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CompletedNCT00469144Updated Jan 19, 2021Results posted

IV Busulfan With Allo-BMT: Study for Patients With Acute Myelogenous Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome

A Phase 3 interventional study of Busulfan and Fludarabine in Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Leukemia and Acute Myeloid Leukemia, sponsored by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged Up to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-01-19.

Sponsored by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
233
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
Up to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if giving busulfan in a dose based on blood levels, along with a fixed (unchanging) dose of fludarabine, is more effective and causes fewer side effects for AML or myelodysplastic syndrome patients than the standard method of giving a fixed busulfan dose based on body size, along with a fixed dose of fludarabine. The safety of dosing based on blood levels will also be studied.

Read the detailed description

Busulfan is a chemotherapy drug that kills cancer cells by binding to DNA, and is commonly used in stem cell transplantation. Fludarabine is an antimetabolite drug which has anti-leukemia and immunosuppressive effects.

If you are eligible to take part in this study, you will be randomly assigned (as in the toss of a coin) to 1 of 2 study groups. One group will receive a fixed dose of busulfan, while the other group will receive an adjusted dose of busulfan based on blood levels of the drug. Both groups will receive fludarabine treatment as well as a stem cell transplant.

Patients in the adjusted-dose group will first receive a low-level "test" dose of busulfan to check how their blood levels change over time; this information will be used to decide the next dose needed to reach the target blood level that matches your body size. Patients in the fixed-dose group will receive a fixed dose of busulfan without the test dose. If you are assigned to the fixed-dose group, this measurement will only affect your dose level if you have an unusually high or low drug level in your blood. Patients in both groups will have a total of about 20 teaspoons (less than 7 tablespoons) of blood drawn over time to check their busulfan blood levels following one or more of the busulfan treatments.

About 11 samples of blood will be drawn to check your blood levels of busulfan over time following the test dose and the first high-dose busulfan treatment; each sample is about 1 teaspoon of blood. A heparin lock will be placed in your vein to lower the number of needle sticks needed for these draws. If it is not possible for these blood level tests to be performed for technical or scheduling reasons, you will receive the standard fixed dose.

Both groups of patients receive fludarabine through a central venous catheter (CVC--a small tube inserted into one of your major veins, usually in the chest or shoulder blade) over 1 hour, once a day, for 4 days. After each dose of fludarabine, the high-dose Busulfan will be infused through the CVC over 3 hours. These drugs are given to try to kill malignant cells and suppress your immune system in order to reduce the risk of stem cell transplant rejection. If you are going to be receiving a transplant from an HLA-type-nonidentical or unrelated donor, you will also receive Thymoglobulin (ATG) over 4 hours on the 3 days prior to the transplant to further suppress your immune system.

After 2 days of rest, the allogeneic stem cells (bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells) will then be given intravenously (IV--through a needle in your vein). You will receive the drug G-CSF (Neupogen) as an injection under the skin daily starting 1 week after the transplant until your blood cell levels return to normal.

Patients usually remain in the hospital for about 4 weeks after stem cell transplantation. After you are released from the hospital, you will continue as an outpatient in the hospital area to be monitored for infections and transplant-related complications for a minimum of 100 days after the transplant.

Patients who previously had leukemia involvement in the nervous system may need to receive spinal taps, with injection of cytosine arabinoside and hydrocortisone, several times over the year after transplantation to try to keep the leukemia from coming back.

You will undergo blood tests and bone marrow biopsies at 3, 6, and 12 months after the transplant, to check if the disease is in remission. Your health status will be followed along with their local physician to find out if the leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome comes back, as well as to check the length of your survival.

This is an investigational study. All of the drugs used in this study are approved by the FDA for treatment of cancer. Up to 230 patients will take part in this study. All will be enrolled at MD Anderson.

02

Conditions studied

  • Myelodysplastic Syndrome
  • Leukemia
  • Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Keywords

  • Stem Cell Transplantation
  • Leukemia
  • Busulfan
  • Fludarabine
  • MDS
  • AML
03

In context

Leukemia

5,441 studies on the registry are indexed under Leukemia; 636 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 233 is above the median of 38 across 4,247 interventional studies indexed under Leukemia.

Browse Leukemia studies →

Lead sponsor

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is the lead sponsor of 2,999 studies on the registry; 581 are open to participants now.

Of its 599 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 402 (67%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Up to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Acute myeloid leukemia past first remission, in first or subsequent relapse, in first remission (cytogenetics other than t(8;21, inv 16, t(15;17)) or induction failures. Only myeloid leukemia but not biphenotypic leukemia is allowed on this study.
  2. Myelodysplastic syndromes with intermediate or high risk International Prognostic Scoring System score
  3. Patient has not been administered any other systemic chemotherapeutic drug (including Mylotarg) within 21 days prior to trial enrollment (BMT Day -7 or day -9 for the test-dose arm of the study). Hydroxyurea is permitted if indicated to control induction refractory disease, and IT chemotherapy is allowed if indicated as maintenance treatment for previously diagnosed leptomeningeal disease, that has been in remission for at least 3 months prior to enrollment on this study).
  4. No active infection. Protocol PI will be final arbiter if there is uncertainty regarding whether a previous infection is resolved.
  5. age \<=65
  6. Patients must have a matched related or unrelated donor willing to donate. A donor who is HLA identical or mismatched in 1 locus on Class I [HLA, A or B], or molecularly mismatched in 1 locus on Class II [HLA, DR or DQ] is also acceptable.
  7. ZUBROD performance status \<2
  8. Life expectancy is not severely limited by concomitant illness and expected to be >12 weeks.
  9. Left ventricular ejection fraction >45% No uncontrolled arrhythmias or symptomatic cardiac disease.
  10. No symptomatic pulmonary disease. Forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion capacity of lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) >/= 50% of expected corrected for hemoglobin. In patients \</= 7 years pulmonary function will be assessed per pediatric BMT routine
  11. Serum creatinine \</= 1.5 mg%.
  12. Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) \</= 200 IU/ml, serum bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase within accepted laboratory standard normal limits or considered not clinically significant. No evidence of chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis. If positive hepatitis serology, discuss with Study Chairman and consider liver biopsy.
  13. No effusion or ascites >1L prior to drainage.
  14. HIV-negative.
  15. Female patient is not pregnant (negative B-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) pregnancy test in all women of child-bearing-potential in accordance with departmental routine).
  16. Patient or patient's legal representative, parent(s) or guardian able to sign informed consent.
  17. No prior autologous stem cell transplants

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. None.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
233 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Fixed-Dose Busulfan + Fludarabine

    Busulfan Fixed Dose = 130 mg/m\^2 IV Daily Over Three Hours x 4 Days. Fludarabine 40 mg/m\^2 IV Daily Over 1 Hour x 4 Days.

    Drug: Busulfan · Drug: Fludarabine

  • Experimental
    Adjusted Dose Busulfan + Fludarabine

    Busulfan Adjusted Dose = 32 mg/m\^2 IV Over 2 Hours Test Dose x 1 Day. Fludarabine 40 mg/m\^2 IV Daily Over 1 Hour x 4 Days.

    Drug: Busulfan · Drug: Fludarabine

Interventions

  • DrugBusulfan

    Fixed Dose = 130 mg/m\^2 IV Daily Over Three Hours x 4 Days. Adjusted Dose = 32 mg/m\^2 IV Over 2 Hours Test Dose x 1 Day. Proceeding dosage level determined by pharmacokinetic studies to achieve a daily area under curve (AUC) of 6,000 microMol-min ± 10%.

  • DrugFludarabine

    40 mg/m\^2 IV Daily Over 1 Hour x 4 Days

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Treatment-related Mortality (TRM)

    Time to failure (TTF) defined as either disease recurrence or death, from the time of bone marrow transplant (BMT) and reported as TRM at 100 days and 1 year. Treatment period defined as BMT Day -9 for patients treated on the PK-guided treatment arm, and day -7 for patients receiving the fixed-dose busulfan treatment through BMT Day +28. The post study surveillance period is defined as BMT Day +29 through BMT Day +100. Bone marrow aspirate with cytogenetics at approximately one (1) month and three (3) months, or as clinically indicated. Response Criteria is measured by the bone marrow aspirate to determine it has leukemic blast. Bone marrow blast less than 5% is considered to be a complete response.

    Time frame: From transplant at Day 0 to Day 100 and 1 year following transplant

  2. 3 Year Progression Free Survival

    PFS defined as length of time either due to disease recurrence or death, from the time of stem cell infusion (Bone marrow or PBPC) to 3 years. Response Criteria is measured by the bone marrow aspirate to determine it has leukemic blast. Bone marrow blast less than 5% is considered to be a complete response.

    Time frame: 3 years

07

Results

Posted Jan 19, 2021

Participant flow

Recruitment Period: June 28, 2005 to May 12, 2011. All recruitment done at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneFixed-Dose Busulfan + FludarabineAdjusted Dose Busulfan + Fludarabine
Started114111
Completed108105
Not completed66
Withdrew: Death01
Withdrew: No response55
Withdrew: Progressive disease10

Outcome measures

PrimaryTreatment-related Mortality (TRM)

Time to failure (TTF) defined as either disease recurrence or death, from the time of bone marrow transplant (BMT) and reported as TRM at 100 days and 1 year. Treatment period defined as BMT Day -9 for patients treated on the PK-guided treatment arm, and day -7 for patients receiving the fixed-dose busulfan treatment through BMT Day +28. The post study surveillance period is defined as BMT Day +29 through BMT Day +100. Bone marrow aspirate with cytogenetics at approximately one (1) month and three (3) months, or as clinically indicated. Response Criteria is measured by the bone marrow aspirate to determine it has leukemic blast. Bone marrow blast less than 5% is considered to be a complete response.

Time frame:
From transplant at Day 0 to Day 100 and 1 year following transplant
Reported as:
Number · Percentage of Participants
Treatment-related Mortality (TRM)
Percentage of ParticipantsFixed-Dose: Participants in CRAdjusted Dose: Participants in CRFixed Dose: Participants Not in CRAdjusted Dose: Participants Not in CR
100 Days3 (1 to 11)3 (1 to 11)7 (2 to 20)3 (0.5 to 17)
1 Year19 (11 to 32)17 (10 to 29)18 (10 to 34)3 (0.5 to 17)
Statistical analysis
  • Fixed-Dose: Participants in CR vs Adjusted Dose: Participants in CR · Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) · p = 0.9
  • Fixed Dose: Participants Not in CR vs Adjusted Dose: Participants Not in CR · Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) · p = 0.4
  • Fixed-Dose: Participants in CR vs Adjusted Dose: Participants in CR · Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) · p = 0.7
  • Fixed Dose: Participants Not in CR vs Adjusted Dose: Participants Not in CR · Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) · p = 0.05
Primary3 Year Progression Free Survival

PFS defined as length of time either due to disease recurrence or death, from the time of stem cell infusion (Bone marrow or PBPC) to 3 years. Response Criteria is measured by the bone marrow aspirate to determine it has leukemic blast. Bone marrow blast less than 5% is considered to be a complete response.

Time frame:
3 years
Reported as:
Median · Days
3 Year Progression Free Survival
DaysFixed-Dose Busulfan + FludarabineAdjusted Dose Busulfan + Fludarabine
3 Year Progression Free Survival42 (32 to 52)56 (45 to 66)

Adverse events

Collected over Adverse events collected from BMT Day -7 through BMT Day +28 or the day of discharge from the in-patient unit and post-study surveillance from initial discharge to BMT Day +100. The end of active treatment is the day of the allogeneic stem cell infusion.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Fixed-Dose Busulfan + Fludarabine—2/114 (1.8%)29/114 (25.4%)
Adjusted Dose Busulfan + Fludarabine—3/111 (2.7%)26/111 (23.4%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventFixed-Dose Busulfan + FludarabineAdjusted Dose Busulfan + Fludarabine
DeathGeneral disorders1/1142/111
Respiratory FailureRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders0/1141/111
Respiratory FailureRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders1/1140/111
EncephalopathyNervous system disorders1/1140/111
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 76
Most frequent other events
EventFixed-Dose Busulfan + FludarabineAdjusted Dose Busulfan + Fludarabine
InfectionInfections and infestations10/1145/111
Skin GvHDSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders6/1141/111
Chronic Skin GvHDSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders1/1143/111
Ocular GvHDEye disorders1/1143/111
PneumoniaRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders0/1143/111
Chronic Ocular GvHDEye disorders3/1141/111
Liver GvHDHepatobiliary disorders3/1142/111
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Upper Respiratory InfectionInfections and infestations1/1142/111
CreatinineMetabolism and nutrition disorders1/1142/111
Oral GvHDGastrointestinal disorders2/1142/111

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Fixed-Dose Busulfan + FludarabineAdjusted Dose Busulfan + FludarabineTotal
Median52 (14 to 66)50 (14 to 65)50 (14 to 66)
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Fixed-Dose Busulfan + FludarabineAdjusted Dose Busulfan + FludarabineTotal
Female5556111
Male5955114
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Fixed-Dose Busulfan + FludarabineAdjusted Dose Busulfan + FludarabineTotal
United States114111225
08

Study locations

1 site
  • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
09

References and documents

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 19, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00469144
Lead sponsor
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Collaborators
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 4, 2007
Start date
Jun 2005
Primary completion
Nov 2014
Completion
Nov 2014
Results posted
Jan 19, 2021
Last update
Jan 19, 2021

Study contacts

Richard E. Champlin, MD
principal investigator · M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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