Improved outcome of COVID-19 over time in patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy: Update of the European COVID-19 multicenter study on behalf of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) Infectious Diseases Working Party (IDWP) and the European Hematology Association (EHA) Lymphoma Group.

COVID-19 has been associated with high mortality in patients treated with Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for hematologic malignancies. Here, we investigated whether the outcome has improved over time with the primary objective of assessing COVID-19-attributable mortality in the Omicron period of 2022 compared to previous years. Data for this multicenter study were collected using the MED-A and COVID-19 report forms developed by the EBMT. One-hundred-eighty patients were included in the analysis, 39 diagnosed in 2020, 35 in 2021 and 106 in 2022. The median age was 58.9 years (min-max: 5.2-78.4). There was a successive decrease in COVID-19-related mortality over time (2020: 43.6%, 2021: 22.9%, 2022: 7.5%) and in multivariate analysis year of infection was the strongest predictor of survival (p = 0.0001). Comparing 2022 with 2020-2021, significantly fewer patients had lower respiratory symptoms (21.7% vs 37.8%, p = 0.01), needed oxygen support (25.5% vs 43.2%, p = 0.01), or were admitted to ICU (5.7% vs 33.8%, p = 0.0001). Although COVID-19-related mortality has decreased over time, CAR T-cell recipients remain at higher risk for complications than the general population. Consequently, vigilant monitoring for COVID-19 in patients undergoing B-cell-targeting CAR T-cell treatment is continuously recommended ensuring optimal prevention of infection and advanced state-of-the art treatment when needed.

Two-year safety outcomes of iPS cell-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in acute steroid-resistant graft-versus-host disease.

The first completed clinical trial of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS cell)-derived cells was conducted in 15 participants with steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease. After intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stromal cells (CYP-001 derived from a clone of human iPS cells), we reported the safety, tolerability and efficacy within the primary evaluation period at day 100. We now report results at the 2-year follow-up: 9 of 15 (60%) participants survived, which compares favorably with previously reported outcomes in studies of steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease. Causes of death were complications commonly observed in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and not considered by the investigators to be related to CYP-001 treatment. There were no serious adverse events, tumors or other safety concerns related to CYP-001. In conclusion, systemic delivery of iPS cell-derived cells was safe and well tolerated over 2 years of follow-up, with sustained outcomes up to 2 years after the first infusion. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT02923375 .

Graft-versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis with Post- Transplantation Cyclophosphamide in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation from an Unrelated or Mismatched Related Donor: A Comparative Study from the Chronic Malignancies Working Party of the EBMT (CMWP-EBMT).

Outcomes following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) using an unrelated donor (UD) or a mismatched related donor (MMRD) remain unknown. We report a retrospective comparison of PTCy-based allo-HCT from a UD, non-PTCy allo-HCT from a UD, and PTCy allo-HCT from an MMRD. Inclusion criteria were adult patients with CML undergoing first allo-HCT between 2012 and 2019 from a UD with either PTCy or non-PTCy graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis or from an MMRD using PTCy. The primary endpoint was GVHD-free/relapse-free survival (GRFS). A total of 1341 patients were included (82% in the non-PTCy UD cohort). With a median follow-up of 34.9 months, the 3-year GRFS was 43% in the non-PTCy cohort, 37% in the PTCy-UD cohort, and 39% PTCy-MMRD cohort (P = .15). Multivariable analyses revealed no significant differences among the 3 cohorts in terms of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival, RI, and nonrelapse mortality. Factors independently associated with worse OS in the overall cohort were Karnofsky Performance Status <90 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41 to 2.45; P < .001), older age (HR, 1.24, 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.38; P < .001), and disease stage (compared to chronic phase [CP] 1): blast phase (HR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.60 to 3.16; P < .001), accelerated phase (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.54; P = .03), and CP >2 (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.17; P = .005). These results suggest that allo-HCT in patients with CML using either a UD or an MMRD with PTCy-based GVHD prophylaxis are feasible transplantation, platforms and that the disease stage at allo-HCT remains a major prognostic factor, highlighting the importance of closely monitoring CML patients and proposing transplantation when indicated when still in CP1.

Comparison of fludarabine/melphalan (FluMel) with fludarabine/melphalan/BCNU or thiotepa (FBM/FTM) in patients with AML in first complete remission undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation - a registry study on behalf of the EBMT Acute Leukemia Working Party.

Conditioning protocols for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) are being developed continuously to improve their anti-leukemic efficacy and reduce their toxicity. In this study, we compared the conditioning protocol of fludarabine with melphalan 140 mg/m2 (FluMel) with conditioning protocols based on this same backbone but with an additional alkylating agent i.e., either fludarabine/BCNU (also known as carmustine)/melphalan (FBM), or fludarabine/thiotepa/melphalan (FTM) 110 mg/m2. We included 1272 adult patients (FluMel, n = 1002; FBM/FTM, n = 270) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with intermediate/poor cytogenetic risk in first complete remission (CR) from the registry of the EBMT Acute Leukemia Working Party. Despite patients in the FBM/FTM group were older (64.1 years vs. 59.8 years, p < 0.001) and had a worse Karnofsky performance score (KPS < 90, 33% vs. 24%, p = 0.003), they showed a better overall survival (OS) (2 y OS: 68.3% vs. 58.1%, p = 0.02) and less non-relapse mortality (NRM) (2 y NRM: 15.8% vs. 22.2%, p = 0.009) compared to patients treated with FluMel. No significant differences were observed in relapse incidence (RI) (2 y RI: 24.9% vs. 23.7%, p = 0.62). In conclusion, the addition of a second alkylating agent (BCNU/carmustine or thiotepa) to FluMel as FBM/FTM conditioning, improves OS in AML patients in first CR with intermediate/poor risk cytogenetics after allo-HCT.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Therapy Guided by Measurable Residual Disease.

BACKGROUND: The combination of ibrutinib and venetoclax has been shown to improve outcomes in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) as compared with chemoimmunotherapy. Whether ibrutinib-venetoclax and personalization of treatment duration according to measurable residual disease (MRD) is more effective than fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab (FCR) is unclear. METHODS: In this phase 3, multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label platform trial involving patients with untreated CLL, we compared ibrutinib-venetoclax and ibrutinib monotherapy with FCR. In the ibrutinib-venetoclax group, after 2 months of ibrutinib, venetoclax was added for up to 6 years of therapy. The duration of ibrutinib-venetoclax therapy was defined by MRD assessed in peripheral blood and bone marrow and was double the time taken to achieve undetectable MRD. The primary end point was progression-free survival in the ibrutinib-venetoclax group as compared with the FCR group, results that are reported here. Key secondary end points were overall survival, response, MRD, and safety. RESULTS: A total of 523 patients were randomly assigned to the ibrutinib-venetoclax group or the FCR group. At a median of 43.7 months, disease progression or death had occurred in 12 patients in the ibrutinib-venetoclax group and 75 patients in the FCR group (hazard ratio, 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.07 to 0.24; P<0.001). Death occurred in 9 patients in the ibrutinib-venetoclax group and 25 patients in the FCR group (hazard ratio, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.67). At 3 years, 58.0% of the patients in the ibrutinib-venetoclax group had stopped therapy owing to undetectable MRD. After 5 years of ibrutinib-venetoclax therapy, 65.9% of the patients had undetectable MRD in the bone marrow and 92.7% had undetectable MRD in the peripheral blood. The risk of infection was similar in the ibrutinib-venetoclax group and the FCR group. The percentage of patients with cardiac serious adverse events was higher in the ibrutinib-venetoclax group than in the FCR group (10.7% vs. 0.4%). CONCLUSIONS: MRD-directed ibrutinib-venetoclax improved progression-free survival as compared with FCR, and results for overall survival also favored ibrutinib-venetoclax. (Funded by Cancer Research UK and others; FLAIR ISRCTN Registry number, ISRCTN01844152; EudraCT number, 2013-001944-76.).

Organ complications after CD19 CAR T-cell therapy for large B cell lymphoma: a retrospective study from the EBMT transplant complications and lymphoma working party.

We investigated ≥ grade 3 (CTC-AE) organ toxicities for commercial CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) products in 492 patients (Axi-Cel; n = 315; Tisa-Cel; n = 177) with Large B-cell Lymphoma in the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) CAR-T registry. The incidence of ≥ grade 3 organ toxicities during the first 100 days after CAR-T was low and the most frequent were: renal (3.0%), cardiac (2.3%), gastro-intestinal (2.3%) and hepatic (1.8%). The majority occurred within three weeks after CAR-T cell therapy. Overall survival was 83.1% [79.8-86.5; 95% CI] at 3 months and 53.5% [49-58.4; 95% CI] at one year after CAR-T. The most frequent cause of death was tumour progression (85.1%). Non-relapse mortality was 3.1% [2.3-4.1; 95% CI] at 3 months and 5.2% [4.1-6.5; 95% CI] at one year after CAR-T. The most frequent causes of non-relapse mortality were cell-therapy-related toxicities including organ toxicities (6.4% of total deaths) and infections (4.4% of total deaths). Our data demonstrates good safety in the European real-world setting.

Ibrutinib and rituximab versus fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab for patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (FLAIR): interim analysis of a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: The approval of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) was based on trials which compared ibrutinib with alkylating agents in patients considered unfit for fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab, the most effective chemoimmunotherapy in CLL. We aimed to assess whether ibrutinib and rituximab is superior to fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab in terms of progression-free survival. METHODS: This study is an interim analysis of FLAIR, which is an open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial in patients with previously untreated CLL done at 101 UK National Health Service hospitals. Eligible patients were between 18 and 75 years of age with a WHO performance status of 2 or less and disease status requiring treatment according to International Workshop on CLL criteria. Patients with greater than 20% of their CLL cells having the chromosome 17p deletion were excluded. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by means of minimisation (Binet stage, age, sex, and centre) with a random element in a web-based system to ibrutinib and rituximab (ibrutinib administered orally at 420 mg/day for up to 6 years; rituximab administered intravenously at 375 mg/m2 on day 1 of cycle 1 and at 500 mg/m2 on day 1 of cycles 2-6 of a 28-day cycle) or fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (fludarabine 24 mg/m2 per day orally on day 1-5, cyclophosphamide 150 mg/m2 per day orally on days 1-5; rituximab as above for up to 6 cycles). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival, analysed by intention to treat. Safety analysis was per protocol. This study is registered with ISRCTN, ISRCTN01844152, and EudraCT, 2013-001944-76, and recruiting is complete. FINDINGS: Between Sept 19, 2014, and July 19, 2018, of 1924 patients assessed for eligibility, 771 were randomly assigned with median age 62 years (IQR 56-67), 565 (73%) were male, 206 (27%) were female and 507 (66%) had a WHO performance status of 0. 385 patients were assigned to fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab and 386 patients to ibrutinib and rituximab. After a median follow-up of 53 months (IQR 41-61) and at prespecified interim analysis, median progression-free survival was not reached (NR) with ibrutinib and rituximab and was 67 months (95% CI 63-NR) with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (hazard ratio 0·44 [95% CI 0·32-0·60]; p<0·0001). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse event was leukopenia (203 [54%] patients in the fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab group and 55 [14%] patients in the ibrutinib and rituximab group. Serious adverse events were reported in 205 (53%) of 384 patients receiving ibrutinib and rituximab compared with 203 (54%) of 378 patients receiving fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab. Two deaths in the fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab group and three deaths in the ibrutinib and rituximab group were deemed to be probably related to treatment. There were eight sudden unexplained or cardiac deaths in the ibrutinib and rituximab group and two in the fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab group. INTERPRETATION: Front line treatment with ibrutinib and rituximab significantly improved progression-free survival compared with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab but did not improve overall survival. A small number of sudden unexplained or cardiac deaths in the ibrutinib and rituximab group were observed largely among patients with existing hypertension or history of cardiac disorder. FUNDING: Cancer Research UK and Janssen.

Severe cytopenia after CD19 CAR T-cell therapy: a retrospective study from the EBMT Transplant Complications Working Party.

We investigated the incidence and outcome of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells-associated Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) ≥grade 3 cytopenia. In the EBMT CAR-T registry, we identified 398 adult patients with large B-cell lymphoma who had been treated with CAR-T-cells with axicel (62%) or tisacel (38%) before August 2021 and had cytopenia status documented for the first 100 days. Most patients had received two or three previous lines of therapy, however, 22.3% had received four or more. Disease status was progressive in 80.4%, stable in 5.0% and partial/complete remission in 14.6%. 25.9% of the patients had received a transplantation before. Median age was 61.4 years (min-max; IQR=18.7-81; (52.9-69.5)).The cumulative incidence of ≥grade 3 cytopenia was 9.0% at 30 days (95% CI (6.5 to 12.1)) and 12.1% at 100 days after CAR T-cell infusion (95% CI (9.1 to 15.5)). The median time from CAR-T infusion to cytopenia onset was 16.5 days (min-max; IQR=1-90; (4-29.8)). Grade 3 and grade 4 CTCAE cytopenia occurred in 15.2% and 84.8%, respectively. In 47.6% there was no resolution.Severe cytopenia had no significant impact on overall survival (OS) (HR 1.13 (95% CI 0.74 to 1.73), p=0.57). However, patients with severe cytopenia had a poorer progression-free survival (PFS) (HR 1.54 (95% CI 1.07 to 2.22), p=0.02) and a higher relapse incidence (HR 1.52 (95% CI 1.04 to 2.23), p=0.03). In those patients who developed severe cytopenia during the first 100 days (n=47), OS, PFS, relapse incidence and non-relapse mortality at 12 months after diagnosis of severe cytopenia were 53.6% (95% CI (40.3 to 71.2)), 20% (95% CI (10.4 to 38.6)), 73.5% (95% CI (55.2 to 85.2)) and 6.5% (95% CI (1.7 to 16.2)), respectively.In multivariate analysis of severe cytopenia risk factors, only year of CAR-T infusion (HR=0.61, 95% CI (0.39 to 0.95), p=0.028) and total number of treatment lines before CAR-T infusion (one or two lines vs three or more, HR=0.41, 95% CI (0.21 to 0.83), p=0.013) had a significant positive association with the incidence of cytopenia. Other factors, such as previous transplantation, disease status at time of CAR-T, patient age and patient sex, had no significant association.Our data provide insight on frequency and clinical relevance of severe cytopenia after CAR T-cell therapy in the European real-world setting.

Effective bridging therapy can improve CD19 CAR-T outcomes while maintaining safety in patients with large B-cell lymphoma.

The impact of bridging therapy (BT) on CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CD19CAR-T) outcomes in large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) is poorly characterized. Current practice is guided through physician preference rather than established evidence. Identification of effective BT modalities and factors predictive of response could improve both CAR-T intention to treat and clinical outcomes. We assessed BT modality and response in 375 adult patients with LBCL in relation to outcomes after axicabtagene ciloleucel (Axi-cel) or tisagenlecleucel (Tisa-cel) administration. The majority of patients received BT with chemotherapy (57%) or radiotherapy (17%). We observed that BT was safe for patients, with minimal morbidity or mortality. We showed that complete or partial response to BT conferred a 42% reduction in disease progression and death after CD19CAR-T therapy. Multivariate analysis identified several factors associated with likelihood of response to BT, including response to last line therapy, the absence of bulky disease, and the use of polatuzumab-containing chemotherapy regimens. Our data suggested that complete or partial response to BT may be more important for Tisa-cel than for Axi-cel, because all patients receiving Tisa-cel with less than partial response to BT experienced frank relapse within 12 months of CD19CAR-T infusion. In summary, BT in LBCL should be carefully planned toward optimal response and disease debulking, to improve patient outcomes associated with CD19CAR-T. Polatuzumab-containing regimens should be strongly considered for all suitable patients, and failure to achieve complete or partial response to BT before Tisa-cel administration may prompt consideration of further lines of BT where possible.

Outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant in patients diagnosed with blast phase of myeloproliferative neoplasms: A retrospective study from the Chronic Malignancies Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT) provides the only potential route to long-term remission in patients diagnosed with blast phase transformation of myeloproliferative neoplasm (BP-MPN). We report on a large, retrospective European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry-based study of BP-MPN patients undergoing allo-HCT. BP-MPN patients undergoing first allo-HCT between 2005 and 2019 were included. A total of 663 patients were included. With a median follow-up of 62 months, the estimated 3-year overall survival (OS) was 36% (95% confidence interval [CI], 32-36). Factors associated with lower OS were Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) <90 (hazard ratio [HR] 1.65, p < .001) and active disease at allo-HCT (HR 1.45, p < .001), whereas patients undergoing allo-HCT more recently associated with a higher OS (HR 0.96, p = .008). In a selected patient's population, the 3-year OS of patients undergoing allo-HCT in complete response (CR) and with a KPS ≥90 was 60%. KPS < 90 (HR 1.4, p = .001) and active disease (HR 1.44, p = .0004) were associated with a lower progression-free survival (PFS). Conversely, most recent allo-HCT associated with a higher PFS (HR 0.96, p = .008). Active disease at allo-HCT (HR 1.34, p = .03) was associated with a higher cumulative incidence of relapse (RI) and allo-HCT in earlier calendar years (HR 0.96, p = .02) associated with a lower RI. Last, KPS < 90 (HR 1.91, p < .001), active disease (HR 1.74, p = .003) and allo-HCT from mismatched related donors were associated with a higher non-relapse mortality (HR 2.66, p = .003). In this large series of BP-MPN patients, about one third were alive at 3 years after transplantation. Patients undergoing allo-HCT in the more recent era, with a KPS ≥90 and in CR at transplant had a better prognosis.

Impact of positron emission tomography - computed tomography status on progression-free survival for relapsed follicular lymphoma patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation.

The optimum management approach for patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma remains uncertain. Autologous stem cell transplantation (autoSCT) is considered a standard option in suitable, younger patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma. AutoSCT is associated with very durable remissions in a minority of subjects, but also with significant, well-established toxicities. Although positron emission tomography (PET) status prior to autoSCT is an established prognostic factor in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma, no data exist in follicular lymphoma. We describe survival outcomes according to pre-transplant PET status, classified by the Lugano criteria into complete metabolic remission (CMR) versus non-CMR, in 172 patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma within a national, multicenter, retrospective British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy registry study. The median number of lines of therapy prior to SCT was three (range, 1-6). The median follow-up after SCT was 27 months (range, 3-70). The median progression-free survival for all patients after autoSCT was 28 months (interquartile range, 23- 36). There was no interaction between age at transplantation, sex, number of months since last relapse, Karnofsky performance status or comorbidity index and achieving CMR prior to autoSCT. Superior progression-free survival was observed in 115 (67%) patients obtaining CMR versus 57 (33%) non-CMR patients (3-year progression-free survival 50% vs. 22%, P=0.011) and by pre-SCT Deauville score (continuous variable 1-5, hazard ratio [HR]=1.32, P=0.049). PET status was independently associated with progression-free status (non-CMR HR=2.02, P=0.003), overall survival (non-CMR HR=3.08, P=0.010) and risk of relapse (non-CMR HR=1.64, P=0.046) after autoSCT by multivariable analysis. Our data suggest that pre- SCT PET status is of clear prognostic value and may help to improve the selection of patients for autoSCT.

Comparison of fludarabine-melphalan and fludarabine-treosulfan as conditioning prior to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation-a registry study on behalf of the EBMT Acute Leukemia Working Party.

In recent years considerable variations in conditioning protocols for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) protocols have been introduced for higher efficacy, lower toxicity, and better outcomes. To overcome the limitations of the classical definition of reduced intensity and myeloablative conditioning, a transplantation conditioning intensity (TCI) score had been developed. In this study, we compared outcome after two frequently used single alkylator-based conditioning protocols from the intermediate TCI score category, fludarabine/melphalan 140 mg/m2 (FluMel) and fludarabine/treosulfan 42 g/m2 (FluTreo) for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in complete remission (CR). This retrospective analysis from the registry of the Acute Leukemia Working Party (ALWP) of the European Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) database included 1427 adult patients (median age 58.2 years) receiving either Flu/Mel (n = 1005) or Flu/Treo (n = 422). Both groups showed similar 3-year overall survival (OS) (54% vs 51.2%, p value 0.49) for patients conditioned with FluMel and FluTreo, respectively. However, patients treated with FluMel showed a reduced 3-year relapse incidence (32.4% vs. 40.4%, p value < 0.001) and slightly increased non-relapse mortality (NRM) (25.7% vs. 20.2%, p value = 0.06) compared to patients treated with FluTreo. Our data may serve as a basis for further studies examining the role of additional agents/ intensifications in conditioning prior to allo-HCT.

A national service for delivering CD19 CAR-Tin large B-cell lymphoma - The UK real-world experience.

CD19 CAR-T have emerged as a new standard treatment for relapsed/refractory (r/r) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). CAR-T real-world (RW) outcomes published to date suggest significant variability across countries. We provide results of a large national cohort of patients intended to be treated with CAR-T in the UK. Consecutive patients with r/r LBCL approved for CAR-T by the National CAR-T Clinical Panel between December 2018 and November 2020 across all UK CAR-T centres were included. 404/432 patients were approved [292 axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), 112 tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel)], 300 (74%) received the cells. 110/300 (38.3%) patients achieved complete remission (CR) at 6 months (m). The overall response rate was 77% (52% CR) for axi-cel, 57% (44% CR) for tisa-cel. The 12-month progression-free survival was 41.8% (axi-cel) and 27.4% (tisa-cel). Median overall survival for the intention-to-treat population was 10.5 m, 16.2 m for infused patients. The incidence of grade ≥3 cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity were 7.6%/19.6% for axi-cel and 7.9%/3.9% for tisa-cel. This prospective RW population of CAR-T eligible patients offers important insights into the clinical benefit of CD19 CAR-T in LBCL in daily practice. Our results confirm long-term efficacy in patients receiving treatment similar to the pivotal trials, but highlight the significance of early CAR-T failure.

Long-term results and GvHD after prophylactic and preemptive donor lymphocyte infusion after allogeneic stem cell transplantation for acute leukemia.

We report on 318 patients with acute leukemia, receiving donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) in complete hematologic remission (CHR) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). DLI were applied preemptively (preDLI) for minimal residual disease (MRD, n = 23) or mixed chimerism (MC, n = 169), or as prophylaxis in high-risk patients with complete chimerism and molecular remission (proDLI, n = 126). Median interval from alloSCT to DLI1 was 176 days, median follow-up was 7.0 years. Five-year cumulative relapse incidence (CRI), non-relapse mortality (NRM), leukemia-free and overall survival (LFS/OS) of the entire cohort were 29.1%, 12.7%, 58.2%, and 64.3%. Cumulative incidences of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) grade II-IV°/chronic GvHD were 11.9%/31%. Nineteen patients (6%) died from DLI-induced GvHD. Age ≥60 years (p = 0.046), advanced stage at transplantation (p = 0.003), shorter interval from transplantation (p = 0.018), and prior aGvHD ≥II° (p = 0.036) were risk factors for DLI-induced GvHD. GvHD did not influence CRI, but was associated with NRM and lower LFS/OS. Efficacy of preDLI was demonstrated by decreasing MRD/increasing blood counts in 71%, and increasing chimerism in 70%. Five-year OS after preDLI for MRD/MC was 51%/68% among responders, and 37% among non-responders. The study describes response and outcome of DLI in CHR and helps to identify candidates without increased risk of severe GvHD.

A Phase I trial of talazoparib in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies.

AIM: The objective of this study was to establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), safety, pharmacokinetics, and anti-leukemic activity of talazoparib. PATIENTS & METHODS: This Phase I, two-cohort, dose-escalation trial evaluated talazoparib monotherapy in advanced hematologic malignancies (cohort 1: acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndrome; cohort 2: chronic lymphocytic leukemia/mantle cell lymphoma). RESULTS: Thirty-three (cohort 1: n = 25; cohort 2: n = 8) patients received talazoparib (0.1-2.0 mg once daily). The MTD was exceeded at 2.0 mg/day in cohort 1 and at 0.9 mg/day in cohort 2. Grade ≥3 adverse events were primarily hematologic. Eighteen (54.5%) patients reported stable disease. CONCLUSION: Talazoparib is relatively well tolerated in hematologic malignancies, with a similar MTD as in solid tumors, and shows preliminary anti leukemic activity.Clinical trial registration: NCT01399840 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Durable Responses and Low Toxicity After Fast Off-Rate CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T Therapy in Adults With Relapsed or Refractory B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

PURPOSE: Prognosis for adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is poor, and there are currently no licensed CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapeutics. We developed a novel second-generation CD19-CAR (CAT19-41BB-Z) with a fast off rate, designed for more physiologic T-cell activation to reduce toxicity and improve engraftment. We describe the multicenter phase I ALLCAR19 (NCT02935257) study of autologous CAT19-41BB-Z CAR T cells (AUTO1) in relapsed or refractory (r/r) adult B-ALL. METHODS: Patients age ≥ 16 years with r/r B-ALL were eligible. Primary outcomes were toxicity and manufacturing feasibility. Secondary outcomes were depth of response at 1 and 3 months, persistence of CAR-T, incidence and duration of hypogammaglobulinemia and B-cell aplasia, and event-free survival and overall survival at 1 and 2 years. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were leukapheresed, 24 products were manufactured, and 20 patients were infused with AUTO1. The median age was 41.5 years; 25% had prior blinatumomab, 50% prior inotuzumab ozogamicin, and 65% prior allogeneic stem-cell transplantation. At the time of preconditioning, 45% had ≥ 50% bone marrow blasts. No patients experienced ≥ grade 3 cytokine release syndrome; 3 of 20 (15%) experienced grade 3 neurotoxicity that resolved to ≤ grade 1 within 72 hours with steroids. Seventeen of 20 (85%) achieved minimal residual disease-negative complete response at month 1, and 3 of 17 underwent allogeneic stem-cell transplantation while in remission. The event-free survival at 6 and 12 months was 68.3% (42.4%-84.4%) and 48.3% (23.1%-69.7%), respectively. High-level expansion (Cmax 127,152 copies/µg genomic DNA) and durable CAR-T persistence were observed with B-cell aplasia ongoing in 15 of 20 patients at last follow-up. CONCLUSION: AUTO1 demonstrates a tolerable safety profile, high remission rates, and excellent persistence in r/r adult B-ALL. Preliminary data support further development of AUTO1 as a stand-alone treatment for r/r adult B-ALL.