Comparison of Melphalan Combined with Treosulfan or Busulfan as High-Dose Chemotherapy before Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in AML

Abstract

(1) Background: High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) before autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients predominantly combines busulfan with cyclophosphamide or melphalan. Treosulfan compares favorably regarding lower inter-individual bioavailability and neurotoxicity, but so far, had not been studied before ASCT in AML. (2) Methods: This single-center study investigated AML patients undergoing ASCT in CR1 between November 2017 and September 2020. The first 16 patients received busulfan 16 mg/kg b.w. (days −5 to −2) and melphalan 140 mg/m2 (day −1) (BuMel). In a subsequent (TreoMel) cohort, 20 patients received treosulfan 14 g/m2 (days −4 to −2) and melphalan. Plasma concentrations of busulfan and treosulfan were determined by mass spectrometry. (3) Results: Neutrophil engraftment and platelet recovery were similar, and PFS and OS were comparable. In only the BuMel cohort, patients reported central nervous toxicities, including seizures (6%) and encephalopathy (12%). The mean AUC for busulfan was 1471.32 μM*min, and for treosulfan it was 836.79 mg/L*h, with ranges of 804.1–2082 μM*min and 454.2–1402 mg/L*h. The peak values for busulfan ranged between 880.19–1734 μg/L and for treosulfan between 194.3–489.25 mg/L. (4) Conclusions: TreoMel appears to be safe and effective for pre-ASCT treatment in AML patients. Due to considerable interindividual biovariability, pharmacologic monitoring may also be warranted for the use of treosulfan.