Umbilical Cord Blood Consolidation for Older Adults With Intermediate- and High-Risk AML

Summary

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a serious blood cancer that commonly affects older adults. Although patients may achieve complete remission after initial treatment, relapse remains common, especially in patients with intermediate- or adverse-risk disease.

This prospective, multicenter, randomized, open-label study will evaluate whether umbilical cord blood infusion used as consolidation therapy can improve outcomes in older patients with AML who have achieved complete remission after induction therapy. The study will enroll approximately 132 patients aged 60 to 80 years with newly diagnosed AML classified as intermediate or adverse risk according to the 2022 European LeukemiaNet criteria. Patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia, TP53 mutations, complex karyotypes, relapsed or refractory AML, or other conditions specified in the eligibility criteria will be excluded.

Participants will be randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to an experimental group or a control group. Participants in the experimental group will receive two cycles of consolidation treatment with decitabine, intermediate-dose cytarabine, and unrelated umbilical cord blood infusion. After completion of the two cord blood infusions, maintenance treatment with azacitidine will be recommended for up to 12 months. Participants in the control group will receive two cycles of standard consolidation chemotherapy with intermediate-dose cytarabine, followed by the same recommended azacitidine maintenance treatment.

Participants will be followed during maintenance treatment and for up to 2 years after consolidation therapy, or until disease progression, relapse, death, or another study endpoint occurs. The primary outcome is the proportion of participants who remain alive without leukemia relapse or additional anti-leukemia treatment at 2 years. Secondary outcomes include overall survival, conversion of measurable residual disease to negative status and duration of negativity, recovery of neutrophil and platelet counts, treatment-related mortality, and blood-related and non-blood-related toxicities. Exploratory outcomes include donor cell chimerism, immune status, and, where available, single-cell RNA sequencing or RNA sequencing results.

Conditions

• AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia)

Interventions

BIOLOGICAL

Unrelated Umbilical Cord Blood Infusion

Subjects in the experimental arm receive consolidation chemotherapy with decitabine plus cytarabine, followed by unrelated cord blood infusion, then maintenance azacitidine after completion of two cord blood infusions. Decitabine is administered at 15 mg/m² per day intravenously on Days 1-5 of each consolidation cycle. Cytarabine 1.0 g/m² is given intravenously every 12 hours on Days 6-7 of each cycle. Unrelated umbilical cord blood (UCB) is infused on Day 9 of each consolidation cycle. UCB eligibility criteria: total nucleated cell (TNC) count \>3×10⁷/kg pre-cryopreservation, HLA matching at 4/6 to 5/6 loci, ABO and Rh blood type compatibility preferred. The above consolidation regimen is repeated on Day 30 (counting Day 1 of decitabine as cycle Day 1), or earlier upon hematologic recovery. After completing two UCB infusions, maintenance therapy with azacitidine is initiated the following month: azacitidine 75 mg/m² subcutaneously on Days 1-7 of each 28-day cycle for a total of 12 con

DRUG

Standard consolidation chemotherapy with high-dose cytarabine

Standard consolidation chemotherapy with high-dose cytarabine identical azacitidine maintenance therapy as experimental arm, no UCB infusion.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-10-01

Primary Completion

2029-10-01

Completion

2029-12-31