Mitoxantrone-melphalan conditioning regimen for autologous stem cell transplantation in relapsed/refractory lymphoma

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation conditioning regimens and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy in various diseases

Conditioning regimens employed in autologous stem cell transplantation have been proven useful in various hematological disorders and underlying malig nancies; however, despite being efficacious in various instances, negative consequences have also been recorded. Multiple conditioning regimens were extracted from various literature searches from databases like PubMed, Google scholar, EMBASE, and Cochrane. Conditioning regimens for each disease were compared by using various end points such as overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and leukemia free survival (LFS). Variables were presented on graphs and analyzed to conclude a more efficacious conditioning regimen. In multiple myeloma, the most effective regimen was high dose melphalan (MEL) given at a dose of 200/mg/m2. The comparative results of acute myeloid leukemia were presented and the regimens that proved to be at an admirable position were busulfan (BU) + MEL regarding OS and BU + VP16 regarding LFS. In case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), BU, fludarabine, and etoposide (BuFluVP) conferred good disease control not only with a paramount improvement in survival rate but also low risk of recurrence. However, for ALL, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy was preferred in the context of better OS and LFS. With respect to Hodgkin's lymphoma, mitoxantrone (MITO)/MEL overtook carmustine, VP16, cytarabine, and MEL in view of PFS and vice versa regarding OS. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients were administered MITO (60 mg/m2) and MEL (180 mg/m2) which showed promising results. Lastly, amyloidosis was considered, and the regimen that proved to be competent was MEL 200 (200 mg/m2). This review article demonstrates a comparison between various conditioning regimens employed in different diseases.

Glomerular filtration rate is an independent prognostic factor in patients with B-large cell lymphoma

Chronic kidney dysfunction is associated with increased mortality in multiple cancer types. Preliminary evidence suggests the same to be true for B-large cell lymphomas (B-LCL). To analyze the relationship of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and outcome of B-LCL in detail we collected data on outcomes of 285 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed B-LCL treated at our institution with standard rituximab-containing regimens who did not have preexisting kidney disease or urinary tract obstruction at presentation. Median age was 59, range 18 to 87, 145 were male and 140 females. Forty-four had GFR < 60 mL/min, 123 had 60 to 90 mL/min, and 118 > 90 mL/min. Median follow-up of surviving patients was 49 months and estimated 3-year survival 76%. In univariate analysis age (P < .001), GFR (P = .014), stage (P < .001), performance status (P = .044), chemotherapy regimen (P < .01), and international prognostic index (IPI) (P < .001) were statistically significant prognostic factors. In multivariate analysis, age and GFR remained the only independent prognostic factors. Subtracting 1 from the IPI score of patients who had GFR > 90 mL/min and IPI > 1 resulted in a prognostic index that divides patients into 3 prognostic groups (low risk = 0-1, intermediate risk = 2-3 and high risk = 4-5) with an acceptable patient distribution frequency (38%, 39%, and 23%, respectively) and improved statistical significance and separation in comparison to IPI (5-year survival rates of 92%, 74%, and 42%, respectively). GFR is an important independent prognostic factor for B-LCL that should be taken into account in clinical decision making and data analysis and probably be incorporated in prognostic indices.

Comparison of Mitoxantrone-Melphalan and BEAM Conditioning Regimens in Patients with Lymphoma

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND

Lymphoma is seen as a highly treatable and curable malignancy with aggressive treatment methods. Efficacy is often limited by toxicity and many patients need alternative treatment strategies as they cannot tolerate existing high cytotoxic approaches. Our aim is to compare BEAM [carmustine (BCNU), etoposide, cytarabine (ARA-C, cytosine arabinoside), and melphalan] and mitoxantrone-melphalan (Mx-Mel) regimens utilized in our patients with a diagnosis of lymphoma who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), and to demonstrate that the Mx-Mel regimen has similar but less toxic results than the BEAM regimen we have been using frequently as standard conditioning regimen.

METHODS

A total of 101 patients with lymphoma who underwent ASCT were included in our study. The BEAM regimen included BCNU, etoposide, ARA-C, and melphalan. The Mx-Mel regimen included mitoxantrone and melphalan.

RESULTS

Of 101 patients included in the study, 60 (59.4%) received BEAM and 41 (40.6%) received Mx-Mel (40.6%) conditioning regimen. The median time to neutrophil engraftment was 10 (range: 9-20) days and 12 (range: 9-12) days in the BEAM and Mx-Mel arms, respectively; it was statistically significantly shorter in the BEAM arm (p = .001).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that the Mx-Mel regimen has similar efficacy and toxicity compared with the BEAM regimen. Although time to neutrophil engraftment was shorter in the BEAM arm, it did not result as significant transplant-related complications between the two regimens. The Mx-Mel regimen is seen as a good alternative with low toxicity and high efficacy.

A Retrospective Comparison of Mitoxantrone-Melphalan and BEAM Conditioning Regimens Before Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Relapsed/Refractory Lymphoma Patients

High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is considered the standard therapy for patients with relapsed lymphoma. The aim of our study is the comparison of mitoxantrone-melphalan and BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabin and melphalan) conditioning regimens before autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant in patients with lymphoma. This study has been performed in a retrospective manner. Hundred and two patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 35) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 67) who underwent high-dose treatment followed by AHSCT at Memorial Sisli Hospital between 2013 and 2018 were evaluated. We retrieved data on patient demographics, disease status and post AHSCT outcomes. For conditioning regimen 52 patients received mitoxantrone (60 mg/m2 × 1 day) and melphalan (180 mg/m2 × 1 day) and 50 patients received BEAM (carmustine at 300 mg/m2 × 1 day, etoposide at 200 mg/m2 × 4 days, cytarabine at 2 × 200 mg/m2 × 4 days and melphalan at 140 mg/m2 × 1 day). The median age was 45 (18-73) years at the time of the diagnosis. No significant difference was observed in baseline characteristics between groups, including the disease control and previous therapies. Prior to high-dose chemotherapy, 79.4% of the patients were in complete remission (CR) and 20.6% was in partial remission (PR). With a median follow up of 30.5 months (range: 1-70 months) for the whole cohort, even though the OS was similar in both groups (86% ± 2.4 vs. 84% ± 3.2; p = 0.85), the PFS was noted to be superior among those who received conditioning with BEAM protocol (55% ± 3.7) compared to those with mitoxantrone-melphalan (30.6% ± 2.8; p = 0.006). In conclusion, we demonstrated that the BEAM regimen is an effective high-dose chemotherapy for lymphoma patients before AHSCT. Nevertheless mitoxantrone-melphalan regimen is also an alternative to the BEAM regimen.