2023 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 260-265
Blinatumomab (BLIN) is a therapeutic option available for CD19-positive relapsed or refractory (r/r) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). We retrospectively investigated the efficacy and safety of BLIN based on medical record data of 10 children and young adults admitted to our hospital. Among the 10 patients investigated, nine showed relapse and one had refractory disease. Six of the seven patients in whom immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor polymerase chain reaction documented-minimal residual disease (MRD) primer was detected showed MRD positivity at initiation of BLIN therapy, and five of these patients subsequently achieved MRD-negative status after the second BLIN cycle. The aforementioned seven patients and one patient in whom PCR-MRD primer was not detected achieved morphological complete remission and underwent hematopoietic cell transplantation. Fever was the only BLIN therapy-induced nonhematological adverse event categorized as ≥grade 3 based on the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events system. We conclude that BLIN may be safe and effective in patients with r/r B-ALL.
