High-Dose Cytarabine Is Indispensable for the Survival of Children with Myeloid Leukemia of Down Syndrome Despite Negative Minimal Residual Disease Post-Induction

Introduction. Myeloid leukemia in children with Down syndrome (ML-DS) is a unique subtype of acute myeloid leukemia, distinguished by an earlier age of onset (under 4 years of age); somatic mutations of GATA1; hypersensitivity of leukemic blasts to cytarabine and other chemotherapeutic agents; lack of CNS involvement; and superior event-free survival (EFS, 85-90% at 5 years). Due to these excellent outcomes, successive protocols by the Children's Oncology Group (COG) have aimed for a reduction of treatment intensity but continue to include a course containing high-dose cytarabine (HD-AraC) for all patients, which is associated with the bulk of infectious toxicity. COG AAML1531 is the first study to evaluate differential treatment for ML-DS patients based on risk-stratification. We report the outcomes for patients with Standard Risk (SR) ML-DS enrolled on AAML1531, who were treated without inclusion of HD-AraC (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02521493?term=AAML1531&rank=1).

Methods. Patients older than 90 days and younger than 4 years of age with ML-DS were eligible, including those presenting with myelodysplastic syndrome (< 20% blasts in the bone marrow) and trisomy 21 mosaicism. Pathological and cytogenetic data were reviewed centrally. All patients received the same first course of induction therapy (cytarabine 200 mg/m²/24h IV as continuous infusion, day 1-4; daunorubicin 20 mg/m²IV, day 1-4; thioguanine 50 mg/m²/dose PO twice daily, day 1-4; and a single dose of age-based intrathecal cytarabine on day 1). After this first course, measureable residual disease (MRD) in the bone marrow by multi-dimensional flow cytometry in a reference laboratory was used for risk stratification. Patients with negative MRD (<0.05%) were assigned to Standard Risk (SR) therapy, which was modeled after the AAML0431 predecessor study, but with further reduction of treatment by omission of the course containing HD-AraC/E. coli asparaginase (Induction II of AAML0431). Courses #2 and #3 of SR therapy were identical to the first course except that no further intrathecal chemotherapy was administered. Courses #4 and #5 (cytarabine 100 mg/m²/24h IV as continuous infusion day 1-7; etoposide 125 mg/m² IV, day 1-3) were identical to the corresponding courses of AAML0431. For patients younger than 36 months, chemotherapy doses were calculated based on weight. Use of dexrazoxane during anthracycline-containing courses was at the discretion of the treating center but was captured by the data collection of the study.

Patients with positive MRD (>0.05%) after the first course were assigned to the High Risk (HR) Arm and received intensified therapy (equivalent to that used for non-DS AML). Accrual to the HR arm is ongoing.

Results. Interim analysis of SR therapy was performed after 50% of expected EFS events had occurred as of June 30, 2018. The observed EFS was 89.3 +/- 6.1% at 2 years from study entry and significantly lower than expected for comparable MRD-negative patients whose treatment in predecessor study AAML0431 included a course of HD-AraC/E. coliasparaginase (p=0.0002). OS at 2 years was 88.7 +/- 6.8%. Among a total of 114 SR ML-DS patients, 11 developed a relapse, all within the first year from study entry (range 136-327 days). OS at 1 year from relapse was 9.1 +/- 17.3%. Based on the results of interim analysis, the SR arm of AAML1531 was closed to accrual due to lack of efficacy.

Cytogenetic analysis showed that complex karyotypes (defined as >3 independent abnormalities including >1 structural one) were significantly more frequent in SR patients who relapsed (40%, n=10) compared to SR patients who did not (9%; n=100; p=0.017). The most common abnormalities were trisomies (61% of cases) of chromosomes 3 and 8, and a gain of a fourth copy of chromosome 21. Monosomy 7 was present in 20% of relapsed vs. 5% of patients without a relapse (p=0.122).

Conclusions. MRD measured by multi-dimensional flow cytometry is insufficient to identify a subset of ML-DS patients for whom HD-AraC/E.coliasparaginase can be eliminated from treatment. Cytogenetic profiling may aid in further refining risk-based subsets of ML-DS patients. Additional approaches to risk stratification of ML-DS should be pursued, which take into account the emerging genetic events that co-operate with mutant GATA1 in the development of ML-DS. At this time, HD-AraC/E.coli asparaginase should be included in the treatment of ML-DS, regardless of MRD.