Moffitt Cancer Center researchers test drug combinations to prevent graft vs. host disease

1 2-drug combination more effective than another on acute grades of GVHD after blood cell transplantation

2012-06-27

(Press-News.org) Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have conducted a clinical trial aimed at preventing graft vs. host disease (GVHD) in patients who have received hematopoietic (blood) cell transplants (HCT). The study, comparing the drug tacrolimus (TAC) in combination with either methotrexate (MTX ) or sirolimus (SIR), found that the sirolimus/tacrolimus (SIR/TAC) combination was more effective in preventing grades II-IV acute GVHD and moderate-severe chronic GVHD after allogeneic blood cell transplantation.

The study randomized 74 patients, ages 16 to 70, to receive either SIR/TAC or MTX/TAC. Patients were stratified by donor relation (siblings or matched, unrelated individuals) and age.

Their study was published in a recent issue of Haematologica, the journal of the European Hematology Association.

"Graft vs. host disease poses major health problems for patients who have received hematopoietic cell transplants and threatens the long-term success of their transplant," said Joseph Pidala, M.D., M.S., a medical oncologist and study principal investigator. "Existing pharmacologic strategies do not adequately prevent acute graft vs. host disease following allogeneic hematopoietic (blood) cell transplantation, and effective acute GVHD prevention is an important clinical goal necessary to ensure the long-term success of transplantation."

According to the authors, their study design mandated at least one year of sirolimus therapy in order to both limit the risk from chronic GVHD development and to promote the patients' immune tolerance based on the "reconstitution" of the patients' immune cells, called regulatory T cells, or "Tregs."

"Our hypothesis was that SIR-based immune suppression would suppress alloreactive T cells, support the recovery of the immune system's Tregs, and more effectively prevent GVHD," explained Pidala.

Results showed that on days 30 and 90 post transplantation, SIR/TAC-treated patients had "a significantly greater proportion of regulatory T cells among the CD 4 immune cells in their peripheral blood" and their regulatory Tregs were "functional."

The authors suggested that the "net benefit" observed in Treg reconstitution with SIR/TAC-treated patients was likely due to both the suppression of immune systems' non-Treg CD4 T cells by sirolimus, as well as the lower tacrolimus exposure for these patients as compared to patients on the MTX/TAC arm of the study.

###The study was carried out by Moffitt researchers from several departments, programs and centers, including Immunology; Blood & Marrow Transplant; Biostatistics; Health Outcomes & Behavior; and Oncologic Sciences, College of Medicine, University of South Florida.

Support came from the American Cancer Society (MRSG-11-149-01-LIB), National Cancer Institute/NIH (R01 CA132197) and the Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation.

About Moffitt Cancer Center Follow Moffitt on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/MoffittCancerCenter Follow Moffitt on Twitter:
@MoffittNews Follow Moffitt on YouTube:
MoffittNews

Located in Tampa, Moffitt Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, which recognizes Moffitt's excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of the country's leading cancer centers, and is listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Jeffrey W. Olin, DO, authors study that describes symptoms and severity of fibromuscular dysplasia

2012-06-27

A patient registry is proving invaluable in cataloging the clinical features, symptoms, severity, and outcomes of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), a non-inflammatory vascular disease that can cause narrowing of arteries in the carotid (neck) and renal (kidney) arteries, which can result in headache, strokes, and aneurysms. Registry data revealed that 91 percent of patients are women diagnosed in the prime of their lives. As a result, physicians are developing best practices that can lead to early diagnosis and treatment with the goal of improved outcomes and fewer adverse ...

Research suggests denser development is good for single-family home values

2012-06-27

How do denser neighborhoods affect property values? And what's the economic value of walkable neighborhoods? A study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington College of Built Environments and a South Korean university shows that, contrary to popular belief, there's a positive association between higher neighborhood density and the value of single-family residential properties. Researchers modeled the values of single-family homes, multifamily rental buildings, commercial spaces and offices in King County, Wash., which includes Seattle. They used ...

BUSM study finds gout and hyperuricemia on the rise in the US

2012-06-27

(Boston) – Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that the incidence of gout and hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels) in the U.S. has risen significantly over the last 20 years and is associated with major medical disorders like hypertension and chronic kidney disease. The study, which is published in the American Journal of Medicine, was led by Hyon Choi, MD, DrPH, professor of medicine in the section of rheumatology and the clinical epidemiology unit at BUSM and rheumatologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC). Gout is a common inflammatory ...

Sifting through a trillion electrons

2012-06-27

Modern research tools like supercomputers, particle colliders, and telescopes are generating so much data, so quickly, many scientists fear that soon they will not be able to keep up with the deluge. "These instruments are capable of answering some of our most fundamental scientific questions, but it is all for nothing if we can't get a handle on the data and make sense of it," says Surendra Byna of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (Berkeley Lab's) Scientific Data Management Group. That's why Byna and several of his colleagues from the Berkeley Lab's Computational ...

Magnet helps target transplanted iron-loaded cells to key areas of heart

2012-06-27

Putnam Valley, NY. (June 26 , 2012) – Optimal stem cell therapy delivery to damaged areas of the heart after myocardial infarction has been hampered by inefficient homing of cells to the damaged site. However, using rat models, researchers in France have used a magnet to guide cells loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles to key sites, enhancing the myocardial retention of intravascularly delivered endothelial progenitor cells. The study is published in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation (21:4), now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/, ...

Stem cell transplantation into mouse cochlea may impact future hearing loss therapies

2012-06-27

Putnam Valley, NY. (June 26 , 2012) –Researchers in Japan who evaluated the risks and efficacy of transplanting two varieties of stem cells into mouse cochlea have concluded that both adult-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells demonstrate similar survival and neural differentiation capabilities. However, there is a risk of tumor growth associated with transplanting iPS cells into mouse cochleae. Given the potential for tumorigenesis, they concluded that the source of iPS cells is a critical issue for iPS cell-based therapy. Their ...

Study suggests touch therapy helps reduce pain, nausea in cancer patients

2012-06-27

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 26, 2012) — A new study by the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center shows that patients reported significant improvement in side effects of cancer treatment following just one Jin Shin Jyutsu session. Jin Shin Jyutsu is an ancient form of touch therapy similar to acupuncture in philosophy. Presented at the 2012 Markey Cancer Center Research Day by Jennifer Bradley who is the Jin Shin Jyutsu integrative practitioner at Markey, the study included 159 current cancer patients. Before and after each Jin Shin Jyutsu session, Bradley asked patients ...

US mammograms decline after task force recommendation, Mayo Clinic finds

2012-06-27

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Preventive mammography rates in women in their 40s have dropped nearly 6 percent nationwide since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against routine mammograms for women in this age group, a Mayo Clinic analysis shows. That represents a small but significant decrease since the controversial guidelines were released, the researchers say. Their findings are being presented at the Academy Health Annual Research Meeting, June 24-26, in Orlando, Fla. "The 2009 USPSTF guidelines resulted in significant backlash among patients, physicians ...

Musical robot companion enhances listener experience

2012-06-27

Wedding DJs everywhere should be worried about job security now that a new robot is on the scene. Shimi, a musical companion developed by Georgia Tech's Center for Music Technology, recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback. The smartphone-enabled, one-foot-tall robot is billed as an interactive "musical buddy." "Shimi is designed to change the way that people enjoy and think about their music," said Professor Gil Weinberg, director of Georgia Tech's Center for Music Technology and the robot's creator. He will ...

Lab-on-a-chip detects trace levels of toxic vapors in homes near Utah Air Force Base

2012-06-27

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---A lab-on-a-chip technology that measures trace amounts of air contaminants in homes was successfully field-tested by researchers at the University of Michigan. Even in the presence of 50 other indoor air contaminants, the U-M-built microsystem found levels of the targeted contaminant so low that it would be analogous to finding a particular silver dollar in a roll stretching from Detroit to Salt Lake City. "This is the first (known) study of its kind," said Ted Zellers, professor in the U-M School of Public Health and the Department of Chemistry, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Azacitidine–venetoclax combination outperforms standard care in acute myeloid leukemia patients eligible for intensive chemotherapy

Adding epcoritamab to standard second-line therapy improves follicular lymphoma outcomes

New findings support a chemo-free approach for treating Ph+ ALL

Non-covalent btki pirtobrutinib shows promise as frontline therapy for CLL/SLL

University of Cincinnati experts present research at annual hematology event

ASH 2025: Antibody therapy eradicates traces of multiple myeloma in preliminary trial

ASH 2025: AI uncovers how DNA architecture failures trigger blood cancer

ASH 2025: New study shows that patients can safely receive stem cell transplants from mismatched, unrelated donors

Protective regimen allows successful stem cell transplant even without close genetic match between donor and recipient

Continuous and fixed-duration treatments result in similar outcomes for CLL

Measurable residual disease shows strong potential as an early indicator of survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Chemotherapy and radiation are comparable as pre-transplant conditioning for patients with b-acute lymphoblastic leukemia who have no measurable residual disease