Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation for Children With Therapy Resistant Leukemia

Summary

Despite substantial progress in the treatment pediatric acute leukemia a significant number of children will experience primary or secondary resistance to the treatment. In other words it will be not possible to achieve remission using standard chemotherapy (primary resistance) or the patients will develop chemotherapy resistant relapse (secondary resistance). Children failing to achieve remission or children relapsing after previous allogeneic stem cell transplantation have short life expectancy and palliative treatment still remains the most reasonable option as the escalation of conventional chemotherapy is not longer effective. The role of Graft versus Leukemia effect was postulated as one of the mechanisms contributing to the leukemia control/eradication after transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells. In this study the investigators combine intensified multiagent Clofarabine containing chemotherapy with post-induction treatment intensification using reduced intensity conditioning followed by haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Introducing a new drug to the treatment of resistant leukemia the investigators want to achieve a response which allows us to proceed to immediate haploidentical transplantation. Using a haploidentical donor the investigators can avoid time consuming search for an unrelated donor and perform the transplantation at the optimal time-point. Combating therapy resistant leukemia the investigators would like to evoke and utilize potential Graft-versus-Leukemia effect which is much more pronounced in the haploidentical setting, as it is well documented that allogeneic transplantation with a matched donor is not effective in resistant disease. The use of best KIR mismatch donor and post-transplant donor lymphocyte infusion will be implemented in order to develop/intensify graft versus leukemia effect.

Timeline

Start

2009-12

Primary completion

2012-12

Completion

2012-12

Publications

• Background Locatelli F, Testi AM, Bernardo ME, Rizzari C, Bertaina A, Merli P, Pession A, Giraldi E, Parasole R, Barberi W, Zecca M. Clofarabine, cyclophosphamide and etoposide as single-course re-induction therapy for children with refractory/multiple relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Br J Haematol. 2009 Nov;147(3):371-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2009.07882.x. Epub 2009 Aug 29.
• Background Hijiya N, Gaynon P, Barry E, Silverman L, Thomson B, Chu R, Cooper T, Kadota R, Rytting M, Steinherz P, Shen V, Jeha S, Abichandani R, Carroll WL. A multi-center phase I study of clofarabine, etoposide and cyclophosphamide in combination in pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed acute leukemia. Leukemia. 2009 Dec;23(12):2259-64. doi: 10.1038/leu.2009.185. Epub 2009 Sep 10.
• Background Stern M, Ruggeri L, Mancusi A, Bernardo ME, de Angelis C, Bucher C, Locatelli F, Aversa F, Velardi A. Survival after T cell-depleted haploidentical stem cell transplantation is improved using the mother as donor. Blood. 2008 Oct 1;112(7):2990-5. doi: 10.1182/blood-2008-01-135285. Epub 2008 May 20.
• Background Jeha S, Gaynon PS, Razzouk BI, Franklin J, Kadota R, Shen V, Luchtman-Jones L, Rytting M, Bomgaars LR, Rheingold S, Ritchey K, Albano E, Arceci RJ, Goldman S, Griffin T, Altman A, Gordon B, Steinherz L, Weitman S, Steinherz P. Phase II study of clofarabine in pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J Clin Oncol. 2006 Apr 20;24(12):1917-23. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2005.03.8554.
• Results Toporski J, Krol L, Dykes J, Hakansson Y, Pronk C, Turkiewicz D. The combination of clofarabine, etoposide, and cyclophosphamide shows limited efficacy as a bridge to transplant for children with refractory acute leukemia: results of a monitored prospective study. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2021 Apr;38(3):216-226. doi: 10.1080/08880018.2020.1838012. Epub 2020 Nov 5.

Drugs

Indications