Enhanced ALOX12 Gene Expression Predicts Therapeutic Susceptibility to 5-Azacytidine in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

5-azacytidine (AZA), a representative DNA-demethylating drug, has been widely used to treat myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, it remains unclear whether AZA's DNA demethylation of any specific gene is correlated with clinical responses to AZA. In this study, we investigated genes that could contribute to the development of evidence-based epigenetic therapeutics with AZA. A DNA microarray identified that AZA specifically upregulated the expression of 438 genes in AZA-sensitive MDS-L cells but not in AZA-resistant counterpart MDS-L/CDA cells. Of these 438 genes, the ALOX12 gene was hypermethylated in MDS-L cells but not in MDS-L/CDA cells. In addition, we further found that (1) the ALOX12 gene was hypermethylated in patients with MDS compared to healthy controls; (2) MDS classes with excess blasts showed a relatively lower expression of ALOX12 than other classes; (3) a lower expression of ALOX12 correlated with higher bone marrow blasts and a shorter survival in patients with MDS; and (4) an increased ALOX12 expression after AZA treatment was associated with a favorable response to AZA treatment. Taking these factors together, an enhanced expression of the ALOX12 gene may predict favorable therapeutic responses to AZA therapy in MDS.

Gene Expression and DNA Methylation Profiling Suggest Potential Biomarkers for Azacitidine Resistance in Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Myelodysplastic syndrome/neoplasm (MDS) comprises a group of heterogeneous hematopoietic disorders that present with genetic mutations and/or cytogenetic changes and, in the advanced stage, exhibit wide-ranging gene hypermethylation. Patients with higher-risk MDS are typically treated with repeated cycles of hypomethylating agents, such as azacitidine. However, some patients fail to respond to this therapy, and fewer than 50% show hematologic improvement. In this context, we focused on the potential use of epigenetic data in clinical management to aid in diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making. First, we used the F-36P MDS cell line to establish an azacitidine-resistant F-36P cell line. We performed expression profiling of azacitidine-resistant and parental F-36P cells and used biological and bioinformatics approaches to analyze candidate azacitidine-resistance-related genes and pathways. Eighty candidate genes were identified and found to encode proteins previously linked to cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia, and transcriptional misregulation in cancer. Interestingly, 24 of the candidate genes had promoter methylation patterns that were inversely correlated with azacitidine resistance, suggesting that DNA methylation status may contribute to azacitidine resistance. In particular, the DNA methylation status and/or mRNA expression levels of the four genes (AMER1, HSPA2, NCX1, and TNFRSF10C) may contribute to the clinical effects of azacitidine in MDS. Our study provides information on azacitidine resistance diagnostic genes in MDS patients, which can be of great help in monitoring the effectiveness of treatment in progressing azacitidine treatment for newly diagnosed MDS patients.

A phase 3b study of venetoclax and azacitidine or decitabine in an outpatient setting in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Venetoclax, a highly selective BCL-2 inhibitor, combined with hypomethylating agents (HMAs) azacitidine or decitabine, is approved for the treatment of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (ND AML) in patients who are ineligible to receive intensive chemotherapy. Previous clinical studies initiated venetoclax plus HMA in an inpatient setting owing to concerns of tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). This study (NCT03941964) evaluated the efficacy and safety of venetoclax plus HMA in a United States community-based outpatient setting in patients with ND AML (N = 60) who were treatment naïve for AML, ineligible to receive intensive chemotherapy, had no evidence of spontaneous TLS at screening, and were deemed as appropriate candidates for outpatient initiation of venetoclax plus HMA by the investigator. Patients received venetoclax in combination with azacitidine (75 mg/m2) or decitabine (20 mg/m2) for up to 6 cycles during the study. With a median time on study of 18.3 weeks, the best response rate of composite complete remission was 66.7%, and the overall post-baseline red blood cell (RBC) and platelet transfusion independence rate was 55.0%, consistent with results of studies in which treatment was initiated in an inpatient setting. Key adverse events included nausea, anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and white blood cell count decrease of any grade (≥50% of patients). The observed safety profile was generally consistent with that of venetoclax plus HMA observed in inpatient AML studies. With close monitoring, 2 cases of TLS were identified, appropriately managed, and the patients were able to continue study treatment. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. The registration identification number is NCT03941964.

Efficacy and safety of venetoclax-based combination therapy for previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To explore the efficacy and safety of venetoclax-based combination therapy for older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials comparing venetoclax plus hypomethylating agents (HMAs) or low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) with mono-HMAs or LDAC. The random or fixed effects model was applied to the studies based on heterogeneity. Dichotomous data were summarized using the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Continuous variable data were reported as weighted mean differences (WMDs). RESULTS: Nine studies, including a total of 1232 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. Thec complete remission (CR)/complete remission with incomplete hematological recovery (CRi) rate of the venetoclax (Ven) + azacytidine (Aza) group was significantly greater than that of the Aza monotherapy group (RR: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.85-3.15; P < 0.001). Similarly, the CR/CRi rate of the Ven + LDAC group was also significantly greater than that of the LDAC monotherapy group (RR: 2.57; 95% CI: 1.58-4.17; P = 0.00). The same results were observed for OS among these groups. However, the incidence of febrile neutropenia was greater in the Ven + Aza group than in the Ven + Decitabine (Dec) or monotherapy Aza group (RR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.53-0.90; P = 0.006 and RR: 2.19; 95% CI: 1.58-3.03; P < 0.001, respectively). In addition, the Ven + LDAC group had significantly greater rates of constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting than the LDAC monotherapy group, with RRs and CIs of 0.61 (95% CI 0.44-0.83, P = 0.002), 1.81 (95% CI 1.22-2.67, P = 0.003), 1.39 (95% CI 1.06-1.82, P = 0.016), and 1.80 (95% CI 1.19-2.72, P = 0.005), respectively. CONCLUSION: Venetoclax combined with azacitidine, decitabine, or LDAC significantly improved the CR/CRi and OS of patients with previously untreated AML. However, venetoclax plus azacitidine or LDAC was more likely to lead to increased febrile neutropenia and gastrointestinal toxicity.

The efficacy of the combination of venetoclax and hypomethylating agents versus HAG agents in patients with acute myeloid leukemia: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the combination of venetoclax and hypomethylating agents with the HAG regimen. METHODS: We studied 52 cases of newly diagnosed AML and 26 cases of relapsed refractory AML, (including AML patients with treatment-related and ELN-adverse risk disease (n = 50)). These patients were treated with venetoclax and hypomethylating agents and HAG regimens, respectively. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia were treated with VEN-HMA (venetoclax-hypomethylating agent), while 23 patients were treated with HAG. The median age of the VEN-HMA group was 70 years, while the HAG group had a median age of 69 years. The VEN-HMA group achieved a significantly higher rate of complete remission (82.7%) compared to the cohort treated with the HAG regimen (21.7%) (P < 0.001). At the same time, the VEN-HMA group exhibited a significant survival advantage compared to the HAG treatment group(HR = 0.328, 95%CI: 0.158-0.683, P = 0.003).In patients with relapsed and refractory acute myeloid leukaemia, 43.8% of patients in the VEN-HMA treatment group achieved complete remission, which was similar to the 50% in the HAG treatment group (P > 0.99). The median overall survival was similar between the VEN-HMA and HAG groups, with 4 and 3.67 months, respectively (P = 0.290). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our analyses indicated that VEN-HMA resulted in better therapeutic outcomes compared to HAG for newly diagnosed AML patients, with higher rates of complete remission and overall survival. In relapsed/refractory AML patients, there was no significant difference in the efficacy of the two treatments and further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted.

Combination therapy with venetoclax and azacitidine for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes with DDX41 mutations.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with DEAD-box helicase 41 (DDX41) mutations have been reported to be treated effectively with lenalidomide; however, there are no randomized studies to prove it. Venetoclax and azacitidine are safe and effective in high-risk MDS/AML. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of venetoclax and azacitidine combination therapy in eight consecutive MDS patients with DDX41 mutations at our centre from March 2021 to November 2023. We retrospectively analyzed the genetic features and clinical characteristics of these patients. Our findings suggest that MDS patients with DDX41 mutation may benefit from the therapy, for six subjects received this regimen as initial therapy and five of the six subjects achieved complete remission.

Combination of venetoclax and azacitidine in relapsed/refractory acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia: a case series from a single center.

OBJECTIVES: Relapsed/refractory acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL) often responds poorly to induction chemotherapy. However, recent research has shown a novel and effective drug treatment for R/R B-ALL. METHODS: A total of eight patients with R/R B-ALL were enrolled in the study from November 2021 to August 2022. All patients received chemotherapy based on a combination regimen of venetoclax and azacitidine. The regimen was as follows venetoclax 100 mg d1, 200 mg d2, 400 mg d3-14, azacitidine 75 mg/m2 d1-7. RESULTS: Five of eight patients achieved very deep and complete remission (CR) with minimal residual disease (MRD) less than 0.1%. One patient achieved partial remission. Two patients did not achieve remission. There were no serious adverse events and all patients were well tolerated. Three patients were eligible for consolidation chemotherapy and were bridged to CAR-T therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The combined regimen of venetoclax and azacitidine may be beneficial for patients with R/R B-ALL.

Adding the epigenomic signature to the prognostic jigsaw of myelodysplastic neoplasm?

Defining mechanisms of resistance to hypomethylating agents (HMAs) and biomarkers predictive of treatment response remains challenging in myelodysplastic neoplasm (MDS). Currently available prognostic tools that predict overall survival and transformation to acute myeloid leukaemia have not been powered to predict responses to HMAs. Noguera-Castells et al. comprehensively characterized the epigenomic profile in patients with MDS treated with azacitidine and described a methylation signature-based prognostic tool in predicting responses to azacitidine. Commentary on: Noguera-Castells et al. DNA methylation profiling of myelodysplastic syndromes and clinical response to azacitidine: a multicentre retrospective study. Br J Haematol 2024;204:1838-1843.

Could it be VEXAS?

We report the case of the youngest patient described with VEXAS syndrome associated with MDS-IB1, successfully treated with azacitidine-venetoclax and allogeneic stem cell transplant.

Efficacy of Venetoclax and Azacitidine in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Compared to Azacitidine Monotherapy: Real-World Experience.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The combination of venetoclax (VEN) and azacitidine (AZA) (VEN+AZA) leads to higher complete remission rates and longer overall survival (OS) in patients with untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are ineligible for intensive combination chemotherapy. In practice, the doses of VEN and AZA are reduced at the attending physician's discretion to avoid adverse events; however, the impact of dose and duration reductions has not been fully clarified. We analyzed whether the efficacy was maintained with reduced VEN+AZA compared to AZA monotherapy in the real world. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 33 patients were included; 17 (10 newly diagnosed, 7 primary refractory or relapsed) received VEN+AZA, and 16 (7 newly diagnosed, 9 primary refractory or relapsed) received AZA. We analyzed complete remission (CR) and CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi) rates, OS, and the incidence of adverse events. RESULTS: CR/CRi were achieved in 7/17 (41.2%) and 11/17 (64.7%) patients in the VEN+AZA group and 0/15 (0%) and 2/15 (6.7%) patients in the AZA group, respectively. The CR/CRi rate was higher in the VEN+AZA group than in the AZA group (p=0.001). OS was longer in the VEN+AZA group than in the AZA group (p=0.03), with a median of 506 days [95% confidence interval (CI)=234-585 days] and 208 days (95% CI=52-343 days), respectively. CONCLUSION: The doses of the VEN+AZA combination were reduced at the attending physician's discretion, resulting in a higher CR/CRi rate and longer OS than AZA monotherapy and is considered useful for AML in the real world.

Gilteritinib combined with venetoclax and azacitidine for relapsed acute myeloid leukemia cocurrent with pure red cell aplasia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a case report.

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare bone marrow (BM) disorder characterized by ineffective erythropoiesis, reduced reticulocyte count, normocytic anemia, and the absence of erythroid precursors. Here, we present a rare instance of PRCA occurring after ABO-matched allo-HSCT in a refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML) patient. In this case, the patient received a combination treatment of Gilteritinib, Venetoclax, and Azacitidine. Remarkably, this treatment not only reduced myeloblasts but also facilitated the restoration of erythroid hematopoiesis.

Differential Gene Regulatory Network Analysis between Azacitidine-Sensitive and -Resistant Cell Lines.

Azacitidine, a DNA methylation inhibitor, is employed for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, drug resistance remains a major challenge for effective azacitidine chemotherapy, though several studies have attempted to uncover the mechanisms of azacitidine resistance. With the aim to identify the mechanisms underlying acquired azacitidine resistance in cancer cell lines, we developed a computational strategy that can identify differentially regulated gene networks between drug-sensitive and -resistant cell lines by extending the existing method, differentially coexpressed gene sets (DiffCoEx). The technique specifically focuses on cell line-specific gene network analysis. We applied our method to gene networks specific to azacitidine sensitivity and identified differentially regulated gene networks between azacitidine-sensitive and -resistant cell lines. The molecular interplay between the metallothionein gene family, C19orf33, ELF3, GRB7, IL18, NRN1, and RBM47 were identified as differentially regulated gene network in drug resistant cell lines. The biological mechanisms associated with azacitidine and AML for the markers in the identified networks were verified through the literature. Our results suggest that controlling the identified genes (e.g., the metallothionein gene family) and "cellular response"-related pathways ("cellular response to zinc ion", "cellular response to copper ion", and "cellular response to cadmium ion", where the enriched functional-related genes are MT2A, MT1F, MT1G, and MT1E) may provide crucial clues to address azacitidine resistance in patients with AML. We expect that our strategy will be a useful tool to uncover patient-specific molecular interplay that provides crucial clues for precision medicine in not only gastric cancer but also complex diseases.

A Case of Relapsed/Refractory CD56-Positive Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, in Which Complete Molecular Remission Was Achieved Following Combination Therapy with Venetoclax and Azacitidine.

An 84-year-old woman was diagnosed as having acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL)in July Year X-3. The test for promyelocytic leukemia- retinoic acid receptor alpha(PML-RARA)mRNA was positive, while that for CD56 was negative. Since her white blood cell( WBC) count was <3,000/µL, with a count of APL cells of <1,000/µL, she was started on monotherapy with all-trans retinoic acid(ATRA). In September Year X-3, complete hematological remission(CHR)was confirmed. she refused to provide consent for receiving consolidation therapy. In February Year X-2, hematological relapse occurred. She was started on re-induction therapy with arsenite(ATO), and in June Year X-2, complete molecular remission(CMR)was achieved. She was started on post-remission therapy with ATO. In August Year X-1, she developed molecular relapse and was started on tamibarotene(Am80). In October Year X-1, hematological relapse was detected, and the test for CD56 was positive. She was started on combined venetoclax(VEN)+azacitidine(AZA)(VEN+AZA). After completion of 1 course of treatment, CMR was achieved, but she developed hematological relapse after 5 courses of treatment. She died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. This is considered a valuable case for accumulating information on the treatment of CD56-positive APL resistant to ATRA and ATO.

Epigenetic remodeling to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy in human glioblastoma: pre-clinical evidence for development of new immunotherapy approaches.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive primary brain tumor, that is refractory to standard treatment and to immunotherapy with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Noteworthy, melanoma brain metastases (MM-BM), that share the same niche as GBM, frequently respond to current ICI therapies. Epigenetic modifications regulate GBM cellular proliferation, invasion, and prognosis and may negatively regulate the cross-talk between malignant cells and immune cells in the tumor milieu, likely contributing to limit the efficacy of ICI therapy of GBM. Thus, manipulating the tumor epigenome can be considered a therapeutic opportunity in GBM. METHODS: Microarray transcriptional and methylation profiles, followed by gene set enrichment and IPA analyses, were performed to study the differences in the constitutive expression profiles of GBM vs MM-BM cells, compared to the extracranial MM cells and to investigate the modulatory effects of the DNA hypomethylating agent (DHA) guadecitabine among the different tumor cells. The prognostic relevance of DHA-modulated genes was tested by Cox analysis in a TCGA GBM patients' cohort. RESULTS: The most striking differences between GBM and MM-BM cells were found to be the enrichment of biological processes associated with tumor growth, invasion, and extravasation with the inhibition of MHC class II antigen processing/presentation in GBM cells. Treatment with guadecitabine reduced these biological differences, shaping GBM cells towards a more immunogenic phenotype. Indeed, in GBM cells, promoter hypomethylation by guadecitabine led to the up-regulation of genes mainly associated with activation, proliferation, and migration of T and B cells and with MHC class II antigen processing/presentation. Among DHA-modulated genes in GBM, 7.6% showed a significant prognostic relevance. Moreover, a large set of immune-related upstream-regulators (URs) were commonly modulated by DHA in GBM, MM-BM, and MM cells: DHA-activated URs enriched for biological processes mainly involved in the regulation of cytokines and chemokines production, inflammatory response, and in Type I/II/III IFN-mediated signaling; conversely, DHA-inhibited URs were involved in metabolic and proliferative pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Epigenetic remodeling by guadecitabine represents a promising strategy to increase the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy of GBM, supporting the rationale to develop new epigenetic-based immunotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of this still highly deadly disease.

A case of Bloom syndrome manifesting with therapy-related myelodysplastic syndromes harboring a novel BLM gene variant.

Bloom syndrome (BS) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by variants in the BLM gene. BS is characterized by distinct facial features, elongated limbs, and various dermatological complications including photosensitivity, poikiloderma, and telangiectatic erythema. The BLM gene encodes a RecQ helicase critical for genome maintenance, stability, and repair, and a deficiency in functional BLM protein leads to genomic instability and high predisposition to various types of cancers, particularly hematological and gastrointestinal malignancies. Here, we report a case of BS with a previously unreported variant in the BLM gene. The patient was a 34-year-old woman who presented with short stature, prominent facial features, and a history of malignancies, including lymphoma, breast cancer, and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). She was initially treated with azacitidine for MDS and showed transient improvement, but eventually died at age of 35 due to progression of MDS. Genetic screening revealed compound heterozygous variants in the BLM gene, with a recurrent variant previously reported in BS in one allele and a previously unreported variant in the other allele. Based on her characteristic clinical features and the presence of heterozygous variants in the BLM gene, she was diagnosed with BS harboring compound heterozygous BLM variants.