Due to the poor outcome of patients with invasive fungal infections (IFI), a more effective prevention of these infections in such patients is wanted. These experiences in intensively treated elderly patients with acute leukemia are especially worrying. This pilot study is designed to collect information on the safety (and efficacy) of an antifungal preventative therapy with an AmBisome® loading dose regimen of 7 mg/kg/week, in four weekly administrations, during the aplastic phase following the start of chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in elderly patients, which is a high risk period for severe fungal infections.
This is a multi-center, pilot, prospective, open label study. Approximately 20 patients will be recruited in 10 to 15 centers. The patient group will be the following: Elderly patients (≥ 55 years) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia undergoing chemotherapy with GMALL-Elderly 1/2003 protocol. They will be treated with LAMB for four weeks after induction phase I. Patients will attend for full assessment until trial completion or withdrawal: there will be 3 assessment visits during the first week, 2 assessment visits during the second week, and 1 weekly assessment visit during the third and fourth week of the prophylaxis treatment (the first visit of each week being the infusion visit as well). After the end of the prophylaxis period, patients will have 3 follow-up visits which will be scheduled at Weeks 6, 9, and 12. Please note that no other systemic antifungal prophylaxis is allowed to be used concomitantly with AmBisome®.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
20
Gilead Sciences GmbH
Martinsried/Munich, Germany
To characterize the safety profile of a prophylactic antifungal LAMB treatment of
7 mg/kg, administered as a weekly intravenous infusion over two hours, during
induction treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia of elderly patients undergoing
chemotherapy with GMALL-Elderly 1/2003 protocol for four weeks
Incidence and time to onset of possible, probable or proven IFI according to EORTC-MSG {3391} criteria within the 12 weeks following the initiation of prophylaxis treatment
IFI free time as % of follow-up time
The incidence of pulmonary infiltrates within 12 weeks following initiation of prophylaxis
The need for additional systemic antifungal therapy within 12 weeks following initiation of prophylaxis
The survival rate and incidence of mortality related to fungal infection at the end of prophylaxis treatment and within 12 weeks after prophylaxis treatment initiation
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