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Duffy C, Hunger SP, Bhakta N, Denburg AE, Antillon F, Barr RD. Curing pediatric cancer: A global view. Examples from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer 2024; 130:2247-2252. [PMID: 38552145 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
There is a substantial difference in observed survival among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in high‐income countries versus those in low‐ and middle‐income countries. This gap can be reduced considerably by multilevel investing in health systems and services with innovative frameworks such as implementation science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlyn Duffy
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Stephen P Hunger
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nickhill Bhakta
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Federico Antillon
- Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica and Francisco Marroquín University, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Ronald D Barr
- McMaster Children's Hospital and McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Biondi A, Conter V, Chandy M, Ewald P, Lucia de Martino Lee M, Radhakrishnan VS, Rotchanapanya W, Scanlan P, Patrick Smith O, Togo B, Hokland P. Precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia-a global view. Br J Haematol 2021; 196:530-547. [PMID: 34931311 PMCID: PMC9300129 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.17959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
As haematologists, we always seek to follow standardised guidelines for practice and apply the best treatment within our means for our patients with blood diseases. However, treatment can never follow an exact recipe. Opinions differ as to the best approach; sometimes more than one treatment approach results in identical outcomes, or treatments differ only by the manner in which they fail. Furthermore, the haematologist is faced with constraints relating to the local economic environment. Patients too are not the same the world over. Early presentation is commoner in the developed world, as is the patient’s understanding of the disease process. This in turn has an impact on the way patients are managed, the rigorousness of patient adhesion to the treatment schedule and the outcome. Here we take a look at the precursor B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in an adolescent in a range of different settings from low‐ to high income countries with widely differing challenges for diagnosis, therpy and follow‐up. For these reasons, given the same starting conditions, patients will be treated differently according to the institute and the country they are in. Experts from around the world have been tasked to describe their management plan and rationale for a specific disease presentation. Here they explore the management of precursor B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (pre‐B ALL) in five different institutions worldwide with a focus on those with more or less strained economies. We end with a conclusion from an expert in the field comparing and contrasting these different management styles and considering their merits and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Biondi
- Clinica Pediatrica, Fondazione MBBM, Università Milano Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy
| | - Valentino Conter
- Clinica Pediatrica, Fondazione MBBM, Università Milano Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy
| | - Mammen Chandy
- Department of Clinical Haematology Oncology and HCT, Tata Medical Center, Kolkata, India
| | - Primus Ewald
- Muhimbili National Hospital and Tumaini la Maisha Children's Cancer Charity, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | | | - Vivek S Radhakrishnan
- Department of Clinical Haematology Oncology and HCT, Tata Medical Center, Kolkata, India
| | - Wannaphorn Rotchanapanya
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital, Chiang Rai, Thailand
| | - Patricia Scanlan
- Muhimbili National Hospital and Tumaini la Maisha Children's Cancer Charity, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Owen Patrick Smith
- Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Boubacar Togo
- Department of Pediatrics, CHU Gabriel Touré, Bamako, Mali
| | - Peter Hokland
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Bonilha TA, Obadia DDA, Valveson AC, Land MGP. Outcome of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment in a single center in Brazil: A survival analysis study. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2021; 5:e1452. [PMID: 34114751 PMCID: PMC8789616 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common neoplasm in childhood. The probability of current overall survival (OS) is around 90% in developed countries. There are few studies that demonstrate the results in Brazil. Aim This work aims to analyze the results of children with ALL treated at a single institution in Rio de Janeiro. Methods and results Retrospective analysis survival study of a cohort of childhood ALL patients treated in Hemorio. Kaplan–Meier and log‐rank methods were used for the analysis of OS and events‐free survival (EFS) and the Cox proportional hazards regression model for multivariate analysis. The probability of OS and EFS at 6 years was 52% and 45%. The probability of OS and EFS in 6 years for patients aged 10‐17 years was 31% and 28% and for the younger was 65% and 55%, respectively (p < .001). A probability of OS and EFS in 6 years for patients with more than 100 000 leukocytes/mm3 at diagnosis was 19% and 16% and those with less than 100 000 were 62% (p = .007) and 55% (p = .008). Those who received less than 10 doses of native Escherichia coli asparaginase had a probability of OS and EFS in 6 years of 27% and 21% and those who received at least 10 doses were 74% and 65% (p < .001). Conclusions The presence of a high number of adolescents and high‐risk patients, as well as many patients who discontinued the use of asparaginase or any substitute led to a lower probability of OS and EFS in our cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thais A Bonilha
- Department of Pediatrics, Instituto Estadual de Hematologia Arthur de Siqueira Cavalcanti - Hemorio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Clinical Medicine Post-Graduation Program, College of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Danielle D A Obadia
- Department of Pediatrics, Instituto Estadual de Hematologia Arthur de Siqueira Cavalcanti - Hemorio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Andressa C Valveson
- Department of Pediatrics, Instituto Estadual de Hematologia Arthur de Siqueira Cavalcanti - Hemorio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marcelo G P Land
- Clinical Medicine Post-Graduation Program, College of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Department of Pediatrics, Instituto de Puericultura e Pediatria Martagão Gesteira, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Optimizing therapy in the modern age: differences in length of maintenance therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood 2021; 137:168-177. [PMID: 32877503 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020007702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A majority of children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are cured with contemporary multiagent chemotherapy regimens. The high rate of survival is largely the result of 70 years of randomized clinical trials performed by international cooperative groups. Contemporary ALL therapy usually consists of cycles of multiagent chemotherapy administered over 2 to 3 years that includes central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis, primarily consisting of CNS-penetrating systemic agents and intrathecal therapy. Although the treatment backbones vary among cooperative groups, the same agents are used, and the outcomes are comparable. ALL therapy typically begins with 5 to 9 months of more-intensive chemotherapy followed by a prolonged low-intensity maintenance phase. Historically, a few cooperative groups treated boys with 1 more year of maintenance therapy than girls; however, most groups treated boys and girls with equal therapy lengths. This practice arose because of inferior survival in boys with older less-intensive regimens. The extra year of therapy added significant burden to patients and families and involved short- and long-term risks that were potentially life threatening and debilitating. The Children's Oncology Group recently changed its approach as part of its current generation of trials in B-cell ALL and now treats boys and girls with the same duration of therapy. We discuss the rationale behind this change, review the data and differences in practice across cooperative groups, and provide our perspective regarding the length of maintenance therapy.
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Reduced-intensity therapy for pediatric lymphoblastic leukemia: impact of residual disease early in remission induction. Blood 2021; 137:20-28. [PMID: 33410896 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020007977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Legacy data show that ∼40% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were cured with limited antimetabolite-based chemotherapy regimens. However, identifying patients with very-low-risk (VLR) ALL remains imprecise. Patients selected based on a combination of presenting features and a minimal residual disease (MRD) level <0.01% on day 19 of induction therapy had excellent outcomes with low-intensity treatment. We investigated the impact of MRD levels between 0.001% and <0.01% early in remission induction on the outcome of VLR ALL treated with a low-intensity regimen. Between October of 2011 and September of 2015, 200 consecutive patients with B-precursor ALL with favorable clinicopathologic features and MRD levels <0.01%, as assessed by flow cytometry in the bone marrow on day 19 and at the end of induction therapy, received reduced-intensity therapy. The 5-year event-free survival was 89.5% (± 2.2% standard error [SE]), and the overall survival was 95.5% (± 1.5% SE). The 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was 7% (95% confidence interval, 4-11%). MRD levels were between 0.001% and <0.01% on day 19 in 29 patients. These patients had a 5-year CIR that was significantly higher than that of patients with undetectable residual leukemia (17.2% ± 7.2% vs 5.3% ± 1.7%, respectively; P = .02). Our study shows that children with VLR ALL can be treated successfully with decreased-intensity therapy, and it suggests that the classification criteria for VLR can be further refined by using a more sensitive MRD assay.
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Chemotherapy Delays Are Associated with Inferior Outcome in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Cancer Center in South India. Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2021. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1729513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Valera ET, Brassesco MS, Reis MBFD, Maggioni G, Guerino-Cunha RL, Grecco CE, Jr JE, Kato M, Tone LG. Short-term response to alemtuzumab in CD52-positive secondary histiocytic sarcoma in a child: Is it time to consider new targets? Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2021; 38:89-96. [PMID: 32897114 DOI: 10.1080/08880018.2020.1811438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elvis Terci Valera
- Department of Pediatrics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - María Sol Brassesco
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Renato Luiz Guerino-Cunha
- Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Unit, Department of Medical Imaging, Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo Brazil
| | - Carlos Eduardo Grecco
- Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Unit, Department of Medical Imaging, Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo Brazil
| | - Jorge Elias Jr
- Department of Medical Imaging, Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo Brazil
| | - Mery Kato
- Diagnostic of Nuclear Medicine - DIMEN - Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Luiz Gonzaga Tone
- Department of Pediatrics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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Noronha EP, Marques LVC, Andrade FG, Thuler LCS, Terra-Granado E, Pombo-de-Oliveira MS. The Profile of Immunophenotype and Genotype Aberrations in Subsets of Pediatric T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Front Oncol 2019; 9:316. [PMID: 31338319 PMCID: PMC6503680 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a biologically heterogeneous malignancy, which reflects distinctive stages of T-cell differentiation arrest. We have revisited a cohort of pediatric T-ALL, in order to test if immunophenotypes associated with molecular alterations would predict the patient's outcome. Genetic mutations, translocations and copy number alterations were identified through Sanger sequencing, RT-PCR, FISH and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). We defined 8 immunophenotypic T-ALL subtypes through multiparametric flow cytometry: early T-cell precursor (ETP, n = 27), immature (n = 38), early cortical (n = 15), cortical (n = 50), late cortical (n = 53), CD4/CD8 double negative mature (n = 31), double positive mature (n = 35) and simple positive mature (n = 31) T-ALL. Deletions (del) or amplifications (amp) in at least one gene were observed in 87% of cases. The most frequent gene alterations were CDKN2A/Bdel (71.4%), NOTCH1mut (47.6%) and FBXW7mut (17%). ETP-ALL had frequent FLT3mut (22.2%) and SUZ12del (16.7%) (p < 0.001), while CDKN2A/Bdel were rarely found in this subtype (p < 0.001). The early cortical T-ALL subtype had high frequencies of NOTCH1mut and IL7Rmut (71%, 28.6%, respectively), whereas, mature T-ALL with double positive CD4/CD8 had the highest frequencies of STIL-TAL1 (36.7%), LEF1del (27.3%) and CASP8AP2del (22.7%). The co-existence of two groups of T-ALL with NOTCH1mut/IL7Rmut, and with TLX3/SUZ12del/NF1del/IL7Rmut, were characterized with statistical significance (p < 0.05) but only STIL-TAL1 (pOS 47.5%) and NOTCH1WT/FBXW7WT (pOS 55.3%) are predictors of poor T-ALL outcomes. In conclusion, we have observed that 8 T-ALL subgroups are characterized by distinct molecular profiles. The mutations in NOTCH1/FBXW7 and STIL-TAL1 rearrangement had a prognostic impact, independent of immunophenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elda Pereira Noronha
- Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program, Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luísa Vieira Codeço Marques
- Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program, Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Francianne Gomes Andrade
- Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program, Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Eugênia Terra-Granado
- Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program, Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Maria S Pombo-de-Oliveira
- Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program, Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Zenatti PP, Migita NA, Cury NM, Mendes-Silva RA, Gozzo FC, de Campos-Lima PO, Yunes JA, Brandalise SR. Low Bioavailability and High Immunogenicity of a New Brand of E. colil-Asparaginase with Active Host Contaminating Proteins. EBioMedicine 2018; 30:158-166. [PMID: 29550241 PMCID: PMC5952248 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The drug l-asparaginase is a cornerstone in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The native E. colil-asparaginase used in Brazil until recently has been manufactured by Medac/Kyowa. Then a decision was taken by the Ministry of Health in 2017 to supply the National Health System with a cheaper alternative l-asparaginase manufactured by Beijing SL Pharmaceutical, called Leuginase®. As opposed to Medac, the asparaginase that has been in use in Brazil under the trade name of Aginasa®, it was not possible to find a single entry with the terms Leuginase in the Pubmed repository. The apparent lack of clinical studies and the scarcity of safety information provided to the hospitals by the drug distributor created a debate among Brazilian pediatric oncologists about issues of safety and efficacy that culminated eventually in a court decision to halt the distribution of the new drug all over the country. Boldrini Children's Center, a non-profit pediatric oncohematology hospital, has conducted its own evaluation of Leuginase®. Mass spectrometry analyses found at least 12 different contaminating host-cell proteins (HCP) in Leuginase®. The presence of two HCP (beta-lactamase and malate dehydrogenase) was confirmed by orthogonal methodologies. The relative number of HCP peptides ranged from 19 to 37% of the total peptides identified by mass spectrometry. In vivo studies in mice injected with Leuginase® revealed a 3 times lower plasma bioavailability and the development of higher antibody titres against l-asparaginase in comparison to Aginasa®-injected animals. The decision to buy a new drug based on its price alone is not safe. Developing countries are especially vulnerable to cheaper alternatives that lack solid quality assurance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Fabio Cesar Gozzo
- Chemistry Institute, State University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | | | - José Andrés Yunes
- Centro Infantil Boldrini, Campinas, SP, Brazil; Medical Genetics Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
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