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Blood, Vol. 90 No. 12 (December 15), 1997:
pp. 4743-4748
By
From the Unité d'Immuno-Hématologie Pédiatrique, Institut National pour la Santé et la Recherche Medicale U429, and Laboratoire d'immunologie, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France; and Department of Pediatrics, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) is a rare genetic disorder associated with the onset early in life of overwhelming activation of T lymphocytes and macrophages invariably leading to death. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from an HLA-identical related donor is the treatment of choice in patients with this disease. However, fewer than 20% of patients have a disease-free HLA-identical sibling. BMT from HLA-nonidentical related donors has previously met with poor results, with graft rejection a major obstacle in all cases. We describe BMTs from HLA-nonidentical related donors (n = 13) and from a matched unrelated donor (n = 1) performed in two centers in 14 consecutive cases of FHL. Remission of disease was achieved before BMT in 10 patients. Marrow was T-cell-depleted to minimize graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Antiadhesion antibodies specific for the
FAMILIAL HEMOPHAGOCYTIC lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) is a rare inherited disorder with an unknown genetic basis. A recent study has shown an annual childhood incidence of FHL in Sweden of 1.2 cases per 100,000.1 The disease occurs during infancy or early childhood and is associated with fever, edema, and hepatosplenomegaly accompanied by pancytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypofibrinogenemia with histologic evidence of hemophagocytosis.2-4 Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is frequent, with symptoms ranging from confusion to severe seizures and neurologic impairment.5-7 Both sporadic and familial forms are reported, and an autosomal recessive mode of transmission is suggested.8
The use of cytotoxic therapy with etoposide (VP16) or other chemotherapeutic drugs has achieved remissions in this invariably fatal disease.9-11 Steroid treatment and the use of intrathecal methotrexate injections also help transiently to treat and/or prevent the frequent neurocerebral involvement.6 However, chemotherapy is sometimes ineffective in treatment of the primary disease and frequently fails to control relapses.12 It is also toxic and may be fatal.13 On the basis of evidence that T cells play a key role in the disease, an alternative primary and maintenance therapy using immunosuppressive agents was proposed.4,14 The use of antithymocyte globulins (ATGs) and steroids followed by Cyclosporin A (CsA) maintenance therapy combined with intrathecal methotrexate has led to disease remission for up to 2 years. However, frequent neurocerebral relapses were observed, possibly due to the poor availability of CsA within the CNS.6 Ultimately, all patients treated with this protocol only have relapsed and died.
Allogeneic HLA-identical bone marrow transplantation (BMT) remains the only curative treatment in this disease, providing long-term remissions of up to 10 years.13,15-17 The probability of finding a matched related disease-free sibling is low, estimated at less than 20%.18 BMT from an unrelated donor offers another valuable therapeutic option as recently reported, given the present probability of finding a suitable donor.19 In Necker Hospital in Paris, 40 children with the diagnosis of FHL, excluding the patients in this protocol, have been investigated. Twelve had an HLA-identical related donor and were treated with BMT. Seven of these patients are alive and well with a follow-up period of 2 to 10 years. Twenty-three children seen before 1988 had no suitable HLA-identical donor, and in the absence of BMT, they died of disease progression and/or drug toxicity within a mean of 18 months of diagnosis. Five consecutive children with no HLA-identical donor were treated with BMT from an HLA-nonidentical related donor before 1991. Conditioning consisted of busulfan (BU), cyclophosphamide (CP), and VP16 in all cases. Marrow was T-cell-depleted to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). All five children died of graft failure and subsequent disease progression within 3 months of BMT.
Experience with mismatched donors is limited and has often met with graft failure and fatal disease progression. This therapy has thus seldom been proposed as an alternative treatment in FHL. We report herein the experience of two European centers where BMT from HLA-nonidentical related donors or MUD was performed in 14 consecutive children with ascertained cases of FHL. To prevent graft rejection, immunotherapy with ATG, corticosteroids, and CsA was used in most cases to achieve clinical and biologic remission. In addition, on the basis of previous studies,20-23 two monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) directed against the leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1, CD11a) and CD2 adhesion molecules were used to prevent graft rejection in combination with the standard conditioning regimen.
Fourteen consecutive patients were treated with BMT from HLA-nonidentical related donors (n = 13) or one matched unrelated donor between 1991 and 1996. BMT was performed in two European centers: 10 patients were treated at Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France, and 4 patients at Wilhelmina Hospital for Sick Children, Utrecht, The Netherlands. The age at diagnosis varied from 2 months to 4 years (Table 1). In the absence of a specific marker for the disease, the diagnosis of FHL was based, as described elsewhere,13 on (1) a positive family history in 7 cases; (2) the absence of virus-induced hemophagocytic syndrome (serum and cells from blood and/or bone marrow and/or cerebrospinal fluid were tested for cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus by serology, viral culture, or polymerase chain reaction); and (3) clinical and biologic manifestations (Table 1). Clinical or cytologic evidence of CNS involvement was found in 8 patients. Activated circulating T cells with membrane expression of HLA class II molecules were present in 11 patients studied.
BMT
Prevention of GVHD
Supportive Care
Chimerism
GVHD GVHD grading was performed according to the method of Glucksberg et al25 and confirmed whenever possible by appropriate histologic studies.Immunologic Analysis T-cell phenotyping was studied by immunofluorescence using the MoAbs Leu4, Leu3, Leu2, anti-CD25, and anti-DR (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA) as described elsewhere.26 Lymphocyte populations were identified by immunofluorescence staining with T- and B-cell-specific MoAbs. Mitogen, antigen (Candida albicans, tetanus toxin, and influenza virus), and allogeneic cell-induced lymphocyte proliferation were tested as previously described.20 Serum Ig levels and specific antibody titers to poliovirus, tetanus, and diphtheria toxins were measured using standard serologic techniques. Natural killer activity was measured using K562 cells as targets in a 51Cr-release assay.26Informed Consent The treatment protocol was approved by the institutional review board and ethics committee of both centers, and was sponsored by INSERM. The investigational nature of the treatment was explained in detail to the parents, who provided written informed consent. The end point for analysis was March 1, 1997.
Engraftment Donor-cell engraftment was achieved in 11 of 17 cases (Table 3), requiring two transplants in three cases (patients no. 1, 8, and 11). For these three patients, the first BMT resulted in graft failure. Autologous reconstitution as ascertained by HLA typing of mononuclear peripheral cells on days 40 and 55, respectively, occurred in patients no. 1 and 8. Acute graft rejection was detected in patient no. 11 1 month posttransplant. All three patients had a second BMT within 45 to 80 days after the first transplant. The same donor was used in 2 cases and the other parent in the third. No late graft rejection was reported in any of the patients who engrafted. It is noteworthy that 8 BMTs performed following the use of an immunosuppressive regimen of ATG and CsA to control or reduce disease activity all successfully engrafted (patients no. 1, 2, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, and 14). In patients no. 3 and 7, autologous reconstitution was observed, and the patients died of progressive disease 1 year and 10 months post-BMT, respectively. A second BMT was not proposed because of the poor general clinical status of these children. Patient no. 5 died with persistent aplasia and progressive disease 3 months post-BMT.BMT Complications Transient acute GVHD grade I (skin rash) was observed in only one patient. Mild chronic resolutive skin GVHD was also observed in only one patient. Veno-occlusive disease was reported in patient no. 12 and spontaneously resolved. However, in another patient, it was the cause of death at day 31 (patient no. 10). Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disease occurred in one case (patient no. 11). Cerebral aspergillosis was the cause of death in patient no. 1 at day 99 post-BMT. In 2 cases, interstitial pneumonia occurred at day 30 and day 37 post-BMT, respectively, resolving without identification of the etiologic agent.Chimerism and Hematopoietic and Immune Reconstitution Chimerism on mononuclear peripheral cells (as ascertained by HLA typing or use of the Y chromosome-specific probe) was full in 7 cases and mixed in 4 cases, varying between 56% and 90% (Table 3). Neutrophil counts greater than 500 µL were observed after a mean of 21 days, and platelet counts greater than 50,000/µL after a mean of 30 days. Normal blood cell counts were steadily observed thereafter. Lymphocyte counts above 500/µL were achieved after a mean of 70 days in 7 patients evaluated. Mitogen-induced responses were obtained in these patients after a mean of 103 days (range, 86 to 125). Antigen-specific proliferative responses developed after a mean of 6 months (range, 4 to 8) and B-cell function after a mean of 12 months in 6 assessable patients. Natural killer cell activity was tested before and after BMT in 7 children. It was profoundly decreased in all cases before BMT, and was normal within 12 months after BMT in all cases with engraftment (patients no. 2, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13).Disease Correction and Outcome Nine patients are alive and well with a mean follow-up period of 32 months post-BMT (range, 8 to 69; Table 3). Disease correction was observed in all patients with normal clinical and biologic status on regular evaluation. Both patients with CNS involvement had a normal physical examination at 9 months post-BMT, with normal brain magnetic resonance imaging in patient no. 11 and residual necrotic cerebellar lesions in patient no. 13. All children can probably be considered free of disease, since no late rejection or late relapses have been noted. Engraftment prevented further CNS involvement and thus irreversible neurologic sequelae. In one patient (no. 10), severe anorexia was observed post-BMT, requiring enteral nutrition for 24 months. All patients are currently alive and well with neither detectable sequelae of FHL nor toxicity related to BMT.
The results reported herein suggest that BMT from HLA genetically nonidentical donors with the proposed regimen that uses both conditioning (VP16 or ATG, CP, and BU) and MoAbs (blocking of LFA-1 and CD2 lymphocyte adhesion pathways) may yield acceptable results in the treatment of FHL patients who lack a matched related donor. Nine of 14 patients are alive and well with no evidence of disease following this procedure.
Submitted June 4, 1997;
accepted August 11, 1997.
The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hearly marked ``advertisment'' in accordance with 18 U.S.C. section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
We are indebted to the medical and nursing staff for the care of the patients. We are also grateful to Dr Jane Peake for checking the manuscript.
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