Blinatumomab for MRD-Negative Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Adults.

BACKGROUND: Many older adults with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) have a relapse despite having a measurable residual disease (MRD)-negative complete remission with combination chemotherapy. The addition of blinatumomab, a bispecific T-cell engager molecule that is approved for the treatment of relapsed, refractory, and MRD-positive BCP-ALL, may have efficacy in patients with MRD-negative remission. METHODS: In a phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients 30 to 70 years of age with BCR::ABL1-negative BCP-ALL (with :: indicating fusion) who had MRD-negative remission (defined as <0.01% leukemic cells in bone marrow as assessed on flow cytometry) after induction and intensification chemotherapy to receive four cycles of blinatumomab in addition to four cycles of consolidation chemotherapy or to receive four cycles of consolidation chemotherapy alone. The primary end point was overall survival, and relapse-free survival was a secondary end point. RESULTS: The data and safety monitoring committee reviewed the results from the third efficacy interim analysis and recommended that they be reported. Complete remission with or without full count recovery was observed in 395 of 488 enrolled patients (81%). Of the 224 patients with MRD-negative status, 112 were assigned to each group. The characteristics of the patients were balanced between the groups. At a median follow-up of 43 months, an advantage was observed in the blinatumomab group as compared with the chemotherapy-only group with regard to overall survival (at 3 years: 85% vs. 68%; hazard ratio for death, 0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23 to 0.73; P = 0.002), and the 3-year relapse-free survival was 80% with blinatumomab and 64% with chemotherapy alone (hazard ratio for relapse or death, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.87). A higher incidence of neuropsychiatric events was reported in the blinatumomab group than in the chemotherapy-only group. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of blinatumomab to consolidation chemotherapy in adult patients in MRD-negative remission from BCP-ALL significantly improved overall survival. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others; E1910 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02003222.).

DNA polymerase θ protects leukemia cells from metabolically induced DNA damage.

Leukemia cells accumulate DNA damage, but altered DNA repair mechanisms protect them from apoptosis. We showed here that formaldehyde generated by serine/1-carbon cycle metabolism contributed to the accumulation of toxic DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) in leukemia cells, especially in driver clones harboring oncogenic tyrosine kinases (OTKs: FLT3(internal tandem duplication [ITD]), JAK2(V617F), BCR-ABL1). To counteract this effect, OTKs enhanced the expression of DNA polymerase theta (POLθ) via ERK1/2 serine/threonine kinase-dependent inhibition of c-CBL E3 ligase-mediated ubiquitination of POLθ and its proteasomal degradation. Overexpression of POLθ in OTK-positive cells resulted in the efficient repair of DPC-containing DNA double-strand breaks by POLθ-mediated end-joining. The transforming activities of OTKs and other leukemia-inducing oncogenes, especially of those causing the inhibition of BRCA1/2-mediated homologous recombination with and without concomitant inhibition of DNA-PK-dependent nonhomologous end-joining, was abrogated in Polq-/- murine bone marrow cells. Genetic and pharmacological targeting of POLθ polymerase and helicase activities revealed that both activities are promising targets in leukemia cells. Moreover, OTK inhibitors or DPC-inducing drug etoposide enhanced the antileukemia effect of POLθ inhibitor in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, we demonstrated that POLθ plays an essential role in protecting leukemia cells from metabolically induced toxic DNA lesions triggered by formaldehyde, and it can be targeted to achieve a therapeutic effect.

Long-term outcomes for ibrutinib-rituximab and chemoimmunotherapy in CLL: updated results of the E1912 trial.

Herein, we present the long-term follow-up of the randomized E1912 trial comparing the long-term efficacy of ibrutinib-rituximab (IR) therapy to fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) and describe the tolerability of continuous ibrutinib. The E1912 trial enrolled 529 treatment-naïve patients aged ≤70 years with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patients were randomly assigned (2:1 ratio) to receive IR or 6 cycles of FCR. With a median follow-up of 5.8 years, median progression-free survival (PFS) is superior for IR (hazard ratio [HR], 0.37; P < .001). IR improved PFS relative to FCR in patients with both immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IGHV) gene mutated CLL (HR: 0.27; P < .001) and IGHV unmutated CLL (HR: 0.27; P < .001). Among the 354 patients randomized to IR, 214 (60.5%) currently remain on ibrutinib. Among the 138 IR-treated patients who discontinued treatment, 37 (10.5% of patients who started IR) discontinued therapy due to disease progression or death, 77 (21.9% of patients who started IR) discontinued therapy for adverse events (AEs)/complications, and 24 (6.8% of patients who started IR) withdrew for other reasons. Progression was uncommon among patients able to remain on ibrutinib. The median time from ibrutinib discontinuation to disease progression or death among those who discontinued treatment for a reason other than progression was 25 months. Sustained improvement in overall survival (OS) was observed for patients in the IR arm (HR, 0.47; P = .018). In conclusion, IR therapy offers superior PFS relative to FCR in patients with IGHV mutated or unmutated CLL, as well as superior OS. Continuous ibrutinib therapy is tolerated beyond 5 years in the majority of CLL patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02048813.

Enhancer retargeting of CDX2 and UBTF::ATXN7L3 define a subtype of high-risk B-progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Transcriptome sequencing has identified multiple subtypes of B-progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) of prognostic significance, but a minority of cases lack a known genetic driver. Here, we used integrated whole-genome (WGS) and -transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), enhancer mapping, and chromatin topology analysis to identify previously unrecognized genomic drivers in B-ALL. Newly diagnosed (n = 3221) and relapsed (n = 177) B-ALL cases with tumor RNA-seq were studied. WGS was performed to detect mutations, structural variants, and copy number alterations. Integrated analysis of histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation and chromatin looping was performed using HiChIP. We identified a subset of 17 newly diagnosed and 5 relapsed B-ALL cases with a distinct gene expression profile and 2 universal and unique genomic alterations resulting from aberrant recombination-activating gene activation: a focal deletion downstream of PAN3 at 13q12.2 resulting in CDX2 deregulation by the PAN3 enhancer and a focal deletion of exons 18-21 of UBTF at 17q21.31 resulting in a chimeric fusion, UBTF::ATXN7L3. A subset of cases also had rearrangement and increased expression of the PAX5 gene, which is otherwise uncommon in B-ALL. Patients were more commonly female and young adult with median age 35 (range,12-70 years). The immunophenotype was characterized by CD10 negativity and immunoglobulin M positivity. Among 16 patients with known clinical response, 9 (56.3%) had high-risk features including relapse (n = 4) or minimal residual disease >1% at the end of remission induction (n = 5). CDX2-deregulated, UBTF::ATXN7L3 rearranged (CDX2/UBTF) B-ALL is a high-risk subtype of leukemia in young adults for which novel therapeutic approaches are required.

Degradation of Janus kinases in CRLF2-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

CRLF2-rearranged (CRLF2r) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) accounts for more than half of Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) ALL and is associated with a poor outcome in children and adults. Overexpression of CRLF2 results in activation of Janus kinase (JAK)-STAT and parallel signaling pathways in experimental models, but existing small molecule inhibitors of JAKs show variable and limited efficacy. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) directed against JAKs. Solving the structure of type I JAK inhibitors ruxolitinib and baricitinib bound to the JAK2 tyrosine kinase domain enabled the rational design and optimization of a series of cereblon (CRBN)-directed JAK PROTACs utilizing derivatives of JAK inhibitors, linkers, and CRBN-specific molecular glues. The resulting JAK PROTACs were evaluated for target degradation, and activity was tested in a panel of leukemia/lymphoma cell lines and xenograft models of kinase-driven ALL. Multiple PROTACs were developed that degraded JAKs and potently killed CRLF2r cell lines, the most active of which also degraded the known CRBN neosubstrate GSPT1 and suppressed proliferation of CRLF2r ALL in vivo, e.g. compound 7 (SJ988497). Although dual JAK/GSPT1-degrading PROTACs were the most potent, the development and evaluation of multiple PROTACs in an extended panel of xenografts identified a potent JAK2-degrading, GSPT1-sparing PROTAC that demonstrated efficacy in the majority of kinase-driven xenografts that were otherwise unresponsive to type I JAK inhibitors, e.g. compound 8 (SJ1008030). Together, these data show the potential of JAK-directed protein degradation as a therapeutic approach in JAK-STAT-driven ALL and highlight the interplay of JAK and GSPT1 degradation activity in this context.

Measurable residual disease does not preclude prolonged progression-free survival in CLL treated with ibrutinib.

E1912 was a randomized phase 3 trial comparing indefinite ibrutinib plus 6 cycles of rituximab (IR) to 6 cycles of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) in untreated younger patients with CLL. We describe measurable residual disease (MRD) levels in E1912 over time and correlate them with clinical outcome. Undetectable MRD rates (<1 CLL cell per 104 leukocytes) were 29.1%, 30.3%, 23.4%, and 8.6% at 3, 12, 24, and 36 months for FCR, and significantly lower at 7.9%, 4.2%, and 3.7% at 12, 24, and 36 months for IR, respectively. Undetectable MRD at 3, 12, 24, and 36 months was associated with longer progression-free survival (PFS) in the FCR arm, with hazard ratios (MRD detectable/MRD undetectable) of 4.29 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.89-9.71), 3.91 (95% CI, 1.39-11.03), 14.12 (95% CI, 1.78-111.73), and not estimable (no events among those with undetectable MRD), respectively. In the IR arm, patients with detectable MRD did not have significantly worse PFS compared with those in whom MRD was undetectable; however, PFS was longer in those with MRD levels <10-1 than in those with MRD levels above this threshold. Our observations provide additional support for the use of MRD as a surrogate end point for PFS in patients receiving FCR. In patients on indefinite ibrutinib-based therapy, PFS did not differ significantly by undetectable MRD status, whereas those with MRD <10-1 tended to have longer PFS, although continuation of ibrutinib would very likely be necessary to maintain treatment efficacy.

Prognostic effect of gender on outcome of treatment for adults with acute myeloid leukaemia.

There are conflicting reports in the literature suggesting that one gender or the other has a better survival with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The present study was done in an attempt to resolve the issue. The effect of gender was examined on 3546 newly diagnosed patients with AML, including 548 patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) enrolled in 10 multi-institutional treatment studies from March 1984 to November 2008. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to estimate event-time distributions for survival and multivariate models were used to examine the gender effect after adjusting for multiple risk factors. P values were based on two-sided tests. Non-APL female patients had a significantly better overall (OS) but not disease-free survival (DFS) than males, irrespective of age, initial white blood cell count, or dose of daunorubicin. No differences were observed for obese or FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3-internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD)-positive patients. Female patients with APL had a significantly better OS and DFS than male patients with APL, and differences in survival were greater for patients with t(15;17) + other cytogenetic abnormalities compared with those with t(15;17) only. Gender is an independent prognostic variable in patients with AML. Whether these survival differences are due to hormonal, genetic or pharmacokinetic differences between the sexes or differential toxin exposure such as smoking is unknown. However, the former seems less likely as patient age did not influence the survival advantage for female patients.

At three years, patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia are still at risk for relapse. Results of the international MRC UKALLXII/ECOG E2993 trial.

Late relapse [>3 years from complete remission (CR)] in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), is unusual. Data from the MRC UKALLXII/ECOG E2993 trial are presented to evaluate the incidence and characteristics of late relapse in adult ALL. Of 1,909 patients, 1,752 (92%) achieved CR and among these 757 (43·2%) relapsed; 691 (91·3%) within three years and 66 (8·7%) beyond. Among these 66 patients, median time to relapse was 47 (37-144) months. Relapse beyond three years occurred in 3·8% of all who achieved CR. The cumulative risk of relapse was 40%, 43% and 45% at three, five and ten years respectively. Out of the 1 752 patients who achieved CR, 11·7% underwent autologous and 40·6% allogeneic transplant, while in CR1. Of the autologous patients, 43·2% relapsed early and 3·4% relapsed late. However, among the allogeneic patients, 13·2% relapsed early and only 1·3% late. The five-year overall survival from relapse was 5·8% and 20% in the early and late relapse patients respectively. In conclusion, late relapse in adults with ALL is not uncommon, and is associated with better outcome after relapse compared to early relapse.

A randomized trial of three novel regimens for recurrent acute myeloid leukemia demonstrates the continuing challenge of treating this difficult disease.

To improve the outcome of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a randomized phase II trial of three novel regimens was conducted. Ninety patients were enrolled and were in first relapse or were refractory to induction/re-induction chemotherapy. They were randomized to the following regimens: carboplatin-topotecan (CT), each by continuous infusion for 5 days; alvocidib (formerly flavopiridol), cytarabine, and mitoxantrone (FLAM) in a timed sequential regimen; or sirolimus combined with mitoxantrone, etoposide, and cytarabine (S-MEC). The primary objective was attainment of a complete remission (CR). A Simon two-stage design was used for each of the three arms. The median age of the patients in the FLAM arm was older at 62 years compared with 55 years for the CT arm and the S-MEC arm. The overall response was 14% in the CT arm (5/35, 90% CI 7%-35%), 28% in the FLAM arm (10/36, 90% CI, 16%-43%), and 16% in the S-MEC arm (3/19, 90% CI, 4%-36%). There were nine treatment-related deaths, seven of which occurred in the FLAM arm with four of these in elderly patients. We conclude that the FLAM regimen had an encouraging response rate and should be considered for further clinical development but should be used with caution in elderly patients.

Pentostatin, Cyclophosphamide, and Rituximab Followed by Alemtuzumab for Relapsed or Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Phase 2 Trial of the ECOG-Acrin Cancer Research Group (E2903).

Patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may benefit from salvage chemoimmunotherapy (CIT). To explore further the use of CIT in the pre-novel agent era, ECOG-ACRIN undertook a phase 2 trial (E2903) for R/R CLL utilizing pentostatin, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (PCR) followed by a consolidation course of alemtuzumab. This trial enrolled 102 patients with a median age of 64 years. Treatment consisted of 6 cycles of PCR followed by alemtuzumab for either 4 or 18 weeks depending on the initial response to PCR. The overall response after PCR (complete remission, CR, nodular partial remission, nPR, and partial remission, PR) was 55%. Major responses (CR or nPR) were achieved in 6%. The median overall survival (OS) and the median progression-free survival were 28 and 12 months, respectively. The most serious nonlethal adverse events were myelosuppression, febrile neutropenia, fatigue, nausea, and hyponatremia. PCR is an effective and well-tolerated nucleoside-based regimen for heavily pretreated CLL patients with R/R disease. The addition of alemtuzumab to CLL patients with a minor response (PR) or stable disease did not result in a significant number of higher responses (CR or nPR) nor an improvement in OS.

Benefit of high-dose daunorubicin in AML induction extends across cytogenetic and molecular groups.

The initial report of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-American College of Radiology Imaging Network Cancer Research Group trial E1900 (#NCT00049517) showed that induction therapy with high-dose (HD) daunorubicin (90 mg/m(2)) improved overall survival in adults <60 years old with acute myeloid leukemia (AML); however, at initial analysis, the benefit was restricted to younger patients (<50 years) and patients without unfavorable cytogenetics or aFLT3-ITD mutation. Here, we update the results of E1900 after longer follow-up (median, 80.1 months among survivors), focusing on the benefit of HD daunorubicin on common genetic subgroups. Compared with standard-dose daunorubicin (45 mg/m(2)), HD daunorubicin is associated with a hazard ratio (HR) for death of 0.74 (P= .001). Younger patients (<50 years) benefited from HD daunorubicin (HR, 0.66;P= .002), as did patients with favorable and intermediate cytogenetics (HR, 0.51;P= .03 and HR, 0.68;P= .01, respectively). Patients with unfavorable cytogenetics were shown to benefit from HD daunorubicin on multivariable analysis (adjusted HR, 0.66;P= .04). Patients with FLT3-ITD (24%),DNMT3A(24%), and NPM1(26%) mutant AML all benefited from HD daunorubicin (HR, 0.61,P= .009; HR, 0.62,P= .02; and HR, 0.50,P= .002; respectively). HD benefit was seen in the subgroup of older patients (50-60 years) with the FLT3-ITD or NPM1 mutation. Additionally, the presence of an NPM1 mutation confers a favorable prognosis only for patients receiving anthracycline dose intensification during induction.

Very poor long-term survival in past and more recent studies for relapsed AML patients: The ECOG-ACRIN experience.

This study examines the long-term OS of relapsed AML patients who were enrolled to 9 successive ECOG-ACRIN trials for newly diagnosed AML, during 1984-2008. The objectives were to examine whether there is a trend of improvement in the survival of relapsed AML patients in the more recent studies and to search for prognostic factors that are associated with long-term OS after relapse. A total of 3012 patients were enrolled, 1779 (59.1%) achieved CR1 and of these, 58.9% relapsed. The median follow-up was 9.7 years. The median OS from relapse was 0.5 years and the 5-year OS was 10 (±1)%. These results were similar even for the most recent studies. A multivariate model showed that age, cytogenetics at diagnosis, duration of CR1 and undergoing allogeneic transplantation were significantly associated with OS from relapse. Even among patients who relapsed with better prognostic factors; age < 40 and CR1 > 12 months, there was no significant OS difference between the studies. In conclusion, this large cohort appears to confirm that the survival of AML patients postrelapse continues to be dismal and has not improved during the past quarter of a century.

Phase 2 study of VcR-CVAD with maintenance rituximab for untreated mantle cell lymphoma: an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group study (E1405).

Rituximab, bortezomib, modified hyper-cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, dexamethasone (VcR-CVAD) induction chemoimmunotherapy and maintenance rituximab (MR) were evaluated for efficacy and safety in Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group protocol E1405. Patients with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma received VcR-CVAD chemotherapy every 21 days for 6 cycles, followed by MR for 2 years. Transplant-eligible patients had the option of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) consolidation instead of MR. The primary end point was the complete response (CR) rate to VcR-CVAD. The secondary end points were overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicities. Seventy-five eligible patients with a median age of 62 (range 40-76) were enrolled. The ORR was 95% and a CR was achieved in 68% of patients. After a median follow-up of 4.5 years, 3-year PFS and OS were 72% and 88%, respectively. No substantial difference in PFS or OS was observed between patients treated with MR (n = 44) vs ASCT (n = 22). There were no unexpected toxicities. VcR-CVAD produced high ORR and CR rates in mantle cell lymphoma. MR after VcR-CVAD induction performed similarly to ASCT and may improve response duration. Randomized clinical trials comparing MR against ASCT should be considered and randomized clinical trials evaluating bortezomib's contribution to conventional therapy are under way. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00433537.

Telomere Length Recovery: A Strong Predictor of Overall Survival in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia.

Telomeres are the capping ends of chromosomes that protect the loss of genetic material and prevent chromosomal instability. In human tissue-specific stem/progenitor cells, telomere length (TL) is maintained by the telomerase complex, which consists of a reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit (TERT) and an RNA template (TERC). Very short telomeres and loss-of-function mutations in the TERT and TERC genes have been reported in acute myeloid leukemia, but the role of telomeres in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has not been well established. We report the results for a large cohort of 187 PML/RARα-positive APL patients. No germline mutations in the TERT or TERC genes were identified. Codon 279 and 1062 TERT polymorphisms were present at a frequency similar to that in the general population. TL measured in blood or marrow mononuclear cells at diagnosis was significantly shorter in the APL patients than in healthy volunteers, and shorter telomeres at diagnosis were significantly associated with high-risk disease. For patients who achieved complete remission, the median increase in TL from diagnosis to remission (delta TL) was 2.0 kilobase (kb), and we found delta TL to be the most powerful predictor of overall survival when compared with well-established risk factors for poor outcomes in APL.

A phase 1 trial of venetoclax in combination with liposomal vincristine in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell or T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Results from the ECOG-ACRIN EA9152 protocol.

Introduction: Relapsed or refractory (r/r) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL) remains a therapeutic challenge. Preclinical data in both B- and T-ALL suggests synergy of venetoclax (VEN) with vincristine (VCR). We designed a phase I/II trial (EA9152) of the combination of L-VCR and VEN for patients with r/r B-or T-cell ALL or LL. Here, we report the safety and efficacy outcomes of the phase I portion of this trial (NCT03504644). Methods: In a 3+3 dose escalation design, r/r ALL subjects were given single-agent VEN doses reaching 400, 600, or 800 mg for the three respective dose levels. Weekly L-VCR at 2.25 mg/m2 IV was started on D15 of cycle 1. The primary phase I objective was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the combination. Results: Among the 18 patients in phase I, grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events were reported in 89% of treated patients. Two patients (two of three) at dose level 3 experienced dose-limiting toxicities. Therefore, the MTD of the combination was determined to be dose level 2 (VEN 600 mg). Twenty-two percent of evaluable patients (N = 4) achieved a complete response, with two of them showing no evidence of measurable residual disease (MRD). Conclusion: The combination of VEN and L-VCR was found to be safe for patients with r/r ALL and encouraging preliminary efficacy, including MRD negative responses. With the removal of L-VCR from the US market, the phase 2 portion of this trial is actively enrolling with vincristine sulfate.

Biologic and Clinical Analysis of Childhood Gamma Delta T-ALL Identifies LMO2/STAG2 Rearrangements as Extremely High Risk.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia expressing the gamma delta T-cell receptor (γδ T-ALL) is a poorly understood disease. We studied 200 children with γδ T-ALL from 13 clinical study groups to understand the clinical and genetic features of this disease. We found age and genetic drivers were significantly associated with outcome. γδ T-ALL diagnosed in children under 3 years of age was extremely high-risk and enriched for genetic alterations that result in both LMO2 activation and STAG2 inactivation. Mechanistically, using patient samples and isogenic cell lines, we show that inactivation of STAG2 profoundly perturbs chromatin organization by altering enhancer-promoter looping, resulting in deregulation of gene expression associated with T-cell differentiation. High-throughput drug screening identified a vulnerability in DNA repair pathways arising from STAG2 inactivation, which can be targeted by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibition. These data provide a diagnostic framework for classification and risk stratification of pediatric γδ T-ALL. Significance: Patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia expressing the gamma delta T-cell receptor under 3 years old or measurable residual disease ≥1% at end of induction showed dismal outcomes and should be classified as having high-risk disease. The STAG2/LMO2 subtype was enriched in this very young age group. STAG2 inactivation may perturb chromatin conformation and cell differentiation and confer vulnerability to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibition.

Autologous transplantation gives encouraging results for young adults with favorable-risk acute myeloid leukemia, but is not improved with gemtuzumab ozogamicin.

We report the results of a prospective, randomized phase 3 trial evaluating the use of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) in an intensive consolidation approach in 657 patients 17-60 years of age. Patients in first complete remission (CR1) after cytarabine and standard- or high-dose daunorubicin induction received 2 cycles of consolidation with high-dose cytarabine followed by peripheral blood progenitor cell collection. The 352 patients who entered consolidation were randomized to receive GO (n = 132) or not (n = 138) and then proceeded to autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). GO was given to 67 patients. Median follow-up was 50.9 months. Results of the intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated a 4-year disease-free survival (DFS) of 33.6% versus 35.9% (P = .54) and an overall survival (OS) of 41.3% versus 41.9% (P = .52) for those randomized to receive GO versus no GO, respectively. Patients with favorable- and intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with high-dose daunorubicin and autologous HCT had 4-year DFS rates of 60% and 40% and OS rates of 80% and 49.3%, respectively. For younger AML patients in CR1, autologous HCT should be considered in favorable- and intermediate-cytogenetic risk patients who do not have an allogeneic donor. The addition of a single dose of GO in this setting did not improve outcomes.

Incidence of therapy-related myeloid neoplasia after initial therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia with fludarabine-cyclophosphamide versus fludarabine: long-term follow-up of US Intergroup Study E2997.

Chemotherapy-related myeloid neoplasia (t-MN) is a significant late toxicity concern after cancer therapy. In the randomized intergroup phase 3 E2997 trial, initial therapy of chronic lymphocytic leukemia with fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide (FC) compared with fludarabine alone yielded higher complete and overall response rates and longer progression-free, but not overall, survival. Here, we report t-MN incidence in 278 patients enrolled in E2997 with a median 6.4-year follow-up. Thirteen cases (4.7%) of t-MN occurred at a median of 5 years from initial therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 9 after FC and 4 after fludarabine alone. By cumulative incidence methodology, rates of t-MN at 7 years were 8.2% after FC and 4.6% after fludarabine alone (P = .09). Seven of the 9 cases of t-MN after FC occurred without additional therapy. Abnormalities involving chromosomes 5 or 7 were found in 10 cases, which suggests alkylator involvement. These data suggest that FC may induce more t-MN than fludarabine alone.

Stromal-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition induces targetable drug resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The bone marrow microenvironment (BME) drives drug resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) through leukemic cell interactions with bone marrow (BM) niches, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that the interaction between ALL and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) through integrin ß1 induces an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like program in MSC-adherent ALL cells, resulting in drug resistance and enhanced survival. Moreover, single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of ALL-MSC co-culture identifies a hybrid cluster of MSC-adherent ALL cells expressing both B-ALL and MSC signature genes, orchestrated by a WNT/ß-catenin-mediated EMT-like program. Blockade of interaction between ß-catenin and CREB binding protein impairs the survival and drug resistance of MSC-adherent ALL cells in vitro and results in a reduction in leukemic burden in vivo. Targeting of this WNT/ß-catenin-mediated EMT-like program is a potential therapeutic approach to overcome cell extrinsically acquired drug resistance in ALL.

SINGLE CELL DISSECTION OF DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL HETEROGENEITY IN B-CELL ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA.

Sequencing of bulk tumor populations has improved genetic classification and risk assessment of B-ALL, but does not directly examine intratumor heterogeneity or infer leukemia cellular origins. We profiled 89 B-ALL samples by single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and compared them to a reference map of normal human B-cell development established using both functional and molecular assays. Intra-sample heterogeneity was driven by cell cycle, metabolism, differentiation, and inflammation transcriptional programs. By inference of B lineage developmental state composition, nearly all samples possessed a high abundance of pro-B cells, with variation between samples mainly driven by sub-populations. However, ZNF384- r and DUX4- r B-ALL showed composition enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells, BCR::ABL1 and KMT2A -r ALL of Early Lymphoid progenitors, MEF2D -r and TCF3::PBX1 of Pre-B cells. Enrichment of Early Lymphoid progenitors correlated with high-risk clinical features. Understanding variation in transcriptional programs and developmental states of B-ALL by scRNA-seq refines existing clinical and genomic classifications and improves prediction of treatment outcome.