Patients who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) are at major risk of C. difficile (CD) infection (CDI), the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea. We conducted a retrospective study, which enrolled 481 patients who underwent autologous (220) or allogeneic HSCT (261) in a 5-year period, with the aim of identifying the incidence, risk factors and outcome of CDI between the start of conditioning and 100 days after HSCT. The overall cumulative incidence of CDI based upon clinical evidence was 5.4% (95% CI, 3.7% to 7.8%), without any significant difference between the two types of procedures. The median time between HSCT and CDI diagnosis was 12 days. Out of 26 patients, 19 (73%) with clinical and symptomatic evidence of CDI were positive also for enzymatic or molecular detection of toxigenic CD; in particular, in 5 out of 26 patients (19%) CD binary toxin was also detected. CDI diagnoses significantly increased in the period 2018–2019, since the introduction in the microbiology lab unit of the two-step diagnostic test based on GDH immunoenzymatic detection and toxin B/binary toxin/027 ribotype detection by real-time PCR. Via multivariate analysis, abdominal surgery within 10 years before HSCT (p = 0.002), antibiotic therapy within two months before HSCT (p = 0.000), HCV infection (p = 0.023) and occurrence of bacterial or fungal infections up to 100 days after HSCT (p = 0.003) were significantly associated with a higher risk of CDI development. The 26 patients were treated with first-line vancomycin (24) or fidaxomicine (2) and only 2 patients needed a second-line treatment, due to the persistence of stool positivity. No significant relationship was identified between CDI and the development of acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic HSCT. At a median follow-up of 25 months (range 1–65), the cumulative incidence of transplant related mortality (TRM) was 16.6% (95% CI 11.7% to 22.4%) and the 3-year overall survival (OS) was 67.0% (95% CI 61.9% to 71.6%). The development of CDI had no significant impact on TRM and OS, which were significantly impaired in the multivariate analysis by gastrointestinal and urogenital comorbidities, severe GVHD, previous infections or hospitalization within two months before HSCT, active disease at transplant and occurrence of infections after HSCT. We conclude that 20% of all episodes of diarrhea occurring up to 100 days after HSCT were related to toxigenic CD infection. Patients with a history of previous abdominal surgery or HCV infection, or those who had received broad spectrum parenteral antibacterial therapy were at major risk for CDI development. CDIs were successfully treated with vancomycin or fidaxomicin after auto-HSCT as well as after allo-HSCT.
BackgroundInfectious complications are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-SCT). The BATMO (Best-Antimicrobial-Therapy-TMO) is an innovative program for infection prevention and management and has been used in our centre since 2019. The specific features of the BATMO protocol regard both prophylaxis during neutropenia (abandonment of fluoroquinolone, posaconazole use in high-risk patients, aerosolized liposomal amphotericin B use until engraftment or a need for antifungal treatment, and letermovir use in CMV-positive recipients from day 0 to day +100) and therapy (empirical antibiotics based on patient clinical history and colonization, new antibiotics used in second-line according to antibiogram with the exception of carbapenemase-producing K pneumoniae for which the use in first-line therapy is chosen).MethodsData on the infectious complications of 116 transplant patients before BATMO protocol (Cohort A; 2016 - 2018) were compared to those of 84 transplant patients following the introduction of the BATMO protocol (Cohort B; 2019 - 2021). The clinical and transplant characteristics of the 2 Cohorts were comparable, even though patients in Cohort B were at a higher risk of developing bacterial, fungal, and CMV infections, due to a significantly higher proportion of myeloablative regimens and haploidentical donors.ResultsNo change in the incidence of infections with organ localization was observed between the two Cohorts. A significant reduction in Clostridioides difficile infections by day +100 was observed in Cohort B (47% vs. 15%; p=0.04). At day +30, a higher incidence of Gram-negative bloodstream infections (BSIs) was observed in Cohort B (12% vs. 23%; p=0.05). By day +100 and between days +100 and +180, the incidence of BSIs and of the various etiological agents, the mortality from Gram-negative bacteria, and the incidence of invasive fungal infections were not different in the two Cohorts. The incidence of CMV reactivations by day +100 dropped drastically in patients of Cohort B, following letermovir registration (51% vs. 15%; p=0.00001).DiscussionThe results of this study suggest that the BATMO program is safe. In particular, the choice to avoid prophylaxis with fluoroquinolone was associated with an increase in Gram-negative BSIs by day +30, but this did not translate into higher levels of mortality. Moreover, this strategy was associated with a significant reduction of Clostridiodes difficile infections. The efficacy of anti-CMV prophylaxis with letermovir was confirmed by a significant reduction in CMV reactivations. Even though patients in Cohort B were at higher risk of developing fungal infections (more haploidentical transplants with more myeloablative regimens), the extensive use of posaconazole for prophylaxis balanced this risk, and no increase in the incidence of fungal-associated complications was observed.
BackgroundChimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy represents the most advanced immunotherapy against relapsed/refractory B cell malignancies. While cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome are distinctive, known CAR T-cell acute adverse events, hematological toxicity has been increasingly reported. Cytopenia following CAR T-cell treatment is attributed in most cases to lymphodepletion regimens, bridging chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. However, when cytopenia becomes prolonged, the development of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) should be considered.Case presentationWe report a case of high risk (HR)-MDS following CAR T-cell therapy in a patient with relapsed diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Eight months after CAR T-cell infusion, the blood count showed progressive, worsening cytopenia and the bone marrow biopsy revealed multilineage dysplasia without excess of blasts associated with chromosome 7 deletion and RUNX1 mutation. Next generation sequencing analysis, retrospectively performed on stored samples, showed a germ line CSF3R mutation, CEBPA clonal hematopoiesis, but no RUNX1 lesion.ConclusionWe describe a case of HR-MDS, with deletion of chromosome 7 and acquisition of RUNX1 mutation, developing after CAR T-cell therapy in a patient with clonal hematopoiesis (CH). Previous chemotherapy favored MDS onset; however, we could not exclude the fact that the impairment of immunosurveillance related to either lymphodepletion or CAR T-cell infusion may play a role in MDS development. Thus, we designed a multicenter prospective study (ClonHema-CAR-T-Study) to investigate if cytopenia after CAR T-cell treatment may be due to underling CH as well as the presence of secondary myeloid malignancies.
BackgroundMinimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring is an important tool to optimally address post-transplant management of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the impact of bone marrow CD34+ molecular chimerism and WT1 on the outcome of a consecutive series of 168 AML patients submitted to allogeneic stem cell transplantation.ResultsThe cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was significantly lower in patients with donor chimerism on CD34+ cells ≥ 97.5% and WT1 < 213 copies/ABL x 10^4 both at 1st month (p=0.008 and p<0.001) and at 3rd month (p<0.001 for both). By combining chimerism and WT1 at 3rd month, 13 patients with chimerism < 97.5% or WT1 > 213 showed intermediate prognosis. 12 of these patients fell in this category because of molecular chimerism < 97.5% at a time-point in which WT1 was < 213.ConclusionsOur results confirm that lineage-specific molecular chimerism and WT1 after allo-SCT (1st and 3rd month) are useful MRD markers. When considered together at 3rd month, CD34+ molecular chimerism could represent an earlier predictor of relapse compared to WT1. Further studies are necessary to confirm this preliminary observation.
Introduction The outcome of conventional allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for the treatment of patients with refractory myeloid malignancies remains poor. Thiotepa-based sequential conditioning has shown promising results for various refractory hematological malignancies (Duléry R et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2018; 24(5):1013-1021). However, no study has evaluated the outcome of this sequential approach specifically in refractory myeloid malignancies. The optimal dose of chemotherapeutic agents used in the conditioning regimen and the feasibility of this sequential approach in patients aged 60 years and above also need to be assessed. Methods All consecutive patients with refractory myeloid malignancy who underwent allogeneic HCT with a thiotepa-based sequential conditioning regimen in Saint Antoine hospital between April 2013 and October 2020 were included. The sequential approach consisted of a broad spectrum cytoreduction with thiotepa, etoposide, and cyclophosphamide (TEC) from day -15 to -10. Then, after a 3-day rest, a reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimen was administered with fludarabine 150 mg/m 2, intravenous busulfan 6.4 mg/kg and thymoglobulin 5 mg/kg from day -6 to -2. From 2013 to 2018, doses of thiotepa (10 mg/kg), etoposide (400 mg/m 2) and/or cyclophosphamide (1600 mg/m 2) could be reduced in patients older than 60 years or with comorbidities. Since September 2018, the use of a reduced TEC-RIC regimen (thiotepa at 5 mg/kg, etoposide 300 mg/m 2 and cyclophosphamide 1200 mg/m 2 from day -13 to -10) became the new standard of care for all patients. After transplant, patients could receive a hypomethylating agent or targeted therapy to prevent relapse. Prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusions were given to enhance the graft-versus-leukemia effect, in the absence of contraindication. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis was cyclosporine A and mycophenolate mofetil for all patients. Post-transplant cyclophosphamide was added in the case of haploidentical HCT. Results Seventy-one patients (median age 61 years, range 15-76) were included. Diagnoses comprised acute myeloblastic leukemia (n=65) and myelodysplastic syndrome/chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (n=6). Donors were haploidentical (n=36), matched related (n=13), unrelated (n=21) and umbilical cord blood (n=1). A reduced TEC-RIC was administrated to 43 (61%) patients, a full dose TEC-RIC to 18 (25%), and a TEC-RIC with a dose reduction only for thiotepa to 10 (14%). With a median follow-up of 45.4 months (95% CI: 36.7-63.6), the 2-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and non-relapse mortality (NRM) were 51%, 41%, and 24%, respectively. Patients receiving a reduced TEC-RIC had a lower cumulative incidence of acute and chronic GVHD (acute grade II-IV GVHD: 14%, acute grade III-IV GVHD: 0%, chronic GVHD: 19%) than the other patients (acute grade II-IV GVHD: 29%, acute grade III-IV GVHD: 18%, chronic GVHD: 29%). The outcomes were not significantly different according to the TEC dose in terms of relapse incidence, OS, and PFS, although the NRM was lower with the reduced TEC-RIC (21% versus 28%, p=0.72). Most notably, patients aged 60 years and above had a 2-year OS and PFS of 48% and 39%, respectively, with no significant difference compared to patients younger than 60 years (Figure). Conclusion Our findings endorse the feasibility and efficacy of a thiotepa-based sequential approach for refractory myeloid malignancies undergoing HCT. The dose reduction did not compromise disease control and expanded the transplant option to older patients, ineligible for a higher dose regimen. Thus, a reduced TEC-RIC sequential regimen can be proposed for selected patients older than 60 years and allows promising outcomes for the treatment of refractory myeloid malignancies. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Duléry: Gilead: Other: travel support and meeting fees; Takeda: Consultancy; Novartis: Honoraria. Malard: Therakos/Mallinckrodt: Honoraria; Biocodex: Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria; JAZZ pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria. Legrand: Servier: Consultancy. Fenaux: Abbvie: Honoraria, Research Funding; JAZZ: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene/BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Syros Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Labopin: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Mohty: Sanofi: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Jazz: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Honoraria.
Invasive fungal infections remain an important cause of complication and morbidity in the management of acute leukemias. Here we report the case of a 27-year-old patient from French Polynesia who was diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After induction chemotherapy, she developed rhinosinusitis with extensive bone lysis. The context and clinical presentation quickly made us suspect an invasive mucormycosis infection. However, a multidisciplinary investigation including mass spectrometry techniques also revealed the presence of Exserohilum rostratum, a pathogen member of the genus Exserohilum that is ubiquitous in tropical and subtropical regions but rarely implicated in invasive sinusitis. Antifungal treatment combined with an early surgical approach resulted in a favorable clinical response.
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