Human immunodeficiency virus-associated Lymphomas: EHA-ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

This EHA-ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline provides key recommendations for managing HIV-associated lymphomas.The guideline covers clinical, imaging and pathological diagnosis; staging and risk assessment; treatment and follow-up.The author group encompasses a multidisciplinary group of experts from different institutions and countries in Europe.Recommendations are based on available scientific data and the authors' collective expert opinion.

Health-related quality of life in patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia: results from the ASPEN trial.

Aim ASPEN is a randomized, open-label, Phase III study comparing zanubrutinib and ibrutinib in patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). Materials & methods: Patient-reported outcomes were exploratory end points assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D-5L VAS scores. Results: Overall, 201 patients (102 zanubrutinib; 99 ibrutinib) were enrolled. Clinically meaningful differences were observed in diarrhea and nausea/vomiting in both the intent-to-treat population and in patients attaining very good partial response (VGPR) in earlier cycles of treatment, as well as in long-term physical functioning and fatigue in patients achieving VGPR. Conclusion: Treatment with zanubrutinib was associated with greater improvements in health-related quality of life compared with ibrutinib in patients with WM and MYD88 mutations.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03053440 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Patient quality of life is importantWhat is this article about? This article talks about a study called the ASPEN trial, which compares two medicines used for treating a rare blood cancer that doctors call Waldenström macroglobulinemia. The medicines are called zanubrutinib (ZAN) and ibrutinib (IBR). They work in the same way, by blocking a protein called Bruton tyrosine kinase. When patients take medicines for an illness, it is important to learn about their physical, social, emotional and mental well-being (quality of life). In this study, we asked patients to fill out questionnaires about their well-being before starting the study treatment for their blood cancer, and again a few times while taking the medication, to see if there were any changes.What were the results of the study? There were two groups of patients. One group took ZAN and the other took IBR. The patients could not choose which medicine they were going to take. Results from both groups of patients were compared. Patients taking ZAN did not feel worse or better about their diarrhea and sickness, but those taking IBR said these symptoms had become worse. Both medicines improved how patients were feeling. However, improvement in tiredness and physical ability was larger in patients taking ZAN than those on IBR, especially for the patients whose cancer was getting better.What do the results mean? For patients with a rare blood cancer in this study, those taking ZAN had a better quality of life than those taking IBR.

Primary central nervous system lymphomas: EHA-ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

This EHA-ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline provides key recommendations for managing primary DLBCL of the CNS.The guideline covers clinical, imaging and pathological diagnosis, staging and risk assessment, treatment and follow-up.Algorithms for first-line and salvage treatments are provided.The author group encompasses a multidisciplinary group of experts from different institutions and countries in Europe.Recommendations are based on available scientific data and the authors' collective expert opinion.

How to manage waldenström's macroglobulinemia in 2024.

Clinical management of Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia has seen major progress in the recent years, triggered by our improved understanding of the biology of the disease and the development of new therapies. Based on this there are multiple treatment options available for patients with WM ranging from classical immunochemotherapy to targeted approaches blocking key enzymes involved in lymphoma growth. This review summarizes our current knowledge about diagnostics and treatment of this rare but recurrent lymphoma subtype, which often presents a major clinical challenge in daily clinical life.

Biomarker analysis of the ASPEN study comparing zanubrutinib with ibrutinib for patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

ABSTRACT: The phase 3 ASPEN trial (NCT03053440) compared Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKis), zanubrutinib and ibrutinib, in patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). Post-hoc biomarker analysis was performed using next-generation sequencing on pretreatment bone marrow samples from 98 patients treated with zanubrutinib and 92 patients treated with ibrutinib with mutated (MUT) MYD88 and 20 patients with wild-type (WT) MYD88 treated with zanubrutinib. Of 329 mutations in 52 genes, mutations in CXCR4 (25.7%), TP53 (24.8%), ARID1A (15.7%), and TERT (9.0%) were most common. TP53MUT, ARID1AMUT, and TERTMUT were associated with higher rates of CXCR4MUT (P < .05). Patients with CXCR4MUT (frameshift or nonsense [NS] mutations) had lower very good partial response (VGPR) and complete response rates (CR; 17.0% vs 37.2%, P = .020) and longer time to response (11.1 vs 8.4 months) than patients with CXCR4WT treated with BTKis. CXCR4NS was associated with inferior progression-free survival (PFS; hazard ratio [HR], 3.39; P = .017) in patients treated with ibrutinib but not in those treated with zanubrutinib (HR, 0.67; P = .598), but VGPR + CR rates were similar between treatment groups (14.3% vs 15.4%). Compared with ibrutinib, patients with CXCR4NS treated with zanubrutinib had a favorable major response rate (MRR; 85.7% vs 53.8%; P = .09) and PFS (HR, 0.30; P = .093). In patients with TP53MUT, significantly lower MRRs were observed for patients treated with ibrutinib (63.6% vs 85.7%; P = .04) but not for those treated with zanubrutinib (80.8% vs 81.9%; P = .978). In TP53MUT, compared with ibrutinib, patients treated with zanubrutinib had higher VGPR and CR (34.6% vs 13.6%; P < .05), numerically improved MRR (80.8% vs 63.6%; P = .11), and longer PFS (not reached vs 44.2 months; HR, 0.66; P = .37). Collectively, patients with WM with CXCR4MUT or TP53MUT had worse prognosis compared with patients with WT alleles, and zanubrutinib led to better clinical outcomes.

CXCR4-targeted Theranostics in Hematooncology: Opportunities and Challenges.

C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is overexpressed in a multitude of cancers, including neoplasms of hematopoietic origin. This feature can be leveraged by a theranostic approach, which provides a read-out of the actual CXCR4 expression in vivo, followed by CXCR4-targeted radioligand therapy (RLT) exerting anti-cancer as well as myeloablative efficacy. In a recent meeting of hematooncology and nuclear medicine specialists, statements on the current clinical practice and future perspectives of this innovative concept were proposed and summarized in this opinion article. Experts concluded that i) CXCR4-directed [68Ga]Ga-PentixaFor PET/CT has the potential to improve imaging for patients with marginal zone lymphoma; ii) CXCR4-targeted RLT exerts anti-lymphoma efficacy and myeloablative effects in patients with advanced, treatment-refractory T-cell lymphomas; iii) prospective trials with CXCR4-based imaging and theranostics are warranted.

Zanubrutinib Versus Ibrutinib in Symptomatic Waldenström Macroglobulinemia: Final Analysis From the Randomized Phase III ASPEN Study.

The phase III ASPEN study demonstrated the comparable efficacy and improved safety of zanubrutinib versus ibrutinib in patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). Here, we report long-term follow-up outcomes from ASPEN. The primary end point was the sum of very good partial response (VGPR) + complete response (CR) rates; secondary and exploratory end points were also reported. Cohort 1 comprised 201 patients (myeloid differentiation primary response 88-mutant WM: 102 receiving zanubrutinib; 99 receiving ibrutinib); cohort 2 comprised 28 patients (myeloid differentiation primary response 88 wild-type WM: 28 zanubrutinib; 26 efficacy evaluable). At 44.4-month median follow-up, VGPR + CR rates were 36.3% with zanubrutinib versus 25.3% with ibrutinib in cohort 1 and 30.8% with one CR in cohort 2. In patients with CXC motif chemokine receptor 4 mutation, VGPR + CR rates were 21.2% with zanubrutinib versus 10.0% with ibrutinib (cohort 1). Median progression-free survival and overall survival were not reached. Any-grade adverse events (AEs) of diarrhea (34.7% v 22.8%), muscle spasms (28.6% v 11.9%), hypertension (25.5% v 14.9%), atrial fibrillation/flutter (23.5% v 7.9%), and pneumonia (18.4% v 5.0%) were more common with ibrutinib versus zanubrutinib; neutropenia (20.4% v 34.7%) was less common with ibrutinib versus zanubrutinib (cohort 1). Zanubrutinib was associated with lower risk of AE-related treatment discontinuation. Overall, these findings confirm the long-term response quality and tolerability associated with zanubrutinib.

Obinutuzumab Versus Rituximab Immunochemotherapy in Previously Untreated iNHL: Final Results From the GALLIUM Study.

The phase III GALLIUM trial assessed the safety and efficacy of obinutuzumab-based versus rituximab-based immunochemotherapy in patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma (FL) or marginal zone lymphoma (MZL). At the primary analysis, the trial met its primary end point, demonstrating improvement in investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) with obinutuzumab-based versus rituximab-based immunochemotherapy in patients with FL. We report the results of the final analysis in the FL population, with an additional exploratory analysis in the MZL subgroup. Overall, 1202 patients with FL were randomized 1:1 to obinutuzumab- or rituximab-based immunochemotherapy followed by maintenance with the same antibody for up to 2 years. After a median 7.9 (range, 0.0-9.8) years of follow-up, PFS remained improved with obinutuzumab- versus rituximab-based immunochemotherapy, with 7-year PFS rates of 63.4% versus 55.7% (P = 0.006). Time-to-next antilymphoma treatment was also improved (74.1% versus 65.4% of patients had not started their next antilymphoma treatment at 7 y; P = 0.001). Overall survival was similar between the arms (88.5% versus 87.2%; P = 0.36). Irrespective of the treatment received, PFS and OS were higher in patients with a complete molecular response (CMR) versus those with no CMR (P < 0.001). Serious adverse events were reported in 48.9% and 43.4% of patients in the obinutuzumab and rituximab arms, respectively; there was no difference in the rate of fatal adverse events (4.4% and 4.5%, respectively). No new safety signals were reported. These data demonstrate the long-term benefit of obinutuzumab-based immunochemotherapy and confirm its role as a standard-of-care for the first-line treatment of advanced-stage FL, taking into account patient characteristics and safety considerations.

Future Directions in the Frontline Management of Waldenström Macroglobulinemia.

Despite substantial progress in the clinical management of Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia (WM) and the emergence of chemotherapy-free approaches such as BTK inhibitors, WM is still a disease in which current treatments fail to cure and are in part associated with significant toxicities, compromising treatment outcome and quality of life. Thus, the vision for future front-line therapy should be to develop regimens which combine improved efficacy and excellent applicability with a low toxicity profile. Conventional immunochemotherapy such as bendamustine-rituximab is highly active but limited by hematotoxicity and long-lasting immunosuppression. Thus, further intensification of this treatment concept will most likely not be successful. Chemotherapy-free approaches such as BTK inhibitors have already changed the treatment landscape in WM, but still have major limitations such as the need for non-fixed duration treatment. Most probably, the combination of non-chemotherapy based, targeted approaches with different modes of action will ensure that we at least come closer to our vision of achieving functional cure in WM in the near future.

A noncanonical enzymatic function of PIWIL4 maintains genomic integrity and leukemic growth in AML.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) form a large and diverse class of factors, many members of which are overexpressed in hematologic malignancies. RBPs participate in various processes of messenger RNA (mRNA) metabolism and prevent harmful DNA:RNA hybrids or R-loops. Here, we report that PIWIL4, a germ stem cell-associated RBP belonging to the RNase H-like superfamily, is overexpressed in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is essential for leukemic stem cell function and AML growth, but dispensable for healthy human hematopoietic stem cells. In AML cells, PIWIL4 binds to a small number of known piwi-interacting RNA. Instead, it largely interacts with mRNA annotated to protein-coding genic regions and enhancers that are enriched for genes associated with cancer and human myeloid progenitor gene signatures. PIWIL4 depletion in AML cells downregulates the human myeloid progenitor signature and leukemia stem cell (LSC)-associated genes and upregulates DNA damage signaling. We demonstrate that PIWIL4 is an R-loop resolving enzyme that prevents R-loop accumulation on a subset of AML and LSC-associated genes and maintains their expression. It also prevents DNA damage, replication stress, and activation of the ATR pathway in AML cells. PIWIL4 depletion potentiates sensitivity to pharmacological inhibition of the ATR pathway and creates a pharmacologically actionable dependency in AML cells.

Report of consensus panel 1 from the 11th International Workshop on Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia on management of symptomatic, treatment-naïve patients.

Consensus Panel 1 (CP1) of the 11th International Workshop on Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia (IWWM-11) was tasked with updating guidelines for the management of symptomatic, treatment-naïve patients with WM. The panel reiterated that watchful waiting remains the gold standard for asymptomatic patients without critically elevated IgM or compromised hematopoietic function. For first-line treatment, chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) regimens such as dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, rituximab (DRC), or bendamustine, rituximab (Benda-R) continue to play a central role in managing WM, as they are effective, of fixed duration, generally well-tolerated, and affordable. Covalent BTK inhibitors (cBTKi) offer a continuous, generally well-tolerated alternative for the primary treatment of WM patients, particularly those unsuitable for CIT. In a Phase III randomized trial updated at IWWM-11, the second-generation cBTKi, zanubrutinib, was less toxic than ibrutinib and induced deeper remissions, thus categorizing zanubrutinib as a suitable treatment option in WM. While the overall findings of a prospective, randomized trial updated at IWWM-11 did not show superiority of fixed duration rituximab maintenance over observation following attainment of a major response to Benda-R induction, a subset analysis showed benefit in patients >65 years and those with a high IPPSWM score. Whenever possible, the mutational status of MYD88 and CXCR4 should be determined before treatment initiation, as alterations in these 2 genes predict sensitivity towards cBTKi activity. Treatment approaches for WM-associated cryoglobulins, cold agglutinins, AL amyloidosis, Bing-Neel syndrome (BNS), peripheral neuropathy, and hyperviscosity syndrome follow the common principle of reducing tumor and abnormal protein burden rapidly and deeply to improve symptoms. In BNS, ibrutinib can be highly active and produce durable responses. In contrast, cBTKi are not recommended for treating AL amyloidosis. The panel emphasized that continuous improvement of treatment options for symptomatic, treatment-naïve WM patients critically depends on the participation of patients in clinical trials, whenever possible.

Plain Language Summary of the iNNOVATE study: ibrutinib plus rituximab is well-tolerated and effective in people with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

WHAT IS THIS SUMMARY ABOUT?: This article provides a short summary of 5-year results from the iNNOVATE trial. The original paper was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in October 2021. People with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) were randomly divided into two groups of 75 people each. One group received a combination treatment composed of two drugs, ibrutinib plus rituximab, and the other group took placebo ("sugar pill") plus rituximab. Ibrutinib (also known by the brand name Imbruvica®) is a drug that reduces cancer cells' ability to multiply and survive. Ibrutinib is an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of WM. Rituximab is a drug that helps the immune system find and kill cancer cells. Participants in the trial were treated and their health monitored for up to 5 years (63 months). WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?: During the 5 years of monitoring, more people who took ibrutinib plus rituximab experienced an improvement in their disease and lived longer without their disease getting worse compared to those who took placebo plus rituximab. Side effects from ibrutinib and rituximab were manageable and generally decreased over time. Participants in both study groups reported improvements in quality of life, but those who took ibrutinib plus rituximab reported significantly greater improvement in their quality of life (as measured by FACT-An score) compared to those who took placebo plus rituximab. WHAT DO THE RESULTS MEAN?: These results show that ibrutinib plus rituximab is better than rituximab alone in people with WM and that ibrutinib plus rituximab is safe and effective in the long term. This information confirms the role of ibrutinib plus rituximab as a standard of care for WM. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT02165397 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Bortezomib-Dexamethasone, Rituximab, and Cyclophosphamide as First-Line Treatment for Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia: A Prospectively Randomized Trial of the European Consortium for Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia.

PURPOSE: Rituximab/chemotherapy is a cornerstone of treatment for Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM). In addition, bortezomib has shown significant activity in WM. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of dexamethasone, rituximab, and cyclophosphamide (DRC) as first-line treatment in WM. METHODS: In this European study, treatment-naïve patients were randomly assigned to DRC or bortezomib-DRC B-DRC for six cycles. The primary end point was progression-free survival. Secondary end points included response rates, overall survival, and safety. RESULTS: Two hundred four patients were registered. After a median follow-up of 27.5 months, the estimated 24-month progression-free survival was 80.6% (95% CI, 69.5 to 88.0) for B-DRC and 72.8% (95% CI, 61.3 to 81.3) for DRC (P = .32). At the end of treatment, B-DRC and DRC induced major responses in 80.6% versus 69.9% and a complete response/very good partial response in 17.2% versus 9.6% of patients, respectively. The median time to first response was shorter for B-DRC with 3.0 (95% CI, 2.8 to 3.2) versus 5.5 (95% CI, 2.9 to 5.8) months for DRC. This resulted in higher major response rates (57.0% v 32.5%; P < .01) after three cycles of B-DRC compared with DRC. At best response, the complete response/very good partial response increased to 32.6% for B-DRC. Both treatments were well tolerated: grade ≥ 3 adverse events occurred in 49.2% of all patients (B-DRC, 49.5%; DRC, 49.0%). Peripheral sensory neuropathy grade 3 occurred in two patients treated with B-DRC and in none with DRC. CONCLUSION: This large randomized study illustrates that B-DRC is highly effective and well tolerated in WM. The data demonstrate that fixed duration immunochemotherapy remains an important pillar in the clinical management of WM.

Managing Waldenström's macroglobulinemia with BTK inhibitors.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibition is one of the treatment standards for patients with relapsed/refractory Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) and for patients with WM who are unsuitable for immunochemotherapy (ICT). It offers deep and durable responses with a manageable safety profile that is generally favorable compared with ICT regimens. However, the limitations of the first approved BTK inhibitor (BTKi), ibrutinib, include reduced efficacy in patients lacking the characteristic WM mutation (MYD88L265P) and toxicities related to off-target activity. The risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and other cardiovascular side effects are a notable feature of ibrutinib therapy. Several next-generation covalent BTKis with greater selectivity for BTK are at various stages of development. In November 2021, zanubrutinib became the first of these agents to be approved by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of WM. Head-to-head trial data indicate that it has comparable efficacy to ibrutinib for patients with WM overall, although it may be more effective in patients with CXCR4 mutations or wild-type MYD88. In the clinical trial setting, its greater selectivity translates into a reduced risk of cardiovascular side effects, including AF. Acalabrutinib, which is pre-approval in WM, appears to offer similar advantages over ibrutinib in terms of its safety profile. Beyond the next-generation covalent BTKis, non-covalent BTKis are an emerging class with the potential to provide a therapeutic option for patients who relapse on covalent BTKis. In the future, BTKis may be increasingly utilized within combination regimens. Several ongoing trials in WM are investigating the potential for BTKi use in combination with established and novel targeted agents.

Npm1 haploinsufficiency in collaboration with MEIS1 is sufficient to induce AML in mice.

NPM1 is among the most frequently mutated genes in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Mutations in the NPM1 gene result in the increased export of NPM1 to the cytoplasm (NPM1c) and are associated with multiple transforming events including the aberrant upregulation of MEIS1 that maintains stem cell and cell cycle-associated pathways in NPM1c AML. However, another consequence of the NPM1c mutation is the inadequate levels of NPM1 wild-type in the nucleus and nucleolus, caused by the loss of one wild-type allele in addition to enforced NPM1 nuclear export. The contribution of NPM1 haploinsufficiency independently of the NPM1 mutation to AML development and its relationship with MEIS1 function is poorly understood. Using mouse models, our study shows that NPM1 haploinsufficiency paired with MEIS1 overexpression is sufficient to induce a fully penetrant AML in mice that transcriptionally resembles human NPM1c AML. NPM1 haploinsufficiency alters MEIS1-binding occupancies such that it binds the promoter of the oncogene structural maintenance of chromosome protein 4 (SMC4) in NPM1 haploinsufficient AML cells but not in NPM1 wild-type-harboring Hoxa9/Meis1-transformed cells. SMC4 is higher expressed in haploinsufficient and NPM1c+ AML cells, which are more vulnerable to the disruption of the MEIS1-SMC4 axis compared with AML cells with nonmutated NPM1. Taken together, our study underlines that NPM1 haploinsufficiency on its own is a key factor of myeloid leukemogenesis and characterizes the MEIS1-SMC4 axis as a potential therapeutic target in this AML subtype.

Diagnostics in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia: a consensus statement of the European Consortium for Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia.

The diagnosis of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM), an IgM-associated lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, can be challenging due to the different forms of disease presentation. Furthermore, in recent years, WM has witnessed remarkable progress on the diagnostic front, as well as a deeper understanding of the disease biology, which has affected clinical practice. This, together with the increasing variety of tools and techniques available, makes it necessary to have a practical guidance for clinicians to perform the initial evaluation of patients with WM. In this paper, we present the consensus recommendations and laboratory requirements for the diagnosis of WM developed by the European Consortium of Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia (ECWM), for both clinical practice as well as the research/academical setting. We provide the procedures for multiparametric flow cytometry, fluorescence in situ hybridization and molecular tests, and with this offer guidance for a standardized diagnostic work-up and methodological workflow of patients with IgM monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance, asymptomatic and symptomatic WM.