Bortezomib and high-dose melphalan conditioning regimen in frontline multiple myeloma: an IFM randomized phase 3 study.

High-dose melphalan (HDM) and transplantation are recommended for eligible patients with multiple myeloma. No other conditioning regimen has proven to be more effective and/or safer. We previously reported in a phase 2 study that bortezomib can safely and effectively be combined with HDM (Bor-HDM), with a 32% complete response (CR) rate after transplantation. These data supported a randomized phase 3 trial. Randomization was stratified according to risk and response to induction: 300 patients were enrolled, and 154 were allocated to the experimental arm (ie, arm A) with bortezomib (1 mg/m2 intravenously [IV]) on days -6, -3, +1, and +4 and melphalan (200 mg/m2 IV) on day -2. The control arm (ie, arm B) consisted of HDM alone (200 mg/m2 IV). There were no differences in stringent CR + CR rates at day 60 posttransplant (primary end point): 22.1% in arm A vs 20.5% in arm B (P = .844). There were also no differences in undetectable minimum residual disease rates: 41.3% vs 39.4% (P = .864). Median progression-free survival was 34.0 months for arm A vs 29.6 months for arm B (adjusted HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.61-1.13; P = .244). The estimated 3-year overall survival was 89.5% in both arms (hazard ratio, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.62-2.64; P = .374). Sixty-nine serious adverse events occurred in 18.7% of Bor-HDM-treated patients (vs 13.1% in HDM-treated patients). The proportion of grade 3/4 AEs was similar within the 2 groups (72.0% vs 73.1%), mainly (as expected) blood and gastrointestinal disorders; 4% of patients reported grade 3/4 or painful peripheral neuropathy in arm A (vs 1.5% in arm B). In this randomized phase 3 study, a conditioning regimen with Bor-HDM did not improve efficacy end points or outcomes compared with HDM alone. The original trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02197221.

Monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma comprises morphologic and genomic heterogeneity impacting outcome.

Monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma (MEITL) is a rare aggressive T-cell lymphoma most reported in Asia. We performed a comprehensive clinical, pathological and genomic study of 71 European MEITL patients (36 males, 35 females, median age 67 years). The majority presented with gastrointestinal involvement and had emergency surgery, and 40% had stage IV disease. The tumors were morphologically classified into two groups: typical (58%) and atypical (i.e., non-monomorphic or with necrosis, angiotropism or starry-sky pattern) (42%), sharing a homogeneous immunophenotypic profile (CD3+ [98%] CD4- [94%] CD5- [97%] CD7+ [97%] CD8+ [90%] CD56+ [86%] CD103+ [80%] cytotoxic marker+ [98%]) with more frequent expression of TCRgd (50%) than TCRab (32%). MYC expression (30% of cases) partly reflecting MYC gene locus alterations, correlated with non-monomorphic cytology. Almost all cases (97%) harbored deleterious mutation(s) and/or deletion of the SETD2 gene and 90% had defective H3K36 trimethylation. Other frequently mutated genes were STAT5B (57%), JAK3 (50%), TP53 (35%), JAK1 (12.5%), BCOR and ATM (11%). Both TP53 mutations and MYC expression correlated with atypical morphology. The median overall survival (OS) of 63 patients (43/63 only received chemotherapy after initial surgery) was 7.8 months. Multivariate analysis found a strong negative impact on outcome of MYC expression, TP53 mutation, STAT5B mutation and poor performance status while aberrant B-cell marker expression (20% of cases) correlated with better survival. In conclusion, MEITL is an aggressive disease with resistance to conventional therapy, predominantly characterized by driver gene alterations deregulating histone methylation and JAK/STAT signaling and encompasses genetic and morphologic variants associated with very high clinical risk.

Pomalidomide, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone for relapsed multiple myeloma.

It is important to have an effective therapy for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) at first relapse, particularly if an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is considered at this stage. This multicenter, phase 2 trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of weekly oral pomalidomide-cyclophosphamide-dexamethasone (PCD) in patients with MM in first relapse after treatment with lenalidomide-bortezomib-dexamethasone (RVD). All patients had received RVD as induction and consolidation therapy, plus lenalidomide maintenance for 1 year (arm A). Half had also received an ASCT after induction (arm B). At MM relapse, all patients received 4 oral cycles of pomalidomide 4 mg (days 1-21), cyclophosphamide 300 mg (days 1, 8, 15, and 22), and dexamethasone 40 mg (days 1-4 and days 15-18 of a 28-day cycle; PCD). Responding patients in arm A underwent ASCT and received 2 additional cycles of PCD, whereas those in arm B received 5 cycles of PCD. All patients received pomalidomide-dexamethasone maintenance until disease progression. Primary end point was partial remission or better after the initial 4 cycles of PCD. Responses were obtained in 82/97 (85%) patients evaluated: complete remission (n = 1; 1%), very good partial remission (n = 32; 33%), and partial remission (n = 49; 51%). Three patients (3%) had stable disease, and 6 (6%) had disease progression (6 response failures). Forty-five (94%) of the 48 patients in arm A underwent planned ASCT. PCD was effective therapy after first relapse with RVD. After 4 cycles, the rate of partial remission or better was 85%, and 94% of planned ASCTs were performed. Toxicity was mostly hematologic and manageable. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02244125.

Dasatinib and low-intensity chemotherapy in elderly patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL.

Prognosis of Philadelphia-positive (Ph(+)) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in the elderly has improved during the imatinib era. We investigated dasatinib, another potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in combination with low-intensity chemotherapy. Patients older than age 55 years were included in the European Working Group on Adult ALL (EWALL) study number 01 for Ph(+) ALL (EWALL-PH-01 international study) and were treated with dasatinib 140 mg/day (100 mg/day over 70 years) with intrathecal chemotherapy, vincristine, and dexamethasone during induction. Patients in complete remission continued consolidation with dasatinib, sequentially with cytarabine, asparaginase, and methotrexate for 6 months. Maintenance therapy was dasatinib and vincristine/dexamethasone reinductions for 18 months followed by dasatinib until relapse or death. Seventy-one patients with a median age of 69 years were enrolled; 77% had a high comorbidity score. Complete remission rate was 96% and 65% of patients achieved a 3-log reduction in BCR-ABL1 transcript levels during consolidation. Only 7 patients underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. At 5 years, overall survival was 36% and up to 45% taking into account deaths unrelated to disease or treatment as competitors. Thirty-six patients relapsed, 24 were tested for mutation by Sanger sequencing, and 75% were T315I-positive. BCR-ABL1(T315I) was tested by allele-specific oligonucleotide reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 43 patients and detection was associated with short-term relapses. Ten patients (23%) were positive before any therapy and 8 relapsed, all with this mutation. In conclusion, dasatinib combined with low-intensity chemotherapy was well-tolerated and gave long-term survival in 36% of elderly patients with Ph(+) ALL. Monitoring of BCR-ABL1(T315I) from diagnosis identified patients with at high risk of early relapse and may help to personalize therapy.

VTD is superior to VCD prior to intensive therapy in multiple myeloma: results of the prospective IFM2013-04 trial.

The Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome conducted a randomized trial to compare bortezomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone (VTD) with bortezomib-cyclophosphamide-dexamethasone (VCD) as induction before high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Overall, a total of 340 patients were centrally randomly assigned to receive VTD or VCD. After 4 cycles, on an intent-to-treat basis, 66.3% of the patients in the VTD arm achieved at least a very good partial response (primary end point) vs 56.2% in the VCD arm (P = .05). In addition, the overall response rate was significantly higher in the VTD arm (92.3% vs 83.4% in the VCD arm; P = .01). Hematologic toxicity was higher in the VCD arm, with significantly increased rates of grade 3 and 4 anemia, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia. On the other hand, the rate of peripheral neuropathy (PN) was significantly higher in the VTD arm. With the exception of hematologic adverse events and PN, other grade 3 or 4 toxicities were rare, with no significant differences between the VTD and VCD arms. Our data support the preferential use of VTD rather than VCD in preparation for ASCT. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01564537 and at EudraCT as #2013-003174-27.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and myeloma.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has rarely been described in myeloma, but chemotherapy is a known risk factor. We report 3 patients with myeloma who developed PRES, and analyzed them with 13 published cases, mostly women. The most frequent causative agents were proteasome inhibitors and autologous stem cell transplantation. Risk factors were frequently associated: hypertension, infection or renal failure. Symptoms included headache, blurred vision, altered mental status, seizures. Most patients experienced rapid clinical recovery, without relapse even after resuming treatment. Although rare, we must remain vigilant about PRES in myeloma patients. Stricter control of blood pressure could limit its occurrence.

Platine and cytarabine-based salvage treatment for primary central nervous system lymphoma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of two chemotherapy regimens based on platinum and cytarabine in association with etoposide and methylprednisolone (ESHAP) or with dexamethasone (DHAP) with or without Rituximab (± R) in patients with refractory or a relapsed Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL). All consecutive patients from two French centers with refractory or relapsed PCNSL treated with ESHAP/DHAP ± R were included. We analyzed the overall response rate (ORR), toxicity and overall survival (OS) after salvage chemotherapy. Intensive chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell rescue (IC + HCR) was offered to patients less than 65 years of age and consisted of high-dose thiotepa, busulfan and cyclophosphamide. These results were compared with two previously reported series of PCNSL patients treated with the CYVE (high-dose cytarabine and etoposide) regimen at relapse. Twenty-two patients received a total of 60 DHAP/ESHAP cycles (median 3; range 1-5). The median age was 59 years. The ORR after salvage chemotherapy was 59%. Toxicity was mainly hematological, 18% of patients showing febrile neutropenia. There was no treatment-related death. ESHAP or DHAP regimens led to similar ORRs compared to the CYVE regimen in relapsed or refractory PCNSL, although they seemed less toxic. The therapeutic results of the ESHAP/DHAP regimens in relapsed or refractory PCNSL were also similar to those for relapsed systemic non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (sNHL). Both chemotherapies, CYVE regimen and ESHAP/DHAP are treatment options to be considered in relapsed or refractory PCNSL, especially when IC + HCR is planned as a consolidation treatment. More efforts are still needed to improve the ORR at relapse.

Long-term outcome of imatinib 400 mg compared to imatinib 600 mg or imatinib 400 mg daily in combination with cytarabine or pegylated interferon alpha 2a for chronic myeloid leukaemia: results from the French SPIRIT phase III randomised trial.

The STI571 prospective randomised trial (SPIRIT) French trial is a four-arm study comparing imatinib (IM) 400 mg versus IM 600 mg, IM 400 mg + cytarabine (AraC), and IM 400 mg + pegylated interferon alpha2a (PegIFN-α2a) for the front-line treatment of chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Long-term analyses included overall and progression-free survival, molecular responses to treatment, and severe adverse events. Starting in 2003, the trial included 787 evaluable patients. The median overall follow-up of the patients was 13.5 years (range 3 months to 16.7 years). Based on intention-to-treat analyses, at 15 years, overall and progression-free survival were similar across arms: 85%, 83%, 80%, and 82% and 84%, 87%, 79%, and 79% for the IM 400 mg (N = 223), IM 600 mg (N = 171), IM 400 mg + AraC (N = 172), and IM 400 mg + PegIFN-α2a (N = 221) arms, respectively. The rate of major molecular response at 12 months and deep molecular response (MR4) over time were significantly higher with the combination IM 400 mg + PegIFN-α2a than with IM 400 mg: p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0035, respectively. Progression to advanced phases and secondary malignancies were the most frequent causes of death. Toxicity was the main reason for stopping AraC or PegIFN-α2a treatment.

Lenalidomide/rituximab induces high molecular response in untreated follicular lymphoma: LYSA ancillary RELEVANCE study.

Complete molecular response (CMR) after first-line immunochemotherapy reflects treatment efficacy and may predict prognosis in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL). RELEVANCE is the first phase 3 trial comparing the chemotherapy-free regimen lenalidomide/rituximab (R2) vs rituximab/chemotherapy (R-Chemo) in previously untreated FL patients (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01650701). The objective of the minimal residual disease (MRD) analysis was to determine the ability of a chemotherapy-free regimen to induce CMR. Of 440 French patients participating in the Lymphoma Study Association (LYSA) RELEVANCE MRD study, all 222 patients with a BIOMED-2-detectable BCL2-JH translocation at diagnosis were analyzed. MRD was quantified by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction with a sensitivity ≤10-4. At week 24 (end of induction treatment), 98% and 78% of patients achieved CMR in peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM), respectively. Achievement of CMR (in PB and/or BM) had a significant impact on progression-free survival (PFS), with 3-year PFS of 84% and 55% for patients with CMR and detectable MRD, respectively (P = .015). CMR at week 24 was reached more frequently in the R2 arm (105/117; 90%) than in the R-Chemo arm (70/90; 77%) (P = .022). The poor prognostic value in terms of PFS for the persistence of molecular disease was observed irrespective of treatment arm (interaction test, P = .31). In agreement with the clinical results of the RELEVANCE trial, our results show that R2 immunomodulatory treatment in first-line FL can achieve high rates of CMR.

Sustained Progression-Free Survival Benefit of Rituximab Maintenance in Patients With Follicular Lymphoma: Long-Term Results of the PRIMA Study.

PURPOSE: The PRIMA study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00140582) established that 2 years of rituximab maintenance after first-line immunochemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with follicular lymphoma compared with observation. Here, we report the final PFS and overall survival (OS) results from the PRIMA study after 9 years of follow-up and provide a final overview of safety. METHODS: Patients (> 18 years of age) with previously untreated high-tumor-burden follicular lymphoma were nonrandomly assigned to receive one of three immunochemotherapy induction regimens. Responding patients were randomly assigned (stratified by induction regimen, response to induction treatment, treatment center, and geographic region) 1:1 to receive 2 years of rituximab maintenance (375 mg/m2, once every 8 weeks), starting 8 weeks after the last induction treatment, or observation (no additional treatment). All patients in the extended follow-up provided their written informed consent (data cutoff: December 31, 2016). RESULTS: In total, 1,018 patients completed induction treatment and were randomly assigned to rituximab maintenance (n = 505) or observation (n = 513). Consent for the extended follow-up was provided by 607 patients (59.6%) of 1,018 (rituximab maintenance, n = 309; observation, n = 298). After data cutoff, median PFS was 10.5 years in the rituximab maintenance arm compared with 4.1 years in the observation arm (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.73; P < .001). No OS difference was seen in patients randomly assigned to rituximab maintenance or observation (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.77 to 1.40; P = .7948); 10-year OS estimates were approximately 80% in both study arms. No new safety signals were observed. CONCLUSION: Rituximab maintenance after induction immunochemotherapy provides a significant long-term PFS, but not OS, benefit over observation.

The CSF IL-10 concentration is an effective diagnostic marker in immunocompetent primary CNS lymphoma and a potential prognostic biomarker in treatment-responsive patients.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to confirm the diagnostic value and to evaluate the pre- and post-therapeutic prognostic value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-6 in patients with diffuse large B-cell primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: IL-10 and IL-6 concentrations were measured in 79 patients with PCNSL at diagnosis and in 40 control individuals. Fifty-four PCNSL patients underwent repeat assessments starting at diagnosis. RESULTS: The IL-10 concentration distinguished PCNSL from other neurologic diseases with a sensitivity of 88.6% and a specificity of 88.9% with a cutoff of 4 pg/ml. In a multivariate analysis of PCNSL patients, CSF involvement was associated with a higher IL-10 concentration (mean log (IL-10) of 4.4 versus 2.5 pg/ml, respectively, p = 0.0004). The pre-therapeutic IL-10 concentration had no prognostic impact on outcome. The IL-10 concentration decreased after treatment for most patients tested. Among patients with complete remission or partial remission, as evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a persistent detectable IL-10 level in the CSF at the end of treatment was associated with a negative impact on progression-free survival (PFS) (1-year PFS: 15%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.5-38% versus 59%, 95% CI: 32-78%, respectively, p = 0.0004). CONCLUSION: Our study confirmed that IL-10 is a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of PCNSL. We highlight new findings showing that the IL-10 level in the CSF could be used as a surrogate marker for CSF involvement and that the post-treatment IL-10 concentration could complement standard MRI for therapeutic response assessment in PCNSL.

High-dose chemotherapy with haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for metastatic breast cancer patients: final results of the French multicentric randomised CMA/PEGASE 04 protocol.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact on time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) of high-dose chemotherapy (HD-CT) over conventional CT in metastatic breast cancer patients. Between 09/92 and 12/96, 61 patients with chemosensitive metastatic breast cancer were randomised between HD-CT using the CMA regimen (Mitoxantrone, Cyclophosphamide, Melphalan) applied as consolidation (32 patients) or maintenance CT (29 patients). At randomisation, 13 patients were in complete response, 47 in partial response and one had stable disease. The median TTPs from randomisation were 6 and 12 months in the standard and intensive groups, respectively (P < 0.0056), with a relapse rate of 86.2% vs. 62.5% at 2 years, and 100% vs. 81.3% at 5 years. The median OS times were 19.3 and 44.1 months, with an OS rate of 13.8% vs. 36.8% at 5 years (P < 0.0294). The CMA regimen could prolong the TTP of patients with chemosensitive metastatic breast cancer. Further studies are needed to determine if this translates into an effect on OS.

A phase 2, multicentre, single-arm, open-label study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of single-agent lenalidomide (Revlimid) in subjects with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: the EXPECT trial.

BACKGROUND: This multicentre, single-arm, open-label phase 2 trial investigated the efficacy and safety of lenalidomide monotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). METHODS: Patients received oral lenalidomide 25mg once daily on days 1-21 of each 28-day cycle for a maximum of 24 months, until disease progression or development of unacceptable adverse events (AEs). The primary end-point was efficacy; safety was evaluated as a secondary end-point. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00655668. FINDINGS: A total of 54 patients with PTCL were treated. The overall response rate was 22% (12 of 54), including complete response (CR) or unconfirmed CR (CRu) in 11% of patients; 31% of patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) responded (CR/CRu in 15% of patients). The median progression-free survival and median response duration were 2.5 and 3.6 months, respectively, in the intent-to-treat population, and 4.6 and 3.5 months, respectively, in patients with AITL. Thrombocytopenia and neutropenia were the most common grade 3 or 4 haematological AEs, in 11 (20%) and 8 (15%) patients, respectively. Overall, 19 patients (35%) experienced at least 1AE leading to study dose interruption or reduction (commonly neutropenia or thrombocytopenia). Serious AEs were observed in 54% of patients and 12 patients died during the study; lymphoma progression (n=6); and acute respiratory distress syndrome, dyspnea, lung infiltration, neutropenic sepsis, pneumonia and cerebral ischaemia (n=1 each). INTERPRETATION: Lenalidomide exhibited single-agent activity in heavily pretreated patients with PTCL, particularly in patients with AITL. Future development is warranted in specific histologies, such as AITL, and in combination with chemotherapy or other agents considered active in PTCL. FUNDING: Celgene Corporation.