scholarly journals Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Progress Through Collaboration

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (27) ◽  
pp. 2938-2948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-Hon Pui ◽  
Jun J. Yang ◽  
Stephen P. Hunger ◽  
Rob Pieters ◽  
Martin Schrappe ◽  
...  

Purpose To review the impact of collaborative studies on advances in the biology and treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children and adolescents. Methods A review of English literature on childhood ALL focusing on collaborative studies was performed. The resulting article was reviewed and revised by the committee chairs of the major ALL study groups. Results With long-term survival rates for ALL approaching 90% and the advent of high-resolution genome-wide analyses, several international study groups or consortia were established to conduct collaborative research to further improve outcome. As a result, treatment strategies have been improved for several subtypes of ALL, such as infant, MLL-rearranged, Philadelphia chromosome–positive, and Philadelphia chromosome–like ALL. Many recurrent genetic abnormalities that respond to tyrosine kinase inhibitors and multiple genetic determinants of drug resistance and toxicities have been identified to help develop targeted therapy. Several genetic polymorphisms have been recognized that show susceptibility to developing ALL and that help explain the racial/ethnic differences in the incidence of ALL. Conclusion The information gained from collaborative studies has helped decipher the heterogeneity of ALL to help improve personalized treatment, which will further advance the current high cure rate and the quality of life for children and adolescents with ALL.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 4419
Author(s):  
Madalina-Petronela Schmidt ◽  
Anca-Viorica Ivanov ◽  
Daniel Coriu ◽  
Ingrith-Crenguta Miron

Asparaginase is a basic component of chemotherapy in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and has played a crucial role in improving the long-term survival of this disease. The objectives of this retrospective study were to elucidate the toxicity profile associated with asparaginase in children and adolescents with ALL, to analyze the impact of each type of toxicity on long-term outcomes, and to identify risk factors. We analyzed the medical charts of 165 patients diagnosed with ALL at Sf. Maria Iasi Children’s Hospital from 2010 to 2019 and treated according to a chemotherapeutic protocol containing asparaginase. The median duration of follow-up was 5 years (0.1–11.5 years). Groups of patients with specific types of toxicity were compared to groups of patients without toxicity. We found the following incidence of asparaginase-associated toxicity: 24.1% clinical hypersensitivity, 19.4% hepatotoxicity, 6.7% hypertriglyceridemia, 4.2% hyperglycemia, 3.7% osteonecrosis, 3% pancreatitis, 2.4% thrombosis, and 1.2% cerebral thrombosis. Overall, 82 patients (49.7%) had at least one type of toxicity related to asparaginase. No type of toxicity had a significant impact on overall survival or event-free survival. Being older than 14 years was associated with a higher risk of osteonecrosis (p = 0.015) and hypertriglyceridemia (p = 0.043) and a lower risk of clinical hypersensitivity (p = 0.04). Asparaginase-related toxicity is common and has a varied profile, and its early detection is important for realizing efficient and appropriate management.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 883-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azhar R. Hussain ◽  
Abdul K. Siraj ◽  
Pulicat S. Manogaran ◽  
Khawla S. Al-Kuraya ◽  
Shahab Uddin

Abstract Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer of childhood resulting from the clonal proliferation of lymphoid precursors with arrested maturation. Chemotherapy can induce complete remission in more than 95% of cases of childhood ALL and achieve long-term survival in 70–80% of cases. However, ALL with the t(9:22) BCR-ABL translocation or Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1) are still highly resistant to chemotherapy from the onset. Thus, new therapeutic approaches are required to improve their prognosis. Characterization of the growth requirement of ALL cells suggest that these cancers are dependent on various cytokines via paracrine and/or autocrine mechanism in which the JAK family of proteins are closely implicated. Accordingly, tyrosine kinase inhibitors against JAKs are expected to become a new class of anti-tumor agents against these cancers. Curcumin has been shown to inhibit JAK-STAT pathway in a variety of hematological malignancies including multiple myeloma and primary effusion lymphomas. We therefore sought to determine whether curcumin suppresses the growth of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We tested a panel of preB-ALL cell lines with various translocations after treatment with different doses of curcumin. The cell lines included REH (t12:21), RS4:11 (t4:11), 697 (t1:19) and SupB15(t9:22). Cell viability decreased in a concentration-dependent manner in 697, REH and RS4:11 with curcumin (0–40mM) whereas only minimal changes in viability was detected in SupB15. Curcumin induced apoptosis in all preB-ALL cell lines except SupB15 that was found to be refractory to curcumin treatment. Curcumin induced apoptosis via truncation of BID, loss of mitochondrial potential as determined by JC1 staining with subsequent release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria, and activation of caspase 3 and PARP. Curcumin treatment also caused the down-regulation of the IAPs, cIAP1 and XIAP. All these events occured in the sensitive cell lines 697, REH and RS4:11, however, in SupB15, curcumin failed to inhibit the expression of cIAP1 and XIAP and remained refractory to treatment. These results suggest that the IAPs may play an important role in curcumin induced apoptosis in preB-ALL cells. Altogether, our findings suggests a novel function for curcumin, acting as a growth suppressor of most preB-ALL cells and inducing apoptosis via down-regulation of IAPs. Therefore, curcumin may have a future therapeutic role in preB-ALL and possibly other malignancies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (01) ◽  
pp. 051-060
Author(s):  
Vineet Agrawal ◽  
Smita Kayal ◽  
Prasanth Ganesan ◽  
Biswajit Dubashi

Abstract Background Treatment protocols for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have evolved over time to give excellent cure rates in children and moderate outcomes in adults; however, little is known how delays in chemotherapy affect long-term survival. Objectives To find the association of delays during different treatment phases on the survival outcomes. Materials and Methods Data from 149 ALL cases treated between 2009 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Treatment course in commonly used protocols was divided into three phases—induction, consolidation (postremission), maintenance, and also a combined intensive phase (induction plus consolidation) for the purpose of analysis, and delay in each phase was defined based on clinically acceptable breaks. Analysis was done to find the impact of treatment delay in each phase on the survival outcomes. Results The median age was 12 years (range, 1–57). Multi-center Protocol-841 (MCP-841) was used for 72%, German Multicenter Study Group for Adult ALL (GMALL) for 19%, and Berlin, Frankfurt, Muenster, 95 protocol (BFM-95) for 9% of patients. Delay in induction was seen in 52%, consolidation in 66%, and during maintenance in 42% of patients. The median follow-up was 41 months, and 3-year survival outcomes for the entire cohort were event-free survival (EFS)—60%, relapse-free survival (RFS)—72%, and overall survival (OS)—68%. On univariate analysis, delay in induction adversely affected EFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.78, p = 0.04), while delay in intensive phase had significantly worse EFS and RFS (HR = 2.41 [p = 0.03] and HR = 2.57 [p = 0.03], respectively). On separate analysis of MCP-841 cohort, delay in intensive phase affected both EFS (HR = 3.85, p = 0.02) and RFS (HR = 3.42, p = 0.04), whereas delay in consolidation significantly affected OS with (HR = 4.74, p = 0.04) independently. Conclusion Treatment delays mostly in intensive phase are associated with worse survival in ALL; attempts should be made to maintain protocol-defined treatment intensity while adequately managing toxicities.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 1716-1722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karlheinz Seeger ◽  
Hans-Peter Adams ◽  
Dirk Buchwald ◽  
Birgit Beyermann ◽  
Bernhard Kremens ◽  
...  

Abstract The cryptic translocation t(12;21)(p13;q22) has been recently recognized as the most common genetic rearrangement in B-lineage childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The resulting fusion transcript, termed TEL-AML1, has been associated with an excellent prognosis at initial ALL diagnosis. Hence, we postulated that the incidence of TEL-AML1 fusion should be lower in patients with ALL relapse. To address this assumption and to investigate the prognostic significance of TEL-AML1 expression in relapsed childhood ALL, bone marrow samples of 146 children were analyzed by reverse-transcriptase (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All children were treated according to Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (BFM) ALL relapse trial protocols (ALL-REZ BFM 90-96). Their clinical features and outcome were compared with those of 262 patients who could not be tested due to lack of bone marrow samples. Thirty-two of 146 children with relapsed ALL were TEL-AML1–positive. Four of the negative patients had T-lineage and nine Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1)-positive leukemia. Thus, the incidence ofTEL-AML1 in relapsed Ph1-negative, B-cell precursor ALL is 32 of 133 (24%). The 32 TEL-AML1–positive and 101 negative patients differed significantly with respect to duration of last remission (42.5 v 27 months; P = .0001) and age at initial diagnosis (53.5 v 74 months;P = .0269). At a median follow-up time of 21.5 months, children positive for TEL-AML1 had a significantly (P = .0011) higher probability of event-free survival (EFS; 0.79 v 0.33). The predominant majority of patients had been treated for initial ALL according to German multicenter BFM (108 of 133) or Cooperative ALL study group (CoALL) (19 of 133) frontline protocols. The comparison of tested and not-tested (N = 262) patients showed no significant difference.TEL-AML1 positivity predicted a favorable short-term outcome; long-term results are unknown. Screening for TEL-AML1 should become routine at relapse diagnosis and might be used for therapy stratification in future trials.


Chemotherapy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingying Ma ◽  
Quanchao Zhang ◽  
Peiyan Kong ◽  
Jingkang Xiong ◽  
Xi Zhang ◽  
...  

With the advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has entered a new era. The efficacy of TKIs compared with other ALL treatment options is emphasized by a rapid increase in the number of TKI clinical trials. Subsequently, the use of traditional approaches, such as combined chemotherapy and even allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), for the treatment of ALL is being challenged in the clinic. In light of the increased use of TKIs in the clinic, several questions have been raised. First, is it necessary to use intensive chemotherapy during the induction course of therapy to achieve a minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative status? Must a patient reach a complete molecular response/major molecular response before receiving allo-HSCT? Does MRD status affect long-term survival after allo-HSCT? Is auto-HSCT an appropriate alternative for allo-HSCT in those Ph+ ALL patients who lack suitable donors? Here, we review the recent literature in an attempt to summarize the current status of TKI usage in the clinic, including several new therapeutic approaches, provide answers for the above questions, and speculate on the future direction of TKI utilization for the treatment of Ph+ ALL patients.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 1112-1115 ◽  
Author(s):  
James B. Nachman ◽  
Nyla A. Heerema ◽  
Harland Sather ◽  
Bruce Camitta ◽  
Erik Forestier ◽  
...  

Abstract One-hundred thirty-nine patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and hypodiploidy (fewer than 45 chromosomes) were collected from 10 different national ALL study groups and single institutions. Patients were stratified by modal chromosome number into 4 groups: 24 to 29 (N = 46); 33 to 39 (N = 26); 40 to 43 (N = 13); and 44 (N = 54) chromosomes. Nine patients were Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) positive (4 cases: 44 chromosomes; 5 cases: 40-43 chromosomes) and were not considered further. Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) of the remaining 130 patients were 38.5% ± 4.4% and 49.8% ± 4.2% at 8 years, respectively. There were no significant differences in outcome between patients with 24 to 29, 33 to 39, or 40 to 43 chromosomes. Compared with patients with fewer than 44 chromosomes, patients with 44 chromosomes had a significantly better EFS (P = .01; 8-year estimate, 52.2% vs 30.1%) and OS (P = .017; 69% vs 37.5%). For patients with 44 chromosomes, monosomy 7, the presence of a dicentric chromosome, or both predicted a worse EFS but similar OS. Doubling of the hypodiploid clone occurred in 32 patients (24-29 chromosomes [n = 25] and 33-39 chromosomes [n = 7]) and had no prognostic implication. Children and adolescents with ALL and hypodiploidy with fewer than 44 chromosomes have a poor outcome despite contemporary therapy.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 3235-3235
Author(s):  
Dong Kyun Han ◽  
Hee Nam Kim ◽  
Min Ho Shin ◽  
Minenori Eguchi-Ishimae ◽  
Mariko Eguchi ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3235 Background: Recent western studies have showed the implication of the germline genomic variations in IKZF1 gene at 7p12.2, ARIDB5 gene at 10q21.2, and CEBPE gene at 14q11.2 on the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); the most significant association was observed in the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4132601 which located at 3' region of the IKZF1. IKZF1 plays important role in lymphocyte differentiation, proliferation and function, ARIDB5 in embryogenesis and growth regulation, and CEBPE in regulation of myelopoiesis. Genomic variants in these genes are therefore considered to be involved in transcriptional regulation and differentiation of B cell progenitors. However, there have been no reports on the role of germline variations in leukemogenesis of childhood ALL in Asian countries. The aim of this study is to show the impact of these genetic variants on childhood ALL in Korea. Patients and Methods: To examine the association between genetic variations (IKZF1 rs4132601, ARIDB5 rs7089424, and CEBPE rs2239633) and the risk of childhood ALL, we here analyzed 228 children with ALL and 508 healthy individuals in Korea. Results: In ARIDB5 rs7089424, TG and GG genotypes were significantly associated with a risk for ALL (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% confidential interval [CI], 1.07–2.48; P=0.02 for TG genotype, OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.42–5.07; P=0.002 for GG genotype). The allele incidence of ARIDB5 rs7089424 was also significantly associated with a risk for ALL (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.24–2.22; P=0.0006). CEBPE rs2239633 TT genotype showed a significant association with a decreased risk for ALL (OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.33–0.90; P=0.02 for TT genotype). The allele incidence of CEBPE rs2239633 was also associated with a decreased risk for ALL (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.61–0.97; P=0.02). There was no significant association between IKZF1 rs4132601 polymorphism and a risk for ALL in this study. Conclusion: These results suggest that genomic variations of ARIDB5 and CEBPE may play an important role in the risk for childhood ALL in Korea, compared with findings from western countries showing a significant relation between IKZF1 and childhood ALL. Several factors should be considered to explain a discrepancy between our results and the previous studies, which include different genotype frequencies in polymorphisms and varied susceptibility to ALL in different ethnic groups. Further studies incorporating larger number of cases and analyzing other SNPs or other Asian countries are warranted in childhood ALL. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 4300-4300
Author(s):  
Steven R. Deitcher ◽  
Jeffrey A. Silverman

Abstract Abstract 4300 Background: Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a lethal and fulminant disease and one distinct from childhood ALL. There are approximately 2400 new cases per year in the US; approximately 80% of these will be Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) negative. Despite remarkable success in treatment of childhood and adolescent ALL, adult ALL patients are underserved by existing treatment options as reflected by the poor survival rates and extremely poor outcomes in the relapsed setting. Complete response (CR) rates in the front-line setting range from 90% in patients <30 years old to 57% in patients >60 years old and 3-year disease free survival ranges from 47% to 12% respectively. The unmet medical need in adult ALL is most pronounced in those age 60 and older. VSLI was recently granted accelerated FDA approval as a single-agent for the treatment of adults with advanced, relapsed and refractory Ph-negative ALL and has successfully completed a Phase 2 trial as a component of multi-agent therapy. Trial Design: HALLMARQ (NCT01439347) is a Phase 3, multi-national, randomized study to evaluate the substitution of VSLI for standard vincristine (VCR) in the induction, consolidation, and maintenance phases of combination chemotherapy in the treatment of patients ≥ 60 years old with newly diagnosed Ph-negative ALL. The chemotherapy “backbone” utilized in this trial is modified from the Cancer and Leukemia Group B 8811 protocol. Asparaginase product usage is optional. The total duration of protocol-specified therapy is up to 24 months. VCR is dosed at 1.4 mg/m2 with a per dose cap at 2 mg. VSLI is dosed at 2.25 mg/m2without a dose cap. A protocol-specified dose reduction algorithm applicable to both VSLI and VCR will be used to minimize Grade 3 neurotoxicity while also facilitating continued dosing. Growth factors (e.g., granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) and bowel regimens (e.g., daily stool softener) are recommended and will be prescribed according to investigator preference and institutional guidelines. The primary endpoint is overall survival (OS) and the study is powered for superiority. Secondary endpoints include remission rate, overall response rate, event-free survival, and safety and tolerability. Minimal residual disease (MRD) at multiple time points and pharmacokinetic parameters are being assessed. Conclusion: The HALLMARQ Trial will provide new insights into the frontline treatment of ALL in adults ≥60 years old as well as confirm the clinical benefit of VSLI monotherapy demonstrated in the Phase 2 RALLY Study that supported the initial product approval. HALLMARQ is based on a Special Protocol Assessment with the FDA and is currently enrolling. *On behalf of the HALLMARQ investigators. Disclosures: Deitcher: Talon Therapeutics: Employment, Equity Ownership. Silverman:Talon Therapeutics: Employment.


Blood ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 99 (12) ◽  
pp. 4257-4264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smita Bhatia ◽  
Harland N. Sather ◽  
Olga B. Pabustan ◽  
Michael E. Trigg ◽  
Paul S. Gaynon ◽  
...  

Second malignant neoplasms are a serious complication after successful treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). With improvement in survival, it is important to assess the impact of contemporary risk-based therapies on second neoplasms in ALL survivors. A cohort of 8831 children diagnosed with ALL and enrolled on Children's Cancer Group therapeutic protocols between 1983 and 1995 were observed to determine the incidence of second neoplasms and associated risk factors. The median age at diagnosis of ALL was 4.7 years. The cohort had accrued 54 883 person-years of follow-up. Sixty-three patients developed second neoplasms, including solid, nonhematopoietic tumors (n = 39: brain tumors n = 19, other solid tumors n = 20), myeloid leukemia or myelodysplasia (n = 16), and lymphoma (n = 8). The cumulative incidence of any second neoplasm was 1.18% at 10 years (95% confidence interval, 0.8%-1.5%), representing a 7.2-fold increased risk compared with the general population. The risk was increased significantly for acute myeloid leukemia (standardized incidence ratio [SIR] 52.3), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR 8.3), parotid gland tumors (SIR 33.4), thyroid cancer (SIR 13.3), brain tumors (SIR 10.1), and soft tissue sarcoma (SIR 9.1). Multivariate analysis revealed female sex (relative risk [RR] 1.8), radiation to the craniospinal axis (RR 1.6), and relapse of primary disease (RR 3.5) to be independently associated with increased risk of all second neoplasms. Risk of second neoplasms increased with radiation dose (1800 cGy RR 1.5; 2400 cGy RR 3.9). Actuarial survival at 10 years from diagnosis of second neoplasms was 39%. Follow-up of this large cohort that was treated with contemporary risk-based therapy showed that the incidence of second neoplasms remains low after diagnosis of childhood ALL.


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