The purpose of the study is to examine the safety and effectiveness of a reduced intensity conditioning regimen and allogeneic bone marrow transplant for people with systemic sclerosis. In an allogeneic bone marrow transplant procedure, bone marrow is taken from a healthy donor and transplanted into the patient. Bone marrow can be donated by a family member or an unrelated donor who is a complete tissue type match. Participants will receive the chemotherapy and low dose radiation conditioning regimen consisting of the following: Fludarabine will be given intravenously for 5 days. Cyclophosphamide will be given intravenously on the first and second day. After completing the fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, patients will receive a single low dose of total body irradiation. The next day, patients will receive the allogeneic bone marrow transplant. On the third and fourth day after the transplant, patients will receive high dose intravenous cyclophosphamide. This is given to help prevent two complications: (1) graft rejection, which occurs when the body's immune system rejects the donor bone marrow, and (2) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which is when the donor immune cells attack the patient's normal tissues. On the fifth day after the transplant, patients will start receiving two additional medications: tacrolimus and mycophenolic acid (MPA, Myfortic), to help prevent GVHD. Patients will receive mycophenolic acid for about 5 weeks and tacrolimus for about 6 months. Also beginning on the fifth day after the transplant, patients will receive daily injections of a growth factor called granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), which is a protein that increases the white blood cell count; G-CSF will be continued until the patient's white blood cell count has returned to normal levels. Patients will remain closely monitored either in the outpatient clinic setting or in the hospital for approximately 2-3 months after the transplant, but possibly longer if there are complications. Follow-up study visits will occur at 6 months and then at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after the transplant. Study researchers will keep track of the patient's medical condition after leaving the transplant center by phone calls or mailings to patients and their doctors once a year for the rest of the study participants' lives.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the safety and potential efficacy of reduced intensity conditioning with fludarabine/cyclophosphamide/low-dose total body irradiation (TBI) and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for the stabilization or regression of disease manifestations of severe systemic sclerosis (SSc). SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine whether stable allogeneic donor engraftment can be safely established with reduced intensity conditioning followed by matched sibling or unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation in patients with severe SSc. OUTLINE: Patients receive fludarabine phosphate intravenously (IV) on days -6, -5, -4, -3 and -2 and Cyclophosphamide IV on days -6, -5, and undergo 2 Gray TBI on day -1. Patients receive human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donor bone marrow transplantation on day 0. Patients then receive cyclophosphamide IV on days +3 and +4, and beginning day +5 they start tacrolimus orally (PO) and enteric coated mycophenolic acid. After completion of initial study treatment, patients are followed up at 6 months and then annually for 5 years.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
3
Given IV
Given PO
Given PO
Undergo TBI
Undergo transplantation
Undergo transplantation
Ancillary studies
Correlative studies
Correlative studies
Punch biopsy of skin involved with scleroderma
Colorado Blood Cancer Institute
Denver, Colorado, United States
Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium
Seattle, Washington, United States
Event-free Survival (EFS)
The events will be defined as any one of the following: death; respiratory failure; renal failure, as defined by chronic dialysis \> or = 6 months or kidney transplantation; occurrence of cardiomyopathy, confirmed by clinical CHF (New York Class III or IV) or LVEF \< 30% by echocardiogram, sustained for at least 3 months despite therapy; organ dysfunction specific events must be documented on at least two occasions \> or = 3 months apart, or sustained for a 3-month period (documented from the first occurrence).
Time frame: 2 years
EFS
event-free survival after umbilical cord blood transplant
Time frame: 5 years
Overall Survival
Event is defined as death due to any cause.
Time frame: Up to 5 years
Treatment-related Mortality
Defined as death occurring at any time after start of allogeneic HCT and definitely or probably resulting from treatment given in the study and not associated with disease progression.
Time frame: From time of transplant to 5 years
Regimen-related Toxicity (Greater Than or Equal to Grade III) as Assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Version 3.0
Grades 3, 4 and 5 adverse events will be tracked from the start of mobilization or conditioning until day +100 after transplant or until patient departure from the center, whichever occurs first. Certain adverse events are usual and expected after transplant and will only be reported if they are \> Grade 4. Some Grade 4 events that are routinely expected (i.e. pancytopenia) will not be reported.
Time frame: Up to 5 years
The Percent of Participants With Definite and Probable Viral, Fungal, and Bacterial Infections
The percent of participants with definite and probable viral, fungal, and bacterial infections after transplant
Time frame: Up to 5 years
Quality of Life as Assessed by the Modified Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ)
The questionnaire includes measure of quality of life and measure of the scale of skin tightness, activity level and function specifically designed for patients with systemic sclerosis
Time frame: Up to 5 years
Quality of Life as Assessed by the Medical Outcome Short Form (36) Health Survey Instrument (SF-36)
The Medical Outcome Short Form (36) Health Survey instrument (SF-36) is a general assessment of health quality of life with eight components: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, pain index, general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems and Mental Health Index. Each domain is positively scored, indicating that higher scores are associated with positive outcome.
Time frame: Up to 5 years
Skin Score
The skin score measure is a scale: the name of the scale is the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS). Total score of mRSS is from 0 to 51. Higher values represents worse skin score. Highest value is 51, represents very hidebound tight thick skin. Lowest value is 0, represent normal skin, no tightness.
Time frame: Up to 5 years post-transplant
Incidence of Graft Rejection
Engraftment is defined as achieving \> 5% donor peripheral blood T cell chimerism by Day 56 after HCT. Primary graft failure is defined as a donor peripheral blood T cell chimerism peak of \< 5% by Day 56 post-HCT. Methodological requirements for chimerism are as defined by institutional standard of practice. Secondary Graft Failure is defined as documented engraftment followed by loss of the graft with donor peripheral blood T cell chimerism \< 5% as demonstrated by a chimerism assay
Time frame: Up to day +56
Incidence and Severity of Graft-versus-host Disease (GVHD)
The grading of acute and chronic GVHD will follow previously published guidelines and according to institutional standard of practice but will also include capture of symptoms and characterization of alternative causes. The highest level of organ abnormalities, the etiologies contributing to the abnormalities and biopsy results pertaining to GVHD will be identified. Since both GVHD and SSc involve the skin and the gastrointestinal tract, all diagnostic biopsies of these organs will be centrally reviewed by a study pathologist.
Time frame: Up to 5 years post-transplant
Incidence of Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) Initiated Post Transplant to Modify Disease
Percent of patients treated with DMARDS after allogeneic transplant in order to treat scleroderma disease signs and symptoms.
Time frame: Up to 5 years post-transplant
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