[December 04, 2014]

Results of City of Hope Clinical Trial Supports Change to Standard of Care for HIV Lymphoma

Results from a multicenter clinical trial could knock down barriers to autologous stem cell transplants for patients with HIV-associated lymphoma, currently the standard of care for some non-HIV infected patients.

Impressive new data, to be presented during a press session at the American Society of Hematology meeting Dec. 8 at 8 a.m., indicate that HIV-associated lymphoma patients who meet standard eligibility criteria for transplants of their own stem cells respond well to the treatment, even in centers that do not have HIV-specific expertise. HIV infection has historically been viewed as reason to rule out autologous stem cell transplant - the standard of care for non-infected patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant lymphoma - due to their compromised immune system.

The new study could change that perception. It was led by Joseph Alvarnas, M.D., director of Medical Quality and Quality, Risk and Regulatory Management and a physician investigator at the Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute at City of Hope, and colleagues at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The study builds on previous research at City of Hope, including a crucial 2001 publication that was among the first internationally to show these transplants were possible for HIV patients.

"My colleagues at City of Hope have been true pioneers in this field of study," said Alvarnas, the study's lead author. "This broader trial shows that not only can these transplants be done in HIV patients, but that it is a viable therapy for HIV-associated lymphoma. Ultimately, these results argue persuasively that HIV or AIDS status should not be a barrier to autologous stem cell transplant for patients who meet standard eligibility criteria."

he new study found the transplants to be effective, tolerable and not overly toxic for patients with HIV-associated lymphoma. Patients in the clinical trial received autologous stem cell transplants with a high-dose preparative regimen of chemotherapy, and achieved survival rates comparable to other lymphoma patients. After a median two-year follow-up, the one-year survival rate among the 40 HIV lymphoma patients in the clinical trial who received stem cell transplantation was 86.6 percent. The trial also estimated a one-year progression-free survival rate of 82.3 percent - remarkable as all of these patients had lymphoma that did not respond to prior therapy.

HIV-positive people are 70 times more likely to be diagnosed with lymphoma than uninfected individuals. Historically, because of their badly compromised immune systems, most HIV patients could not tolerate standard treatments for lymphoma. However, as antiretroviral therapies have improved, HIV patients with lymphoma have had access to medications and other therapies offered to lymphoma patients not infected with HIV. Because they are immunocompromised, they have been considered ineligible for autologous stem cell transplants, in which patients are infused with their own stem cells. This has put HIV lymphoma patients at a disadvantage.

City of Hope physician-scientists, led by Amrita Krishnan, M.D., F.A.C.P., director of the Multiple Myeloma Program, were among the first in the world to publish research showing autologous stem cell transplants are feasible for selected HIV lymphoma patients in a widely cited study in Blood.

"What makes the current clinical trial so useful is we offered something previously done only in centers with very specific expertise and showed it could be extended to multiple centers - even those that did not specialize in HIV," Alvarnas said.

Funding for the study, part of the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network, was provided by the National Cancer Institute. The study was part of a Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program effort to expand clinical trial access to HIV-infected patients with cancer.

About City of Hope

City of Hope is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Designated as a comprehensive cancer center, the highest recognition bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, City of Hope is also a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, with research and treatment protocols that advance care throughout the nation. City of Hope's main hospital is located in Duarte, Calif., just northeast of Los Angeles, with clinics in Antelope Valley and South Pasadena. It is ranked as one of "America's Best Hospitals" in cancer by U.S.News & World Report. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics. For more information, visit www.cityofhope.org or follow City of Hope on facebook, twitter, youtube or flickr.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]