Reduced Intensity Conditioning with Thiotepa and Fludarabine for Allogeneic Transplantation: Evidence for Low Toxicity and Long-Lasting Disease Control in MDS with Low/Intermediate-1 IPSS Score and in AML from MDS in Complete Remission

• Published in: Blood 2008-11, Vol.112 (11), p.3285-3285
• Main Authors: Alessandrino, Emilio Paolo, Malcovati, Luca, La Nasa, Giorgio, de Fabritiis, Paolo, Bernardi, Massimo, Di Bartolomeo, Paolo, Bernasconi, Paolo, Colombo, Anna A, Caldera, Daniela, Pascutto, Cristiana, Mazza, Patrizio, Narni, Franco, Scime', Rosanna, Olivieri, Attilio, Casini, Marco, GITMO, Andrea Bacigalupo for
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0006-4971; 1528-0020
• DOI: 10.1182/blood.V112.11.3285.3285

This study investigated Thiotepa (TT) and Fludarabine (Fluda) as a preparative regimen for allogeneic peripheral stem cell transplantation in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute leukemia from MDS (MDS-AML) older than 50 or with comorbidities contraindicating standard conditioning. Patients were prepared with TT, given over 3 hours as an i.v. infusion at a dose of 10 mg/kg over two days (day -8 and day -7) and Fluda at the dose of 125 mg/m2 i.v. over five days ( from day -7 to day -3). Fresh or cryopreserved allogeneic peripheral stem cells were infused on day 0 or +1. Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine A (CyA) at the dose of 1.5 mg/kg day as a continuous iv infusion from day -5 until engraftment. The CyA was then administered orally at the dose of 3 mg/kg twice a day. Doses were adjusted to maintain plasma level concentrations between 150–350 mg/dL. From day +60, in the absence of acute GvHD, the CyA was tapered down by 20% every 2 weeks until withdrawal. In addition, patients received methotrexate 10 mg/m2 on day +1, and 8 mg/m2 on days + 3, +6 and +11 after transplantation. At the time of transplantation, patients were classified in two risk groups (low vs high risk) according to IPSS score (low/intermediate-1 vs. intermediate-2/high) for MDS patients, and disease status (CR vs. not CR) for MDS-AML. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was carried out to compare Overall Survival (OS), Transplant-Related Mortality (TRM) and probability of relapse. Fifty patients (29 males, 21 females) entered the study; the median age was 54 years (range 38–71). Sixteen MDS patients had a low/intermediate 1 score according to the International Prognostic Score System (IPSS), 16 had an intermediate 2/high IPSS score, 18 had MDS-AML. Thirty patients underwent transplantation as front-line therapy, 20 received one or more cycles of chemotherapy before transplant. Among the latter, nine with MDS-AML were in complete remission at the time of their transplant, while four were in a partial remission. The interval from diagnosis to transplantation ranged from 1 to 52 months (median value 11 months). Contraindications to a standard conditioning regimen were liver disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy secondary to hypertension or valvular stenosis, cardiac arrhythmia, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, previous CNS bleeding, and a history of sepsis. All but one patient achieved engraftment, with full donor chimerism by day +30. Patient