pentostatin and Chronic-Disease

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a dynamic disease with several distinct components that make it unique from other lymphomas. The components of CTCL are reviewed to provide a background for understanding the role of pentostatin (Nipent; SuperGen, San Ramon, CA) in CTCL. In CTCL the malignant T cells mimic and eventually replace their nonmalignant counterparts. This enhances the need for targeting T cells with therapy that preferentially eliminates CTCL cells while sparing nonmalignant cells. Given the similarities of CTCL with T-cell mediated chronic inflammatory diseases, therapies used for this lymphoma also may play a role in nonmalignant disease management.

Topics: Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Autoimmune Diseases; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Chronic Disease; Dermatitis; Forecasting; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous; Pentostatin; Skin; Skin Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes

Bone marrow transplantation has become the modality of choice for a number of malignant conditions. One of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality following bone marrow transplantation is graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Moderate to severe acute GVHD affects 9% to 35% of patients undergoing standard allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The incidence of chronic GVHD is approximately 40% to 50%. In our experience at Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, patients with stages 2, 3, and 4 acute GVHD had median survivals of only 5.4, 3.6, and 2.5 months, respectively, despite treatment. Patients with chronic GVHD do not fare much better. Their overall 10-year mortality rate remains high at 42%. Significant failure rates and toxicities have been associated with all available therapeutic options for GVHD. Pentostatin (Nipent; SuperGen, San Ramon, CA) is currently used to treat a variety of hematologic malignancies. In addition to its antineoplastic effects, considerable immunosuppressive properties have been reported. Pentostatin affects the immune system by decreasing lymphocyte number and function. Its immunosuppressive effect has promise for the treatment of GVHD and warrants further study.

Topics: Acute Disease; Bone Marrow Transplantation; Chronic Disease; Graft vs Host Disease; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Incidence; Lymphocytes; Pentostatin; Survival Rate; Transplantation, Homologous; Treatment Outcome

One limitation of reduced-intensity preparative regimens is potential for graft failure. We have developed a regimen that targets CD4(+) lymphodepletion to ensure early and durable engraftment. The primary endpoint was achievement of ≥50% CD3(+) donor chimerism by day +28. Forty-two patients (median age, 53 years; range, 29 to 73 years) received pentostatin 4 mg/m(2) i.v. on days -28, -21, and -14 when the CD4(+) cell count was >100 cells/μL and on days -4 and -3 regardless of CD4(+) level. Rituximab 375 mg/m(2) was administered to patients with CD20(+) malignancies on days -21, -14, -7, +1, and +8. Busulfan 200 mg/m(2) i.v. was administered on days -4 and -2 at a dose to target a cumulative AUC dose of 16,000 (±10%) μmol·min/L. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus plus methotrexate in 86% of patients. Donors were matched-related (47%), matched unrelated (43%), or mismatched unrelated (10%). Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (45%) and follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma (14%) were the most common diagnoses. Disease status at initiation of the preparative regimen was complete remission in 22%, partial response in 55%, and stable/progression in 24%. The median percent CD4(+) cell count decrease from baseline (day -28) was 52% to day -21, 66% to day -14, 62% to day -7, and 91% to day 0. At day +28, all 42 patients (100%) had ≥50% CD3(+) donor chimerism. No patient experienced graft failure. Overall response rate was 82% (complete remisson, 67%). The day +100 cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD was 59% (grade III-IV acute GVHD, 19%), and the 2 year cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 69% (moderate/severe, 58%). Nonrelapse mortality was 2% at day +100 and 17% at 2 years. Two-year PFS was 55%, and OS was 68%. This regimen ensures durable engraftment, is effective against persistent disease, and results in relatively low mortality from causes other than relapse.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents; Busulfan; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Chronic Disease; Female; Graft vs Host Disease; Hematologic Neoplasms; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Humans; Lymphocyte Depletion; Male; Middle Aged; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Pentostatin; Survival Analysis; Transplantation Conditioning; Transplantation, Homologous

One of the obstacles to chronic GVHD research is the lack of standardized response criteria. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has recommended response criteria at a Consensus Conference. These need to be validated. We recently completed and reported a trial of pentostatin in treating steroid-refractory chronic GVHD. During the trial, we prospectively collected percent body-surface-area (BSA) involvement of rash, superficial sclerosis and deep sclerosis. Here, we compare cutaneous responses using the NIH scale and the Hopkins scale. The two scales produced similar overall response rates but different domain response rates. There was 80% agreement in overall response at the final treatment evaluation, but only a 64% agreement for fasciitis/non-moveable sclerosis. There was more disparity in the measurement of sclerosis than in that of erythema, which highlights the difficulty of quantifying sclerosis. For sclerosis, the Hopkins scale, which used skin softening, was more predictive of early response as compared with the NIH scale, which focused on percent BSA. Early assessment of skin softening may be important if trying to detect the activity of a particular agent in chronic GVHD. Further validation of the NIH scale is ongoing, which should produce a clinically useful and predictive scale.

Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Antineoplastic Agents; Chronic Disease; Consensus Development Conferences, NIH as Topic; Drug Resistance; Erythema; Female; Graft vs Host Disease; Humans; Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus; Male; Pentostatin; Prospective Studies; Skin; United States

There is no standard therapy for steroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). This problem is particularly daunting in children with chronic GVHD, whereby the effects of the disease and its treatment may impair normal growth and development. Children are also particularly vulnerable to failure and/or toxicity of therapy; for example, joint contractures or joint damage may result in life-long disability. The Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium performed a phase 2 trial of pentostatin for steroid-refractory chronic GVHD in 51 children (median age, 9.8 years) from 24 institutions. Overall response was 53% (95% confidence interval, 40%-64%), with a response of 59% (95% confidence interval, 42%-75%) in sclerosis. Thirteen subjects (25%) had toxicity requiring them to stop pentostatin. The drug had a significant steroid-sparing effect in those that responded. A trend was also observed toward increased survival at 3 years in responders versus nonresponders (69% vs 50%; P = .06). The intravenous administration of the drug ensures compliance in a patient group in which oral therapy is difficult to monitor. Pentostatin has activity in refractory chronic GVHD in children, and future studies, including treatment of children newly diagnosed with high-risk chronic GVHD, are warranted. The trial was registered at www.Clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00144430.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Antineoplastic Agents; Child; Child, Preschool; Chronic Disease; Female; Graft vs Host Disease; Humans; Infant; Male; Neoplasms; Pentostatin; Stem Cell Transplantation; Young Adult

We describe three cases of relapsed hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) treated with pentostatin plus rituximab. All three achieved bone marrow complete remission but had persistent splenomegaly and hypersplenism. Because of the clinical uncertainty of its significance, they were all splenectomized. The spleen histology showed no evidence of HCL, but a five-fold thickening of the splenic capsule and areas of fibrosis in the red pulp. This process may have contributed to the lack of elasticity and caused the persistent splenomegaly. We discuss the clinical implications for future patient management. The three patients remain in remission at 1 + , 5 + and 9 + years.

Topics: Adult; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Chronic Disease; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Humans; Immunotherapy; Leukemia, Hairy Cell; Male; Middle Aged; Pentostatin; Recurrence; Remission Induction; Rituximab; Spleen; Splenectomy; Splenomegaly

Topics: Acute Disease; Bone Marrow Transplantation; Boronic Acids; Bortezomib; Chronic Disease; Clinical Trials as Topic; Cyclohexanes; Cyclophosphamide; Cyclosporine; Evidence-Based Medicine; Graft vs Host Disease; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Humans; Hydroxamic Acids; Immunosuppressive Agents; Maraviroc; Methotrexate; Pentostatin; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; Pyrazines; Quality of Life; Tacrolimus; Triazoles; Vorinostat

This is a preliminary feasibility study to assess the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of pentostatin in a patient undergoing dialysis. Pentostatin is a safe and well-tolerated medication, but a dose reduction is required for patients with renal insufficiency. We present a patient with chronic adult T-cell leukemia, whose white blood cell count exceeded 100 X 10(9)/l, and end-stage renal disease, receiving long-term thrice-weekly dialysis. The initial treatment with oral cyclophosphamide or with oral etoposide resulted in no response. After informed consent was obtained, pentostatin (1, 2, or 3mg/m2) was administered. 1 or 2 hours after injection, the patient received hemodialysis over 4 hours to remove any of the drug remaining in his system. Plasma concentrations of pentostatin were calculated with the known pharmacokinetics parameters. The differential equations describing a 2-compartment open-infusion pharmacokinetic model were fitted to the measured concentration-time data. Tumor lysis syndrome occurred 4 days after the course of the highest dose (3mg/m2), and the patient achieved complete remission. Anorexia, graded as 2 according to the NCI-CTC classification system, occurred and continued for four weeks. Pentostatin therapy consisting of the decreased dose (2mg/m2) was then administered every other week and provided a transient partial response with mild anorexia. Consequently, pentostatin can be considered as one of the chemotherapeutic regimens available for a patient undergoing dialysis.

Topics: Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Chronic Disease; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Feasibility Studies; Female; Humans; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell; Middle Aged; Models, Biological; Pentostatin; Remission Induction; Renal Dialysis

By pharmacological manipulation of endogenous adenosine, using chemically distinct methods, we tested the hypothesis that endogenous adenosine tempers proinflammatory cytokine responses and oxyradical-mediated tissue damage during endotoxemia and sepsis. Rats were pretreated with varying doses of pentostatin (PNT; adenosine deaminase inhibitor) or 8-sulfophenyltheophylline (8-SPT; adenosine receptor antagonist) and then received either E. coli endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; 0.01 or 2.0 mg/kg) or a slurry of cecal matter in 5% dextrose in water (200 mg/kg). Resultant levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, and IL-10 were measured in serum and in liver and spleen. Untreated, 2 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide elevated serum TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-10. PNT dose dependently attenuated, without ablating, the elevation in serum TNF-alpha and IL-1beta and raised liver and spleen IL-10. PNT also attenuated elevation of TNF-alpha in serum, liver, and spleen at 4 and 24 h after sepsis induction, and 8-SPT resulted in higher proinflammatory cytokines. Modulating endogenous adenosine was also effective in exacerbated (8-SPT) or diminished (PNT) tissue peroxidation. Survival from sepsis was also improved when PNT was used as a posttreatment. These data indicate that endogenous adenosine is an important modulatory component of systemic inflammatory response syndromes. These data also indicate that inhibition of adenosine deaminase may be a novel and viable therapeutic approach to managing the systemic inflammatory response syndrome without ablating important physiological functions.

Topics: Adenosine Deaminase; Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors; Animals; Bacterial Infections; Blood; Chronic Disease; Endotoxemia; Enzyme Inhibitors; Inflammation; Interleukin-1; Interleukin-10; Liver; Male; Pentostatin; Peroxides; Purinergic P1 Receptor Antagonists; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Spleen; Theophylline; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha