Immune thrombocytopenia and pregnancy: an exposed/nonexposed cohort study.

The risk of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) worsening during pregnancy and neonatal ITP (NITP) have never been prospectively studied. We included 180 pregnant and 168 nonpregnant women with ITP in a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study. A total of 131 pregnant women with ITP were matched to 131 nonpregnant women with ITP by history of splenectomy, ITP status (no response, response, complete response), and duration. Groups were followed for 15 months. The primary outcome was the first occurrence of ITP worsening defined by a composite end point including bleeding events and/or severe thrombocytopenia (<30 × 109/L) and/or ITP treatment modification. We also studied the recurrence of ITP worsening and the incidence of NITP and risk factors. The first occurrence of ITP worsening did not differ between pregnant and nonpregnant women with ITP (53.4 per 100 person-years [95% confidence interval {CI}, 40.8-69.9] vs 37.1 [95% CI, 27.5-50.0]; hazard ratio {HR}, 1.35 [95% CI, 0.89-2.03], P = .16). Pregnant women with ITP were more likely to have recurrence of severe thrombocytopenia and treatment modification (HR, 2.71 [95% CI, 1.41-5.23], P = .003; HR, 2.01 [95% CI, 1.14-3.57], P = .017, respectively). However, recurrence of severe bleeding events was not different between groups (P = .4). Nineteen (14%) neonates showed NITP <50 × 109/L. By multivariable analysis, NITP was associated with a previous offspring with NITP and maternal platelet count <50 × 109/L within 3 months before delivery (adjusted odds ratio, 5.55 [95% CI, 1.72-17.89], P = .004 and 4.07 [95% CI, 1.41-11.73], P = .009). To conclude, women with ITP do not increase their risk of severe bleeding during pregnancy. NITP is associated with NITP history and the severity of maternal ITP during pregnancy. These results will be useful for counseling women with ITP.

Long-term results of Waldenström macroglobulinaemia treatment by bendamustine and rituximab: A study on behalf of the French Innovative Leukemia Organization (FILO).

The bendamustine-rituximab (BR) schedule is an efficient first-line therapy in Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM). A previous analysis of 69 patients who received this treatment confirmed a high response rate and good progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). With a median follow-up of 76.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 69.9-80.6), 5-year outcome is still excellent at 66.63% (95% CI 56.09-79.17) for PFS and 80.01% (95% CI 70.82-90.41) for OS. The rate of secondary cancers is 17.66% (IQR 7.99-27.64) at 66 months. Relapsed patients who received ibrutinib as second-line clearly benefited from this schedule. This confirms current recommendations suggesting BR long-term efficacy as first-line option in WM.

CAR T-cell therapy induces a high rate of prolonged remission in relapsed primary CNS lymphoma: Real-life results of the LOC network.

The prognosis of relapsed primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) remains dismal. CAR T-cells are a major contributor to systemic lymphomas, but their use in PCNSL is limited. From the LOC network database, we retrospectively selected PCNSL who had leukapheresis for CAR-T cells from the third line of treatment, and, as controls, PCNSL treated with any treatment, at least in the third line and considered not eligible for ASCT. Twenty-seven patients (median age: 68, median of three previous lines, including ASCT in 14/27) had leukapheresis, of whom 25 received CAR T-cells (tisa-cel: N = 16, axi-cel: N = 9) between 2020 and 2023. All but one received a bridging therapy. The median follow-up after leukapheresis was 20.8 months. The best response after CAR-T cells was complete response in 16 patients (64%). One-year progression-free survival from leukapheresis was 43% with a plateau afterward. One-year relapse-free survival was 79% for patients in complete or partial response at CAR T-cell infusion. The median overall survival was 21.2 months. Twenty-three patients experienced a cytokine release syndrome and 17/25 patients (68%) a neurotoxicity (five grade ≥3). The efficacy endpoints were significantly better in the CAR T-cell group than in the control group (N = 247) (median PFS: 3 months; median OS: 4.7 months; p < 0.001). This series represents the largest cohort of PCNSL treated with CAR T-cells reported worldwide. CAR T-cells are effective in relapsed PCNSL, with a high rate of long-term remission and a reassuring tolerance profile. The results seem clearly superior to those usually observed in this setting.

[18F]FDG PET-MRI provides survival biomarkers in primary central nervous system lymphoma in the elderly: an ancillary study from the BLOCAGE trial of the LOC network.

PURPOSE: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) incidence is rising among elderly patients, presenting challenges due to poor prognosis and treatment-related toxicity risks. This study explores the potential of combining [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) PET scans and multimodal MRI for improving management in elderly patients with de novo PCNSL. METHODS: Immunocompetent patients over 60 years with de novo PCNSL were prospectively enrolled in a multicentric study between January 2016 and April 2021. Patients underwent brain [18F]FDG PET-MRI before receiving high-dose methotrexate-based chemotherapy. Relationships between extracted PET (metabolic tumor volume (MTV), sum of MTV for up to five lesions (sumMTV), metabolic imaging lymphoma aggressiveness score (MILAS)) and MRI parameters (tumor contrast-enhancement size, cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)) and treatment response and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 54 newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell PCNSL patients, 52 had positive PET and MRI with highly [18F]FDG-avid and contrast-enhanced disease (SUVmax: 27.7 [22.8-36]). High [18F]FDG uptake and metabolic volume were significantly associated with low ADCmean values and high CBF at baseline. Among patients, 69% achieved an objective response at the end of induction therapy, while 17 were progressive. Higher cerebellar SUVmean and lower sumMTV at diagnosis were significant predictors of complete response: 6.4 [5.7-7.7] vs 5.4 [4.5-6.6] (p = 0.04) and 5.5 [2.1-13.3] vs 15.9 [4.2-19.5] (p = 0.01), respectively. Two-year overall survival (OS) was 71%, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 29.6 months and a median follow-up of 37 months. Larger tumor volumes on PET or enhanced T1-weighted MRI were significant predictors of poorer OS, while a high MILAS score at diagnosis was associated with early death (< 1 year). CONCLUSION: Baseline cerebellar metabolism and sumMTV may predict response to end of chemotherapy in PCNSL. Tumor volume and MILAS at baseline are strong prognostic factors.

Hematopoietic differentiation is characterized by a transient peak of entropy at a single-cell level.

BACKGROUND: Mature blood cells arise from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow by a process of differentiation along one of several different lineage trajectories. This is often represented as a series of discrete steps of increasing progenitor cell commitment to a given lineage, but as for differentiation in general, whether the process is instructive or stochastic remains controversial. Here, we examine this question by analyzing single-cell transcriptomic data from human bone marrow cells, assessing cell-to-cell variability along the trajectories of hematopoietic differentiation into four different types of mature blood cells. The instructive model predicts that cells will be following the same sequence of instructions and that there will be minimal variability of gene expression between them throughout the process, while the stochastic model predicts a role for cell-to-cell variability when lineage commitments are being made. RESULTS: Applying Shannon entropy to measure cell-to-cell variability among human hematopoietic bone marrow cells at the same stage of differentiation, we observed a transient peak of gene expression variability occurring at characteristic points in all hematopoietic differentiation pathways. Strikingly, the genes whose cell-to-cell variation of expression fluctuated the most over the course of a given differentiation trajectory are pathway-specific genes, whereas genes which showed the greatest variation of mean expression are common to all pathways. Finally, we showed that the level of cell-to-cell variation is increased in the most immature compartment of hematopoiesis in myelodysplastic syndromes. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that human hematopoietic differentiation could be better conceptualized as a dynamical stochastic process with a transient stage of cellular indetermination, and strongly support the stochastic view of differentiation. They also highlight the need to consider the role of stochastic gene expression in complex physiological processes and pathologies such as cancers, paving the way for possible noise-based therapies through epigenetic regulation.

Pharmaceutical cancer care for haematology patients on oral anticancer drugs: Findings from an economic, clinical and organisational analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The clinical benefit of pharmaceutical cares in improving the quality-of-care outcomes is well demonstrated. Clinical pharmacy services are not systematically deployed in cancer units in the absence of economic data. The aim of this prospective, observational 1-year study was to evaluate the clinical, economic and organisational impacts of pharmaceutical care into a multidisciplinary day hospital for patients treated with oral cancer drugs. METHODS: All pharmacists' interventions (PI) were documented and their impact and the probability of adverse drug events were assessed using the clinical, economic and organisational tool. RESULTS: Among 360 admissions, an average of 1.81 PI per admission was accepted. Among 452 PI leading to a clinical benefit on the patient, 16.9% had a major impact, and 1.9% had an impact on survival. The large majority of PIs (87%) increased the quality-of-care organisation. The budget impact model showed a total cost savings and cost avoidance of €539,047 per year and a cost-benefit ratio of 7.07:1. The direct cost-benefit was €201,741, and the cost avoidance was €337,306. CONCLUSION: Multidisciplinary care and pharmaceutical care are key elements to improve cancer patients' outcomes and avoid evitable healthcare costs.

Prevalence of BTK and PLCG2 mutations in a real-life CLL cohort still on ibrutinib after 3 years: a FILO group study.

Mutational analyses performed following acquired ibrutinib resistance have suggested that chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) progression on ibrutinib is linked to mutations in Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) and/or phospholipase Cγ2 (PLCG2) genes. Mutational information for patients still on ibrutinib is limited. We report a study aimed to provide a "snapshot" of the prevalence of mutations in a real-life CLL cohort still on ibrutinib after at least 3 years of treatment. Of 204 patients who initiated ibrutinib via an early-access program at 29 French Innovative Leukemia Organization (FILO) centers, 63 (31%) were still on ibrutinib after 3 years and 57 provided a fresh blood sample. Thirty patients had a CLL clone ≥0.5 × 109/L, enabling next-generation sequencing (NGS); BTK and PLCG2 mutations were detected in 57% and 13% of the NGS samples, respectively. After median follow-up of 8.5 months from sample collection, the presence of a BTK mutation was significantly associated with subsequent CLL progression (P = .0005 vs no BTK mutation). Our findings support that mutational analysis should be considered in patients receiving ibrutinib who have residual clonal lymphocytosis, and that clinical trials are needed to evaluate whether patients with a BTK mutation may benefit from an early switch to another treatment.

Successful nelarabine and venetoclax treatment of a relapsed/refractory mediastinal myeloid sarcoma with clonal TCR rearrangement.

Myeloid sarcomas represent a heterogeneous group of diseases with a tumoral presentation of acute myeloid leukemia. The clinical presentation of these hematologic cancers is typically aggressive and thus rapidly fatal in the absence of treatment, which relies on intensive chemotherapy that is sometimes followed by allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (AHSCT). However, the global treatment strategy for these lesions is currently not well established. We report the case of a patient presenting with a highly refractory mediastinal myeloid sarcoma with uncommon morphologic and phenotypic characteristics and a clonal TCR rearrangement. The patient's disease was progressive despite multiple courses of intensive chemotherapy and a combination of nelarabine and venetoclax finally led to a complete metabolic response consolidated by an AHSCT. This treatment regimen, which has never been reported before, was very well tolerated especially on the neurologic and hematologic levels. This case underlines the clinical, histologic and molecular heterogeneity of what is called myeloid sarcoma and the importance of next-generation sequencing analysis of the tumor mass with both myeloid and lymphoid panels to better classify this rare entity and identify therapeutic targets.

Impact of genotype in relapsed and refractory acute myeloid leukaemia patients treated with clofarabine and cytarabine: a retrospective study.

The treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) remains a challenge. Among salvage chemotherapy regimens, the clofarabine and cytarabine (CLARA) combination has been widely evaluated and has a favourable safety/efficacy balance. Predictive factors of efficacy in patients with R/R AML are unclear, particularly the impact of AML-related gene mutations. We report our single-centre experience on 34 R/R AML patients treated with CLARA, with a focus on the genetic characterization of our cohort. CLARA yielded a 47% response rate among this poor-prognosis AML population, while two patients (5·8%) died due to treatment-related toxicity. The two-year progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 29·4% and 35·3%, respectively. Nine patients (26%) had long-term response with a median follow-up of 39·5 months among the responders, of whom six underwent haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Adverse karyotype did not correlate with response or survival, and secondary AML were more frequent among responders to CLARA, suggesting that this combination may successfully salvage R/R AML patients regardless of adverse prognostic markers. We also observed that a low mutational burden and absence of splice mutations correlated with prolonged survival after CLARA, suggesting that extensive genotyping may have prognostic implications in R/R AML.

Architectural and functional heterogeneity of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in non-del(5q) myelodysplastic syndromes.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are hematopoietic stem cell disorders in which recurrent mutations define clonal hematopoiesis. The origin of the phenotypic diversity of non-del(5q) MDS remains unclear. Here, we investigated the clonal architecture of the CD34+CD38- hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) compartment and interrogated dominant clones for MDS-initiating cells. We found that clones mainly accumulate mutations in a linear succession with retention of a dominant subclone. The clone detected in the long-term culture-initiating cell compartment that reconstitutes short-term human hematopoiesis in xenotransplantation models is usually the dominant clone, which gives rise to the myeloid and to a lesser extent to the lymphoid lineage. The pattern of mutations may differ between common myeloid progenitors (CMPs), granulomonocytic progenitors (GMPs), and megakaryocytic-erythroid progenitors (MEPs). Rare STAG2 mutations can amplify at the level of GMPs, from which it may drive the transformation to acute myeloid leukemia. We report that major truncating BCOR gene mutation affecting HSPC and CMP was beneath the threshold of detection in GMP or MEP. Consistently, BCOR knock-down (KD) in normal CD34+ progenitors modifies their granulocytic and erythroid differentiation. Clonal architecture of the HSPC compartment and mutations selected during differentiation contribute to the phenotypic heterogeneity of MDS. Defining the hierarchy of driver mutations provides insights into the process of transformation and may guide the search for novel therapeutic strategies.

Targeting glutaminolysis has antileukemic activity in acute myeloid leukemia and synergizes with BCL-2 inhibition.

Cancer cells require glutamine to adapt to increased biosynthetic activity. The limiting step in intracellular glutamine catabolism involves its conversion to glutamate by glutaminase (GA). Different GA isoforms are encoded by the genes GLS1 and GLS2 in humans. Herein, we show that glutamine levels control mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Glutaminase C (GAC) is the GA isoform that is most abundantly expressed in AML. Both knockdown of GLS1 expression and pharmacologic GLS1 inhibition by the drug CB-839 can reduce OXPHOS, leading to leukemic cell proliferation arrest and apoptosis without causing cytotoxic activity against normal human CD34(+) progenitors. Strikingly, GLS1 knockdown dramatically inhibited AML development in NSG mice. The antileukemic activity of CB-839 was abrogated by both the expression of a hyperactive GAC(K320A) allele and the addition of the tricarboxyclic acid cycle product α-ketoglutarate, indicating the critical function of GLS1 in AML cell survival. Finally, glutaminolysis inhibition activated mitochondrial apoptosis and synergistically sensitized leukemic cells to priming with the BCL-2 inhibitor ABT-199. These findings show that targeting glutamine addiction via GLS1 inhibition offers a potential novel therapeutic strategy for AML.

Inhibiting glutamine uptake represents an attractive new strategy for treating acute myeloid leukemia.

Cancer cells require nutrients and energy to adapt to increased biosynthetic activity, and protein synthesis inhibition downstream of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) has shown promise as a possible therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Glutamine contributes to leucine import into cells, which controls the amino acid/Rag/mTORC1 signaling pathway. We show in our current study that glutamine removal inhibits mTORC1 and induces apoptosis in AML cells. The knockdown of the SLC1A5 high-affinity transporter for glutamine induces apoptosis and inhibits tumor formation in a mouse AML xenotransplantation model. l-asparaginase (l-ase) is an anticancer agent also harboring glutaminase activity. We show that l-ases from both Escherichia coli and Erwinia chrysanthemi profoundly inhibit mTORC1 and protein synthesis and that this inhibition correlates with their glutaminase activity levels and produces a strong apoptotic response in primary AML cells. We further show that l-ases upregulate glutamine synthase (GS) expression in leukemic cells and that a GS knockdown enhances l-ase-induced apoptosis in some AML cells. Finally, we observe a strong autophagic process upon l-ase treatment. These results suggest that l-ase anticancer activity and glutamine uptake inhibition are promising new therapeutic strategies for AML.