PET-2 Positive Patients Research Articles

Interim PET-guided ABVD or ABVD/escalated BEACOPP for newly diagnosed advanced-stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma (JCOG1305).

This single-arm confirmatory study (JCOG1305) aimed to evaluate the utility of interim positron emission tomography (iPET)-guided therapy for newly diagnosed advanced-stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Patients aged 16-60 years with cHL received two cycles of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) and then underwent an iPET scan (PET2), which was centrally reviewed using a five-point Deauville scale. PET2-negative patients continued an additional four cycles of ABVD, whereas PET2-positive patients switched to six cycles of escalated bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (eBEACOPP). The co-primary endpoints were 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) among all eligible and PET2-positive patients. Ninety-three patients were enrolled between January 2016 and December 2019. One patient was ineligible because of a diagnostic error. The median age of the 92 eligible patients was 35 (interquartile range, 28-48) years. Forty (43%) patients had stage III disease, and 43 (47%) had stage IV disease. The remaining nine (10%) patients had stage IIB disease with risk factors. Nineteen PET2-positive (21%) patients received eBEACOPP, 18 completed six cycles of eBEACOPP, 73 PET2-negative (79%) patients continued ABVD, and 70 completed an additional four cycles of ABVD. With a median follow-up period of 41.1 months, the 2-year PFS of 92 eligible patients and 19 PET2-positive patients were 84.8% (80% confidence interval [CI], 79.2-88.9) and 84.2% (80% CI, 69.7-92.1), respectively. Both primary endpoints were met at the prespecified threshold. This study demonstrates that iPET-guided therapy is a useful treatment option for younger patients with newly diagnosed advanced-stage cHL. Registration number: jRCTs031180218.

Interim FDG-PET improves treatment failure prediction in primary central nervous system lymphoma: An LOC network prospective multicentric study.

The purpose of our study was to assess the predictive and prognostic role of 2-18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/MRI during high-dose methotrexate-based chemotherapy (HD-MBC) in de novo primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) patients aged 60 and above. This prospective multicentric ancillary study included 65 immunocompetent patients who received induction HD-MBC as part of the BLOCAGE01 phase III trial. FDG-PET/MRI were acquired at baseline, post 2 cycles (PET/MRI2), and posttreatment (PET/MRI3). FDG-PET response was dichotomized with "positive" indicating persistent tumor uptake higher than the contralateral mirroring brain region. Performances of FDG-PET and International PCNSL Collaborative Group criteria in predicting induction response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were compared. Of the 48 PET2 scans performed, 9 were positive and aligned with a partial response (PR) on MRI2. Among these, 8 (89%) progressed by the end of the induction phase. In contrast, 35/39 (90%) of PET2-negative patients achieved complete response (CR). Among the 18 discordant responses at interim (PETCR/MRIPR), 83% ultimately achieved CR. Eighty-seven percent of the PET2-negative patients were disease free at 6 months versus 11% of the PET2-positive patients (P < .001). The MRI2 response did not significantly differentiate patients based on their PFS, regardless of whether they were in CR or PR. Both PET2 and MRI2 independently predicted OS in multivariate analysis, with PET2 showing a stronger association. Our study highlights the potential of interim FDG-PET for early management of PCNSL patients. Response-driven treatment based on PET2 may guide future clinical trials. LOCALYZE, NCT03582254, ancillary of phase III clinical trial BLOCAGE01, NCT02313389 (Registered July 10, 2018-retrospectively registered) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03582254?term=LOCALYZE&draw=2&rank=1.

Comprehensive Analysis of Treatment Related Morbidity and Progression -Free Survival in the GHSG Phase III HD21 Trial

INTRODUCTION The GHSG-HD21 trial for newly diagnosed adult patients with advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (AS-cHL) compares the BrECADD regimen (Brentuximab vedotin, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, dacarbazine, dexamethasone) to eBEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone) in a PET adapted approach. Separate analyses of the co-primary endpoints for tolerability and efficacy demonstrated a significant and relevant reduction in treatment-related morbidity (TRMB) and non-inferiority of PFS, respectively. Here, we report the first combined comprehensive analysis of the primary endpoints of the HD21 trial. METHODS This international open-label phase III trial included adult patients aged ≤ 60 yrs with AS-cHL. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to PET2-guided 4-6 21-day cycles of either eBEACOPP or BrECADD. PET2 and PFS events were assessed by blinded panel review. At a planned interim analysis at 36 months follow-up, the efficacy endpoint PFS was determined in the ITT cohort comprising 1,482 patients (eBEACOPP n=740, and BrECADD n=742) while the safety endpoint TRMB was determined in 1,470 patients (BEACOPP n=732, and BrECADD n=738). Subgroup analyses were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (Cis). The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02661503) and conducted according to ICH-GCP guidelines. RESULTS Between July 2016 and August 2020, we enrolled 1,500 patients from 9 countries across 233 trial sites. Actual median follow-up for this analysis was 40 months. Baseline characteristics were well balanced between treatment arms, median age was 34 yrs (range 18-61), and 47% were high-risk (international prognostic index IPS ≥ 3). Overall, the relative risk for a TRMB event was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.65-0.79) in favor of BrECADD. Subgroup analyses confirmed a consistent, highly significant TRMB benefit in all relevant subgroups. Dose reductions were required less frequently with BrECADD than with eBEACOPP (figure 1); full dose treatment at cycle 4 was administered in 58.5% of patients in the eBEACOPP group compared to 77.8% in the BrECADD group. In PET2-positive patients at cycle 6, full dose treatment was received by 42.5% in the eBEACOPP group versus 67.3% in the BrECADD group. Most frequent reasons for dose reductions were leukopenia for eBEACOPP (in 33.7% of patients) and thrombocytopenia for BrECADD (in 23.1 % of patients). 59% of patients achieved a PET2-negative response and were treated with a total of 4 cycles in each group; conversely, 41% of patients were PET2-positive and received 6 cycles. At the end of treatment with either 4 or 6 cycles, a complete metabolic response was seen in 80% and 82% of patients in the eBEACOPP and BrECADD cohorts, respectively. The 3-yr PFS was 94.9% for BrECADD (95% CI 93.5% - 96.7%), and 92.3% for eBEACOPP (95% CI 90.3% - 94.3%), with a corresponding HR of 0.63 (95% CI 0.42-0.94). A HR favoring BrECADD was consistently observed across all relevant subgroups (figure 2). Notably, HRs favoring BrECADD were generally lower in lower-risk cohorts including IPS (0, 1; 2, 3; 4-7: HR 0.45, 0.59, 0.87, respectively), stage (Ann-Arbor stage II, III, IV: HR 0.35, 0.6, 0.78, respectively), or PET-2 response (negative versus positive, HR 0.4, 95% CI 0.21-0.76 vs 0.78, 95% CI 0.44-1.38). Corresponding 3-yr PFS rates for BrECADD versus eBEACOPP were 97.1% (95% CI 95.5% - 98.7%) versus 93.6% (95% CI 91.3% - 95.9%) for PET2-negative patients and 93.5% (95% CI 90.6% - 96.5%) versus 90.6% (95% CI 87.1% - 94.1%) for PET2-positive patients, respectively. CONCLUSION With the novel BrECADD regimen, we observed the highest 3-yr PFS rates reported to date in a randomized clinical trial in advanced-stage cHL. Our analyses suggest that the unexpectedly high and improved efficacy of the new BrECADD regimen compared to eBEACOPP is a direct consequence of its improved tolerability and deliverability. Importantly, while the larger patient cohort of PET2-negative patients achieves a very high 3-yr PFS of 97% with a very short and safe 12-week treatment, this benefit was also observed for PET2-positive patients. In conclusion, the optimized risk-benefit ratio of the BrECADD regimen combined with the individualized PET2-guided treatment duration sets a new benchmark for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed advanced stage cHL

ESCALATED BEACOPP X 2 + ABVD X 4 IS SUPERIOR TO ABVD X 6 IN ADVANCE STAGE CLASSICAL HODGKIN LYMPHOMA: EXPERIENCE IN A TERTIARY CENTER

Introduction: Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is a curable disease but results in advanced stages are suboptimal when treated with standard treatment ABVD with 10%–15% of primary refractoriness and 30% of relapses, although 5 years overall survival (OS) around 88%–90%. First-line treatment with more intensive schemes such as escalated BEACOPP has improved progression-free survival (PFS) in these patients, although associating greater toxicity. However, escalated BEACOPP did not improve OS when compared to ABVD due to the efficacy of rescue treatments, but assuming a high toxic cost. We present our experience to optimize first-line treatment in advanced cHL. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with advanced stage cHL (IIB-IV) treated with curative intent in our center between December 2008 and December 2022 (Table 1). In the period 2008–2011, patients were treated with ABVD x 6. During the period 2011–2022, we implemented a strategy intermediate PET guided (PET2) after escalated BEACOPP (x 2). With PET2 negative, we continued with ABVD/AVD x 4; in PET2 positive patients we continued with escalated BEACOPP x 4. Both groups received radiotherapy on bulky masses. We evaluate the efficacy of this strategy by comparing results and toxicity in the two study periods. Results: In the 2008–11 period, 21 patients received standard treatment with ABVD and during the 2011–22 period, 60 the intensified one (S). In PET2, 55 (91.6%) of patients in the intensified group achieved CR and 5 (8.4%) PR versus 5 (23.8%) CR, 14 (66.7%) PR and 2 (9.52%) refractory patients in the ABVD group. At the end of treatment, 58 patients (96.6%) achieved CR in the intensified treatment group and 15 (71.4%) in the ABVD group. There where 4 (19%) refractory patients in ABVD group versus 2 (3.3%) in the intensified group. PFS for the intensified treatment group was 90.8% at 5 years versus 57.1% for the ABVD group (p = 0.00025). OS for the intensified treatment group was 98.1% versus 85.7% for the ABVD group at 5 years (p = 0.01). The incidence of admissions for febrile neutropenia tended to be higher in the intensified group (15% vs. 4.76%, p = 0.44) and no significant differences were observed in the incidence of secondary malignancies or infertility. There were no toxic deaths in any group. Keywords: Hodkin lymphoma, PET-CT No conflicts of interests pertinent to the abstract.

Impact of PET‐2 guided treatment de‐escalation on time‐to‐recovery from cancer‐related fatigue in advanced stage Hodgkin Lymphoma: results from the GHSG HD18 study

Introduction: Persisting cancer related fatigue (CRF) has impact on health related quality of life (HRQoL) and social re-integration of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). The GHSG HD18 trial established treatment PET-2 guided de-escalation of treatment for advanced-stage HL as new standard. Here, we investigate the impact of treatment de-escalation in HD18 on long-term HRQoL domains and time-to-recovery from fatigue (TTR-F). Methods: Mean fatigue scores (FA) of the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire are reported descriptively for baseline, interim, end-of-treatment, and yearly follow-up. TTR-F was defined as time from end of chemotherapy until first occurrence of FA <30 or the time of last questionnaire (censored). TTR-F was analyzed and compared using time-to-event methods including cumulative incidence and cox proportional hazard models, as recommended by the SISAQoL consortium. Effect of disease, patient and treatment characteristics on 2y HRQoL domains was analyzed using multiple regression. Results: 2101 patients aged 18–60 years with advanced-stage HL were recruited in HD18, of whom 156 were found ineligible before or after randomization. PET-2 negative Patients were randomized between 8x eBEACOPP (arm C, n = 288) and 4x eBEACOPP (arm D; n = 285), and between 6x eBEACOPP (arm C6; n = 216) and 4x eBEACOPP (D4; n = 216). HRQoL questionnaires at baseline were available in 83.9% of all randomized patients. Overall, baseline FA and age were significantly associated with TTR-F, whereas sex was not. TTR-F differed between trial arms for PET-2 negative, but not for PET-2 positive patients. Particularly, treatment reduction from 8 to 4 cycles of eBEACOPP led to a significantly shorter TTR-F (HR 1.41, p = 0.008). Reducing the cycle number of eBEACOPP from 8 to 6 cycles (HR 1.21, p = 0.2) or 6 to 4 cycles (HR 1.22, p = 0.18) speeded TTR-F accordingly but was not statistically significant. For PET-positive patients a significantly slower TTR-F was observed with addition of Rituximab (HR 0.7, p = 0.0163). In PET-2-negative patients, median TTR-F was 19 months (CI95: 13–28) in arm C, 13 months (CI95: 10–20) in arm C6, 12 months (CI95: 8–15) in arm D and 10 months (CI95: 8–13) arm D4. HRQoL at baseline and age were the main determinants of 2y HRQoL domains. The research was funded by: Deutsche Krebshilfe, Swiss State Secretariat for Education and Research, and Roche Pharma AG. Keywords: Chemotherapy, Hodgkin lymphoma, Late Effects in Lymphoma Survivors No conflicts of interests pertinent to the abstract.

Das Hodgkin-Lymphom in fortgeschrittenen Stadien

BackgroundIn recent years, positron emission tomography (PET)-adapted protocols and new agents such as brentuximab vedotin are increasingly used as part of first-line protocols of advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).ObjectivesThis manuscript reviews guideline-based therapy and available trial data in advanced-stage HL.Materials and methodsThis is a narrative review.ResultsThe German HL guideline recommends interim PET2-guided (PET after 2 cycles) chemotherapy using 4 cycles of eBEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisone) for PET2-negative patients up to 60 years of age with advanced HL and 6 cycles eBEACOPP for PET2-positive patients. Furthermore, patients with PET-positive residual lymphoma should receive consolidation radiotherapy with 30 Gy. This is based on effective tumor control and short duration of therapy of 3 months in most patients. For elderly patients, treatment with 2 cycles of ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) followed by 4 cycles of AVD and irradiation of PET-positive residuals is recommended.ConclusionsAdvanced-stage HL is curable in more than 90% of cases. The goal of current scientific efforts is to reduce toxicity while maintaining efficacy by including immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Outcomes Among Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients After an Interim PET Scan: A Real-World Experience

IntroductionThe utility of dose escalation after positive positron emission tomography following 2 cycles of ABVD (PET2) for Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) remains controversial. We describe the United States real-world practice patterns for PET2 positive patients. Patients and MethodsData was collected from 15 sites on PET2 positive HL patients after receiving frontline treatment between January, 2015 and June, 2019. Descriptive analyses between those with therapy change and those continuing initial therapy were assessed. ResultsA total of 129 patients were identified; 111 (86%) were treated with ABVD therapy and 18 (14%) with an alternate regimen. At PET2 assessment, 74.4% (96/129) had Deauville score (DS) 4 and 25.6% (33/129) had DS 5. Of the 66 limited stage (LS) patients with PET2 DS score of 4/5, 77.3% (51/66) continued initial therapy and 22.7% (15/66) changed to escalated therapy. The 12-month progression-free survival (PFS) for DS 4/5 LS patients was 67.0% (95% CI; 54.9-81.7) for patients without escalation compared with 51.4% (95% CI; 30.8-85.8) for those who escalated. Of the 63 DS 4/5 patients with advanced stage (AS) disease, 76.2% (48/63) continued initial therapy and 23.8% (15/63) changed to escalated therapy. The 12-month PFS for DS 4/5 AS patients was 38.3% (95% CI: 26.3%-55.7%) for patients without escalation compared with 57.1% (95% CI: 36.3-89.9) for those with escalation. ConclusionA minority of PET2 positive HL patients undergo therapy escalation and outcomes remain overall suboptimal. Improved prognostics markers and better therapeutics are required to improve outcomes for high-risk PET2 positive HL patients.

HL-147: Brentuximab Vedotin with Chemotherapy for Patients with Previously Untreated Stage III/IV Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: 5-Year Update of the ECHELON-1 Study

<h3>Objective</h3> Historically, nearly all relapses in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) occur within the first 5 years of treatment (Radford et al., BMJ 1997;314:346). In ECHELON-1, brentuximab vedotin, doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A+AVD) significantly improved modified progression-free survival (PFS) versus doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) in patients with stage III/IV cHL (Connors <i>et al.,</i> NEJM 2018;378:331). We report updated efficacy and safety results; median follow-up was 60.9 months. <h3>Design</h3> This phase 3, open-label study (NCT01712490) randomized patients with previously untreated stage III/IV cHL to receive 6 cycles of A+AVD or ABVD. Patients underwent an interim positron emission tomography scan after cycle 2 (PET2). An exploratory analysis of PFS per investigator was conducted. <h3>Results</h3> There were 664 and 670 patients randomized to receive A+AVD and ABVD, respectively. 64%, 62%, and 58% of patients had stage IV disease, extranodal involvement at diagnosis, and B symptoms, respectively. Five-year PFS was 82.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 79.0–85.0) with A+AVD and 75.3% (95% CI: 71.7–78.5) with ABVD. Overall, PFS favored A+AVD (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.681; 95% CI: 0.534–0.867; P=0.002). PFS benefits were observed regardless of PET2 status and International Prognostic Score. Estimated 5-year PFS with A+AVD <i>versus</i> ABVD was 84.9% <i>versus</i> 78.9% in PET2-negative patients (HR: 0.663; 95% CI: 0.502–0.876; P=0.004), and 60.6% <i>versus</i> 45.9% in PET2-positive patients (HR: 0.702; 95% CI: 0.393–1.255; P=0.229). Treatment-emergent peripheral neuropathy (PN) resolved or improved in 85% (n=375/443) and 86% (n=245/286) of the patients with PN on A+AVD and ABVD, respectively. Secondary malignancies occurred in 19 and 29 patients with A+AVD and ABVD, respectively. A total of 131 female patients or partners of male patients reported a pregnancy; both arms showed similar proportions of ongoing pregnancies or live births. <h3>Conclusions</h3> At 5 years, A+AVD still demonstrates clinically meaningful improvement in PFS versus ABVD, independent of PET2 status, with a manageable safety profile, including resolution or improvement of PN. The PFS benefit observed with A+AVD at this important milestone suggests that A+AVD is an attractive treatment option for all patients with previously untreated stage III/IV cHL. <h3>Funding</h3> Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Seagen

Early Reduction of Serum TARC Levels Predicts Prognosis of Patients Treated with a PET-Adapted Strategy for Advanced Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) in the GITIL/FIL HD0607 Trial

Background: Elevated serum levels of the thymus and activation-regulated chemokine/CCL17 (TARC) reflect tumor burden in classical HL at diagnosis and their reduction during treatment can predict prognosis. Interim PET, performed after 2 cycles of ABVD (PET2), proved to be highly effective in identifying advanced-stage HL patients at risk of failure by continuing ABVD (Gallamini A et al. J Clin Oncol 2007;25:3746), whereas their prognosis could be improved by shifting to BEACOPP escalated (Gallamini A et al. Haematologica 2017;102s: S413). Nevertheless, a not negligible fraction of patients (13%-15%) despite a negative PET2 is reported to experience failure with ABVD, and only 60% of patients are expected to be salvaged by BEACOPP escalated. Therefore, the evaluation of biomarkers like serum TARC levels, an easy to perform and relatively inexpensive procedure, could be useful to assess risk of disease progression in patients treated with a PET-adapted strategy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of PFS and early serum TARC levels reduction in patients with advanced-stage HL treated according to HD0607 PET-driven trial.MethodsHD0607 trial was a prospective open label phase II study treating, from June 2008 to June 2014, 782 newly diagnosed advanced-stage HL patients with 2 cycles of ABVD, followed by PET2; PET2-negative patients continued with 4 cycles ABVD and PET2-positive patients were randomized to 4 cycles BEACOPP escalated followed by 4 cycles BEACOPP standard with or without Rituximab. Serum TARC levels were measured by commercially available ELISA test kits (R&D System, Minneapolis, USA) on frozen sera of patients at baseline and after 2 ABVD cycles (T2). The value of 800 pg/mL, representing the 99th centile of TARC distribution in a group of 156 independent healthy subjects, was considered as cut-off value discriminating between normal and abnormal TARC values. The Wilcoxon Mann Whitney test was used to analyze the association between median TARC values and PET2 results or treatment outcome. Kaplan-Meyer curves and log-rank test were used to assess differences in PFS according to TARC levels. Cox model was used for multivariate analysis.ResultsThe serum TARC levels were assessed in 243 patients at baseline and after 2 ABVD cycles. Main patient characteristics were as follows: males/females: 122/121, median age: 31 years (range, 16-60), B symptoms: 86%, bulky disease (>5cm): 59%, stage IIB: 43%, stage III: 31%, stage IV: 26%, IPS>3: 14%. Median (IQ range) TARC values at baseline and after 2 ABVD were: 37855 (13990-73312) and 444 (277-723) pg/mL, respectively. A positive PET2 was recorded in 47/243 (19%) patients and 46/243 (19%)patients experienced disease failure. Median (IQ range) T2 values were significantly higher in PET2-positive patients compared to their counterpart (703, IQ 389-2517 vs 424, IQ 250-656; p<.001), and in patients with progression or relapse compared to those in continuous CR (580, IQ 308-1297 vs 429, IQ 277-661; p=.01). With the selected cut-off of 800 pg/mL, the sensitivity and specificity of T2 in predicting PET2 results and treatment outcome were 0.43, 0.82 and 0.41, 0.82, respectively.As shown in Figure 1, after a median follow-up of 3.6 years, the 3-year PFS for patients with T2 ≤ vs >800 pg/mL was significantly different: 85% vs 66% (p<.001), and T2>800 pg/mL was able to identify patients with a worse prognosis also among those with a negative PET2 (3-year PFS: 77% vs 88%; p=.03). In univariate and multivariate analysis T2 > 800 pg/mL, positive PET2 and IPS>3 significantly affected PFS. T2 was a significant independent predictor of outcome in both the whole study population (HR 2.26; 95% CI :1.22-4.20) and in the PET2 negative patients (HR 2.37; 95% CI: 1.06-5.26).ConclusionsEarly reduction of serum TARC levels, after 2 ABVD cycles, are associated with a favorable outcome in patients treated with a PET-driven strategy. Evaluation of T2 may help identifying those patients at risk of treatment failure despite a negative PET2. [Display omitted] DisclosuresViviani:Takeda Italia: Speakers Bureau; Takeda International: Research Funding. Zanotti:Deciphera: Consultancy. Corradini:Sanofi: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria. Rambaldi:Novartis, Amgen, Celgene, Sanofi: Other: Travel, Accomodations, Expenses; Novartis, Roche/Genentech, Amgen, Italfarmaco: Consultancy.

The classic prognostic factors in advanced Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma patients are losing their meaning at the time of Pet-guided treatments

The International Prognostic Score (IPS) is the most commonly used risk stratification tool for patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). It incorporates seven clinical parameters independently associated with a poorer outcome: male sex, age, stage IV, hemoglobin level, white blood cell and lymphocyte counts, and albumin level. Since the development of the IPS, there have been significant advances in therapy and supportive care. Recent studies suggest that the IPS is less discriminating due to improved outcomes with ABVD therapy. The aim of the present study was to asses if classic prognostic factors maintain their prognostic meaning at the time of response-adapted treatment based on interim PET scans. We evaluated the prognostic significance of IPS in the 520 advanced stage HL patients enrolled in the PET-guided, HD0801 trial in which PET2-positive patients underwent a more intense treatment with an early stem-cell transplantation after 2 cycles of ABVD. We observed that in these patients, the IPS completely loses its prognostic value together with all the single parameters that contribute to the IPS. Furthermore, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, and the ratio among them also no longer had any predictive value. We believe that the substantial improvement in survival outcomes in PET2-positive patients treated with early autologous transplantation could explain the complete disappearance of the residual prognostic significance of the IPS.

Stage IIb High Risk Hodgkin Lymphoma Treated in the H10 and AHL2011 Trials: Similar Efficacy of Both Strategies and Prognostic Impact of Baseline Tmtv and PET2 Response

Stage IIb High Risk Hodgkin Lymphoma Treated in the H10 and AHL2011 Trials: Similar Efficacy of Both Strategies and Prognostic Impact of Baseline Tmtv and PET2 Response

The prognostic significance of peripheral lymphocyte/monocyte ratio and PET-2 evaluation in adult Hodgkin's lymphoma

目的探讨淋巴细胞/单核细胞比值（LMR）及2个疗程后PET评价（PET-2）在成人霍奇金淋巴瘤（HL）中的预后价值。方法回顾性分析2007年1月至2016年3月南京医科大学第一附属医院133例初诊成人HL患者的临床资料。采用X-tile软件确定变量的最佳临界值，生存分析采用Kaplan-Meier法及Cox回归。结果133例HL患者中位年龄33（18~84）岁，男女比例1.9∶1。LMR最佳临界值为2.5，LMR<2.5组无进展生存（PFS）时间（P<0.001）和总生存（OS）时间（P<0.001）均较LMR ≥2.5组显著缩短。多因素生存分析显示LMR<2.5是HL患者PFS（HR=2.35，95%CI 1.36~4.07，P=0.002）和OS（HR=10.36，95%CI 2.35~45.66，P=0.002）的独立预后因素。56例患者的PET-2结果分析显示，PET-2阳性患者PFS明显差于PET-2阴性患者（P=0.022）。根据LMR和PET-2将患者分为PET-2阴性且LMR ≥2.5、PET-2阳性或LMR<2.5、PET-2阳性且LMR<2.5三组，三组间的PFS和OS差异均有统计学意义（P值分别为0.009和0.012）。结论LMR<2.5是成人HL患者的独立预后不良因素。PET-2与LMR结合的预后价值可能更好。

Prognostic Relevance of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Lymphocyte to Monocyte Ratio (LMR) in Newly Diagnosed Advanced-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Treated up-Front with a PET-2 Risk Adapted Protocol

Background: Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is characterized by an inflammatory background and it has been demonstratedthat the reactive myeloid cells may exert an immune suppressive effect that favors progression of disease. The easily measurable NLR, the ratio between absolute neutrophils counts (ANC) and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and LMR, the ratio between ALC and absolute monocyte count (AMC) have been reported to reflect both the systemic inflammation and the myeloid associated immune suppression. We previously identified NLR, and to a lesser extend LMR, at baseline, as predictor of progression free survival (PFS) in HL patients.Objectives: To validate NLR>6 and LMR≤2 as predictor of clinical outcome at diagnosis in the context of a prospective clinical trial of newly diagnosed advanced stage (aa) HL patients treated upfront with a PET-2 risk-adapted strategy.Methods: According to HD 0607 trial (Gallamini, JCO 2018), 782 advanced-stage HL patients were treated with 2 ABVD courses and a PET-2 performed afterwards. PET-2 positive (PET-2+) patients (N=149) were randomized to either BEACOPP escalated (Be) plus BEACOPP baseline (Bb) (4+4 courses) or Be+Bb (4+4) and Rituximab. PET-2 negative (PET-2-) patients were treated with 4 additional ABVD and, upon CR achievement, randomized to either consolidation radiotherapy on the sites of initial bulky disease or no further treatment. PET scans were centrally reviewed by an expert panel by Blinded Independent Central Review.Results:Median NLR at baseline was 5.7 (IQ range 3.8-8.3). NLR was higher in younger patients (<45 years, p=0.0005), in females (p=0.0027) and in patients with B symptoms (p<0.0001), bulky disease (>7 cm, p<0.0001) and high IPS (p<0.0001). LMR was lower in males (p=0.01) and in patients with B symptoms (p<0.0001), bulky disease (p<0.0001) and high IPS (≥3, p<0.0001). Neither NLR nor LMR values were associated with Ann Arbor stage. Higher NLR (p=0.0001 and p=0.0003) and lower LMR (p=0.01, and p=0.02) were respectively associated with a PET-2+ (DS score 4 and 5) and failure to achieve long-term disease control. Receiving operator curve (ROC) confirmed 6 as the cut-off of NLR to predict clinical outcome with 59% (95% C.I. 51-68) sensitivity and 57% (95% C.I. 53-61) specificity (AUC 0.59). Negative predictive value of LMR, with cutoff of 2, was 79% with 40% (95% C.I. 31-48) sensitivity and 50% (95% C.I. 46-54) specificity (AUC 0.56). NLR was >6 in 88/149 (59%) PET-2+ and in 269/628 (43%) PET-2- patients. By univariate and multivariate analysis, bulky disease, IPS≥3, NLR>6 were strong independent predictors of early PET-2 response after ABVD (table I). Only PET-2 positivity (p<0.0001) and IPS≥3 (p=0.0001) were independent predictors of PFS by multivariate analysis.Focusing on PET-2 negative patients, we found that patients with NLR>6 had an inferior 3-years PFS compared to patients with NLR ≤6 (84% versus 89%, p=0.003), while there was no stastical difference based on LMR status.Conclusion: At diagnosis, the presence of bulky disease, IPS score ≥3 and NLR>6 are independent predictors of early ABVD response (PET-2 positivity) and this information should be considered when selecting the initial treatment for aaHL patients. [Display omitted] DisclosuresDi Raimondo:Celgene: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding. Trentin:Janssen: Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Honoraria; Gilead: Research Funding. Gallamini:Takeda: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Rambaldi:Amgen Inc.: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy; Italfarmaco: Consultancy; Omeros: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy.

Progression-free survival of early interim PET-positive patients with advanced stage Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with BEACOPPescalated alone or in combination with rituximab (HD18): an open-label, international, randomised phase 3 study by the German Hodgkin Study Group

Advanced stage Hodgkin's lymphoma represents a heterogeneous group of patients with different risk profiles. Data suggests that interim PET assessment during chemotherapy is superior to baseline international prognostic scoring in terms of predicting long-term treatment outcome in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma. We therefore hypothesised that early interim PET-imaging after two courses of bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPP) might be suitable for guiding treatment in patients with advanced stage Hodgkin's lymphoma. We aimed to assess whether intensifying standard chemotherapy (BEACOPPescalated) by adding rituximab would improve progression-free survival in patients with positive PET after two courses of chemotherapy. In this open-label, international, randomised, phase 3 study, we recruited patients aged 18-60 years with newly diagnosed, advanced stage Hodgkin's lymphoma from 160 hospitals and 77 private practices in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. Interim PET-imaging was done after two cycles of BEACOPPescalated and centrally assessed by an expert panel. Patients with a positive PET after 2 cycles of BEACOPPescalated chemotherapy (PET-2) were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive six additional courses of either BEACOPPescalated (BEACOPPescalated group) or BEACOPPescalated plus rituximab (R-BEACOPPescalated group). PET-2 was assessed using a 5-point scale with 18FDG uptake higher than the mediastinal blood pool (corresponding to Deauville scale 3) defined as positive. BEACOPPescalated was given as previously described; rituximab was given intravenously at a dose of 375 mg/m2 (maximum total dose 700 mg), the first administration starting 24 h before starting the fourth cycle of BEACOPPescalated (day 0 and day 3 in cycle 4, day 1 in cycles 5-8). Randomisation was done centrally and used the minimisation method including a random component, stratified according to centre, age, stage, international prognostic score, and sex. The primary efficacy endpoint was 5 year progression-free survival, analysed in the intention-to-treat population. We are reporting this second planned interim analysis as the final report of the trial. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00515554. Between May 14, 2008, and May 31, 2011, we enrolled 1100 patients. 440 patients had a positive PET-2 and were randomly assigned to either the BEACOPPescalated group (n=220) or the R-BEACOPPescalated group (n=220). With a median follow-up of 33 months (IQR 25-42) for progression-free survival, estimated 3 year progression-free survival was 91·4% (95% CI 87·0-95·7) for patients in the BEACOPPescalated group and 93·0% (89·4-96·6) for those in the R-BEACOPPescalated group (difference 1·6%, 95% CI -4·0 to 7·3; log rank p=0·99). Common grade 3-4 adverse events were leucopenia (207 [95%] of 218 patients in the BEACOPPescalated group vs 211 [96%] of 220 patients in the R-BEACOPPescalated group), and severe infections (51 [23%] vs 43 [20%] patients). Based on a futility analysis, the independent data monitoring committee recommended publication of this second planned interim analysis as the final result. Six (3%) of 219 patients in the BEACOPPescalated group and ten (5%) of 220 in the R-BEACOPPescalated group died; fatal treatment-related toxic effects occurred in one (<1%) patient in the BEACOPPescalated group and three (1%) in the R-BEACOPPescalated group, all of them due to infection. The addition of rituximab to BEACOPPescalated did not improve the progression-free survival of PET-2 positive patients with advanced stage Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, progression-free survival for PET-2 positive patients was much better than expected, exceeding even the outcome of PET-2-unselected patients in the previous HD15 trial. Thus, PET-2 cannot identify patients at high-risk for treatment failure in the context of the very effective German Hodgkin Study Group standard treatment for advanced stage Hodgkin's lymphoma. Deutsche Krebshilfe; Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI); and Roche Pharma.

The Combination of High Expression of CD68-Positive Tumor-Associated Macrophages and PET2-Positivity Predicts Unfavorable Outcome in Patients with Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Treated in the Lysa AHL2011 Study

Although progression free survival and overall survival of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) has improved with modern treatment in the past 10 years, 10 % of patients will fail to conventional therapy and die of their lymphoma. The search of new prognostic factors for identifying these high risk patients at diagnosis of HL remains challenging in daily practice. The evaluation of the tumor microenvironnement was shown to help identifying a subset of patients treated with ABVD having a high risk of treatment failure (Tan KL et al, Blood 2012). PET positivity after 2 cycles of chemotherapy allows also identifying a subset of patients with poor outcome (Gallamini, JCO 2007) and PET-guided strategy were developed to improve the management of HL patients in order to either intensify treatment for high risk patients or deescalate treatment for sparing the others from toxicities. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the impact of baseline tumor microenvironnement in a large cohort of HL patients prospectively treated with upfront escalated BEACOPP in a randomized phase III clinical trial evaluating a PET-driven strategy (AHL 2011, NCT01358747) and to compare its prognostic value with other clinicopathological markers.Material and MethodsTumoral material was collected from May 2011 to May 2014 from HL patients prospectively enrolled in the AHL 2011 study. The AHL 2011 trial was designed to evaluate in 16-60 years old HL patients with Ann Arbor stage III, IV or high risk IIB, a de-escalade PET-driven strategy after 2 cycles of BEACOPPesc randomly compared to a standard treatment not driven by PET and delivering 6 cycles of BEACOPPesc. PET were centrally reviewed and interpreted according to Deauville criteria. As recently reported (Casasnovas, ASH 2015 Abs 577), the 2y-PFS was similar in the PET-driven (88%) and the standard arm (91%; p =0.79). The tumor microenvironnement was analyzed on formalin fixed paraffin embedded lymph node biopsy obtained for the diagnosis before treatment by morphological evaluation on standard staining (% polynuclear eosinophils, % lymphocytes, % plasmocytes, % histiocytes), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) scoring (score 0-1-2-3) for CD20, CD3, CD68-TAMs (tumor-associated macrophages) and CD163 and were centrally reviewed. Percentage of tumoral cells and EBV status were also analysed. In this analysis, the prognosis value of tissue markers expressions were compared to those of clinical and biological patient's characteristics, and PET results after 2 cycles of escalated BEACOPP.ResultsSix hundred fifty eight patients with available IHC data out of 823 enrolled in AHL2011 study were included in the analysis. With a median follow-up of 16.1 months, 2-year PFS was 89.4% (95% CI [86.2% ; 91.9%]) and 2-year OS 98.7% (95% CI [96.4% ; 99.5%]). In univariate analysis male gender, at least one extra-nodal involvement, B symptoms, Hemoglobin <10.5g/dL, Albumin <40g/L, IPS score≥ 3, positive PET2, immunophenotyping CD20 (2-3vs0-1) and CD163 (2-3 vs 1) were significantly associated with shorter PFS. In multivariate analysis positive PET2 was the only factor retaining an independent prognosis value and associated to a shorter PFS (p=.04, HR=2.5, CI95% (1.03-5.8)).Among baseline patients characteristics, male gender, hemoglobin <10.5g/dL, IPS score ≥3, low % of lymphocytes, immunophenotyping CD3 (score ≥1), high CD20 (score ≥2), CD68 and CD163 expression were significantly associated with a higher risk of PET2 positivity. In multivariate analysis high CD68 expression (score 2-3 vs 1) was the only independent prognostic factor predicting PET2 positivity (p=.03, HR=2.4, CI95% (1.1-5.2)). 79% of PET2 positive patients have high CD68 expression and the combination of high CD68 expression and PET2 positivity identifies a subset of 50 patients (%) with a shorter 2y-PFS (72%) than PET2+/CD68low patients (2y-PFS=100%, p 0.066).In conclusion, CD68 expression was confirmed to be an important prognostic marker in this large prospective cohort of patients treated with upfront escalated BEACOPP in a modern PET-guided strategy. Baseline high CD68 expression is associated to a higher risk of PET2 positivity and the combination of this microenvironment marker and PET2 results allowed identifying a population of patients with high risk of treatment failure. [Display omitted] [Display omitted] DisclosuresBrice:Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Co.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers-Squibb: Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria. Casasnovas:BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; ROCHE: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

TARC before ASCT Is Highly Predictive of Outcome in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) after First-Line Therapy

Background: Second-line salvage chemotherapy(CT) followed by high-dose (HD) CT and autologous stem cells reinfusion (ASCT) is standard treatment forR/R HL patients, although long-term cure can be achieved in only half of them, depending on risk factors. Chemosensitivity to salvage CT before ASCT, mainly represented by a negative PET scan, is highly predictive of a favorable outcome. The availability of new markers of prognosis, like the measurement of the serum chemokineTARC, could help identifying those patients who may require further treatment, i.e. new drugs like Brentuximab Vedotin or Nivolumab or Pembrolizumab, before ASCT, in order to achieve a durable remission.Therefore we planned to prospectively evaluate the prognostic role of serum TARC levels collected at different time points in cHL R/R patients.Methods: Serum TARC levels were measured by commercially available ELISA test kits (R & D Systems, Minneapolis, USA) in 41 patients treated with IGEV (ifosfamide, gemcitabine, vinorelbine, prednisone) salvage CT, followed by myeloablative B(F)EAM (carmustine, (fotemustine), etoposide, cytosine arabinoside, melphalan) + ASCT at Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan, Italy, from January 2007 to December 2013. The 99th centile of TARC distribution in a group of 156 independent healthy subjects corresponding to 800 pg/mL, was considered as cut-off value discriminating between normal and abnormal TARC values. TARC evaluation was performed before starting salvage CT(T0), after the first IGEV cycle (T1) and before ASCT (T-preASCT). The Wilcoxon Mann Whitney test was used to analyze TARC as a function of patient and disease characteristics and PET results. Kaplan-Meyer curves and log-rank test were used to assess differences in PFS according to TARC levels. Cox model was used for multivariate analysis.Results: Main patient characteristics at relapse/progression were as follows: males/females: 19/22, median age: 31 years (range,19-69), B symptoms: 34%, bulky disease: 27%, stage III/IV: 39%, extra nodal involvement: 34%, refractory vs relapsed < 12 months vs relapsed ≥ 12 months: 49% vs 34% vs 17%. Median (IQ range) T0, T1 and T-preASCT were: 1856 (8801-9983) pg/mL, 1148 (544-2532) pg/mL and 829 (454-1725) pg/mL, respectively. Patients with bulky disease had higher median T0 than their counterpart (3241 vs 1462 pg/mL; p=.016). Median T-preASCT was significantly higher in patients with refractory disease compared to relapse < or ≥ 12 months (1100 vs 595, vs 548 pg/mL, p=.027). A positive PET was recorded in 57.5% of patients after 2 IGEV cycles and in 32% before ASCT. Forty-one percent of patients needed ≥ 2 salvage CT before ASCT and 63% had ≥ 2 risk factors. At each time point, median TARC values were significantly higher in PET-2 positive patients compared to their counterpart (T0: 3238 vs 1310; T1: 1866 vs 624; T-preASCT: 908 vs 544; pg/mL). Median (IQ range)T-preASCT levels were significantly higher in patients with a positive PET before ASCT:1091 (596-10578) pg/mL compared to those with a negative one: 651 (447-964) pg/mL. After a median follow-up of 65 months, 5-year PFS and OS (95% CI) were 70 (57-88)% and 84 (72-98)%, respectively. In univariate analysis T-preASCT > 2000 pg/mL, PET-2, PET-preASCT, ≥ 2 risk factors and ≥ 2 salvage CT lines significantly affected PFS. In multivariate analysis only T-preASCT > 2000 pg/mL was significantly associated with a poor PFS (HR 6.65, CI95% 1.12-39.35, p=0.036) as shown in Figure 1.Conclusions: Results of this single institution prospective study suggest that a cheap and easy to perform test, like serum TARC levels measurement before ASCT, may help to ameliorate the identification of those patients at risk of failing ASCT, for whom anticipated use of new active drugs, like anti-CD30 immunoconjugates and/or anti-PD1 blockers, should be explored, in order to improve the cure rate of ASCT. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

The combined role of biomarkers and interim PET scan in prediction of treatment outcome in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma: a retrospective, European, multicentre cohort study

Early-interim fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET scan after two ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) chemotherapy courses (PET-2) represents the most effective predictor of treatment outcome in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. We aimed to assess the predictive value of PET-2 combined with tissue biomarkers in neoplastic and microenvironmental cells for this disease. We enrolled 208 patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma and treated with ABVD (training set), from Jan 1, 2002, to Dec 31, 2009, and validated the results in a fully matched independent cohort of 102 patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (validation set), enrolled from Jan 1, 2008, to Dec 31, 2012. The inclusion criteria for both the training and validation sets were: the availability of a representative formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sample collected at diagnosis; treatment with ABVD with or without radiotherapy; baseline staging and interim restaging after two ABVD courses with FDG-PET; no treatment change based solely on interim PET result; and HIV-negative status. We used Cox multivariate analysis classification and regression tree (CART) to compare the predictive values of these markers with that of PET-2 and to assess the biomarkers' ability to correctly classify patients whose outcome was incorrectly predicted by PET-2. In multivariate analysis, PET-2 was the only factor able to predict both progression-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] 33·3 [95% CI 13·6-83·3]; p<0·0001) and overall survival (HR 31·3 [95% CI 3·7-58·9]; p=0·002). In the training set, no factor had a stronger adverse predictive value than a positive PET-2 scan and none was able to correctly reclassify PET-2 positive patients. In PET-2 negative patients, expression of CD68 (≥25%) and PD1 (diffuse or rosetting pattern) in microenvironmental cells, and STAT1 negativity in Hodgkin Reed Sternberg cells identified a subset of PET-2 negative patients with a 3 year progression-free survival significantly lower than that of the remaining PET-2 negative population (21 [64%] of 33 [95% CI 45·2-79·0] vs 130 [95%] of 137 [95% CI 89·4-97·7]; p<0·0001). These findings were reproduced in the validation set. The CART algorithm correctly predicted the response to treatment in more than a half of patients who had a relapse or disease progression despite a negative PET-2 scan, thus increasing the negative predictive value of PET-2. In keeping with preliminary results from interim PET response adapted clinical trials of patients with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma, there might be a non-negligible proportion of treatment failures in the interim PET negative group treated with standard ABVD. Italian Association for Cancer Research, Bologna Association against leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and Bologna University.

HLA-G expression and role in advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

Non-classical human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-G class I molecules have an important role in tumor immune escape mechanisms. We investigated HLA-G expression in lymphonode biopsies taken from 8 controls and 20 patients with advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), in relationship to clinical outcomes and the HLA-G 14-basepair (14-bp) deletion-insertion (del-ins) polymorphism. Lymphnode tissue sections were stained using a specific murine monoclonal HLA-G antibody. HLA-G protein expression was higher in cHL patients than controls. In the group of PET-2 positive (positron emission tomography carried out after 2 cycles of standard chemotherapy) patients with a 2-year progression-free survival rate (PFS) of 40%, we observed high HLA-G protein expression within the tumor microenvironment with low expression on Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells. Conversely, PET-2 negative patients with a PFS of 86% had higher HLA-G protein expression levels on HRS cells compared to the microenvironment. Lower expression on HRS cells was significantly associated with the HLA-G 14-bp ins/ins genotype.These preliminary data suggest that the immunohistochemical pattern of HLA-G protein expression may represent a useful tool for a tailored therapy in patients with cHL, based on the modulation of HLA-G expression in relation to achievement of negative PET-2.

Role of Positron-Emission Tomography in Prognosis of Outcomes of High-Dose Chemotherapy with Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Aim. To perform a comparative analysis of the prognostic significance of positron-emission tomography (PET) with other prognostic factors of the efficacy of high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Methods. Data on 84 patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma receiving treatment over the period from October 2007 till November 2015 were analyzed. The median age was 26.6 years (range: 10-62). The median follow-up was 25 months (range: 1-81 months). The prognostic significance of sex, response to the initial chemotherapy, time to relapse, second-line chemotherapy regimen type, B-symptoms, tumor size (&gt;5 cm in cases of relapse prior to the HDCT), serum LDH and albumin levels, CT findings, the number of chemotherapy lines, conditioning regimen before the auto-HSCT, and the metabolic activity before the HDCT (PET1, n = 82) and after auto-HSCT (PET2, n = 57) was analyzed. Results. The two-year overall (OS) and event-free (EFS) survival rates were 70.6 % and 58.7%, respectively. Prognosis was the worst in patients with CT-confirmed lymphoma progression by the initiation of HDCT. In the presence of a CT-response, the PET status of lymphoma has a prognostic significance. The 2-year OS and EFS rates of PET1-negative and PET1-positive patients were 82 % vs. 62 % (p = 0.056) and 74 % vs. 44 % (p = 0.003), respectively. In PET2-negative and PET2-positive patients, the OS and EFS rates were 90 % vs. 65 % (p = 0.013) and 72 % vs. 52 % (p = 0.014), respectively. From the prognostic point of view, PET2 findings prevailed over PET1 findings. The multivariate analysis confirmed only PET2 significance for OS prediction. Conclusion. The tumor sensitivity to the chemotherapy assessed by the CT is the most important prognostic factor. In case of a positive CT dynamics, the achievement of PET1 or PET2 negativity before or after HDCT/auto-HSCT is a favorable prognostic factor. The worst prognosis was observed in patients with tumor metabolic activity before or after HDCT/ auto-HSCT.

Randomized Phase III Study Comparing an Early PET Driven Treatment De-Escalation to a Not PET-Monitored Strategy in Patients with Advanced Stages Hodgkin Lymphoma: Interim Analysis of the AHL2011 Lysa Study

BACKGROUNDEscalated BEACOPP (BEAesc) demonstrated a better disease control than ABVD but no overall survival (OS) improvement in patients with advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) (Federico et al , J Clin Oncol 2009, Viviani et al, N Engl J Med 2011, Mounier et al, Ann Oncol 2014). The superior efficiency of BEAesc is associated to a substantially higher immediate hematological toxicity, and an increased risk of secondary myelodysplasia/leukemia and infertility. So, to better manage HL treatment there is a need to identify early responding patients able to benefit from a strategy of dose intensity de-escalation after upfront BEAesc, without impairing the disease control. PET performed after 2 cycles of chemotherapy (PET2) might identify such a population suitable for receiving ABVD after 2 cycles of upfront BEAesc, and was implemented in the present study.METHODSThe AHL 2011 trial (NCT01358747) was designed to evaluate in 16 to 60 years old HL patients with Ann Arbor stage III, IV or high risk IIB, a treatment strategy driven by PET after 2 BEAesc cycles (PET2), delivering 4 cycles of ABVD for PET2 negative patients and 4 cycles of BEAesc for PET2 positive patients. This PET-driven strategy was randomly compared to a standard treatment not monitored by PET and delivering 6 cycles of BEAesc. A baseline PET was mandatory before treatment and PET2 were centrally reviewed and interpreted according to Deauville criteria within 48 hours. The allocation of treatment in the experimental arm was based on the PET2 central review results. PFS was the primary endpoint of the study with a hypothesis of non-inferiority of the PET driven arm compared to the standard arm with a margin of 10% (85% 5y-PFS in the standard arm vs >75% in the PET driven arm). An interim analysis of the primary endpoint was planned after 50% (n = 49) of the 97 scheduled events needed for the final analysis.RESULTSFrom May 2011 to May 2014, 823 patients were registered and 782 were eligible for the interim analysis including 401 patients in the arm A, and 381 in arm B. Patients characteristics were well balanced in both arms: median age was 30 years (16 - 60), 64% were male, 81% had nodular sclerosis and 12% mixed cellularity HL, 12% had stage IIB, 28% stage III, 60% stage IV, and 58% had an international prognosis score ≥3.After 2 cycles of BEAesc PET was positive in 97 (12%) patients and PET2 positivity was similar in the standard and experimental arms (n = 48, 12% and n = 49, 13% respectively). Based on PET2 results, 319 (84%) patients received 4 cycles of ABVD and 49 (13%) 4 additional cycles of BEAesc in the experimental arm.Grade ≥3 toxicity was significantly higher in patients receiving 6 cycles of BEAesc compared to those who received 2 cycles of BEAesc + 4 cycles of ABVD with more frequent anemia (11% vs 2%), leukopenia (85% vs 72%), thrombocytopenia (44% vs 13%), febrile neutropenia (6% vs 3%), and sepsis (7% vs 4%). 182 serious adverse events (SAE) related to treatment occurred in 108 (24%) patients treated with 6 cycles of BEAesc (leading to death in 4 cases), compared to 72 SAE (leading to death in 1 case) in 50 (15%) patients treated with 2 x BEAesc + 4 x ABVD (p<0.002). In these latter patients most of SAE (67%) occurred during the 2 first cycles of chemotherapy.With a median follow up of 16.3 months, in an intent to treat basis, the estimated 2y-PFS was similar in the standard (91.6%) and the PET driven arms (88.3%; p = 0.79). PET2 positivity was related to a significantly lower 2y-PFS compared to PET2 negative patients in the whole population (72.9% vs 92.8%; p<0.0001) and in both randomization arms (75.1% vs 94% and 70.8% vs 91.6% in the standard and PET driven arms, respectively; p<0.0001 for both). Overall survival was similar in both randomization arms and in PET2 positive or negative subsets of patients.CONCLUSIONSThis interim analysis suggests that PET performed after 2 cycles of BEAesc can be safely used to guide subsequent treatment and supports the response-adapted strategy delivering 4 cycles of ABVD for patients with negative PET2 (84%) without impairing the disease control. This approach allows to significantly reduce the treatment-related immediate toxicity in most patients and provides similar patients' outcome compared to standard BEAesc treatment. Still, PET positivity after 2 cycles of BEAesc is related to a higher risk of disease progression, encouraging to develop new treatment options in patients with PET2 positive advanced stage HL. DisclosuresCasasnovas:Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy. Salles:Celgene Corporation; Roche and Gilead Sciences: Research Funding; Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Celgene Corporation; Genentech, Inc.; Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, L.P.; Roche: Consultancy; Celgene Corporation; Roche: Speakers Bureau. Dupuis:ABBVIE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; ROCHE: Speakers Bureau. Morschhauser:Genentech Inc./Roche: Other: Advisory boards. Tempescul:Gilead: Other: Export Board Committee.