Tocilizumab for the Prevention of Graft Failure and GVHD in Haplo-Cord Transplantation

Phase 2Active Not RecruitingNCT04395222

Weill Medical College of Cornell University21 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of reducing and ultimately eliminating anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) from the haplo-cord transplant conditioning regimen and replacing it with tocilizumab, an IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody, to improve immune reconstitution and reduce relapse while preserving low rates of graft failure and graft versus host disease (GVHD).

This study is a prospective phase II non-inferiority study investigating tocilizumab as a potential alternative to anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) in haplo-cord transplantation. It is a single-center study based at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork Presbyterian Hospital. The hypothesis is that tocilizumab is a safe and effective alternative to ATG in haplo-cord transplantation, facilitating transient engraftment of the haplo-identical stem cell graft without prolonged neutropenia or second nadir prior to durable cord engraftment while also preventing graft versus host disease (GVHD). This study plans to enroll patients with hematologic malignancies in need of alternate donor transplant. All subjects will be conditioned with fludarabine, melphalan and total body irradiation (TBI), followed by a single dose of tocilizumab 8 mg/kg on Day -1. Patients will be enrolled into 4 successive cohorts, initially administering the current standard 3 doses of ATG 1.5 mg/kg (total 4.5 mg/kg). In the absence of safety signals, we will drop one dose of ATG in successive cohorts until the drug ultimately has been eliminated. The primary endpoint of the study is successful haplo-derived neutrophil engraftment. Treatment will only be of interest if there is evidence that this rate is greater than 60%. If there are 4 or fewer successes, that dose group will be deemed unacceptable and the next higher ATG dose for which there were 5 or more success will be expanded.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Hematologic Malignancy Bone Marrow Transplant

Interventions

TocilizumabDRUG

Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg intravenously administered as a single dose on Day -1 of transplant conditioning regimen

FludarabineDRUG

Fludarabine 30 mg/m2 intravenously administered on Day -7, Day -6, Day -5, Day -4, Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen if under the age of 60. If over the age of 60, Fludarabine 30 mg/m2 intravenously administered on Day -5, Day -4 and Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen.

MelphalanDRUG

Melphalan 140 mg/m2 intravenously administered on Day -2 of transplant conditioning regimen.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Subject must have a confirmed diagnosis of one of the following: 1. Relapsed or refractory acute leukemia (myeloid or lymphoid) 2. Acute leukemia in first remission at high-risk for recurrence 3. Chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic, accelerated phase or blast-crisis 4. Myelodysplastic syndromes 5. Chronic myeloproliferative disease 6. Recurrent, refractory or high-risk malignant lymphoma 7. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, relapsed or with poor prognostic features 8. Multiple myeloma 9. Other hematological disorder in need of allogeneic transplant (e.g. blastoid dendritic cell neoplasm) 2. Age ≥ 18 years. 3. Likely to benefit from allogeneic transplant in the opinion of the transplant physician. 4. An HLA-identical related or unrelated donor cannot be identified within an appropriate time frame. 5. Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) of ≥ 70%. 6. Acceptable organ function as defined below: 1. Serum bilirubin: \<2.0 mg/dL 2. ALT (SGPT) \<3x upper limit of normal (ULN) 3. Creatinine Clearance: \>50 mL/min/1.73m2 (eGFR as estimated by the modified MDRD equation) 4. Left ventricular ejection fraction \>40% 5. Pulmonary diffusion capacity \>40% predicted 7. Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Life expectancy is severely limited by concomitant illness or uncontrolled infection. 2. Evidence of chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis 3. Uncontrolled HIV disease. 4. Pregnancy or lactation. 5. History of complicated diverticulitis, including fistulae, abscess formation or gastrointestinal perforation 6. History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition as tocilizumab, including known allergies to Chinese hamster ovary cell products or other recombinant human or humanized antibodies.

Locations (1)

Weill Cornell Medical College

New York, New York, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Percentage of Subjects With Successful Haplo-derived Neutrophil Engraftment

This is defined as: 1. Achieve an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 500 cells/microL for three consecutive days with the first on or prior to Day +21 post-transplant, AND 2. Absence of a second nadir - a drop in the ANC to \<300 cells/microL for five consecutive days - after initial neutrophil recovery.

Time frame: 21 days post-transplant

Secondary Outcomes

Progression-Free Survival

Time elapsed between Day 0 and progression of the underlying malignancy for which the transplant was performed, assessed up to 5 years post-transplant.

Time frame: 5 years post-transplant

Overall Survival

Time elapsed between Day 0 and death from any cause, assessed up to 5 years post-transplant.

Time frame: 5 years post-transplant

Transplant-Related Mortality

Proportion of deaths which cannot be explained by persistence, relapse or progression of the underlying malignancy once the preparative regimen starts, assessed up to 5 years post-transplant.

Time frame: 5 years post-transplant

Proportion of Platelet Engraftment Success

Proportion of patients who successfully achieve platelet engraftment, defined as a platelet count of \>20k/microL for three consecutive days without transfusion support for seven consecutive days.

Time frame: 6 months post-transplant

Proportion of Failure of the Haplo-Graft

Proportion of patients with a failed haplo-graft, defined as the absence of neutrophil engraftment by Day +21 or a drop in the absolute neutrophil count to \<0.3 cells/microL for five consecutive days occurring after initial neutrophil engraftment within the first 3 weeks post-transplantation (second nadir)

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.