AL Amyloidosis Patients Continue to Benefit from HDCT/ASCT Consolidation in the Daratumumab Era
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Patients
2.2. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Baseline Characteristics of the Patients
3.1.1. Outcome in the Whole Study Population
3.1.2. Outcomes in Comparison to Daratumumab Use
3.1.3. Outcomes by Cytogenetic Risk Group
4. Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Ríos-Tamayo, R. Epidemiology of Systemic Light-Chain (AL) Amyloidosis. Lymphatics 2025, 3, 25. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Djerbi, N.; Vetter, F.; Schwotzer, R. Neues zur Diagnostik und Therapie der AL-Amyloidose. Schweiz. Z. Onkol. 2022, 2, 6–12. [Google Scholar]
- Schwotzer, R.; Flammer, A.J.; Gerull, S.; Pabst, T.; Arosio, P.; Averaimo, M.; Bacher, U.; Bode, P.; Cavalli, A.; Condoluci, A.; et al. Expert recommendation from the Swiss Amyloidosis Network (SAN) for systemic AL-amyloidosis. Swiss Med. Wkly. 2020, 150, w20364. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Raschle, J.; Banz, Y.; Suter, T.; Pabst, T. A single-centre cohort of patients with systemic light chain AL-amyloidosis treated with conventional chemotherapy or with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. Swiss Med. Wkly. 2014, 144, w13922. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Comenzo, R.L.; Gertz, M.A. Autologous stem cell transplantation for primary systemic amyloidosis. Blood 2002, 99, 4276–4282. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kastritis, E.; Palladini, G.; Minnema, M.C.; Wechalekar, A.D.; Jaccard, A.; Lee, H.C.; Sanchorawala, V.; Gibbs, S.; Mollee, P.; Venner, C.P.; et al. Daratumumab-Based Treatment for Immunoglobulin Light-Chain Amyloidosis. N. Engl. J. Med. 2021, 385, 46–58. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Dittrich, T.; Kimmich, C.; Hegenbart, U.; Schönland, S.O. Prognosis and Staging of AL Amyloidosis. Acta Haematol. 2020, 143, 388–400. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mollee, P.N.; Wechalekar, A.D.; Pereira, D.L.; Franke, N.; Reece, D.; Chen, C.; Stewart, A.K. Autologous stem cell transplantation in primary systemic amyloidosis: The impact of selection criteria on outcome. Bone Marrow Transpl. 2004, 33, 271–277. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Schönland, S.O.; Dreger, P.; De Witte, T.; Hegenbart, U. Current status of hematopoietic cell transplantation in the treatment of systemic amyloid light-chain amyloidosis. Bone Marrow Transpl. 2012, 47, 895–905. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Sanchorawala, V. Systemic Light Chain Amyloidosis. N. Engl. J. Med. 2024, 390, 2295–2307. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mahmood, H.; Kato, J.A. Comparative Outcomes and Cardiac Imaging Features in Light Chain Versus Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study. Am. J. Cardiol. 2025, 257, 240–244. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Kourelis, T.V.; Kumar, S.K.; Gertz, M.A.; Lacy, M.Q.; Buadi, F.K.; Hayman, S.R.; Zeldenrust, S.; Leung, N.; Kyle, R.A.; Russell, S.; et al. Coexistent Multiple Myeloma or Increased Bone Marrow Plasma Cells Define Equally High-Risk Populations in Patients With Immunoglobulin Light Chain Amyloidosis. J. Clin. Oncol. 2013, 31, 4319–4324. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Wechalekar, A.D.; Schonland, S.O.; Kastritis, E.; Gillmore, J.D.; Dimopoulos, M.A.; Lane, T.; Foli, A.; Foard, D.; Milani, P.; Rannigan, L.; et al. A European collaborative study of treatment outcomes in 346 patients with cardiac stage III AL amyloidosis. Blood 2013, 121, 3420–3427. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Merlini, G.; Seldin, D.C.; Gertz, M.A. Amyloidosis: Pathogenesis and New Therapeutic Options. J. Clin. Oncol. 2011, 29, 1924–1933. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kumar, S.; Dispenzieri, A.; Lacy, M.Q.; Hayman, S.R.; Buadi, F.K.; Colby, C.; Laumann, K.; Zeldenrust, S.R.; Leung, N.; Dingli, D.; et al. Revised Prognostic Staging System for Light Chain Amyloidosis Incorporating Cardiac Biomarkers and Serum Free Light Chain Measurements. J. Clin. Oncol. 2012, 30, 989–995. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Merlini, G.; Wechalekar, A.D.; Palladini, G. Systemic light chain amyloidosis: An update for treating physicians. Blood 2013, 121, 5124–5130. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Amyloidose (Leichtketten (AL)—Amyloidose)—Onkopedia. Available online: https://www.onkopedia.com/de/onkopedia/guidelines/amyloidose-leichtketten-al-amyloidose/@@guideline/html/index.html (accessed on 9 September 2025).
- Gertz, M.A. Immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis: 2022 update on diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Am. J. Hematol. 2022, 97, 818–829. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Khwaja, J.; Kirkwood, A.A.; Milani, P.; Yohannan, B.; Theodorakakou, F.; Weverling, F.; Di Simone, V.; Ravichandran, S.; Kumar, S.; Petropoulos, I.; et al. A new validated staging system for AL amyloidosis with Stage IIIC defining ultra-poor risk: AL International Staging System (AL-ISS). J. Clin. Oncol. 2025, 146, 577. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Palladini, G.; Hegenbart, U.; Milani, P.; Kimmich, C.; Foli, A.; Ho, A.D.; Rosin, M.V.; Albertini, R.; Moratti, R.; Merlini, G.; et al. A staging system for renal outcome and early markers of renal response to chemotherapy in AL amyloidosis. Blood 2014, 124, 2325–2332. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gillich, C.; Akhoundova, D.; Hayoz, M.; Aebi, Y.; Largiadèr, C.R.; Seipel, K.; Daskalakis, M.; Bacher, U.; Pabst, T. Efficacy and Safety of High-Dose Chemotherapy with Treosulfan and Melphalan in Multiple Myeloma. Cancers 2023, 15, 2699. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Dispenzieri, A.; Kyle, R.A.; Lacy, M.Q.; Therneau, T.M.; Larson, D.R.; Plevak, M.F.; Rajkumar, S.V.; Fonseca, R.; Greipp, P.R.; Witzig, T.E.; et al. Superior survival in primary systemic amyloidosis patients undergoing peripheral blood stem cell transplantation: A case-control study. Blood 2004, 103, 3960–3963. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Skinner, M.; Sanchorawala, V.; Seldin, D.C.; Dember, L.M.; Falk, R.H.; Berk, J.L.; Anderson, J.J.; O’Hara, C.; Finn, K.T.; Libbey, C.A.; et al. High-Dose Melphalan and Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation in Patients with AL Amyloidosis: An 8-Year Study. Ann. Intern. Med. 2004, 140, 85. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Sidiqi, M.H.; Buadi, F.K.; Dispenzieri, A.; Warsame, R.; Lacy, M.Q.; Dingli, D.; Leung, N.; Gonsalves, W.I.; Kapoor, P.; Kourelis, T.V.; et al. Autologous Stem Cell Transplant for IgM-Associated Amyloid Light-Chain Amyloidosis. Biol. Blood Marrow Transplant. 2019, 25, e108–e111. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Perz, J.B.; Schonland, S.O.; Hundemer, M.; Kristen, A.V.; Dengler, T.J.; Zeier, M.; Linke, R.P.; Ho, A.D.; Goldschmidt, H. High-dose melphalan with autologous stem cell transplantation after VAD induction chemotherapy for treatment of amyloid light chain amyloidosis: A single centre prospective phase II study. Br. J. Haematol. 2004, 127, 543–551. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gertz, M.A.; Lacy, M.Q.; Dispenzieri, A.; Ansell, S.M.; Elliott, M.A.; Gastineau, D.A.; Inwards, D.J.; Micallef, I.N.M.; Porrata, L.F.; Tefferi, A.; et al. Risk-adjusted manipulation of melphalan dose before stem cell transplantation in patients with amyloidosis is associated with a lower response rate. Bone Marrow Transpl. 2004, 34, 1025–1031. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Sanchorawala, V.; Sun, F.; Quillen, K.; Sloan, J.M.; Berk, J.L.; Seldin, D.C. Long-term outcome of patients with AL amyloidosis treated with high-dose melphalan and stem cell transplantation: 20-year experience. Blood 2015, 126, 2345–2347. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gertz, M.A.; Lacy, M.Q.; Dispenzieri, A.; Hayman, S.R.; Kumar, S. Transplantation for amyloidosis. Curr. Opin. Oncol. 2007, 19, 136–141. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Palladini, G.; Schönland, S.; Merlini, G.; Milani, P.; Jaccard, A.; Bridoux, F.; Dimopoulos, M.A.; Ravichandran, S.; Hegenbart, U.; Roeloffzen, W.; et al. The management of light chain (AL) amyloidosis in Europe: Clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and efficacy outcomes between 2004 and 2018. Blood Cancer J. 2023, 13, 19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jaccard, A.; Leleu, X.; Recher, C.; Royer, B.; Grosbois, B.; Ronco, P.; Fermand, J.-P. High-Dose Melphalan versus Melphalan plus Dexamethasone for AL Amyloidosis. N. Engl. J. Med. 2007, 357, 1083–1093. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gertz, M.; Lacy, M.; Gastineau, D.; Inwards, D.; Chen, M.; Tefferi, A.; Kyle, R.; Litzow, M. Blood stem cell transplantation as therapy for primary systemic amyloidosis (AL). Bone Marrow Transpl. 2000, 26, 963–969. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Moreau, P.; Leblond, V.; Bourquelot, P.; Facon, T.; Huynh, A.; Caillot, D.; Hermine, O.; Attal, M.; Hamidou, M.; Nedellec, G.; et al. Prognostic factors for survival and response after high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation in systemic AL amyloidosis: A report on 21 patients. Br. J. Haematol. 1998, 101, 766–769. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chakraborty, R.; Zanwar, S.; Hegenbart, U.; Bhutani, D.; Gertz, M.A.; Dispenzieri, A.; Kumar, S.K.; D’Souza, A.; Patwari, A.; Cowan, A.J.; et al. Prognostic impact of cytogenetic abnormalities by FISH in AL amyloidosis with daratumumab-based frontline therapy. Blood J. 2024, 144, 2613–2624. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Vrana, J.A.; Gamez, J.D.; Madden, B.J.; Theis, J.D.; Bergen, H.R.; Dogan, A. Classification of amyloidosis by laser microdissection and mass spectrometry–based proteomic analysis in clinical biopsy specimens. Blood 2009, 114, 4957–4959. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]




| Parameter | HDCT/ASCT in Total | Without HDCT/ASCT in Total | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 57 | 49 | |
| Age at initial diagnosis, years, median (range) | 62 (31–74) | 64 (45–86) | 0.0032 |
| Sex, male/female | 28/29 | 30/19 | 0.1805 |
| Daratumumab-based induction, n | 24 (42.11%) | 21 (41.28%) | 0.9221 |
| Troponin T, ug/L, median (range) | 29 (0.01–125) | 44 (8–399) | <0.0001 |
| NT-proBNP, ng/L, median (range) | 1034 (49–13,230) | 3100 (63–82,342) | 0.0382 |
| β2-microglobulin, mg/L, median (range) | 2.6 (1.3–11.2) | 3.8 (0.4–19.4) | 0.0614 |
| Albumin, g/L, median (range) | 32 (4–42) | 31 (11–43) | 0.5031 |
| Paraprotein value, g/L | |||
| IgG, median (range) | 6.6 (1.7–60.5) | 9.8 (1.7–22.4) | 0.4621 |
| IgA, median (range) | 0.73 (0.1–18) | 1.25 (0.2–4.9) | 0.0623 |
| IgM, median (range) | 0.4 (0.04–2.5) | 0.58 (0.1–36.9) | 0.1421 |
| Proteinuria, g/L, median (range) | 0.5 (0.04–27.4) | 0.71 (0.04–14.9) | 0.6091 |
| Hemoglobin, g/L, median (range) | 131 (88–159) | 124 (80–173) | 0.1550 |
| Leucocytes, G/L, median (range) | 6.8 (4.7–191) | 7.8 (4.4–347) | 0.6921 |
| Platelets, G/L, median (range) | 257 (5.6–587) | 290 (6.9–834) | 0.2965 |
| Creatinine, umol/L, median (range) | 84 (42–290) | 86 (46–481) | 0.0692 |
| eGFR, mL/min, median (range) | 78 (22–112) | 60 (14–91) | 0.0054 |
| Plasma cells in bone marrow, %, median (range) | 15 (4–90) | 12 (5–90) | 0.7561 |
| Number of involved organs | |||
| 1 | 17 | 15 | 0.6543 |
| 2 | 30 | 10 | 0.0004 |
| 3 | 3 | 16 | 0.0004 |
| 4 or more | 7 | 8 | 0.6094 |
| Organ involvement | |||
| cardiac | 35 (61.4%) | 29 (56.9%) | 0.6316 |
| renal | 19 (33.33%) | 25 (49.02%) | 0.0977 |
| gastrointestinal | 16 (28.1%) | 20 (39.22%) | 0.2200 |
| liver | 1 (1.75%) | 4 (7.84%) | 0.1328 |
| peripheral nervous system | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.96%) | - |
| Mayo stage | |||
| cardiac: data in 35 of 38 patients available | |||
| Mayo I | 0 | 0 | - |
| Mayo II | 10 | 5 | 0.2433 |
| Mayo III | 15 | 13 | 0.8951 |
| Mayo IV | 0 | 3 | - |
| renal: data in 16 of 22 patients available | |||
| I | 6 | 4 | 0.0627 |
| II | 4 | 12 | 0.188 |
| III | 2 | 5 | 0.6292 |
| Cytogenetics, data in 41 of 108 patients available | |||
| normal cytogenetics | 3 | 2 | 1.000 |
| t(11;14) | 10 | 9 | 1.000 |
| t(4;14) | 7 | 3 | 0.3281 |
| t(14;16) | 6 | 3 | 0.4953 |
| del17p | 0 | 1 | 0.4722 |
| gain1q | 10 | 2 | 0.0317 |
| loss1p | 1 | 1 | 1.000 |
| del13p | 11 | 1 | 0.0047 |
| Hyperdiploidy | 1 | 3 | 0.3418 |
| others | 12 | 4 | 0.0624 |
| Parameter | HDCT/ASCT in Total | Without HDCT/ASCT in Total | p-Value | HDCT/ASCT with Daratumumab | Without HDCT/ASCT with Daratumumab | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Follow-up, median, months | 59 | 26 | 0.0076 | 30 | 16 | 0.0416 |
| Best response to therapy | ||||||
| Complete response | 44 (77.2%) | 13 (25.5%) | <0.0001 | 20 | 7 | 0.0034 |
| Very good partial response | 7 (12.3%) | 7 (13.7%) | 0.4750 | 1 | 6 | 0.0313 |
| Others * | 0 (0%) | 16 (31.4%) | - | 0 | 6 | - |
| Progression or relapse | 19 (33.3%) | 20 (39.2%) | 0.5250 | 7 (29.17%) | 6 (28.57%) | 0.96 |
| Death | 14 (24.6%) | 34 (66.7%) | <0.0001 | 5 (20.83%) | 12 (57.14%) | 0.015 |
| PFS | OS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predictors | HR | 95% CI | p-Value | HR | 95% CI | p-Value |
| Age, years | 0.97 | 0.93–1.03 | 0.31 | 0.98 | 0.92–1.04 | 0.56 |
| NT-proBNP, ng/L | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.10 | 1.00 | 1 | 0.02 |
| eGFR, mL/min | 0.99 | 0.98–1.01 | 0.56 | 0.99 | 0.97–1.01 | 0.47 |
| HDCT/ASCT vs. without HDCT/ASCT | 0.21 | 0.09–0.50 | 0.0004 | 0.17 | 0.06–0.48 | 0.0008 |
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Share and Cite
Bee, J.; Shaforostova, I.; Hoffmann, M.; Bertschinger, M.; Seipel, K.; Bacher, U.; Pabst, T. AL Amyloidosis Patients Continue to Benefit from HDCT/ASCT Consolidation in the Daratumumab Era. J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15, 1564. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15041564
Bee J, Shaforostova I, Hoffmann M, Bertschinger M, Seipel K, Bacher U, Pabst T. AL Amyloidosis Patients Continue to Benefit from HDCT/ASCT Consolidation in the Daratumumab Era. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2026; 15(4):1564. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15041564
Chicago/Turabian StyleBee, Julia, Inna Shaforostova, Michèle Hoffmann, Martina Bertschinger, Katja Seipel, Ulrike Bacher, and Thomas Pabst. 2026. "AL Amyloidosis Patients Continue to Benefit from HDCT/ASCT Consolidation in the Daratumumab Era" Journal of Clinical Medicine 15, no. 4: 1564. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15041564
APA StyleBee, J., Shaforostova, I., Hoffmann, M., Bertschinger, M., Seipel, K., Bacher, U., & Pabst, T. (2026). AL Amyloidosis Patients Continue to Benefit from HDCT/ASCT Consolidation in the Daratumumab Era. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 15(4), 1564. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15041564

