Identifying 1q amplification and PHF19 expressing high-risk cells associated with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Multiple Myeloma is an incurable plasma cell malignancy with a poor survival rate that is usually treated with immunomodulatory drugs (iMiDs) and proteosome inhibitors (PIs). The malignant plasma cells quickly become resistant to these agents causing relapse and uncontrolled growth of resistant clones. From whole genome sequencing (WGS) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) studies, different high-risk translocation, copy number, mutational, and transcriptional markers have been identified. One of these markers, PHF19, epigenetically regulates cell cycle and other processes and has already been studied using RNA-seq. In this study a massive (325,025 cells and 49 patients) single cell multiomic dataset was generated with jointly quantified ATAC- and RNA-seq for each cell and matched genomic profiles for each patient. We identified an association between one plasma cell subtype with myeloma progression that we have called relapsed/refractory plasma cells (RRPCs). These cells are associated with 1q alterations, TP53 mutations, and higher expression of PHF19. We also identified downstream regulation of cell cycle inhibitors in these cells, possible regulation of the transcription factor (TF) PBX1 on 1q, and determined that PHF19 may be acting primarily through this subset of cells.

Clinical Outcomes in Patients with FLT3-ITD-Mutated Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation after Quizartinib or Salvage Chemotherapy in the QuANTUM-R Trial.

Despite the substantial clinical activity of fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitors in relapsed or refractory (R/R) FLT3-ITD‒positive acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), durable remissions and prolonged survival in this population require allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Quizartinib, a once-daily oral, highly potent, and selective FLT3 inhibitor, significantly prolonged overall survival (OS) and improved clinical benefit compared with salvage chemotherapy (median OS, 6.2 months versus 4.7 months; hazard ratio [HR], .76; 95% confidence interval [CI], .58 to .98; P = .018; composite complete remission [CRc] rate, 48% versus 27%; median duration of CRc, 2.8 months versus 1.2 months; mortality rate, .8% versus 14% by day 30, 7% versus 24% by day 60) in patients with R/R FLT3-ITD AML in the phase 3 QuANTUM-R trial. In this post hoc analysis, we described the characteristics of and clinical outcomes in patients who underwent on-study HSCT in QuANTUM-R at the investigator's discretion and institutional practices. Of 367 randomized patients, 78 (32%) in the quizartinib arm and 14 (11%) in the salvage chemotherapy arm underwent on-study allo-HSCT without any intervening therapy for AML after quizartinib or study-specified salvage chemotherapy. Pooled data of patients from both treatment arms showed a longer median overall survival (OS) in transplant recipients versus those treated without allo-HSCT (12.2 months versus 4.4 months; HR, .315; 95% CI, .233 to .427). Pooled data also showed a longer median OS in patients with a last recorded response of CRc before allo-HSCT versus patients without a CRc (20.1 months versus 8.8 months; HR, .506; 95% CI, .296 to .864). By treatment arm, the median OS was 25.1 months with quizartinib and 20.1 months with salvage chemotherapy in patients with a last recorded response of CRc before allo-HSCT. Forty-eight patients in the quizartinib arm continued quizartinib treatment after allo-HSCT. In the 31 patients with a last recorded response of CRc before allo-HSCT who continued quizartinib after allo-HSCT, the median OS was 27.1 months. Continuation of quizartinib after allo-HSCT was tolerable, and no new safety signals were identified. These results suggest that post-transplantation survival following salvage chemotherapy and quizartinib treatment are similar. However, quizartinib response occurs more frequently than with salvage chemotherapy, potentially allowing more patients to undergo transplantation and achieve durable clinical benefit. In addition, post-transplant quizartinib was found to be tolerable and may be associated with prolonged survival in some patients, highlighting its potential value in the management of patients with FLT3-ITD R/R AML.

A quantitative method for detection of circulating fms related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT-3) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients.

FMS related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT-3) is a tyrosine kinase expressed in early hematopoietic precursor cells and has roles in survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Bone marrow expression and mutagenic analysis of FLT-3 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients is well-characterized. However, the levels of circulating FLT-3 in serum have not been previously described. In this study we describe a quantitative electrochemiluminescent immunoassay that detects FLT-3 in human serum. Using this method we find that AML patients have elevated levels of circulating FLT-3 and these levels correlated to the percent blast counts in the bone marrow (BM).

Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Elderly Patients-A Therapeutic Dilemma.

Older adults represent the majority of approximately 20,000 new patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the United States each year. While the treatment goal for younger patients is to achieve a cure with intensive therapeutic protocols, including standard chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, these goals are less well defined in the elderly population. This is in part due to the continuous decline in treatment outcomes with increasing age secondary to a number of patient-related and disease-specific factors, ranging from the presence of comorbid conditions to the higher frequency of adverse cytogenetic and unfavorable molecular markers. Although best supportive care, low-dose cytarabine, and epigenetic drugs represent well recognized treatment concepts, no universally accepted strategy for the management of elderly patients with AML exists. Therapeutic decisions are widely based on the patient's age, general health, the disease features, as well as the patient's personal wishes. The predicament of treating AML in the elderly population is the central theme of this review.

Signal transduction in Acute Myeloid Leukemia - Implications for Novel Therapeutic Concepts.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a highly aggressive clonal hematopoietic disorder that has been managed with largely unchanged treatment protocols for the past decades. Although conventional chemotherapy bears the potential to cure some AML patients, the course of the disease is frequently fatal despite treatment highlighting the need for novel therapeutic concepts. Recent progress in genetic technologies significantly furthered our understanding of the molecular events leading to the disease, but these advances have not yet been successfully translated into improved treatment outcomes. Here, we review some of the new promising targets expressed by leukemic blasts, including important signaling pathways involved in AML stem/progenitor cell maintenance and drug resistance. We furthermore discuss novel targeted therapies in pre-clinical and clinical development thereby focusing on new compounds targeting receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases, farnesyltransferase proteins, and epigenetic modifiers.