Long-term follow-up of relapsed acute leukemia treated with immunotherapy after allogeneic transplantation: the inseparability of graft-versus-host disease and graft-versus-leukemia, and the problem of extramedullary relapse
S. Singhal et al., Long-term follow-up of relapsed acute leukemia treated with immunotherapy after allogeneic transplantation: the inseparability of graft-versus-host disease and graft-versus-leukemia, and the problem of extramedullary relapse, LEUK LYMPH, 32(5-6), 1999, pp. 505-512
Long-term outcome of 23 acute myeloid (AML, n = 16) or lymphoblastic (ALL,
n = 7) leukemia patients who had received immunotherapy for treatment of pe
rsistent or recurrent disease 1.5-26 (median 4) months after allogeneic tra
nsplantation was studied to determine eventual survival. Immune manipulatio
n comprised donor leukocyte infusion (n = 18), interferon-alpha 2b and/or i
nterleukin-2 (n = 15), and cyclosporine withdrawal (n = 11) in various comb
inations. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) developed in 12 patients. Thirte
en of 20 evaluable patients responded; 6 relapsing again. Eight patients di
ed of toxicity, and 10 of progressive disease at 3-206 weeks (median 11). F
ive patients (3 AML, 2 ALL) are alive in remission with GVHD 2-46 months (m
edian 23) after immunotherapy with Karnofsky scores of 70-100% (median 80).
The overall survival of the whole group is 1-206 weeks (median 12), with a
n actuarial survival of 22% at 2 years. The development of GVHD was associa
ted with superior survival in multivariate analysis (P = .007). Seven patie
nts received immunosuppression because of the severity of GVHD (grade III/I
V acute or extensive chronic): 3 died of GVHD, 3 improved but relapsed conc
omitantly, and 1 is alive in remission with extensive chronic GVHD. Four ep
isodes of extramedullary relapse (granulocytic sarcomas) were seen in 3 pat
ients with AML whose marrow remained in remission. We conclude that GVHD ap
pears to be inseparable from graft-versus-leukemia in relapsed acute leukem
ia patients undergoing immunotherapy with a high proportion of patients dyi
ng due to toxicity or progressive disease, and isolated extramedullary rela
pse seems to be unusually common.