Collaboration with the European LeukemiaNet Foundation

Researchers and hematologists-oncologists of the World-Class Research Centre for Personalized Medicine and Almazov Centre continue to actively cooperate with the European Leukemia Network Foundation (ELN).

Five specialists of the Research Institute for Immuno-Oncology of the WCRC for Personalized Medicine were invited to participate in the meetings of acute and chronic leukemia working parties at the 18th ELN Symposium on March 15, 2022. They joined the symposium online.

Head of the Research Institute for Immuno-Oncology Elza Lomaia gave a presentation entitled “Blast crisis and transplantation: one center experience.” She presented data on the long-term results of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) in 32 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis (CML‐BC). This retrospective study showed comparable efficacy of alloHSCT from haploidentical and compatible related donors in CML‐BC. The outcomes of therapy were expectedly poor in groups of patients with a strong pretreatment. These figures were comparable with data from other research centres. At the end of her speech, Dr. Lomaia noted that the results of modern treatment methods for CML‐BC, including alloHSCT, cannot be considered optimal. She also stated that further research is needed to develop new modes of Bridge therapy, conditioning, and improve post-transplant management of patients with CML‐BC. In the era of ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the annual transformation rate is low. Hence, effective research can only be multicenter. An example of successful cooperation is the European CML Blast Crisis Register.

The specialists of the WCRC for Personalized Medicine and Almazov Centre (D. Zammoeva, E. Lomaia, D. Motorin, Yu. Osipov, Yu. Alekseeva and others) are active contributors to the Register under the MoU with Jena University Hospital (Germany). This collaboration was initiated by Prof. Andrey Zaritsky, former Director of the Institute of Oncology and Hematology.

Dr. Annamaria Brioli (Jena, Germany) highlighted in her presentation that Russian centres are actively cooperating with the Register. She showed that the largest number of patients (n = 44) among the centres was registered from Almazov Centre. In addition, Elza Lomaia is a member of the working group for this Register.

The 18th ELN Symposium featured another presentation on CML‐BC by Mhairi Copland (Glasgow, UK) with the results of a clinical study on the efficacy and safety of the FLAG+/-IDA intensive regimen in this group of patients.

After the speakers' presentation, Prof. Rüdiger Hehlmann (founder and chair of the ELN Foundation) called to unite efforts not only for the register of observational studies, but also to initiate prospective studies aimed at improving the results of treatment of patients with CML‐BC. It provided a starting point for discussions on a joint project.