Stem-cell transplantation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A prospective international multicenter trial comparing sibling donors with matched unrelated donors-The ALL-SCT-BFM-2003 trial

J Clin Oncol. 2015 Apr 10;33(11):1265-74. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.58.9747. Epub 2015 Mar 9.

Abstract

Purpose: Although hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is widely performed in children with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the influence of donor types is poorly understood. Thus, transplantation outcomes were compared in the prospective multinational Berlin-Frankfurt-Muenster (BFM) study group trial: ALL-SCT-BFM 2003 (Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children and Adolescents with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia).

Patients and methods: After conditioning with total-body irradiation and etoposide, 411 children with high-risk ALL received highly standardized stem-cell transplantations during the first or later remissions. Depending on donor availability, grafts originated from HLA-genoidentical siblings or from HLA-matched unrelated donors who were identified and matched by high-resolution allelic typing and were compatible in at least 9 of 10 HLA loci.

Results: Four-year event-free survival (± standard deviation [SD]) did not differ between patients with transplantations from unrelated or sibling donors (0.67 ± 0.03 v 0.71 ± 0.05; P = .405), with cumulative incidences of nonrelapse mortality (± SD) of 0.10 ± 0.02 and 0.03 ± 0.02 (P = .017) and relapse rates (± SD) of 0.22 ± 0.02 and 0.24 ± 0.04 (P = .732), respectively. Among recipients of transplantations from unrelated donors, no significant differences in event-free survival, overall survival, or nonrelapse mortality were observed between 9/10 and 10/10 matched grafts or between peripheral blood stem cells and bone marrow. The absence of chronic graft-versus-host disease had no effect on event-free survival. Engraftment was faster after bone marrow transplantation from siblings and was associated with fewer severe infections and pulmonary complications.

Conclusion: Outcome among high-risk pediatric patients with ALL after hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation was not affected by donor type. Standardized myeloablative conditioning produced a low incidence of treatment-related mortality and effective control of leukemia.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01423747.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Etoposide / administration & dosage
  • Europe
  • Female
  • HLA Antigens / genetics
  • HLA Antigens / immunology
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / adverse effects
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / methods*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / mortality
  • Histocompatibility
  • Histocompatibility Testing
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Living Donors*
  • Male
  • Myeloablative Agonists / administration & dosage
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / immunology
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / mortality
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / pathology
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / surgery*
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Prospective Studies
  • Recurrence
  • Risk Factors
  • Siblings*
  • Time Factors
  • Transplantation Conditioning / methods
  • Transplantation, Homologous
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Unrelated Donors*
  • Whole-Body Irradiation

Substances

  • HLA Antigens
  • Myeloablative Agonists
  • Etoposide

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01423747