Intermediate-1 Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes Research Articles

A Phase 2, Open-Label, Ascending Dose Study of Ker-050 for the Treatment of Anemia in Patients with Very Low, Low, or Intermediate Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes

A Phase 2, Open-Label, Ascending Dose Study of Ker-050 for the Treatment of Anemia in Patients with Very Low, Low, or Intermediate Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Phase 1/2 Study of Oral TP-0184 for the Treatment of Anemia in Adults with Low- or Intermediate-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Patients with anemia due to lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have limited treatment options. The transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) pathway has been implicated in contributing to ineffective hematopoiesis in patients with MDS. Members of the TGF-β superfamily include activin receptor-like kinase 2 (ALK2) and ALK5. ALK2 signaling plays a key role in modulating hepcidin, an important regulator of iron homeostasis (and thus erythropoiesis). Increased levels of hepcidin have been linked to anemia in patients with chronic inflammation and cancer, including multiple myeloma (Maes K, et al. Blood. 2010;116:3635-44). The role of hepcidin in MDS-related anemia is unknown and needs to be explored. ALK5 signaling through SMAD2/3 phosphorylation is constitutively active in bone marrow precursor cells from patients with MDS (Zhou L, et al. Blood. 2008;112:3434-43). Inhibition of ALK5 suppresses phosphorylation of SMAD2 in MDS hematopoietic progenitor cells and stimulates hematopoiesis in cells derived from patients with MDS. Collectively, these data suggest that blockade of the TGF-β-SMAD2/3 signaling pathway with an ALK5 inhibitor has the potential to benefit patients with anemia due to MDS.TP-0184 is a small-molecule, dual inhibitor of ALK2 and ALK5. In vitro, TP-0184 inhibits downstream signaling from ALK2 by reducing the phosphorylation of SMAD1/5/8 and blocks hepcidin expression (Peterson PW, et al. Blood. 2017;130 [suppl_1]: 937). Ex vivo, TP-0184 inhibits downstream signaling from ALK5 by reducing SMAD2/3 phosphorylation (data on file). By inhibiting both the ALK2 and ALK5 signaling pathways, TP-0184 may reduce ineffective erythropoiesis in patients with MDS.An open-label, single-arm, phase 1/2 study (NCT04623996) is being undertaken to evaluate the preliminary safety and efficacy of TP-0184 in treating anemia in adults (aged ≥18 years) with MDS. To be eligible, patients must have low- or intermediate-risk MDS (de novo or secondary) per the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System and have relapsed, exhibited an inadequate response to, or been refractory, resistant, or intolerant to treatment with an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent. Patients may have low or high red blood cell transfusion burden, must exhibit adequate major organ function, and must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2. Key exclusion criteria include the presence of concomitant severe cardiovascular disease, such as congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, angina, and/or uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia; history of stroke, deep venous thrombosis, or pulmonary or arterial embolism; presence of clinically significant anemia due to iron, vitamin B12, or folate deficiencies, autoimmune or hereditary hemolytic anemia, or gastrointestinal bleeding; and prior allogeneic or autologous stem cell transplant.In this study, TP-0184 will be administered orally once daily for 24 weeks. The primary and secondary endpoints of each study phase are summarized in the table. Recruitment is ongoing, with approximately 30 patients targeted for enrollment in phase 1 and 10-60 patients targeted for enrollment in phase 2. In phase 1, increasing dose levels of TP-0184 ranging from 20 to 270 mg will be evaluated, with 1-6 patients dosed at each level. Dose escalation will be performed using a two-parameter Bayesian logistic regression model. Determination of the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) will be informed by the maximum tolerated or maximum administered dose in phase 1. In phase 2, the efficacy of TP-0184 at the RP2D will be monitored using Bayesian posterior probability to optimize enrollment with Bayesian stopping rules. Bayesian monitoring of responses will be started after the first 10 enrolled patients are evaluable for efficacy. [Display omitted] DisclosuresVerma: Medpacto: Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding; Eli Lilly: Research Funding; Stelexis: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Novartis: Consultancy; Acceleron: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Stelexis: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Throws Exception: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Incyte: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding. Brunner: Celgene, Forty Seven Inc, Jazz: Other: Advisory Board; Novartis, Celgene, Takeda, AstraZeneca: Research Funding. Pennock: Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology, Inc: Current Employment. McMullen: Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology, Inc: Current Employment. Wade: Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology, Inc: Current Employment. Yang: Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology, Inc: Current Employment. Xie: Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology, Inc: Current Employment. Whatcott: Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology, Inc: Current Employment. Foulks: Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology, Inc: Current Employment. Melear: Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Astrazeneca: Speakers Bureau; TG Therapeutics: Speakers Bureau.

Low-Density Granulocytes Are Decreased in Acute Myeloid Leukemia and in Myelodysplastic Syndromes with Negative Prognostic Factors

Introduction. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of clonal hematological diseases, are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, progressive peripheral blood (PB) cytopenia(s), and increased risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Classification and risk stratification are constantly under revision for a better estimation of prognosis in those patients. Investigation of immune biomarkers is needed, because immune dysregulation also plays an important role in dysplastic hemopoiesis and immunological escape of neoplastic clones. Here, we studied frequency of low-density granulocytes (LDGs), a neutrophil subset with immunoregulatory functions, in MDS and AML at diagnosis and during treatments.Methods. A total of 17 patients (M/F, 14/12; median age, 69 years old; range, 21-84 years) and seven healthy subjects were enrolled at the Hematology and Transplant Center, University Hospital “San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d'Aragona”, Salerno, Italy, between October 2020 and July 2021. Patients were diagnosed with AML (N = 7), or MDS (N = 10) according to the 2016 World Health Organization criteria. For immunophenotyping, fresh EDTA whole PB was stained with the ollowing antibodies: CD45; HLA-DR; CD15; CD3; CD56; CD19; CD11b; CD33; CD34; CD14; and CD16 (all from Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA). Acquisition was carried out using a Navios EX flow cytometer, and Navios software v1.3 (Beckman Coulter). Post-acquisition compensation and analysis were performed using FlowJo software (v.10.7.1, Becton Dickinson). LDGs were identified as CD3-CD56-CD19-CD11b+CD33+CD14-CD15+ cells, following previously published gating strategies (Rahman S, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2019). Data were analyzed using Prism (GraphPad software, La Jolla, CA). A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results. Frequencies of circulating LDGs were significantly reduced in AML patients at diagnosis compared to controls (P = 0.0018) and MDS (P = 0.0077) and were slightly decreased compared to AML in complete remission (P = 0.1605). MDS patients were then divided based on Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R), and very-low and low-risk MDS patients displayed significantly higher circulating LDG frequencies compared to AML at diagnosis (P = 0.0083), while no differences were described between AML at baseline and intermediate-risk MDS (P = 0.1103). Subsequently, LDGs were correlated with clinical and phenotypic features by correlation analysis showing significant negative correlations between LDGs and blasts identified by flow cytometry (r = -0.5463; P = 0.0057) but not by cytology (P = 0.1346), between LDGs and lymphocytes (r = -0.4407; P = 0.0311) or flow cytometric normalized blast count (NBC; r = -0.5283; P = 0.0096) as previously defined (Giudice V, et al. Biomedicines. 2021). A slight negative correlation was described between LDGs and WT1 expression levels (r = -0.5369; P = 0.0719), particularly evident in MDS patients (r = -0.9980; P = 0.0402), supporting our previous findings of negative prognostic impact of WT1 expression in MDS and AML. Finally, we investigated CD16 expression on LDGs, because CD16 is essential for neutrophil degranulation. Despite no differences were described between percentage of LDG subsets among patients' groups, various correlations were identified by Pearson analysis. In particular, CD16+ LDGs negatively correlated with blasts (P = 0.0229), while positively correlated with lymphocytes (P = 0.0404) detected by flow cytometry. Conversely, CD16int and CD16- LDGs negatively correlated with lymphocytes (P = 0.0109 and P = 0.0021, respectively) and positively correlated with granulocytes identified by flow cytometry (P = 0.0024 and P = 0.0008, respectively). In addition, CD16int LDGs negatively correlated with blasts detected by flow cytometry (r = -0.65; P = 0.0414).Conclusions. Our preliminary results suggested a possible role of LDGs in prognostic definition of AML and MDS patients especially when combined with other biomarkers, such as WT1 expression levels or NBC. Moreover, our data supported the hypothesis of biological heterogeneity of granulocytes, as LDG subsets variously correlated with lymphocytes and leukemic cells suggesting different roles in suppression or activation of immune responses. However, our findings need further validation in larger cohorts and in in vitro studies. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Evaluating Complete Remission with Incomplete Hematologic Recovery (CRh) As a Response Criterion in Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)

Evaluating Complete Remission with Incomplete Hematologic Recovery (CRh) As a Response Criterion in Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)

Analysis of Survival Gains in Myelodysplastic Syndromes after a Decade of the Modern Treatment Paradigm

Introduction:The treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) changed after the approval of lenalidomide in 2005, and 2 hypomethylating agents (HMA): azacitidine in 2004 and decitabine in 2006. Erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESA) and reduced intensity conditioning stem cell transplantation (RIC-SCT) also became more widely utilized around that period. Analyses evaluating potential overall survival (OS) improvements in MDS since 2007 across different cancer registries have shown conflicting results. ‘Real-world’ survival trends are important to measure the true impact of these treatments outside clinical trials, especially as MDS treatment innovations may not reach all patients. We assessed the temporal change in OS and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of MDS patients in the US over the decade before (2001 - 2006) and after modern treatment options were established (2007 - 2016).Methods:Adult subjects diagnosed with MDS between 2001 and 2016 were identified in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER), and categorized in 2 groups based on year of diagnosis: 2001 - 2006 (cohort 1) and 2007 - 2016 (cohort 2). MDS histologic risk was classified into low, intermediate, and high, using International Classification of Diseases for Oncology 3 rd Edition (ICD-O-3) codes. Cause of death (COD) reported to State registries (SEER recode) was used to determine CSS, defined as death from MDS or acute myeloid leukemia. Only cases with histologic confirmation of ICD-O-3 codes and complete follow up records were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier estimation was used to summarize unadjusted OS distribution. To assess the association of cohort 2 with OS and CSS gains, follow up duration was restricted to a maximum of 5 years in both cohorts and survival analysis was performed using multivariable Cox-proportional hazards regression model adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, MDS risk, and geographic location.Results:We included a total of 42,217 patients with MDS, 13,633 (30.8%) in Cohort 1 (2001 - 2006) and 30,584 (69.2%) in Cohort 2 (modern treatment era). Subjects in cohort 2 were slightly older (mean age 73.8 vs 73.2 years, p<0.001) and included more males (58.6% vs 56.3%, p<0.001). Cohort 1 included more subjects with low MDS histologic risk (27.8% vs 17.2%) and fewer subjects with high MDS risk (18.4% vs 20.5%) (Table 1). Median OS for low, intermediate, and high risk MDS were 44 months (95%CI, 41.5 - 46.5), 27 months (95%CI, 25.7 - 28.3) and 10 months (95%CI, 9.3 - 10.7) in cohort 1, and 48 months (95%CI 45.9 - 50.1), 26 months (95%CI 25.3 - 26.7) and 11 months (95%CI 10.6 - 11.4) in cohort 2, but these differences were not significant. In the multivariable model adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, MDS risk, and geographic location, cohort 2 was associated with a significantly lower hazard of overall death compared to cohort 1, HR for OS of 0.97 (95%CI, 0.95 - 0.99, p<0.001). Similarly, the modern era of treatment was associated with lower cancer-specific death compared to cohort 1, HR for CCS 0.93 (95%CI, 0.89 - 0.93, p=0.038). MDS histologic risk was the strongest factor associated with higher risk of overall and cancer-specific death. Other factors significantly associated with worse OS and CSS were advancing age, male sex, Hispanic ethnicity and unmarried status (Table 2). When analysis was restricted to patients with high risk MDS, cohort 2 was associated with a lower hazard of cancer-specific death, HR for CSS 0.90 (95%CI, 0.84 - 0.94, p=0.006), but no significant difference in overall death, HR for OS 0.96 (95%CI, 0.91 - 1.02, p=0.17).Discussion:In a SEER analysis, we found that the modern paradigm of MDS treatment, including access to lenalidomide, HMA, ESA and RIC-SCT, is associated with only modest survival gains at the population level. Across all MDS risk groups, improvements in cancer-specific death were larger than those seen for overall death and, in high risk MDS, a significant gain in CSS did not translate into longer OS. These data suggest there is a need for targeting non-cancer excess mortality in patients with MDS, who usually present with a high comorbidity burden. Strategies to optimize medical conditions coexisting with MDS and better supportive care may help consolidate the gains associated with currently available MDS-directed therapies. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Iron Chelation Therapy in Low- to Intermediate- Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BackgroundTransfused patients with low- to intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are known to suffer from iron overload. Iron chelation therapy (ICT) may improve outcomes, however, it remains to be thoroughly investigated.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the benefit of ICT in patients with MDS. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched for studies on ICT for low- to intermediate-risk MDS that reported adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) or overall survival (OS). Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts and subsequent full texts for eligibility. Studies were extracted for general demographics, AML progression rate, incidence of cardiac injury, and median OS or aHR. aHR risk ratios were calculated using a random-effects model meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and Newcastle-Ottawa scale for non-randomized studies.ResultsThe initial search yielded 1177 citations, of which we included 11 observational studies (n = total patient number) and one RCT (n = total patient number) for analysis. The heterogeneity was moderate (I 2=57%; P=0.02). There was a significant reduction in risk of mortality in patients with iron overload and low- or intermediate-risk MDS treated with ICT (aHR 0.43; 95% CI 0.32-0.57; P < 0.00001) (figure 1). The median OS among patients receiving ICT and patients receiving no ICT was reported for nine studies. The median OS for patients receiving ICT was consistently longer than the median OS in the non-ICT group across all studies (figure 2).ConclusionIron chelation therapy (ICT) is associated with a lower risk of mortality in low- to intermediate- risk myelodysplastic syndrome patients. Given the limited number of RCTs, more high-quality studies are required before ICT becomes a standard of care for this group of patients [Display omitted] DisclosuresCrowther: Syneos Health: Honoraria; Precision Biologicals: Honoraria; Pfizer: Speakers Bureau; CSL Behring: Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Speakers Bureau; Hemostasis reference laboratories: Honoraria.

Novel agents for myelodysplastic syndromes.

There have been several advances in the field of myelodysplastic syndromes over the past year, yielding two new US Food and Drug Administration drug approvals. The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical trials, therapeutic use, adverse effects, clinical use controversies, product description, and upcoming trials for myelodysplastic syndromes novel agents luspatercept-aamt and decitabine/cedazuridine are reviewed. This review article utilized primary information obtained from both the published studies involved in the approval of luspatercept-aamt and decitabine/cedazuridine and package inserts for the respective medications. This review article utilized secondary information obtained from National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines using filters and keywords to sustain information relevancy as well as key studies using the keywords, "luspatercept-aamt, myelodysplastic syndromes, decitabine, cedazuridine, hypomethylating agent, ASTX727" from scholarly journal database PubMed. Myelodysplastic syndromes consist of myeloid clonal hemopathies with a diverse range of presentation. Until recently, there have been relatively few new therapies in the myelodysplastic syndromes treatment landscape. On April 3, 2020 the US Food and Drug Administration approved Reblozyl®(luspatercept-aamt), then on July 7, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration approved INQOVI® (decitabine and cedazuridine). Luspatercept-aamt acts as a erythroid maturation agent through differentiation of late-stage erythroid precursors. The safety and efficacy of luspatercept-aamt was demonstrated in the MEDALIST trial, a phase III trial in patients with very low-intermediate risk refractory myelodysplastic syndromes and ring sideroblasts. Luspatercept-aamt met both primary and secondary endpoints of transfusion independence of 8 weeks or longer and transfusion independence of 12 weeks or longer, respectively. Decitabine/cedazuridine has a unique mechanism of action in which decitabine acts as a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor promoting DNA hypomethylation and cedazuridine then prevents degradation of decitabine. The safety and efficacy of decitabine/cedazuridine was shown in the ASCERTAIN study, a phase III trial in patients with intermediate or high risk myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. The primary outcome evaluated was 5-day cumulative area under the curve between decitabine/cedazuridine and IV decitabine as well as additional outcomes including safety. Decitabine/cedazuridine met primary outcome and had a similar safety profile to IV decitabine. The novel myelodysplastic syndromes agents luspatercept-aamt and decitabine/cedazuridine provide a clinical benefit in the studied populations.

The European Medicines Agency Review of Luspatercept for the Treatment of Adult Patients With Transfusion-dependent Anemia Caused by Low-risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes With Ring Sideroblasts or Beta-thalassemia.

Luspatercept is a recombinant fusion protein that selectively binds to ligands belonging to the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, resulting in erythroid maturation and differentiation. On June 25, 2020, a marketing authorization valid through the European Union (EU) was issued for luspatercept for the treatment of adult patients with transfusion-dependent anemia caused by very low-, low-, and intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with ring sideroblasts, or those with transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (BT). Luspatercept was evaluated in 2 separate phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre trials. The primary endpoints of these trials were the percentage of patients achieving transfusion independence over ≥8 weeks or longer for patients with MDS, and the percentage of patients achieving a ≥33% reduction in transfusion burden from baseline to week 13–24 for patients with BT. In the MDS trial, the percentage of responders was 37.91% versus 13.16%, P < 0.0001, for patients receiving luspatercept versus placebo, respectively. In the BT trial, the percentage of responders was 21.4% versus 4.5% (P < 0.0001) for luspatercept versus placebo, respectively. Treatment with luspatercept led to similar incidences of adverse events (AEs), but higher incidences of grade ≥3 AEs and serious AEs compared to placebo. The most frequently reported treatment-emergent AEs (≥15%) in the pooled luspatercept group were headache; back pain, bone pain, and arthralgia; diarrhea; fatigue; pyrexia; and cough. The aim of this article is to summarize the scientific review of the application, which led to the regulatory approval in the EU.

British Society for Haematology guidelines for the management of adult myelodysplastic syndromes.

British Society for Haematology guidelines for the management of adult myelodysplastic syndromes.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Iron Chelation Therapy on Survival in Patients with Lower Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Background: Anemia is the most common cytopenia among patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) often necessitating regular red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. As a result, most patients develop iron overload (IO). RBC transfusion dependency and IO have been associated with worse clinical outcomes, including inferior overall survival (OS), in MDS patients. While iron chelation therapy (ICT) is recommended by most clinical guidelines and experts for select MDS patients, the use of ICT remains controversial in the absence of published, randomized controlled trials. To evaluate the impact of ICT on survival among lower risk MDS patients, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis (SRMA) of the literature.Methods: We conducted an SRMA according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. PubMed and Embase electronic databases were searched through October 2016 with search terms “MDS” OR “myelodysplastic syndrome” AND “iron chelation” OR “iron chelating” OR “iron overload” AND “survival” OR “death” AND “study” OR “trial.” Additionally, the Cochrane Library, the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry, and abstracts from recent American Society of Hematology annual meetings (years 2014-2016) were searched. One study, published in 2014, had an updated analysis in 2017 that was used for the current analysis. Information abstracted included data relating to study and patient characteristics, outcome measures (mortality and progression to acute myeloid leukemia [AML]), and measures of effect (calculated odds, hazard ratios [HRs], and confounding variables for adjustment). A Random Effects model was used to compute an adjusted HR (aHR) among the different studies. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of studies. Study heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochran Q and the I2 statistic. Publication bias was assessed through visual examination of a funnel plot and with the Egger's test for small-study effects.Results: Of the 331 records screened, 23 were assessed for eligibility, and 9 were included (Figure 1). Of these 9 studies, 6 were considered to be of high quality based on the NOS. All 9 were observational studies (4 prospective and 5 retrospective); 8 were identified as including patients with the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS)-defined low and intermediate-1 risk MDS. In these 8 studies, ICT was associated with an overall lower risk of mortality (aHR 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.30-0.60; p < 0.01) (Figure 2). The pooled estimate of the ratio of median unadjusted survival times was 2.02 (95% CI 1.64-2.49), indicating that the median OS for patients receiving ICT was approximately twice that for patients who did not receive ICT. There was evidence of significant heterogeneity across studies for this outcome measure with I2 = 64% and Cochran's Q statistic = 19.8 (p = 0.006). Although the direction of effects did not change, heterogeneity was significant in prospective studies (I2 = 73%; Cochran's Q statistic = 7.4, p = 0.02), but not in retrospective studies (I2 = 9.8%; Cochran's Q statistic = 4.4, p = 0.35). In the 2 studies that reported on benefits of adequate chelation, any degree of chelation was found to confer a survival benefit, but this was to a lesser degree than the survival benefit accrued by those who received higher adequate doses. ICT seemed to decrease the risk of progression to AML (odds ratio 0.526; 95% CI 0.37-0.74; p < 0.001) in the studies that reported on this outcome (Figure 3); these studies displayed no significant heterogeneity. The impact of ICT on end organ damage could not be assessed due to non-uniform reporting of studies.Conclusions: This SRMA suggests a significant reduction in the adjusted risk of mortality among IPSS low and intermediate-1 risk MDS patients treated with ICT. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that ICT is associated with delayed progression to AML, although the causality of these associations cannot be established based on this study. Randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings. [Display omitted] DisclosuresBallas:Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Zeidan:AbbVie, Otsuka, Pfizer, Gilead, Celgene, Ariad, Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Otsuka: Consultancy.

Sequential Stratification Prognostic Score for Patients with Intermediate-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Background: The International Prognostic Scoring System-Revised (IPSS-R) is one gold standard for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) risk stratification. An accurate estimate of prognosis allows clinicians to make appropriate management decisions. The IPSS-R intermediate-risk (int-risk) group however, shows marked heterogeneity with respect to disease outcomes, and contributes to uncertainty about patient management. A more refined yet simple sequential scoring model is therefore proposed to improve the classification of int-risk patients to allow for appropriate therapeutic decisions.Methods: A retrospective patient-centered analysis was conducted at MD Anderson Cancer Center on patients diagnosed with primary MDS between 2000 and 2015. All patients were scored according to the IPSS-R criteria and int-risk patients were included. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), and covariate characteristics included: hemoglobin, ferritin, white blood cell (WBC) count, platelet count, absolute neutrophil count (ANC), percentage of peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) blasts at diagnosis, number of cytopenias, performance status, RBC and platelet transfusion history, and type of treatment received. Survival differences between groups were compared and univariate Cox proportional hazards regressionwas used to evaluate association between each covariate and OS. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to find the best cut-off points to differentiate OS for some continuous variables. CART analysis for failure time data used the Martingale residuals of a Cox model to approximate chi-square values for all possible cut points. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was then fitted for OS by including all statistically significant covariates from univariate Cox models. A backward stepwise selection was performed using a threshold significance of 0.05 for covariates to stay in the final model. Internal validation testing of the final stratification score was performed using the bootstrap method, and external validation was performed using an independent external cohort from Cleveland Clinic.Results: Out of 3167 patients, a total of 298 were identified with IPSS-R int-risk MDS and retrospectively analyzed in this study. Age of 66 years or greater (2 points), peripheral blood blasts of 2% or more (1 point), and history of RBC transfusion (1 point) were significantly associated with inferior survivaland were included in the final OS prognostic model. The score divided MDS patients who have IPSS-R intermediate-risk into two prognostic risk groups: an int-favorable group with a score of 0-1, and an int-adverse group with a score of 2-4. Overall survival was significantly different between the two risk groups of patients, with median survival of approximately 6 and 2 years for int-favorable and int-adverse, respectively (p <0.001, Figure 1A). Transfusions per patient year were significantly higher in int-adverse patients for both red blood cells and platelets (p<0.001, Figure 1B). The stratification prognostic score was robust in the classification of patients with IPSS-R intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome by internal validation, and analysis of 111 IPSS-R int-risk MDS patients from a separate institution demonstrated significantly different OS between int-favorable and int-adverse patients, with median survival of approximately 4 and 2 years respectively (p=0.04).Conclusions: Sequential prognostication provides a clinically practical framework to aid clinicians in determining appropriate treatment approaches for the heterogeneous group of int-risk MDS patients. [Display omitted] DisclosuresJabbour:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy. Komrokji:Celgene: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Steensma:Pfizer: Consultancy; Incyte: Equity Ownership; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; H3 Biosciences: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy; Onconova: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Roboz:Cellectis: Research Funding; AbbVie, Agios, Amgen, Amphivena, Array Biopharma Inc., Astex, AstraZeneca, Celator, Celgene, Clovis Oncology, CTI BioPharma, Genoptix, Immune Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Juno, MedImmune, MEI Pharma, Novartis, Onconova, Pfizer, Roche Pharmace: Consultancy. Sekeres:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kantarjian:ARIAD: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Delta-Fly Pharma: Research Funding; Bristol-Meyers Squibb: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding.

Chromosome Aberrations Detected By SNP Array Technique Indicating a High Risk of MDS Transformation in Patients with Icus and Poor Prognosis of Patients with MDS

AbstractPurpose: To evaluate the value of single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-A) analysis on the diagnosis and prognosis of Chinese patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).Methods: 416 cases were recruited from two medical centers in China; of which 200 cases were diagnosed with MDS, 25 with myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN), 63 with primary acute myeloid leukemia(AML), 40 with aplastic anemia (AA), 62 with idiopathic cytopenia of undetermined significance (ICUS), and 26 were healthy individuals. We analyzed chromosome abnormalities in all the cases with both SNP-A and metaphase cytogenetics (MC) methods, and evaluated their clinical significance as well. Clinical data analyzed included age, sex, blood counts, marrow morphology, blast counts, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival(OS).Results: 1. SNP-Aanalysis leaded to a significantly higher detection yield of chromosome abnormalities than MC examination. The abnormal detection rate for MDS, MPN and AML by MC was 42%, 48% and 36.5%, but by SNP-A significantly increased to 73.5%,72% and 69.8%, respectively. Moreover, SNP-A analysis revealed complex types and genomic distribution patterns of chromosome aberrations. 2. Notably, 20 of the 62 ICUS patients had abnormal detections by SNP-A, and interestingly 17 of these 20 ICUS patients with abnormal SNP-A detections transformed to typical MDS with a median follow-up time at 11months(Table 1). 3. Prognosis of the MDS patients with abnormal SNP-A detections was significantly worse than that of those patients without abnormal SNP-A observations in OS (24 months vs not reached (NR); P=0.004) and PFS (15 vs 40 months; P=0.002). Prognosis of the patients identified with abnormal SNP-A detections in addition to a normal or a good IPSS-R prognostic MC finding in a patient was significantly inferior than that of those patients with no such additional SNP-A aberrations in OS (25 months vs NR; P=0.004) and PFS (17 months vs NR; P=0.002). For the patients stratified as high-risk and very-high-risk MDS by the revised International Prognostic Scoring System(IPSS-R), there were no differences between the patients with and without SNP-A abnormalities in OS (13 vs 12 months; P =0.537) and PFS (14 vs 10 months; P =0.368); However, in the group of patients with very-low-risk, low-risk, and intermediate-risk MDS, the patients with SNP-A abnormalities showed significantly inferior survival than those without abnormal SNP-A detections in OS (NR vs NR; P=0.001) and PFS (25 months vs NR; P=0.008). 4. By multivariable analysis the presence of SNP-A aberrations additional to MC analyses in a patient and a higher number of SNP-A abnormalities (≥3 per patient) were independent predictors of poor prognosis for patients with MDS (HR=2.33, P=0.003; HR=2.40, P=0.002).Conclusion:SNP-A analysis can help significantly improve the diagnosis and better evaluate the prognosis of patients with MDS, and help better assess the risk of MDS transformation in patients with ICUS. SNP-A analysis is of great practical value in clinical management. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

An Integrated Analysis of Darbepoetin Alfa (DAR) in the Treatment of Anemia in Patients with Low- or Intermediate-1 (int-1) Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)

An Integrated Analysis of Darbepoetin Alfa (DAR) in the Treatment of Anemia in Patients with Low- or Intermediate-1 (int-1) Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)

IMerge: A phase 3 study to evaluate imetelstat in transfusion-dependent subjects with IPSS low or intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes that are relapsed/refractory to erythropoiesis-stimulating agent treatment.

TPS7056 Background: Current treatment options for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion-dependent (TD) patients (pts) with lower risk (LR) myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) relapsed after or refractory to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) have limited efficacy and durability; new approaches are needed. Imetelstat is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor that targets cells with short telomeres and active telomerase, characteristics observed in MDS pts across all disease stages. IMerge (MDS3001) is a Phase 2/3 global study of imetelstat for TD pts with non-del(5q) LR MDS post ESA therapy. The results from Phase 2 part indicated that imetelstat achieved durable RBC transfusion independence (RBC-TI) and the most frequently reported adverse events were manageable and reversible grade ≥3 cytopenias. Among 38 pts with median follow-up of 24 months, 8-week, 24-week and 1-year TI rates were 42%, 32% and 29%, respectively; these responses were seen across different LR MDS subtypes. Median TI duration was 20 months and the longest TI was 2.7 years. A high and durable hematologic improvement-erythroid (HI-E) rate of 68% for a median duration of 21 months were also achieved. Reduction of variant allele frequency of mutations by imetelstat treatment was observed in some pts and correlated with clinical benefits (Platzbecker et al EHA 2020; Steensma et al JCO 2020). These results support the Phase 3 part of the trial. Methods: IMerge is two-part, Phase 2/3 study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02598661). The Phase 3 part of the study is open for enrollment to adult pts with International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) low or intermediate-1 risk, non-del(5q) MDS who are TD, are relapsed after or refractory to ESAs, and have not received treatment with lenalidomide or hypomethylating agents. The study is a randomized (2:1) double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to compare efficacy of imetelstat vs placebo that will enroll approximately 170 pts and will be conducted at approximately 120 centers in North America, Europe, Asia and Middle East. Imetelstat is administered as 2-hour IV infusion every 4 weeks at 7.5 mg/kg. The primary endpoint of the study is to assess the rate of RBC-TI lasting ≥8 weeks. Secondary endpoints include safety, rate of RBC-TI ≥24 weeks, time to RBC-TI start, RBC-TI duration, rate of HI-E, the amount and relative change in RBC transfusions, rate of CR or PR, overall survival, progression of MDS, pharmacokinetics, and quality of life. Biomarkers relevant to the mechanism of action of imetelstat will be assessed to demonstrate target inhibition and their association with clinical responses. Cytogenetics and mutation analyses will be performed to evaluate the impact of imetelstat on reduction/depletion of malignant clones leading to disease modification. The study is currently recruiting pts. Clinical trial information: NCT02598661.

Clinical Efficacy of the MDS Patients Treated by Allo-HSCT

To analyze clinical effectiveness of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients treated by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), and to investigate new therapy strategy for the treatment of relapse after allo-HSCT. 72 MDS patients treated by HSCT in our hospital from April 2013 to November 2019 were enrolled and analyzed retrospectively. The effect of allo-HSCT was summarized. The risk factors affecting the survival and relapse of the patients were investigated. Among 72 patients, the median follow up was 37(12-111) months. 57 patients survived（79.2%），while 15 patients died（20.8%）. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate were 76.6% and 62.3%, respectively. IPSS-R, TP53 mutation and chronic graft versus-host-disease (cGVHD) were the risk factors affecting the OS of the MDS patients after treated by allo-HSCT. IPSS-R, TP53 mutation and Ⅲ-Ⅳ° acute graft versus-host-disease (aGVHD) were the risk factors affecting the DFS of the MDS patients after treated by allo-HSCT. After transplanted, 19 patients (26.4%) emerged aGVHD, and 5 patients (6.9%) emerged Ⅲ-Ⅳ° aGVHD, 25 patients (34.7%) emerged cGVHD, while 4 patients (5.6%) emerged extensive cGVHD. 17 patients (23.3%) relapsed, and the 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) rate was 27.5%. IPSS-R, TP53 mutation and cGVHD were the risk factors affecting the relapse of the patients. The median survival time after relapse was 9 months. There were 7 out of 17 relapsed patients survived without disease, while 10 patients died. The OS rate of patients treated with maintained hypomethylation agents(HMA) combined with G-CSF mobilized donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) was significantly higher than the patients without HMA (80.0% vs 10.0%, P=0.002). Allo-HSCT is an effective therapy for intermediate and high risk MDS patients. But relapse after HSCT is still a major problem that affecting the survival of the patients. Maintenance treatment of HMA combined with DLI may improve the long-time survival of MDS patients with relapsed after treated by allo-HSCT.

Luspatercept in the treatment of lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway is key to hematopoiesis regulation. Increased activation of this pathway contributes to ineffective terminal erythroid differentiation in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Luspatercept is a novel fusion protein that traps TGF-β ligands preventing them from binding to Type II TGF-β receptors, thereby decreasing phosphorylated SMAD2/3 resulting in the downstream effect of promoting erythropoiesis. Seminal clinical trials using luspatercept, PACE-MD and MEDALIST, demonstrated impressive efficacy in the treatment of transfusion-dependent anemia in intermediate risk or lower MDS had led to the US FDA approval for this indication. This review summarizes luspatercept mechanisms of action, efficacy/safety data supporting its use and ongoing clinical trials in MDS.

Clinical, biological, and prognostic implications of SF3B1 co-occurrence mutations in very low/low- and intermediate-risk MDS patients.

SF3B1 is a highly mutated gene in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients, related to a specific subtype and parameters of good prognosis in MDS without excess blasts. More than 40% of MDS patients carry at least two myeloid-related gene mutations but little is known about the impact of concurrent mutations on the outcome of MDS patients. In applying next-generation sequencing (NGS) with a 117 myeloid gene custom panel, we analyzed the co-occurrence of SF3B1 with other mutations to reveal their clinical, biological, and prognostic implications in very low/low- and intermediate-risk MDS patients. Mutations in addition to those of SF3B1 were present in 80.4% of patients (median of 2 additional mutations/patient, range 0-5). The most frequently mutated genes were as follows: TET2 (39.2%), DNMT3A (25.5%), SRSF2 (10.8%), CDH23 (5.9%), and ASXL1, CUX1, and KMT2D (4.9% each). The presence of at least two mutations concomitant with that of SF3B1 had an adverse impact on survival compared with those with the SF3B1 mutation and fewer than two additional mutations (median of 54 vs. 87months, respectively: p = 0.007). The co-occurrence of SF3B1 mutations with specific genes is also linked to a dismal prognosis: SRSF2 mutations were associated with shorter overall survival (OS) than SRSF2wt (median, 27 vs. 75months, respectively; p = 0.001), concomitant IDH2 mutations (median OS, 11 [mut] vs. 75 [wt] months; p = 0.001), BCOR mutations (median OS, 11 [mut] vs. 71 [wt] months; p = 0.036), and NUP98 and STAG2 mutations (median OS, 27 and 11 vs. 71months, respectively; p = 0.008 and p = 0.002). Mutations in CHIP genes (TET2, DNMT3A) did not significantly affect the clinical features or outcome. Our results suggest that a more comprehensive NGS study in low-risk MDS SF3B1mut patients is essential for a better prognostic evaluation.

Low- and intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome with pure red cell aplasia

ABSTRACT Objectives Our aim is to investigate the clinical characteristics of low- and intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with pure red cell aplasia (PRCA). Methods We retrospectively reviewed the patients of low- and intermediate-risk MDS patients who had been diagnosed with PRCA in our hospital between January 2010 and December 2019. Results There were 6 low- and intermediate-risk MDS patients with PRCA in our study, 1 male and 5 females, with a median age of 63.5 (50-75) years. It accounted for 7.7% (6/78) of all diagnosed PRCA cases and 1.67% (6/359) of diagnosed MDS cases during the same period. All patients were treated with multiple drugs, including recombinant human erythropoietin, cyclosporine, glucocorticoids, androgen, sirolimus, intravenous immunoglobulin and decitabine. Two patients achieved complete remission, two patients achieved partial remission and became blood transfusion independent. Two patients had no response and one patient died. Conclusion Low- and intermediate-risk MDS with PRCA was difficult to treat, but the prognosis was good.

Clinical Response to the CD95-Ligand Inhibitor Asunercept Is Defined by a Pro-Inflammatory Serum Cytokine Profile.

Simple SummaryAsunercept showed promising clinical efficacy in anemic, transfusion-dependent patients with low and intermediate risk myelodysplastic syndrome. In this retrospective post hoc analysis, serum levels of biomarkers were measured in study patients focusing on cytokines associated with erythropoiesis, inflammation, apoptosis, bone marrow fibrosis, and inflammasome activity. Baseline serum biomarkers were correlated with treatment response in order to propose a hypothetical responder serum profile. Response to asunercept was associated with improved overall survival. Higher baseline values of interleukin-18 (IL-18), S100 calcium-binding protein A9 (S100A9) and soluble p53 were predictive of non-response to asunercept. Non-responding patients showed a distinct, pro-inflammatory serum cytokine profile which was persistent throughout the first half of the treatment phase and appeared unaffected by asunercept. Our post hoc analysis suggests that serum cytokine profiling based on IL-18, S100A9 and soluble p53 may represent an approach to identify and select low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome patients most likely to benefit from asunercept treatment.Asunercept (APG101) is a well-tolerated CD95-ligand inhibitor that showed promising efficacy in a prospective, single-arm phase I study in anemic, transfusion-dependent patients with low and intermediate risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In this retrospective post hoc analysis, serum levels of biomarkers were measured in study patients focusing on cytokines associated with erythropoiesis, inflammation, apoptosis, bone marrow fibrosis, and inflammasome activity. Baseline serum biomarkers were correlated with treatment response, in order to propose a hypothetical responder serum profile. After an updated median follow-up of 54 months (range 7–65), response to asunercept was associated with improved overall survival (at 3-years: 67% [95%CI 36–97] versus 13% [95%CI 0–36] in responders versus non-responders, respectively). Higher baseline values of interleukin-18 (IL-18), S100 calcium-binding protein A9 (S100A9) and soluble p53 were predictive of non-response to asunercept (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.79–0.82). Furthermore, non-responding patients showed a distinct, pro-inflammatory serum cytokine profile which was persistent throughout the first half of the treatment phase and appeared unaffected by asunercept. Although prospective validation is required, our post hoc analysis suggests that serum cytokine profiling based on IL-18, S100A9 and soluble p53 may represent an approach to identify and select low-risk MDS patients most likely to benefit from asunercept treatment.

A Pilot/Safety Study of sEphB4-Hsa in Combination with a Hypomethylating Agent for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia Previously Treated with a Hypomethylating Agent

Background: Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a clonal hematopoietic neoplasm that results in bone marrow failure and frequently leads to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Hypomethylating agents (HMA) are the only FDA-approved treatment for MDS and among few options for chemotherapy-ineligible patients with AML. There are limited options for patients in whom HMA therapy fails and who are not candidates for allogeneic stem cell transplant, so therapies that complement or restore sensitivity to HMAs are needed. Studies have shown increases in bone marrow microvessel density (MVD) and angiogenic markers in patients with MDS and AML. A decrease in MVD has been shown to correlate with response to hypomethylating agents in MDS. A receptor-ligand interaction, comprised of receptor EphB4 and membrane localized ligand EphrinB2, mediates angiogenesis in normal tissue and appears to be a target unique to many cancer types. We have previously shown EphB4 to be highly expressed and a driver of leukemic cell survival in a subset of AML patients. Our group has developed a human fusion protein, sEphB4-HSA, that blocks bidirectional signaling induced by EphB4-EphrinB2 interaction to inhibit tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis. In phase I clinical trials of sEphB4-HSA in various tumor types, there were no myelosuppressive effects and minimal toxicity. Given its safety in phase I and potential to inhibit leukemic cell proliferation and angiogenesis, we proposed a pilot trial to evaluate the safety of sEphB4-HSA in combination with HMAs in MDS and AML patients who have failed treatment with HMAs. Methods: This pilot study was designed to enroll 6 patients with relapsed/refractory intermediate or high-risk MDS and 6 patients with AML refractory to or relapsed to HMA treatment and who are deemed unfit for chemotherapy. Treatment consisted of sEphB4-HSA 15 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks in combination with the FDA-approved HMA most recently or currently being used for treatment (decitabine 20mg/m2 IV/1hr on days 1 to 5 every 28 days or azacitidine 75mg/m2 SC or IV on days 1 to 7 every 28 days). Patients were treated for as long as they were receiving clinical benefit up to 12 months. The primary endpoint was toxicity and tolerability of sEphB4-HSA in combination with HMA. Toxicity was assessed and graded after each cycle according to the CTCAE version 4. Tolerability was defined as the ability to complete two cycles of treatment without the occurrence of dose-limiting toxicity. A secondary efficacy endpoint was to assess best overall response, based on the IWG Working Group Criteria for MDS and AML, during the first two cycles of treatment. Enrollment was stopped after 7 patients due to expiration of funding. Results: Three patients with intermediate-risk MDS were treated for a median duration of 6 cycles (2-12) and 4 patients with AML were treated for 2 cycles. Median age was 75.5 years (67.9-84.8) and 57.1% were male. HMA included azacitadine in 6 patients and decitabine in one patient. There were no dose-limiting toxicities. There were 8 grade 3/4 events attributed to HMA, which included: neutropenia (2), thrombocytopenia (3), and leukopenia (3). There were 3 grade 3/4 events attributed to sEphB4, which included: febrile neutropenia (1), leukopenia (1), and hypertension (1). Of the MDS patients, 2 had stable disease, 1 patient after 2 cycles and 1 patient after 4 cycles. One patient achieved a hematologic improvement-erythroid after 6 cycles. AML patients had no disease response. Reasons for treatment discontinuation were death (1), disease progression (2), patient's decision (1), physician's decision (2), and hospice (1). Notably, a comparison of bone marrow biopsies at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment demonstrated a decrease in MVD (Figure 1). Discussion: This pilot study found sEphB4 in combination with HMAs to be tolerable with no significant toxicity beyond that expected with HMA therapy and associated with potential clinical benefit in MDS patients. Improvement in abnormal bone marrow MVD may indicate a potential for sEphB4-HSA plus HMA therapy to alter the malignant microenvironment in MDS/AML. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.