Understanding and integrating cytoreductive nephrectomy with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the management of metastatic RCC.

Cytoreductive nephrectomy became accepted as standard of care for selected patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) because of improved survival observed in patients treated with cytoreductive nephrectomy in combination with interferon-α in two randomized clinical trials published in 2001. Over the past two decades, novel systemic therapies have shown higher treatment response rates and improved survival outcomes compared with interferon-α. During this rapid evolution of mRCC treatments, systemic therapies have been the primary focus of clinical trials. Results from multiple retrospective studies continue to suggest an overall survival benefit for selected patients treated with nephrectomy in combination with systemic mRCC treatments, with the notable exception of one debated clinical trial. The optimal timing for surgery is unknown, and proper patient selection remains crucial to improving surgical outcomes. As systemic therapies continue to evolve, clinicians have an increasing need to understand how to incorporate cytoreductive nephrectomy into the management of mRCC.

Post-infusion CAR TReg cells identify patients resistant to CD19-CAR therapy.

Approximately 60% of patients with large B cell lymphoma treated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies targeting CD19 experience disease progression, and neurotoxicity remains a challenge. Biomarkers associated with resistance and toxicity are limited. In this study, single-cell proteomic profiling of circulating CAR T cells in 32 patients treated with CD19-CAR identified that CD4+Helios+ CAR T cells on day 7 after infusion are associated with progressive disease and less severe neurotoxicity. Deep profiling demonstrated that this population is non-clonal and manifests hallmark features of T regulatory (TReg) cells. Validation cohort analysis upheld the link between higher CAR TReg cells with clinical progression and less severe neurotoxicity. A model combining expansion of this subset with lactate dehydrogenase levels, as a surrogate for tumor burden, was superior for predicting durable clinical response compared to models relying on each feature alone. These data credential CAR TReg cell expansion as a novel biomarker of response and toxicity after CAR T cell therapy and raise the prospect that this subset may regulate CAR T cell responses in humans.

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the Modern Era.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) remains an important treatment for adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We hypothesized that advances in ALL and transplantation have resulted in improved HCT outcomes in recent years. In this study, we evaluated the characteristics and outcomes of adult ALL patients undergoing allogeneic HCT over the last decade. Patients with ALL aged 18 years and older who underwent allogeneic HCT at Stanford University between 2008 and 2019 were included in this study. Patients were divided into 2 eras based on year of HCT: 2008 to 2013 (earlier era) and 2014 to 2019 (later era). A total of 285 patients were included: 119 patients underwent HCT in the earlier era and 166 in the later era. Patients who underwent transplantation in the later era were more likely to be Hispanic (38% versus 21%) and to have an HCT-comorbidity index ≥3 (31% versus 18%). Donor source for HCT also differed with an increase in the use of HLA-mismatched donor sources (38% versus 24%), notably umbilical cord blood in the later era (16% versus 0%). Patients in the later era were less likely to undergo transplantation with active disease (4% versus 16%); pre-HCT rates of measurable residual disease were similar across the eras (38% versus 40%). In unadjusted analyses, overall survival (OS) improved across eras, with 2-year estimates for the later and earlier eras of 73% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66%-80%) versus 55% (95% CI, 46%-64%), respectively. Multivariable analysis confirmed the association between later era and OS (hazard ratio = 0.52, 95% CI, 0.34-0.78). Finally, among patients relapsing after HCT (25% in later era and 33% in earlier era), the use of novel immunotherapies increased in the later era (44% versus 3%), as did the median OS after post-HCT relapse (16 months versus 8 months, P< .001). OS after HCT for adult ALL has improved in recent years. This is due, in part, to a significant improvement in the ability to effectively salvage adults with ALL relapsing after HCT.

Incidence and risk factors associated with bleeding and thrombosis following chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.

Bleeding and thrombotic events are an emerging toxicity associated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapies. To determine their incidence, we retrospectively analyzed consecutive adult patients (N = 127) with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) or B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) treated from 2017 through 2020 with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel; n = 89) or a bispecific CD19/CD22 CAR (n = 38). Twelve (9.4%) and 8 (6.3%) patients developed bleeding and thrombosis within the first 3 months, respectively. In the axi-cel subgroup, these occurred in 11.2% and 6.7%, respectively. Bleeding occurred between days 8 and 30 (median, 17.5) and thrombosis between days 2 and 91 (median, 29). Bleeding sites included genitourinary, soft tissue, intracranial, gastrointestinal, and pulmonary and were associated with features of consumptive coagulopathy. On univariate analysis, patients with bleeding were older, had lower baseline platelets (86 × 103/µL vs 178 × 103/µL; P < .01), lower platelet and fibrinogen nadirs , and elevated lactate dehydrogenase. Immune effector cell (IEC)-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) grade ≥3 was associated with increased bleeding (50% vs 15%; P = .01), thrombosis (50% vs 16%; P = .04), prothrombin time prolongation, hypofibrinogenemia, and elevated D-dimer. Low pretreatment platelet counts were associated with bleeding in a multivariate logistic regression model. Patients with thrombocytopenia or severe ICANS are at increased risk of bleeding and should be closely monitored, particularly within the first month after CAR therapy. Future studies in larger cohorts should assess risk factors for systemic coagulopathies in CAR T therapy, including their association with neurotoxicity.

CAR T cells with dual targeting of CD19 and CD22 in adult patients with recurrent or refractory B cell malignancies: a phase 1 trial.

Despite impressive progress, more than 50% of patients treated with CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR19) experience progressive disease. Ten of 16 patients with large B cell lymphoma (LBCL) with progressive disease after CAR19 treatment had absent or low CD19. Lower surface CD19 density pretreatment was associated with progressive disease. To prevent relapse with CD19- or CD19lo disease, we tested a bispecific CAR targeting CD19 and/or CD22 (CD19-22.BB.z-CAR) in a phase I clinical trial ( NCT03233854 ) of adults with relapsed/refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and LBCL. The primary end points were manufacturing feasibility and safety with a secondary efficacy end point. Primary end points were met; 97% of products met protocol-specified dose and no dose-limiting toxicities occurred during dose escalation. In B-ALL (n = 17), 100% of patients responded with 88% minimal residual disease-negative complete remission (CR); in LBCL (n = 21), 62% of patients responded with 29% CR. Relapses were CD19-/lo in 50% (5 out of 10) of patients with B-ALL and 29% (4 out of 14) of patients with LBCL but were not associated with CD22-/lo disease. CD19/22-CAR products demonstrated reduced cytokine production when stimulated with CD22 versus CD19. Our results further implicate antigen loss as a major cause of CAR T cell resistance, highlight the challenge of engineering multi-specific CAR T cells with equivalent potency across targets and identify cytokine production as an important quality indicator for CAR T cell potency.

Monitoring of Circulating Tumor DNA Improves Early Relapse Detection After Axicabtagene Ciloleucel Infusion in Large B-Cell Lymphoma: Results of a Prospective Multi-Institutional Trial.

PURPOSE: Although the majority of patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma respond to axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), only a minority of patients have durable remissions. This prospective multicenter study explored the prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) before and after standard-of-care axi-cel for predicting patient outcomes. METHODS: Lymphoma-specific variable, diversity, and joining gene segments (VDJ) clonotype ctDNA sequences were frequently monitored via next-generation sequencing from the time of starting lymphodepleting chemotherapy until progression or 1 year after axi-cel infusion. We assessed the prognostic value of ctDNA to predict outcomes and axi-cel-related toxicity. RESULTS: A tumor clonotype was successfully detected in 69 of 72 (96%) enrolled patients. Higher pretreatment ctDNA concentrations were associated with progression after axi-cel infusion and developing cytokine release syndrome and/or immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome. Twenty-three of 33 (70%) durably responding patients versus 4 of 31 (13%) progressing patients demonstrated nondetectable ctDNA 1 week after axi-cel infusion (P < .0001). At day 28, patients with detectable ctDNA compared with those with undetectable ctDNA had a median progression-free survival and OS of 3 months versus not reached (P < .0001) and 19 months versus not reached (P = .0080), respectively. In patients with a radiographic partial response or stable disease on day 28, 1 of 10 patients with concurrently undetectable ctDNA relapsed; by contrast, 15 of 17 patients with concurrently detectable ctDNA relapsed (P = .0001). ctDNA was detected at or before radiographic relapse in 29 of 30 (94%) patients. All durably responding patients had undetectable ctDNA at or before 3 months after axi-cel infusion. CONCLUSION: Noninvasive ctDNA assessments can risk stratify and predict outcomes of patients undergoing axi-cel for the treatment of large B-cell lymphoma. These results provide a rationale for designing ctDNA-based risk-adaptive chimeric antigen receptor T-cell clinical trials.

Outcomes after delayed and second autologous stem cell transplant in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma.

We evaluated the outcomes of 168 patients undergoing delayed or second autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) for relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) from 2010 to 2019. Overall, 21% (n = 35) patients had received a prior transplant and 69% (n = 116) underwent transplant at first relapse. Overall, 27% patients had high-risk cytogenetics and 15% had ISS stage III disease. Stem cell collection was performed after relapse in 72% and 35% of patients received maintenance therapy. Median PFS from salvage treatment and transplant were 28 and 19 months, respectively. Median OS from salvage treatment and transplant was 69 and 55 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that ASCT in first relapse was associated with superior PFS (HR 0.63, p = 0.03) and OS (HR 0.59, p = 0.04) compared to later lines of therapy. In addition, PFS of ≥36 months with prior therapy was associated with improved PFS (HR 0.62, p = 0.04) and OS (HR 0.41, p = 0.01). Ninety-five patients underwent delayed transplant at first relapse, median PFS and OS from start of therapy was 30 and 69 months, and median OS from diagnosis was 106 months. These data may serve as a guide when counseling patients undergoing ASCT for relapsed MM and provide a benchmark in designing clinical trials of transplantation/comparative treatments for relapsed MM.

Immune reconstitution and infectious complications following axicabtagene ciloleucel therapy for large B-cell lymphoma.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD19 has significantly improved outcomes in the treatment of refractory or relapsed large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). We evaluated the long-term course of hematologic recovery, immune reconstitution, and infectious complications in 41 patients with LBCL treated with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) at a single center. Grade 3+ cytopenias occurred in 97.6% of patients within the first 28 days postinfusion, with most resolved by 6 months. Overall, 63.4% of patients received a red blood cell transfusion, 34.1% of patients received a platelet transfusion, 36.6% of patients received IV immunoglobulin, and 51.2% of patients received growth factor (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) injections beyond the first 28 days postinfusion. Only 40% of patients had recovered detectable CD19+ B cells by 1 year, and 50% of patients had a CD4+ T-cell count <200 cells per µL by 18 months postinfusion. Patients with durable responses to axi-cel had significantly longer durations of B-cell aplasia, and this duration correlated strongly with the recovery of CD4+ T-cell counts. There were significantly more infections within the first 28 days compared with any other period of follow-up, with the majority being mild-moderate in severity. Receipt of corticosteroids was the only factor that predicted risk of infection in a multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 3.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-16.5). Opportunistic infections due to Pneumocystis jirovecii and varicella-zoster virus occurred up to 18 months postinfusion in patients who prematurely discontinued prophylaxis. These results support the use of comprehensive supportive care, including long-term monitoring and antimicrobial prophylaxis, beyond 12 months after axi-cel treatment.

CD22-directed CAR T-cell therapy induces complete remissions in CD19-directed CAR-refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

The prognosis of patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) that progresses after treatment with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD19 (CAR19) is poor. We report on the first 3 consecutive patients with autologous CAR19-refractory LBCL who were treated with a single infusion of autologous 1 × 106 CAR+ T cells per kilogram targeting CD22 (CAR22) as part of a phase 1 dose-escalation study. CAR22 therapy was relatively well tolerated, without any observed nonhematologic adverse events higher than grade 2. After infusion, all 3 patients achieved complete remission, with all responses continuing at the time of last follow-up (mean, 7.8 months; range, 6-9.3). Circulating CAR22 cells demonstrated robust expansion (peak range, 85.4-350 cells per microliter), and persisted beyond 3 months in all patients with continued radiographic responses and corresponding decreases in circulating tumor DNA beyond 6 months after infusion. Further accrual at a higher dose level in this phase 1 dose-escalation study is ongoing and will explore the role of this therapy in patients in whom prior CAR T-cell therapies have failed. This trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04088890.

Outcomes with autologous stem cell transplant vs. non-transplant therapy in patients 70 years and older with multiple myeloma.

We evaluated 79 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) ≥70 years referred to our blood and marrow transplant clinic, within 1 year of diagnosis from 2010 to 2019, for consideration of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Thirty-eight (48%) of 79 patients underwent ASCT. ASCT was not pursued in 41 (52%) patients due to: patient or physician preference in 80% (n = 33) or ineligibility in 20% (n = 8). Baseline characteristics of patients in the two groups were similar. Median PFS from treatment start amongst patients undergoing ASCT (n = 38) vs. not (n = 41) was 41 months vs. 33 months, p = 0.03. There was no difference in OS, with estimated 5-year OS of 73% vs. 83%, respectively (p = 0.86). Day +100 transplant-related mortality (TRM) was 0%. ASCT was an independent favorable prognostic factor for PFS in multivariate analysis, after accounting for HCT-CI score, performance status, hematologic response, and maintenance. Finally, patients ≥70 years undergoing ASCT had similar PFS compared to a contemporaneous institutional cohort of patients <70 years (n = 631) (median PFS from transplant: 36 vs. 47 months, p = 0.25). In this retrospective analysis, ASCT was associated with low TRM and better PFS in fit older adults with MM compared to non-transplant therapy, with comparable benefits as seen in younger patients.

Outcomes with Autologous or Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Plasma Cell Leukemia in the Era of Novel Agents.

Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a rare and very aggressive plasma cell disorder. The optimal treatment approach, including whether to pursue an autologous (auto) or allogeneic (allo) stem cell transplantation (SCT) is not clear, given the lack of clinical trial-based evidence. This single-center retrospective study describes the outcomes of 16 patients with PCL (n = 14 with primary PCL) who underwent either autoSCT (n = 9) or alloSCT (n = 7) for PCL in the era of novel agents, between 2007 and 2019. The median age of the cohort was 58 years. High-risk cytogenetics were found in 50% of the patients. All patients received a proteasome inhibitor and/or immunomodulatory drug-based regimen before transplantation. At the time of transplantation, 10 patients (62%) obtained at least a very good partial response (VGPR). The response after autoSCT (3 months) was at least a VGPR in 6 patients (67%; complete response [CR] in 5). All patients undergoing alloSCT achieved a CR at 3 months. Maintenance therapy was provided to 5 patients (56%) after autoSCT. The median progression-free survival after transplantation was 6 months in the autoSCT group, compared with 18 months in the alloSCT group (P = .09), and median overall survival (OS) after transplantation in the 2 groups was 19 months and 40 months, respectively (P = .41). The median OS from diagnosis was 27 months and 49 months, respectively (P = .50). Of the 11 deaths, 10 patients (91%) died of relapsed disease. AlloSCT was not observed to offer any significant survival advantage over autoSCT in PCL, in agreement with recent reports, and relapse remains the primary cause of death in these patients.

Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Philadelphia Chromosome Negative Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the Modern Era of Immune Therapy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review will discuss the data and controversies related to HCT in the front-line and relapsed/refractory setting in the context of newly available targeted immunotherapies. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies in adult Ph-negative ALL support the use of measurable residual disease (MRD) response to front-line therapy to guide consolidation. As such, most MRD-negative patients do not require front-line HCT. Blinatumomab benefits patients with B-ALL with MRD+ complete response (CR) and can be used as a bridge to HCT; whether HCT is still required in this setting is an area of ongoing inquiry. Blinatumomab and inotuzumab result in high rates of MRD negative CR in adults with relapsed/refractory ALL and allow more patients with relapsed disease to receive HCT. Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapies may serve as a bridge to HCT or as a stand-alone therapy for relapsed/refractory patients; data suggests there may be greater benefit to consolidating CAR-T with HCT in HCT-naïve adults. The decision to incorporate consolidative allogeneic HCT into front-line therapy should be primarily guided by MRD status and the ALL regimen utilized. Targeted immunotherapies result in high MRD-negative CR rates, allowing more adults with relapsed/refractory ALL to be successfully bridged to HCT; early incorporation of these therapies may also prove valuable in reducing the need for HCT in the front-line setting by increasing MRD negative CR rates.

Enhanced caspase activity contributes to aortic wall remodeling and early aneurysm development in a murine model of Marfan syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Rupture and dissection of aortic root aneurysms remain the leading causes of death in patients with the Marfan syndrome, a hereditary connective tissue disorder that affects 1 in 5000 individuals worldwide. In the present study, we use a Marfan mouse model (Fbn1(C1039G/+)) to investigate the biological importance of apoptosis during aneurysm development in Marfan syndrome. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Using in vivo single-photon emission computed tomographic-imaging and ex vivo autoradiography for Tc99m-annexin, we discovered increased apoptosis in the Fbn1(C1039G/+) ascending aorta during early aneurysm development peaking at 4 weeks. Immunofluorescence colocalization studies identified smooth muscle cells (SMCs) as the apoptotic cell population. As biological proof of concept that early aortic wall apoptosis plays a role in aneurysm development in Marfan syndrome, Fbn1(C1039G/+) mice were treated daily from 2 to 6 weeks with either (1) a pan-caspase inhibitor, Q-VD-OPh (20 mg/kg), or (2) vehicle control intraperitoneally. Q-VD-OPh treatment led to a significant reduction in aneurysm size and decreased extracellular matrix degradation in the aortic wall compared with control mice. In vitro studies using Fbn1(C1039G/+) ascending SMCs showed that apoptotic SMCs have increased elastolytic potential compared with viable cells, mostly because of caspase activity. Moreover, in vitro (1) cell membrane isolation, (2) immunofluorescence staining, and (3) scanning electron microscopy studies illustrate that caspases are expressed on the exterior cell surface of apoptotic SMCs. CONCLUSIONS: Caspase inhibition attenuates aneurysm development in an Fbn1(C1039G/+) Marfan mouse model. Mechanistically, during apoptosis, caspases are expressed on the cell surface of SMCs and likely contribute to elastin degradation and aneurysm development in Marfan syndrome.