Addition of cladribine to the standard induction treatment improves outcomes in a subset of elderly acute myeloid leukemia patients. Results of a randomized Polish Adult Leukemia Group (PALG) phase II trial.

Intensive induction chemotherapy using anthracycline and cytarabine backbone is considered the most effective upfront therapy in physically fit older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, outcomes of the standard induction in elderly AML are inferior to those observed in younger patients, and they are still unsatisfactory. As addition of cladribine to the standard induction therapy is known to improve outcome in younger AML patients.

Treatment of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia adjusted for performance status and presence of comorbidities: a Polish Adult Leukemia Group study.

This prospective study estimated outcomes in 509 elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with different treatment approaches depending on Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Patients were stratified into fit (ECOG 0-2 and CCI 0-2) or frail (ECOG>2 and/or CCI>2) groups. Fit patients with CCI 0 received intensive chemotherapy whilst reduced-intensive chemotherapy (R-IC) was given to those with CCI 1-2.

Activating killer immunoglobulin-like receptor incompatibilities enhance graft-versus-host disease and affect survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objectives: Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) regulate function of natural killer (NK) cells and a subset of T cells. In this study, we prospectively evaluated the impact of donor and recipient activating KIR genes on outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) for patients with hematological malignancies.

Methods: One-hundred consecutive recipients of myeloablative transplantation and their donors were tested for KIR genotype as well as for immune reconstitution, including activating KIR expression on NK cells and T cells.

Treosulfan and fludarabine low-toxicity conditioning for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) is the only treatment of proven long-term efficacy in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), although high non-relapse mortality (NRM) observed after conventional myeloablative conditioning limits its applicability. This phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of a new preparative regimen consisting of treosulfan 3 x 14 g/m(2) and fludarabine 5 x 30 mg/m(2), in patients with CML in chronic phase. Among the 40 patients included, 18 received alloHSCT from a sibling and 22 from an unrelated donor.