Follow-up of patients with R/R FLT3-mutation-positive AML treated with gilteritinib in the phase 3 ADMIRAL trial.

The phase 3 ADMIRAL (NCT02421939; Study ID: 2215-CL-0301) trial showed superior overall survival in patients with relapsed/refractory FLT3-mutation-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) randomized 2:1 to receive the oral FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 inhibitor gilteritinib vs those randomized to receive salvage chemotherapy (SC). Here we provide a follow-up of the ADMIRAL trial 2 years after the primary analysis to clarify the long-term treatment effects and safety of gilteritinib in these patients with AML. At the time of this analysis, the median survival follow-up was 37.1 months, with deaths in 203 of 247 and 97 of 124 patients in the gilteritinib and SC arms, respectively; 16 gilteritinib-treated patients remained on treatment. The median overall survival for the gilteritinib and SC arms was 9.3 and 5.6 months, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.665; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.518, 0.853; two-sided P = .0013); 2-year estimated survival rates were 20.6% (95% CI, 15.8, 26.0) and 14.2% (95% CI, 8.3, 21.6). The gilteritinib-arm 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse after composite complete remission was 75.7%, with few relapses occurring after 18 months. Overall, 49 of 247 patients in the gilteritinib arm and 14 of 124 patients in the SC arm were alive for ≥2 years. Twenty-six gilteritinib-treated patients remained alive for ≥2 years without relapse; 18 of these patients underwent transplantation (hematopoietic stem cell transplantation [HSCT]) and 16 restarted gilteritinib as post-HSCT maintenance therapy. The most common adverse events of interest during years 1 and 2 of gilteritinib therapy were increased liver transaminase levels; adverse event incidence decreased in year 2. Thus, continued and post-HSCT gilteritinib maintenance treatment sustained remission with a stable safety profile. These findings confirm that prolonged gilteritinib therapy is safe and is associated with superior survival vs SC. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02421939.

Fosmanogepix Therapy of Disseminated Fusarium Infection.

Invasive Fusarium infections cause high mortality. Fosmanogepix, a first-in-class antifungal agent, has potent activity against Fusarium. A patient with acute leukemia with invasive fusariosis, probably involving the central nervous system and caused by Fusarium lactis resistant to currently available antifungal agents, was cured of her infection with fosmanogepix. Fosmanogepix was well tolerated.

Entospletinib with decitabine in acute myeloid leukemia with mutant TP53 or complex karyotype: A phase 2 substudy of the Beat AML Master Trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who have tumor protein p53 (TP53) mutations or a complex karyotype have a poor prognosis, and hypomethylating agents are often used. The authors evaluated the efficacy of entospletinib, an oral inhibitor of spleen tyrosine kinase, combined with decitabine in this patient population. METHODS: This was a multicenter, open-label, phase 2 substudy of the Beat AML Master Trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03013998) using a Simon two-stage design. Eligible patients aged 60 years or older who had newly diagnosed AML with mutations in TP53 with or without a complex karyotype (cohort A; n = 45) or had a complex karyotype without TP53 mutation (cohort B; n = 13) received entospletinib 400 mg twice daily with decitabine 20 mg/m2 on days 1-10 every 28 days for up to three induction cycles, followed by up to 11 consolidation cycles, in which decitabine was reduced to days 1-5. Entospletinib maintenance was given for up to 2 years. The primary end point was complete remission (CR) and CR with hematologic improvement by up to six cycles of therapy. RESULTS: The composite CR rates for cohorts A and B were 13.3% (95% confidence interval, 5.1%-26.8%) and 30.8% (95% confidence interval, 9.1%-61.4%), respectively. The median duration of response was 7.6 and 8.2 months, respectively, and the median overall survival was 6.5 and 11.5 months, respectively. The study was stopped because the futility boundary was crossed in both cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of entospletinib and decitabine demonstrated activity and was acceptably tolerated in this patient population; however, the CR rates were low, and overall survival was short. Novel treatment strategies for older patients with TP53 mutations and complex karyotype remain an urgent need.

Omidubicel vs standard myeloablative umbilical cord blood transplantation: results of a phase 3 randomized study.

Omidubicel is an ex vivo expanded hematopoietic progenitor cell and nonexpanded myeloid and lymphoid cell product derived from a single umbilical cord blood unit. We report results of a phase 3 trial to evaluate the efficacy of omidubicel compared with standard umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). Between January 2017 and January 2020, 125 patients age 13 to 65 years with hematologic malignancies were randomly assigned to omidubicel vs standard UCBT. Patients received myeloablative conditioning and prophylaxis with a calcineurin inhibitor and mycophenolate mofetil for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The primary end point was time to neutrophil engraftment. The treatment arms were well balanced and racially diverse. Median time to neutrophil engraftment was 12 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 10-14 days) for the omidubicel arm and 22 days (95% CI, 19-25 days) for the control arm (P < .001). The cumulative incidence of neutrophil engraftment was 96% for patients receiving omidubicel and 89% for patients receiving control transplants. The omidubicel arm had faster platelet recovery (55% vs 35% recovery by 42 days; P = .028), had a lower incidence of first grade 2 to 3 bacterial or invasive fungal infection (37% vs 57%; P = .027), and spent more time out of hospital during the first 100 days after transplant (median, 61 vs 48 days; P = .005) than controls. Differences in GVHD and survival between the 2 arms were not statistically significant. Transplantation with omidubicel results in faster hematopoietic recovery and reduces early transplant-related complications compared with standard UCBT. The results suggest that omidubicel may be considered as a new standard of care for adult patients eligible for UCBT. The trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02730299.

KTE-X19 anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in adult relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia: ZUMA-3 phase 1 results.

ZUMA-3 is a phase 1/2 study evaluating KTE-X19, an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, in adult relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). We report the phase 1 results. After fludarabine-cyclophosphamide lymphodepletion, patients received a single infusion of KTE-X19 at 2 × 106, 1 × 106, or 0.5 × 106 cells per kg. The rate of dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) within 28 days after KTE-X19 infusion was the primary end point. KTE-X19 was manufactured for 54 enrolled patients and administered to 45 (median age, 46 years; range, 18-77 years). No DLTs occurred in the DLT-evaluable cohort. Grade ≥3 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic events (NEs) occurred in 31% and 38% of patients, respectively. To optimize the risk-benefit ratio, revised adverse event (AE) management for CRS and NEs (earlier steroid use for NEs and tocilizumab only for CRS) was evaluated at 1 × 106 cells per kg KTE-X19. In the 9 patients treated under revised AE management, 33% had grade 3 CRS and 11% had grade 3 NEs, with no grade 4 or 5 NEs. The overall complete remission rate correlated with CAR T-cell expansion and was 83% in patients treated with 1 × 106 cells per kg and 69% in all patients. Minimal residual disease was undetectable in all responding patients. At a median follow-up of 22.1 months (range, 7.1-36.1 months), the median duration of remission was 17.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.8-17.6 months) in patients treated with 1 × 106 cells per kg and 14.5 months (95% CI, 5.8-18.1 months) in all patients. KTE-X19 treatment provided a high response rate and tolerable safety in adults with R/R B-ALL. Phase 2 is ongoing at 1 × 106 cells per kg with revised AE management. This trial is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02614066.

Once weekly selinexor, carfilzomib and dexamethasone in carfilzomib non-refractory multiple myeloma patients.

BACKGROUND: Proteasome inhibitors (PIs), including carfilzomib, potentiate the activity of selinexor, a novel, first-in-class, oral selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE) compound, in preclinical models of multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: The safety, efficacy, maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of selinexor (80 or 100 mg) + carfilzomib (56 or 70 mg/m2) + dexamethasone (40 mg) (XKd) once weekly (QW) was evaluated in patients with relapsed refractory MM (RRMM) not refractory to carfilzomib. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients, median prior therapies 4 (range, 1-8), were enrolled. MM was triple-class refractory in 38% of patients and 53% of patients had high-risk cytogenetics del(17p), t(4;14), t(14;16) and/or gain 1q. Common treatment-related adverse events (all/Grade 3) were thrombocytopenia 72%/47% (G3 and G4), nausea 72%/6%, anaemia 53%/19% and fatigue 53%/9%, all expected and manageable with supportive care and dose modifications. MTD and RP2D were identified as selinexor 80 mg, carfilzomib 56 mg/m2, and dexamethasone 40 mg, all QW. The overall response rate was 78% including 14 (44%) ≥ very good partial responses. Median progression-free survival was 15 months. CONCLUSIONS: Weekly XKd is highly effective and well-tolerated. These data support further investigation of XKd in patients with MM.

KTE-X19 for relapsed or refractory adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: phase 2 results of the single-arm, open-label, multicentre ZUMA-3 study.

BACKGROUND: Despite treatment with novel therapies and allogeneic stem-cell transplant (allo-SCT) consolidation, outcomes in adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia remain poor, underlining the need for more effective therapies. METHODS: We report the pivotal phase 2 results of ZUMA-3, an international, multicentre, single-arm, open-label study evaluating the efficacy and safety of the autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy KTE-X19 in adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Patients were enrolled at 25 sites in the USA, Canada, and Europe. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1, and morphological disease in the bone marrow (>5% blasts). After leukapheresis and conditioning chemotherapy, patients received a single KTE-X19 infusion (1 × 106 CAR T cells per kg bodyweight). The primary endpoint was the rate of overall complete remission or complete remission with incomplete haematological recovery by central assessment. Duration of remission and relapse-free survival, overall survival, minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate, and allo-SCT rate were assessed as secondary endpoints. Efficacy and safety analyses were done in the treated population (all patients who received a dose of KTE-X19). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02614066. FINDINGS: Between Oct 1, 2018, and Oct 9, 2019, 71 patients were enrolled and underwent leukapheresis. KTE-X19 was successfully manufactured for 65 (92%) patients and administered to 55 (77%). The median age of treated patients was 40 years (IQR 28-52). At the median follow-up of 16·4 months (13·8-19·6), 39 patients (71%; 95% CI 57-82, p<0·0001) had complete remission or complete remission with incomplete haematological recovery, with 31 (56%) patients reaching complete remission. Median duration of remission was 12·8 months (95% CI 8·7-not estimable), median relapse-free survival was 11·6 months (2·7-15·5), and median overall survival was 18·2 months (15·9-not estimable). Among responders, the median overall survival was not reached, and 38 (97%) patients had MRD negativity. Ten (18%) patients received allo-SCT consolidation after KTE-X19 infusion. The most common adverse events of grade 3 or higher were anaemia (27 [49%] patients) and pyrexia (20 [36%] patients). 14 (25%) patients had infections of grade 3 or higher. Two grade 5 KTE-X19-related events occurred (brain herniation and septic shock). Cytokine release syndrome of grade 3 or higher occurred in 13 (24%) patients and neurological events of grade 3 or higher occurred in 14 (25%) patients. INTERPRETATION: KTE-X19 showed a high rate of complete remission or complete remission with incomplete haematological recovery in adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, with the median overall survival not reached in responding patients, and a manageable safety profile. These findings indicate that KTE-X19 has the potential to confer long-term clinical benefit to these patients. FUNDING: Kite, a Gilead Company.

Comparative risk of pulmonary adverse events with transfusion of pathogen reduced and conventional platelet components.

BACKGROUND: Platelet transfusion carries risk of transfusion-transmitted infection (TTI). Pathogen reduction of platelet components (PRPC) is designed to reduce TTI. Pulmonary adverse events (AEs), including transfusion-related acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occur with platelet transfusion. STUDY DESIGN: An open label, sequential cohort study of transfusion-dependent hematology-oncology patients was conducted to compare pulmonary safety of PRPC with conventional PC (CPC). The primary outcome was the incidence of treatment-emergent assisted mechanical ventilation (TEAMV) by non-inferiority. Secondary outcomes included: time to TEAMV, ARDS, pulmonary AEs, peri-transfusion AE, hemorrhagic AE, transfusion reactions (TRs), PC and red blood cell (RBC) use, and mortality. RESULTS: By modified intent-to-treat (mITT), 1068 patients received 5277 PRPC and 1223 patients received 5487 CPC. The cohorts had similar demographics, primary disease, and primary therapy. PRPC were non-inferior to CPC for TEAMV (treatment difference -1.7%, 95% CI: (-3.3% to -0.1%); odds ratio = 0.53, 95% CI: (0.30, 0.94). The cumulative incidence of TEAMV for PRPC (2.9%) was significantly less than CPC (4.6%, p = .039). The incidence of ARDS was less, but not significantly different, for PRPC (1.0% vs. 1.8%, p = .151; odds ratio = 0.57, 95% CI: (0.27, 1.18). AE, pulmonary AE, and mortality were not different between cohorts. TRs were similar for PRPC and CPC (8.3% vs. 9.7%, p = .256); and allergic TR were significantly less with PRPC (p = .006). PC and RBC use were not increased with PRPC. DISCUSSION: PRPC demonstrated reduced TEAMV with no excess treatment-related pulmonary morbidity.

Results of a randomized phase 3 study of oral sapacitabine in elderly patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (SEAMLESS).

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is fatal in elderly patients who are unfit for standard induction chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the survival benefit of administering sapacitabine, an oral nucleoside analogue, in alternating cycles with decitabine, a low-intensity therapy, to elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML. METHODS: This randomized, open-label, phase 3 study (SEAMLESS) was conducted at 87 sites in 11 countries. Patients aged ≥70 years who were not candidates for or chose not to receive standard induction chemotherapy were randomized 1:1 to arm A (decitabine in alternating cycles with sapacitabine) received 1-hour intravenous infusions of decitabine 20 mg/m2 once daily for 5 consecutive days every 8 weeks (first cycle and subsequent odd cycles) and sapacitabine 300 mg twice daily on 3 consecutive days per week for 2 weeks every 8 weeks (second cycle and subsequent even cycles) or to control arm C who received 1-hour infusions of decitabine 20 mg/m2 once daily for 5 consecutive days every 4 weeks. Prior hypomethylating agent therapy for preexisting myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative neoplasms was an exclusion criterion. Randomization was stratified by antecedent myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative neoplasms, white blood cell count (<10 × 109 /L and ≥10 × 109 /L), and bone marrow blast percentage (≥50% vs <50%). The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points were the rates of complete remission (CR), CR with incomplete platelet count recovery, partial remission, hematologic improvement, and stable disease along with the corresponding durations, transfusion requirements, number of hospitalized days, and 1-year survival. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01303796). RESULTS: Between October 2011 and December 2014, 482 patients were enrolled and randomized to receive decitabine administered in alternating cycles with sapacitabine (study arm, n = 241) or decitabine monotherapy (control arm, n = 241). The median OS was 5.9 months on the study arm versus 5.7 months on the control arm (P = .8902). The CR rate was 16.6% on the study arm and 10.8% on the control arm (P = .1468). In patients with white blood cell counts <10 × 109 /L (n = 321), the median OS was higher on the study arm versus the control arm (8.0 vs 5.8 months; P = .145), as was the CR rate (21.5% vs 8.6%; P = .0017). CONCLUSIONS: The regimen of decitabine administered in alternating cycles with sapacitabine was active but did not significantly improve OS compared with decitabine monotherapy. Subgroup analyses suggest that patients with baseline white blood cell counts <10 × 109 /L might benefit from decitabine alternating with sapacitabine, with an improved CR rate and the convenience of an oral drug. These findings should be prospectively confirmed.

Gene Therapy in Patients with Transfusion-Dependent ß-Thalassemia.

BACKGROUND: Donor availability and transplantation-related risks limit the broad use of allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplantation in patients with transfusion-dependent ß-thalassemia. After previously establishing that lentiviral transfer of a marked ß-globin (ßA-T87Q) gene could substitute for long-term red-cell transfusions in a patient with ß-thalassemia, we wanted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of such gene therapy in patients with transfusion-dependent ß-thalassemia. METHODS: In two phase 1-2 studies, we obtained mobilized autologous CD34+ cells from 22 patients (12 to 35 years of age) with transfusion-dependent ß-thalassemia and transduced the cells ex vivo with LentiGlobin BB305 vector, which encodes adult hemoglobin (HbA) with a T87Q amino acid substitution (HbAT87Q). The cells were then reinfused after the patients had undergone myeloablative busulfan conditioning. We subsequently monitored adverse events, vector integration, and levels of replication-competent lentivirus. Efficacy assessments included levels of total hemoglobin and HbAT87Q, transfusion requirements, and average vector copy number. RESULTS: At a median of 26 months (range, 15 to 42) after infusion of the gene-modified cells, all but 1 of the 13 patients who had a non-ß0/ß0 genotype had stopped receiving red-cell transfusions; the levels of HbAT87Q ranged from 3.4 to 10.0 g per deciliter, and the levels of total hemoglobin ranged from 8.2 to 13.7 g per deciliter. Correction of biologic markers of dyserythropoiesis was achieved in evaluated patients with hemoglobin levels near normal ranges. In 9 patients with a ß0/ß0 genotype or two copies of the IVS1-110 mutation, the median annualized transfusion volume was decreased by 73%, and red-cell transfusions were discontinued in 3 patients. Treatment-related adverse events were typical of those associated with autologous stem-cell transplantation. No clonal dominance related to vector integration was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Gene therapy with autologous CD34+ cells transduced with the BB305 vector reduced or eliminated the need for long-term red-cell transfusions in 22 patients with severe ß-thalassemia without serious adverse events related to the drug product. (Funded by Bluebird Bio and others; HGB-204 and HGB-205 ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT01745120 and NCT02151526 .).

Pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone in relapsed refractory multiple myeloma after lenalidomide treatment failure.

Patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) for whom the benefits of lenalidomide have been exhausted in early treatment lines need effective therapies. In cohort A of the phase 2 MM-014 trial, we examined the safety and efficacy of pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone immediately after lenalidomide-based treatment failure in patients with RRMM and two prior lines of therapy. Pomalidomide 4 mg was given on days 1 to 21 of 28-day cycles. Dexamethasone 40 mg (20 mg for patients aged >75 years) was given on days 1, 8, 15 and 22 of 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR), and secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and safety. The intention-to-treat population comprised 56 patients; all received prior lenalidomide (87·5% lenalidomide refractory) and 39 (69·6%) received prior bortezomib. ORR was 32·1% (28·2% in the prior-bortezomib subgroup). Median PFS was 12·2 months (7·9 months in the prior-bortezomib subgroup). Median OS was 41·7 months (38·6 months in the prior-bortezomib subgroup). The most common grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events were anaemia (25·0%), pneumonia (14·3%) and fatigue (14·3%). These findings support earlier sequencing of pomalidomide-based therapy in lenalidomide-pretreated patients with RRMM, including those who have become refractory to lenalidomide. Trial registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01946477.

Phase 2b study of 2 dosing regimens of quizartinib monotherapy in FLT3-ITD-mutated, relapsed or refractory AML.

This randomized, open-label, phase 2b study (NCT01565668) evaluated the efficacy and safety of 2 dosing regimens of quizartinib monotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) FLT3-internal tandem duplication (ITD)-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who previously underwent transplant or 1 second-line salvage therapy. Patients (N = 76) were randomly assigned to 30- or 60-mg/day doses (escalations to 60 or 90 mg/day, respectively, permitted for lack/loss of response) of single-agent oral quizartinib dihydrochloride. Allelic frequency of at least 10% was defined as FLT3-ITD-mutated disease. Coprimary endpoints were composite complete remission (CRc) rates and incidence of QT interval corrected by Fridericia's formula (QTcF) of more than 480 ms (grade 2 or greater). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), duration of CRc, bridge to transplant, and safety. CRc rates were 47% in both groups, similar to earlier reports with higher quizartinib doses. Incidence of QTcF above 480 ms was 11% and 17%, and QTcF above 500 ms was 5% and 3% in the 30- and 60-mg groups, respectively, which is less than earlier reports with higher doses of quizartinib. Median OS (20.9 and 27.3 weeks), duration of CRc (4.2 and 9.1 weeks), and bridge to transplant rates (32% and 42%) were higher in the 60-mg groups than in the 30-mg group. Dose escalation occurred in 61% and 14% of patients in the 30- and 60-mg groups, respectively. This high clinical activity of quizartinib at the evaluated doses is consistent with previous reports with an improved safety profile. Need to dose-escalate more than half of patients who received quizartinib 30 mg also supports further investigation of treatment with quizartinib 60 mg/day.

Identifying risk factors associated with worse outcomes in adolescents and young adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have unique risk factors and poor outcomes when compared to children, but this population has not been well studied. A hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-comorbidity index (HCT-CI) has been developed in adults to help predict outcomes, yet this index does not seem suitable for a younger population. Therefore, we sought to examine the prevalence of various risk factors in AYAs undergoing allogeneic HSCT and determine which factors had the greatest impact on overall survival (OS) and treatment-related mortality (TRM). PROCEDURES: This was accomplished by retrospectively collecting data on 241 patients who received their first allogeneic HSCT at UCLA between 2005 and 2015. We investigated the effect of multiple predictors using the Cox proportional hazards model and Fine and Gray competing risk model for OS and TRM, respectively. RESULTS: Our results showed that AYAs undergoing allogeneic HSCT had poor outcomes, with 5-year OS and NRM of 48% and 30%, respectively. We demonstrated that compared to a baseline model, the addition of the HCT-CI did not improve its ability to predict OS, while substituting individual comorbidities, that is, an unweighted comorbidity score, resulted in significant improvement in model performance. The factors associated with inferior outcomes were used to develop an AYA-specific risk score. CONCLUSIONS: The comorbidities included in the HCT-CI as well as additional risk factors seen in younger populations need to be studied in prospective studies with the goal of validating and refining a risk score specific to AYA patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT.

Increased Incidence of Nocardial Infections in an Era of Atovaquone Prophylaxis in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients.

Nocardial infections have been rare after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We report 10 recent cases of late-onset nocardiosis (median time of onset of 508 days after transplantation) primarily in patients on high doses of corticosteroids for graft-versus-host disease. All 10 patients had pulmonary infection caused by Nocardia species susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX). At time of diagnosis 8 of 10 patients were not receiving TMP-SMX for prophylaxis of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PJP; 7 on atovaquone, 1 on i.v. pentamidine). After the initiation of atovaquone prophylaxis for PJP in place of TMP-SMX for many UCLA allogeneic HSCT patients in 2012, 9 cases of nocardiosis occurred in 411 patients (2.2%) over the next 6 years (2012 to 2017) compared with only 1 case in 575 patients (0.17%) during the previous 12 years (2000 to 2011). Although there were no deaths directly related to nocardial infection treated primarily with TMP-SMX, overall mortality in this group of patients was 40%. Based on this experience, the use of atovaquone for PJP prophylaxis in place of TMP-SMX may be associated with an increased risk for previously rare nocardial infections after allogeneic HSCT.

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in FLT3-ITD-Positive Acute Myelogenous Leukemia: The Role for FLT3 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Post-Transplantation.

In recent years, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has become increasingly common in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) due to improved donor availability and the use of nonmyeloablative regimens. However, despite the potential clinical gains with allo-HSCT, the post-transplantation outcomes for many patients, especially those with high-risk disease, remain dismal. Patients with AML who have internal tandem duplication mutations in the tyrosine kinase receptor FLT3 (FLT3-ITD) face particularly poor outcomes, even after allo-HSCT, which appears to only partially mitigate the poor prognosis associated with this mutation. Experimental treatments to reduce the likelihood of relapse and improve survival following allo-HSCT include maintenance with FLT3-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), several of which are currently being evaluated in clinical studies. Preliminary data and case reports suggest that FLT3 TKIs can be effective in the post-transplantation setting, particularly for patients with FLT3-ITD mutations. Improvements in donor matching, transplantation procedures, and supportive care have allowed a greater number of patients to undergo allo-HSCT than ever before. For these patients, it is essential to identify effective post-transplantation therapies to reduce the risk of relapse and improve disease-free survival.

Vosaroxin plus cytarabine versus placebo plus cytarabine in patients with first relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (VALOR): a randomised, controlled, double-blind, multinational, phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: Safe and effective treatments are urgently needed for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia. We investigated the efficacy and safety of vosaroxin, a first-in-class anticancer quinolone derivative, plus cytarabine in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia. METHODS: This phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was undertaken at 101 international sites. Eligible patients with acute myeloid leukaemia were aged 18 years of age or older and had refractory disease or were in first relapse after one or two cycles of previous induction chemotherapy, including at least one cycle of anthracycline (or anthracenedione) plus cytarabine. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to vosaroxin (90 mg/m(2) intravenously on days 1 and 4 in a first cycle; 70 mg/m(2) in subsequent cycles) plus cytarabine (1 g/m(2) intravenously on days 1-5) or placebo plus cytarabine through a central interactive voice system with a permuted block procedure stratified by disease status, age, and geographical location. All participants were masked to treatment assignment. The primary efficacy endpoint was overall survival and the primary safety endpoint was 30-day and 60-day all-cause mortality. Efficacy analyses were done by intention to treat; safety analyses included all treated patients. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01191801. FINDINGS: Between Dec 17, 2010, and Sept 25, 2013, 711 patients were randomly assigned to vosaroxin plus cytarabine (n=356) or placebo plus cytarabine (n=355). At the final analysis, median overall survival was 7·5 months (95% CI 6·4-8·5) in the vosaroxin plus cytarabine group and 6·1 months (5·2-7·1) in the placebo plus cytarabine group (hazard ratio 0·87, 95% CI 0·73-1·02; unstratified log-rank p=0·061; stratified p=0·024). A higher proportion of patients achieved complete remission in the vosaroxin plus cytarabine group than in the placebo plus cytarabine group (107 [30%] of 356 patients vs 58 [16%] of 355 patients, p<0·0001). Early mortality was similar between treatment groups (30-day: 28 [8%] of 355 patients in the vosaroxin plus cytarabine group vs 23 [7%] of 350 in the placebo plus cytarabine group; 60-day: 70 [20%] vs 68 [19%]). Treatment-related deaths occurred at any time in 20 (6%) of 355 patients given vosaroxin plus cytarabine and in eight (2%) of 350 patients given placebo plus cytarabine. Treatment-related serious adverse events occurred in 116 (33%) and 58 (17%) patients in each group, respectively. Grade 3 or worse adverse events that were more frequent in the vosaroxin plus cytarabine group than in the placebo plus cytarabine group included febrile neutropenia (167 [47%] vs 117 [33%]), neutropenia (66 [19%] vs 49 [14%]), stomatitis (54 [15%] vs 10 [3%]), hypokalaemia (52 [15%] vs 21 [6%]), bacteraemia (43 [12%] vs 16 [5%]), sepsis (42 [12%] vs 18 [5%]), and pneumonia (39 [11%] vs 26 [7%]). INTERPRETATION: Although there was no significant difference in the primary endpoint between groups, the prespecified secondary analysis stratified by randomisation factors suggests that the addition of vosaroxin to cytarabine might be of clinical benefit to some patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia. FUNDING: Sunesis Pharmaceuticals.

New cancers after autotransplantations for multiple myeloma.

We describe baseline incidence and risk factors for new cancers in 4161 persons receiving autotransplants for multiple myeloma in the United States from 1990 to 2010. Observed incidence of invasive new cancers was compared with expected incidence relative to the US population. The cohort represented 13,387 person-years at-risk. In total, 163 new cancers were observed, for a crude incidence rate of 1.2 new cancers per 100 person-years and cumulative incidences of 2.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.09 to 3.17), 4.2% (95% CI, 3.49 to 5.00), and 6.1% (95% CI, 5.08 to 7.24) at 3, 5, and 7 years, respectively. The incidence of new cancers in the autotransplantation cohort was similar to age-, race-, and gender-adjusted comparison subjects with an observed/expected (O/E) ratio of 1.00 (99% CI, .81 to 1.22). However, acute myeloid leukemia and melanoma were observed at higher than expected rates with O/E ratios of 5.19 (99% CI, 1.67 to 12.04; P = .0004), and 3.58 (99% CI, 1.82 to 6.29; P < .0001), respectively. Obesity, older age, and male gender were associated with increased risks of new cancers in multivariate analyses. This large data set provides a baseline for comparison and defines the histologic type specific risk for new cancers in patients with MM receiving postautotransplantation therapies, such as maintenance.

Considerations regarding maintenance therapy for acute myeloid leukemia in remission.

INTRODUCTION: For most adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia, relapse is characteristic of the disease. When allotransplant in first complete remission is administered as consolidative therapy, relapse is still common, affecting 20-40% of recipients. Maintenance of remission with low-dose treatments may hold promise in preventing relapse. AREAS COVERED: Improvements in the detection of clinical and biological variants of disease allow the practitioner to identify which patients, based on disease features, may benefit from therapy directed at residual clonal elements that might contribute to relapse. Along with improvements in methods of detecting residual disease, novel agents are under investigation as a platform in order to maintain remission and may contribute to prolonged survival. In this manuscript, we review literature available through PubMed regarding the use of maintenance therapy, described as post-remission or post-transplant treatment intended to delay or prevent relapse. EXPERT OPINION: Although results of randomized studies are limited, a role for maintenance therapy, particularly directed at molecular targets, in distinct settings of post-remission management is recommended. We also advise that randomized studies of immune therapy along with opportunities for further evaluation of risk-agnostic interventions be a focus of cooperative groups.