NIH response criteria measures are associated with important parameters of disease severity in patients with chronic GVHD

The NIH Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease (cGVHD) Consensus Project Ancillary and Supportive Care Guidelines recommend annual assessment of bone mineral density (BMD) to monitor bone health. The study of osteoporosis in patients with cGVHD has been limited to small numbers of patients and the guidelines are based on experiences in other chronic diseases and expert opinion. We hypothesized that the prevalence of osteoporosis is high in a cohort of 258 patients with moderate to severe cGVHD due to prolonged exposure to risk factors for osteoporosis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We defined osteoporosis using BMD criteria (T-score ≤ -2.5) at three anatomical sites (femoral neck – FN, lumbar spine – LS, total hip – TH) and characterized risk factors through univariate and multivariate analyses. We found that low body weight (FN p<0.0001, LS p=0.0002, TH p<0.0001), malnutrition (FN p=0.0002, LS p=0.03, TH p=0.0076), higher platelet count (FN p=0.0065, TH p=0.0025), higher average NIH organ score (FN p=0.038), higher prednisone dose (LS p=0.032), lower complement component 3 (LS p=0.0073), and physical inactivity (FN p=0.01) were associated with osteoporosis in one or more site. T-scores were significantly lower in the FN than in the other two sites (p<0.0001 for both). The prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia was high (17% and 60%, respectively), supporting current recommendations for frequent monitoring of BMD. The association of higher platelet count in cGVHD patients with osteoporosis has not been previously reported and presents a new area of interest in the study of osteoporosis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization and Risk Factor Analysis of Osteoporosis in a Large Cohort of Patients with Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease

Pirsl

Curtis

Steinberg

et al. 2016

“…9 These semi-quantitative assessments may detect qualitative improvements that are clinically meaningful but not well captured using other measures. 64 The protocol and case report form should specify the time interval for assessing changes.…”

Section: Chronic Gvhd-specific Core Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Therapeutic Response in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease. National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: IV. The 2014 Response Criteria Working Group Report

Lee

Wolff

Kitko

et al. 2015

322

303

In 2005, the NIH Chronic GVHD Consensus Response Criteria Working Group recommended several measures to document serial evaluations of chronic GVHD organ involvement. Provisional definitions of complete response, partial response, and progression were proposed for each organ and for overall outcome. Based on publications over the last nine years, the 2014 Working Group has updated its recommendations for measures and interpretation of organ and overall responses. Major changes include elimination of several clinical parameters from the determination of response, updates to or addition of new organ scales to assess response, and the recognition that progression excludes minimal, clinically insignificant worsening that does not usually warrant a change in therapy. The response definitions have been revised to reflect these changes and are expected to enhance reliability and practical utility of these measures in clinical trials. Clarification is provided about response assessment after the addition of topical or organ-targeted treatment. Ancillary measures are strongly encouraged in clinical trials. Areas suggested for additional research include criteria to identify irreversible organ damage and validation of the modified response criteria, including in the pediatric population.

“…How to determine cGVHD therapeutic responses is greatly debated. Overall impressions of clinicians treating cGVHD patients have been shown to correlate with response [15,16]. Subsequently, failure-free survival (FFS) based on the initiation of a new systemic therapy has been proposed as an endpoint [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti–Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor Alpha Chain Antibodies Predict for Response to Nilotinib in Steroid-Refractory or -Dependent Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Chen

Carpenter

Broady

et al. 2018

Imatinib has clinical activity in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), a significant complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant. Nilotinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets the same receptors as imatinib but with different affinities. We tested the hypothesis that nilotinib is safe and has clinical activity in cGVHD. Thirty-three participants were enrolled in a phase I/II dose escalation and dose extension clinical trial of nilotinib for the treatment of steroid-refractory or- dependent cGVHD (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01155817). We assessed safety, clinical response, and pretreatment anti-platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha chain (anti-PDGFRA) antibody levels. The 200-mg dose was identified as the maximum tolerated dose and used for the phase II dose extension study. At 6 months the incidence of failure-free survival (FFS), cGVHD progression, and nilotinib intolerance resulting in its discontinuation was 50%, 23%, and 23%, respectively. cGVHD responses in skin, joints, and mouth were observed at 3 and 6 months based on improvement in respective National Institutes of Health organ severity scores. Pretreatment anti-PDGFRA antibody levels ≥ .150 optical density as measured by ELISA correlated with longer FFS time (P < .0005) and trended with time until cGVHD progression (P < .06) but not drug intolerance. Nilotinib may be effective for corticosteroid-resistant or -refractory cGVHD in some patients, but its use is limited by intolerable side effects. Selection of patients with high pretreatment anti-PDGFRA antibody levels might improve the risk-to-benefit ratio of nilotinib and better justify its side effects.