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The association between individual-level poverty and relapse in children receiving maintenance treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains unclear. In a secondary analysis of COG-AALL03N1, we used data from US Census Bureau to categorize patients living below year-specific federal poverty thresholds, calculated using self-reported annual household income and size of household. Participants living 120% below federal poverty thresholds were categorized as living in extreme poverty. Hazard of relapse was estimated using multivariable proportional subdistributional hazards regression for patients living in extreme poverty while receiving ALL maintenance therapy after adjusting for relevant predictors. Among 592 patients in this analysis, 12.3% of the patients were living in extreme poverty. After a median follow-up of 7.9y, the cumulative incidence of relapse at 3y from study enrollment among those living in extreme poverty was significantly higher (14.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI]= 7.3-23.6) compared to those not living in extreme poverty (7.6%, 95%CI=5.5-10.1, P=0.04). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that children living in extreme poverty had a 1.95-fold greater hazard of relapse (95%CI=1.03-3.72, P=0.04) compared to those not living in extreme poverty; this association was mitigated after inclusion of race/ethnicity in the model (hazard ratio=1.68, 95%CI=0.86-3.28, P=0.1), likely due to collinearity between race/ethnicity and poverty. A greater proportion of children living in extreme poverty were non-adherent to mercaptopurine (57.1% vs 40.9%, P=0.04); however, poor adherence did not completely explain the association between poverty and relapse risk. Future studies need to understand the mechanisms underlying the association between extreme poverty and relapse risk. Clinical Trial number: NCT00268528.

Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome/veno-occlusive disease (SOS/VOD) posthematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is often diagnosed using the modified Seattle (MS) or European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) criteria. We hypothesized that strict application of these criteria could affect the timing of diagnosis and incidence of SOS/VOD. We collected data on 215 transplants performed in 184 patients at a single pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation center, which were divided into 3 cohorts. Clinical diagnosis and treatment of SOS/VOD was documented in 13% of transplants (cohort 1). On retrospective review, 49% of transplant events met either MS and/or EBMT criteria, however, were not diagnosed with SOS/VOD (cohort 2); remaining 38% of transplant events did not meet MS or EBMT criteria and were not diagnosed with SOS/VOD (cohort 3). Day+100 overall survival was significantly inferior for cohort 1 (78%) compared with cohorts 2 or 3 (92% and 95%, P=0.01) with no difference between cohorts 2 and 3 (P=0.5). Patients diagnosed with SOS/VODday+13 had worse day+100 overall survival when compared with those diagnosed ≤day13 (64.3% and 100%, respectively, P=0.02). This study highlights the value of careful clinical assessment to guide diagnosis and the need to refine diagnostic criteria for SOS/VOD in children.

Survival after blood or marrow transplantation (BMT) for inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) is excellent; however, the burden of morbidity in long-term survivors of BMT for IEM remains understudied. This study examined the risk of chronic health conditions (CHC) in ≥2-year survivors of allogeneic BMT for IEM performed between 1974 and 2014 using the BMT Survivor Study. In this retrospective cohort study, participants (or their parents; n = 154) reported demographic data and CHCs (graded using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5), and transplantation characteristics were obtained from institutional databases. Unaffected siblings (n = 494) served as a comparison group. Logistic regression was used to estimated the odds of severe/life-threatening CHCs compared with siblings. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate factors associated with severe/life-threatening/fatal CHCs in survivors of BMT for IEM. Survivors of allogeneic BMT for IEM (leukodystrophies, 43.5%; mucopolysaccharidoses, 41.0%) were at 12.5-fold higher odds of severe/life-threatening CHCs (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.4 to 28.9) compared with their siblings. The mean 10-year post-BMT cumulative incidence of grade 3–5 CHCs was 47.5 ± 4.0%. Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) was associated with a 2.7-fold higher risk (95% CI, 1.2 to 6.2; P = .02) of any grade 3–5 CHC, a 6.7-fold higher risk of grade 3–5 cardiopulmonary conditions (95% CI, 1.3 to 35.4), and a 3.0-fold higher risk of severe hearing/vision deficits (95% CI, 1.4 to 6.6). Older (age >26 years) BMT survivors were significantly less likely to graduate from college (odds ratio [OR], 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1 to 0.7) or marry (OR, 0.01; 95% CI, 0.004 to 0.07) compared with their siblings. Survivors of BMT for IEM carry a significant burden of morbidities, which affects their ability to attain adult milestones. Efforts to reduce chronic health conditions in this population are needed.

Introduction: Higher BMI at ALL diagnosis is associated with an increased risk of post-induction residual leukemia (Orgel, Blood 2014) and relapse (Butturini, JCO 2007). However, children may experience significant changes in BMI during the pre-maintenance phases of ALL treatment (Withycombe, Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009), necessitating an examination of the association between BMI during maintenance and relapse risk. We hypothesized that higher BMI during maintenance would be associated with a greater risk of relapse. We also explored the association between BMI and red cell thioguanine (TGN) levels to understand whether BMI-associated variations in TGN biodistribution explained the BMI-relapse association. Methods: We used data from COG-AALL03N1 (primary aim was 6MP adherence) to examine the association between BMI during maintenance and relapse risk. Eligibility for enrollment on AALL03N1 included age ≤21y at ALL diagnosis and receiving maintenance therapy in first remission. The current analysis was limited to patients with wild-type thiopurine methyltransferase genotype. BMI (exposure variable) was calculated as sex- and age-based percentile per CDC normative data, and operationalized as normal/underweight [ Results: The sociodemographic and disease characteristics of the 676 study participants are summarized in the Table. Median BMI%ile was 88.5 (range, 0-100); normal/underweight: 43%, overweight/obese: 45%, and morbidly obese: 12%. As shown in the Figure, cumulative incidence of relapse at 2y from start of maintenance therapy was significantly greater among patients with morbid obesity (11.9±4.3%) when compared to those who were overweight/obese (5.4±1.6%) and underweight/normal weight (4.1±1.4%). After adjusting for the variables listed above, we found that patients with morbid obesity had a 3.2-fold greater hazard of relapse (95%CI=1.4-7.5, P=0.008) when compared to patients who were normal/underweight. After adjusting for age at enrollment, sex, race/ethnicity, 6MPDI, and time from initiation of maintenance, patients with morbid obesity had lower mean red cell TGN levels compared to normal/underweight patients (mean difference: -27.2±7.4 pmol/8 x 10 8 erythrocytes, P=0.0002). However, inclusion of TGN in the model did not alter the association between BMI and hazard of relapse (HR=3.8, 95%CI, 1.6-9.0, P=0.003). These findings did not change after adjusting for 6MP adherence in the sub-cohort with available adherence data (n=435). Conclusion: Morbid obesity during maintenance for childhood ALL is associated with relapse as well as lower systemic exposure to 6MP. However, lower TGN levels do not explain the relation between BMI and relapse risk. Therefore, there is a need to understand the mechanism of the relation between morbid obesity during maintenance and relapse risk in children with ALL. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: The projected 5y survival rates for pediatric hematologic malignancies exceed 85% (SEER statistics, 2017), in large part due to risk-stratified intensive multi-agent therapeutic approaches. However, these regimens result in chemotoxicity, often requiring hospitalization. However, the burden of chemotoxicity-related hospitalizations in children with hematologic malignancies remains understudied. Methods: Using an administrative claims database (Truven Marketscan ®), we describe chemotoxicity-related hospitalizations within the first 12 mo from first claim of chemotherapy in children with hematologic malignancies who were Results: We identified 897 eligible patients (ALL: n=461, AML: n=79, HL: n=202, NHL: n=155). Median age at diagnosis was 15y (range, 0-21), 52.7% were male, 54.2% were diagnosed between 2011 and 2014, and 70.2% had commercial insurance. Medicaid patients were younger than those with commercial insurance (median age at diagnosis: 12y [range, 0.9-21] vs. 17y [0-21y]), and were less likely to carry a diagnosis of ALL (46% vs. 54%, P Conclusions: Over 40% of children with hematologic malignancies require chemotoxicity-related hospitalizations during the first year of treatment. These data could be used to provide guidance to patients and their families and inform healthcare policy decisions. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Allogeneic blood or marrow transplantation (BMT) is currently considered the standard of care for patients with specific inborn errors of metabolism (IEM). However, there is a paucity of studies describing long-term survival and cause-specific late mortality after BMT in these patients with individual types of IEM. We studied 273 patients who had survived ≥2 years after allogeneic BMT for IEM performed between 1974 and 2014. The most prevalent IEM in our cohort were X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD; 37.3%), Hurler syndrome (35.1%), and metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD; 10.2%). Conditional on surviving ≥2 years after BMT, the overall survival for the entire cohort was 85.5 ± 2.4% at 10 years and 73.5 ± 3.7% at 20 years. The cohort had a 29-fold increased risk of late death compared with an age- and sex-matched cohort from the general US population (95% CI, 22- to 38-fold). The increased relative mortality was highest in the 2- to 5-year period after BMT (standardized mortality ratio [SMR], 207; 95% confidence interval [CI], 130 to 308) and declined with increasing time from BMT, but remained elevated for ≥21 years after BMT (SMR, 9; 95% CI, 4 to 18). Sequelae from the progression of primary disease were the most common causes of late mortality in this cohort (76%). The use of T cell-depleted grafts in patients with ALD and Hurler syndrome was a risk factor for late mortality. Younger age at BMT and use of busulfan and cyclosporine were protective in patients with Hurler syndrome. Our findings demonstrate relatively favorable overall survival in ≥2-year survivors of allogeneic BMT for IEM, although primary disease progression continues to be responsible for the majority of late deaths.

Persistent minimal residual disease (MRD) after consolidation may indicate chemotherapy insensitivity in B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BP-ALL). Given the strong association of MRD and outcome in non-Down syndrome (non-DS) BP-ALL, it is likely that MRD levels are also of prognostic significance in DS BP-ALL. We report here the successful use of blinatumomab, a bispecific T-cell engager antibody construct, in a patient with DS BP-ALL and persistent MRD at the end of consolidation. Blinatumomab has been shown to have excellent results in patients with relapsed/refractory BP-ALL. This patient had no significant toxicity and achieved MRD negativity after only one cycle of blinatumomab.