Fludarabine-melphalan conditioning for AML and MDS: alemtuzumab reduces acute and chronic GVHD without affecting long-term outcomes

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2009 May;15(5):610-7. doi: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2009.01.021.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of alemtuzumab on treatment-related mortality (TRM), relapse, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DSF) in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) undergoing reduced intensity conditioning (RIC). We compared the outcome of 95 patients treated at the University of Chicago with fludarabine melphalan (Flu + Mel) + alemtuzumab conditioning and 59 patients treated at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with Flu + Mel conditioning. Both groups had similar patient and donor characteristics. There were no significant differences in TRM, relapse, survival, and DFS between the 2 groups. The incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) grade II-IV (relative risk [RR] 5.5, P < .01) and chronic GVHD (cGVHD) (RR 6.6, P < .01) were significantly lower in patients receiving alemtuzumab. The addition of alemtuzumab to an RIC regimen dramatically reduces the incidence of aGVHD and cGVHD in patients with AML and MDS undergoing allogeneic transplantation. TRM, relapse risk, OS and DFS are not affected.

Publication types

  • Controlled Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Alemtuzumab
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / pharmacology*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antibodies, Neoplasm / pharmacology*
  • Antibodies, Neoplasm / therapeutic use
  • Child
  • Female
  • Graft vs Host Disease / prevention & control*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / adverse effects
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / methods
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / mortality
  • Humans
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / therapy*
  • Male
  • Melphalan / therapeutic use*
  • Middle Aged
  • Myelodysplastic Syndromes / complications
  • Myelodysplastic Syndromes / mortality
  • Myelodysplastic Syndromes / therapy*
  • Transplantation Conditioning / adverse effects
  • Transplantation Conditioning / methods*
  • Transplantation Conditioning / mortality
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Vidarabine Phosphate / analogs & derivatives*
  • Vidarabine Phosphate / therapeutic use
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antibodies, Neoplasm
  • Vidarabine Phosphate
  • fludarabine phosphate
  • Alemtuzumab
  • Melphalan