Publications by authors named "Donald Bunjes"

Introduction: Leukemic stem cells (LSC) are the source of relapse in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Thus, eliminating LSC is one of the overarching goals of AML research. Radioimmunotherapy is an immunotherapeutic approach which utilizes radioactive isotopes as effector molecules based on the proven ability of ionizing radiation (IR) to kill LSC.

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The treatment of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with a dismal prognosis. The allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is frequently performed as salvage therapy. Reduced intensity conditioning protocols have been developed with the aim of reducing the leukemia burden without increasing their toxicity.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A study compared the effects of two calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), cyclosporin A (CsA) and tacrolimus (TAC), on the incidence and type of CNS-NCs in patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies who underwent allo-HSCT over 20 years.
  • * Findings indicated that CNS-NCs occurred in 17% of patients and correlated with lower overall survival and higher mortality rates; TAC was identified as a key risk factor for CNS-N
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For patients with acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, or acute lymphoblastic leukemia, allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a potentially curative treatment. In addition to standard conditioning regimens for HCT, high-dose radioimmunotherapy (RIT) offers the unique opportunity to selectively deliver a high dose of radiation to the bone marrow while limiting side effects. Modification of a CD66b-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) with a DTPA-based chelating agent should improve the absorbed dose distribution during therapy.

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Background: Low aerobic capacity is associated with an increased mortality risk in allogenic stem-cell transplantation (alloSCT) patients, but currently used risk scores in the pre-transplantation workup are still underestimating physical activity as a prognostic factor.

Aim: To examine the physical condition, muscle function, blood inflammation and training adherence of alloSCT patients during inpatient time to identify potential biomarkers associated with development of myopathy and sarcopenia.

Methods: Patients undergoing alloSCT were examined at four time points (T0: before alloSCT; T: hospital admission; T1: engraftment; T2: inpatient discharge).

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Introduction: Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is approved and recommended for immunocompromised patients such as patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Since infections represent a relevant cause of transplant related mortality we analyzed the advent of immunization to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in a bicentric population of allogeneic transplanted patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of allo-SCT recipients in two German transplantation centers for safety and serologic response after two and three SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations.

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Background: No adequate data exist on the impact of multiple myeloma (MM) with extramedullary disease (EMD) after autograft and maintenance therapy.

Methods: We identified 808 patients with newly diagnosed MM who received first autograft, of whom 107 had EMD (83 paraskeletal and 24 organ involvement), and who had been reported to the EBMT registry December 2018. Distribution according to type of involvement was similar between the treatment groups (p = .

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Older age and a high burden of comorbidities often drive the selection of low-intensity conditioning regimens in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients. However, the impact of comorbidities in the low-intensity conditioning setting is unclear. We sought to determine the contribution of individual comorbidities and their cumulative burden on the risk of nonrelapse mortality (NRM) among patients receiving low-intensity regimens.

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Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is standard treatment for adult high-risk (HR) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and contributed to the overall improved outcome. We report a consecutive cohort of prospectively defined HR patients treated on German Multicenter Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia trials 06/99-07/03 with similar induction/consolidation therapy and HCT in first remission. A total of 542 patients (15-55 years) with BCR-ABL-negative ALL were analyzed.

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Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (HSCT-TMA) is a common complication occurring post-HSCT and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality if not promptly identified and treated. Emerging evidence suggests a central role for the complement system in the pathogenesis of HSCT-TMA. The complement system has also been shown to interact with other pathways and processes including coagulation and inflammation, all of which are activated following HSCT.

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Purpose: We evaluated outcomes of unrelated transplantation for primary refractory/relapsed (ref/rel) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), comparing two cohorts according to the year of transplant, 2000-2009 and 2010-2019.

Patients And Methods: Multivariable analyses were performed using the Cox proportional-hazards regression model.

Results: 3,430 patients were included; 876 underwent a transplant between 2000-2009 and 2554 in 2010-2019.

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Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from haploidentical donors is a viable option for patients lacking HLA-matched donors. Here we report the results of a prospective multicenter phase I/II trial of transplantation of TCRαβ and CD19-depleted peripheral blood stem cells from haploidentical family donors after a reduced-intensity conditioning with fludarabine, thiotepa, and melphalan. Thirty pediatric and 30 adult patients with acute leukemia (n = 43), myelodysplastic or myeloproliferative syndrome (n = 6), multiple myeloma (n = 1), solid tumors (n = 6), and non-malignant disorders (n = 4) were enrolled.

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Acute myeloid leukemia with runt-related transcription factor 1 gene mutation (RUNX1+ AML) is associated with inferior response rates and outcome after conventional chemotherapy. We performed a retrospective, registry-based analysis to elucidate the prognostic value of RUNX1 mutation after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). All consecutive adults undergoing alloSCT for AML in first complete remission (CR1) between 2013 and 2019 with complete information on conventional cytogenetics and RUNX1 mutational status were included.

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Allogenic stem cell transplantation (aSCT) is the only potentially curative treatment for high-risk hematological diseases. Despite advancements in supportive measures, aSCT outcome is still affected by considerable transplant-related mortality. We implemented a new sarcopenia assessment prior to aSCT to evaluate its predictive capability for all-cause and non-relapse mortality.

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T-cell epitope matching according to the TCE3 algorithm classifies HLA-DPB1 mismatches in permissive and non-permissive. This classification has been shown to be predictive for mortality and acute GvHD (aGvHD) events in large international cohorts. We retrospectively genotyped HLA-DPB1 in 3523 patients transplanted in Germany between 2000 and 2014 and in their unrelated donors using an Illumina amplicon-NGS based assay.

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Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) contributes to about 50% of transplant-related mortality (non-relapse mortality) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Here the predictive value of a urinary proteomic profile (aGvHD_MS17) was tested together with preemptive prednisolone therapy. Two-hundred and fifty-nine of 267 patients were eligible for analysis.

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The Acute Leukemia Working Party (ALWP) of the EBMT assessed the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) in patients with relapsed/refractory AML (r/rAML) evaluating six sequential conditioning regimens (SR) groups. A total of 2132 patients were included. LFS at 2 years was 28.

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The use of myeloablative conditioning (MAC) in the setting of active relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been hindered by high historical rates of nonrelapse mortality (NRM). FLAMSA (fludarabine, Ara-C, and amsacrine) chemotherapy (CT) followed by reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) has been proposed as an effective and potentially safer alternative in this scenario. As improvements in supportive care have contributed to decreasing NRM rates after MAC, a comparative reassessment of these two strategies was performed.

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Rhizomucor miehei is a cause of bovine mycotic abortion and mastitis and has rarely been described in human disease. Here, we report the first isolation of R. miehei from native mitral valve tissue in a fatal case of endocarditis that substantiates its pathogenic potential.

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Relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains a major therapeutic challenge. Despite the consensus for proceeding to allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in relapsing patients with ALL who achieve second complete remission (CR2) with salvage therapy, most patients lack a suitable matched-related histocompatible donor. The present multicenter retrospective study compared, for ALL patients in CR2, the HSCT outcome from all four possible alternative hematopoietic stem cell sources, namely matched unrelated 10/10 (n = 281), mismatched unrelated 9/10 (n = 125), haploidentical (n = 105), and cord blood (n = 104) donors.

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Introduction: Respiratory viral infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among stem cell transplant recipients. While there is a substantial amount of information on prognostic factors and response to ribavirin therapy is available for RSV infections, this information is largely lacking for hMPV.

Patients And Methods: In total, 71 patients were included in this study: 47 patients with RSV and 24 with hMPV.

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