The main purpose of this study is to determine the maximum tolerated and efficient dose of GRASPA® in combination with polychemotherapy treatment of elderly patients with ALL, 55 years and over, Philadelphia chromosome-negative (ALL Ph-).
This open label, non randomised, multicentric and national phase IIa study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of GRASPA®, a suspension of red blood cells encapsulating E. Coli L-asparaginase, at different doses and in combination with the polychemotherapy regimen recommended by the European Working Group on Adult ALL (EWALL) for frontline therapy of patients with ALL Ph-, aged 55 years old and over. Patients with a good performance status (WHO score ≤2) and a newly diagnosed ALL Ph- were treated with the backbone polychemotherapy consisting of a first 4-week induction phase comprising dexamethasone, vincristine and idarubicin, a second 4-week induction phase including cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, a 6-month consolidation phase consisting of 6 alternating cycles with methotrexate, asparaginase and folinic acid (cycles 1, 3 and 5) and high-dose cytarabine (cycles 2, 4 and 6) with Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) support followed by a 16-month maintenance period with mercaptopurine, methotrexate and vincristine/dexamethasone pulses. GRASPA® was administered on day 3 of induction 1 and on day 6 of induction 2 of the chemotherapy regimen.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
30
Each patient will receive GRASPA at day 3 of the induction 1 phase. If no toxicity related to investigational product is observed and if the patient's state of health allows it, a second injection, at the identical dose, will be administered at Day 6 of Induction 2 phase
Efficacy Primary Endpoint - Percentage of Patients Responding to Treatment
The main evaluation criterion is a composite efficacy/toxicity criterion. Efficacy, assessed during induction 1: percentage of patients responding to treatment, i.e. with plasma Asn concentration ≤2µM (depleted), for a duration of at least 7 days after the administration of GRASPA®
Time frame: 7 days after the first administration of GRASPA® during Induction 1
Safety Endpoint - DLTs Assessed During Induction 1 and Induction 2
Safety: Toxicity, assessed during Induction 1 and Induction 2: according to NCI-CTCAE v3.0 August 2006, with Dose Limiting Toxicities (DLT) defined as: Grade 2 to 4 pancreatic toxicity, Grade 3 or 4 hepatic toxicity, allergic toxicity or deep cerebral thrombosis, known as potentially related to L-asparaginase; hematological toxicity defined as bone marrow blast free aplasia, 30 days following the last injection of chemotherapy, all other Grade 4 toxicities.
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Plasma Concentrations of Asparagine
Mean plasma concentration of asparagine over time. Participants who were Below the Lower Limit of Quantification (BLLQ) were assigned a value of 0.51 μmol/L.
Time frame: Induction 1 & Induction 2
Plasma Concentrations of Aspartic Acid
Mean plasma concentration of aspartic acid over time.
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Plasma Concentrations of Glutamine
Mean glutamine concentration over time.
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Plasma Concentrations of Glutamic Acid.
Mean glutamic acid concentration over time.
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Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Cerebral Spinal Fluid Concentrations of Asparagine
Mean cerebral spinal fluid asparagine concentration over time.
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Cerebral Spinal Fluid Concentrations of Aspartic Acid
Mean cerebral spinal fluid aspartic acid concentration
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Cerebral Spinal Fluid Concentrations of Glutamine
Mean cerebral spinal fluid glutamine concentration
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Cerebral Spinal Fluid Concentrations of Glutamic Acid
Mean cerebral spinal fluid glutamic acid concentration
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Summary of Free Asparaginase Over Time
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Summary of Encapsulated Asparaginase (U/L) Over Time
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Number of Patients Positive for Anti-L-asparaginase Antibodies
Evaluation of the number of patients testing positive for anti-asparaginase antibodies.
Time frame: Induction 1 and Induction 2
Number of Participants With Complete Remission (CR) Rate Following Induction 1 and Induction 2
CR was defined using: * Clinical criteria: disappearance of clinical signs of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) * Blood criteria: neutrophils \> 1 G/L and platelets \>100 G/L * Medullary criteria: normally rich bone marrow and percentage of blasts \<5%
Time frame: 1 and 2 months