A phase I trial of palbociclib in combination with dexamethasone in relapsed or refractory adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Abstract

TPS7065 Background: c-Myb is a DNA-binding transcription factor that is highly expressed in immature hematopoietic cells. c-Myb and its products are essential in regulating normal hematopoiesis and influencing leukemogenesis. Knockdown of c-Myb causes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in pre-B-ALL cells. The effects of c-Myb depend on transcriptional regulation of CDK6 and Bcl-2. c-Myb-silenced Ph+ ALL cells exhibit Rb-dependent cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, both of which are rescued by ectopic expression of cyclin D3, CDK6, and Bcl-2 expression. Preclinical studies suggest that the cytotoxic activity of dexamethasone in ALL cells may be due to decreased c-Myb expression and reduced Bcl-2 levels. Thus, the novel combination of palbociclib, a small molecule CDK4/6 inhibitor, and dexamethasone is a logical approach for the treatment of B-cell ALL. Methods: This is a single arm, phase I, dose escalation study with a traditional 3+3 design. Adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL are eligible. Patients with Ph+ ALL must be refractory to or intolerant of standard tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Patients receive a 1-week lead-in of palbociclib alone followed by induction with 4 weeks of palbociclib and dexamethasone. If an adequate response is seen, patients move to maintenance therapy, which consists of 1 week of palbociclib plus dexamethasone followed by 3 weeks of palbociclib alone. Treatment continues until disease progression, dose limiting toxicity, or availability of an alternative therapy. The primary endpoints are dose limiting toxicity and maximum tolerated dose of palbociclib and dexamethasone. Correlative studies, which are performed on pretreatment, day +1 and day +8 samples, include RB phosphorylation and FOXM1 expression as measures of palbociclib activity; CD19+ cell gene expression profiling of (1) p21 expression as an indicator of cell cycle activity, (2) S-Phase, Annexin V/Caspase 3 activation as indicators of proliferation and apoptosis and (3) Myb and Bcl-2 expression as indicators of dexamethasone sensitivity. Cohort 1 is currently enrolling. Once a maximum tolerated dose is established, an expansion cohort is planned. Clinical trial information: NCT03472573.