Checkpoint inhibitor-based salvage regimens prior to autologous stem cell transplant improve event-free survival in relapsed/refractory classic Hodgkin lymphoma.

Clinical trials of novel salvage therapies have encouraging outcomes for relapsed/refractory transplant-eligible classic Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R cHL) but comparison with conventional chemotherapy is lacking. Herein, we report the final analysis of a multicenter retrospective cohort of R/R cHL assessing outcomes by type of salvage therapy before autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). R/R cHL patients who underwent ASCT at 14 institutions across the United States were included. Outcomes were compared among patients receiving conventional chemotherapy, brentuximab vedotin (BV) + chemotherapy, BV alone, and a checkpoint inhibitor (CPI)-based regimens before ASCT. Study endpoints included event-free survival (EFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). All endpoints are defined from relapse. Of 936 patients, 728 received conventional chemotherapy, 73 received BV + chemotherapy, 70 received BV alone, and 65 received CPI-based regimens prior to ASCT. When adjusted for time to relapse, pre-ASCT response and use of BV maintenance, patients receiving CPI-based regimens had superior 2-year EFS compared to conventional chemotherapy, BV + chemotherapy, and BV alone (79.7, 49.6, 62.3, and 36.9%, respectively, p < .0001). Among 649 patients transplanted after 1 line of salvage therapy, CPI-based regimens were associated with superior 2-year PFS compared to conventional chemotherapy (98% vs. 68.8%, hazard ratio: 0.1, 95% confidence interval: 0.03-0.5, p < .0001). OS did not differ by pre-ASCT salvage regimen. In this large multicenter retrospective study, CPI-based regimens improved EFS and PFS compared to other salvage regimens independent of pre-ASCT response. These data support earlier sequencing of CPI-based regimens in R/R cHL in the pre-ASCT setting.

Periostin regulates autophagy through integrin α5ß1 or α6ß4 and an AKT-dependent pathway in colorectal cancer cell migration.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most fatal cancers with highly invasive properties. The progression of CRC is determined by the driving force of periostin (PN) from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumour microenvironment. This present work aims to investigate autophagy-mediated CRC invasion via the receptor integrin (ITG) by PN. The level of PN in 410 clinical CRC tissues was found increased and was an independent poor prognosis marker (HR = 2.578, 95% CI = 1.218-5.457, P-value = .013) with a significant correlation with overall survival time (P-value < .001). PN activated proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells, but with reduced autophagy. Interestingly, the reduction of LC3 autophagic protein corresponded to the increased ability of CRC cell migration. The siITGα5-treated HT-29 and siITGß4-treated HCT-116 CRC cells attenuated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMT)-related genes and pAKT compared with those in siITG-untreated cells. The reduction of pAKT by a PI3K inhibitor significantly restored autophagy in CRC cells. These evidences confirmed the effect of PN through either ITGα5ß1 or ITGα6ß4 and the AKT-dependent pathway to control autophagy-regulated cell migration. In conclusion, these results exhibited the impact of PN activation of ITGα5ß1 or ITGα6ß4 through pAKT in autophagy-mediated EMT and migration in CRC cells.

Patients with TP53-Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia Receiving Intensive Induction Therapy Have Superior Outcomes Due to a Higher Rate of Salvage Therapy: A Single Institution, Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: TP53 mutations (TP53m) define the most treatment-refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) subtype. Optimal treatment approaches have not been established in this setting. We reviewed our institutional experience to identify therapy sequencing, treatment response, and survival patterns in these patients. METHODS: This study was a single-center, retrospective cohort analysis. RESULTS: Our cohort includes 86 TP53m and 337 TP53 wild-type (TP53wt) adult AML patients. TP53m AML patients presented with lower bone marrow and peripheral blasts; none presented with hyperleukocytosis. Patients who received intensive treatment up front demonstrated superior overall survival (OS) over those receiving first-line non-intensive therapy (2-year OS 22% versus 7%; p = 0.02). However, the complete remission (CR) rates among the first-line intensive and non-intensive therapy groups were comparable (21.9% and 29.4%, respectively, p = 0.49). The improved OS is therefore attributed to superior cumulative CR in the intensive group. First-line intensively treated patients were more likely to receive and respond to salvage, leading to a cumulative CR rate of 65.7% (versus 29.4%, p = 0.003). Achieving CR at any point is strongly associated with superior survival outcomes with 2-year OS of 31% versus 0% for those not achieving CR ever (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We find that TP53m AML rarely presents with oncological emergencies, suggesting that clinical trial enrollment is feasible in this group. Additionally, in our cohort, intensive induction therapies lead to superior survival outcomes attributed to successful salvage therapy. These data suggest that strategic therapy sequencing and salvage therapy may be important in optimizing outcomes for TP53m AML patients.

Efficacy of CD19 directed therapies in patients with relapsed or refractory large b-cell lymphoma relapsing after CD19 directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.

Outcomes are poor for patients with relapsed and/or refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) post chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. Two CD19-directed therapies, tafasitamab- cxix plus lenalidomide (tafa-len) and loncastuximab tesirine (loncaT) are approved in R/R LBCL. The efficacy of these CD19 directed therapies in patients who relapse after CD19 directed CAR-T (CD19-CART) therapy is not well understood. We conducted a multi-center study of patients with R/R LBCL that received either tafa-len or loncaT at any timepoint for R/R disease after CD19-CART therapy. Fifty-three patients were included in this study with the median follow up of 56 (9.1-199) weeks from CAR-T infusion. Median number of systemic therapies pre-CAR-T therapy was 3 (range: 1-6); axicabtagene ciloleucel was the most utilized CAR-T product (n = 32,60%). Median time from CAR-T therapy to tafa-len or loncaT was 7.3 (1.2-38.2) months with median number of lines of therapy between CAR-T therapy and these regimens of 1 (0-5). Combined overall response rate and complete response rates were 27% and 10%, respectively. Median duration of response was 13.3 (2.1-56.7) weeks. In this real-world study, the use of currently approved CD19-directed therapies to treat R/R LBCL after CD19-CAR-T therapy showed limited clinical activity and duration of responses.

Sarcopenia Predicts Inferior Progression-Free Survival in Lymphoma Patients Treated with Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) improves survival for patients with chemotherapy-sensitive lymphoma. Validated scoring systems are used in the clinical setting to predict treatment toxicity and survival; however, complications related to disease and treatment still occur, highlighting challenges in optimal patient selection and the need for novel predictors. Analysis of body composition and muscle mass can provide an objective assessment to identify vulnerable populations, as sarcopenia and frailty have been reported to predict outcomes in other tumor types. In this retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing ASCT for lymphoma, we investigated associations of sarcopenia with clinically significant outcomes, including overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Computed tomography (CT) images of 78 patients obtained routinely pretransplantation were used to assess skeletal muscle mass and are reported as skeletal muscle index (SMI). OS, PFS, and clinical outcomes of interest were compared between groups. Twenty-seven patients (34.6%) in the cohort met the criteria for sarcopenia. Patients with sarcopenia had a significantly shorter 3-year PFS (59% [95% confidence interval (CI), 38% to 75%] versus 84% [95% CI, 71% to 92%]; P = .02) after 3 years of follow up, whereas there was no difference in OS between patients with and those without sarcopenia (78% [95% CI, 57% to 89%] versus 88% [95% CI, 76% to 95%]; P = .25). Interestingly, no difference in survival was found with stratification based on the Karnofsky Performance Scale or Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation-Specific Comorbidity Index. There also were no significant between-group differences in length of hospital stay and the incidences of other clinical outcomes of interest, including febrile neutropenia, mucositis, total parenteral nutrition requirement, acute kidney injury, rate of readmission, or intensive care unit admission. This is the first study to our knowledge to correlate sarcopenia with disease control and PFS after ASCT in lymphoma. Possible explanations include a higher rate of chemotherapy-related toxicity, leading to disruptions of treatment as well as dysfunction of antitumor immunity secondary to impaired regulations from myokines from the loss of muscle mass or an unknown cause that is yet to be elucidated. Physical therapy programs and personalized regimens for treatment based on the analysis of body composition indices can be further studied and implemented to mitigate treatment-related toxicity and to optimize survival in patients with sarcopenia.

Overall survival of patients with cHL who progress after autologous stem cell transplant: results in the novel agent era.

In the pre-novel agent era, the median postprogression overall survival (PPS) of patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) who progress after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) was 2 to 3 years. Recently, checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) and brentuximab vedotin (BV) have improved the depth and durability of response in this population. Here, we report the estimate of PPS in patients with relapsed cHL after ASCT in the era of CPI and BV. In this multicenter retrospective study of 15 participating institutions, adult patients with relapsed cHL after ASCT were included. Study objective was postprogression overall survival (PPS), defined as the time from posttransplant progression to death or last follow-up. Of 1158 patients who underwent ASCT, 367 had progressive disease. Median age was 34 years (range, 27-46) and 192 were male. Median PPS was 114.57 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 91-not achieved) or 9.5 years. In multivariate analysis, increasing age, progression within 6 months, and pre-ASCT positive positron emission tomography scan were associated with inferior PPS. When adjusted for these features, patients who received CPI, but not BV, as first treatment for post-ASCT progression had significantly higher PPS than the no CPI/no BV group (hazard ratio, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.6-7.8; P = .001). Receipt of allogeneic SCT (Allo-SCT) did not improve PPS. In the era of novel agents, progressive cHL after ASCT had long survival that compares favorably with previous reports. Patients who receive CPI as first treatment for progression had higher PPS. Receipt to Allo-SCT was not associated with PPS in this population.

Putting function back in dysfunction: Endothelial diseases and current therapies in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies.

Endothelial dysfunction is characterized by altered vascular permeability and prothrombotic, pro-inflammatory phenotypes. Endothelial dysfunction results in end-organ damage and has been associated with diverse disease pathologies. Complications observed after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) and chimeric antigen receptor-T cell (CAR-T) therapy for hematologic and neoplastic disorders share overlapping clinical manifestations and there is increasing evidence linking these complications to endothelial dysfunction. Despite advances in supportive care and treatments, end-organ toxicity remains the leading cause of mortality. A new strategy to mitigate endothelial dysfunction could lead to improvement of clinical outcomes for patients. Statins have demonstrated pleiotropic effects of immunomodulatory and endothelial protection by various molecular mechanisms. Recent applications in immune-mediated diseases such as autoimmune disorders, chronic inflammatory conditions, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) have shown promising results. In this review, we cover the mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction in GVHD and CAR-T cell-related toxicities. We summarize the current knowledge about statins and other agents used as endothelial protectants. We propose further studies using statins for prophylaxis and prevention of end-organ damage related to extensive endothelial dysfunction in HCT and CAR-T.

High Proliferating Regulatory T Cells Post-Transplantation Are Associated with Poor Survival in Lymphoma Patients Treated with Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) in lymphoma is well established and yields improved survival for patients with chemotherapy-sensitive disease. The patterns of immune cell reconstitution after AHCT have emerged as independent predictors of clinical outcomes. We sought to analyze the patterns of regulatory T cell (Treg) reconstitution after AHCT in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and their correlations with clinical outcomes. In our prospective cohort study, we analyzed patterns of lymphocyte reconstitution and focused on T reg subsets for 41 patients who underwent AHCT for NHL between 2010 and 2016. Flow cytometry analysis was performed on blood samples collected prospectively at days +28, +60, and +100 post-AHCT. Patients' overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were correlated with Treg immune cell reconstitution. At day +28, Tregs comprised a median of 2.7% (range, 0.4% to 16.8%) of the total lymphocyte population. The proportion of proliferating Tregs (Ki67+ Tregs) varied widely from 6.3% to 59.2% (median, 16.1%) of total Tregs and has a significant effect on post-transplantation outcomes. AHCT recipients with low levels of proliferating Tregs (ie, <16.1%, Ki67+ Tregs) at 28 days had better 5-year OS compared to patients with high Ki67+ Treg levels (75% versus 42%; P = .01). Higher levels of proliferating Tregs at day +28 post-AHCT were associated with higher mortality, with the most frequent cause of death due to lymphoma progression. This association suggests that immunosuppressive cellular reconstitution adversely impacts survival in AHCT recipients with NHL.

A Novel Tongue-Based Tumor With an RREB1-MRTFB Fusion: Variant Rhabdomyosarcoma or Aggressive Variant of Ectomesenchymal Chondromyxoid Tumor.

The presence of a FOXO1 fusion in a tumor is one of the most important prognostic factors in rhabdomyosarcoma. Most histologically defined alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas bear a FOXO1 fusion. We discuss a case that was initially thought to be a rhabdomyosarcoma but was later discovered to have an RREB1-MRTFB fusion. This fusion has never been reported in rhabdomyosarcoma but typically characterizes ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor (ECT), a neoplasm with typically rather benign behavior. In this article, the authors discussed whether this patient's aggressive presentation represents a variation of ECT or an unusual case of rhabdomyosarcoma.

Advances and new frontiers for immunotherapy in colorectal cancer: Setting the stage for neoadjuvant success?

Immunotherapy in the metastatic setting has drastically altered the landscape of treatment for various types of malignancy, including colorectal cancer. The category of immune checkpoint inhibitors has especially emerged as a class of therapy predicated on a more comprehensive understanding of immune cell-cancer cell regulation and evolution of the tumor microenvironment over time. Strategies including adoptive cellular therapies, tumor vaccines, and antibodies have also demonstrated the ability to enhance antitumor immunity. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of the current landscape of immunotherapeutic strategies in colorectal cancer and provide insight into how these strategies may evolve in the next decade and be adapted to more localized forms of cancers of the colon and rectum. We provide particular focus on various combination approaches under investigation for reversing cancer-induced immunosuppression, especially in mismatch repair-proficient/microsatellite-stable colorectal tumors. Finally, we summarize current understanding on a recently identified integral factor in local immune regulation, the colonic microbiome. The aim of this article is to identify current challenges and barriers to improvement and to specify opportunities for applying knowledge in the immunotherapy sphere to rational design of clinical trials intended to improve survival and related outcomes in patients treated in the neoadjuvant setting.

Multiple malignant tumors in a patient with familial chordoma, a case report.

BACKGROUND: Chordoma is a rare bone tumor that is typically resistant to chemotherapy and is associated with genetic abnormalities of the T-box transcription factor T (TBXT) gene, which encodes the transcription factor brachyury. Brachyury is felt to be a major contributor to the development of chordomas. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 67-year-old woman who developed an undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma in her thigh. Despite treatment with standard chemotherapy regimens, she had a rapidly progressive course of disease with pulmonary metastases and passed away 8 months from diagnosis with pulmonary complications. Her medical history was remarkable in that she had a spheno-occipital chordoma at age 39 and later developed multiple other tumors throughout her life including Hodgkin lymphoma and squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma of the skin. She had a family history of chordoma and her family underwent extensive genetic study in the past and were found to have a duplication of the TBXT gene. CONCLUSIONS: Brachyury has been found to associate with tumor progression, treatment resistance, and metastasis in various epithelial cancers, and it might play roles in tumorigenesis and aggressiveness in this patient with multiple rare tumors and germ line duplication of the TBXT gene. Targeting this molecule may be useful for some malignancies.

A case of AL amyloidosis presenting with refractory ventricular fibrillation.

A 66-year-old male with recent diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction was referred to our institution for management of cardiogenic/vasodilatory shock. During his evaluation, he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest from refractory ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF) despite normal electrolytes and no evidence of prior ventricular arrhythmias. He was placed on rescue peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (VA-ECMO) for 4 days and was decannulated without end-organ damage. Continued workup revealed Mayo stage IV immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis. Unfortunately, he developed acute cerebellar hemorrhage several days later. Autopsy findings were consistent with AL amyloidosis, with extensive cardiac fibrosis and amyloid deposition in the myocardium and vasculature. While the most common cause of cardiac death in patients with amyloidosis is severe bradycardia and pulseless electrical activity, sustained ventricular arrhythmias have been reported. The use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) is highly debated in this population given the lack of survival benefit. Our patient also developed refractory VT/VF arrest, and ICD shocks would not have rescued him while causing significant distress. Emergent VA-ECMO cannulation allowed us to make a diagnosis, yet this intervention cannot be routinely recommended given the limited survival of patients with AL amyloidosis.

Crosstalk between Tumor-Infiltrating Immune Cells and Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Tumor Growth and Immunosuppression of Breast Cancer.

Signals from the tumor microenvironment (TME) have a profound influence on the maintenance and progression of cancers. Chronic inflammation and the infiltration of immune cells in breast cancer (BC) have been strongly associated with early carcinogenic events and a switch to a more immunosuppressive response. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant stromal component and can modulate tumor progression according to their secretomes. The immune cells including tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) (cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), regulatory T cells (Tregs), and helper T cell (Th)), monocyte-infiltrating cells (MICs), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), mast cells (MCs), and natural killer cells (NKs) play an important part in the immunological balance, fluctuating TME between protumoral and antitumoral responses. In this review article, we have summarized the impact of these immunological players together with CAF secreted substances in driving BC progression. We explain the crosstalk of CAFs and tumor-infiltrating immune cells suppressing antitumor response in BC, proposing these cellular entities as predictive markers of poor prognosis. CAF-tumor-infiltrating immune cell interaction is suggested as an alternative therapeutic strategy to regulate the immunosuppressive microenvironment in BC.

Breast cancer stem cell RNA-pulsed dendritic cells enhance tumor cell killing by effector T cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) underpin the resistance of breast cancer (BC) cells to therapy. Dendritic cell (DC)-based treatment is efficacious and safe, but the efficiency of this technique for targeting CSCs in BC treatment requires further investigation. The present study aimed to investigate the ability of DCs pulsed with breast CSC antigens to activate effector lymphocytes for killing BC cells. CD44+/CD24- CSCs were isolated from BCA55-121, an in-house patient-derived BC cell line, and acquisition of stemness properties was confirmed by upregulated expression of OCT4A and a superior proliferative capacity in colony formation assays compared with whole population of BCA55-121 (BCA55-121-WP). DCs were differentiated from monocytes from peripheral blood of healthy donors and pulsed with CSC total RNA. Maturation of the CSC RNA-pulsed DCs was confirmed by increased expression of CD11c, CD40, CD83, CD86 and HLA-DR, as well as reduced CD14 expression compared with monocytes. Total lymphocytes co-cultured with CSC RNA-pulsed DCs were analyzed by flow cytometry for markers including CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16 and CD56. The results revealed that the co-cultures contained mostly cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes followed by CD4+ T lymphocytes and smaller populations of natural killer (NK) and NKT cells. ELISA was used to measure IFN-γ production, and it was revealed that activated CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes produced more IFN-γ compared with naïve T cells, suggesting that CD8+ T cells were effector T cells. CSC RNA was a more efficient antigen source compared with RNA from mixed BC cells for activating tumor antigen-specific killing by T cells. These CSC-specific effector T cells significantly induced BC cell apoptosis at a 20:1 effector T cell:tumor cell ratio. Of note, the breast CSCs cultures demonstrated resistance to effector T cell killing, which was in part due to increased expression of programmed death ligand 1 in the CSC population. The present study highlights the potential use of CSC RNA for priming DCs in modulating an anticancer immune response against BC.