Patient-reported symptom monitoring and adherence to therapy in patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: The authors assessed the clinical utility of patient-reported symptom monitoring in the setting of newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The primary objective was to evaluate adherence to therapy. METHODS: The authors conducted an international prospective study that included patients with newly diagnosed, chronic-phase CML. Before clinical consultation, patients were provided a tablet computer to self-rate their symptoms, and the results were available in real time to each physician during the patient's visit. Adherence was assessed by pill count and with a validated self-reported questionnaire. The proportions of optimal responders at 3 and 6 months were assessed according to the European LeukemiaNet criteria. RESULTS: Between July 2020 and August 2021, 94 patients with a median age of 57 years were enrolled. Pill count adherence analysis indicated that 86 of 93 evaluable patients (92.5%) took at least 90% of prescribed tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy during the 6-month observation period. The online platform was well accepted by patients and physicians. An optimal response was achieved by 69 of 79 patients (87.3%) at 3 months and by 61 of 81 patients (75.3%) at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported symptom monitoring from the beginning of therapy in patients with CML may be critical to improve adherence to therapy and early molecular response rates (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04384848).

The new Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE2 and SCORE2-OP) estimates the risk of arterial occlusive events in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with nilotinib or ponatinib.

Patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with nilotinib or ponatinib may experience arterial occlusive events (AOEs). It is currently recommended to thoroughly assess cardiovascular risk factors before treating CML. We identified 455 consecutive CML adult patients, 335 treated with nilotinib and 120 with ponatinib; 380 patients without previous cardiovascular diseases or diabetes were stratified according to the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE2) and SCORE2-Older Persons (SCORE2-OP). This updated algorithm from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) estimates a 10-year risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular diseases. It is based on sex, age, smoking habits, systolic blood pressure, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and European geographical region of cardiovascular risk. The SCORE2/SCORE2-OP algorithm translated more patients (50.2%) to the high-very high cardiovascular risk category than the previous SCORE (25.3%). Patients with a high to very high SCORE2/SCORE2-OP risk showed a significantly higher incidence rate of AOEs (69.2% vs. 46.5%, p < 0.001). The older SCORE was less specific in estimating AOEs in patients classified as low-intermediate risk (69.8 vs. 54.2%). In multivariate analysis, no associations were found between AOEs and gender, age, and type or dose of tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Only the SCORE2/SCORE2-OP risk was confirmed as a significant predictive factor (p = 0.028; hazard ratio = 2.2; 95% confidence interval = 1.1-4.5). Patients with AOEs required, in most cases, imaging diagnostic tests, additional drugs, and sometimes invasive procedures, increasing access to visits and hospital management. This real-life study suggested that the SCORE2 and SCORE2-OP charts could help identify cardiovascular fragility in CML patients providing them with more attention and a proper TKI selection.

IL-18 and VEGF-A trigger type 2 innate lymphoid cell accumulation and pro-tumoral function in chronic myeloid leukemia.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematologic malignancy associated to an unregulated growth of myeloid cells in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB), characterized by the BCR-ABL1 translocation. Given the known cytokine impairment in the leukemic niche of CML, we investigated the impact of this microenvironmental dysregulation on innate lymphoid cells (ILC), whose role in cancer has recently emerged. Three ILC subsets are identified based on transcriptional profiles and cytokine secretion. We observed that interleukin 18 (IL-18) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) are increased in CML patients' sera and that ILC2 are enriched in CML PB and BM. We found that IL-18 drives ILC2 proliferation and that CML ILC2 highly express CXCR4 and CXCR7 BM-homing receptors, potentially explaining their enrichment in PB and BM, respectively. Next, we showed that ILC2 are hyper-activated through a tumor-derived VEGF-Adependent mechanism, which leads to higher IL-13 secretion. In response to IL-13, leukemic cells increase their clonogenic capacity. Finally, we discovered that the pro-tumoral axis involving VEGF-A, IL-18 and ILC2 was disrupted upon tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment, normalizing the levels of all these players in CML patients responding to therapy. Overall, our study uncovers the involvement of ILC2 in CML progression, mediated by VEGF-A and IL-18.

Immune dysregulation associated with co-occurring germline CBL and SH2B3 variants.

BACKGROUND: CBL syndrome is a RASopathy caused by heterozygous germline mutations of the Casitas B-lineage lymphoma (CBL) gene. It is characterized by heterogeneous clinical phenotype, including developmental delay, facial dysmorphisms, cardiovascular malformations and an increased risk of cancer development, particularly juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML). Although the clinical phenotype has been progressively defined in recent years, immunological manifestations have not been well elucidated to date. METHODS: We studied the genetic, immunological, coagulative, and clinical profile of a family with CBL syndrome that came to our observation after the diagnosis of JMML, with homozygous CBL mutation, in one of the members. RESULTS: Variant analysis revealed the co-occurrence of CBL heterozygous mutation (c.1141 T > C) and SH2B3 mutation (c.1697G > A) in two other members. Patients carrying both mutations showed an ALPS-like phenotype characterized by lymphoproliferation, cytopenia, increased double-negative T-cells, impaired Fas-mediated lymphocyte apoptosis, altered cell death in PBMC and low TRECs expression. A coagulative work-up was also performed and showed the presence of subclinical coagulative alterations in patients carrying both mutations. CONCLUSION: In the reported family, we described immune dysregulation, as part of the clinical spectrum of CBL mutation with the co-occurrence of SH2B3.

Efficacy and safety of nilotinib as frontline treatment in elderly (> 65 years) chronic myeloid leukemia patients outside clinical trials.

Here, we report real-world evidence on the safety and efficacy of nilotinib as a first-line treatment in elderly patients with chronic phase CML, treated in 18 Italian centers. Sixty patients aged > 65 years (median age 72 years (65-84)) were reported: 13 patients were older than 75 years. Comorbidities were recorded at baseline in 56/60 patients. At 3 months of treatment, all patients obtained complete hematological response (CHR), 43 (71.6%) an early molecular response (EMR), while 47 (78%) reached a complete cytogenetic response (CCyR). At last follow-up, 63.4% of patients still had a deep molecular response (MR4 or better), 21.6% reached MR3 as best response and 11.6% persisted without MR. Most patients (85%) started the treatment at the standard dose (300 mg BID), maintained at 3 months in 80% of patients and at 6 months in 89% of them. At the last median follow-up of 46.3 months, 15 patients discontinued definitively the treatment (8 due to side effects, 4 died for unrelated CML causes, 1 for failure, 2 were lost to follow-up). One patient entered in treatment-free remission. As to safety, 6 patients (10%) experienced cardiovascular events after a median time of 20.9 months from the start. Our data showed that nilotinib could be, as first-line treatment, effective and relatively safe even in elderly CML patients. In this setting, more data in the long term are needed about possible dose reduction to improve the tolerability, while maintaining the optimal molecular response.

COVID-19 infection in chronic myeloid leukaemia after one year of the pandemic in Italy. A Campus CML report.

Limited information is available on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). The Campus CML network collected retrospective information on 8 665 CML patients followed at 46 centres throughout Italy during the pandemic between February 2020 and January 2021. Within this cohort, we recorded 217 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients (2·5%). Most patients (57%) were diagnosed as having SARS-CoV-2 infection during the second peak of the pandemic (September 2020 to January 2021). The majority (35%) was aged between 50 and 65 years with a male prevalence (73%). Fifty-six percent of patients presented concomitant comorbidities. The median time from CML diagnosis to SARS-CoV-2 infection was six years (three months to 18 years). Twenty-one patients (9·6%) required hospitalization without the need of respiratory assistance, 18 (8·2%) were hospitalized for respiratory assistance, 8 (3·6%) were admitted to an intensive care unit, while 170 (78%) were only quarantined. Twenty-three percent of patients discontinued tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy during the infection. Twelve patients died due to COVID-19 with a mortality rate of 5·5% in the positive cohort and of 0·13% in the whole cohort. We could also document sequelae caused by the SARS-CoV-2 infection and an impact of the pandemic on the overall management of CML patients.

Prospective assessment of NGS-detectable mutations in CML patients with nonoptimal response: the NEXT-in-CML study.

In chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) may select for drug-resistant BCR-ABL1 kinase domain (KD) mutants. Although Sanger sequencing (SS) is considered the gold standard for BCR-ABL1 KD mutation screening, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has recently been assessed in retrospective studies. We conducted a prospective, multicenter study (NEXT-in-CML) to assess the frequency and clinical relevance of low-level mutations and the feasibility, cost, and turnaround times of NGS-based BCR-ABL1 mutation screening in a routine setting. A series of 236 consecutive CML patients with failure (n = 124) or warning (n = 112) response to TKI therapy were analyzed in parallel by SS and NGS in 1 of 4 reference laboratories. Fifty-one patients (22 failure, 29 warning) who were negative for mutations by SS had low-level mutations detectable by NGS. Moreover, 29 (27 failure, 2 warning) of 60 patients who were positive for mutations by SS showed additional low-level mutations. Thus, mutations undetectable by SS were identified in 80 out of 236 patients (34%), of whom 42 (18% of the total) had low-level mutations somehow relevant for clinical decision making. Prospective monitoring of mutation kinetics demonstrated that TKI-resistant low-level mutations are invariably selected if the patients are not switched to another TKI or if they are switched to a inappropriate TKI or TKI dose. The NEXT-in-CML study provides for the first time robust demonstration of the clinical relevance of low-level mutations, supporting the incorporation of NGS-based BCR-ABL1 KD mutation screening results in the clinical decision algorithms.

Treatment-free remission in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated front-line with nilotinib: 10-year followup of the GIMEMA CML 0307 study.

We report the final analysis, with a 10-year follow-up, of the phase II study GIMEMA CML 0307 (NCT00481052), which enrolled 73 adult patients (median age 51 years; range, 18-83) with newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia to investigate the efficacy and the toxicity of front-line treatment with nilotinib. The initial dose was 400 mg twice daily; the dose was reduced to 300 mg twice daily as soon as this dose was approved and registered. The 10-year overall survival and progression- free survival were 94.5%. At the last contact, 36 (49.3%) patients were continuing nilotinib (22 patients at 300 mg twice daily, 14 at lower doses), 18 (24.7%) patients were in treatment-free remission, 14 (19.2%) were receiving other tyrosinekinase inhibitors and four (5.5%) patients have died. The rates of major and deep molecular responses by 10 years were 96% and 83%, respectively. The median times to major and deep molecular response were 6 and 18 months, respectively. After a median duration of nilotinib treatment of 88 months, 24 (32.9%) patients discontinued nilotinib while in stable deep molecular response. In these patients, the 2-year estimated treatment-free survival was 72.6%. The overall treatment-free remission rate, calculated on all enrolled patients, was 24.7% (18/73 patients). Seventeen patients (23.3%), at a median age of 69 years, had at least one arterial obstructive event. In conclusion, the use of nilotinib front-line in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia can induce a stable treatment-free remission in a relevant number of patients, although cardiovascular toxicity remains of concern.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and risk of arterial occlusive events in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with nilotinib.

Recommendations for dyslipidemia management aimed at reducing arterial occlusive events (AOEs) have been recently published. So far, no data have been reported on the management of dyslipidemia in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients treated with nilotinib. We investigated 369 CML adult patients, stratified according to the new Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) scoring system. Plasma levels of cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides were measured prior to the start of nilotinib and after 3, 6, and 12 months. The 5-year cumulative incidence of AOEs was 15.9%. Patients with cholesterol levels > 200 mg/dL and LDL > 70 mg/dL 3 months after treatment showed a significantly higher incidence of AOEs (21.9 ± 4.6% vs 6.2 ± 2.5, P = 0.003). Patients belonging to the high and very high SCORE risk group showed a significant increase of AOEs (34.4 ± 6% vs 10 ± 2.1%, P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, both high cholesterol and LDL levels and a high and very high SCORE risk remained significantly associated with the risk of AOEs (P = 0.008; HR = 3.5; 95% CI = 1.4-8.7 and P < 0.001; HR = 4.4; 95% CI = 2-9.8, respectively). Overall, 78 patients (21.1%) presented dyslipidemia at the time of CML diagnosis and 88 (23.3%) after starting nilotinib, but only 26 of them (29.5%) were treated with statins.Low LDL and cholesterol plasma levels are associated with a significant lower risk of AOEs in CML patients treated with nilotinib in the real life.

Renin angiotensin system inhibitors reduce the incidence of arterial thrombotic events in patients with hypertension and chronic myeloid leukemia treated with second- or third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Hypertension is a commonly reported comorbidity in patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and its management represents a challenge in patients treated with 2nd- or 3rd-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), considering their additional cardiovascular (CV) toxicity. The renin angiotensin system (RAS) contributes to hypertension genesis and plays an important role in atherosclerosis development, proliferation, and differentiation of myeloid hematopoietic cells. We analyzed a cohort of 192 patients with hypertension at CML diagnosis, who were treated with 2nd- or 3rd-generation TKIs, and evaluated the efficacy of RAS inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs)) in the prevention of arterial occlusive events (AOEs), as compared with other drug classes. The 5-year cumulative incidence of AOEs was 32.7 ± 4.2%. Patients with SCORE ≥ 5% (high-very-high) showed a significantly higher incidence of AOEs (33.7 ± 7.6% vs 13.6 ± 4.8%, p = 0.006). The AOE incidence was significantly lower in patients treated with RAS inhibitors (14.8 ± 4.2% vs 44 ± 1%, p < 0.001, HR = 0.283). The difference in the low and intermediate Sokal risk group was confirmed but not in the high-risk group, where a lower RAS expression has been reported. Our data suggest that RAS inhibitors may represent an optimal treatment in patients with hypertension and CML, treated with 2nd or 3rdG TKIs.

Observational study of chronic myeloid leukemia Italian patients who discontinued tyrosine kinase inhibitors in clinical practice.

It is judged safe to discontinue treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in experimental trials on treatment-free remission (TFR). We collected a total of 293 Italian patients with chronic phase CML who discontinued TKI in deep molecular response. Seventy-two percent of patients were on treatment with imatinib, and 28% with second generation TKI at the time of discontinuation. Median duration of treatment with the last TKI was 77 months [Interquartile Range (IQR) 54;111], median duration of deep molecular response was 46 months (IQR 31;74). Duration of treatment with TKI and duration of deep molecular response were shorter with second generation TKI than with imatinib (P<0.001). Eighty-eight percent of patients discontinued as per clinical practice, and reasons for stopping treatment were: toxicity (20%), pregnancy (6%), and shared decision between treating physician and patient (62%). After a median follow up of 34 months (range, 12-161) overall estimated TFR was 62% (95%CI: 56;68). At 12 months, TFR was 68% (95%CI: 62;74) for imatinib, 73% (95%CI: 64;83) for second generation TKI. Overall median time to restart treatment was six months (IQR 4;11). No progressions occurred. Although our study has the limitation of a retrospective study, our experience within the Italian population confirms that discontinuation of imatinib and second generation TKI is feasible and safe in clinical practice.

Arterial occlusive events in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with ponatinib in the real-life practice are predicted by the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) chart.

Arterial occlusive events (AOEs) represent emerging complications in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients treated with ponatinib. We identified 85 consecutive CML adult patients who were treated with ponatinib in 17 Italian centers. Patients were stratified according to the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) assessment, based on sex, age, smoking habits, systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol levels. The 60-month cumulative incidence rate of AOEs excluding hypertension was 25.7%. Hypertension was reported in 14.1% of patients. The median time of exposure to ponatinib was 28 months (range, 3-69 months). Patients with a high to very high SCORE risk showed a significantly higher incidence rate of AOEs (74.3% vs 15.2%, P < 0.001). Patients aged ≥60 years showed a significantly higher incidence rate of AOEs (51.5% vs 16.9%, P = 0.008). In multivariate analysis, no association was found between AOEs and positive history of CV disease, age, dose of ponatinib, previous exposure to nilotinib, and comorbidities. Only the SCORE risk was confirmed as a significant predictive factor (P = 0.01; HR = 10.9; 95% C.I. = 1.7-67.8). Patients aged ≥60 years who were treated with aspirin had a lower incidence rate of AOEs (33.3% vs 61.8%). Among the 14 reported AOEs, 78.6% of them showed grade 3 to 4 toxicity. This real-life study confirmed the increased incidence of AOEs in CML patients treated with ponatinib, with high to very high SCORE risk. We suggest that patients aged ≥60 years who were treated with ponatinib should undergo prophylaxis with 100 mg/day of aspirin. Our findings emphasize personalized prevention strategies based on CV risk factors.

Outcome of very elderly chronic myeloid leukaemia patients treated with imatinib frontline.

Very elderly (> 75 years) chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients at diagnosis are sometimes treated with different doses of imatinib (IM) based on concomitant diseases and physicians' judgement. However, data on long-term follow-up of these patients are still lacking. To investigate treatment response and outcome, we retrospectively revised an Italian database of 263 very elderly CML patients receiving IM from the time of diagnosis. Median age at diagnosis was 78.5 years and 56% of patients had 2 or 3 comorbidities. A complete haematological and cytogenetic response were achieved in 244 (92.8%) and 184 (69.9%) patients, respectively. In 148 cases (56.2%), a major molecular response was observed, which was deep in 63 cases (24%). A blastic phase occurred in 11 patients (4.2%). After a median follow-up of 45.0 months, 93 patients have died (9 from disease progression) and 104 (39.5%) are still in treatment with IM. Incidence of grades 3-4 haematological and non-haematological toxicity was similar to those reported in younger patients. Five-year event-free survival was 54.5% and 45.2% in patients ≤ 80 years and > 80 years, respectively (p = 0.098). Five years OS was 75.7% and 61.6% in patients ≤80 years and > 80 years, respectively (p = 0.003). These findings show that IM plays an important role in frontline treatment of very elderly CML patients without increased toxicity and any effort to treat these patients with standard doses should be made in order to achieve responses as in younger subjects.

Health-related quality of life in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia receiving first-line therapy with nilotinib.

BACKGROUND: Although a wealth of efficacy and safety data is available for many tyrosine kinase inhibitors used in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), there is a dearth of information on their impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The primary objective of this study was to evaluate HRQOL and fatigue outcomes in patients with CML receiving first-line therapy with nilotinib. METHODS: This was a multicenter, prospective study enrolling 130 patients with chronic-phase CML. HRQOL and fatigue were evaluated with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and its validated Fatigue module at the baseline and then at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. The primary prespecified HRQOL endpoints defined in the study protocol for longitudinal analysis were the Physical Functioning, Social Functioning, Role Functioning, and Fatigue scales. The remaining scales were investigated on an exploratory basis. RESULTS: The rate of baseline compliance with the HRQOL assessment was 95.4% (124 of 130), and the rate of overall compliance with HRQOL forms was 91%. Among the 4 prespecified primary HRQOL endpoints, statistically significant improvements over time were found for Physical Functioning (P = .013), Role Functioning (P = .004), and Fatigue (P < .001). Clinically meaningful improvements were found already 3 months after the treatment start. The baseline patient self-reported fatigue severity was an independent predictive factor for the achievement of a major molecular response with an odds ratio of 0.960 (95% confidence interval, 0.934-0.988; P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: For most patients, HRQOL improvements with nilotinib occur during the early phase of therapy and are maintained over time. Also, a more systematic HRQOL evaluation during the diagnostic workup of CML may help to predict clinical outcomes. Cancer 2018;124:2228-37. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Identification and assessment of frailty in older patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and myelofibrosis, and indications for tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment.

The incidence of cancer, including myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), is projected to increase significantly due to the growing proportion of people aged > 65 years. These older individuals are a heterogeneous population in terms of fitness, comorbidity, and psychological reserve. Therefore, age per se does not always provide an accurate indication of condition in patients with cancer. Frailty has been proposed as an alternative measure of vulnerability that might better indicate which patients can tolerate standard cancer treatment and those who may benefit from treatment adjustment. A number of methods can be used to assess frailty in older patients with hematological malignancies, including the Cardiovascular Health Study Frailty Screening Measure, the FRAIL (Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, and Loss of weight) questionnaire, the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and the Gérontopôle Frailty Screening Tool. In addition to physical frailty, comorbidity and quality of life should also be included in the assessment. Prior to the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), age was considered a marker of poor prognosis in patients with MPNs. In contrast, data show that age is not necessarily a contraindication for TKI use. In CML, the efficacy of TKIs has been shown to be independent of age. The JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib also seems to be effective across a range of patient ages. Available data suggest that chronological age itself should not necessarily be a contraindication for many new therapies in patients with MPNs, and that frailty does provide a better measure of vulnerability. There is a need for specific methods to assess frailty in patients with MPNs, particularly the context of effective new treatment options, such as TKIs and ruxolitinib.

Ponatinib as second-line treatment in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients in real-life practice.

Scarce information is available on the use of ponatinib as second-line treatment in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) patients resistant and/or intolerant to prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. We collected data from 29 CML patients, with a median age of 54 years (range 32-72). Eleven patients had received dasatinib, 15 patients received nilotinib, and 3 patients received imatinib as first-line treatment. Forty-five percent of patients started ponatinib for secondary resistance, 38% for primary resistance, 7% for severe intolerance associated to a molecular warning, 7% due to the presence of a T315I mutation, and 3% for severe intolerance. Ponatinib was started at a dose of 45 mg in 60% of patients, 30 mg in 38%, and 15 mg in 2% of patients. Overall, at a median follow-up of 12 months, 85% of treated patients improved the level of response as compared to baseline, with 10 patients achieving a deep molecular response (MR4-4.5). No thrombotic events were recorded. The dose was reduced during treatment in 2 patients due to intolerance and in 8 patients in order to reduce the cardiovascular risk. Ponatinib seems a valid second-line treatment option for chronic phase CML, in particular for patients who failed a front-line second-generation TKI due to BCR-ABL-independent mechanisms of resistance.

Pleural effusion and molecular response in dasatinib-treated chronic myeloid leukemia patients in a real-life Italian multicenter series.

Pleural effusion (PE) represents the leading cause of dasatinib (DAS) discontinuation. However, the pathogenic mechanism of this adverse event (AE) is unknown and its management unclear. We investigated if a DAS dose reduction after the first PE would prevent the recurrence of this AE. We retrospectively collected data on all the cases of PE in CML-chronic phase (CP) DAS-treated patients from November 2005 to February 2017 in 21 Italian hematological centers. We identified 196 cases of PE in a series of 853 CML-CP DAS-treated patients (incidence 23.0%). DAS starting dose was 100 mg/day in 70.4% of patients, less than 100 mg/day in 14.3%, and more than 100 mg/day in the remaining cases. Median time from DAS start to PE was 16.6 months. At first PE development, 28.6% of patients were in MMR, and 37.8% in deep molecular response (DMR). DAS was temporary interrupted in 71.9% of cases, with a dose reduction in 59.2%. Recurrence was observed in 59.4% of the cases. Treatment was definitively discontinued due to PE in 29.1% of the cases. Interestingly, among patients whose DAS dosage was reduced, 59.5% experienced PE recurrence. DAS dose reduction after the first episode of PE did not prevent recurrence of this AE. Therefore, once a MMR or a DMR is achieved, different strategies of DAS dose management can be proposed prior to the development of PE, such as daily dose reduction or, as an alternative option, an on/off treatment with a weekend drug holiday.

Successful treatment of bilateral endogenous Fusarium solani endophthalmitis in a patient with acute lymphocytic leukaemia.

Fusarium spp. are an uncommon cause of fungaemia in immunocompromised and neutropenic patients that may hematogenously disseminate to the eyes. Herein, we describe a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and a prior history of extensive corticosteroid exposure who developed disseminated Fusarium solani infection following chemotherapy despite posaconazole prophylaxis. She was successfully treated with combination liposomal amphotericin B and voriconazole, intraocular injections of voriconazole, topical amphotericin B and bilateral vitrectomy. We also review published literature describing the management of endogenous Fusarium endophthalmitis in immunocompromised hosts.

FOXM1 Transcription Factor: A New Component of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cell Proliferation Advantage.

FOXM1 transcription factor is a central component of tumor initiation, growth, and progression due to its multiple effects on cell cycle, DNA repair, angiogenesis and invasion, chromatin, protein anabolism, and cell adhesion. Moreover, FOXM1 interacts with ß-catenin promoting its nuclear import and transcriptional activation. Here, we show that FOXM1 is involved in the advantage of chronic myeloid leukemia hematopoiesis over the normal counterpart. FOXM1 hyper-activation associated with BCR-ABL1 results from phosphorylation by the fusion protein kinase-dependent activation of Polo-like kinase 1. FOXM1 phosphorylation lets its binding with ß-catenin and ß-catenin transcriptional activation, a key event for persistence of the leukemic stem cell compartment under tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Polo-like kinase 1 inhibitor BI6727, already advanced for clinical use, breaks ß-catenin interaction with FOXM1, hence hampering FOXM1 phosphorylation, ß-catenin binding, nuclear import, and downstream signaling. In conclusion, our results support Polo-like kinase 1/FOXM1 axis as a complementary target to eradicate leukemic early progenitor/stem cell compartment in chronic myeloid leukemia. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3968-3975, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.