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Acute myeloid leukemia

Allogeneic haemopoietic transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia in second complete remission: a registry report by the Acute Leukaemia Working Party of the EBMT

Abstract

Allogeneic haemopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT) may be curative in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in second complete remission (CR2) but the impact of reduced intensity (RIC) versus myeloablative conditioning (MAC) is uncertain. The Acute Leukaemia Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry studied an AML CR2 cohort characterised by age ≥ 18 years, first allo-HCT 2007–2016, available cytogenetic profile at diagnosis, donors who were matched family, volunteer unrelated with HLA antigen match 10/10 or 9/10 or haplo-identical. The 1879 eligible patients included 1010 (54%) MAC allo-HCT recipients. In patients <50 years (y), two year outcomes for MAC vs RIC allo-HCT were equivalent with leukaemia-free survival (LFS) 54% for each, overall survival (OS), 61% vs 62%, non-relapse mortality (NRM) 18% vs 15% and graft versus host disease relapse-free survival (GRFS) 38% vs 42%. In patients ≥50 y, 2 y outcomes for MAC vs RIC allo-HCT were equivalent for LFS 52% vs 49%, OS 58% vs 55% and GRFS 42.4% vs 36%. However, NRM was significantly inferior after MAC allo-HCT, 27% vs 19% (P = 0.01) despite worse cGVHD after RIC-allo (32% vs 39%). These data support the need for ongoing prospective study of conditioning intensity and GVHD mitigation in AML.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) centres and national registries for contributing patients to the study and data managers for their superb work. The study was supported by the European Blood & Marrow Transplantation funded by annual subscription from the constituent transplant centres.

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Correspondence to Maria H. Gilleece.

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MHG—Travel grant, advisory board and speaker fees—Jazz. BS—Honoraria from JAZZ Pharmaceuticals and Therakos. JB—advisory board and speaker fees—Pfizer, Novartis and Jazz. EF—Travel grant—Neovil; Scientific expert—Novartis. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Gilleece, M.H., Labopin, M., Savani, B.N. et al. Allogeneic haemopoietic transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia in second complete remission: a registry report by the Acute Leukaemia Working Party of the EBMT. Leukemia 34, 87–99 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-019-0527-4

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