High-dose thiotepa, in conjunction with melphalan, followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with pediatric solid tumors, including brain tumors

Among pediatric malignancies, solid tumors, particularly within the central nervous system (CNS), are common. Thiotepa, a myeloablative, high-dose chemotherapeutic (HDT) treatment administered prior to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), can cross the blood-brain barrier and rapidly penetrate the CNS. We evaluated thiotepa HDT in conjunction with melphalan in Japanese patients with pediatric CNS/non-CNS solid tumors in a multicenter, open-label, non-comparative study. Thiotepa (200 mg/m(2)/day) was administered intravenously (IV) over 24 h on days -12, -11, -5, and -4 before scheduled HSCT. Melphalan (70 mg/m(2)/day) was administered IV over 1 h on days -11, -5, and -4. The safety analysis population comprised 41 patients, of whom 16 (39.0%) had solid tumors and 25 (61.0%) had brain tumors. The most frequently reported adverse events were diarrhea (40/41 [97.6%] patients) and febrile neutropenia (34/41 [82.9%]). No unexpected safety events were observed, and no events resulted in death or treatment discontinuation. All patients experienced bone marrow suppression and 39/41 (95.1%) achieved engraftment (neutrophil count >= 500/mm(3) for 3 consecutive days after HSCT). The survival rate at day 100 post-autologous HSCT was 100%. These data confirm the safety of IV thiotepa plus melphalan HDT prior to autologous HSCT for patients with pediatric CNS/non-CNS solid tumors. Trial registration: JapicCTI-173654.