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High doses of CsA, which achieve blood concentrations capable of reversing P-glycoprotein-mediated anthracycline resistance in vitro, can be incorporated into induction regimens with acceptable nonhematologic toxicity. Transient hyperbilirubinemia occurs commonly with CsA administration and may alter daunorubicin pharmacokinetics. Recommended doses of CsA for phase II and III trials are a load of 6 mg/kg and CI of 16 mg/kg/d.

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BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors, including antibodies against programmed death 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), are being used with increasing frequency for the treatment of cancer. Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) including colitis, dermatitis, and pneumonitis are well described, but less frequent events are now emerging with larger numbers of patients treated. Herein we describe the incidence and spectrum of thrombocytopenia following immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and two severe cases of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).Case presentationsA 47-year-old female with recurrent BRAF mutant positive melanoma received combination anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4. Two weeks later, she presented with mucosal bleeding, petechiae, and thrombocytopenia and was treated with standard therapy for ITP with steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Her diagnosis was confirmed with bone marrow biopsy, and given the lack of treatment response, she was treated with rituximab. She began to have recovery and stabilization of her platelet count that ultimately allowed her to be retreated with PD-1 inhibition with no further thrombocytopenia. A second patient, a 45-year-old female with a BRAF wild-type melanoma, received anti-PD-1 monotherapy and became thrombocytopenic 43 days later. Three weeks of steroid treatment improved her platelet count, but thrombocytopenia recurred and required additional steroids. She later received anti-CTLA-4 monotherapy and developed severe ITP with intracranial hemorrhage. Her ITP resolved after treatment of prednisone, IVIG, and rituximab and discontinuation of checkpoint inhibition. In a retrospective chart review of 2360 patients with melanoma treated with checkpoint inhibitor therapy, <1% experienced thrombocytopenia following immune checkpoint inhibition, and of these, most had spontaneous resolution and did not require treatment.ConclusionsThrombocytopenia, especially ITP, induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors appears to be an uncommon irAE that is manageable with observation in mild cases and/or standard ITP treatment algorithms. In our series, the majority of patients had mild thrombocytopenia that resolved spontaneously or responded to standard corticosteroid regimens. However, in two severe cases, IVIG and rituximab, in addition to steroids, were required. Checkpoint inhibition was resumed successfully in the first patient but rechallenge was not tolerated by the second patient.

Background The role of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in the first complete remission (CR1) of peripheral T‐cell lymphomas (PTCLs) is not well defined. This study analyzed the impact of ASCT on the clinical outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed PTCL in CR1. Methods Patients with newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed, aggressive PTCL were prospectively enrolled into the Comprehensive Oncology Measures for Peripheral T‐Cell Lymphoma Treatment (COMPLETE) study, and those in CR1 were included in this analysis. Results Two hundred thirteen patients with PTCL achieved CR1, and 119 patients with nodal PTCL, defined as anaplastic lymphoma kinase–negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma, angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma (AITL), or PTCL not otherwise specified, were identified. Eighty‐three patients did not undergo ASCT, whereas 36 underwent consolidative ASCT in CR1. At the median follow‐up of 2.8 years, the median overall survival was not reached for the entire cohort of patients who underwent ASCT, whereas it was 57.6 months for those not receiving ASCT (P = .06). ASCT was associated with superior survival for patients with advanced‐stage disease or intermediate‐to‐high International Prognostic Index scores. ASCT significantly improved overall and progression‐free survival for patients with AITL but not for patients with other PTCL subtypes. In a multivariable analysis, ASCT was independently associated with improved survival (hazard ratio, 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.15‐0.89). Conclusions This is the first large prospective cohort study directly comparing the survival outcomes of patients with nodal PTCL in CR1 with or without consolidative ASCT. ASCT may provide a benefit in specific clinical scenarios, but the broader applicability of this strategy should be determined in prospective, randomized trials. These results provide a platform for designing future studies of previously untreated PTCL.

The efficacy of reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is uncertain. We analyzed 197 adults with Ph+ ALL in first complete remission; 67 patients receiving RIC were matched with 130 receiving myeloablative conditioning (MAC) for age, donor type, and HCT year. Over 75% received pre-HCT tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), mostly imatinib; 39% (RIC) and 49% (MAC) were MRDneg pre-HCT. At a median 4.5 years follow-up, 1-year transplant-related mortality (TRM) was lower in RIC (13%) than MAC (36%;p=0.001) while the 3-year relapse rate was 49% in RIC and 28% in MAC (p=0.058). Overall survival was similar (RIC 39% [95% CI:27–52] vs. 35% [95% CI:270–44];p=0.62). Patients MRDpos pre-HCT had higher risk of relapse with RIC versus MAC (HR 1.97;p=0.026). However, patients receiving pre-HCT TKI in combination with MRD negativity pre-RIC HCT had superior OS (55%) compared to a similar MRDneg population after MAC (33%; p=0.0042). In multivariate analysis, RIC lowered TRM (HR 0.6; p=0.057), but absence of pre-HCT TKI (HR 1.88;p=0.018), RIC (HR 1.891;p=0.054) and pre-HCT MRDpos (HR 1.6; p=0.070) increased relapse risk. RIC is a valid alternative strategy for Ph+ ALL patients ineligible for MAC and MRDneg status is preferred pre-HCT.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), a common complication after stem cell transplant (SCT), has an impact on morbidity and survival. Previous classification of cGVHD has not been reproducible or prognostic for nonrelapse mortality (NRM). Recently the National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus criteria were proposed, but the ability of this classification to predict outcome of various subtypes of cGVHD is unknown. Patients (N = 110) undergoing an SCT for a hematologic malignancy and surviving until day 100 posttransplant from 2001 to 2003 were studied. The overall survival (OS) using a landmark analysis at day 100 was 44% versus 66% (no GVHD vs. GVHD, P = .026). The OS of patients with various types of GVHD as proposed by the NIH criteria were significantly different (P < .0001). In a univariate analyses, this was more apparent when patients with any acute features of GVHD were compared to classic cGVHD (3-year OS 46% vs. 68%, P = .033). The 3-year NRM for the entire cohort was 21%, and was not affected by presence or absence of GVHD or subtypes of GVHD. In a multivariable analysis, extensive cGVHD (hazard ratio [HR] 0.35, P = .015) and having any acute feature of GVHD after day 100 (HR 3.36, P = .0144) were significant independent predictors of survival. The OS with different NIH subtypes of GVHD after day 100 from SCT varies, and is superior for patients with classic cGVHD.