Safety and efficacy of high-dose melphalan and auto-SCT in patients with AL amyloidosis and cardiac involvement

Bone Marrow Transplant. 2014 Mar;49(3):434-9. doi: 10.1038/bmt.2013.192. Epub 2013 Dec 9.

Abstract

In Ig light chain (AL) amyloidosis, cardiac involvement is associated with worse prognosis and increased treatment-related complications. In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed survival, hematologic and cardiac responses to high-dose melphalan and auto-SCT (HDM/SCT) in patients with AL amyloidosis and cardiac involvement, stratified by cardiac biomarkers brain natriuretic peptide and Troponin I, analogous to the Mayo cardiac staging. Forty-seven patients underwent HDM/SCT based upon functional measures; six patients had modified cardiac stage I disease, seventeen had modified cardiac stage II disease and twenty-four had modified cardiac stage III disease. Treatment-related mortality was 4% for all patients and 8% for patients with stage III disease. Three-year survival was 88% and EFS was 47%; these did not differ by stage. By intention-to-treat analysis, 27% of patients achieved a hematologic complete response and 32% a very good partial response, of whom 70 and 45%, respectively, have not required additional therapy at 36 months. Cardiac response was achieved in 53% of patients. We conclude that with appropriate patient selection and a risk-adapted treatment approach, HDM/SCT is safe and effective in patients with AL amyloidosis and cardiac involvement.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Amyloidosis / complications
  • Amyloidosis / physiopathology*
  • Amyloidosis / therapy*
  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Heart Diseases / complications
  • Heart Diseases / therapy*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / cytology
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin Light-chain Amyloidosis
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Male
  • Melphalan / administration & dosage*
  • Melphalan / therapeutic use
  • Middle Aged
  • Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / metabolism
  • Prognosis
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Troponin I / metabolism

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Troponin I
  • Natriuretic Peptide, Brain
  • Melphalan