TY - JOUR AU - Ron Ram, AU - Rainer Storb, AU - Brenda M. Sandmaier, AU - David G. Maloney, AU - Ann Woolfrey, AU - Mary E. D. Flowers, AU - Michael B. Maris, AU - Ginna G. Laport, AU - Thomas R. Chauncey, AU - Thoralf Lange, AU - Amelia A. Langston, AU - Barry Storer, AU - George E. Georges, PY - 2011/08/02 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Non-myeloablative conditioning with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for the treatment of high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia JF - Haematologica JA - haematol VL - 96 IS - 8 SE - Articles DO - 10.3324/haematol.2011.040261 UR - https://haematologica.org/article/view/6037 SP - 1113-1120 AB - Background Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is a potentially curative treatment for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, the majority of older adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are not candidates for myeloablative conditioning regimens. A non-myeloablative preparative regimen is a reasonable treatment option for this group. We sought to determine the outcome of non-myeloablative conditioning and allogeneic transplantation in patients with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Design and Methods Fifty-one patients (median age 56 years) underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation from sibling or unrelated donors after fludarabine and 2 Gray total body irradiation. Twenty-five patients had Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Eighteen of these patients received post-grafting imatinib.Results With a median follow-up of 43 months, the 3-year overall survival was 34%. The 3-year relapse/progression and non-relapse mortality rates were 40% and 28%, respectively. The cumulative incidences of grades II and III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease were 53% and 6%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease was 44%. Hematopoietic cell transplantation in first complete remission and post-grafting imatinib were associated with improved survival (P=0.005 and P=0.03, respectively). Three-year overall survival rates for patients with Philadelphia-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia in first remission and beyond first remission were 52% and 8%, respectively. For patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia in first remission who received post-grafting imatinib, the 3-year overall survival rate was 62%; for the subgroup without evidence of minimal residual disease at transplantation, the overall survival was 73%.Conclusions For patients with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia in first complete remission, non-myeloablative conditioning and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, with post-grafting imatinib for Philadelphia chromosome-positive disease, can result in favorable long-term survival. (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT0036738) ER -