Median Duration Of Remission Research Articles

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed primary central nervous system lymphoma: a multicentre retrospective analysis.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) exhibit superior efficacy in relapsed/refractory primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), but few studies have evaluated patients with newly diagnosed PCNSL, and even fewer studies have evaluated differences in efficacy between treatment with BTKi and traditional chemotherapy. This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of 86 patients with PCNSL and identified predictors of poor prognosis for overall survival (OS). After excluding patients who only received palliative care, 82 patients were evaluated for efficacy and survival. According to the induction regimen, patients were divided into the traditional chemotherapy, BTKi combination therapy, and radiotherapy groups; the objective response rates (ORR) of the three groups were 71.4%, 96.2%, and 71.4% (P = 0.037), respectively. Both median progression-free survival and median duration of remission showed statistically significant differences (P = 0.019 and P = 0.030, respectively). The median OS of the BTKi-containing therapy group was also longer than that of the traditional chemotherapy group (not reached versus 47.8 (32.5-63.1) months, P = 0.038).Seventy-one patients who achieved an ORR were further analyzed, and achieved an ORR after four cycles of treatment and maintenance therapy had prolonged OS (P = 0.003 and P = 0.043, respectively). In conclusion, survival, and prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed PCNSL are influenced by the treatment regimen, with the BTKi-containing regimen showing great potential.

Real-World Experience in the Use of Immunosuppression for the Management of Inflammatory Eye Disease

ABSTRACT Purpose Patients with sight-threatening inflammatory eye disease (IED) are maintained on systemic immunosuppression whilst in long-term clinical remission. There are no clear guidelines on the duration of remission before implementing treatment withdrawal. We present a real-world analysis on the use of immunosuppression in IED in long-term remission and consider strategies for withdrawal. Methods Adult IED patients on systemic immunosuppression were categorised into four disease groups: Corneal Transplant Survival Strategies (CTSS), Ocular Surface Disease (OSD), Non-infectious Uveitis (NIU) and Scleritis. Patients with Behçet’s disease were excluded. Data on systemic immunosuppressants and biologics used; duration of treatment; reasons for drug discontinuation; disease activity/remission status; duration of clinical remission with an emphasis on patients who had been in remission for a minimum of 24 months were captured. Results Out of a total of 303 IED patients, 128 were on systemic immunosuppression with a clinical remission of their ocular disease for ≥24 months. The median duration of remission was 4–5 years with the longest duration of remission 22 years, and some patients on immunosuppression for up to 23 years. Sixty patients stopped at least one immunosuppressive agent without prior discussion with a health-care practitioner. Conclusion Progressive conditions, such as cicatrising conjunctivitis may require lifelong immunosuppression, but patients with NIU and Scleritis and those on CTSS, immunosuppression withdrawal should be considered if they remain in remission for 2 years. Any patient stopping a medication should be contacted immediately for counselling. These data will better inform patients, encourage adherence and aide formal guideline development.

Modern aspects of diagnosis and treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in children

Analysis of demographic, clinical, laboratory, electrophysiological and neuroimaging data and pathogenetic therapy of pediatric patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Patients (n=30) were observed in a separate structural unit of the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital of the Russian National Research Medical University named after. N.I. Pirogova Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in the period from 2006 to 2023. The examination was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the Joint Task Force of the European Federation of Neurological Societies and the Peripheral Nerve Society on the Management of CIDP (2021). All patients received immunotherapy, including intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) (n=1), IVIG and glucocorticosteroids (GCS) (n=17, 56.7%), IVIG+GCS+plasmapheresis (n=12, 40.0%). Alternative therapy included cyclophosphamide (n=1), cyclophosphamide followed by mycophenolate mofetil (n=1), rituximab (n=2, 6.6%), azathioprine (n=3), mycophenolate mofetil (n=2, 6.6%). In all patients, there was a significant difference between scores on the MRCss and INCAT functional scales before and after treatment. At the moment, 11/30 (36.6%) patients are in clinical remission and are not receiving pathogenetic therapy. The median duration of remission is 48 months (30-84). The longest remission (84 months) was observed in a patient with the onset of CIDP at the age of 1 year 7 months. Early diagnosis of CIDP is important, since the disease is potentially curable; early administration of pathogenetic therapy provides a long-term favorable prognosis.

A Retrospective Study on the Efficacy and Safety of Chidamide As a Maintenance Therapy for Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma

Background: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are a set of rare and highly heterogeneous tumors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) with inferior outcomes. Chidamide is a novel benzamide class of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor (HDACi) that was approved by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration in 2014 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (R/R) PTCL patients. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of chidamide as a maintenance therapy after induction or salvage treatment in patients with PTCLs. Methods: The clinical data of 58 patients with different PTCL subtypes who received chidamide as a maintenance therapy after first-line or salvage treatment were collected. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety were analyzed. Results: Fifty-eight patients enrolled in our study between January 2015 and July 2022, of whom 39 patients received chidamide as a maintenance therapy after first-line treatment and 19 patients after salvage treatment. All patients started chidamide maintenance after reaching at least partial response (PR). The median age was 66 (29-83) years. Patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) represented the largest subgroup (34, 58.6%), followed by PTCL, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) (10, 17.2%), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) (8, 13.8%), NK/T cell lymphoma (NKTCL) (5, 8.6%) and monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma (MEITL) (1, 1.7%). Thirty-four (58.6%) patients were stage III-IV, and 38 (65.5%) patients had intermediate or high risk (prognostic index for T-cell lymphoma (PIT) 2-4). Among the 39 patients who underwent chidamide maintenance after first-line treatment, 30/39 (76.9%) patients began maintenance after reaching complete response (CR) and 9/39 (23.1%) after achieving PR. Notably, 8/9 (88.9%) patients achieved CR from PR during maintenance treatment, with a median time of 6 (3-12) months. A total of 11/39 (28.2%) patients experienced disease progression during the maintenance treatment, and their median duration of remission was 6 (3-13) months. Among them, 2 patients experienced disease progression 2 to 3 months after drug withdrawal due to COVID-19 infection. A total of 19 patients who received maintenance treatment after salvage therapy, 9 (47.4%) received maintenance therapy after CR and 10 (52.6%) received maintenance therapy after PR. Among them, 9/19 (47.4%)had disease progression and their median duration of remission was 16 (2-25) months. The remaining 10 patients (8 CR and 2 PR) were still undergoing maintenance treatment and follow-up. The median maintenance treatment time for all patients was 16 (1-72) months, and the median maintenance dose was 20 (15-30) mg twice weekly. The median follow-up time was 39 (2-79) months, the median PFS was 33 months, and the median OS had not been reached (Figure 1 a, b) for all patients. The median PFS and OS of the patients who received first-line maintenance therapy were not reached, which were significantly better compared to patients who received chidamide as salvage treatment maintenance (the median PFS and OS were 7 and 67 months, P < 0.001, P = 0.009, respectively) (Figure 1 c, d). There was no statistical difference in PFS and OS among the different pathological subtypes, but AITL seemed to achieve better PFS (Figure 1 e, f). The most common toxicities were hematologic toxicities, including neutropenia (42, 72.4%), anemia (23, 39.7%), and thrombocytopenia (29, 50.0%), followed by fatigue (35, 60.3%), anorexia (31, 53.4%), liver dysfunction (10, 17.2%), and pneumonia (4, 6.9%). Most adverse events were grade 1 or 2, and the grade 3‒4 adverse events were neutropenia (15/42), thrombocytopenia (7/29), fatigue (1/35), and pneumonia (2/4). Twelve (20.7%) patients underwent a dose reduction and three patients discontinued treatment (two patients with severe pulmonary infections, and one patient had intolerable fatigue) due to adverse events. One patient stopped maintenance treatment after taking chidamide for 10 months for financial reasons and he is still in follow-up. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that patients with chidamide maintenance therapy had a better PFS and OS with a manageable safety profile, especially as the first-line maintenance therapy. We conclude that chidamide can be used as a maintenance treatment to improve the survival of patients with PTCLs.

High Efficacy and Safety of Nanobody Based Anti-BCMA CAR-T Cell Therapy in Treating Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Introduction Refractory or relapsed (R/R) multiple myeloma (MM) is often associated with a poor prognosis following chemotherapy or even transplantation. BCMA-targeted CAR-T therapy has demonstrated notable efficacy in R/R MM. In the past, the overall response rate (ORR) was relatively low at around 60%, but in recent years, advancements in the manufacturing of BCMA-CAR-T products have led to a substantial improvement in efficacy. Here we explore the efficacy and safety of nanobody-based anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapy in R/R MM from a clinical trial (https://clinicaltrials.gov NCT04447573). Methods Autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes were collected from patients, who subsequently underwent intravenous fludarabine (30mg/m 2/d) and cyclophosphamide (300mg/m 2/d) lymphodepletion chemotherapy from day-5 to day -3. The SL-BCMA CAR molecule, an anti-BCMA CAR-T cell product generated by Senlang Biotechnology, features a structure that includes dual nanobody VHHs targeting BCMA (dVHHs), CD8α hinge region, CD8α transmembrane domain (TMD), co-stimulatory domain (4-1BB), and CD3 zeta domain (CD3ζ). Among them, dVHHs consist of two different VHHs connected by short peptides. The CD8α hinge region provides an effective spatial architecture for the binding of dVHHs and BCMA protein. The first signal of CAR-T cell activation is completed along with the intracellular CD3ζ domain. The 4-1BB intracellular co-stimulatory domain provides co-stimulatory signals for the activation of CAR-T cells. Under the dual signal stimulation, CAR-T cells are activated and expanded. After the BCMA CAR-T cells infusion on day 0, patients underwent evaluations, including immunoglobulin fixed electrophoresis, free light chains in blood and urine, bone marrow penetration, and whole-body PET CT to evaluate the efficacy at the first month, second and third month, and every three months thereafter. Results From April 2021 to May 2023, 21 R/R MM patients in our hospital were treated with SL-BCMA CAR-T, including 10 males and 11 females. The median age is 57 years (30-73 years). Among them, there were 2 cases with Plasma cell leukemia, 10 had extramedullary multiple lesions, and 2 had paralysis caused by central nervous system infiltration. Pre-CAR-T, 11 patients had a prior transplant history including 10 who relapsed after autologous transplantation and 1 who relapsed after allogeneic transplantation. One patient had a rare type of anaplastic Plasma cell tumor. Seven patients presented high-risk factors characterized by FISH abnormalities such as t (4; 14) (p16; q32), t (14; 16) (q32; q23), and 3 had TP53 mutations. The median BCMA expression rate among 19 patients was 53.3% (range: 18.5% -100%), while the remaining 2 patients displayed non-BCMA expression. The median BCMA CAR-T cell dose was 1*10 6/Kg (0.3-2*10 6/Kg). One month following BCMA-CAR-T cell infusion, the ORR was 95%(20/21), and the CR rate was 38% (8/21). The patient who initially showed no response achieved a partial response following a second infusion of BCMA-CAR-T cells. One died at about 2.5 months due to lung infection. Evaluations conducted at the three-month mark showed an ORR of 95% (19/20) and a CR rate of 80% (16/20). One patient relapsed at the second month and underwent salvage allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. For the long follow-up data, the median duration of remission was 11 months. Of the 7 deaths, 2 were attributed to infection during disease control, and 5 were due to disease progression. (Figure 1) In terms of side effects, 6 patients developed grade 2 cytokine release syndrome (CRS), and only 1 patient developed grade 3 CRS. Only one patient had grade 1 neurotoxicity. Conclusions The clinical trial demonstrated that BCMA CAR-T therapy, composed of dual nanobody VHHs targeting BCMA (dVHHs), exhibits a high ORR with a manageable safety profile in treating R/R MM patients. This extends even to high-risk patients, such as those with extramedullary lesions, cytogenetics high-risk groups, and patients with plasma cell leukemia or anaplastic plasma cell tumor.

Analysis of Treatment Patterns and Outcomes in Patients Ages 60-74 in the Post-Venetoclax Era

Introduction Clear standards of care exist for patients with AML under the age of 60 who are eligible for intensive chemotherapy (IC), as well as for patients over the age of 75 or who are unfit for IC. Fit patients between the ages of 60-74 have historically been understudied, but have lower rates of remission and increased rates of toxicity with intensive regimens compared to younger individuals with AML. We sought to evaluate treatment patterns and outcomes in this patient group. Methods We performed a single-center, retrospective analysis of consecutive patients ages 60 through 74 years at the time of their AML diagnosis who received frontline therapy between April 2018 and September 2022. Low intensity therapy (LIT) regimens included combinations of a hypomethylating agent, low dose cytarabine, venetoclax, cladribine, and/or targeted agents. IC regimens included an anthracycline and higher-dose cytarabine-based regimens (≥1g/m 2) +/- targeted agents. Clinical and genomic data including patient demographics, laboratory results including bone marrow pathology and mutational data, treatment responses, and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) data including conditioning regimen and donor type (when applicable) were abstracted from the medical record. Minimal residual disease (MRD) status was assessed by multi-parameter flow cytometry with a sensitivity of 0.02%. The statistical analysis was performed using R 1. Results 143 patients were included in the analysis; 47 (33%) received front line IC, and 96 (67%) received LIT. Baseline characteristics are shown in Table 1. Patients receiving IC were younger, more likely to be female, and more likely to have a favorable ELN risk stratification 2, but otherwise balanced. The percentage of patients receiving IC remained the same in each calendar year. Patients in the IC and LIT groups had similar rates of complete remission (CR; 70% vs 70%, respectively, p = 0.96). Among those achieving CR, 22 (67%) patients in the IC group achieved MRD-negativity vs. 35 (52%) in the LIT group (p = 0.17). The median duration of remission was 9 months in the IC group and 12 months in the LIT group (p = 0.17). The median overall survival (OS) was 17 months for IC and 15 months for LIT (p = 0.16). For patients harboring FLT3-ITD, IDH1, IDH2, or TP53 mutations, there was no difference in OS based on receipt of either IC or LIT, nor was there any difference in OS according to ELN 2022 risk category. A significantly higher proportion of patients who received IC underwent HCT (68% vs 42%, p = 0.003). In both groups, OS was significantly longer for patients who received HCT. Treatment-related mortality (TRM) was comparable in each group, with 5 (11%) and 8 (8%) deaths in IC vs. LIT, respectively. The median number of days hospitalized within the first 60 days after induction therapy was notably different at 32 days for IC and 5.5 days for LIT (p < 0.00001), with 34 (35%) LIT patients who had 0 days of hospitalization post-induction compared to IC patients who universally were hospitalized as part of their induction treatment plan. Conclusion In our cohort, patients with AML between the ages of 60-74 had comparable rates of CR, MRD negativity, duration of response, and overall survival whether treated with IC or LIT, with no difference when stratified by mutational status or ELN risk. Intensively-treated patients were younger and more likely to receive HCT but both groups had an OS benefit from HCT. Our data suggest that in the era of novel agents such as venetoclax, less intensive induction strategies may be appropriate for IC-eligible patients between the ages of 60-74. References 1R Core Team (2021). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org/. 2Döhner H, Wei AH, Appelbaum FR, Craddock C, DiNardo CD, Dombret H, Ebert BL, Fenaux P, Godley LA, Hasserjian RP, Larson RA, Levine RL, Miyazaki Y, Niederwieser D, Ossenkoppele G, Röllig C, Sierra J, Stein EM, Tallman MS, Tien HF, Wang J, Wierzbowska A, Löwenberg B. Diagnosis and management of AML in adults: 2022 recommendations from an international expert panel on behalf of the ELN. Blood. 2022 Sep 22;140(12):1345-1377. doi: 10.1182/blood.2022016867. PMID: 35797463.

Europeanpediatric Acute Leukemia (EuPAL) Registry

The Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS) Pediatric Acute Leukemia (PedAL) Initiative is a collaborative international effort that aims to improve the cure of children with relapsed/refractory (R/R) and other high-risk leukemias. Its comprehensive approach included preclinical and clinical research, standardization and improvement of diagnostics, quality management, and global data integration and analysis. The European Pediatric Acute Leukemia (EuPAL) Foundation was established as the PedAL Initiative partner to support European stakeholders in these efforts. A major focus of the EuPAL Registry and PedAL Initiative is to increase access to and test new drugs targeting leukemia-specific biologic and genetic characteristics in pediatric patients with R/R acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, identification and recruitment of patients remains a challenge. For this purpose, the APAL2020SC screening trial (NCT04726241) in North America, Australia, and New Zealand and the EuPAL registry in Europe have been launched. In collaboration with national and international study groups, pediatric leukemia reference laboratories, and participating clinical trial sites, each child with R/R AML should be registered. In Europe, the EuPAL registry office identifies the best available trial for the patient based upon leukemia-associated genetic and immunophenotypic data and closest trial site(s) and coordinates contact between the treating physician/site and the trial site as needed. Results The EuPAL registry has been approved by the leading ethic committee in Germany with extension to several other European countries ongoing. To date, 35 children and adolescents with R/R AML have been enrolled since June 2022. The median age at initial diagnosis was 7.3 (range 0.2 to 17.7) years with median duration of remission 1.3 (0.3 to 5.3) years. Most patients were registered at first relapse (n=29) with 3 patients in second relapse and 1 patient in third relapse. Two children were diagnosed with a molecular relapse (n=2). Fourteen patients have been transplanted in 1 st CR (n=9) /2 nd CR (n=5) prior to registration Regarding the initial risk groups at diagnosis, most relapses occurred in the intermediate risk group (IR) n=19) and the high-rik group (HR; n=12). The others were standard risk, one isolated CNS relapse in APL and two in children with trisomy 21. Patients were treated at relapse on the AML-BFM 2017 registry (treatment recommendation: Idarubicin, fludarabine, cytarabine (IDA-FLA), FLA and HSCT), the AIEOP-BFM-AML 2020 trial (FLA- gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) or IDA-FLA t(8;21)), the AMORE 2017 trial (azacytidine and HSCT; n=2) or received off-label therapies (cytarabine/GO, venetoclax/cytarabine, or azacytidine). Conclusion The EuPAL registry has been successfully established and is beginning to generate relevant knowledge regarding the frequency and timing of pediatric AML relapse, leukemia-associated genetics, and immunophenotypic characteristics. In collaboration with the LLS PedAL Initiative, the EuPAL registry will continue to facilitate recruitment of children with R/R AML and other leukemias to clinical trials testing innovative therapies, as well as improve understanding of potential bias in clinical trial referrals. Current challenges include integration of more European countries into the EuPAL Registry and increasing the number of open early-phase PedAL/EuPAL clinical trials.

Gilteritinib-Based Combination Therapy in Adult Relapsed/Refractory FLT3 Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Gilteritinib, a potent FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitor, was approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) FLT3 mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients but still showed limited efficacy. Here, the efficacy and safety of different gilteritinib-based combination therapy (gilteritinib plus hypomethylating agent [HMA] and venetoclax, G+HMA+VEN; gilteritinib plus HMA, G+HMA; gilteritinib plus venetoclax, G+VEN) in 33 R/R FLT3 mutated AML patients were retrospectively analyzed. Composite complete response (CRc) rate (complete response [CR]+CR with partial hematologic recovery [CRh]+CR with incomplete blood count recovery [CRi]), modified CRc rate (mCRc, CRc+morphologic leukemia-free state [MLFS]), overall survival (OS), duration of remission (DOR), and adverse events were analyzed and compared.The CRc and mCRc rate were 66.7% (12/18) and 88.9% (16/18) in patients who received G+HMA+VEN, which was higher compared with that in G+HMA (CRc: 18.2%, 2/11; mCRc: 45.5%, 5/11) or G+VEN (CRc: 50.0%, 2/4; mCRc: 50.0%, 2/4). The median OS for G+HMA+VEN, G+HMA, G+VEN treatment was not reached, 145.5 days, and 231.0 days, respectively (G+HMA+VEN vs G+HMA, p=0.011). The median DOR for G+HMA+VEN, G+HMA, G+VEN treatment was not reached, 82.0 days, and 77.0 days, respectively (G+HMA+VEN vs G+VEN, p=0.040). Four patients in G+HMA+VEN group received allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) after remission exhibited prolonged OS and DOR. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were cytopenia, febrile neutropenia and pulmonary infection, there were no difference among three groups.In conclusion, our data demonstrated promising response of G+HMA+VEN combination therapy in R/R FLT3 mutated AML patients, and it may consider as an effective bridge to transplantation.

Efficacy and Safety of Clifutinib, a Novel, Highly Selective, Oral FLT3 Inhibitor, in Patients with FLT3-Mutated Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia：Updated Results from a Phase I Study

Background: Patients with relapsed/ refractory (R/R) FLT3-internal tandem duplication positive (FLT3-ITD+) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Clifutinib is a novel, highly selective, oral FLT-3 inhibitor with potent activity against FLT3-ITD(+) leukemic models both in vitro and in vivo. This study is a first-in-human study of clifutinib, with the purpose of evaluating the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic (PK) profile in Chinese patients with R/R FLT3-mutated AML (NCT04827069). Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with AML who were refractory to ≥ 2 cycles of standard induction chemotherapy or relapsed after achieving remission from previous treatments were enrolled. Previous use of FLT3 inhibitors were allowed. The study included two parts, a dose-escalation part (10 to 100 mg/day cohorts) and a dose-expansion part (40 and 70 mg/day cohorts). The primary endpoints were safety and tolerability, and the secondary endpoints were efficacy [CR(complete remission)/CRh (complete remission with partial hematologic recovery) rate, composite complete remission (CRc: CR+CRh+CRi, CRi defined as complete remission with incomplete hematological recovery) rate, TTR (time to remission), duration of remission (DOR), and overall survival (OS)] and pharmacokinetics (PK). Results: As of May 2023, 75 patients (pts) were enrolled (Figure 1), with a median age of 55 years (range:18-80), and 96.0% pts were FLT3-ITD(+) or TKD(+) [80.0% with ITD(+)/TKD(-), 9.3% with ITD(+)/TKD(UK), 5.3% with ITD(+)/TKD(+), 1.3% with ITD(-)/TKD(+)], 58.7% pts had received ≥2 lines of previous treatment, and 32.0% pts exposed to FLT3 inhibitors. 3 pts experienced dose-limiting toxicities (DLT): one out of 6 pts in the 55 mg/day cohort (Grade 3 QTcF prolongation with ΔQTcF =71 ms) and 2 out of 6 pts in the 100 mg/day cohort (Grade 3 nausea and Grade 3 atrial fibrillation). Therefore, the maximum tolerated dose of clifutinib was 70 mg/day. The most common (rate ≥20%) treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) included leukopenia (70.7%), thrombocytopenia (68%), neutropenia (64%), anemia (48%), lymphopenia (26.7%), pneumonia (26.7%), hypokalemia (26.7%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (22.7%), alkaline phosphatase increased (21.3%) and alanine aminotransferase increased (20.0%). Grade ≥3 TRAEs occurring in ≥20% pts were leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, anemia, lymphopenia, and pneumonia. Approximately dose-proportional PK parameters were observed across 40-100 mg/day dose range for both single and repeat dosing (the parent drug might approach saturation at 100 mg/day), and median t max ranged from 2 to 6 hours. For efficacy, responses occurred in 28 (40.6%) of 69 FLT3-ITD(+) or TKD(+) efficacy evaluable pts, including 5 (7.2%) CR, 5(7.2%) CRh, 17 (24.6%) CRi, 1 (1.4%) MLFS, and the median TTR was 32 days (range: 26-149 days). The efficacy was better in the 40 mg/day group compared to 70 mg/day and 40-100 mg/day groups, with CR/CRh rate of 21.2% (7/33) vs 8.3% (2/24) vs 14.5% (10/69), CRc rate of 48.5% (16/33) vs 33.3% (8/24) vs 39.1% (27/69), and median DOR of CR/CRh was 3.2 months (95% CI:1.9, NA) vs 0.9 months (95% CI: NA, NA ) vs 3.2 months (95% CI: 0.9, 7.4 ), the median OS was 6.5 months vs 5.4 months vs 6.3 months, respectively. Among FLT3-ITD(+)/TKD(-) subjects administered with clifutinib 40 mg/day, the CR/CRh rate was 23.1% (6/26) with 3 patients achieved CR, median DOR of CR/CRh was 3.7 months, the CRc rate was 53.8% (14/26), and median OS was 7.4 months. Compared to FLT3-ITD(+) or TKD(+) pts, 40 mg dose group exhibited better efficacy in FLT3-ITD(+)/TKD(-) pts. In addition, clifutinib exhibited more potent anti-leukaemic activity in patients received only one line of previous treatment. Among patients experienced only one line treatment of 40 mg dose group, the CR/CRh rate was 30.8% (4/13), the CRc rate was 53.8% (7/13), and the median OS was 7.9 months (Table 1) . Conclusion: This phase 1 study has demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and a significant anti-leukaemic activity of clifutinib in FLT3 mutant R/R AML, with the best response at the dose of 40 mg/day in FLT3-ITD(+)/TKD(-) AML. A confirmatory phase 3 study is currently ongoing to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of clifutinib dosed at 40 mg/day in R/R AML pts after first-line therapy with FLT3-ITD(+)/TKD(-) (NCT05586074). Keywords: Acute myeloid leukemia, FLT3 inhibitor, Clifutinib

Omission of Anti-CD20 Antibody in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia during COVID-19 Pandemic: Twelve Month Course of Venetoclax Is a Safe and Effective Alternative Regimen

Introduction The current treatment for patients with advanced stages of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is the combination of the Rituximab - an Anti-CD 20 Antibody and Venetoclax - a BCL-2 inhibitor. However, during COVID-19 Pandemic, we were concerned that the immunodeficiency state induced by anti-CD20 antibody infusions would increase the risk of COVID-19 complications. Also, we were concerned about exposing cancer patients to long term anti-neoplastic treatments when there were so many unknowns about the new Sar-CoV-2 virus. Thus, in order to minimize these deleterious effects, and long exposure to cancer treatment, the CLL treatment was modified through omitting Rituximab, and using a 12-month course of Venetoclax as a single agent, with the goal of preventing COVID complications, but still achieving durable remissions. Methods Between February 2020 and September 2022, 13 patients with advanced stage CLL who met the treatment criteria, were treated with single agent Venetoclax with the mean age of 77 ranging from ages 56-99 and a Male to Female ratio of 10:3. Indications of treatment were as follows: bulky lymphadenopathy (8), markedly elevated lymphocyte count (3), and bone marrow failure (2). Among these 13 patients, there were 7 treatment naive patients and 6 had previously received between 1 to 3 treatments. These treatments included: Chlorambucil-Obinutuzumab, Ibrutinib, Fludarabine-Cyclophosphamide-Rituximab, and Bendamustine-Rituximab. Following are the FISH analysis results of these patients: 13Q14, 12+, TP53- , 11Q22-. Single agent venetoclax was administered to patients as a 5 week ramp up schedule per standard dosing guidelines, with the goal being to achieve 400 mg by week 5 of the treatment. The 400 mg dosage was continued for another 11 months and patients were monitored monthly for treatment response and toxicity. After the conclusion of 12 months of treatment, patients were followed up clinically at regular intervals to monitor durability of treatment response. Patients were informed that if there was progression noted during Venetoclax treatment, a new regimen that included Anti-CD20 Antibody will be started. Results Eleven out of 13 patients achieved full dosage escalation to 400 mg by week 5. Of the 2 patients that did not escalate the full dose, one patient - age 99- only achieved dosage up to 100 mg due to physician discretion, and the other patient achieved dosage up to 200 mg due to extreme fatigue. Common side effects amongst the patients were fatigue and mild cytopenia whilst the toxicity overall was manageable. One patient required treatment interruption for Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA) and only one patient contracted COVID-19. This patient recovered, however, quickly with no complications and treatment of Venetoclax was resumed at full dosage. Temporary increase in absolute lymphocyte count was noted in 8 patients. Mild persistent anemia was shown in 2 patients at the completion of treatment and mild thrombocytopenia was present in 7 patients. Neutropenia was not observed in any patients. Overall, treatment response was noted in 12 out of 13 patients with 11 complete remission (CR) and 1 partial remission (PR). Time to response was 3 months from the start of treatment for all responding patients. All patients who achieved CR and PR remain in remission during follow up with a median remission duration of 15 months. One patient had stable disease while on treatment but progressed immediately after discontinuation of Venetoclax. This patient then received the combination of Obinutuzumab-Acalabrutinib and achieved complete remission. Conclusion Thus, we can conclude that a 12-month course of Venetoclax administered without anti-CD 20 antibody, is an effective treatment regimen in advanced stage CLL. The avoidance of the anti-CD 20 antibody resulted in preservation of the immunity as noted in the one patient who contracted COVID-19 during treatment but recovered quickly from infection without any COVID-19 associated complication. We believe that although Rituximab with Venetoclax remains the standard of care in advanced stage CLL, but in unusual circumstances such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, short, limited course of single agent Venetoclax is a viable option of treatment to achieve durable remission.

4SCAR2.0 therapy for the management of post-transplantation relapse of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

IntroductionAllogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a standard treatment for relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (r/r B-ALL). However, about 30-40% of patients still relapse after HCT. Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has been proven effective in the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-ALL.Patients and methodsWe report a cohort of 30 B-ALL patients, who relapsed after HCT and were enrolled in the 4SCAR2.0 study, receiving CD19 CAR-Ts alone (20 patients), or two types of CAR-Ts targeting CD19, CD22, CD38 or CD123 antigens (10 patients), depending on the tumor antigen expression profile. These patients had extramedullary (EM) relapse or bone marrow (BM) relapse, or both. Based on the GVHD history, donor chimerism, and the available T-cell source, 25 patients received allogeneic donor CAR-Ts, and 5 patients received autologous CAR-T treatment. ResultsAll 20 patients receiving a single CD19 CAR-T infusion achieved a minimal residual disease (MRD) remission within 60 days. The remaining 10 patients, due to low CD19 antigen expression profile, received 2 CAR-T products given on the same day, and 9 of 10 achieved complete remission (CR) and one had disease progression within 60 days. After CAR-T infusion, no cytokine release syndrome (CRS) was observed in 14 patients, and 16 patients experienced grade 1 CRS, and there was no neurotoxicity. Seventeen of the 30 patients who achieved remission (57%) remained in continuous remission following CAR-T treatment with a median follow-up period of 2 years and a median duration of remission of 12 months (range: 2.8 months - 67 months). Twelve out of 29 patients (41%) who achieved remission, subsequently relapsed at a median of 6.3 months (range: 2.8 months - 22.3 months) after CAR-T treatment. In summary, 29 patients (97%) achieved MRD negative remission within 60 days of therapy with a single or double CAR-T infusion, and seven patients remained in durable remission (7/30, 23%) after more than 2 years of follow-up. DiscussionThe tumor antigen profile-guided precision 4SCAR2.0 regimen for the treatment of r/r B-ALL after allo-HCT was highly effective with low toxicity. This approach warrants extended follow-up and further studies. Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03125577.

Gilteritinib-based combination therapy in adult relapsed/refractory FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukaemia.

Gilteritinib, a potent FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitor, was approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients but still showed limited efficacy. Here, we retrospectively analysed the efficacy and safety of different gilteritinib-based combination therapies (gilteritinib plus hypomethylating agent and venetoclax, G + HMA + VEN; gilteritinib plus HMA, G + HMA; gilteritinib plus venetoclax, G + VEN) in 33 R/R FLT3-mutated AML patients. The composite complete response (CRc) and modified CRc (mCRc) rates were 66.7% (12/18) and 88.9% (16/18) in patients received G + HMA + VEN, which was higher compared with that in G + HMA (CRc: 18.2%, 2/11; mCRc: 45.5%, 5/11) or G + VEN (CRc: 50.0%, 2/4; mCRc: 50.0%, 2/4). The median overall survival (OS) for G + HMA + VEN, G + HMA and G + VEN treatment was not reached, 160.0 days and 231.0 days. The median duration of remission (DOR) for G + HMA + VEN, G + HMA and G + VEN treatment was not reached, 82.0 days and 77.0 days. Four patients in the G + HMA + VEN group received alloHSCT after remission exhibited prolonged median DOR. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were cytopenia, febrile neutropenia and pulmonary infection; there were no differences among the three groups. In conclusion, our data demonstrated promising response of G + HMA + VEN combination therapy in R/R FLT3-mutated AML, and it may be considered an effective therapy bridge to transplantation.

Obecabtagene Autoleucel (obe-cel, AUTO1) for Relapsed/Refractory Adult B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (R/R B-ALL): Pooled Analysis of the Ongoing FELIX Phase Ib/II Study

Background: Obe-cel is an autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell product with a novel CD19 binding domain CAT conferring a fast antigen off-rate designed to mitigate safety concerns and improve persistence over approved CD19 CAR T therapies. Early results from the pivotal FELIX study Phase IIA cohort (N=94) were recently presented (Roddie C et al. J Clin Oncol 2023;41[16 Suppl]:7000). We report findings from a pooled analysis of all patients (pts) treated to date with obe-cel in the FELIX Phase Ib/II study (NCT04404660), with a focus on pts with low leukemia burden prior to obe-cel infusion. Methods: The FELIX study enrolled adults with R/R B-ALL at screening with either morphological disease ≥5% bone marrow (BM) blasts (Cohort A), or in ≥2 nd complete remission (CR)/CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi) with measurable residual disease (MRD) (Cohort B), or with isolated extramedullary disease (EMD) (Cohort C). The Phase Ib part of the study enrolled Cohorts A and B; the Phase II part enrolled Cohorts A, B, and C. CAR T products were generated from leukapheresis material using an automated process. Pts received bridging therapy as needed and lymphodepletion with fludarabine (4 × 30mg/m 2) and cyclophosphamide (2 × 500mg/m 2). A target dose of 410 × 10 6 CAR T cells was infused as a split dose on Days 1 and 10 based on pre-lymphodepletion BM blast burden. The primary endpoint was overall remission rate (best response of CR/CRi by independent review). Secondary endpoints included duration of remission (DoR), MRD negative remission rate, safety, and CAR T expansion/persistence. This pooled analysis included data from pts treated with obe-cel across all cohorts in the Phase Ib/II parts of the study. Low leukemia burden was defined as morphological remission per investigator assessment (<5% BM blasts without EMD) as measured at screening or at the start of lymphodepletion. Results: Between September 2020 and December 2022, 152 pts were enrolled and underwent leukapheresis. As of 16 March 2023, obe-cel was successfully administered to 126/152 (83%) pts (Phase Ib: Cohort A n=13, B n=3; Phase II: Cohort A n=94, B n=9, C n=7). Baseline characteristics at screening (n=126): median age 46.5 (range 20-81) yrs; Philadelphia positive B-ALL 27%; median 2 (range 1-6) prior lines of therapy; prior blinatumomab/inotuzumab 42%/32%; median BM blast burden 37% (range 0-100) including 23% pts with EMD; prior allogeneic stem cell transplant 44%. At a median follow up of 11.0 (range 0.9-30.6) months, the CR/CRi rate was 77% (95/124 response evaluable pts) with CR rate 57% (71/124). Among MRD evaluable responders, 96% achieved MRD negative status by central flow cytometry analysis. Median DoR was not reached at the current follow up. Low rates of Grade (Gr) ≥3 cytokine release syndrome (CRS; 2.4%) and/or Gr ≥3 immune effector cell associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS; 7.1%) were observed. CAR T expansion was similar across the Phase Ib/II cohorts and CAR T persistence was ongoing in the majority of responders at the current follow up. Preliminary data indicate favorable efficacy and safety in pts with low leukemia burden prior to obe-cel infusion. Among 12 pts with MRD at screening (Cohort B), two pts were not evaluable and 9/10 evaluable pts achieved CR/CRi, with 100% achieving MRD negative status by central flow cytometry analysis post obe-cel. Median DoR was not reached at the current follow up. In this subset, no Gr ≥3 CRS was observed; one pt had Gr ≥3 ICANS. In a subset of 28 pts (across all cohorts) in morphological remission at the time of lymphodepletion, 24/27 (89%) response evaluable pts achieved CR/CRi and 100% of MRD evaluable responders achieved MRD negative CR/CRi by central flow cytometry analysis post obe-cel. Median DoR was not reached at the current follow up. In this subset, no pts experienced Gr ≥3 CRS/ICANS. Conclusions:This pooled analysis of data from all pts treated to date in the FELIX study demonstrates high rates of CR/CRi after obe-cel treatment, durable responses (median DoR not reached), and a favorable safety profile. Preliminary data suggest better outcomes in pts with low leukemia burden at screening/lymphodepletion, with higher rates of deep MRD negative complete remission, median DoR not reached at the current follow up, no Gr ≥3 CRS and one Gr ≥3 ICANS. These data support further exploration of CAR T therapy earlier in the treatment algorithm for adults with ALL.

ETV6-ABL1 Fusion Gene Was Associated with a Poor Prognosis in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Background:Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is commonly characterized by chromosomal abnormalities that result in the formation of chimeric genes involved in leukemogenesis. ETV6-ABL1-a fusion gene results from a complex rearrangement involving translocation, inversion, or insertion of ETV6 into chromosomal band 9q34 or ABL1 into 12p13. This rare but recurrent genetic aberration is found in AML patients and is associated with a poor prognosis. Methods:A retrospective review was conducted of three relapsed AML patients with ETV6-ABL1 fusion genes screened by multiplex RT-PCR who were treated at Beijing Lu Daopei Hospital and Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital between November 2019 and January 2022. Results:At diagnosis, the median age was 32 years (range 32-42 years), and two patients were male(Pt.2,3). AML subtypes included M2 (Pt.2) and M4 (Pt.1,3), and no patient had a prior history of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Clinical and laboratory characteristics at diagnosis included: hepatosplenomegaly (Pt.3), lymphadenopathy (Pt.1), leukocytosis (median 209.71×10 9 /L, range, 60.28-687.2×10 9/L),but no significant eosinophilia(≥1.5×10 9/L). Cytogenetic analyses showed a normal karyotype in all three patients. FLT3-ITD gene mutation was found in two patients(Pt.1,2). All there patients received the same IA regimen(idarubicincytarabine) as induction chemotherapy and achieved complete remission, followed by multi-agent chemotherapy as consolidation treatment.Pt.1 received additional targeted therapy with sorafenib. However, after a median duration of remission (DOR) of 4 months (range 3-8 months), all patients experienced relapse and sought for further therapy at our hospital. Upon re-evaluation by laboratory tests, ETV6-ABL1 fusion gene was detected by multiplex RT-PCR, and additional NUP98-NSD1 fusion was also found in Pt.2. FLT3-ITD gene mutation was confirmed in Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, but the characteristic t(9;12) (q34;p13) chromosomal abnormalities were not present in any of the patients. Pt. 2 presented with an abnormal karyotype of 46, XY, t(3;17)(q12;p11.2),add (10)(q22)[5] / 46,XY[15], while the rest 2 patients had a normal karyotype. Pt.1 died rapidly from serious infection after relapse. Pt. 2 and Pt. 3 received dasatinib-containing combination regimens as salvage therapy and achieved partial remission. Pt. 2 underwent haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) with an enhanced myeloablative conditioning regimen in March 2021, and has maintained molecular remission until now. Pt. 3 is currently undergoing HSCT preparation. Conclusion: ETV6-ABL1 fusion gene is a rare but recurrent genetic aberration in AML, and its rearrangement is not uniform across eachpatient, typically involving cryptic insertions. Routine chromosome G-banding analysis may not identify this fusion gene, and the combined use of fluorescence in situ hybridization and PCR is recommended for better detection for ETV6-ABL1. Patients with this fusion gene have a high relapse rate and a poor prognosis. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (eg. Dasatinib)are a reasonable treatment option, and allo-HSCT may be considered for potential cure.

Phase I Open-Label Single-Arm Study of Sscart-19 in Adult Patients with Relapsed/Refractory B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in China

Background: Although CAR-T therapy has shown amazing efficacy in the treatment of hematologic malignancies in recent years, it is also accompanied by high-frequency of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), especially in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients. Therefore, it is not recommended to enroll patients with active CNS involvement in CAR-T therapy. ssCART-19 is an autologous CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor T-cell with short hairpin RNA-IL-6 gene silencing element. ssCART-19 can simultaneously express CAR structure and IL-6 silencing element. CAR structure can recognize and bind CD19 positive tumor cells, enhance T cell amplification, and finally exert T cell killing activity, such as releasing cytokines and perforin. Post-transcriptional expression of short hairpin RNA-IL-6 gene silencing element can recognize mRNA of IL-6, inhibit the expression of endogenous IL-6 in CAR-T cells through RNA interference mechanism, and then reduce the stimulation or activation intensity of downstream immune cells (mainly monocytes), with the control of the overall release intensity of cytokines, it reduces the incidence of severe CRS and ICANS, at the end reduces the clinical risk of CAR-T therapy. Methods: The trial of ssCART-19 in adult patients with R/R B-cell ALL (NCT04825496) is a single-arm, open-label Phase 1 study conducted in China. Patients underwent leukapheresis to obtain T cells for ssCART-19 manufacturing. Patients received fractionated infusions split over 3 days (10%; 30%; 60%) after lymphodepleting chemotherapy (3 days fludarabine and cyclophosphamide). Adverse events (AEs) were graded according to CTCAE, v5.0; CRS and ICANS were graded according to ASTCT Consensus Grading. The overall response rate(ORR) of complete response (CR) and CR with incomplete hematological recovery (CRi) within 3 months, duration of remission, relapse-free survival, and OS were assessed as secondary endpoints. Results : ssCART-19 was administered at 3 doses levels (DL) of 1×10 6/kg, 5×10 6/kg, or 10×10 6/kg. As of June 30th 2023 data cutoff (the median follow-up 15.9 months), 13 patients enrolled and underwent leukapheresis, 12 patients were received ssCART-19 treatment, 5 patients in DL1, 6 patients in DL2, and 1 patients in DL3. ssCART-19 was manufactured using serum-free culture system and no manufacture failure was reported. All 12 patients diagnosed with B-cell ALL were relapsed (75.0%) and refractory (25.0%) to multiple lines of prior therapy (100.0% patients had received 2 or more therapies). Five patients (41.7%) had more than 50% blasts in the bone marrow. All 12 patients did not have DLT events within 28 days. The most common ssCART-19-related AEs were transient neutropenia (100.0%), lymphopenia (100.0%), leukopenia (100.0%), anaemia (100.0%) and thrombocytopenia (83.3%). Adverse events of special interest (AESI) were CRS and ICANS. Among the 12 patients, 9 patients (75.0%) developed CRS, and 3 patients (25.0%) were grade 3 CRS. Notably, none of the 12 patients were occurred ICANS. No death cases were reported due to CRS or ICANS. A 83.3% overall response rate was achieved in efficacy-evaluable patients (n=12), with 7 complete response (CR, 58.3%), and 3 CR with incomplete hematological recovery (CRi,25.0%). The median duration of remission, relapse-free survival and OS have not been reached. Among them, 6 patients were in ongoing remission for over 12 months. Notably, one of the 12 patients (S012) had central nervous system infiltration with grade 2 before ssCART-19 infusion(Figure 1). After ssCART-19 therapy, the patient had no ICANS and got continuous remission. Robust CAR T-cell expansion occurred in all patients with a median time to T max of 12.5 days (range 9-14d), and peak copy number (C max) of 52495 (194-348000) copies/μg DNA. Conclusions ： ssCART-19 CAR-T cell therapy can effectively reduce the incidence of severe CRS and ICANS, especially control the occurrence of ICANS. And ssCART-19 achieved a high rate of remission in adult patients with R/R B-cell ALL. The ORR within 3 months were 83.3%. And, ssCART-19 shows good clinical efficacy in the treatment of leukemia patients with central nervous system infiltration. Thus, with the combination of short hairpin RNA-IL-6 gene silencing element, ssCART-19 can greatly improve the safety of CAR-T therapy, especially in central nervous system infiltration patients.

Brexucabtagene Autoleucel in Adults with Relapsed/Refractory B-Cell ALL: Outcomes and Novel Insights from the Real-World Outcomes Collaborative of CAR T in Adult ALL (ROCCA)

Introduction In October 2021, brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) received U.S. FDA approval as the first CAR T-cell therapy for adults with relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) based on the 55-patient ZUMA-3 Phase II study. We subsequently established ROCCA and now report on the largest cohort of patients treated with commercial brexu-cel for r/r B-ALL to date. Methods Adults (18+) with r/r B-ALL infused with commercial brexu-cel across 25 U.S. institutions were included. ASTCT consensus criteria were used to score CRS and ICANS. Methodologies for assessing MRD (minimal threshold of 10 -4) included flow cytometry, NGS, or qPCR depending on institution practice. Duration of remission (DOR) was calculated from time of complete response (CR); progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated from day of brexu-cel infusion and were not censored for hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) or maintenance. All living patients were censored at the time of last follow-up prior to data lock, which occurred on June 30, 2023. Results Among 152 infused, the median age was 46 (range, 18-81), 57% were male, and 34% were Hispanic. Most (67%) had Ph- ALL, were heavily pre-treated (median 4 prior lines), and entered apheresis with high disease burden (57%). At time of apheresis, 23% of patients only had MRD+ disease and 15% were in complete molecular remission. While 82% developed CRS, the majority was grade 1-2, with 9% of the overall cohort experiencing grade 3-4 CRS. In contrast, 55% developed ICANS, with 32% of the entire cohort experiencing grade 3-4 ICANS. Eight patients (5%) died of toxicity/infection prior to D+28 response assessment. Among 133 patients with response assessment, 120 (90%) achieved morphologic CR, of whom 82% were MRD-, 15% were MRD+, and 3% MRD unknown. The median follow-up for survivors was 8.4 months; 45 patients have relapsed and 42 patients died. Median DOR was not reached. Median PFS and OS were 8.6 months and 15.6 months, respectively. Estimated PFS and OS of the entire cohort at 6-months were 61% (95% CI, 52-68) and 81% (95% CI, 73-87) and at 12-months were 47% (95% CI, 37-56) and 63% (95% CI, 53-72), respectively. We found no association between pre-CAR disease burden and post-CAR PFS/OS. However, patients with MRD- response to CAR had superior PFS relative to patients with MRD+ CR (median 14 months vs. 5 months, P=0.002). Forty-four patients received post-CAR consolidation/maintenance therapy while in CR: 25 allogeneic HCT, 15 TKI, 2 POMP, and 3 other/unknown. To examine the effect of consolidation/maintenance following brexu-cel, we performed a landmark analysis of PFS limited to patients alive and in CR at 2-months post-CAR infusion (N=113) and suggests superior PFS in patients receiving either HCT or other forms maintenance, relative to those receiving no further therapy following brexu-cel ( P=0.055). We then investigated post-CAR MRD-response in combination with receipt of post-CAR consolidation/maintenance and found that even among patients achieving MRD-negative response, post-CAR consolidation/maintenance led to superior PFS (Figure 1). Conclusions Among 152 adults treated with commercial brexu-cel for r/r B-ALL across 25 U.S. institutions, we found very high response rates (CR/CRi: 90%; 82% MRD-) consistent with the Zuma-3 data. While rates of severe CRS are low, grade 3-4 ICANS was observed in 32% of patients and warrants further investigation We demonstrate the prognostic impact of achieving an MRD-negative CR and an emerging role for consolidation/maintenance therapies to enhance the durability of response following brexu-cel in adults r/r B-ALL.

Venetoclax Plus Azacitadine for Middle Aged and Elderly Patients with Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Interim Analysis of a Prospective, Multicenter, Single-Arm, Phase 2 Trial

Background: “7+3” induction is the standard regimen in newly diagnosed young patients (pts) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) fit for intensive chemotherapy with 60-80% complete remission rate. However, middle aged and elderly pts may experience more severe complications during induction therapy and overall survival is shorter than that of younger pts. Recently, venetoclax with azacitadine as induction therapy was approved as the first line therapy for pts with aged more than 75 years or unfit pts with composite complete remission (CRc) of 60-70%. We hypothesize that venetoclax with azacitadine as induction therapy in fit middle aged and elderly pts may have similar CRc rate and less complications. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of venetoclax plus azacitadine as induction therapy in fit middle aged and elderly newly diagnosed AML pts. Methods: This is an interim analysis of an ongoing phase 2 clinical trial (NCT05471700) of a planned 40 untreated AML pts aged 45-65 who were fit for intensive chemotherapy according to Ferrara Criteria. In cycle 1, pts received azacitadine 75mg/m2/day on d1-7 and venetoclax escalated from 100mg to 200mg to 400mg until 28-day cycle was finished. For pts with FLT3-ITD positive, sorafenib was optional administered at a dose of 400mg twice daily. Bone marrow assessments were performed on d28. Pts who achieved CRc (defined as complete remission[CR] and CR with incomplete hematologic recovery[CRi]) with intermediate or adverse risk groups received 1 or 2 cycles of consolidation with venetoclax plus azacitadine or center-specific cytarabine-based consolidation. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was performed if a donor was available. Pts in favorable risk gruop received 3 to 4 cycles of center-specific intermediate or high dose cytarabine-base consolidation. Non-responders or pts who achieved partial remission received 1 more cycle of venetoclax plus azacitadine. Who could not get CRc after 2 cycles of induction would be withdrawn from the study. The primary objective is to determine the CRc rate. The secondary objective is safety, MRD negative rate, duration of remission (DOR), the rate of allo-HSCT, event free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS). The endpoint is to show that venetoclax plus azacitadine is not inferior to “3+7” induction in fit pts with newly diagnosed AML aged 45-65. Results: From 10/9/2022 to 6/30/2023, a total of 32 pts was enrolled to this study, comprising 18 males and 14 females. There were 27 (84%) pts with de novo AML, 2(6%) pts were secondary AML, 3 pts (9.4%) were therapy-related AML. Median age was 58 years (range, 45-64 years). There were 2(6%), 14(44%) and 16(50%) pts were in the favorable, intermediate and adverse risk group, respectively. The baseline patient characteristics are summarized in Table 1. Outcome data were updated as of June 30, 2023, for a median follow-up of 2.2(0.2-8.8) months. Among 27 evaluable pts, 21(77.8%) achieved CRc with 11(40.8%) in CR and 10(37.0%) in CRi, 2(7.4%) achieved PR in cycle1, while 23(85.2%) achieved CRc with 14(51.9%) in CR and 9(33.3%) in CRi, 4(14.8%) got induction failure after 2 cycles(Figure 1). A total of 16 (61.5%) pts got MRD negative among the pts with CRc after cycle1, and 17 (65.4%) after cycle2. CRc rate after 2 cycles in ELN2017 favorable, intermediate, adverse risk group was 100%, 83.3% and 85.0%, respectively, and MRD negative rate was 100%, 88.9% and 55.6%, respectively. The regimen was well tolerated. No mortality occurred during induction therapy. The most common non-hematological grade 3/4 AE were febrile neutropenia (n=13, 40.6%)，followed by pneumonia (n=3, 9.4%).Sepsis occurred in 1 (3.1%) pt. With a median follow-up of 2.2(0.2-8.8) months, the median remission duration, EFS and OS have not been reached. Conclusions: Preliminary results indicate that venetoclax plus azacitadine as an induction regimen for fit middle aged and elderly pts with newly diagnosed AML is promising with high CRc and low toxicity. Recruitment of adults with newly diagnosed aged 45-65 AML pts for this trial is ongoing.

ABC Regimen (Azacitidine, Venetoclax and Chidamide) Is Comparable to the “3+7” Regimen in Newly Diagnosed AML: A Real-World Experience from South China

Background: Traditional “3+7” intense chemotherapy (IC) regimen is the standard treatment backbone for fitness patients with newly diagnosed AML. The azacitidine plus venetoclax (AB) regimen has recently been recommended for elderly AML patients or those ineligible for IC treatment. However, neither the “3+7” IC nor “AB” regimen unmet the needs ofadequate safety and effectiveness, especially on aspects of early death and some subtypes of leukemia, such as M5, or with RUNX1, FLT3-ITD, TP53 mutation, or with MCL-1 up-expression. Chidamide, a novel oral histone deacetylase inhibitor, can overcome the upregulating of MCL-1 expression induced by venetoclax, and synergy with azacitidine and venetoclax induces apoptosis of acute myeloid leukemia cells. Azacitidine-Venetoclax -Chidamide (ABC) combination regimen had been successfully used for refractory relapsed AML and newly diagnosed AML-M5 by Prof. Bin Xu and Prof. Shengli Xue, respectively. Whether the ABC regimen can be comparable to the “3+7” IC regimen in newly diagnosed AML induction therapy is still unknown. Aim: This pilot study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the ABC regimen versus the “3+7” IC regimen in newly diagnosed AML. Method: A total of 112 patients with newly diagnosed AML (not APL) were enrolled in this study. Thirty-one patients from the ABC Collaboration Group were unfitness or unwilling to undergo IC therapy and received ABC regimen treatment from May 2022 to July 2023. Eighty-one patients from GDPH in the AML Collaboration Group of South China were treated with a “3+7” (IC) regimen between November 2010 and August 2013. Treatment protocol: The ABC-28d protocol consists of azacitidine 75mg/M 2, d1-7; venetoclax 100mg d1, 200mg d2, 400mg d3-28, and Chidamide 10mg, d1-6/week for 2 weeks, 28 days as one cycle. The ABC-14d regimen consists of azacitidine 75mg/M 2, d1-7; venetoclax 100mg d1, 200mg d2, 400mg d3-14, and Chidamide 5mg, d1-6/week for 2 weeks, 28 days as one cycle. “3+7” IC regimen consists of idarubicin 10mg/M 2, d1-3; cytarabine 100 mg/M 2, d1-7. Baseline characteristics for patients are listed in Table 1. We compared the complete response (CR) and overall response rate (ORR= CR+ CR with incomplete recovery of blood counts CRi + partial response PR) after the first course of treatment, cumulative response rate, and adverse events between these two cohorts. Results: The outcome data of the ABC regimen was updated as of July 2023 for a median follow-up of 78 days (range 28- 402) for the ABC cohort. The ORR and CR/CRi rate of the ABC cohort after the first cycle therapy was not significantly different from the IC cohort (80.6% vs 75.3%, P =0.108 and 71% vs 65.8%, P=0.552). And the cumulative response rate of the ABC cohort was 87.1%. In primary AML, the CR rate of patients in the ABC cohort was higher than the IC cohort (84% vs 65.8%, P=0.075). Of concern, all 12 patients with M4/M5 treated with the ABC regimen achieved CR (100% vs 76.2%, P=0.03). In secondary AML, the ABC regimen was also poor (CR/CRi rate 33.3%). The ABC regimen is not only applicable to the elder patients (CR rate 100%, 15/15) but also young patients(<60 Y) same as the IC regimen ( CR rate: 71.4% vs 65.8%, P=0.726). The response was summarized in Table 1 and Figure 1. Up to 30 July 2023, the ABC cohort has not reached the median remission duration and overall survival (OS). Grade 3 or 4 hematologic adverse events occurred in 81.2% of patients. Neutrophil and platelet median recovery times were 21 days(0-58) and 16 days (0-58), respectively. Patients in the ABC-14d cohort had lower rates of hematologic AEs than ABC-28d cohort (Neutrophil: 12.13±14.33 vs 26.33±16.89, P =0.024 and Platelet: 11.88±13.92 vs 24.58±18.59, P = 0.048). The most frequent non-hematologic AEs of any grade were neutropenic fever (n=15), pneumonia (n=8) and reversible nephrotoxicity (n=4). In the ABC cohort, no patient experienced early death at week 4 or 8. Conclusions: This preliminary study showed that the safety and efficacy of the ABC regimen were comparable to the traditional “3+7” regimen for newly diagnosed AML, even better for the subtype of AML-M4/M5. The ABC-14 days regimen showed comparable efficacy but better tolerability. However, whether the ABC regimen can replace the traditional intense chemotherapy needs to be confirmed by further randomized controlled trials.

Impact of prior therapies and subsequent transplantation on outcomes in adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with brexucabtagene autoleucel in ZUMA-3

BackgroundBrexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) is an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved in the USA for adults with relapsed or refractory (R/R) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and...

Obesity is associated with poor outcomes of corticosteroid treatment in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia.

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that obesity impacts multiple immune-related diseases. It remains unclear whether and how obesity alters treatment outcomes in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Thus, we retrospectively investigated 214 treatment-naïve patients who received standard high-dose dexamethasone therapy in Qilu Hospital. Patients with obesity showed significantly lower overall initial response (underweight vs. normal vs. overweight vs. obese: 85.7% vs. 85.2% vs. 72.0% vs. 52.3%, p = 0.001) and initial complete response ([CR], 71.4% vs. 70.4% vs. 53.3% vs. 27.3%, p < 0.001) rates. The same trend was observed in the 6-month sustained response (63.6% vs. 52.3% vs. 35.6% vs. 22.7%, p = 0.03) and sustained CR (36.4% vs. 44.6% vs. 24.4% vs. 9.1%, p = 0.01). The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a shortened duration of remission in the obese group (median duration of remission, not reached vs. 16 months vs. 2 months vs. 1 month, p = 0.002). In multivariate regression analysis, obesity was independently associated with poor initial and sustained responses, and an increased risk for relapse. In conclusion, obesity is a negative predictor for outcomes of corticosteroid treatment. A stratified strategy according to body mass index status may facilitate the precision management of ITP.