Transplantation for myeloid neoplasms with antecedent solid tumor.

BACKGROUND: Definitive treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) involves allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), either with myeloablative (MAC) or reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC). These diseases may arise in patients with a prior solid tumor. The impact of antecedent solid tumor on transplantation decision-making and outcomes is not well defined. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective cohort study to address this question. A total of 1193 patients who underwent allo-HSCT for AML, MDS, or MPN between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2018 were included, 102 of whom had a history of prior solid tumor. RESULTS: Patients with prior solid tumor were older (median age, 62.5 vs. 54.9 years; p < .00001) and more frequently were conditioned with RIC (52.5% vs. 27.2%; p < .00001). A higher incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease was observed in patients with prior solid tumor (73.5% vs 66.4%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-2.65; p = .037), yet overall survival and relapse did not significantly differ. Cytogenetic risk was the dominant risk factor for survival. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis by the authors suggests that patients with antecedent solid tumor and respective therapy can be transplanted successfully. Although selection bias is likely to be a factor, the results are encouraging for patients who come to transplantation after surviving a prior cancer.

Phase II study of tosedostat with cytarabine or decitabine in newly diagnosed older patients with acute myeloid leukaemia or high-risk MDS.

Tosedostat, an oral aminopeptidase inhibitor, has synergy with cytarabine and hypomethylating agents. We performed a Phase II trial to determine rates of complete remission (CR) and survival using tosedostat with cytarabine or decitabine in older patients with untreated acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Thirty-four patients ≥60 years old (median age 70 years; range, 60-83) were randomized to receive tosedostat (120 mg on days 1-21 or 180 mg continuously) with 5 d of either cytarabine (1 g/m2 /d) or decitabine (20 mg/m2 /d) every 35 d. Twenty-nine patients (85%) had AML, including 15 (44%) with secondary AML/MDS, and 5 (15%) had MDS-refractory anaemia with excess blasts type 2. The CR/CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi) rate was 53% [9 in each arm; 14 CR (41%) and 4 CRi (12%)], attained in 6 of 14 patients with adverse cytogenetics and 4 of 7 with FLT3-internal tandem duplication mutations. Median follow-up was 11.2 months (range, 0.5-22.3), and median survival was 11.5 months (95% confidence interval, 5.2-16.7). Twenty-three patients (67.6%) were treated as outpatients and 10 of these patients required hospitalization for febrile neutropenia. No Grade 3-4 non-haematological toxicities required withdrawal from study. Tosedostat with cytarabine or decitabine is tolerated in older patients with untreated AML/MDS, results in a CR/CRi rate of >50%, and warrants further study in larger trials.

Reevaluation of the pretransplant assessment of mortality score after allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation.

The Pretransplant Assessment of Mortality (PAM) score was developed in 2006 to predict risk of mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Transplant practices have evolved during the past decade, suggesting the need to reevaluate the performance of the PAM score. We used statistical modeling to analyze and recalibrate mortality based on overall PAM scores, its components, and conditioning regimen in a retrospective cohort of 1549 patients who had HCT from 2003 through 2009. PAM scores correlated with mortality, but the effect size was smaller in the current study than in previous studies. PAM scores also demonstrated a stronger association with mortality in patients who received myeloablative conditioning than in those who received reduced-intensity conditioning. In contrast to the original study, carbon monoxide diffusing capacity, serum alanine aminotransferase, and serum creatinine concentrations were no longer significantly associated with 2-year mortality, whereas patient and donor cytomegalovirus serology was associated with mortality in the current cohort. Based on our findings, we developed and tested a revised PAM score for clinicians to estimate survival after allogeneic HCT with myeloablative conditioning regimens for patients with hematologic malignancy. Prognostic models such as the PAM score should be updated and recalibrated periodically to accommodate changes in clinical practice.

Radiolabeled anti-CD45 antibody with reduced-intensity conditioning and allogeneic transplantation for younger patients with advanced acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome.

We treated patients under age 50 years with iodine-131 ((131)I)-anti-CD45 antibody combined with fludarabine and 2 Gy total body irradiation to create an improved hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) strategy for advanced acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome patients. Fifteen patients received 332 to 1561 mCi of (131)I, delivering an average of 27 Gy to bone marrow, 84 Gy to spleen, and 21 Gy to liver. Although a maximum dose of 28 Gy was delivered to the liver, no dose-limiting toxicity was observed. Marrow doses were arbitrarily capped at 43 Gy to avoid radiation-induced stromal damage; however, no graft failure or evidence of stromal damage was observed. Twelve patients (80%) developed grade II graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), 1 patient developed grade III GVHD, and no patients developed grade IV GVHD during the first 100 days after HCT. Of the 12 patients with chronic GVHD data, 10 developed chronic GVHD, generally involving the skin and mouth. Six patients (40%) are surviving after a median of 5.0 years (range, 4.2 to 8.3 years). The estimated survival at 1 year was 73% among the 15 treated patients. Eight patients relapsed, 7 of whom subsequently died. The median time to relapse among these 8 patients was 54 days (range, 26 to 1364 days). No cases of nonrelapse mortality were observed in the first year after transplantation. However, 2 patients died in remission from complications of chronic GVHD and cardiomyopathy, at 18 months and 14 months after transplantation, respectively. This study suggests that patients may tolerate myeloablative doses >28 Gy delivered to the liver using (131)I-anti-CD45 antibody in addition to standard reduced-intensity conditioning. Moreover, the arbitrary limit of 43 Gy to the marrow may be unnecessarily conservative, and continued escalation of targeted radioimmunotherapy doses may be feasible to further reduce relapse.

Treosulfan, fludarabine, and 2-Gy total body irradiation followed by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) offers curative therapy for many patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, post-HCT relapse remains a major problem, particularly in patients with high-risk cytogenetics. In this prospective phase II trial, we assessed the efficacy and toxicity of treosulfan, fludarabine, and 2 Gy total body irradiation (TBI) as conditioning for allogeneic HCT in patients with MDS or AML. Ninety-six patients with MDS (n = 36: 15 refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia, 10 refractory anemia with excess blasts type 1, 10 refractory anemia with excess blasts type 2, 1 chronic myelomonocytic leukemia type 1) or AML (n = 60: 35 first complete remission [CR], 18 second CR, 3 advanced CR, 4 refractory relapse) were enrolled; median age was 51 (range, 1 to 60) years. Twelve patients had undergone a prior HCT with high-intensity conditioning. Patients received 14 g/m(2)/day treosulfan i.v. on days -6 to -4, 30 mg/m(2)/day fludarabine i.v. on days -6 to -2, and 2 Gy TBI on day 0, followed by infusion of hematopoietic cells from related (n = 27) or unrelated (n = 69) donors. Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus and methotrexate. With a median follow-up of 30 months, the 2-year overall survival (OS), relapse incidence, and nonrelapse mortality were 73%, 27%, and 8%, respectively. The incidences of grades II to IV (III to IV) acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease were 59% (10%) and 47%, respectively. Two-year OS was not significantly different between MDS patients with poor-risk and good/intermediate-risk cytogenetics (69% and 85%, respectively) or between AML patients with unfavorable and favorable/intermediate-risk cytogenetics (64% and 76%, respectively). In AML patients, minimal residual disease (MRD; n = 10) at the time of HCT predicted higher relapse incidence (70% versus 18%) and lower OS (41% versus 79%) at 2 years, when compared with patients without MRD. In conclusion, treosulfan, fludarabine, and low-dose TBI provided effective conditioning for allogeneic HCT in patients with MDS or AML and resulted in low relapse incidence, regardless of cytogenetic risk. In patients with AML, MRD at the time of HCT remained a risk factor for post-HCT relapse.

Outpatient bendamustine and idarubicin for upfront therapy of elderly acute myeloid leukaemia/myelodysplastic syndrome: a phase I/II study using an innovative statistical design.

Combinations of agents may improve outcomes among elderly acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. We performed an adaptive phase I/II trial for newly-diagnosed AML or high-risk MDS patients aged ≥50 years using a Bayesian approach to determine whether 1 of 3 doses of bendamustine (45, 60, 75 mg/m(2) days 1-3), together with idarubicin (12 mg/m(2) days 1-2), might provide a complete response (CR) rate ≥40% with <30% grade 3-4 non-haematological toxicity. We treated 39 patients (34 AML; five MDS with >10% marrow blasts; median age 73 years). None of the three bendamustine doses in combination with idarubicin met the required CR and toxicity rates; the 75 mg/m(2) dose because of excess toxicity (two of three patients) and the 60 mg/m(2) dose because of low efficacy (CR rate 10/33), although no grade 3-4 non-haematological toxicity was seen at this dose. Median survival was 7·2 months. All patients began treatment as outpatients but hospitalization was required in 90% (35/39). Although we did not find a dose of bendamustine combined with idarubicin that would provide a CR rate of >40% with acceptable toxicity, bendamustine may have activity in AML/MDS patients, suggesting its addition to other regimens may be warranted.

Safety and efficacy of fedratinib in patients with myelofibrosis previously treated with ruxolitinib: primary analysis of FREEDOM trial.

The phase 3b FREEDOM trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03755518) evaluates efficacy/safety of fedratinib in intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis patients with platelet count ≥50 × 109/L, previously treated with ruxolitinib. The trial design included protocol specified strategies to mitigate the risk for gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs), thiamine supplementation, and encephalopathy surveillance. Due to COVID-19, accrual was cut short with 38 patients enrolled. In the efficacy evaluable population (n = 35), nine (25.7%; 95% confidence interval 12.5-43.3) patients achieved primary endpoint of ≥35% spleen volume reduction (SVR) at end of cycle (EOC) 6; and 22 (62.9%) patients showed best overall response of ≥35% SVR up to end of treatment. Sixteen (44.4%) patients showed ≥50% reduction in total symptom score at EOC6 (n = 36). Compared to previously reported JAKARTA-2 trial, rates of GI AEs were lower, and no patient developed encephalopathy. Overall, FREEDOM study showed clinically relevant spleen and symptom responses with fedratinib, and effective mitigation of GI AEs.

Discovery of U2AF1 neoantigens in myeloid neoplasms.

BACKGROUND: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) arise from somatic mutations acquired in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, causing cytopenias and predisposing to transformation into secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML). Recurrent mutations in spliceosome genes, including U2AF1, are attractive therapeutic targets as they are prevalent in MDS and sAML, arise early in neoplastic cells, and are generally absent from normal cells, including normal hematopoietic cells. MDS and sAML are susceptible to T cell-mediated killing, and thus engineered T-cell immunotherapies hold promise for their treatment. We hypothesized that targeting spliceosome mutation-derived neoantigens with transgenic T-cell receptor (TCR) T cells would selectively eradicate malignant cells in MDS and sAML. METHODS: We identified candidate neoantigen epitopes from recurrent protein-coding mutations in the spliceosome genes SRSF2 and U2AF1 using a multistep in silico process. Candidate epitopes predicted to bind human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I, be processed and presented from the parent protein, and not to be subject to tolerance then underwent in vitro immunogenicity screening. CD8+ T cells recognizing immunogenic neoantigen epitopes were evaluated in in vitro assays to assess functional avidity, confirm the predicted HLA restriction, the potential for recognition of similar peptides, and the ability to kill neoplastic cells in an antigen-specific manner. Neoantigen-specific TCR were sequenced, cloned into lentiviral vectors, and transduced into third-party T cells after knock-out of endogenous TCR, then tested in vitro for specificity and ability to kill neoplastic myeloid cells presenting the neoantigen. The efficacy of neoantigen-specific T cells was evaluated in vivo in a murine cell line-derived xenograft model. RESULTS: We identified two neoantigens created from a recurrent mutation in U2AF1, isolated CD8+ T cells specific for the neoantigens, and demonstrated that transferring their TCR to third-party CD8+ T cells is feasible and confers specificity for the U2AF1 neoantigens. Finally, we showed that these neoantigen-specific TCR-T cells do not recognize normal hematopoietic cells but efficiently kill malignant myeloid cells bearing the specific U2AF1 mutation, including primary cells, in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: These data serve as proof-of-concept for developing precision medicine approaches that use neoantigen-directed T-cell receptor-transduced T cells to treat MDS and sAML.

Splenomegaly in patients with primary or secondary myelofibrosis who are candidates for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: a Position Paper on behalf of the Chronic Malignancies Working Party of the EBMT.

Splenomegaly is a hallmark of myelofibrosis, a debilitating haematological malignancy for which the only curative option is allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Considerable splenic enlargement might be associated with a higher risk of delayed engraftment and graft failure, increased non-relapse mortality, and worse overall survival after HCT as compared with patients without significantly enlarged splenomegaly. Currently, there are no standardised guidelines to assist transplantation physicians in deciding optimal management of splenomegaly before HCT. Therefore, the aim of this Position Paper is to offer a shared position statement on this issue. An international group of haematologists, transplantation physicians, gastroenterologists, surgeons, radiotherapists, and radiologists with experience in the treatment of myelofibrosis contributed to this Position Paper. The key issues addressed by this group included the assessment, prevalence, and clinical significance of splenomegaly, and the need for a therapeutic intervention before HCT for the control of splenomegaly. Specific scenarios, including splanchnic vein thrombosis and COVID-19, are also discussed. All patients with myelofibrosis must have their spleen size assessed before allogeneic HCT. Myelofibrosis patients with splenomegaly measuring 5 cm and larger, particularly when exceeding 15 cm below the left costal margin, or with splenomegaly-related symptoms, could benefit from treatment with the aim of reducing the spleen size before HCT. In the absence of, or loss of, response, patients with increasing spleen size should be evaluated for second-line options, depending on availability, patient fitness, and centre experience. Splanchnic vein thrombosis is not an absolute contraindication for HCT, but a multidisciplinary approach is warranted. Finally, prevention and treatment of COVID-19 should adhere to standard recommendations for immunocompromised patients.

Stem cell transplantation: graft-mediated antileukemia effects.

Graft-mediated antileukemia (GVL) activity is a major factor contributing to the success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem transplantation (aHCT). Recent advances have permitted the establishment of GVL activity without the need for a myeloablative conditioning regimen, thereby permitting even older and sicker patients to avail of potentially curative therapy. Use of adoptive immunotherapy by combining reduced intensity conditioning and donor leukocyte infusion (DLI) has resulted in strategies that can be exploited to maximize GVL effects while minimizing toxicity. These advances, combined with new molecularly targeted agents, creates new possibilities to develop less toxic, curative therapy for a greater number of patients. This review summarizes pertinent information regarding the evidence in favor of GVL effects, the impact of disease type and mechanisms of GVL.