Abstract
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells; the incidence rate of multiple myeloma is high among older adults. Although significant advances have been made in the clinical management of ...multiple myeloma driven by the introduction of novel drugs, such as proteasome inhibitors, immuno- modulators and antibodies, multiple myeloma remains incurable. Hence, the current therapeutic goal for multiple myeloma is to achieve long-term survival while maintaining a good quality of life. In this context, personalized treatment to balance the efficacy and safety of therapies is important, especially for older adults as they display diverse physical, cognitive or organ functioning. Furthermore, old age is also often associated with frailty. Several tools for evaluating frailty in older adults with multiple myeloma are now available, and frail patients defined by these tools have shown a poor prognosis and more treatment-related toxicities. In addition, it is important to evaluate other factors, such as the International Staging System, high-risk chromosomal abnormalities and treatment response, to predict the clinical course of patients. Further investigations are required to determine how these factors can optimize the treatment for multiple myeloma. In this review, we present a detailed account on the developments and issues related to the current treatment approaches for older adults with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. We also discuss the ongoing phase III clinical study conducted by the lymphoma study group of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group, which targeted older adults with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
FoxP3(+) Tregs inhibit immune responses against tumors. KW-0761 is a humanized anti-human CCR4 monoclonal antibody (mAb) that has antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activity. Depletion of ...CCR4-expressing FoxP3(+) CD4 Tregs by KW-0761 infusion was investigated in solid cancer patients.
We conducted a phase Ia clinical trial of KW-0761 infusion in 7 lung and 3 esophageal cancer patients. Toxicity, clinical efficacy, changes in lymphocyte subpopulations, including Tregs, and induction of immune responses were analyzed.
The results showed that KW-0761 infusion in a dose range between 0.1 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg was safe and well tolerated. No dose-limiting toxicity was observed. Four of 10 patients showed stable disease during treatment and were long survivors. The monitoring of FoxP3(+) Tregs in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells during treatment indicated efficient depletion of those cells, even at the lowest dose of 0.1 mg/kg used. The reduction in Th 1 CD4 T cells and CD8 T cells was limited, whereas a significant reduction was observed with Th 2 and Th 17 CD4 T cells. Immune responses to cancer/testis (CT) antigens and an autoantibody response to thyroid peroxidase were observed in some patients.
The findings showed Tregs depletion and the possible occurrence of an immune response following KW-0761 infusion. Combined use of KW-0761 to deplete FoxP3(+) Tregs with other immunotherapies, such as cancer vaccines or checkpoint inhibitors, is a promising approach to augment immune responses.
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are important negative regulators of immune homeostasis, but in cancers they tone down the anti-tumor immune response. They are distinguished by high expression levels of ...the chemokine receptor CCR4, hence their targeting by the anti-CCR4 monoclonal antibody mogamulizumab holds therapeutic promise. Here we show that despite a significant reduction in peripheral effector Treg cells, clinical responses are minimal in a cohort of patients with advanced CCR4-negative solid cancer in a phase Ib study (NCT01929486). Comprehensive immune-monitoring reveals that the abundance of CCR4-expressing central memory CD8
T cells that are known to play roles in the antitumor immune response is reduced. In long survivors, characterised by lower CCR4 expression in their central memory CD8
T cells possessed and/or NK cells with an exhausted phenotype, cell numbers are eventually maintained. Our study thus shows that mogamulizumab doses that are currently administered to patients in clinical studies may not differentiate between targeting effector Treg cells and central memory CD8
T cells, and dosage refinement might be necessary to avoid depletion of effector components during immune therapy.
Malignant lymphoma developing during anti-PD-1 antibody treatment is extremely rare. A 74-year-old female was admitted with left hypochondrial pain. She was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of ...the right upper lobe of the lung, and had undergone surgery and postoperative chemotherapy three years prior. Needle biopsy of a mediastinal lymph node revealed recurrent lung cancer (LC). Pembrolizumab (PEM) monotherapy was started as salvage treatment. Although her lymphadenopathy improved, thrombocytopenia and splenomegaly developed during treatment with nine doses of PEM. Laboratory findings included anemia, increased lactate dehydrogenase, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels of 6379 U/mL. Flow cytometry of peripheral blood and bone marrow showed CD20
+
, κ ≪ λ cell populations.
IGH-BCL2
fusion was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization in bone marrow. Positron emission tomography showed abnormal uptake in tonsils, both cervical lymph nodes, mediastinum (different location from the recurrent LC), spleen, and abdominal cavity. Follicular lymphoma (FL) grade 1/2 was histologically diagnosed by tonsillar biopsy. She achieved a complete metabolic response (CMR) after rituximab monotherapy on PEM discontinuation. Relapsed FL was diagnosed by submandibular gland biopsy four months after restarting PEM and she achieved a second CMR after rituximab-containing chemotherapy. We describe the first case of newly diagnosed FL during PEM treatment.
IRF4 is a master regulator of immunity and is also frequently overexpressed in mature lymphoid neoplasms. Here, we demonstrate the oncogenicity of IRF4 in vivo, its potential effects on T-cell ...development and clonal evolution using a zebrafish model. IRF4-transgenic zebrafish develop aggressive tumors with massive infiltration of abnormal lymphocytes that spread to distal organs. Many late-stage tumors are mono- or oligoclonal, and tumor cells can expand in recipient animals after transplantation, demonstrating their malignancy. Mutation of p53 accelerates tumor onset, increases penetrance, and results in tumor heterogeneity. Surprisingly, single-cell RNA-sequencing reveals that the majority of tumor cells are double-negative T-cells, many of which express tcr-γ that became dominant as the tumors progress, whereas double-positive T-cells are largely diminished. Gene expression and epigenetic profiling demonstrates that gata3, mycb, lrrn1, patl1 and psip1 are specifically activated in tumors, while genes responsible for T-cell differentiation including id3 are repressed. IRF4-driven tumors are sensitive to the BRD inhibitor.
Lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) treatment is common for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) ineligible for autologous stem-cell transplantation. Daratumumab plus Rd (D-Rd) is ...effective and well tolerated for treating relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. In this ongoing phase 1b trial, transplant-ineligible Japanese patients with NDMM received daratumumab (16 mg/kg intravenously every week for 8 weeks, every 2 weeks for 16 weeks, then every 4 weeks until disease progression) plus Rd (R 25 mg on Days 1‒21 of 28-day cycle; d 40 mg weekly). The primary objective was to evaluate D-Rd tolerability and safety in Japanese patients with NDMM. Secondary objectives included daratumumab pharmacokinetics and response rate. During the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) evaluation period, two DLTs occurred in seven (28.6%) patients, indicating D-Rd tolerability. At an 11.0-month median follow-up (interim analysis), grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in six (85.7%) patients, including lymphopenia (71.4%), leukopenia (57.1%), and neutropenia (42.9%). Three (42.9%) patients experienced infusion-related reactions (IRRs). All IRRs were grade 2, occurred during the first daratumumab infusion, and resolved within 24 h. Pharmacokinetic findings were comparable to those in previous studies. A 100% overall response rate was achieved. These findings suggest D-Rd is tolerable in Japanese patients with transplant-ineligible NDMM.
ClinicalTrials
.
gov identifier
NCT02918331.
PIM447, a pan-proviral integration site for Moloney leukemia (PIM) kinase inhibitor, has shown preclinical activity in multiple myeloma (MM). This phase I, open-label, multicenter, dose-escalation ...study aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose for expansion (RDE) of PIM447 in Japanese patients with relapsed and/or refractory (R/R) MM. The study included 13 patients (250 mg once daily (QD),
n
= 7; 300 mg QD,
n
= 6). The sole dose-limiting toxicity observed was grade 3 QTc prolongation in one patient from the 300 mg group, and the MTD and RDE was not determined. The most common suspected PIM447-related adverse events (AEs) included thrombocytopenia (76.9%), anemia (53.8%), and leukopenia (53.8%). All patients experienced at least one grade 3 or 4 AE, most frequently thrombocytopenia or leukopenia (61.5% each). The overall response rate was 15.4%, disease control rate 69.2%, clinical benefit rate 23.1%, and two patients had a partial response (one in each dose group). Two patients treated with 250 mg QD had a progression-free survival > 6 months. PIM447 250 mg or 300 mg QD was tolerated in Japanese patients with R/R MM. Further studies are required to evaluate clinical outcomes of PIM447 in combination with other drugs for the treatment of MM.
Trial registration
: clinicaltrials.gov: (NCT02160951).
Cereblon (CRBN) is a target for immunomodulatory drugs. This study investigated the prognostic value of the expression of CRBN‐pathway genes on the clinical relevance of lenalidomide (Len) treatment ...and evaluated the levels of CRBN‐binding proteins and mutations in these genes after Len treatment. Forty‐eight primary multiple myeloma cells were collected prior to treatment with Len and dexamethasone (Ld) and 25 paired samples were obtained post‐Ld therapy. These tumor cells were used to determine the expression and mutated forms of the CRBN‐pathway genes. Following normalization with CRBN levels, there was a significantly reduced IKZF1/CRBN ratio in samples that responded poorly to Ld therapy. Moreover, patients with low ratios of IKZF1/CRBN showed a significantly shorter progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with higher ratios. However, patients with high ratios of KPNA2/CRBN showed a significantly shorter PFS and OS than patients with lower ratios. Of the 25 paired samples analyzed, most samples showed a reduction in the expression of CRBN and an increase in IKZF1 gene expression. No mutations were observed in CRBN, IKZF1, or CUL4A genes in the post‐Ld samples. In conclusion, a decreased expression of IKZF1 and increased expression of KPNA2 compared to that of CRBN mRNA predicts poor outcomes of Ld therapy.
This study investigated the prognostic value of the expression of cereblon (CRBN)‐pathway genes on the clinical relevance of lenalidomide treatment and evaluated the levels of CRBN‐binding proteins, mutations in these genes, and the methylation status of the CRBN promoter sequence. In conclusion, a decreased expression of IKZF1 and increased expression of KPNA2 compared to that of CRBN mRNA predicts poor outcomes of lenalidomide and dexamethasone therapy.
We report an adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma patient suffering from Stevens–Johnson Syndrome (SJS) during mogamulizumab (humanized anti‐CCR4 monoclonal antibody) treatment. There was a durable ...significant reduction of the CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ regulatory T (Treg) cell subset in the patient's PBMC, and the affected inflamed skin almost completely lacked FOXP3‐positive cells. This implies an association between reduction of the Treg subset by mogamulizimab and occurrence of SJS. The present case should contribute not only to our understanding of human pathology resulting from therapeutic depletion of Treg cells, but also alert us to the possibility of immune‐related severe adverse events such as SJS when using mogamulizumab. We are currently conducting a clinical trial of mogamulizumab for CCR4‐negative solid cancers (UMIN000010050), specifically aiming to deplete Treg cells.
PDF
