Prevention of Graft-Versus-Host Disease in Patients With Advanced Leukemia or Lymphoma Who Are Eligible for Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation

Overview

RATIONALE: Peripheral stem cell transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy used to kill tumor cells. Sometimes the transplanted cells can make an immune response against the body's normal tissues. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of cyclosporine plus methotrexate with cyclosporine plus T cell depletion for prevention of graft-versus-host disease during peripheral stem cell transplantation in patients who have advanced leukemia or lymphoma who are eligible for transplanted peripheral stem cells from a donor.

OBJECTIVES: I. Demonstrate that the graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylactic regimen consisting of T-cell depletion and cyclosporine results in less toxicity than the control regimen of methotrexate and cyclosporine in recipients of peripheral blood stem cell transplants. II. Monitor safety of the two regimens in order to assure that the treatment regimen dose not result in any increase in serious or unexpected toxicities, does not compromise the efficacy of GVHD prophylaxis, and does not compromise the efficacy of the disease therapy. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter, controlled, randomized trial. Patients are assigned to high or low risk groups and randomized to the control or treatment arms. Patients are stratified by risk group and by site. Mobilization, apheresis, and successful cryopreservation of the minimum number of CD34 cells for transplant has to be achieved prior to initiating cytoreductive therapy. Following intensive cytoreductive therapy, patients receive either unselected peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) together with the control graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis regimen or CD34+ cells isolated from PBSC with cyclosporine. In the control group, GVHD prophylaxis consists of two drug therapies, cyclosporine and methotrexate. The cyclosporine is administered first by IV continuous infusion and then later orally, twice a day, in decreasing increments for 180 days. Methotrexate is administered by IV on days 1, 3, 6, and 11. Cyclosporine is discontinued after day +180 if there is no evidence of GVHD. In the treatment group, GVHD prophylaxis consists of T cell depletion of the transplant product using the Isolex positive selection procedure (Isolex selected CD34+ cells) and cyclosporine. The cyclosporine is administered at the same doses and increments as in the control group. In cases where there still is acute or chronic GVHD, the patient is given the appropriate salvage regimens. Patients are followed monthly for 6 months after transplant, and then for 2 years to monitor relapses. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: There will be 200 patients accrued (100 in each arm) in this study.