Micro-Abstract This retrospective study of 351 patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation between 2002 and 2011 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center ...demonstrated 12% incidence of central nervous system complications (CNSC). The most common complications included posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (40%), stroke or transient ischemic attack (24%), seizures (20%), and infection (9%). The 5-year overall survival was significantly lower among patients with versus without CNSC (14% vs. 44%, P = .0004).
Essential thrombocythemia is well-known to transform to other myeloid disorders, such as leukemia; however, the risk for development of lymphoma is not as well studied. This case report discusses a ...76-year-old man with a history of prefibrotic post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis on ruxolitinib, who developed anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukocytosis with peripheral blasts. Results of a bone marrow biopsy and PET and CT scans revealed stage IV leukemic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Several days after cessation of ruxolitinib, the patient developed fevers, hypotension, and low-grade disseminated intravascular coagulation, and subsequently developed spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome, which resulted in death. This case is unique in several aspects: it highlights the rare possibility of lymphomatous transformation of myeloproliferative disorders, an unusual presentation of lymphoma masquerading as leukemia, and the possibility of ruxolitinib withdrawal syndrome. Additionally, this case serves as a reminder that the use of novel therapies should be adopted after a thorough assessment of long-term risks, including those associated with abrupt withdrawal.
Micro-Abstract We performed a retrospective study of patients with lymphoma and myeloma, aged ≥ 18 years, who had undergone autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) from 1983 to 2010 at the ...University of Nebraska Medical Center. Of the 2284 patients, 972 died within the first 5 years after ASCT. Disease relapse (73.4%), organ failure (7.8%), infection (4.7%), and secondary malignancy (4.2%) accounted for most of the deaths. The risk of death from infection ( P < .0001), but not from relapse ( P = .26), organ failure ( P = .68), or secondary malignancy ( P = .15), declined in the more recent cohorts. The mortality from relapse remained the most common cause of death.
Summary
Improved maintenance treatments are needed for patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphomas after autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Several studies with ...lenalidomide have been found to have activity in the treatment of relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphomas. In the present phase I/II, single‐arm, open‐label study, 59 patients with high‐risk relapsed non‐Hodgkin lymphoma received pretransplant BEAM chemotherapy and ASCT followed by 12 months of maintenance lenalidomide once daily on Days 1–21 (28‐day cycles) beginning at post‐transplantation Day 100. The most common histologies were mantle cell lymphoma (56%) and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (24%). The maximum tolerated dose in the dose‐finding part of the study was 15 mg, but cytopenias led to the subsequent adoption of a 10 mg dose in the final study. Sixteen patients (27%) completed 12 cycles of lenalidomide maintenance. The most common reason for discontinuation was adverse events (31%). These were primarily haematologic, and 56% of patients experienced Grade 3–4 events. Two‐year PFS rates (95% CIs) were 70% (56%–80%), 45% (19%–68%) and 81% (66%–90%); 2‐year OS rates (95% CIs) were 91% (80%–96%), 93% (61%–99%) and 90% (76%–96%) in all patients, patients completing and patients not completing 12‐month maintenance respectively. These results do not support the use of lenalidomide maintenance in this setting.
Abstract The optimal therapy for patients who have relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma has not been defined. We analyzed the clinical outcomes of 14 patients who had relapsed or refractory ...marginal zone lymphomas and underwent high-dose therapy/autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HDT/AHSCT) at the University of Nebraska from August 1992 to August 2008. The median age of patients was 48 years (range, 29 to 62 years). All patients had relapsed or refractory disease. There were three treatment-related deaths within 100 days of transplantation. With a median follow-up of 138 months, the median duration of failure-free survival is 108 months, and the median duration overall survival is 120 months. Only two patients have relapsed. Secondary malignancies were seen in three patients (myelodysplastic syndrome, n = 2; gastric carcinoma. n = 1). We conclude that HDT/AHSCT is feasible in patients who have relapsed/refractory marginal zone lymphomas. Approximately one- third of patients can achieve long-term disease-free survival.
Purpose
To quantify potential heterogeneity of treatment effect (HTE), of early sedation with dexmedetomidine (DEX) compared with usual care, and identify patients who have a high probability of ...lower or higher 90-day mortality according to age, and other identified clusters.
Methods
Bayesian analysis of 3904 critically ill adult patients expected to receive invasive ventilation > 24 h and enrolled in a multinational randomized controlled trial comparing early DEX with usual care sedation.
Results
HTE was assessed according to age and clusters (based on 12 baseline characteristics) using a Bayesian hierarchical models. DEX was associated with lower 90-day mortality compared to usual care in patients > 65 years (odds ratio OR, 0.83 95% credible interval CrI 0.68–1.00, with 97.7% probability of reduced mortality across broad categories of illness severity. Conversely, the probability of increased mortality in patients ≤ 65 years was 98.5% (OR 1.26 95% CrI 1.02–1.56. Two clusters were identified: cluster 1 (976 patients) mostly operative, and cluster 2 (2346 patients), predominantly non-operative. There was a greater probability of benefit with DEX in cluster 1 (OR 0.86 95% CrI 0.65–1.14) across broad categories of age, with 86.4% probability that DEX is more beneficial in cluster 1 than cluster 2.
Conclusion
In critically ill mechanically ventilated patients, early sedation with dexmedetomidine exhibited a high probability of reduced 90-day mortality in older patients regardless of operative or non-operative cluster status. Conversely, a high probability of increased 90-day mortality was observed in younger patients of non-operative status. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Background
Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and most common of the clinically indolent NHLs. Although often considered an incurable disease, ...overall survival has increased significantly with refinement in diagnostic techniques and the addition of rituximab. The course of FL is quite variable and presence of symptoms, organ dysfunction, cytopenias, aggressiveness of tumor are all taken into consideration when deciding individual treatment. In this study, we evaluated a large patient cohort with FL treated over a 35 year period for progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) based on FLIPI score, tumor grade, and treatment regimen and also looked at causes of late failures.
Methods
We evaluated 1037 patients (pts) from the Nebraska Lymphoma Study Group that were diagnosed with FL between the years of 1983-2020. Descriptive statistics were stratified according to age, histological subtype, treatment regimen, FLIPI category, presence and type of secondary malignancy. PFS was calculated from the time of diagnosis to progression or death and OS was the time from diagnosis to death from any cause. PFS and OS were plotted as Kaplan-Meier curves with statistically significant p<0.05.
Results
The median age at diagnosis and treatment was 61 years (yrs, range 17-91). A total of 9.1% were characterized as FLIPI high risk, 37.8% intermediate risk, and 33.6% low risk, 19.5% unavailable. Among the histological grade, 23.1% had FL- grade 1, 30.2% FL-2, 27.3% FL-3A, 2.5 % FL-3B and 16.9 % Composite Lymphoma. Anthracycline + rituximab was given in 24.5% of pts, whereas 43.8% of pts received an anthracycline based regimen without rituximab, 9.8% received rituximab without an anthracycline and 10.6% received neither of these agents. 6.75% (70 pts) were later found to have secondary malignancies of which 11 pts had myelodysplastic syndrome, 10 pts had acute leukemia and 9 pts had lung cancer. With a median follow up of 9.2 yrs and a maximum of 36 yrs, 29.7% (308 pts) had not relapsed.
The median PFS across all groups was 4.6 yrs (Fig 1) and OS was 12.1 yrs. Median OS was significantly longer in patients that received rituximab at 16.1 yrs as compared to patients that did not receive rituximab at 9.89 yrs (Fig 2). PFS was 8.6 yrs, 3.6 yrs and 2.1 yrs and OS was 15.1 yrs, 11.7 yrs and 4.9 yrs in FLIPI low, intermediate and high risk groups respectively (p=<0.001) (Fig 3), suggesting that survival was influenced by FLIPI score. Median PFS in FL-3B and FL-3A was 9.2 yrs and 5.2 yrs respectively which is longer than 4.7 yrs and 4.2 yrs for FL-1 and FL-2 (p=0.24). OS in FL-3A and FL-3B subgroups was 10.8 yrs while it was 11.6 yrs and 14.3 yrs in FL-2 and FL-1 (P=0.081). PFS is significantly longer at 10.6 yrs in pts treated with both anthracycline and rituximab containing regimen as compared to 5.3 yrs in pts treated with rituximab alone and 3.05 yrs in pts that had only anthracycline based regimen (p=<0.001) (Fig 4). The median OS also was significantly higher in the combination regimen group at 18.8 yrs as compared to 11.3 yrs in rituximab only group and 9 yrs in anthracycline based regimen group (p=<0.001).
When pts with FL-3A and FL-3B were grouped together and stratified according to treatment regimen, the group that received anthracycline and rituximab combination has highest PFS and OS at 13.3 yrs and 18.8 yrs (p<0.001). when pts with FL-3A were analyzed separately and stratified by treatment regimen, the results of PFS and OS were similar and statistically significant. However, of the 24 pts in FL-3B group, analysis revealed that PFS and OS was longer in anthracycline based regimen only group, however results were not statistically significant.
Among the pts that relapsed/died after 10 years (n=190), the cause of death was relapsed lymphoma in 13.7%, unknown in 55.8%, secondary malignancies in 4.2%, treatment related in 2.6% and not related to disease in 23.7%. A total of 278 pts survived > 10 yrs, and of these pts, 119 (30%) had not relapsed at the last follow up.
Conclusion
The addition of rituximab to standard anthracycline based chemotherapy has resulted in significant improvements in the PFS and OS rates of FL. These results also support the prognostic value of the FLIPI in patients treated in the rituximab era. Late relapses after 10 yrs from disease can occur, but 11.5% of patients had not relapsed with long term follow up. Secondary malignancies are also an important consideration in the long term survivors.
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Lunning:Acrotech: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Kite: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Curis: Research Funding; Beigene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Aeratech: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol Meyers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria; Legend: Consultancy; Verastem: Consultancy, Honoraria; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy. Armitage:Trovagene/Cardiff Oncology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Samus Therapeutics: Consultancy; Ascentage: Consultancy. Vose:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Allogene: Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Honoraria, Research Funding; Wugen: Honoraria; Novartis: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Incyte: Research Funding; Roche/Genetech: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other; Verastem: Consultancy, Honoraria; Miltenyi Biotec: Honoraria; Loxo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Epizyme: Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria.
Background: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) outcomes have significantly improved over time with multi-agent chemotherapy, and the addition of asparaginase (ASP) has demonstrated the ability to ...prolong overall survival. ASP has multiple toxicities, and it remains a challenge to manage them safely, particularly coagulopathy and thrombosis (30-40% based on historical studies). The best prophylactic anticoagulation strategy in patients with acute leukemias, particularly ALL with asparaginase use, remains unclear due to severe coexisting thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy. Though the current guidelines recommend using Antithrombin (AT) replacement or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for thrombosis prophylaxis, the evidence is weak with concerns of thrombosis (Blood (2020) 136 (3): 328-338) with the use of fibrinogen concentrates(cryoprecipitate) and limited efficacy data with AT replacement and unfractionated heparin (UFH) for thrombosis prophylaxis. Due to potential “resistance” to LMWH and UFH from acquired AT deficiency with ASP use, our institution in 2017 has adopted the use of the direct Xa inhibitor, Apixaban for thrombosis prophyalxis. We report the safety and effectiveness of Apixaban for thrombosis prophylaxis with ASP.
Methods: In this retrospective study, we reviewed the data on 20 patients treated with ASP between 2017-2020. Thrombosis prophylaxis was instituted with Apixaban 2.5 mg PO Q 12 hourly for three weeks along with cryoprecipitate as needed for bleeding or fibrinogen levels <100 mg/dL (normal 160-450 mg/dL) to balance the risk of bleeding. Apixaban was held if platelet count <20,000/µL and for invasive procedures or clinically significant bleeding events. We evaluated demographic data, ALL risk category, type of ASP use, laboratory data (Table 1 & 2) for four weeks following ASP, amount of cryoprecipitate used, major bleeding, clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB), and thrombosis incidence. The medians of pertinent laboratory data were plotted on a graph. Descriptive statistics with medians, quartiles, frequencies, and percentages are reported.
Results: Among the 20 patients treated during this period, 18 (90%) had ALL, and 2(10%) had NK/T cell lymphoma. Of the patients with ALL, 67% had high risk and 33% with standard-risk ALL. The median age of this cohort was 29.5 years (range: 19-63 years), 80% were males, 70% white, 30% were Latino or Hispanic, median body mass index-BMI of 30.2 kg/m 2(19.4-40.7 kg/m 2) and 65% were non-smokers. The median baseline AT activity was 107% (79-221%), 95% used concurrent corticosteroids (65%- Prednisone, and 30% used Dexamethasone). The most common induction treatment was CALGB 10403 (55%). Of the total, 95% received pegylated ASP, and only one patient received Erwinia ASP due to prior history of anaphylaxis. The major toxicities attributed to ASP included 5% grade II and 15% grade III-IV aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation, 20% had bilirubin elevation, 10% developed grade III-IV acute pancreatitis, and 5% developed severe hypertriglyceridemia needing aphaeresis. Two patients (10%) developed thrombosis catheter associated deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and one patient with lower extremity proximal DVT within 4 weeks of use of ASP, with one of the two patients (5%) developing (lower extremity proximal DVT) while on being off anticoagulation due to bleeding. Major bleeding or CRNMB developed in 5% (spontaneous splenic rupture from ALL leading to hemorrhagic shock). The median number of cryoprecipitate units used per patient during weeks 1,2,3, and 4 was 5(0-35), 5(0-40), 5(0-15), 7.5(0-15), respectively; No patients received fresh frozen plasma or AT concentrates.
Conclusions: With the use of Apixaban prophylaxis, the incidence of thrombosis was 10% within four weeks from ASP and 5% while on anticoagulation. The incidence of major bleeding or CRNMB was 5%. Hypofibrinogenemia, acquired AT deficiency due to ASP, was seen between days 7-21 after using ASP (figure 1 & 2) and recovered subsequently. This study demonstrates initial evidence of the safety and efficacy of Apixaban for thrombosis prophylaxis and cryoprecipitate infusions in patients treated with ASP.
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Gundabolu: Samus Therapeutics: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; BioMarin Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company: Consultancy; Blueprint Medicines: Consultancy. Bhatt: Jazz: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Tolero Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Research Funding; National Marrow Donor Program: Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Partnership for health analytic research, LLC: Consultancy; Servier Pharmaceuticals LLC: Consultancy; Rigel: Consultancy. Vose: Kite, a Gilead Company: Honoraria, Research Funding. Lunning: Myeloid Therapeutics: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Kyowa Kirin: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Celgene, a Bristol Myers Squibb Co.: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Daiichi-Sankyo: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy; Verastem: Consultancy; Acrotech: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Spectrum: Consultancy; Beigene: Consultancy; Morphosys: Consultancy. Baljevic: BMS/Celgene: Consultancy; Oncopeptides: Other: Advisory Board; Janssen Research: Other: Advisory Board; Karyopharm: Other: Advisory Board; BMS/Celgene: Other: Advisory Board; Amgen: Research Funding; Exelixis: Research Funding. Ganti: Merck: Research Funding; Apexigen: Research Funding; Nektar: Research Funding; Top Alliance Biosceinces: Research Funding; Lovance: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; WindMil Therapeitucs: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Flagship Biosciences: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board; Mirati Therapeutics: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board; G1 Therapeutics: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board; Blueprint Medicines: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board; Cardinal Health: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board; Roche: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board; YMabS Therapeutics: Other: DSMC Chair.
Introduction: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is characterized by the clonal expansion of mature CD19+/CD5+ lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and secondary lymphoid organs. The accumulation of ...B-CLL cells yields profound immune defects in the CLL tumor microenvironment (TME), promoting evasion of immune surveillance that contributes to tumor persistence and thus relapsed/refractory disease. The bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family of proteins are epigenetic readers that bind acetylated histone residues to regulate transcription of numerous genes involved in critical CLL protumor pathways. Of the BET family proteins, BRD4 is overexpressed in CLL and highly enriched at super-enhancers of genes that regulate CLL-TME interactions such as B cell receptor pathway components, chemokine/cytokine receptors, and immune checkpoint molecules. Pan BET inhibitors (BET-i), such as PLX51107 (Plexxikon Inc.) significantly improve survival in aggressive CLL murine models. Here we demonstrate that blocking BRD4 function with PLX51107 (PLX5) can alleviate the inherent immune defects observed in CLL, hence reducing B-CLL induced T cell dysfunction and allowing for robust B-CLL cell elimination. This therapeutic strategy may be vital in overcoming frequent drug resistance and/or bolstering the anti-tumor effect of current CLL therapies.
Methods: Primary leukemic B cells were isolated from the peripheral blood of CLL patients and co-cultured with healthy donor T cells to evaluate the effect of PLX5 (0.1-0.5μM) on CLL-induced T cell immunosuppression ex vivo via an array of flow cytometry assays. T cell proliferation was assessed using CFSE after 96 h co-culture with α-CD3/α-CD28 stimulation. Effector cytokine production was evaluated after 48 h co-culture in the presence of PMA/ionomycin (final 6 h) and brefeldin A (final 5 h). Immune inhibitory molecule surface expression was measured following 48 h co-culture with α-CD3/α-CD28 stimulation. To further validate our ex vivo findings, the E μ-TCL1 adoptive transfer model was used. Once disease onset was confirmed in recipient WT B6 mice (>10% CD45+/CD19+/CD5+ peripheral blood lymphocytes), mice were randomized to receive either PLX5 (20 mg/kg) or vehicle (VEH) equivalent daily by oral gavage for 4 weeks. Following treatment, mouse spleens were processed to evaluate exhaustion marker expression, T cell proliferation (CellTrace™ Violet, 72 h a-CD3/α-CD28 stimulation ex-vivo), and T-cell effector function (ex-vivo mitogenic stimulation, 6 h).
Results: T cell proliferation indices were reduced following ex vivo co-culture with primary B-CLL cells (mean ± SEM for T cells vs. co-culture, 2.0 ± 0.13 vs. 1.57 ± 0.05; P<0.01). This suppression was significantly alleviated in 0.5μM PLX5-treated co-cultures (1.84 ± 0.08; P<0.01). In a similar fashion, the percentage of polyfunctional TNF-α+/IFN-γ+ CD4+ T cells markedly increased in PLX5-treated co-cultures (VEH vs. 0.5μM PLX5, 10.0% ± 0.76% vs. 15.2% ± 0.92%; P<0.01). Notably, BET inhibition with PLX5 also bolstered T cell inflammatory function (%TNF-α+/IFN-γ+) in the absence of B-CLL cells (VEH vs. PLX5, 12.9% ± 1.0% vs. 15.3% ± 0.69%; P<0.05). Remarkably, the expression of numerous immune inhibitory molecules (e.g., PDL1, PD1, CTLA4, LAG3) was consistently reduced between 1.8- and 3-fold in PLX5-treated co-cultures (0.1μM). In the adoptive transfer E μ-TCL1 model, mice receiving PLX5 displayed reduced expansion of B-CLL cells and increased T cell infiltration in the spleen (Fig. 1A). Splenic CD4+ T cells from PLX5-treated mice had significantly greater proliferative capacity (Fig. 1B) and pro-inflammatory functionality (Fig. 1C). Finally, PLX5 treatment markedly reduced the surface expression of immune inhibitory molecules (e.g., PDL1, LAG3, VISTA) on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the spleen (Fig. 1D). Studies to evaluate the effects of PLX5 on malignant B-CLL and T cells within the bone marrow niche and soluble factors in the plasma are ongoing. Collectively, our data indicate that the novel BET-i, PLX5, exerts beneficial immunomodulatory effects on T cells within the CLL TME.
Conclusion: Epigenetic-targeted therapies such as BET-i have the potential to alleviate CLL-induced T cell dysfunction while eliminating B-CLL cells and preventing tumor expansion. Future profiling studies are pending to further illuminate how BET proteins regulate immune function in CLL.
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Lunning: AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Acrotech: Consultancy; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy; Kyowa Kirin: Consultancy; Myeloid Therapeutics: Consultancy; Beigene: Consultancy; Celgene, a Bristol Myers Squibb Co.: Consultancy; Verastem: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Daiichi-Sankyo: Consultancy; Morphosys: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Spectrum: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy. Vose: Kite, a Gilead Company: Honoraria, Research Funding. Powell: Plexxikon Inc.: Current Employment.
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