Survival in children with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia is unsatisfactory. Treatment consists of one course of fludarabine, cytarabine and liposomal daunorubicin, followed by fludarabine and cytarabine and stem-cell transplantation. Study ITCC 020/I-BFM 2009-02 aimed to identify the recommended phase II dose of clofarabine replacing fludarabine in the abovementioned combination regimen (3+3 design). Escalating dose levels of clofarabine (20-40 mg/m2/day × 5 days) and liposomal daunorubicin (40-80 mg/m2/day) were administered with cytarabine (2 g/m2/day × 5 days). Liposomal DNR was given on day 1, 3 and 5 only. The cohort at the recommended phase II dose was expanded to make a preliminary assessment of anti-leukemic activity. Thirty-four children were enrolled: refractory 1st (n=11), early 1st (n=15), ≥2nd relapse (n=8). Dose level 3 (30 mg/m2clofarabine; 60 mg/m2liposomal daunorubicin) appeared to be safe only in patients without subclinical fungal infections. Infectious complications were dose-limiting. The recommended phase II dose was 40 mg/m2 clofarabine with 60 mg/m2 liposomal daunorubicin. Side-effects mainly consisted of infections. The overall response rate was 68% in 31 response evaluable patients, and 80% at the recommended phase II dose (n=10); 22 patients proceeded to stem cell transplantation. The 2-year probability of event-free survival (pEFS) was 26.5±7.6 and probability of survival (pOS) 32.4±8.0%. In the 21 responding patients, the 2-year pEFS was 42.9±10.8 and pOS 47.6±10.9%. Clofarabine exposure in plasma was not significantly different from that in single-agent studies. In conclusion, clofarabine was well tolerated and showed high response rates in relapsed/refractory pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. Patients with (sub) clinical fungal infections should be treated with caution. Clofarabine has been taken forward in the Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster study for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia. The Study ITCC-020 was registered as EUDRA-CT 2009-009457-13; Dutch Trial Registry number 1880.

1 BFM AML committee Kiel Germany

Centre for Haemato Oncology Barts Cancer Institute Queen Mary University of London UK

Children's Cancer Research Institute and St Anna Children's Hospital Department of Pediatrics Medical University of Vienna Austria

Clinical Trial Center Department of Hematology Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam the Netherlands

Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology 2Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague University Hospital Motol Czech Republic

Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology AP HP GH HUEP Trousseau Hospital Paris France

Department of Pediatric Hematology Robert Debré Hospital Paris France

Department of Pediatric Oncology Hematology Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital Rotterdam the Netherlands

Department of Pediatric Oncology Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Utrecht the Netherlands

Department of Pediatric Oncology University Children's Hospital Essen Germany

Department of Pediatric Oncology University Medical Center Groningen University of Groningen the Netherlands

Department of Pediatric Oncology VU University Medical Center Amsterdam the Netherlands

Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine University of Freiburg Germany

European Consortium for Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer Villejuif France

Pediatric Hematology and Oncology University Children's Hospital Münster Germany

Pediatric Hematology Department IHOP and Claude Bernard University Lyon France

Pediatric Hematology Oncology Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt Germany

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EudraCT
2009-009457-13

NTR
1880