Acute myeloid leukaemia Short, Nicholas J; Rytting, Michael E; Cortes, Jorge E
The Lancet (British edition),
08/2018, Volume:
392, Issue:
10147
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
For several decades, few substantial therapeutic advances have been made for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia. However, since 2017 unprecedented growth has been seen in the number of drugs ...available for the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia, with several new drugs receiving regulatory approval. In addition to advancing our therapeutic armamentarium, an increased understanding of the biology and genomic architecture of acute myeloid leukaemia has led to refined risk assessment of this disease, with consensus risk stratification guidelines now incorporating a growing number of recurrent molecular aberrations that aid in the selection of risk-adapted management strategies. Despite this promising recent progress, the outcomes of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia remain unsatisfactory, with more than half of patients ultimately dying from their disease. Enrolment of patients into clinical trials that evaluate novel drugs and rational combination therapies is imperative to continuing this progress and further improving the outcomes of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Opinion statement
Approximately 40–45% of younger and 10–20% of older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) will be cured with current standard chemotherapy. The outlook is particularly gloomy for ...patients with relapsed and/or refractory disease (cure rates no higher than 10%). Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the only realistic hope of cure for these patients, is an option for only a minority. In recent years, much has been learned about the genomic and epigenomic landscapes of AML, and the clonal architecture of both de novo and secondary AML has begun to be unraveled. These advances have paved the way for rational drug development as new “drugable” targets have emerged. Although no new drug has been approved for AML in over four decades, with the exception of gemtuzumab ozogamycin, which was subsequently withdrawn, there is progress on the horizon with the possible regulatory approval soon of agents such as CPX-351 and midostaurin, the Food and Drug Administration “breakthrough” designation granted to venetoclax, and promising agents such as the IDH inhibitors AG-221 and AG-120, the smoothened inhibitor glasdegib and the histone deacetylase inhibitor pracinostat. In our practice, we treat most patients with relapsed/refractory AML on clinical trials, taking into consideration their prior treatment history and response to the same. We utilize targeted sequencing of genes frequently mutated in AML to identify “actionable” mutations, e.g., in
FLT3
or
IDH1/2
, and incorporate small-molecule inhibitors of these oncogenic kinases into our therapeutic regimens whenever possible. In the absence of actionable mutations, we rationally combine conventional agents with other novel therapies such as monoclonal antibodies and other targeted drugs. For fit patients up to the age of 65, we often use high-dose cytarabine-containing backbone regimens. For older or unfit patients, we prefer hypomethylating agent-based therapy. Finally, all patients with relapsed/refractory AML are evaluated for allogeneic HSCT.
We report the 5-year analysis from the phase III Dasatinib Versus Imatinib Study in Treatment-Naïve Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients (DASISION) trial, evaluating long-term efficacy and safety ...outcomes of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase (CP) treated with dasatinib or imatinib.
Patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP were randomly assigned to receive dasatinib 100 mg once daily (n = 259) or imatinib 400 mg once daily (n = 260).
At the time of study closure, 61% and 63% of dasatinib- and imatinib-treated patients remained on initial therapy, respectively. Cumulative rates of major molecular response and molecular responses with a 4.0- or 4.5-log reduction in BCR-ABL1 transcripts from baseline by 5 years remained statistically significantly higher for dasatinib compared with imatinib. Rates for progression-free and overall survival at 5 years remained high and similar across treatment arms. In patients who achieved BCR-ABL1 ≤ 10% at 3 months (dasatinib, 84%; imatinib, 64%), improvements in progression-free and overall survival and lower rates of transformation to accelerated/blast phase were reported compared with patients with BCR-ABL1 greater than 10% at 3 months. Transformation to accelerated/blast phase occurred in 5% and 7% of patients in the dasatinib and imatinib arms, respectively. Fifteen dasatinib-treated and 19 imatinib-treated patients had BCR-ABL1 mutations identified at discontinuation. There were no new or unexpected adverse events identified in either treatment arm, and pleural effusion was the only drug-related, nonhematologic adverse event reported more frequently with dasatinib (28% v 0.8% with imatinib). First occurrences of pleural effusion were reported with dasatinib, with the highest incidence in year 1. Arterial ischemic events were uncommon in both treatment arms.
These final results from the DASISION trial continue to support dasatinib 100 mg once daily as a safe and effective first-line therapy for the long-term treatment of CML-CP.
Preclinical models have shown that blocking PD-1/PD-L1 pathways enhances antileukemic responses. Azacitidine upregulates PD-1 and IFNγ signaling. We therefore conducted this single-arm trial, in ...which patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were treated with azacitidine 75 mg/m
days 1 to 7 intravenously or subcutaneously with nivolumab 3 mg/kg intravenously on days 1 and 14, every 4 to 6 weeks. For the seventy patients who were treated, the median age was 70 years (range, 22-90) and the median number of prior therapies received was 2 (range, 1-7). The overall response rate (ORR) was 33%, including 15 (22%) complete remission/complete remission with insufficient recovery of counts, 1 partial response, and 7 patients with hematologic improvement maintained >6 months. Six patients (9%) had stable disease >6 months. The ORR was 58% and 22%, in hypomethylating agent (HMA)-naïve (
= 25) and HMA-pretreated (
= 45) patients, respectively. Grade 3 to 4 immune-related adverse events occurred in 8 (11%) patients. Pretherapy bone marrow and peripheral blood CD3 and CD8 were significantly predictive for response on flow cytometry. CTLA4 was significantly upregulated on CD4
Teff in nonresponders after 2 and 4 doses of nivolumab. Azacitidine and nivolumab therapy produced an encouraging response rate and overall survival in patients with R/R AML, particularly in HMA-naïve and salvage 1 patients. Pretherapy bone marrow aspirate and peripheral blood CD3 percentage may be biomarkers for patient selection. SIGNIFICANCE: Azacitidine in combination with nivolumab appeared to be a safe and effective therapy in patients with AML who were salvage 1, prior hypomethylator-naïve, or had increased pretherapy CD3
bone marrow infiltrate by flow cytometry or IHC. Bone marrow CD3 and CD8 are relatively simple assays that should be incorporated to select patients in future trials.
.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy characterized by the proliferation and aberrant differentiation of immature clonal myeloid cells. The prognosis of AML is ...variable, based on clinical features such as patient age, performance status, and comorbidities, as well as leukemia-specific genetic features including cytogenetics and molecular classification. The modern application of next-generation sequencing technology has uncovered marked heterogeneity and genomic complexity within AML, based on the presence or absence of cooperating mutations within functional categories such as epigenetic regulators, cell signaling and proliferation pathways, and master hematopoietic transcription factors. Although the treatment of AML has hitherto changed little in the past 40 years, the enhanced scientific understanding of AML pathophysiology and leukemogenesis has led to the recent development of multiple targeted and selective treatment approaches, and our increasing awareness of functional AML subsets will be evermore used to inform rational and personalized treatment strategies.
Purpose Bosutinib is a potent dual SRC/ABL kinase inhibitor approved for adults with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) resistant and /or intolerant to prior therapy. We ...assessed the efficacy and safety of bosutinib versus imatinib for first-line treatment of chronic-phase CML. Methods In this ongoing, multinational, phase III study, 536 patients with newly diagnosed chronic-phase CML were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive 400 mg of bosutinib once daily (n = 268) or imatinib (n = 268). Per protocol, efficacy was assessed in patients who were Philadelphia chromosome-positive with typical (e13a2/e14a2) transcripts (bosutinib, n = 246; imatinib, n = 241). Patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative-/ BCR-ABL1-positive status and those with unknown Philadelphia chromosome status and/or atypical BCR-ABL1 transcript type were excluded from this population. Results The major molecular response (MMR) rate at 12 months (primary end point) was significantly higher with bosutinib versus imatinib (47.2% v 36.9%, respectively; P = .02), as was complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) rate by 12 months (77.2% v 66.4%, respectively; P = .0075). Cumulative incidence was favorable with bosutinib (MMR: hazard ratio, 1.34; P = .0173; CCyR: hazard ratio, 1.38; P < .001), with earlier response times. Four patients (1.6%) receiving bosutinib and six patients (2.5%) receiving imatinib experienced disease progression to accelerated/blast phase. Among treated patients, 22.0% of patients receiving bosutinib and 26.8% of patients receiving imatinib discontinued treatment, most commonly for drug-related toxicity (12.7% and 8.7%, respectively). Grade ≥ 3 diarrhea (7.8% v 0.8%) and increased ALT (19.0% v 1.5%) and AST (9.7% v 1.9%) levels were more common with bosutinib. Cardiac and vascular toxicities were uncommon. Conclusion Patients who received bosutinib had significantly higher rates of MMR and CCyR and achieved responses faster than those who received imatinib. Consistent with the known safety profile, GI events and transaminase elevations were more common with bosutinib. Results indicate bosutinib may be an effective first-line treatment for chronic-phase CML.
Ponatinib has potent activity against native and mutant BCR-ABL1, including BCR-ABL1T315I. The pivotal phase 2 Ponatinib Ph+ ALL and CML Evaluation (PACE) trial evaluated efficacy and safety of ...ponatinib at a starting dose of 45 mg once daily in 449 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) resistant/intolerant to dasatinib or nilotinib, or with BCR-ABL1T315I. This analysis focuses on chronic-phase CML (CP-CML) patients (n = 270) with 56.8-month median follow-up. Among 267 evaluable patients, 60%, 40%, and 24% achieved major cytogenetic response (MCyR), major molecular response (MMR), and 4.5-log molecular response, respectively. The probability of maintaining MCyR for 5 years was 82% among responders. Dose reductions were implemented in October 2013 to decrease the risk of arterial occlusive events (AOEs); ≥90% of CP-CML patients who had achieved MCyR or MMR maintained response 40 months after elective dose reductions. Estimated 5-year overall survival was 73%. In CP-CML patients, the most common treatment-emergent adverse events were rash (47%), abdominal pain (46%), thrombocytopenia (46%), headache (43%), dry skin (42%), and constipation (41%). The cumulative incidence of AOEs in CP-CML patients increased over time to 31%, while the exposure-adjusted incidence of new AOEs (15.8 and 4.9 per 100 patient-years in years 1 and 5, respectively) did not increase over time. These final PACE results demonstrate ponatinib provides durable and clinically meaningful responses, irrespective of dose reductions, in this population of heavily pretreated CP-CML patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01207440.
•Ponatinib continued to provide deep, durable responses in heavily pretreated patients with CP-CML.•Tolerability was acceptable in this heavily pretreated population with 5 years of follow-up.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is driven by the Bcr-Abl fusion protein, which is a result of a (9;22) chromosomal translocation. Imatinib, dasatinib, and nilotinib (tyrosine kinase inhibitors, ...TKI) have revolutionized how CML is treated. Although the majority of patients respond to these kinase inhibitors, a subset becomes resistant to these therapeutics. Synribo (omacetaxine mepesuccinate) was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Philadelphia-positive CML either in the chronic or the accelerated phase whose disease failed two prior TKIs. With omacetaxine 1.25 mg/m(2) twice daily for 14 days during induction and for 7 days during maintenance, a major cytogenetic response occurred in 20% of patients in the chronic phase and major hematologic response in 27% of patients in the accelerated phase. Laboratory investigations unraveled the mechanism of action and effectiveness of this agent. Bcr-Abl protein is intrinsically programmed to turn over with a short half-life that makes it susceptible to protein translation inhibitors. Omacetaxine (homoharringtonine) inhibits total protein biosynthesis by binding to A-site cleft of ribosomes. As a corollary to this action, there is a diminution of short-lived proteins, such as Bcr-Abl, followed by cell death. Approval of this first-in-class protein translation inhibitor opens up new avenues for its use in other diseases as well as mechanism-based combinations.
Patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP) resistant/intolerant to ≥2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are at high risk of experiencing poor outcomes because of disease biology ...and inadequate efficacy and/or safety of current therapies. Asciminib, a first-in-class BCR-ABL1 inhibitor Specifically Targeting the ABL Myristoyl Pocket (STAMP), has the potential to overcome resistance/intolerance to approved TKIs. In this phase 3, open-label study, patients with CML-CP previously treated with ≥2 TKIs were randomized (2:1) to receive asciminib 40 mg twice daily vs bosutinib 500 mg once daily. Randomization was stratified by major cytogenetic response (MCyR) status at baseline. The primary objective was to compare the major molecular response (MMR) rate at week 24 for asciminib vs bosutinib. A total of 233 patients were randomized to asciminib (n = 157) or bosutinib (n = 76). Median follow-up was 14.9 months. The MMR rate at week 24 was 25.5% with asciminib and 13.2% with bosutinib. The difference in MMR rate between treatment arms, after adjusting for MCyR at baseline, was 12.2% (95% confidence interval, 2.19-22.30; 2-sided P = .029). Fewer grade ≥3 adverse events (50.6% vs 60.5%) and adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation (5.8% vs 21.1%) occurred with asciminib than with bosutinib. The study showed a superior efficacy of asciminib compared with that of bosutinib, together with a favorable safety profile. These results support the use of asciminib as a new therapy in patients with CML-CP who are resistant/intolerant to ≥2 prior TKIs. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03106779.
•Asciminib demonstrated superior efficacy vs bosutinib and an improved safety profile in patients with CML-CP after at least 2 prior TKIs.•Asciminib has the potential to transform standard of care in this population through its novel mechanism of action as a STAMP inhibitor.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Dasatinib is a highly potent BCR-ABL inhibitor with established efficacy and safety in imatinib-resistant/-intolerant patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In the phase 3 DASISION trial, ...patients with newly diagnosed chronic-phase (CP) CML were randomized to receive dasatinib 100 mg (n = 259) or imatinib 400 mg (n = 260) once daily. Primary data showed superior efficacy for dasatinib compared with imatinib after 12 months, including significantly higher rates of complete cytogenetic response (CCyR), confirmed CCyR (primary end point), and major molecular response (MMR). Here, 24-month data are presented. Cumulative response rates by 24 months in dasatinib and imatinib arms were: CCyR in 86% versus 82%, MMR in 64% versus 46%, and BCR-ABL reduction to ≤ 0.0032% (4.5-log reduction) in 17% versus 8%. Transformation to accelerated-/ blast-phase CML on study occurred in 2.3% with dasatinib versus 5.0% with imatinib. BCR-ABL mutations, assessed after discontinuation, were detected in 10 patients in each arm. In safety analyses, fluid retention, superficial edema, myalgia, vomiting, and rash were less frequent with dasatinib compared with imatinib, whereas pleural effusion and grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia were more frequent with dasatinib. Overall, dasatinib continues to show faster and deeper responses compared with imatinib, supporting first-line use of dasatinib in patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00481247.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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