating support centres to revenue-generating service centres as indirect costs. A cost accounting function was then utilised to allocate direct and indirect costs for each service centre to the charge code level. Two groups of patients were defined based on diagnostic codes to represent the spectrum of patients with FN. Total hospital costs were estimated and incorporated into a cost model for the use of CSFs. Variation in the total cost of hospitalisation for FN relates primarily to differences in the average length of stay. The daily cost of hospitalisation was comparable in the groups studied, averaging between US$1675 and US$1892. Incorporation of these cost estimates into the cost model yielded FN risk threshold projections for CSF use in the range of 20-25%. Preliminary studies suggest that incorporation of non-medical, indirect and intangible costs into the CSF decision models will further decrease FN risk threshold projections. Total hospitalisation cost estimates for managing patients with FN are greater than those previously reported, reducing projected FN risk thresholds for CSF use.