Bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (VTd) plus autologous stem-cell transplantation is standard treatment in Europe for transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. We ...evaluated whether the addition of daratumumab to VTd before and after autologous stem-cell transplantation would improve stringent complete response rate in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
In this two-part, randomised, open-label, phase 3 CASSIOPEIA trial, we recruited transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma at 111 European sites. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive four pre-transplant induction and two post-transplant consolidation cycles of VTd alone (VTd group) or in combination with daratumumab (D-VTd group). The primary endpoint of part 1 was stringent complete response assessed 100 days after transplantation. Part 2 (maintenance) is ongoing. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02541383.
Between Sept 22, 2015, and Aug 1, 2017, 1085 patients were enrolled at 111 European sites and were randomly assigned to the D-VTd group (n=543) or the VTd group (n=542). At day 100 after transplantation, 157 (29%) of 543 patients in the D-VTd group and 110 (20%) of 542 patients in the VTd group in the intention-to-treat population had achieved a stringent complete response (odds ratio 1·60, 95% CI 1·21–2·12, p=0·0010). 211 (39%) patients in the D-VTd group versus 141 (26%) in the VTd group achieved a complete response or better, and 346 (64%) of 543 versus 236 (44%) of 542 achieved minimal residual disease-negativity (10−5 sensitivity threshold, assessed by multiparametric flow cytometry; both p<0·0001). Median progression-free survival from first randomisation was not reached in either group (hazard ratio 0·47, 95% CI 0·33–0·67, p<0·0001). 46 deaths on study were observed (14 vs 32, 0·43, 95% CI 0·23–0·80). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were neutropenia (28% vs 15%), lymphopenia (17% vs 10%), and stomatitis (13% vs 16%).
D-VTd before and after autologous stem-cell transplantation improved depth of response and progression-free survival with acceptable safety. CASSIOPEIA is the first study showing the clinical benefit of daratumumab plus standard of care in transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
The Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome and Dutch-Belgian Cooperative Trial Group for Hematology Oncology.
CASSIOPEIA part 1 showed superior depth of response and significantly improved progression-free survival with daratumumab, bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (D-VTd) versus bortezomib, ...thalidomide, and dexamethasone (VTd) as induction and consolidation in patients with autologous stem-cell transplant (ASCT)-eligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. In part 2, we compared daratumumab maintenance versus observation only.
CASSIOPEIA is a two-part, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial of patients aged 18–65 years with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0–2, done in 111 European academic and community practice centres. In part 1, patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to induction and consolidation with D-VTd or VTd. Patients still on study who had a partial response or better were randomly assigned (1:1) by an interactive web-response system to daratumumab 16 mg/kg intravenously every 8 weeks (a reduced frequency compared with standard daratumumab long-term dosing) or observation only for up to 2 years. Stratification factors were induction treatment and depth of response in part 1. The part 2 primary endpoint was progression-free survival from second randomisation. This preplanned interim analysis of progression-free survival was done after 281 events and shall be considered the primary analysis of progression-free survival. Sponsor personnel and designees who were involved in the analysis were masked to treatment group until the independent data monitoring committee recommended that the preplanned interim analysis be considered the main analysis of progression-free survival in part 2. Otherwise, treatment assignments were unmasked. The interaction between induction and consolidation and maintenance was tested at a two-sided significance level of 0·05 by a stratified Cox regression model that included the interaction term between maintenance treatment and induction and consolidation treatment. Efficacy analyses were done in the maintenance-specific intention-to-treat population, which comprised all patients who underwent second randomisation. Safety was analysed in all patients in the daratumumab group who received at least one dose and all patients randomly assigned to observation only. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02541383. Long-term follow-up is ongoing and the trial is closed to new participants.
Between May 30, 2016, and June 18, 2018, 886 patients (458 84% of 543 in the D-VTd group and 428 79% of 542 in the VTd group) were randomly assigned to daratumumab maintenance (n=442) or observation only (n=444). At a median follow-up of 35·4 months (IQR 30·2–39·9) from second randomisation, median progression-free survival was not reached (95% CI not evaluable NE–NE) with daratumumab versus 46·7 months (40·0–NE) with observation only (hazard ratio 0·53, 95% CI 0·42–0·68, p<0·0001). A prespecified analysis of progression-free survival results showed a significant interaction between maintenance and induction and consolidation therapy (p<0·0001). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were lymphopenia (16 4% of 440 patients in the daratumumab group vs eight 2% of 444 patients in the observation-only group), hypertension (13 3% vs seven 2%), and neutropenia (nine 2% vs ten 2%). Serious adverse events occurred in 100 (23%) patients in the daratumumab group and 84 (19%) patients in the observation-only group. In the daratumumab group, two adverse events led to death (septic shock and natural killer-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma); both were related to treatment.
Daratumumab maintenance every 8 weeks for 2 years significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death compared with observation only. Longer follow-up and other ongoing studies will shed further light on the optimal daratumumab-containing post-ASCT maintenance treatment strategy.
Janssen Research & Development, the Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome, and the Dutch-Belgian Cooperative Trial Group for Hematology Oncology.
Lenalidomide maintenance after stem-cell transplantation significantly prolonged progression-free and event-free survival in patients with multiple myeloma. At 4 years, overall survival was similar ...in the lenalidomide-treated and placebo-treated groups.
During the past decade, high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem-cell transplantation has become the standard treatment for newly diagnosed myeloma in patients younger than 65 years of age. However, the median duration of response after this procedure does not exceed 3 years, and few patients remain free of the disease for more than 10 years.
1
–
4
Relapses are due to the failure of high-dose chemotherapy to eradicate all myeloma cells. Maintenance treatments have been proposed to control the proliferation of residual malignant cells after transplantation. For many years, interferon with or without glucocorticoids was used,
1
,
2
,
5
but this approach was . . .
The prevention of relapse is the major therapeutic challenge in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who have obtained a complete remission (CR) on intensive chemotherapy. In this ...randomized phase 3 study (HOVON97) in older patients (≥60 years) with AML or myelodysplastic syndrome with refractory anemia with excess of blasts, in CR/CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi) after at least 2 cycles of intensive chemotherapy, we assessed the value of azacitidine as postremission therapy with respect to disease-free survival (DFS; primary end point) and overall survival (OS; secondary end point). In total, 116 eligible patients were randomly (1:1) assigned to either observation (N = 60) or azacitidine maintenance (N = 56; 50 mg/m2, subcutaneously, days 1-5, every 4 weeks) until relapse, for a maximum of 12 cycles. Fifty-five patients received at least 1 cycle of azacitidine, 46 at least 4 cycles, and 35 at least 12 cycles. The maintenance treatment with azacitidine was feasible. DFS was significantly better for the azacitidine treatment group (logrank; P = .04), as well as after adjustment for poor-risk cytogenetic abnormalities at diagnosis and platelet count at randomization (as surrogate for CR vs CRi; Cox regression; hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.95; P = .026). The 12-month DFS was estimated at 64% for the azacitidine group and 42% for the control group. OS did not differ between treatment groups, with and without censoring for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Rescue treatment was used more often in the observation group (n = 32) than in the azacitidine maintenance group (n = 9). We conclude that azacitidine maintenance after CR/CRi after intensive chemotherapy is feasible and significantly improves DFS. The study is registered with The Netherlands Trial Registry (NTR1810) and EudraCT (2008-001290-15).
•Azacitidine maintenance is feasible in intensively treated older patients with newly diagnosed AML.•Azacitidine maintenance, with adjustment for poor risk cytogenetic risk at diagnosis and platelet count at randomization, improves DFS.
Display omitted
Bone imaging has been intimately associated with the diagnosis and staging of multiple myeloma (MM) for more than 5 decades, as the presence of bone lesions indicates advanced disease and dictates ...treatment initiation. The methods used have been evolving, and the historical radiographic skeletal survey has been replaced by whole body CT, whole body MRI (WB-MRI) and
18
FFDG-PET/CT for the detection of bone marrow lesions and less frequent extramedullary plasmacytomas.
Beyond diagnosis, imaging methods are expected to provide the clinician with evaluation of the response to treatment. Imaging techniques are consistently challenged as treatments become more and more efficient, inducing profound response, with more subtle residual disease. WB-MRI and FDG-PET/CT are the methods of choice to address these challenges, being able to assess disease progression or response and to detect “minimal” residual disease, providing key prognostic information and guiding necessary change of treatment.
This paper provides an up-to-date overview of the WB-MRI and PET/CT techniques, their observations in responsive and progressive disease and their role and limitations in capturing minimal residual disease. It reviews trials assessing these techniques for response evaluation, points out the limited comparisons between both methods and highlights their complementarity with most recent molecular methods (next-generation flow cytometry, next-generation sequencing) to detect minimal residual disease. It underlines the important role of PET/MRI technology as a research tool to compare the effectiveness and complementarity of both methods to address the key clinical questions.
With the introduction of immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors, and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies, major improvements have been achieved in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), with a ...significant impact on the outcome of this disease. Different treatment combinations are now in use and other therapies are being developed. Based on an extensive review of the recent literature, we propose practical recommendations on myeloma management, to be used by hematologists as a reference for daily practice.
Objectives
To compare the diagnostic accuracy of a single T2 Dixon sequence to the combination T1+STIR as anatomical sequences used for detecting tumoral bone marrow lesions in whole-body MRI ...(WB-MRI) examinations.
Methods
Between January 2019 and January 2020, seventy-two consecutive patients (55 men, 17 women, median age = 66 years) with solid (prostate, breast, neuroendocrine) cancers at high risk of metastasis or proven multiple myeloma (MM) prospectively underwent a WB-MRI examination including coronal T1, STIR, T2 Dixon and axial diffusion-weighted imaging sequences. Two radiologists independently assessed the combination of T1+STIR sequences and the fat+water reconstructions from the T2 Dixon sequence. The reference standard was established by consensus reading of WB-MRI and concurrent imaging available at baseline and at 6 months. Repeatability and reproducibility of MRI scores (presence and semi-quantitative count of lesions), image quality (SNR: signal-to-noise, CNR: contrast-to-noise, CRR: contrast-to-reference ratios), and diagnostic characteristics (Se: sensitivity, Sp: specificity, Acc: accuracy) were assessed
per
-skeletal region and
per
-patient.
Results
Repeatability and reproducibility were at least good regardless of the score, region, and protocol (0.67 ≤ AC1 ≤ 0.98). CRR was higher on T2 Dixon fat compared to T1 (
p
< 0.0001) and on T2 Dixon water compared to STIR (
p
= 0.0128). In the
per
-patient analysis, Acc of the T2 Dixon fat+water was higher than that of T1+STIR for the senior reader (Acc = +0.027 +0.025; +0.029,
p
< 0.0001) and lower for the junior reader (Acc = −0.029 −0.031; −0.027,
p
< 0.0001).
Conclusions
A single T2 Dixon sequence with fat+water reconstructions offers similar reproducibility and diagnostic accuracy as the recommended combination of T1+STIR sequences and can be used for skeletal screening in oncology, allowing significant time-saving.
Key Points
• Replacement of the standard anatomic T1 + STIR WB-MRI protocol by a single T2 Dixon sequence drastically shortens the examination time without loss of diagnostic accuracy.
• A protocol based on fat + water reconstructions from a single T2 Dixon sequence offers similar inter-reader agreement and a higher contrast-to-reference ratio for detecting lesions compared to the standard T1 + STIR protocol.
• Differences in the accuracy between the two protocols are marginal (+ 3% in favor of the T2 Dixon with the senior reader; −3% against the T2 Dixon with the junior reader).
PDF
