ALBERT

Description: Purpose In patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 〉 60 years of age we analyzed age at relapse, interval from first complete remission (CR1) to relapse, cytogenetic risk at initial diagnosis, prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) and FLT3/NPM1 mutational status as possible prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). Introduction After achieving CR1 more than 50% of elderly AML patients eventually relapse. Prognostic factors for OS are poorly defined in this patient population. For younger patients with relapsed AML a risk score has been described including age at relapse, interval from CR1 to relapse, cytogenetic risk at initial diagnosis and prior stem cell transplantation (SCT) as prognostic factors. We sought to investigate whether these are also prognostic factors in elderly patients with relapsed AML. In addition, we assessed the prognostic impact of FLT3- and NPM1 mutational status (wild-type (wt) or mutated (mut)) at diagnosis. Patients and methods In the ongoing multicenter OSHO trial #69 for AML patients 〉 60 years we evaluated data of all relapsed patients. Overall survival was calculated from the day of first relapse until the day of death using the Kaplan Meier method. Univariate analysis was performed to test for the influence of age at relapse, interval from CR1 to relapse, cytogenetic risk at initial diagnosis, prior alloSCT and FLT3/NPM1 mutational status. Subsequently, independent prognostic factors were defined in a multivariate analysis with age at relapse, time from CR1 to relapse, cytogenetic risk at initial diagnosis and prior alloSCT as covariates. Results From April 2005 until April 2013 904 patients were registered. 733 of these received intensive induction chemotherapy which resulted in CR1 in 447 (61%) pts. In this patient group 260 relapses were observed after a median interval, calculated from the day of CR1, for living patients of 2.7 years (range 0.1 to 7.5). Median age at relapse was 69 years (range 60 – 85) with 129 (49.6%) pts. being 60 to 68 years old, 102 (39.2%) pts. being 69 to 74 years old and 29 (11.1%) pts. being 75 to 85 years old. Median interval from CR1 to relapse was 0.58 years (0.07 – 6.28). 114 (43.8%) relapses occurred up to 6 months after CR1, 119 (45.8%) between 7 and 18 months after CR1 and 27 (10.4%) later than 18 months after CR1. Only five (1.9%) relapsed pts. showed good risk cytogenetics at diagnosis, whereas it was of intermediate risk in 159 (61.1%) pts., of poor risk in 68 (26.2%) pts. and unknown in 28 (10.8%) pts. Forty-one (15.8%) pts. had received prior alloSCT in CR1. Information on FLT3- and NPM1 mutational status at diagnosis was available in 194 (74.6%) pts. 110 (42.3%) pts. had FLT3/NPM1 wt/wt, 48 (18.5%) pts. had FLT3/NPM1 wt/mut, 23 (8.8%) pts. had FLT3/NPM1 mut/wt and 13 (5.0%) pts. had FLT3/NPM1 mut/mut. OS rate at 2 years of all relapsed pts. was 13 ± 2%. For patients younger than 69 years and for those 69 years of age or older OS rate at 2 years was 17 ± 4% and 9 ± 3%, respectively (p=0.03). The interval between CR1 and first relapse also affected 2 year-OS with 7 ± 3%, 15 ± 4% and 36 ± 12% for pts. with relapse up to 6 months, 7 to 18 months and later than 18 months after CR1, respectively ( 18 months: p=0.009). OS rate at 2 years was also influenced by cytogenetic risk at initial diagnosis with 17 ± 3% for pts. having good or intermediate risk cytogenetics and 3 ± 2% for those with poor risk cytogenetics (p〈 0.0005). Prior alloSCT had a negative influence on OS. Two-year OS rate was 10 ± 5 and 13 ± 3% (p= .015) for patients with prior alloSCT vs. those without prior alloSCT, respectively. FLT3/NPM1 mutational status at diagnosis had no impact on OS. In univariate analysis age at relapse (p

Description: AML patients with unfavourable cytogenetics generally have a poor outcome. Over the last decade a number of strategies to improving survival have been assessed by the East German Study Group (OSHO). Here, we analyse the results of three protocols (AML 93, AML 96 and AML 2002) for effects on outcome in younger patients (

Description: Treatment of elderly patients with AML remains challenging. While increasing doses of induction and consolidation chemotherapy have failed to improve outcome, efforts to decrease relapse rates using the graft-versus-leukemia effect have shown promising results in phase II studies. In the present analysis of the prospective OSHO 2004 study we evaluated the effect of post-induction hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in comparison to conventional consolidation chemotherapy (CT) on outcome in elderly patients with AML. The OSHO 2004 study is part of the German intergroup study. Upon achieving complete remission (CR) after induction, patients were assigned to CT or HCT depending on the availability of a matched related or unrelated donor. Unrelated, single antigen mismatched donors were accepted in high risk situations. By April 2014 from 817 eligible patients, 505 entered CR (62%) after one or two induction therapies. From the 452 patients who received consolidation in CR 1, 31 patients (7%) relapsed and 10 (2%) died of complications during consolidation. No further therapy for medical reasons was given to 73 patients, 206 patients received second consolidation with cytarabine (0.5 g/m2 i.v. bid d1, 3, 5) plus mitoxantrone (10 mg/m² d1-2) and 132 patients underwent HCT. Most frequent conditioning regimens for HCT were low dose TBI (83%) and treosulfan/fludarabine (12%). Most of the patients received HCT from unrelated (80%) donors and the majority received grafts from HLA-identical (78%) donors. Our analysis was restricted to the 315 patients

Description: The optimal consolidation chemotherapy in AML patients 〉60 years has yet to be defined in detail. Although age-adjusted induction chemotherapy results in CR rates comparable to those in younger patients, relapse remains the major hurdle to successful treatment. While the role of stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in elderly patients is currently being evaluated in randomized studies, we focus here on the intensity of consolidation chemotherapy. Patients data from the elderly AML trials OSHO 1997 (n=410) and OSHO 2004 (n=733) were pooled and analyzed. These protocols have identical inclusion/exclusion criteria and induction chemotherapy, but differ in the intensity of consolidation therapy. In the OSHO 1997 trial, Ara-C 120 mg/m2 bid was given from day 1-5 and mitoxantrone 10 mg/m2 from day 1-2 as consolidation. In the OSHO 2004 an intensified consolidation using Ara-C 500 mg/m2 bid on day 1/3/5 was applied together with mitoxantrone as used in the OSHO 1997 study. Of the 1143 patients, 689 entered CR (60% in the OSHO 1997 and 61% in the OSHO 2004) and 536 (OSHO 1997, n=242, OSHO 2004, n=294) did not receive HSCT as consolidation. The analysis concentrated on the dose of AraC used in the consolidation for this elderly population and on the cycles of consolidation applied. Patient characteristics were compared using chi-square test for categorical data and Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous data. OS was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and univariate comparisons were made by means of the log-rank test. Cox regression was used to find any association between consolidation chemotherapy considered as a time-dependent covariate on Overall Survival (OS) or Relapse Incidence (RI). RI and Non Relapse Mortality (NRM) were calculated using the competing risk method, and the Gray test was applied to compare differences. Multivariate modeling was performed by Cox regression analyses with a forward selection method. Median ages in the AML studies were 66 (60-81) years and 69 (60-85) years for the OSHO 1997 and OSHO 2004, respectively. Patients characteristics were balanced except for age and Karnofsky score (p〈 .0005) and a trend towards more intermediate and high risk karyotypes, more female and less WBC in the OSHO 2004 compared to the OSHO 1997 study (p=0.06). OS at 15 years was 14±2% in all patients with no difference between the two consolidations, but strong dependence on cytogenetic risk factors. In multivariate analyses risk factors for survival were high/intermediate risk karyotypes, male gender, non de-novo AML and less than two consolidations. Patients with two consolidations had better OS than patients with one or no consolidations in the pooled group and in each of the two protocols with no difference between OSHO 1997 and OSHO 2004. Relapse incidence amounted to 79±2% and NRM 10±04% at 15 years with no difference between the two protocols. Relapse incidence was dependent upon cytogenetic risk and the number of consolidations applied in a multivariate model. There were no risk factors predicting TRM in multivariate analysis. Our analysis of patient characteristics according to the number of consolidations showed the distribution of consolidation therapies to be 15.2%, 28.0%, 56.6% and 14.2%, 32.3% and 53.4% for 0, 1 and 2 consolidations in the OSHO 1997 and OSHO 2004 respectively (n.s.). Higher age, higher risk cytogenetics, non-de novo AML type, less CR after one induction cycle and lower WBC count at diagnosis were characteristic of patients receiving none or one as compared to two consolidation therapies. The multivariate analysis revealed cytogenetics and gender as independent risk factors, but not the application of one as opposed to two consolidation treatments. The increase of AraC dose in the OSHO 2004 was unable to either increase survival or improve relapse incidence in the cohort of elderly patients. TRM was not different between the OSHO 1997 and 2004 studies. However, the application of one or two consolidation cycles had a significant impact on survival that was not due to decreased relapse incidence after normalization for risk factors. Interestingly, just above 50% of patients received 2 consolidations as proposed in the protocol with no statistically significant difference between OSHO 1997 and OSHO 2004. Patients receiving fewer consolidation therapy cycles are older, have more non-de novo AML and lower WBC count. Disclosures: Hochhaus: Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Travel Other; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Ariad: Consultancy, Honoraria.

Description: Treatment of elderly patients (pts) with AML requires a sensitive balance between efficacy and toxicity. In the AML97 study all pts with AML 〉 60 years (y) were registered and, according to their clinical status, treated in curative, palliative or supportive intention. From a total of 520 pts enrolled, 375 (72%) pts were allocated to the curative, 112 (22%) to the palliative and 33 (6%) to the supportive part of the protocol. Patient characteristics between the 3 groups differed in respect to age, but not in regard to the distribution de novo and secondary AML. Median age of the pts was 66 y (range 60–80 y), 75 y (range 64–90 y) and 76 y (range 63–97 y) for the curative, palliative and supportive protocol respectively. Curative treatment consisted of one (in case of PR after the first chemotherapy of two) courses of induction therapy (AraC 2 g/m2 iv on day (d) 1,3,5,7 in combination with mitoxantrone 10 mg/m2 iv d 1-3) followed by two consolidation courses (AraC 240 mg/m2 iv d 1-5 combined with mitoxantrone 10 mg/m2 iv d 1-2). Palliative treatment included idarubicin 10 mg po d 1 in combination with thioguanine 40 mg po d 1-5, or AraC 80 mg sc d 1-5 or etoposide 100mg po d 1-5. In the supportive arm transfusions were applied. CR was obtained in 75% (95 CI: 68–82%) of pts with de novo AML and in 61% (95 CI: 50–70%) of pts with secondary AML in the curative arm with an early death rate of 12 % (95CI: 7–17%) and 19% (95 CI: 12–24%) respectively. Cytogenetic risk factors at diagnosis were the most important prognostic factor for CR (p 60 y with low mortality and CR are not different to those of pts 〈 60 y, if cytogenetics are taking into account. Despite high CR rate, OS remains low and consolidation therapy need to be improved. Transplant protocols with reduced intensity conditioning are currently tested in these patients. Treatment results in the palliative arm are disappointing and confirm the need to develop novel therapeutic strategies.