Purpose We compared the efficacy of ofatumumab (O) versus rituximab (R) in combination with cisplatin, cytarabine, and dexamethasone (DHAP) salvage treatment, followed by autologous stem-cell ...transplantation (ASCT) in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Patients and Methods Patients with CD20
DLBCL age ≥ 18 years who had experienced their first relapse or who were refractory to first-line R-CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone)-like treatment were randomly assigned between three cycles of R-DHAP or O-DHAP. Either O 1,000 mg or R 375 mg/m
was administered for a total of four infusions (days 1 and 8 of cycle 1; day 1 of cycles 2 and 3 of DHAP). Patients who experienced a response after two cycles of treatment received the third cycle, followed by high-dose therapy and ASCT. Primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS), with failure to achieve a response after cycle 2 included as an event. Results Between March 2010 and December 2013, 447 patients were randomly assigned. Median age was 57 years (range, 18 to 83 years); 17% were age ≥ 65 years; 63% had stage III and IV disease; 71% did not achieve complete response (CR) or experience response for < 1 year on first-line R-CHOP. Response rate for O-DHAP was 38% (CR, 15%) versus 42% (CR, 22%) for R-DHAP. ASCT on protocol was completed by 74 patients (33%) in the O arm and 83 patients (37%) in the R arm. PFS, event-free survival, and overall survival were not significantly different between O-DHAP versus R-DHAP: PFS at 2 years was 24% versus 26% (hazard ratio HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.89 to 1.42; P = .33); event-free survival at 2 years was 16% versus 18% (HR, 1.10; P = .35); and overall survival at 2 years was 41% versus 38% (HR, 0.90; P = .38). Positron emission tomography negativity before ASCT was highly predictive for superior outcome. Conclusion No difference in efficacy was found between O-DHAP and R-DHAP as salvage treatment of relapsed or refractory DLBCL.
Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL), nasal type, comprises NK or cytotoxic T cells. We evaluated the clinical impact of cell type and the usefulness of T-cell receptor (TCR) gene ...transcripts in distinguishing cell lineage. One hundred and eight cases of ENKTL were analyzed for TCR gene rearrangements using the BIOMED-2 protocol and for TCR gene expression using immunohistochemistry for TCR-βF1 and TCR-cγM1, and RNA in situ hybridization for TCR gene transcripts. Prognostic factors were analyzed. Among the 108 cases, 44 were monoclonal for a TCR rearrangement (40%) while 64 (60%) were undefinable. The monoclonal cases expressed TCR-βF1 in 14 out of 40 cases (35%) and TCR-cγM1 in 1 out of 44 cases (2%). The 64 undetermined cases expressed TCR-βF1 in 15 cases (23%) and TCR-cγM1 in 1 (2%). Thirteen of 40 TCR-β constant gene transcript-positive cases (33%) expressed TCR-βF1 and one of nine TCR-γ constant gene transcript-positive cases (11%) expressed TCR-cγM1. TCR gene transcripts were not useful in the distinction of cell lineages. TCR gene transcripts were positive in ENKTLs as well as in normal B cells and aggressive NK-cell leukemia. Based on gene rearrangements and immunohistochemistry for TCR, there were 60 T-cell type cases (56%), 32 NK-cell type cases (30%), and 16 cases with an undetermined cell type (14%). TCR protein was expressed in 30/60 T-ENKTLs (50%) in a variable fraction of tumor cells. There were no significant differences in clinical findings or overall patient survival between T- or NK-cell types of ENKTL, although those with a T-cell type tended to show a better prognosis for those with localized nasal lymphomas. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that a non-nasal ENKTL, age >60 years, high level of lactate dehydrogenase, bone marrow involvement, and the absence of radiotherapy were independent prognostic factors.
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Background: Our group has demonstrated that combinations of epigenetic modifiers produce potent synergy in pre-clinical models of PTCL and induce the expression of cancer testis ...antigen, suggesting a role in the addition of the immune-checkpoint inhibitor, pembrolizumab. Methods: This is a phase 1b study of pembrolizumab combined with pralatrexate alone (Arm A), with pralatrexate + decitabine (Arm B), or decitabine alone (Arm C) in patients with relapsed and refractory PTCL and CTCL. A standard 3+3 dose-escalation is applied in the triplet Arm (Arm B) while in the doublet Arms (A and C) de-escalation is applied in case of toxicity. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies are ongoing. Results: We treated a total of 12 patients with 4 patients in each Arm. All patients that received at least one dose of drug were evaluable for toxicity. There was a dose limiting toxicity (DLT) in each arm including prolonged grade 3 thrombocytopenia (Arm A), febrile neutropenia (Arm B), grade 3 hyponatremia, and rash (Arm C). There were no treatment-related deaths. Six patients out of 12 were evaluable for response at the time of this analysis. One patient achieved a complete remission, 2 had partial remission, 1 had stable disease, and 2 experienced progression of disease. Interestingly, all of the responses were seen in the triple combination of pralatrexate, decitabine, and pembrolizumab. Table summarizes the patient characteristics, toxicities, and response rates. Conclusions: These preliminary clinical data suggest that the integration of pembrolizumab on an epigenetic backbone is safe and demonstrates encouraging responses in patient with PTCL and CTCL. Clinical trial information: 03240211 . Table: see text
To verify the spectrum of CD99-expressing lymphoid malignancy, an immunohistochemical study for CD99 was carried out in 182 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, including 21 lymphoblastic lymphomas, 11 ...small lymphocytic lymphomas, 9 mantle cell lymphomas, 12 follicular lymphomas, 37 diffuse large B cell lymphomas, 18 Burkitt's lymphomas, 28 NK/T-cell lymphomas, 8 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphomas, 23 peripheral T-cell lymphomas, unspecified, and 15 systemic anaplastic large cell lymphomas. CD99 was positive in all T-lymphoblastic lymphomas and in 60% of B-lymphoblastic lymphomas. Majority of T and NK cell lymphomas were negative for CD99, except anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCLs). Eight of 15 cases (54%) of ALCLs reacted with anti CD99 antibody. Seven of 10 (70%) ALK positive ALCLs expressed CD99, whereas only 1 of 5 (20%) ALK negative ALCLs were positive. Of the mature B-cell lymphomas, 5.4% (2/37) of diffuse large B cell lymphomas and 11.1% (2/18) of Burkitt's lymphomas expressed CD99. In conclusion, CD99 is infrequently expressed in mature B and T cell lymphomas, except ALK-positive ALCL. High expression of CD99 in ALK-positive ALCL is unexpected finding and its biologic and clinical significances have yet to be clarified.
Abstract
Our group has demonstrated that combinations of epigenetic modifiers produce potent synergy in pre-clinical models of PTCL, and has confirmed this data in early phase clinical studies. We ...showed that the combination of romidepsin and hypomethylating agents, decitabine or azacytidine, uniquely induces the expression of genes, including cancer testis antigens, gamma interferon and endogenous retrovirus. We are conducting a phase 1 study of pembrolizumab combined with pralatrexate alone (Arm A), with pralatrexate + decitabine (Arm B), or decitabine alone (Arm C) in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In addition, we are conducting a Phase 1/2A study of durvalumab combined with oral 5-azacitidine + romidepsin (Arm A), pralatrexate + romidepsin (Arm B), romidepsin (Arm C), or oral 5-azacitidine (Arm D) in patients with PTCL. Patient characteristics are listed in Table 1. We have treated a total of 12 patients across the 2 trials and 4 different Arms including pralatrexate plus pembrolizumab (3 patients), pralatrexate, decitabine and pembrolizumab (3 patients), decitabine and pembrolizumab (3 patients) and azacytidine, romidepsin and durvalumab (3 patients). Twelve patients out of 12 received at least one dose of drug and were evaluable for toxicity. There was a dose limiting toxicity (DLT) for each arm including prolonged grade 3 thrombocytopenia, febrile neutropenia, grade 3 hyponatremia and rash, and cytokine release syndrome, respectively. There were no treatment-related deaths. Eight patients out of 12 are evaluable for response at the time of this analysis. Three out of 8 patients achieved a complete remission, 3 out of 8 patients had a partial remission, and 2 out of 8 patients experienced progression of disease. Interestingly, all of the responses were seen in the triple combination of pralatrexate, decitabine, pembrolizumab and azacytidine, romidepsin and durvalumab. These preliminary clinical data suggest that the addition of immune-checkpoint inhibitors on an epigenetic backbone is safe and demonstrates encouraging responses in patient with PTCL and CTCL. These trials are registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03240211, NCT03161223).
Patient characteristics (n=12)Median age (range)68 (26-77)Sex, n (%) Male Female6 (50) 6 (50)Race, n (%)White/Non-Hispanic White/Hispanic Black Asian Unknown5 (42) 1 (8) 3 (25) 1 (8) 2 (17)Histology, n (%) PTCL, NOS AITL Mycosis Fungoides PTCL, NOS TFH ATLL Sezary Syndrome ALCL, ALK+2 (17) 2 (17) 2 (17) 1 (8) 1 (8) 1 (8) 1 (8)Stage at diagnosis IB II III IV Unknown1 (8) 2 (17) 3 (25) 4 (33) 2 (17)Median number of prior therapies (range) **2 unknown3 (0-5)
Citation Format: Enrica Marchi, Helen Ma, Francesca Montanari, Ahmed Sawas, Jennifer K. Lue, Changchun Deng, Kareema T. Whitfield, Sandra Klein, Matthew V. Matthew, Freedy J. Loffredo, Luigi Scotto, Hyejung Lee, Hye A. Kim, Alice T. Jacobs, Aishling M. Rada, Karen A. Khan, Salvia Salvia, John Lister, Nora N. Benanni, Mark A. Francescone, Pier Luigi Zinzani, Wonseog Kim, Owen A. O'Connor. The integration of PD1 blockade with epigenetic therapy is highly active and safe in heavily treated patients with T-cell lymphoma abstract. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr CT160.
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Background: T-cell directed therapies (e.g., CAR-T, blinatumomab) are associated with significant risk of Grade (Gr) ≥3 neurotoxicity and CRS/infusion-related reaction (IRR). ...Mosunetuzumab is a CD20/CD3 bispecific antibody that directs T-cells to engage and eliminate malignant B-cells. We report safety results from an ongoing phase 1/1b study of mosunetuzumab in patients (pts) with R/R B-cell NHL. Methods: Pts received ascending doses on Day 1, Day 8, and Day 15 of Cycle 1 (step-fractionation), then a fixed dose on Day 1 of every 21-day cycle thereafter, up to a maximum of 17 cycles. Primary outcome measures included safety and efficacy. Results: As of October 23, 2018, 114 pts who received step-fractionated dosing of mosunetuzumab were evaluable for safety (Table). The majority of adverse events (AE) occurred during Cycle 1 and 2. Neurologic AEs (NAE), defined from Nervous System or Psychiatric System Organ Classes, were mostly low grade, transient (median duration 4 days) and reversible; most common ones were headache (14%) and dizziness (8%). Gr ≥3 NAEs occurred in 4 pts (4%) with only 1 treatment-related event (hepatic encephalopathy). CRS/IRR was reported in 25% of pts, with only 1 Gr 3 event. Most common CRS symptoms were pyrexia (86%), chills (38%), and tachycardia and headache (14% each). There were no Gr 5 events related to CRS or NAEs. No apparent dose toxicity relationship was observed with step-fractionation in these pts, despite escalation of the Cycle 1 Day 15 dose to 20 mg, consistent with observed peak IL-6 levels after a low Cycle 1 Day 1 dose. In these pts, objective responses were observed in 24/73 (33%; complete response CR, 13 18%) aggressive NHL and 17/32 (53%; CR, 10 31%) indolent NHL pts. Conclusions: Step-fractionation has enabled continued dose escalation of mosunetuzumab with no apparent increases in toxicity, exhibiting a promising risk-benefit profile. Clinical trial information: NCT02500407; GO29781. Table: see text
Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a unique subtype of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) with distinct clinicopathologic features and poor prognosis. We performed a subset analysis of 282 ...patients with AITL enrolled between 2006 and 2018 in the international prospective T-cell Project (NCT01142674). The primary and secondary endpoints were 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), respectively. We analyzed the prognostic impact of clinical covariates and progression of disease within 24 months (POD24) and developed a novel prognostic score. The median age was 64 years, and 90% of patients had advanced stage disease. Eighty-one percent received anthracycline-based regimens and 13% underwent consolidative autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in first complete remission (CR1). Five-year OS and PFS estimates were 44% and 32%, respectively, with improved outcomes for patients who underwent ASCT in CR1. In multivariate analysis, age ³60 years, ECOG performance status >2, elevated C-reactive protein, and elevated β2 microglobulin were associated with inferior outcomes. A novel prognostic score (AITL score) combining these factors defined low, intermediate, and high-risk subgroups with 5-year OS estimates of 63%, 54%, and 21%, respectively, with greater discriminant power than established prognostic indices. Finally, POD24 was a powerful prognostic factor with 5-year OS of 63% for patients without POD24 compared to only 6% for patients with POD24 (p<0.0001). These data will require validation in a prospective cohort of homogeneously treated patients. Optimal treatment of AITL continues to be an unmet need and novel therapeutic approaches are required.
Background: Salvage chemoimmunotherapy, followed by high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for responding patients, is standard treatment for fit patients with diffuse ...large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) failing first line rituximab-CHOP treatment. Response to salvage treatment is critical for a durable progression free survival (PFS) following ASCT. The 3-year event free survival (EFS) for patients treated with rituximab (R) in first-line regimens who received salvage chemotherapy in combination with R was only 21% (ref-1). The anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody ofatumumab (O) has shown efficacy in R resistant lymphoma cell lines and in patients with relapsed or refractory intermediate grade lymphoma when combined with chemotherapy (ref-2). In this randomised phase III study we compared the efficacy of O versus R in combination with DHAP (cisplatin, cytarabine, dexamethasone), aiming to improve PFS following salvage treatment and ASCT (NCT01014208).
Methods: CD20+ DLBCL patients, aged ≥18y, in first relapse or not responding (<CR) to first-line R-CHOP-like treatment, with FDG-PET positive measurable disease, were randomised 1:1 between 3 cycles of R-DHAP or O-DHAP. Randomisation was stratified for risk factors: relapse >1y vs ≤1y (including PR, SD or PD) and secondary age adjusted IPI (sAAIPI) 0-1 vs 2-3. Either O 1000 mg or R 375 mg/m2was administered for a total of 4 infusions on days 1 and 8 of cycle 1, and day 1 of cycles 2 and 3 of DHAP. DHAP was dosed as published (ref 1). Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were harvested during cycle 2 or 3. Responding patients (PR+CR) after 2 cycles received the third cycle followed by high-dose therapy and ASCT. Response after 2 cycles was determined by CT scans, and response after 3 cycles and 3 months after ASCT was determined by combined CT+FDG-PET scans according to RRCML criteria by an independent review. Patients with SD after cycle 2 or progressive disease did not proceed to ASCT. The primary endpoint was PFS, defined as time from randomisation to SD after cycle 2, PD or death, whichever came first. EFS included new therapy as an event in addition to the definitions for PFS.
Results: Between March 2010 and December 2013, 447 patients were randomised: 222 O-DHAP, 225 R-DHAP. Two patients in the R-DHAP arm were excluded from the ITT-population in accordance with the protocol because they did not receive any study treatment. The database cut-off date was Feb 28, 2014. Patient characteristics were evenly distributed between study arms: median age 57y (range, 18-83); 39% ≥60y; male 61%; Caucasian 72%; LDH >ULN 49%; ECOG PS >1 8%; stage III/IV 63%; sAAIPI 2-3 40%; and response to first line therapy: CR >1y 29%, CR ≤1y 11%, PR 36%, SD 8%, PD 16%. PFS, EFS and OS were not significantly different in the O-arm vs R-arm: PFS-2y 21% vs 26% (HR 1.14, 95% CI 0.90-1.45, p=0.27); EFS-2y 14% vs 17% (HR 1.12, p=0.27); OS-2y 41% vs 36% (HR 0.86, p=0.25). sAAIPI and response duration after first-line treatment were risk factors significantly associated with PFS and OS. In all, 102 (46%) patients in the O-arm and 113 (51%) in the R-arm died, 79% due to disease progression. Response to salvage was not significantly different between the study arms; ORR: O-arm 38% (CR 15%) vs R-arm 42% (CR 22%). ASCT on protocol was completed by 74 (33%) patients in the O-arm and 81 (36%) in the R-arm. Off protocol SCT was completed by 37 (17%) patients in the O-arm and 26 (12%) in the R-arm. No major differences in clinically relevant toxicity were observed between the arms. Rash (22% vs 9%) and raised serum creatinine (24% vs 16%) were increased in the O-arm. Time to neutrophil (ANC >0.5x109/L and increasing) and platelet (PLT >10x109/L and increasing) recovery after each cycle of DHAP therapy, and PBSC harvest, did not differ between the arms. Time to engraftment (PLT ≥20x109/L and 3 consecutive days of ANC ≥0.5x109/L, prior to day 42) after ASCT was shorter in the R-arm vs the O-arm (HR 0.62, p=0.05).
Conclusion: In this large international study no difference in efficacy was found between ofatumumab and rituximab in combination with DHAP as salvage treatment for refractory or relapsed DLBCL. Improved treatment for patients failing first line R-CHOP treatment is urgently needed.
Ref 1: Gisselbrecht, J Clin Oncol; 2010:28:4184
Ref 2: Matasar, Blood; 2013 122: 499
Off Label Use: Ofatumumab is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. Ofatumumab is not indicated in DLBCL. Matasar:Genentech, Merck: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Radford:Millennium, Seattle Genetics, Cell Medica: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau, Wife is a GSK/AZ Share Holder Other. Ardeshna:Roche, Gilead, Millenium: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Kim:Novartis, Takeda, Celgene: Research Funding. Hong:Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center: Employment. Davies:Hoffman LaRoche, GSK: Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Ogura:GlaxoSmithKline Jansen Pharma Takeda, Eisai, Symbio, Zenyakuu, Pfizer, Chugai, Celgene, Astra Zeneca, Mundi, Sorasia, GSK, Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding. Fennessy:GlaxoSmithKline: Employment, Equity Ownership. Liao:GlaxoSmithKline: Employment, Equity Ownership. Lisby:Genmab: Employment. Lin:GlaxoSmithKline: Employment, Equity Ownership. Hagenbeek:Milennium, Genmab: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees.
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