Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Editors
Hagop M. Katarjia, MD
Proessor o Medicine
Chair, Department o Leukemia
The University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
Robrt A. Wolff, MD
Proessor o Medicine
Department o Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology
The University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
Alyssa G. Ribr, MD
Proessor o Medicine
Department o General Oncology
The University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
New York Chicago San Francisco Athens London Madrid Mexico City
Milan New Delhi Singapore Sydney Toronto
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Dedication
Emil J Freireich, MD
March 16,1927 – February 1, 2021
Dedication of the fourth Edition of “The MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology” to Emil J
Freireich, a Legendary Trailblazer in Cancer and Leukemia Research and Therapy
Emil J Freireich was a ounding ather o modern cancer research, and leader o the world’s rst generation o
cancer research pioneers.
Following his medical training at the University o Illinois College o Medicine at Chicago, and internal medi-
cine training at Cook County Hospital and Presbyterian Hospital, he moved to the National Cancer Institute
(1955-1965), where he made his rst seminal discoveries: the benet o platelet transusions in reducing bleeding;
the design o the rst-ever continuous-fow blood cell separator that extracted platelets rom whole blood; the
development o multidrug regimens that paved the way or the cure o childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia
(ALL).
In 1965, Freireich moved to Houston and spent the next 55 years at MD Anderson, his real home. He was a
ounding member o the institution, which owed much o its early success and reputation to his work and that
o his mentees. Freireich’s name became synonymous with that o MD Anderson. He created a department o
Developmental Therapeutics (DT), dedicated to medical cancer research and to developing novel cancer strate-
gies. Over the next 15 years, he attracted hundreds o cancer researchers rom all over the world who, like him,
were convinced that cancer was curable and were determined to accomplish this. Many o the early chemo-
therapy drugs (cytarabine, Adriamycin, cisplatin, others) were developed during this period, and became building
blocks or curative combinations. Together with Dr Gerald Bodey, Freireich discovered the association between
neutropenia and increased risk o inections and developed the concept o empiric antibiotic therapy to prevent
and treat ever and inections in patients with cancer. This, along with platelet transusions, made cancer care
saer and opened the research venues or intensive chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation in hematologic
and solid tumors. The pheresis machines he helped to create were later used to collect stem cells or the purpose
o transplantation.
In DT, and later as a senior leader at MD Anderson, Freireich trained and mentored hundreds o oncologists, many
o whom later created their own legacies and helped hundreds o thousands o patients with cancer. He also cre-
ated in 1966 the rst training ellowship program in cancer and established clinical-translational research and care
as a new critical discipline in oncology.
To the hundreds o us who trained under Freireich, he and his stories and education are indelibly cemented in our
memories. In recognition o his massive contributions to education in cancer research and care, we dedicate this
ourth edition to Emil J Freireich.
v
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Contents
21. altrntv Donor Trnsplnts: 31. Sll Bowl Cncr nd appndcl
Hplodntcl Htopotc Tors 707
St Cll Trnsplntton 447 Pat Gulhati, John Paul Shen, Kanwal P. Raghav,
Samer A. Srour, Richard E. Champlin, Michael J. Overman
Stean O. Ciurea
32. Colorctl Cncr 733
22. Clllr Thrpy n allognc Htopotc Arvind Dasari, Benny Johnson, Christine Parseghian,
Cll Trnsplntton 457 Kanwal P. Raghav, Scott Kopetz
Amanda Olson, Jeremy Ramdial, Uri Greenbaum, Paul
33. anl Cncr 765
Lin, Katayoun Rezvani, Partow Kebriaei
Emma Holliday, Van Morris, Craig A. Messick
34. Nrondocrn Tors 781
iV LuNG CaNCeR Jessica E. Maxwell, James C. Yao, Daniel M. Halperin
Section Editor: Bonnie S. Glisson
23. Sll Cll Crcno o th Lng 475 Vii BReaST CaNCeR
Jeremy A. Ross, Lauren A. Byers, Carl M. Gay Section Editor: Gabriel N. Hortobagyi
24. Non–Sll Cll Lng Cncr: Gnrl
Prncpls, mngnt o Loclzd Dss, 35. erly-Stg nd Loclly advncd Brst
nd Trtnt o mtsttc Dss wthot Cncr 803
Oncogn Drvrs 495 Demetria Smith-Graziani, Mariana Chavez-MacGregor
Mehmet Altan, Joshua M Gulvin, George Simon, 36. mtsttc Brst Cncr 829
Bonnie Glisson Haven R. Garber, Meghan S. Karuturi,
25. Trgtd Thrps n Non–Sll Cll Lng Gabriel N. Hortobagyi
Cncr 535 37. mngnt o Loclly advncd Brst
Yasir Y. Elamin, Don L. Gibbons, Marcelo V. Negrao Cncr, incldng intory Brst
Cncr 863
Bora Lim, Gabriel N. Hortobagyi
V HeAD AnD neCK CAnCeR
Section Editor: Bonnie S. Glisson 38. Spcl Sttons n Brst Cncr 875
Rachel M. Layman
26. Hd nd Nck Cncr 555
Ruth Sacks, David Boyce-Fappiano, Amy Moreno,
Frank Mott Viii GYNeCOLOGiC maLiGNaNCieS
Section Editor: Karen H. Lu
50. Sot Tss nd Bon Srcos 1159 64. Cncr-assoctd Throboss 1493
Kelly A. Casteel, Michael H. Kroll
J. Andrew Livingston, Anthony P. Conley, Ravin Ratan,
Vinod Ravi, Shreyaskumar Patel
The fourth edition of The MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology is also available online as part of the excellent
accesshemonc.com website, with direct links to a comprehensive drug therapy database and to other important
medical texts that include Hematology-Oncology Therapy. The online edition of The MD Anderson Manual of Medical
Oncology also includes PubMed links to journal articles cited in the references.
New in this edition is the online-only presentation of clinical cases, The MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology
Cases, for readers to explore, with each case linked to the relevant chapter.
Contributors
xi
xii Contributors
Bruno P. Granwehr, MD, MS, FACP, CMQ Patrick Chatari, MD, MBA, FACP
Proessor Associate Proessor
Department o Inectious Diseases Department o Emergency Medicine
The University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Clinical Medical Director, Clinical Decision Unit (CDU)
Houston, Texas The University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis, MD, ScD, PhD(Hon.), FACP,
FIDSA, FECMM, FAAM, FAAAS Elie Mouhayar, MD, FACC, FSVM
Proessor Proessor
Department o Inectious Diseases, Texas 4000, Distinguished Department o Cardiology.
Endowed Proessor or Cancer Research, Deputy Head The University o Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Division o Internal Medicine Houston, Texas
The University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas Danielle El-Haddad, MD
Clinical research resident, Department o Cardiology.
Rachael Hosein, MD The University o Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Aurora Health Care, 2414 Kohler Memorial Dr, Sheboygan, Houston, Texas
Wisconsin; Division o Endocrinology, Diabetes, and
Metabolism, McGovern Medical School Peter Kim, MD
The University o Texas Health Science Center Associate Proessor
Houston, Texas Department o Cardiology.
The University o Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Sara Bedrose, MD Houston, Texas
Department o Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Baylor
College o Medicine Kara Thompson, MD
Houston, Texas Associate Proessor
Department o Cardiology.
Rebecca Jeun, MD The University o Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Department o Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Baylor Houston, Texas
College o Medicine
Houston, Texas Cezar Iliescu, MD
Proessor
Sonali N. Thosani, MD Department o Cardiology.
Associate Proessor The University o Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Department o Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders Houston, Texas
Section Chie, Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders
Certifed in Medical Quality (CMQ) Kaoswi K. Shih, MD
Division o Internal Medicine Quality Council, Chair Assistant Proessor
Patient Saety and Quality Ocer, Endocrine Department Palliative Care Medicine
The University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas Houston, Texas
v
v A Brif History of MD Adrso Cacr Ctr
In 1942, The University o Texas Board o Regents carriage house became the oce and stables were the
appointed Dr. Bertner as the director o the new hospi- research laboratories. Twelve surplus army barracks
tal. A 6-acre property near downtown was purchased were procured or patient clinics (Figs. 3A-C). With
rom the estate o Captain James A. Baker, granda- the addition o 22 leased beds at Hermann Hospital,
ther o ormer Secretary o State James Baker III, and the dream became realityA small aculty o physi-
became the rst campus o the hospital. An empty cians and scientists was recruited rom the University
FiGURe 3A.
FiGURe 3B.
A Brif History of MD Adrso Cacr Ctr v
FiGURe 3c.
o Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and cancer In 1946, Dr. Bertner persuaded Dr. Randolph Lee
patients nally had a home. The name proposed in Clark, a native Texan, to become president o what
1941 was the “Texas State Cancer Hospital and the was to become The University o Texas MD Anderson
Division o Cancer Research”, which was changed to Cancer Center. Dr. Clark, a widely recognized surgeon,
“M.D. Anderson Hospital or Cancer Research o The concentrated on recruiting an excellent surgical aculty
University o Texas” (to acknowledge the donation o and then set upon acquiring all the basic and clinical
M.D. Anderson). The name was again changed in 1955 scientists and clinicians. From the outset, all eorts,
to “The University o Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital whether administrative, clinical or research, were
and Tumor Institute at Houston” ( to avoid the word ocused on developing excellence in research-driven
“cancer” which elicited ear and avoidance). In 1988 cancer care. Forty-six patients were receiving treat-
the name was nally changed to its current “The ment in these early quarters when the hospital moved
University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center”. to its current site in March 1954 (Figs. 4A and B).
FiGURe 5.
The MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology, ourth extraordinary wealth o inormation brought about
edition, articulates the personalized, multidisciplinary by big data analytics and its application to infuence
approach to cancer management pioneered by The value-based oncology care. Supportive and Palliative
University o Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Care content refects current approaches in advanced
Our unique perspective has evolved rom decades o symptom management concurrent with a patient’s
clinical practice and research with more than 1.6 mil- entire cancer journey, starting at diagnosis.
lion patients turning to MD Anderson or care. We are Every chapter includes abundant tables and dia-
expanding our reach, making it easier or the patients grams, including algorithms and decision trees devel-
and communities we serve to access our expertise. oped at MD Anderson or specic cancers or disease
We are enabling high-impact discovery and introduc- subtypes; promising novel therapy targets and the lat-
ing novel therapies through a leading clinical trials est clinical trial phase o drugs targeting them; and new
network. And we are setting new standards or high- molecular therapies recommended to overcome resis-
touch, high-value cancer care. tance to previously eective therapies.
This book is designed to bring a pragmatic approach Emphasis on saety is even more relevant now than
to cancer management that may serve as a guide or in prior editions o this book. MD Anderson’s core
oncologists around the world. The text refects how value o Saety drives our colleagues each day, and
MD Anderson currently operates, including many this was especially highlighted during the COVID-
patient care practices that would not have been rec- 19 pandemic when we came together with diligence,
ognized by practitioners just a decade ago. Since the determination and evidence-based protocols to ensure
rst edition, MD Anderson’s experts have improved the saest possible environment or our immuno-
our ability to identiy biomarkers that are predictive compromised patients. Additionally, we remain laser
or survival, a major triumph in medical oncology that ocused on survivorship, as advances in cancer care
is demonstrated throughout the text. have increased the number o people who are cancer
Refecting new advances in our research and our ree or who are living with cancer as a chronic con-
approach to cancer management, the ourth edition o dition rather than a atal one. We remain dedicated
The MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology eatures to our bold aspiration o maximizing our impact on
a wealth o new material. The sections on Lymphoma humanity through research-driven patient care, educa-
and Myeloma and Gastrointestinal Cancer contain tion, prevention and science that contribute to Making
additional chapters ocused on recently dened sub- Cancer History®.
sets o disease and their treatment modalities. New
targeted therapies are described in Lung Cancer. Peter WT Pisters, MD, MHCM
Additional Cancer Topics o Interest chapters detail President, The University o Texas MD Anderson
updated knowledge in viral and ungal inections, or Cancer Center
example, as well as oncocardiology and thrombosis. Houston, Texas
Biostatistics now has its own section, underscoring the January, 2022
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Preface
When we rst envisioned The MD Anderson Manual The new edition o The MD Anderson Manual
of Medical Oncology, we hoped that it would ll an of Medical Oncology contains new chapters on cord
important void in oncology reerence material by serv- blood transplant, haploidentical stem cell transplan-
ing as a hands-on resource or the practicing oncolo- tation, cellular therapy in allogeneic hematopoietic
gist. The rst edition, published in 2006, was written cell transplantation, pediatric cancers, molecular
exclusively by our aculty and ellows with the idea o biomarkers and cancer, immuno-oncology, targeted
giving a bird’s-eye view o how multidisciplinary care therapies in cancer, applied biostatistics, oncocardi-
was practiced at our institution. We were proud o that ology, pulmonary complications o cancer therapy,
initial eort and pleased that the book received posi- and cancer-associated thrombosis. In addition, there
tive reviews rom several high-impact journals, includ- is expanded coverage o the rapidly growing areas o
ing JAMA, The Lancet, and The New England Journal of biological and immune therapies o cancer, with one
Medicine. chapter co-authored by our very own Nobel Laureate,
The second edition, published in 2011, moved closer Jim Allison.
to the aims o providing more illustrations, gures, The new edition o The MD Anderson Manual of
tables, and algorithms. In addition, the second edition Medical Oncology will also be a continually updated
included new chapters on myelodysplastic syndromes, version o the book, online, with the latest science and
Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloprolierative clinical recommendations rom the world-renowned
neoplasms, T-cell lymphomas, small bowel cancer and clinical investigators at MD Anderson.
appendiceal tumors, infammatory breast cancer, and We hope that this edition serves to help oncologists
penile cancer. everywhere provide high-quality, state-o-the-art can-
In the third edition, we have continued the tradition cer care to their patients.
o including evidence-based management algorithms
in the orm o fowcharts and diagrams, shaped by the Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD
clinical experience o our world-class aculty at MD Robert A. Wol, MD
Anderson. Readers are also provided with a practical Alyssa G. Reiber, MD
guide to the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies used
at MD Anderson.
This page intentionally left blank
Section I Leukemia
Section Editor: William G. Wierda
KEY CONCEPTS
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is classied into B-cell methotrexate and cytarabine) or allogeneic hematopoi-
ALL, T-cell ALL, and natural killer cell ALL. Cytogenetics are etic stem cell transplant. Maintenance consists o POMP
key in the diagnosis o ALL because they hold a predictive (Purinethol, Oncovin, methotrexate, and prednisone) or
and prognostic value. A Philadelphia chromosome–like DOMP (Dexamethasone, Purinethol, Oncovin, and metho-
signature that lacks the expression o BCR-ABL1 usion pro- trexate) chemotherapy or 2 to 3 years. Clinical trials are
tein but does have a gene expression prole similar to BCR- evaluating the use o novel agents, such as antibody–
ABL1+ ALL has been recently dened. drug conjugates and bispecic antibodies, in the rontline
Measurement o measurable residual disease (MRD) using setting.
multiparameter fow cytometry, quantitative polymerase The combination o chemoimmunotherapy is the main-
chain reaction, and next-generation sequencing is stan- stay o treatment o patients with ALL and is a eld o
dard o care in the treatment o patients with ALL, and it ongoing research to identiy the best combinations as well
holds prognostic as well as predictive signicance. Treat- as timing o their use.
ment o patients with MRD-positive disease ater achieve- In adolescents and young adults, pediatric regimens and
ment o response consists o the use o immunotherapy, the hyper-CVAD regimen showed similar complete remis-
such as blinatumomab or combinatorial agents. sion rates, remission duration, and survival outcomes.
The rontline therapy o patients with ALL consists o our The role o allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplan-
major components: induction o remission, consolidation, tation (AHSCT) in rst remission remains currently valid
maintenance, and central nervous system prophylaxis. in certain high-risk circumstances, such as (1) KMT2A-
Intensive induction chemotherapy regimens are modeled rearranged ALL, (2) early T-cell precursor ALL, and (3) ALL
ater either the pediatric-inspired roadmap regimens or with complex cytogenetics and hypodiploidy.
the hyper-CVAD (hyperractionated cyclophosphamide,
In the salvage setting, a number o novel agents have been
vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone) regimen.
approved, including monoclonal antibodies, bispecic
Consolidation depends on the risk category and consists
antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies.
o either consolidation chemotherapy (e.g., high-dose
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ETIOLOGY 6150 individuals would be diagnosed with ALL in the
United States that year, and 1520 patients would suc-
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized cumb to the disease.1 ALL is projected to represent
by the proliferation and accumulation of lymphoid 20% of adult leukemias and 46% of leukemias in
progenitor cells in the blood, bone marrow, and other teenagers (15–19 years old) and will be the most com-
tissues. It has a bimodal distribution. The overall age- mon childhood acute leukemia in children 14 years old
adjusted incidence is 1.7 per 100,000 persons, with and younger, representing approximately 75% in this
a peak in early childhood and then a smaller peak in patient population.1
older adults. Approximately 60% of cases are diag- The cause of ALL is unknown in most cases.2–6 Chro-
nosed in patients who are 20 years old or younger. mosomal translocations occurring in utero during fetal
In 2020, the American Cancer Society estimated that hematopoiesis have suggested genetic factors as the
3
4 Section I Leukemia
primary cause o pediatric ALL and postnatal genetic WHO classication states that the diagnosis o ALL
events as secondary contributors. Monozygotic and “should be avoided when there are <20% blasts” but
dizygotic twins o patients with ALL and individuals at the same time does recognize that cases o ALL with
with genetic disorders, such as Klineelter (XXY and blasts o less than 20% do exist.9
ChAPTER 1
variants) and Down (trisomy 21) syndromes, or inher- Morphologically, ALL is characterized by the pres-
ited diseases with excessive chromosomal ragility, such ence o a large number o lymphoblasts. Blasts may
as Bloom syndrome, Fanconi anemia, and ataxia telan- show signicant variation in cell size, nuclear shape,
giectasia, have all been ound to have higher incidence visibility o nucleoli, amount o cytoplasm, and cyto-
o ALL, implicating a possible genetic predisposition. plasmic basophilia or vacuolization. Auer rods are
Additional studies have postulated inectious causes.3 consistently absent. In the past, the French-American-
British (FAB) Cooperative Group recommended the
separation o ALL cases into three subtypes (L1, L2,
CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND and L3) based on cytologic characteristics;11 this cyto-
LABORATORY ABNORMALITIES logic classication is no longer used. In act, Burkitt
lymphoma/leukemia, which was a part o B-ALL in
The presenting symptoms can be nonspecic, particu- the FAB classication scheme under the L3 subtype,
larly in children. They largely refect bone marrow has been moved to the mature B-cell lymphoma cat-
ailure and include malaise, atigue, bleeding or bruis- egory.9 Table 1–2 summarizes lineage assignment.
ing, and secondary inections. The B symptoms, such The initial diagnosis o ALL is largely based on fow
as ever, night sweats, and weight loss, are requent. cytometric immunophenotyping (FCI). FCI success-
White blood cell (WBC) count at presentation var- ully assigns lineage in more than 95% o cases. True
ies widely, and circulating blasts are generally noted. mixed-phenotype acute leukemia is rare.12 Aberrant
Symptoms related to hyperleukocytosis are rare in myeloid antigen expression o markers is reported in
ALL, given the lymphoblast morphology, even when 15% to 50% o adult and 5% to 35% o pediatric ALL
WBC counts are high. cases.13–15 ALL blasts are negative or myeloperoxidase
Leukemic involvement o the central nervous sys- (MPO), although a low-level MPO positivity (<3%)
tem (CNS), ranging rom cranial neuropathies to may occur in rare cases that otherwise are typical or
meningeal inltration, occurs in ewer than 10% o ALL.16 The diagnosis o ALL requires the detection o
patients at presentation. It is more common in mature
B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) or Burkitt
Table 1–1 Classifcation o Acute Lympoblastic
leukemia.7 A history or ndings o abdominal masses,
Leukemia
signicant spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome, and
chin numbness (mental nerve) indicating cranial nerve
I. B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (B-ALL)
involvement are also more common in this subtype 1. B-ALL, not otherwise specied
o ALL.8 Lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly, 2. B-ALL with recurrent genetic abnormalities
although rarely symptomatic, are observed in approxi- B-ALL with t(9;22)(q34.1;q11.2); BCR-ABL1
mately 20% o patients.8 B-ALL with t(v;11q23.3); KMT2A rearranged
B-ALL with t(12;21)(p13.2;q22.1); ETV6-RUNX1
B-ALL with hyperdiploidy
DIAGNOSIS B-ALL with hypodiploidy
B-ALL with t(5;14)(q31.1;q32.3); IL3-IGH
The revised World Health Organization (WHO) clas- B-ALL with t(1;19)(q23;p13.3); TCF3-PBX1
sication recognizes three types o ALL: B-ALL, T-cell B-ALL, BCR-ABL1–likea
acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), and natural B-ALL with iAMP21a
II. T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL)
killer cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (NK-ALL)9
Early T-cell precursor lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-
(Table 1–1). ALL can involve predominantly bone mar-
ALL)a
row or predominantly extramedullary sites. In patients Near ETP (“close to” ETP) ALLb
with extramedullary lymphoblastic lymphoma, an III. Natural killer (NK) cell lymphoblastic leukemia/
arbitrary cut-o o 25% blasts in bone marrow was lymphomaa
applied to distinguish lymphoblastic leukemia rom
a
Provisional entities in the current World Health Organization (WHO)
lymphoma in the past.10 Currently, this distinction has classication.
been practically abandoned, and the current WHO b
This entity is not recognized in the current WHO classication but is widely
used.
classication uses a combined term “lymphoblastic Data rom Swerdlow SH. WHO Classifcation o Tumours o Haematopoietic and
leukemia/lymphoma.” In contrast to acute myeloid Lymphoid Tissues. International Agency or Research on Cancer; 2017 and Jain
N, Lamb AV, O’Brien S, et al. Early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia/
leukemia, there is no agreed-upon minimal blast per- lymphoma (ETP-ALL/LBL) in adolescents and adults: a high-risk subtype. Blood.
centage required or a diagnosis o ALL. The current 2016 Apr 14;127(15):1863-1869.
Capter 1 Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia 5
ChAPTER 1
B-ALL CD19, CD22, cytoplasmic CD10, HLADR, TDT, CD34 Cytoplasmic CD3, CD19, i strong and uniorm, one
CD79a, cytoplasmic MPO, and monocytic o B markers or CD10; i CD19
IgM,a PAX5 markers weak and partial, two more B
markers or CD10
T-ALL Cytoplasmic CD3 CD7 (bright), variable MPO and monocytic Cytoplasmic CD3 and negative
CD1a, CD2, CD4, CD5, markers;. B-lineage or other lineage markers
CD8, TDT markersa
NK-ALL CD56, CD94, CD161 CD7, CD2, TDT May MPO, and monocytic CD56+, CD94, CD161, TCR gene
express cytoplasmic markers; TCR gene rearrangement germline
CD3b,c rearrangement
a
PAX5 is an excellent B-lineage marker, but it is perormed by immunohistochemistry.
b
May express partial or dim CD19, CD56, or CD79a but oten negative or PAX5. Overall, not sufcient to assign B lineage.
c
Depending on the clone o CD3 with reactivity to cytoplasmic CD3 epsilon chain.
B-ALL, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia; MPO, myeloperoxidase; NK-ALL, natural killer cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia; T-ALL, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia;
TCR, T-cell receptor.
immature markers, such as CD34 or terminal deoxy- ETP-ALL in adolescent and adult patient populations.19
nucleotidyl transerase (TdT), as well as lineage-specic Immunophenotypically, ETP-ALL is dened by the lack
markers. For B-ALL, it requires a combination o strong o CD8 and CD1a, negative or dim expression o CD5
CD19 and at least one additional B-cell marker, such (as dened by CD5 expression in <75% lymphoblasts
as CD22 and cytoplasmic CD79a or CD10; i CD19 is or 1 log scale dimmer than normal T-cells), and expres-
weak, it requires at least two additional markers. Cyto- sion o at least one myeloid or stem cell marker (e.g.,
plasmic CD3 is the lineage-dening marker or T-ALL. CD13, CD33, CD34, CD65, CD117, or HLA-DR).18
In addition, T-ALL is oten bright positive or CD7, Although the original description o ETP-ALL
with variable expression o other markers. CD19 can phenotype stresses the absent or weak CD5 expres-
be aberrantly expressed in 10% to 20% o T-ALL blasts. sion on lymphoblasts, an original study described
The immunophenotypic classication o ALL is three patients with an immunophenotype similar to
summarized in Table 1–2. The original classication ETP except or no decrease in CD5 but showing a
proposed by the European Group or the Immunologi- gene expression prole o ETP-ALL.19 These ndings
cal Characterization o Leukemias in 1995 separated were conrmed in subsequent studies,20 which led to
B-ALL cases into our categories according to the stages the introduction o the term o “near ETP-ALL” (also
o maturation: pro-B-ALL, early pre-B-ALL, pre-B-ALL, known as “close to ETP-ALL”) to describe T-ALL with
and mature B-ALL.17 The mature B-ALL group was a phenotype typical or ETP-ALL with an exception o
subsequently removed rom B-ALL categories. This normal or bright CD5.
immunophenotypic classication o B-ALL is still used NK-ALL has been recently added to the WHO clas-
in some practice, but with the advances in genetic and sication as a provisional entity.9 The entity remains
molecular characterization o B-ALL, its clinical impor- ill-dened and extremely challenging to diagnose,9 in
tance became obsolete. part because o the limited knowledge about early
In contrast to B-ALL, the immunophenotypic clas- stages o NK cell development. The inormation mostly
sication o T-ALL has acquired a critical clinical comes rom ex vivo analyses o normal CD34-positive
importance since the concept o early T-cell precursor progenitor populations;21 the inormation regarding its
lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL) was introduced.18 malignant counterpart is sparse. The true requency
As with B-ALL, the European Group or the Immu- o NK-ALL remains unknown. The neoplastic cells
nological Characterization o Leukemias separated are reported to express CD56, CD94, and CD161 and
T-ALL cases according to the stages o maturation in cytoplasmic CD3-epsilon. CD2, CD7, and even CD5
our categories: pro-T, pre-T, cortical T, and medullary could be positive, but CD16 is usually absent.9 T-cell
T.17 In 2009, gene expression proling studies in pedi- receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement is germline.
atric patients identied a unique subgroup within the
pro-T category, which was associated with high risk o
induction ailure and relapse and thereater designated
Cytogenetic and Molecular Profling
as ETP-ALL.18 The study conducted at our institution Frequent cytogenetic and molecular abnormali-
conrmed a poor clinical outcome o patients with ties associated with adult ALL oer insight into
6 Section I Leukemia
leukemogenesis and leukemic progression (Table PTEN mutations are associated with a poor prognosis
1–3).22 They are o both prognostic and predictive sig- in T-ALL.24 Next-generation sequencing (NGS), expres-
nicance and have varying requencies in children and sion proteomics, and oligonucleotide microarrays have
adults, which explains some o the dierences in out- transormed our understanding o the genomic land-
ChAPTER 1
comes in these two groups. This is particularly true in scape o ALL, yielding new molecular subgroups with
the case o B-ALL harboring Philadelphia chromosome actionable targets.25–27
[t(9;22)] (Ph) or other chromosomal changes with prog- Recently, a Ph-like signature has been dened using
nostic relevance, such as t(4;11)/mixed lineage leuke- genome-wide gene expression arrays, which is ound
mia (KMT2A)-AF4. Cytogenetic alterations provide an in 10% o children with standard-risk ALL and as
important basis or B-ALL subclassication. In T-ALL, many as 25% to 30% o young adults with ALL. This
an abnormal karyotype is ound in about 50% to 70% subgroup lacks the expression o BCR-ABL1 usion
o cases, commonly involving TCR loci, 14q11.2/ protein but does have a gene expression prole simi-
TCR alpha/delta, 7p14-15/TCR gamma, or 7q35/TCR lar to BCR-ABL1+ ALL.28–30 The vast majority o these
beta. The partner genes involve 10q24/HOX11,5q35/ patients have deletions in genes encoding key transcrip-
HOX11L2,1q32/TAL1,11p15/LMO1, or 8q24/MYC. tion actors involved in B-cell signaling, such as IKZF1,
del(9p) with the loss o CDKN2A is also common. Acti- TCF3, EBF1, PAX5, and VPREB1, as well as kinase-
vating mutations in NOTCH1 are detected in around activating alterations involving ABL1, ABL2, CRLF2,
50% and FBXW7 in about 30% o cases o T-ALL. CSF1R, EPOR, JAK2, NTRK3, PDGFRB, PTK2B, TSLP,
The presence o NOTCH1/FBXW7 mutations in the or TYK2 and sequence mutations involving FLT3, IL7R,
absence o KRAS/NRAS or PTEN abnormalities is or SH2B3. The most common alterations (~60% in
associated with a good outcome.23 On the other hand, adults) are rearrangements o CRLF2, which activate
the absence o NOTCH1/FBXW7 mutations, the pres- downstream signaling through Janus kinases (JAKs),
ence o KRAS/NRAS mutations, and the presence o and approximately hal o CRLF2-rearranged cases
Category Cytogenetics Involved Genes Adult Frequency (%) Children Frequency (%)
Hyperdiploid 2–15 10–26
Hypodiploid 5–10 5–10
Pseudodiploid t(9;22)(q34;q11) BCR-ABL1 15–25 2–6
del(9)(q21-22) p15, p16 6–30 20
t(4;11);t(9;11); KMT2A 5–10 <5
t(11;19); t(3;11)
del(11)(q22-23) ATM 25–30a 15a
t(12;21)(p12;q22) TEL-AML1 <1b 20–25b
t(1;19) E2A-PBX1 <5 <5
t(17;19) E2A-HLF <5 <5
t(1;14)(p32;q11) TAL1 10–15 5–10
t(7;9)(q34;q32) TAL2 <1 <1
t(10;14)(q24;q11) HOX11 5–10 <5
t(5;14)(q35;q32) HOX11L2 1 2–3
ac
t(1;14)(p32;q11) TCR 20–25 20–25c
del(13)(q14) miR15/miR16 <5 <5
t(8;14); t(8;22); t(2;8) C-MYC 5 2–5
+8 ? 10–12 2
del(7p) ? 5–10 <5
del(5q) ? <2 <2
del(6q); t(6;12) ? 5 <5
a
As determined by loss o heterozygosity.
b
As determined by polymerase chain reaction.
c
In T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, overall incidence <10%.
Capter 1 Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia 7
BCR-ABL1 positive?
Yes No
ChAPTER 1
Positive for CRLF2
STOP by flow cytometry?
Yes
No
STOP
FIGURE 1-1 Philadelphia chromosome–like acute lymphoblastic leukemia molecular lesions and associated molecular usions
or mutations. FISH, fuorescence in situ hybridization.
have activating mutations in JAK1 or JAK2 (Fig. 1–1). and the ETV6-NTRK3 usion is sensitive to ALL kinase
CRLF2 expression can be rapidly detected by fow inhibitors (e.g., crizotinib).29 The identication o
cytometry, and a positive CRLF2 expression correlates kinase alterations expands therapeutic options in this
100% with CRLF2 rearrangement by fuorescence in subgroup o ALL with a poor outcome (Table 1–4).
situ hybridization (FISH).31 Importantly, Ph-like ALL At our institution, we use the ollowing algorithm to
with ABL1, ABL2, CSF1R, and PDGFRB expression stratiy B-ALL cases (see Fig. 1–1). For every new patient
usions (the ABL class) has been shown sensitive to with B-ALL, we perorm FISH or BCR/ABL1 and test or
tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs; e.g., dasatinib) both CRLF2 expression by FCI. I FCI detects CRLF2 expres-
by in vitro and in vivo human xenograt models. On sion, FISH studies are ordered to conrm CRLF2 rear-
the other hand, rearrangements in EPOR, IL-7R, and rangement, and molecular studies are ordered to check
JAK2 are sensitive to JAK inhibitors (e.g., ruxolitinib); or JAK2 (or JAK1, JAK3) mutations. In the absence o
BCR/ABL1 rearrangement and CRLF2 expression, the study rom our institution analyzed 215 patients with
sample is sent out or additional molecular testing. newly diagnosed Ph-negative B-ALL who received
intensive chemotherapy and had available MRD
assessment by MFC at CR and around 12 weeks. Early
Measurable Residual Disease
ChAPTER 1
setting o ALL led to the investigation o chemoim- cycles, we have changed practice during the metho-
munotherapy in the rontline setting. To improve trexate and cytarabine (even) courses, reversing the
outcomes o younger patients with newly diagnosed sequence o IT therapy to avoid increased risk o neu-
B-ALL, an ongoing phase II trial is investigating the rotoxicity. Thereore, IT cytarabine is administered on
sequential use o hyper-CVAD and blinatumomab day 2 and methotrexate on day 8.48
ChAPTER 1
with promising saety and ecacy. The regimen con- CNS disease is diagnosed by the presence o more
sists o our cycles o hyper-CVAD ollowed by our than ve lymphoblasts per microliter in the cerebro-
cycles o blinatumomab. Blinatumomab is started ater spinal fuid (CSF). Patients with CNS involvement are
two cycles o chemotherapy or patients at high risk treated with triple IT therapy (hydrocortisone 50 mg,
or relapse, including those with Ph-like ALL, complex cytarabine 40 mg, and methotrexate 12 mg) twice per
karyotype, t(4;11), low-hypodiploidy, or near triploidy week until the CSF is negative or malignant cells on
or who are MRD positive. Four cycles o blinatu- two occasions, then weekly IT or our to eight doses
momab are also incorporated in the POMP mainte- ollowed by every other week or our doses, and then
nance (three cycles o POMP ollowed by one cycle o the normal prophylaxis schedule is resumed with the
blinatumomab) or a total o 16 cycles (i.e., 18 months) remaining chemotherapy treatment. Ater this, consol-
o maintenance therapy. Among 27 patients treated, idative craniospinal irradiation is considered in select
the median age was 27 years (range, 18–57 years). The patients with a curative intent, particularly beore
CR rate was 100%, and MRD negativity was achieved AHSCT.
in 96%. There were no induction deaths. One-third o
patients underwent AHSCT because o the presence Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive Acute
o high-risk disease eatures. With a median ollow-up
period o 17 months, 93% o patients were still alive;
Lymphoblastic Leukemia
one patient died ater o AHSCT-related complica- The combination o cytotoxic chemotherapy with
tion, and one died o sepsis during reinduction ater TKIs has been the mainstay o the rontline treatment
relapse. The 1-year RFS and OS rates were 76% and o patients with Ph-positive ALL, with the early intro-
89%, respectively. This trial is currently ongoing at our duction and continuous administration o TKIs lead-
institution (NCT02877303).44 ing to best results.49–52 Imatinib, a rst-generation TKI,
combined with intensive and nonintensive chemo-
Central Nervous System Prophylaxis and therapy, results in CR rates greater than 90% and OS
rates ranging rom 33% to 50%.53,54 The best results
Treatment are achieved when imatinib is administered in a con-
Regularly scheduled lumbar punctures with intrathe- tinuous ashion. Despite the improved outcomes with
cal (IT) chemotherapy are a mainstay o ALL therapy the addition o imatinib to chemotherapy, imatinib
to prevent or treat CNS disease and are implemented resistance is common and leads to a high incidence o
throughout the eight courses o the hyper-CVAD regi- relapse, which led to the evaluation o more potent
men in a risk-adapted manner. In Ph-negative B-ALL TKIs or the rontline treatment o patients with Ph-
and T-ALL, a total o eight IT treatments (two per positive ALL.
course or the rst our courses) are given, which has The second-generation TKI dasatinib has bet-
decreased the rate o isolated CNS relapse to approxi- ter potency and selectivity than the rst-generation
mately 6%.42,45 Because outcomes or patients with TKIs.55 It was rst developed or chronic myeloid
Ph-positive B-ALL improved with the addition o leukemia in patients who could not tolerate or devel-
BCR-ABL TKIs to the hyper-CVAD regimen, leading oped resistance to imatinib. Dasatinib is also reported
to better survival, a higher percentage o CNS relapse to cross the blood–brain barrier.56 A single-institution
is observed with only eight IT courses (~10%).46 The study conducted at MDACC o 72 patients with Ph-
addition o our more IT courses (12 IT in total) in Ph- positive ALL treated with hyper-CVAD and dasatinib
positive B-ALL reduced the CNS relapse rate to 0% in the rontline setting led to 96% CR rate, 83% com-
and hence is our current practice.47 In patients with plete cytogenetic response (CCyR) rate ater the rst
Burkitt leukemia or mature B-ALL, prophylaxis is ur- course, and 65% complete molecular response (CMR)
ther intensied to include 16 IT doses, a dosing strat- rate. The 5-year OS rate was 46%.55 These results
egy that has successully reduced the risk o isolated were conrmed by a multicenter SWOG study o 94
CNS relapse in this patient population.45 patients with newly diagnosed Ph-positive ALL. At a
During hyper-CVAD courses, IT chemotherapy median ollow-up period o 26 months, the CR rate
alternating methotrexate and cytarabine is given on was 88%, and the 3-year OS rate was 71%.57 Dasatinib
days 2 and 8, respectively. However, to avoid the in combination with low-intensity chemotherapy was
simultaneous administration o IT methotrexate and also evaluated. The the European Working Group on
systemic high-dose methotrexate during the even Adult ALL (EWALL) study number 01 or Ph(+) ALL
10 Section I Leukemia
(EWALL-PH-01) study investigated the combination o days –14 to 29 during course 1). Complete hematologic
dasatinib with low-intensity chemotherapy in patients response occurred in 95% o patients at 6 weeks and
55 years o age or older with newly diagnosed Ph-posi- 91% at 24 weeks. The CMR rate at 24 weeks was 46%.
tive ALL, showing a 96% CR rate, 28% 5-year RFS, and The estimated 24-month OS rate was 60%.64
ChAPTER 1
36% 5-year OS rate.58 The majority (75%) o patients It is worth noting that although none o the TKIs
who relapsed had the T315I mutation, which coners has been compared head to head in Ph-positive ALL,
resistance to all rst- and second-generation TKIs.58 one meta-analysis showed that ponatinib is more
Nilotinib is another second-generation TKI with ecacious than earlier-generation TKIs in the ront-
activity against most imatinib-resistant mutants o line setting, with a higher percentage o patients
ABL1.59 The EWALL international trial investigated achieving CMR with ponatinib-based therapy than
the combination o low-intensity chemotherapy with with earlier-generation TKI-based therapies (79% vs
nilotinib in older adult patients (median age, 65 years) 34%) and a higher OS with ponatinib (2-year, 83%
with Ph-positive ALL. The regimen was well-toler- vs 58%; 3-year, 79% vs 50%),65 and one propensity-
ated. The CR rate was 94%, the 4-year EFS rate was score analysis showed that ponatinib is superior to
42%, and the OS rate was 47%. Thirty-two percent o dasatinib: 3-month CMR rates were 82% versus 65%
patients underwent AHSCT, and the 4-year OS rate or (P = .03); 3-year EFS and OS rates were 69% vs 46%
transplanted patients was 61%.60 (P = .04) and 83% versus 56% (P = .03), respectively.66
Because the emergence o T315I mutation is a driv- The sequential combination o ponatinib combined
ing orce o relapse and the achievement o CMR is with low-intensity chemotherapy ollowed by blina-
associated with better survival, an improvement o tumomab and ponatinib in patients with newly diag-
outcome relies on more potent TKIs that can suppress nosed Ph-positive ALL is currently being investigated
the emergence o T315I mutation. Ponatinib is a third- in a clinical trial (NCT03147612).
generation TKI that is active against the T315I muta- The combination o blinatumomab with TKIs
tion. In a phase II single-arm trial, patients with newly (mainly ponatinib) has been shown to be sae and
diagnosed Ph-positive ALL were treated with ponatinib eective in a small case series o 15 patients rom
and hyper-CVAD.61 Ponatinib was given orally at 45 MDACC with 50% CR rate and 75% CMR rate.67 The
mg/day or the rst 14 days o cycle 1 and then con- GIMEMA group has recently presented early results
tinuously at 45 mg/day or the subsequent cycles. Ater rom D-ALBA, the rst trial investigating the sequen-
treating 37 patients, the protocol was amended ater the tial use o TKIs–steroid (in induction) and blinatu-
occurrence o two atal myocardial events to reduce the momab (in consolidation). Sixty-three patients were
dose o ponatinib to 30 mg/day at cycle 2, with urther treated with this regimen o prednisone, dasatinib, and
reduction to 15 mg when a CMR (dened as absence o blinatumomab. The CR rate was 98%, and the 1-year
quantiable BCR-ABL1 transcripts) was achieved. Ater disease-ree survival (DFS) rate was 88%. Deep molec-
the protocol amendment, no urther vascular events ular response increased throughout therapy (29% ater
occurred. A recent update was reported o 86 patients induction, 60% ater two cycles o blinatumomab,
treated with hyper-CVAD and ponatinib with a median and 80% ater our cycles). Notably, T315I muta-
ollow-up period o 43 months. The 3-month CMR rate tion was noted in 6 o 15 patients with rising MRD
was 74%, and the cumulative CMR rate was 84%. Only in the induction phase, all o which was cleared ater
18 patients (21%) underwent AHSCT in rst CR (CR1). blinatumomab.68 However, T315I resistance muta-
With a median ollow-up period o 44 months, 71% tion and patients harboring IKZF1 and/or PAX5 and/
o patients remain alive in remission, and only three or CDKN2A/B deletions remain a therapeutic chal-
relapses were observed in patients while still taking lenge. Several similar trials are evaluating the combina-
ponatinib. The 5-year CR duration and OS rates were tion o blinatumomab with dasatinib (NCT02143414,
68% and 74%, respectively. A landmark analysis per- NCT04329325) and ponatinib (NCT03263572) in both
ormed at 6 months showed a trend toward better OS rontline and relapsed or reractory settings. At our
in patients who did not undergo AHSCT in rst remis- institution, we are evaluating the combination o pona-
sion (5-year OS rate o 66% or patients who under- tinib with blinatumomab with promising early results.
went AHSCT compared with 83% or patients who
did not [P = .07]).62 The grade 3/4 toxicities included
Philadelphia Chromosome–Like Acute
inections, liver unction test abnormalities, thrombotic
events, myocardial inarction, pancreatitis, and rash.61–63
Lymphoblastic Leukemia
The Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche The treatment o patients with Ph-like ALL remains
Ddell’Adulto (GIMEMA) 1811 phase II trial included challenging because o the poor prognosis that this sub-
42 patients with newly diagnosed Ph-positive ALL who type coners. In a retrospective study rom MDACC
were treated with ponatinib at 45 mg/day (or eight con- investigating the outcomes o patients with Ph-like
secutive courses o 6 weeks) and steroids (prednisone ALL treated with standard intensive chemotherapy,
Capter 1 Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia 11
148 patients with untreated Ph-like ALL received 90% to 100%, respectively. O note, the majority o
hyper-CVAD or the pediatric-inspired augmented patients (90%) had low- and intermediate-risk disease:
Berlin-Frankurt-Münster (aBFM) regimen. O the 148 only 13% had marrow involvement, and 3% had CNS
patients, 56 patients (median age, 34 years) had Ph-like involvement, both being known adverse actors.75
ALL, 37 o whom (61%) had CRLF2 overexpression. One concern with the DA-EPOCH-R (dose-adjusted
ChAPTER 1
The majority o patients with CRLF2 rearrangements etoposide phosphate, prednisone, Oncovin, cyclo-
(84%) had concurrent IKZF1 deletion. Patients with Ph- phosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, and rituximab)
like ALL had lower rates o MRD negativity at CR and regimen is the lack o highly CNS-penetrating chemo-
a worse 5-year survival rate (23% vs 59%; P = .006).69 therapy agents, such as high-dose methotrexate and
Recently, the outcomes o 24 patients with B-ALL cytarabine, which are essential components o high-
harboring ABL-class usions and treated with a com- intensity chemotherapy or Burkitt leukemia. A recent
bination o TKIs and chemotherapy were reported in report showed signicantly higher 3-year rates o CNS
both rontline (n = 19) and relapse (n = 5) settings. The relapse in patients with Burkitt leukemia treated with
median age was 24 years (range, 5–72 years). Eleven DA-EPOCH compared with regimens that incorporate
patients (46%) harbored IKZF1 deletions. Ater induc- agents with good CNS penetration, such as hyper-
tion therapy, only 16 o 24 patients (67%) achieved CVAD and CODO-M/IVAC (cyclophosphamide, Onc-
CR, all with detectable MRD, including 7 with MRD ovin, doxorubicin, high-dose methotrexate/iosamide,
o 10-2 or greater. In 14 o 18 patients (78%), an MRD etoposide, and high-dose cytarabine) (12% compared
level below 10-4 was achieved within a median time o with 3%–4%), despite the use o IT CNS prophylaxis
2.5 months (range, 1.4–14.8 months) ater TKI initia- with DA-EPOCH.76 A phase III clinical trial comparing
tion. The median remission duration and OS were not R-CODOX-M/R-IVAC (cyclophosphamide, doxorubi-
reached ater a median ollow-up period o 36 months. cin, vincristine, methotrexate/iosamide, etoposide,
The 3-year EFS and OS rates were 55% and 77%, high-dose cytarabine) with DA-EPOCH-R in patients
respectively.70 Given that patients are more likely to with newly diagnosed high risk mature B-ALL is
remain MRD positive ater induction therapy, the use underway (EudraCT Number: 2013-004394-27).
o blinatumomab as rontline or or MRD in CR1 may
improve outcomes.
CD20-Positive Precursor B-Cell Acute
Our current treatment strategies in patients with
Ph-like ALL include the use o TKIs in patients with
Lymphoblastic Leukemia
ABL-class usions and blinatumomab and inotuzumab Expression o cell surace marker CD20 in adult ALL
ozogamicin combinations mainly among patients with ranges rom 35% to ubiquitous, depending on the
CRLF2 and JAK activations. subtype, and has been associated with an inerior
prognosis.77 The addition o two doses o monoclo-
Mature B-Cell and Burkitt Acute nal CD20 antibody (rituximab) administered with the
rst our cycles o chemotherapy and during mainte-
Lymphoblastic Leukemia nance intensication at months 6 and 18 resulted in
The addition o rituximab to short intensive che- improved OS in younger patients compared with simi-
motherapy has improved outcomes in adults with lar chemotherapy historical control participants (75%
Burkitt and Burkitt-type lymphoma or ALL. 71–73 Its vs 47% at 3 years; P = .003).45 Similar results were
addition to hyper-CVAD resulted in a 3-year survival reported by the German Multicenter Study Group or
rate o 89% compared with 53% with chemotherapy ALL (GMALL).78 The addition o rituximab to che-
alone. This was conrmed in a randomized, open- motherapy in the GRAAL-R 2005 randomized study
label, phase III trial, in which 260 patients with newly improved the 2-year EFS and OS rates rom 52% to
diagnosed Burkitt lymphoma/leukemia received 65% (P = .038) and 64% to 71% (P = .095; censoring
intensive chemotherapy with or without rituximab. or AHSCT, P = .018), respectively.79
The addition o rituximab improved EFS (3-year rate, Oatumumab is a second-generation anti-CD20
75% vs 62%; P = .024) and OS (3-year rate, 83% vs monoclonal antibody that has a dierent binding site
70%; P =.011).74 than rituximab, targeting a membrane proximal small-
To urther reduce early morbidity and mortality, a loop epitope on the CD20 molecule.80 Oatumumab in
pilot study investigated dose-adjusted EPOCH (eto- combination with hyper-CVAD was ound to be highly
poside phosphate, prednisone, Oncovin, cyclophos- eective in a phase II study o 69 patients with newly
phamide, and hydroxydaunorubicin) in combination diagnosed Ph-negative CD20-positive B-ALL. All but
with rituximab in 30 patients (median age, 33 years; one patient (98%) achieved CR, and the MRD negativ-
age older than 40 years, 40%) diagnosed with Burkitt ity rate was 93% overall. At a median ollow-up period
lymphoma. The treatment was sae and highly eec- o 44 months, the median RFS was 52 months, and the
tive. The PFS and OS rates were 95% to 100% and median OS was not reached. The 4-year RFS and OS
12 Section I Leukemia
rates were 60% and 68%, respectively. For AYAs, the tailoring ALL therapy to the dierent treated popu-
4-year OS rate was 74%. Overall, the combination o lations. Such dierences include (1) a higher T-cell
hyper-CVAD plus oatumumab was highly eective. phenotype in patients aged 10 to 40 years old; (2) a
Oatumumab is our preerred anti-CD20 monoclonal near absence o the two avorable subgroups o ALL
ChAPTER 1
antibody in ALL, particularly or patients with CD20 (hyperdiploidy and t(12;21)/ETV6-RUNX1) during the
expression less than 20%.81 second decade o lie compared with a 60% preva-
lence in children; and (3) an increasing prevalence o
T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia high-risk Ph-positive ALL with age, rom 3% in chil-
dren to almost 50% in older adults.89 In the US inter-
Treatment o adults with T-ALL and T-cell lympho- group trial C10403 o 295 AYA patients (17–39 years
blastic lymphoma (T-LL) results in long-term survival o age) treated with a pediatric regimen, the 3-year
rates o 40% to 60%; the outcome is strongly asso- OS rate was 73%.90 At MDACC, a nonrandomized
ciated with the T-cell phenotype.18,82 Nelarabine, a study including AYA patients showed no dierence
T-cell-specic purine nucleoside analog, is approved or between the pediatric asparaginase-containing aBFM
the treatment o patients with relapsed and reractory regimen and the non-asparaginase-containing hyper-
T-ALL, leading to CR rates o 31% to 36% in phase II CVAD regimen. The 5-year CR duration rate was 53%
trials,83,84 allowing some patients to undergo AHSCT with hyper-CVAD, compared with 55% with aBFM.
with long-term survival. In the pediatric experience, The 5-year OS rates were 60% in both groups. The
the addition o nelarabine to rontline aBFM chemo- aBFM regimen had a higher incidence o asparaginase
therapy in patients with T-ALL up to 31 years o age adverse eects, such as hepatotoxicity (41%), pancre-
improved the 4-year DFS rate rom 83% with aBFM atitis (11%), and thrombosis (19%), and myelosup-
alone to 89% (P = .0332).85 However, these results have pression-related complications were more common
not yet been replicated in adult patients. A single-arm with hyper-CVAD.91 More recently, the hyper-CVAD
phase II study rom MDACC o nelarabine combined and oatumumab combination reported a 4-year OS
with rontline hyper-CVAD regimen in 67 patients rate o 74% in the AYA population.81
ailed to improve CR duration or OS rates compared In summary, pediatric regimens and the hyper-
with historical control participants treated with hyper- CVAD regimen showed similar CR, remission duration,
CVAD alone.86 This study has now been amended to and survival outcomes. In the absence o a randomized
include the incorporation o nelarabine, peg-asparagi- study comparing both regimens in the AYA popula-
nase, and venetoclax into the hyper-CVAD regimen. tion, our practice is to use the hyper-CVAD regimen
Recent insights into the biology o ETP-ALL have as a backbone or clinical trial development because
revealed BCL-2 dependence, which perhaps explains this regimen has less organ-specic toxicity than aspar-
the sensitivity to BCL-2 antagonism.87 The addition o aginase-based regimens and is thus more conducive to
venetoclax to lower-intensity chemotherapy in older combination with investigational agents.
adults with newly diagnosed ALL has yielded encourag-
ing early results in interim reports o 10 patients treated
(three with T-ALL, including two with ETP-ALL), with
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Older
90% CR/CR with incomplete hematologic recovery
Patients
(CRi) rate and 90% MRD negativity.88 The combination In older patients with ALL (generally dened as those
o venetoclax and navitoclax may also be particularly older than 55–60 years), intensive chemotherapy
promising in this subgroup. Clinical trials evaluating results in CR rates o 80% but with unacceptable
the ecacy and saety o venetoclax with navitoclax toxicities.92 One-third o patients achieving CR may
(NCT03181126) and in combination with chemother- die o myelosuppression-associated complications.
apy (NCT03808610; NCT03504644; NCT03576547; The historical long-term cure rate is 15% to 20%.93
NCT03319901) in patients with relapsed and rerac- Among 727 older adult patients (older than 65 years;
tory ALL are currently ongoing. Studies evaluating the 2007–2012) treated under Medicare, the majority o
biology o near ETP-ALL are ongoing at our institution patients did not receive chemotherapy; in those who
to better tailor the treatment and thus improve the out- received chemotherapy, the median OS period was
come o this poor-risk subgroup. only 10 months.94 In the National Cancer Institute
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database,
Adolescent and Young Adult Acute among 1675 adults (age 60 years or older) with ALL
(1980–2011), the median survival time was 4 months,
Lymphoblastic Leukemia and the 3-year survival rate was 12.8%.95
The AYA population consists o patients 15 to 39 years Strategies to de-intensiy treatment regimens have
o age. The biology o ALL diers between children, been thus investigated in this population. Inotuzumab
AYAs, and older adults, which is the rationale behind ozogamicin with mini hyper-CVD (i.e., a lower
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painted in alternate bands of black and white, occasionally red and
white, and resembles a barber’s pole more than anything. The
“Djundagalla” stands in the centre of the cleared space and the rites
are performed around it. In the northern Kimberleys, we find a stone
phallus taking the place of the pole.
It is not every tribe that submits its young men to these mutilations
at the initiation ceremonies. There are some which institute great
graduation-festivals without the infliction of bodily harm to the virile
aspirants. Notably among these are the Larrekiya, Melville Islanders,
and the tribes living along the coast from the King River to the heads
of the Roper and East Alligator Rivers.
As an illustration of a tribe which celebrates the coming of
manhood without resorting to operative measures, the Larrekiya
perhaps serve best. The boy, when definite signs of adolescence
manifest themselves, is decorated with the kapok of the silk cotton-
tree (Bombatt malabaricum) and birds’ down. A straight band passes
below his eyes from ear, and the ends thereof are connected by
means of a horseshoe-shaped figure traversing the cheeks and
having its closed end at the chin. Another horizontal band extends
from shoulder to shoulder, above the nipples, and from this two
symmetrical lines are constructed down the abdomen and on to the
thighs, where each terminates in a circular band around the knee. A
white line is also drawn down the outer surface of each upper arm
and is made to end in the plaited armlets worn above the elbow. His
forehead is decorated with a broad band consisting of a number of
parallel strands of opossum fur thickly besmeared with white
pipeclay; in the middle of this is stuck a plume of emu or heron
feathers, and fur-tassels pend from either side of it. He also wears a
coiled bark belt and, over it, a human hair girdle supporting a large
pubic tassel.
The initiates are made to sit in a row before the old men and are
instructed to keep their eyes closed with their hands. The old men
stamp the ground wildly and brandish their spears poised in the
spear-throwers. Every now and then they utter harsh cries of “Arr-re!
Arr-re!” and “Gora!” Whilst this pandemonium is in full swing, the
boys are ordered to open their eyes and behold their elders
performing; then they are led away into the bush and have to wait on
the men, having especially to collect for them many things that are
good to eat. During this period they are often cowed by being struck
between the shoulder-blades, and threatened with violence if at any
time they talk publicly about anything that has transpired or in any
way betray the trust which the old men have placed in them. Upon
their return to camp, the young men have additional scars cut into
the skin of their chest and are then entitled “Böllier” which signifies
that the first stepping stone to maturity has been passed.
A second ceremony takes place some years later. Each youth is
then under the individual charge of an old man and is decorated
much the same way as the Böllier candidate described above, with
the distinguishing features of four red ochre stripes across the white
forehead band and an extra plume of white cockatoo feathers stuck
into his hair. The proceedings start soon after sundown and last till
about midnight; they include much gesticulation and vociferation. At
the solemn moment when the “conferring” of the maturity-degree
takes place, the youth, still tended by the old man, remains
motionless, with downcast eyes, and listens to the melancholy chant
rendered by the old men in low lagging accents:
“Makolär manga, malolär, ä, är, maklär, immanga.”
No beating of sticks or clapping of hands accompanies this tune,
and no further ceremonial dance follows.
The youth has now been elevated to the status of “Mollinya” which
qualifies him to the full rank and privileges of manhood. Further
cicatrices may now be added to either side of his abdomen. The cuts
are horizontal but do not extend right up to the median line.
During the period intervening between Böllier and Mollinya
festivals, bustard, flying-fox, and yam are forbidden articles of diet,
but after the latter event the fledgelings are invited to eat with the old
men. They honestly believe that if any of the young men, while
undergoing initiation, ate one of the forbidden articles secretly, the
medicine man would be able to detect the food in his stomach; and
having thus disobeyed, the medicine man would be justified in
running a spear through the offender, or at any rate compel him to
swallow certain things which would poison him. These rules are
strictly observed, and, whenever some of the privileged members
have eaten flying-fox or bustard, they take the precaution to collect
the bones and burn them.
The tribes on Nullarbor Plains will tell you that the initiation
ceremonies originated in the following way. Many, many years ago,
the emu and the kangaroo were more or less human in appearance
and possessed of mighty powers. One day the emu caught the
kangaroo with the object of making a man of it. But the great
struthious bird had no hands wherewith it might have performed an
operation; all it possessed was a “finger” on each side of its body. It
might be explained that the emu, because it cannot fly, is not
regarded as a “bird” in the generally recognized sense, and
consequently the wings are looked upon as “fingers.” In most of the
vocabularies, indeed, no distinction is made between “finger” and
“hand,” the south-western tribes of central Australia referring to one
or the other as “marra.” Nothing daunted, however, the emu removed
the præputium from the kangaroo by clutching it between its wings
and pulling it off. Thereupon the emu said to the kangaroo: “Will you
make me a man?” And the kangaroo replied, “Yes.” The kangaroo
had the advantage over the emu because it possessed five “fingers,”
with which it could perform the operation the right way. The animal
caught hold of the bird and circumcised it with a sharp splinter of
flint. But the emu requested to be further operated upon and so it
came about that the kangaroo decided upon a subincision. To the
present day the emu retains the marks of this operation. Some while
after these happenings, the tribal fathers ran across the sacred emu
and noted the change in its anatomy; they forthwith mutilated each
other in a similar way, and only then did they realize that they were
men.
Not boys alone are required to submit to the various initiation
ceremonies here mentioned, but in most tribes young women are
“made” marriageable by having to submit themselves to ordeals
which are quite similar to those of manhood’s approbation.
While discussing the female breast, we noted that when it begins
to develop a girl is taken away by the men and the breast anointed
and sung to, to stimulate its growth. This procedure is the forerunner
of initiation. The girl’s development is forthwith watched with care,
and when the unmistakable signs of ripening are detected the event
is celebrated with dance and song.
Men and women attend, and the items rendered are more or less
of the nature of an ordinary corrobboree, although occasionally some
special feature characterizes the performance. For instance the
Larrekiya and Wogait tribes pass the girl through a “smoking”
ceremony after the following fashion. An old gin places herself
behind the girl and lays her hands upon the latter’s shoulders. Then
all the other women taking part form a continuous chain by standing
in a single row behind each other and “linking up” in a similar way.
They begin to sing “Ya, Ya, Ya,” in a long-drawn melancholy note,
and the old-gin immediately stamps her feet, and, moving forwards,
pushes the girl along in front of her. All the other performers follow
her, stamping in unison and holding on to the shoulders of the
person in front. Quite unexpectedly the monosyllabic “Ya” is changed
to “Yen da min,” and at this the old gin stops short and strikes the
girl’s back thrice with her hand. The same performance is repeated
time after time during the night. Early in the morning of the next day,
the girl is led to the sea, and the whole party wades out to about
hips’ depth. Here a grotesque dance is started during which they
strike their arms, bent in the elbows, against the sides of their bodies
under water, the splash producing a peculiar hollow-sounding note.
The process reminds one of a goose flapping its wings while
enjoying a bath. At this stage, the wording of the song sounds like
“A-lö-lö-lö,” and when its final syllable has resounded, all bathers
duck under the surface of the water.
Next a fire is kindled upon the shore, and, when a good blaze has
been obtained, a heap of grass and leaves previously steeped in
water, is piled upon it. Upon this the old gin seats herself and makes
the girl sit upon her lap facing her and with her legs astride. The
volumes of smoke which are generated completely hide the two from
view. The idea is to allow the smoke to thoroughly play upon the
parts of the novice, the process being facilitated by the manipulation
of the old gin. When the ceremony is concluded, the girl is led into
the bush by the old women and for some time to follow she is not
allowed to partake of certain articles of diet, such as for instance
snake, dugong, and goanna.
Several of the northern and north-eastern coastal tribes mutilate
the hand of a young gin during the period of her initiation by
removing two joints from a finger. The forefinger of either hand is
generally chosen by the former tribes, the latter favouring the small
finger. The Ginmu at the mouth of the Victoria River make the
amputation with a stone knife. In this district a singular case came
under my notice which is of considerable interest from an evolutional
point of view since it suggests a phenomenon usually only met with
in crustations, reptiles, and other creatures whose position is very
much lower in the animal kingdom. A young girl had had two end
phalanges of a finger imperfectly removed, and yet upon the
mutilated stump a horny growth resembling a diminutive finger-nail
had formed anew. The Daly River tribes remove the bones by tying a
ligature of cobweb which they find in the mangroves very tightly
around the joint. The end phalanges of the finger, thus deprived of
the circulation, gradually mortify and drop off. Occasionally the joints
may be bitten off by a parent of the child.
As a general rule, it may be said that wherever mutilations of the
male are undertaken during initiation ceremonies, a corresponding
operation is performed upon the female; and, vice versa, where the
former practice is not indulged in, the latter is also unknown.
Generally speaking, too, the female mutilation ceremonies are much
the same wherever practised in Australia, but the implements or
devices employed for the actual mutilation vary in different localities.
Invitations to the event are sent by special messengers to
adjoining groups and neighbouring friendly tribes. These
messengers are of mixed sexes and are decorated by having their
bodies covered with ochre. The common method is to make the
ground colour of the body a rich red and to draw upon it concentric
circles of white and black. The men carry a “female” tjuringa, whilst
the women, apart from numerous necklaces and armlets which they
wear, are unaccoutred. The latter are near group-relatives of the
young woman concerned. Their mission is readily understood by the
people they look up during their walk-about, and, without much
interchange of words, acceptance is indicated by the recipients of
the message by resorting to an intimacy with the feminine
emissaries. Although considerable liberality is shown during this
indulgence, the privilege is by no means stretched to beyond the
bounds of a tolerable promiscuousness, even though the
messengers may be entertained at the distant camp for two or three
days before they return home.
The celebrating camp in the interim has been busily preparing for
the approaching event. Nightly corrobborees have been held at the
chosen spot by both the men and the women, and the novice has
repeatedly appeared before the performing crowd richly decorated
and besmeared with emu-fat and ochre. At no time, however, even
after the invited guests have arrived, does the excitement become
anywhere near as great as during the initiation ceremonies of the
opposite sex; in fact, at its best, the performance is extremely dull
and monotonous.
When at length it becomes apparent that even the principal actors
themselves are tiring, it seems as though the moment had arrived
when only a desperate decision could revive the enthusiasm. A
number of men, who stand in the same group-relationship to the
novice as her future husband, lead the girl away without any ado,
except perhaps that the remaining members slightly spur their
acting. This stage is mostly reached at daylight, as often as not early
in the morning, after the whole night has been spent in dancing and
singing.
Away from the din of her tribespeople’s celebration in honour of
the occasion of her stepping from girlhood to womanhood, the silent
victim is told to squat on the ground whilst the men surround her. Her
oldest “group-husband” produces a flat, wooden tjuringa, of the
“male” type, with which he several times touches her person, whilst
he mutters incoherent and garbled words. This is done to dispel from
her all possible pain and likely loss of blood during the operation she
is about to be submitted to.
Then she is requested to lie flat on her back, and her head is
placed upon the lap of one of the men who squats to keep it there. It
follows the act which is destined to make her marriageable; her
virginity is doomed to mechanical destruction.
The instruments, if any, which are used for the operation vary
according to locality. In the central areas (Aluridja, Wongapitcha,
Kukata), an ordinary stone-knife with resin haft is used. The Victoria
desert tribes employ cylindro-conical stones from six to eight inches
long, and from one and a half to two inches in diameter. Among the
tribes of the northern Kimberley districts of Western Australia no real
instrument is used at all, but the operator winds the index and middle
fingers of his right hand together with a long piece of fur-string; and
this device answers the same purpose as the above-named
instruments.
The tribes indulging in this practice admit that their action is
prompted by a desire to offer the girl’s pudicity to one of her spirit-
husbands. We might indeed look upon this rite as the equivalent of
sacrificing the jus primae noctis to a mythical or legendary tribal
relative who is supposed to be living in the astral form and who is
likely to come back to earth at any day.
PLATE XXXII
“Presently the music starts again, and the spirit known as ‘Ngardaddi’ is seen to be
stealthily creeping towards the fire, his body lying flat upon the ground and his legs
dragging behind.”
CHAPTER XXVII
RELIGIOUS IDEAS
1. The median basilic vein is being slit. Note ligature above the biceps.
2. The blood which is spurting from the incision is being collected on a shield.
The men sit in a row at the back of the fire, with their thighs asunder
and their legs bent in the knees; their chins are resting upon their
chests whilst they beat the backs of their heads with small bundles of
brushwood, keeping time with their song and with the performance of
the warrior.
When, after a while, the music ceases, the warrior is seen to be
lying asleep beside his captive. The ancestors become restless and
begin to move sideways, first in a body to the left and then to the
right; then they move backwards and forwards. This movement is
peculiarly weird since the performers do it by shuffling over the
ground in the sitting posture, with their arms held erect, but bent in
the elbow.
Presently the music starts again, and the spirit known as
“Ngardaddi” is seen to be stealthily creeping towards the fire, his
body lying flat upon the ground and his legs dragging behind. He
advances very slowly, turning his face towards the ground, in search
of the fire which escaped from heaven. He wears a tall head-dress
quite thirty-two inches long, which consists of a tightly fitting
hemispherical cap carrying a column in its centre, at the top of which
a bundle of split black-cockatoo feathers is attached. The feathers
are from the male bird’s tail, and the brilliant red patches in them are
representative of fire. The whole structure is made of paper-bark and
human hair-string, the outer surface being decorated with ochre,
pipeclay, charcoal, and vegetable-down. Vide Plate XXXII.
All the time the men at the fire-side are beating time with their
hands and simultaneously turn their heads from side to side, to all
intents and purposes quite unconcerned about the Ngardaddi who is
gradually crawling near to them. This is done to entice the thief
nearer and lead him to believe that he is unobserved. All of a
sudden, however, when the spirit is about to touch the fire and is in
the act of snatching it from the tribesmen, one of the group on either
side of the fire throws a handful of dry grass upon the smouldering
heap. The flame responds immediately and casts a bright light all
around.
Alarm is raised by the tribesmen by clapping their hands together
violently. The spirit collapses and lies flat upon the ground at full
length. Two or three of the men nearest by seize some of the burning
grass and hit the prostrate figure over the head. The spirit jumps to
his feet and treads the ground as if endeavouring to make his
escape. Seeing this, the men at the fire rise quickly and treat their
victim most unmercifully with bundles of burning grass and twigs.
Eventually each of them seizes a fire-brand and digs the burning end
deeply into the spirit’s back and the unfortunate fellow eventually
decamps into the darkness amidst the bellowing whoops of his
victors.
The air is fouled for some distance around by the smell of the
burned skin, reminding one of the stench in a smithy when horses
are being shod. The back of the spirit-impersonator is naturally
severely scored by the cruel treatment it is subjected to, but the
fellow takes it all in good faith and without flinching.
The object of the ceremony is twofold. Firstly all members of the
community who are present, men, women, and children, are taught
to appreciate the value of fire, and secondly it is believed that the
exemplification of so harsh and drastic a treatment for attempted
theft will tend to make abortive any schemes of the evil spirits.
The Arunndta are quite convinced in their own minds that in the
days of their tribal fathers there was no water on the surface of the
ground they occupied; their ancestors in those times were compelled
to live on grass and succulent plants, no consideration being given to
the fact, as we have learned, that the vegetation derives its moisture
from outside sources. But it happened one day, when their
forefathers were out hunting, that they met with a number of strange-
looking men who were sitting around a pool of pure water from which
they were drinking. At the sight of the men, the strangers fled,
leaving the water behind. The hunters gave chase but all except one
disappeared and he made for a cave in the hills. The hunters closed
the mouth of the cave with a big stone and went back to the pool of
water to quench their thirst, but when they reached the spot, the
water had turned into a massive, round stone. The men made back
to the cave and removed the obstruction, but imagine their surprise
when they found the cave empty. Upon making a careful search,
however, they discovered a long cylindrical stick which had some
peculiar markings on it. They took the stick and walked once more
towards the petrified pool, and, lo, they beheld the stranger they
were looking for walking in the sky. When he saw the stick in the
hands of the hunters, he took the form of a cloud, and as he bent his
body towards the stick, his long matted hair fell forwards and from it
water poured upon the earth beneath. The hunters drank freely of
the precious fluid and when they looked skywards again the
cloudman had vanished.
From that day onwards the Arunndta medicine men (“Nangarri”)
have kept that spot sacred and taboo to the women and children;
they call the big stone “Imbodna” which means “the hailstone.” The
man who fled to the cave and then escaped from the hunters as a
vapour they call “Nangali,” the name for a cloud. The tribe has never
since been without water because Nangali left his magic wand in the
hands of their ancient sorcerers and whenever the country was
suffering from drought they could call upon him to appear in the sky
and bring forth rain.
Nangali is one of a group of celestial beings who have been
termed “Atoakwatje,” that is Water-Men; they are now looked upon
as Demigods who control all terrestrial supplies of water from their
abode in the clouds. The Atoakwatje are believed to have certain
mysterious connections with some of the tribal sorcerers who in a
sense parade on earth as their disciples and attend to the rain-
making ceremonies through which they are able to commune with
each other.
When the people are in need of water, the rain-makers assemble
around the Imbodna and one or two of them produce the sacred
stick, known to the Arunndta as “kwatje-purra,” literally meaning “the
reproductive organ of water,” and to the Aluridja as “kapi-wiyinna.”
Nowadays these sticks, which strictly speaking are of phallic
significance, are flat and more like a tjuringa in shape, and have a
number of peculiar markings on them. For a time the stick is laid
beside the great water-stone, and the sorcerers kneel while they
chant with a barely audible voice. They rise to their feet and the most
influential individual who is decorated with stripes of yellow
vegetable-down and wears a dog-tail tassel on his belt, lifts the stick
towards the sky and continues mumbling. The other members kneel
again and all present chat together. The man who is standing poises
the stick horizontally between his hands and rocks it one way, then
another; and this performance is frequently repeated.
When at length the principal performer sits down, the other men
leave the spot and run in a single file towards the camp, loudly crying
“kurreke ta ta” in imitation of the call of the spur-winged plover.
In the evening a general corroboree is indulged in; and all grown-
up persons, male and female, are allowed to join in. Several refrains
are forthcoming which are connected with ordinary rain or water
festivals. The principal rainmaker does not attend but joins the camp
again during the night. It appears that in the interim he has visited
the sacred cave, in company of one or two of his brother-sorcerers,
to hide the magic stick and preserve it for future use. Any
representative of the Atoakwatje group inherits the power to fashion
and use the rain-stick, but it is imperative that he learns the art under
the direction of a senior and duly qualified nangarri.
A ceremony directly connected with sun-worship belongs to the
old Arunndta people and is known as “Ilpalinja.” When the weather
has been and continues to be unpleasantly cold, and the mating
season of birds and animals has on that account been long delayed,
the men construct a large colored design upon the selected
ceremonial ground. Radiating from a point upon a cleared space,
many lines are drawn with red and white vegetable-down to
represent the rays of the sun; and these are intersected at different
distances from the central point by a number of concentric circles
which represent the fathers of the tribe. The centre of the design is
occupied by a stick which is supposed to incorporate some mystical
and sacred sun-creature known as “Knaninja Arrerreka.” The same
Ilpalinja-design is occasionally carved as the crest of the Knaninja
upon a sun-tjuringa. Vide Fig. 6.