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. 2025 Apr 7;43(15):1810–1823. doi: 10.1200/JCO-24-01851

TABLE 4.

R1 Steroid Morbidity and Mortality and Selected Toxicities by R2 Arm

Event Standard (n = 950), No. (%) Short (n = 952), No. (%) P
R1 random assignment
 Serious steroid AEa 107 97
 Grade 3+ dex-related SAE 203 194
 Induction TRM 6 10
 Any event 242 (25.5) 227 (23.8) .41
  Blood and lymphatic system disorders 19 (2.0) 43 (4.5)
  Cardiac disorders 4 (0.4) 0
  GI disorders 36 (3.8) 37 (3.9)
  General disorders and administration site conditions 11 (1.2) 5 (0.5)
  Hepatobiliary disorders 3 (0.3) 0
  Infections and infestations 128 (13.5) 115 (12.1)
  Injury, poisoning, and procedural complications 1 (0.1) 2 (0.2)
  Investigations 12 (1.3) 4 (0.4)
  Metabolism and nutrition disorders 20 (2.1) 20 (2.1)
  Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders 9 (1.0) 1 (0.1)
  Nervous system disorders 19 (2.0) 10 (1.1)
  Psychiatric disorders 4 (0.4) 0
  Renal and urinary disorders 5 (0.5) 1 (0.1)
  Respiratory, thoracic, and mediastinal disorders 3 (0.3) 5 (0.5)
  Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders 1 (0.1) 1 (0.1)
  Vascular disorders 28 (2.9) 13 (1.4)
Event SIM (n = 778), No. (%) HDM (n = 742), No. (%) P
R2 IM random assignment
 Fatal AE 0 0
 Life-threatening or resulted in permeant disability of deathb 8 (1.0) 10 (1.3) .56
 Any grade 3+ AE 426 (54.8) 392 (52.8) .47
  Renal and urinary disorders 1 (0.1) 17 (2.3) .0001
   Acute kidney injury 1 (0.1) 13 (1.8) .0007
   Pancreatitis 0 6 (0.8) .013
   Creatinine increased 0 5 (0.7) .028
  Blood and lymphatic system disorders 177 (22.8) 136 (18.3) .036
   WBC decreased 119 (15.3) 87 (11.7) .043
Event Pulses (n = 769) No Pulses (n = 739) P
R2 Pulses Random Assignment
 Stopped early due to AEs, No. (%) 9 (1.2) 7 (1.0) .80
 Any SAE, No. (%) 442 (57.5) 411 (55.6) .47
 Fatal SAE, No. (%)c 1 (0.1) 1 (0.1) .98
 Life-threatening or resulted in permeant disability of death,d No. (%) 28 (3.6) 31 (4.2) .58
 Number of SAEs, median (IQR) 1 (0-2) 1 (0-2) .30
 Range 0-20 0-15
 Nonfatal AEs grade 3-4 N = 768 N = 739
 Any nonfatal AEs, N (%) 686 (89.3) 619 (83.8) .0019
 Number of AEs, median (IQR) 10 (4-22) 8 (2-18) <.0001
  Febrile neutropenia, No. (%) 460 (59.9) 367 (49.7) .0001
  Median (IQR) 1 (0-2) 0 (0-1) <.0001
  ALT increased, No. (%) 161 (21.0) 104 (14.1) .0005
  Hyperglycemia, No. (%) 11 (1.4) 1 (0.1) .0063
  Platelet count decreased, No. (%) 66 (8.6) 97 (13.1) .0048
  Psychiatric disorders, No. (%) 27 (3.5) 8 (1.1) .0018
  Pain in extremity, No. (%) 8 (1.0) 0 .0077
  AST increased, No. (%) 22 (2.9) 5 (0.7) .0015
  Creatinine increased, No. (%) 8 (1.0) 0 .0077

Abbreviations: AE, adverse event; CMV, cytomegalovirus; dex, dexamethasone; HDM, high-dose methotrexate; HLH, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis; IM, interim maintenance; R1, randomization 1; R2, randomization 2; SAE, serious AE; SIM, standard interim maintenance; TRM, treatment-related mortality.

a

Serious, grade 3 or AEs related to induction and categorized as steroid-related or steroid-contributory.

b

SIM arm: anaphylaxis (n = 2), toxic epidermal necrolysis (n = 1), spinal fracture (n = 1), peripheral motor neuropathy (n = 1), febrile neutropenia (n = 1), weight loss (n = 1), and seizure (n = 1); HDM arm: pancreatitis (n = 1), avascular necrosis (n = 1), seizure (n = 2), allergic reaction (n = 1), sepsis (n = 1), anaphylaxis (n = 1), hemiplegia (n = 1), and encephalopathy (n = 1).

c

Pulse arm: CMV pneumonitis (n = 1); no pulse arm: intraoperative splenic injury (n = 1).

d

Pulses arm (one patient had two events): avascular necrosis (n = 10), bronchospasm (n = 1), depressed level of consciousness (n = 1), febrile neutropenia (n = 2), fracture (n = 2), headache (n = 1), lethargy (n = 1), lung infection (n = 1), mucosal infection (n = 1), seizure (n = 1), sepsis (n = 3), upper respiratory infection (n = 1), wrist fracture (n = 1), HLH (n = 1), CMV pneumonitis (n = 1), and fungal infection/pneumonia (n = 1). No pulse arm (one patient had five events and one had 2): anaphylaxis (n = 1), osteonecrosis (n = 7), depressed level of consciousness (n = 1), febrile neutropenia (n = 1), fever (n = 2), fracture (n = 2), hypoglycemia (n = 1), hypoxia (n = 1), intracranial hemorrhage (n = 1), intraoperative splenic injury (n = 1), lung infection (n = 1), pneumothorax (n = 1), respiratory failure (n = 1), seizure (n = 5), sepsis (n = 7), stridor (n = 2), tracheal obstruction (n = 1), and tracheitis (n = 1).