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Measurable residual disease (MRD) testing for acute leukemia in EBMT transplant centers: a survey on behalf of the ALWP of the EBMT

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 56, pages 218–224 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Detectable measurable residual disease (MRD) is a key prognostic factor in both acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Thus, we conducted a survey in EBMT transplant centers focusing on pre- and post-allo-HCT MRD. One hundred and six centers from 29 countries responded. One hundred had a formal strategy for routine MRD assessment, 91 for both ALL and AML. For ALL (n = 95), assessing MRD has been routine practice starting from 2010 (range, 1990–2019). Techniques used for MRD assessment consisted of PCR techniques alone (n = 27), multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC, n = 16), both techniques (n = 43), next-generation sequencing (NGS) + PCR (n = 2), or PCR + MFC + NGS (n = 7). The majority of centers assessed MRD every 2–3 months for 2 (range, 1-until relapse) years. For AML, assessing MRD was routine in 92 centers starting in 2010 (range 1990–2019). Assessment of MRD was by PCR (n = 23), MFC (n = 13), both PCR and MFC (n = 39), both PCR and NGS (n = 3), and by all three techniques (n = 14). The majority assesses MRD for AML every 2–3 months for 2 (range, 1-until relapse) years. This survey is the first step in the aim to include MRD status as a routine registry capture parameter in acute leukemia.

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Fig. 1: Number of responding centers per country.
Fig. 2: MRD assessment in ALL.
Fig. 3: MRD assessment in AML.

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Funding

FB is Senior Research Associate at the National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) Belgium.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Arnon Nagler, Frédéric Baron

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Hashomer, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Arnon Nagler

  2. EBMT ALWP Office, Saint Antoine Hospital, Paris, France

    Arnon Nagler

  3. Department of Hematology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

    Frédéric Baron

  4. EBMT Paris Study Office/CEREST-TC, Paris, France

    Myriam Labopin, Emmanuel Polge & Mohamad Mohty

  5. Department of Haematology, Saint Antoine Hospital, Paris, France

    Myriam Labopin, Eolia Brissot, Norbert-Claude Gorin & Mohamad Mohty

  6. INSERM UMR 938, Paris, France

    Myriam Labopin, Eolia Brissot & Mohamad Mohty

  7. Sorbonne University, Paris, France

    Myriam Labopin, Eolia Brissot & Mohamad Mohty

  8. Hematology Department, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain

    Jordi Esteve

  9. Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon

    Ali Bazarbachi

  10. Medizinische Klinik II, Hämatologie, Medizinische Onkologie, Goethe-Universitaet, Frankfurt, Germany

    Gesine Bug

  11. Ospedale San Raffaele S.r.l., Haematology and BMT, Milan, Italy

    Fabio Ciceri & Annalisa Ruggeri

  12. Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Oncohematology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Institute, Oncology Center, Gliwice, Poland

    Sebastian Giebel

  13. Yorkshire Blood and Marrow Transplant Programme, Haematology Department, St James’s Institute of Oncology, Leeds, UK

    Maria H. Gilleece

  14. Hematology Unit, Romagna Transplant Network, Ravenna, Italy

    Francesco Lanza

  15. Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, University Hospital Center Rebro, Zagreb, Croatia

    Zinaida Peric

  16. Hematology Department, University Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain

    Jaime Sanz

  17. Department of Hematology–Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Bipin N. Savani

  18. Klinikum Augsburg, II Medizinische Klinik, Augsburg, Germany

    Christoph Schmid

  19. Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Roni Shouval

  20. Division of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel

    Roni Shouval

  21. BMT Unit, University Hospital of Patras, Patras, Greece

    Alexandros Spyridonidis

  22. Erasmus University Medical Center Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Jurjen Versluis

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  1. Arnon Nagler
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  2. Frédéric Baron
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Contributions

AN wrote the manuscript, designed the study, and interpreted the data; FB wrote the manuscript and interpreted the data; ML designed the study, analyzed and interpreted the data, and edited the manuscript; EP designed the study, analyzed and interpreted the data, and edited the manuscript; MM designed the study, interpreted the data, and edited the manuscript; all remaining authors helped in the design of the study, interpreted the data, and edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Arnon Nagler.

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FB has received travel grants from Celgene, Abbvie, Novartis, and Sanofi as well as honoraria from Merck and Abbvie. The remaining authors declare that they have no relevant conflict of interest.

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Nagler, A., Baron, F., Labopin, M. et al. Measurable residual disease (MRD) testing for acute leukemia in EBMT transplant centers: a survey on behalf of the ALWP of the EBMT. Bone Marrow Transplant 56, 218–224 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-020-01005-y

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