Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation for Children With Therapy Resistant Leukemia
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2012-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Despite substantial progress in the treatment pediatric acute leukemia a significant number
of children will experience primary or secondary resistance to the treatment. In other words
it will be not possible to achieve remission using standard chemotherapy (primary resistance)
or the patients will develop chemotherapy resistant relapse (secondary resistance). Children
failing to achieve remission or children relapsing after previous allogeneic stem cell
transplantation have short life expectancy and palliative treatment still remains the most
reasonable option as the escalation of conventional chemotherapy is not longer effective.
The role of Graft versus Leukemia effect was postulated as one of the mechanisms contributing
to the leukemia control/eradication after transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells.
In this study the investigators combine intensified multiagent Clofarabine containing
chemotherapy with post-induction treatment intensification using reduced intensity
conditioning followed by haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Introducing
a new drug to the treatment of resistant leukemia the investigators want to achieve a
response which allows us to proceed to immediate haploidentical transplantation. Using a
haploidentical donor the investigators can avoid time consuming search for an unrelated donor
and perform the transplantation at the optimal time-point. Combating therapy resistant
leukemia the investigators would like to evoke and utilize potential Graft-versus-Leukemia
effect which is much more pronounced in the haploidentical setting, as it is well documented
that allogeneic transplantation with a matched donor is not effective in resistant disease.
The use of best KIR mismatch donor and post-transplant donor lymphocyte infusion will be
implemented in order to develop/intensify graft versus leukemia effect.