Anti-BCMA CAR-T cell-based therapies and bispecific antibodies in the immunotherapy era: are we ready for this?

INTRODUCTION: Therapeutic strategies against multiple myeloma (MM) have evolved dramatically in recent decades, with unprecedent results in the treatment landscape, culminating in the recent incorporation of novel agents in the anti-myeloma armamentarium. AREAS COVERED: BCMA represents one of the most promising targets in MM and currently available immune approaches, either approved or under active investigation, are clearly showing their greater potential over standard regimens. In this context, immunotherapies based on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T-cells and bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) have taken center stage, being the ones that are yielding the most promising results in clinical trials. This review focuses on the current landscape of BsAbs and CAR-T, summarizing the latest advances and possible future developments. EXPERT OPINION: CAR-T and BsAbs anti-BCMA strategies represent breakthrough therapies against MM. However, their inclusion in clinical practice is almost feared, due to the associated limitations, some of which have been addressed here. Meanwhile, all the efforts should be focused on individualizing and choosing the most suitable candidates for each treatment and to understand how to combine, or sequence, these therapies to improve efficacy and minimize toxicity, especially for those patients with limited available treatment options.

Outcome of early treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with haematological disorders.

Outcome of early treatment of COVID-19 with antivirals or anti-spike monoclonal antibodies (MABs) in patients with haematological malignancies (HM) is unknown. A retrospective study of HM patients treated for mild/moderate COVID-19 between March 2021 and July 2022 was performed. The main composite end-point was treatment failure (severe COVID-19 or COVID-19-related death). We included 328 consecutive patients who received MABs (n = 120, 37%; sotrovimab, n = 73) or antivirals (n = 208, 63%; nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, n = 116) over a median of two days after symptoms started; 111 (33.8%) had non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); 89 (27%) were transplant/CAR-T (chimaeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy) recipients. Most infections (n = 309, 94%) occurred during the Omicron period. Failure developed in 31 patients (9.5%). Its independent predictors were older age, fewer vaccine doses, and treatment with MABs. Rate of failure was lower in the Omicron versus the pre-Omicron period (7.8% versus 36.8%, p < 0.001). During the Omicron period, predictors of failure were age, fewer vaccine doses and diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia/myelodysplastic syndrome (AML/MDS). Independent predictors of longer viral shedding were age, comorbidities, hospital admission at diagnosis, NHL/CLL, treatment with MABs. COVID-19-associated mortality was 3.4% (n = 11). The mortality in those who developed severe COVID-19 after early treatment was 26% in the Omicron period. Patients with HM had a significant risk of failure of early treatment, even during the Omicron period, with high mortality rate.

CD38-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction Primes Multiple Myeloma Cells for NAD+-Lowering Agents.

Cancer cells fuel growth and energy demands by increasing their NAD+ biosynthesis dependency, which therefore represents an exploitable vulnerability for anti-cancer strategies. CD38 is a NAD+-degrading enzyme that has become crucial for anti-MM therapies since anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies represent the backbone for treatment of newly diagnosed and relapsed multiple myeloma patients. Nevertheless, further steps are needed to enable a full exploitation of these strategies, including deeper insights of the mechanisms by which CD38 promotes tumorigenesis and its metabolic additions that could be selectively targeted by therapeutic strategies. Here, we present evidence that CD38 upregulation produces a pervasive intracellular-NAD+ depletion, which impairs mitochondrial fitness and enhances oxidative stress; as result, genetic or pharmacologic approaches that aim to modify CD38 surface-level prime MM cells to NAD+-lowering agents. The molecular mechanism underlying this event is an alteration in mitochondrial dynamics, which decreases mitochondria efficiency and triggers energetic remodeling. Overall, we found that CD38 handling represents an innovative strategy to improve the outcomes of NAD+-lowering agents and provides the rationale for testing these very promising agents in clinical studies involving MM patients.

Carfilzomib induction, consolidation, and maintenance with or without autologous stem-cell transplantation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: pre-planned cytogenetic subgroup analysis of the randomised, phase 2 FORTE trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities (HRCA) represent an unmet medical need. In the FORTE trial, lenalidomide and dexamethasone plus carfilzomib (KRd) induction resulted in a higher proportion of patients with at least a very good partial response as compared with carfilzomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (KCd), and carfilzomib plus lenalidomide maintenance prolonged progression-free survival compared with lenalidomide maintenance. In this prespecified analysis of the FORTE trial, we described the outcomes of enrolled patients according to their cytogenetic risk. METHODS: The UNITO-MM-01/FORTE was a randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial done at 42 Italian academic and community practice centres, which enrolled transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma aged 18-65 years. Eligible patients had newly diagnosed multiple myeloma based on standard International Myeloma Working Group criteria, a Karnofsky performance status of at least 60%, and had not received any previous treatment with anti-myeloma therapy. At enrolment, patients were stratified according to International Staging System stage (I vs II/III) and age (<60 years vs 60-65 years) and randomly assigned (1:1:1) to KRd plus autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT; four 28-day induction cycles with KRd, melphalan at 200 mg/m2 and ASCT [MEL200-ASCT], followed by four 28-day KRd consolidation cycles), 12 28-day KRd cycles, or KCd plus ASCT (four 28-day induction cycles with KCd, MEL200-ASCT, and four 28-day KCd consolidation cycles), using a web-based system (block randomisation, block size of 12). Carfilzomib was administered at 20 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2 of cycle 1, followed by 36 mg/m2 intravenously administered on days 8, 9, 15, and 16 of cycle 1, and then 36 mg/m2 intravenously administered for all subsequent doses on days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16; lenalidomide 25 mg was administered orally on days 1-21; cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m2 was administered orally on days 1, 8, and 15; and dexamethasone 20 mg was administered orally or intravenously on days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, and 23. After the consolidation phase, patients were stratified according to induction-consolidation treatment and randomly assigned (1:1; block size of 8) to maintenance treatment with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide or lenalidomide alone. Carfilzomib 36 mg/m2 was administered intravenously on days 1-2 and days 15-16, every 28 days for up to 2 years, and lenalidomide 10 mg was administered orally on days 1-21 every 28 days until progression or intolerance in both groups. The primary endpoints were the proportion of patients with at least a very good partial response after induction with KRd versus KCd and progression-free survival with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide versus lenalidomide alone as maintenance treatment. In this preplanned analysis, we included patients enrolled in the FORTE trial with complete cytogenetic data on del(17p), t(4;14), t(14;16), del(1p), gain(1q) (3 copies), and amp(1q) (≥4 copies) assessed by fluorescence in-situ hybridisation analysis on CD138-positive sorted cells. We assessed progression-free survival, overall survival, minimal residual disease negativity, and 1-year sustained minimal residual disease negativity according to the presence of zero, one, and two or more HRCA across treatment groups. The FORTE trial is ongoing, and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02203643. FINDINGS: Between Feb 23, 2015, and April 5, 2017, 477 patients were enrolled, of whom 396 (83%) had complete cytogenetic data and were analysed (176 [44%] of whom were women and 220 [56%] were men). The median follow-up from first randomisation was 51 months (IQR 46-56). 4-year progression-free survival was 71% (95% CI 64-78) in patients with zero HRCA, 60% (95% CI 52-69) in patients with one HRCA, and 39% (95% CI 30-50) in patients with two or more HRCA. Compared with patients with zero HRCA, the risk of progression or death was similar in patients with one HRCA (hazard ratio [HR] 1·33 [95% CI 0·90-1·97]; p=0·15) and higher in patients with two or more HRCA (HR 2·56 [95% CI 1·74-3·75]); p<0·0001) across the induction-intensification-consolidation groups. Moreover, the risk of progression or death was also higher in patients with two or more HRCA versus those with one HRCA (HR 1·92 [95% CI 1·34-2·76]; p=0·0004). 4-year overall survival from the first randomisation was 94% (95% CI 91-98) in patients with zero HRCA, 83% (95% CI 76-90) in patients with one HRCA, and 63% (95% CI 54-74) in patients with two or more HRCA. Compared with patients with zero HRCA, the risk of death was significantly higher in patients with one HRCA (HR 2·55 [95% CI 1·22-5·36]; p=0·013) and two or more HRCA (HR 6·53 [95% CI 3·24-13·18]; p<0·0001). Patients with two or more HRCA also had a significantly higher risk of death than those with one HRCA (HR 2·56 [95% CI 1·53-4·28]; p=0·0004). The rates of 1-year sustained minimal residual disease negativity were similar in patients with zero HRCA (53 [35%] of 153] and with one HRCA (57 [41%] of 138) and were lower in patients with two or more HRCA (25 [24%] of 105). The median duration of follow-up from second randomisation was 37 months (IQR 33-42). 3-year progression-free survival from the second randomisation was 80% (95% CI 74-88) in patients with zero HRCA, 68% (95% CI 59-78) in patients with one HRCA, and 53% (95% CI 42-67) in patients with two or more HRCA. The risk of progression or death was higher in patients with one HRCA (HR 1·68 [95% CI 1·01-2·80]; p=0·048) and two or more HRCA (2·74 [95% CI 1·60-4·69], p=0·0003) than in patients with zero HRCA. INTERPRETATION: This preplanned analysis of the FORTE trial showed that carfilzomib-based induction-intensification-consolidation regimens are effective strategies in patients with standard risk (zero HRCA) and high-risk (one HRCA) myeloma, resulting in similar rates of progression-free survival and 1-year sustained minimal residual disease negativity. Despite promising progression-free survival, patients with ultra-high-risk disease (those with 2 or more HRCA) still have an increased risk of progression and death and therefore represent an unmet medical need. FUNDING: Amgen and Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb.

Apoptosis reprogramming triggered by splicing inhibitors sensitizes multiple myeloma cells to Venetoclax treatment.

Identification of novel vulnerabilities in the context of therapeutic resistance is emerging as a key challenge for cancer treatment. Recent studies have detected pervasive aberrant splicing in cancer cells, supporting its targeting for novel therapeutic strategies. Here, we evaluated the expression of several spliceosome machinery components in multiple myeloma (MM) cells and the impact of splicing modulation on tumor cell growth and viability. A comprehensive gene expression analysis confirmed the reported deregulation of spliceosome machinery components in MM cells, compared to normal plasma cells from healthy donors, with its pharmacological and genetic modulation resulting in impaired growth and survival of MM cell lines and patient-derived malignant plasma cells. Consistent with this, transcriptomic analysis revealed deregulation of BCL2 family members, including decrease of anti-apoptotic long form of myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL1) expression, as crucial for "priming" MM cells for Venetoclax activity in vitro and in vivo, irrespective of t(11;14) status. Overall, our data provide a rationale for supporting the clinical use of splicing modulators as a strategy to reprogram apoptotic dependencies and make all MM patients more vulnerable to BCL2 inhibitors.

Carfilzomib with cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone or lenalidomide and dexamethasone plus autologous transplantation or carfilzomib plus lenalidomide and dexamethasone, followed by maintenance with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide or lenalidomide alone for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (FORTE): a randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Bortezomib-based induction followed by high-dose melphalan (200 mg/m2) and autologous stem-cell transplantation (MEL200-ASCT) and maintenance treatment with lenalidomide alone is the current standard of care for young and fit patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different carfilzomib-based induction and consolidation approaches with or without transplantation and of maintenance treatment with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide versus lenalidomide alone in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. METHODS: UNITO-MM-01/FORTE was a randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial done in 42 Italian academic and community practice centres. We enrolled transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma aged 65 years or younger with a Karnofsky Performance Status of 60% or higher. Patients were stratified according to International Staging System stage (I vs II/III) and age (<60 years vs 60-65 years) and randomly assigned (1:1:1) to KRd plus ASCT (four 28-day induction cycles with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide plus dexamethasone [KRd], melphalan at 200 mg/m2 and autologous stem-cell transplantation [MEL200-ASCT], followed by four 28-day KRd consolidation cycles), KRd12 (12 28-day KRd cycles), or KCd plus ASCT (four 28-day induction cycles with carfilzomib plus cyclophosphamide plus dexamethasone [KCd], MEL200-ASCT, and four 28-day KCd consolidation cycles). Carfilzomib 36 mg/m2 was administered intravenously on days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16; lenalidomide 25 mg administered orally on days 1-21; cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m2 administered orally on days 1, 8, and 15; and dexamethasone 20 mg administered orally or intravenously on days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, and 23. Thereafter, patients were stratified according to induction-consolidation treatment and randomly assigned (1:1) to maintenance treatment with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide or lenalidomide alone. Carfilzomib 36 mg/m2 was administered intravenously on days 1-2 and 15-16 every 28 days for up to 2 years; lenalidomide 10 mg was administered orally on days 1-21 every 28 days until progression or intolerance in both groups. The primary endpoints were the proportion of patients with at least a very good partial response after induction with KRd versus KCd and progression-free survival with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide versus lenalidomide alone as maintenance treatment, both assessed in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02203643. Study recruitment is complete, and all patients are in the follow-up or maintenance phases. FINDINGS: Between Feb 23, 2015, and April 5, 2017, 474 patients were randomly assigned to one of the induction-intensification-consolidation groups (158 to KRd plus ASCT, 157 to KRd12, and 159 to KCd plus ASCT). The median duration of follow-up was 50·9 months (IQR 45·7-55·3) from the first randomisation. 222 (70%) of 315 patients in the KRd group and 84 (53%) of 159 patients in the KCd group had at least a very good partial response after induction (OR 2·14, 95% CI 1·44-3·19, p=0·0002). 356 patients were randomly assigned to maintenance treatment with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide (n=178) or lenalidomide alone (n=178). The median duration of follow-up was 37·3 months (IQR 32·9-41·9) from the second randomisation. 3-year progression-free survival was 75% (95% CI 68-82) with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide versus 65% (58-72) with lenalidomide alone (hazard ratio [HR] 0·64 [95% CI 0·44-0·94], p=0·023). During induction and consolidation, the most common grade 3-4 adverse events were neutropenia (21 [13%] of 158 patients in the KRd plus ASCT group vs 15 [10%] of 156 in the KRd12 group vs 18 [11%] of 159 in the KCd plus ASCT group); dermatological toxicity (nine [6%] vs 12 [8%] vs one [1%]); and hepatic toxicity (13 [8%] vs 12 [8%] vs none). Treatment-related serious adverse events were reported in 18 (11%) of 158 patients in the KRd-ASCT group, 29 (19%) of 156 in the KRd12 group, and 17 (11%) of 159 in the KCd plus ASCT group; the most common serious adverse event was pneumonia, in seven (4%) of 158, four (3%) of 156, and five (3%) of 159 patients. Treatment-emergent deaths were reported in two (1%) of 158 patients in the KRd plus ASCT group, two (1%) of 156 in the KRd12 group, and three (2%) of 159 in the KCd plus ASCT group. During maintenance, the most common grade 3-4 adverse events were neutropenia (35 [20%] of 173 patients on carfilzomib plus lenalidomide vs 41 [23%] of 177 patients on lenalidomide alone); infections (eight [5%] vs 13 [7%]); and vascular events (12 [7%] vs one [1%]). Treatment-related serious adverse events were reported in 24 (14%) of 173 patients on carfilzomib plus lenalidomide versus 15 (8%) of 177 on lenalidomide alone; the most common serious adverse event was pneumonia, in six (3%) of 173 versus five (3%) of 177 patients. One patient died of a treatment-emergent adverse event in the carfilzomib plus lenalidomide group. INTERPRETATION: Our data show that KRd plus ASCT showed superiority in terms of improved responses compared with the other two treatment approaches and support the prospective randomised evaluation of KRd plus ASCT versus standards of care (eg, daratumumab plus bortezomib plus thalidomide plus dexamethasone plus ASCT) in transplant-eligible patients with multiple myeloma. Carfilzomib plus lenalidomide as maintenance therapy also improved progression-free survival compared with the standard-of-care lenalidomide alone. FUNDING: Amgen, Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb. TRANSLATION: For the Italian translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Radiomics and Artificial Intelligence for Outcome Prediction in Multiple Myeloma Patients Undergoing Autologous Transplantation: A Feasibility Study with CT Data.

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by focal and non-focal bone lesions. Radiomic techniques extract morphological information from computerized tomography images and exploit them for stratification and risk prediction purposes. However, few papers so far have applied radiomics to multiple myeloma. A retrospective study approved by the institutional review board: n = 51 transplanted patients and n = 33 (64%) with focal lesion analyzed via an open-source toolbox that extracted 109 radiomics features. We also applied a dedicated tool for computing 24 features describing the whole skeleton asset. The redundancy reduction was realized via correlation and principal component analysis. Fuzzy clustering (FC) and Hough transform filtering (HTF) allowed for patient stratification, with effectiveness assessed by four skill scores. The highest sensitivity and critical success index (CSI) were obtained representing each patient, with 17 focal features selected via correlation with the 24 features describing the overall skeletal asset. These scores were higher than the ones associated with a standard cytogenetic classification. The Mann-Whitney U-test showed that three among the 17 imaging descriptors passed the null hypothesis. This AI-based interpretation of radiomics features stratified relapsed and non-relapsed MM patients, showing some potentiality for the determination of the prognostic image-based biomarkers in disease follow-up.

Consolidation and Maintenance in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma.

PURPOSE: To address the role of consolidation treatment for newly diagnosed, transplant eligible patients with multiple myeloma in a controlled clinical trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The EMN02/HOVON95 trial compared consolidation treatment with two cycles of bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRD) or no consolidation after induction and intensification therapy, followed by continuous lenalidomide maintenance. Primary study end point was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Eight hundred seventy-eight eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive VRD consolidation (451 patients) or no consolidation (427 patients). At a median follow-up of 74.8 months, median PFS with adjustment for pretreatment was prolonged in patients randomly assigned to VRD consolidation (59.3 v 42.9 months, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.96; P = .016). The PFS benefit was observed across most predefined subgroups, including revised International Staging System (ISS) stage, cytogenetics, and prior treatment. Revised ISS3 stage (HR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.41 to 2.86) and ampl1q (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.37 to 2.04) were significant adverse prognostic factors. The median duration of maintenance was 33 months (interquartile range 13-86 months). Response ≥ complete response (CR) after consolidation versus no consolidation before start of maintenance was 34% versus 18%, respectively (P < .001). Response ≥ CR on protocol including maintenance was 59% with consolidation and 46% without (P < .001). Minimal residual disease analysis by flow cytometry in a subgroup of 226 patients with CR or stringent complete response or very good partial response before start of maintenance demonstrated a 74% minimal residual disease-negativity rate in VRD-treated patients. Toxicity from VRD was acceptable and manageable. CONCLUSION: Consolidation treatment with VRD followed by lenalidomide maintenance improves PFS and depth of response in newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma as compared to maintenance alone.

Carfilzomib, bendamustine, and dexamethasone in patients with advanced multiple myeloma: The EMN09 phase 1/2 study of the European Myeloma Network.

BACKGROUND: Combined therapy with carfilzomib, bendamustine, and dexamethasone was evaluated in this multicenter phase 1/2 trial conducted within the European Myeloma Network (EMN09 trial). METHODS: Sixty-three patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who had received ≥2 lines of prior therapy were included. The phase 1 portion of the study determined the maximum tolerated dose of carfilzomib with bendamustine set at 70 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8. After 8 cycles, responding patients received maintenance therapy with carfilzomib and dexamethasone until progression. RESULTS: On the basis of the phase 1 results, the recommended phase 2 dose for carfilzomib was 27 mg/m2 twice weekly in weeks 1, 2, and 3. Fifty-two percent of patients achieved a partial response or better, and 32% reached a very good partial response or better. The clinical benefit rate was 93%. After a median follow-up of 21.9 months, the median progression-free survival was 11.6 months, and the median overall survival was 30.4 months. The reported grade ≥3 hematologic adverse events (AEs) were lymphopenia (29%), neutropenia (25%), and thrombocytopenia (22%). The main nonhematologic grade ≥3 AEs were pneumonia, thromboembolic events (10%), cardiac AEs (8%), and hypertension (2%). CONCLUSIONS: In heavily pretreated patients who have relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, combined carfilzomib, bendamustine, and dexamethasone is an effective treatment option administered in the outpatient setting. Infection prophylaxis and attention to patients with cardiovascular predisposition are required.

Amino acid depletion triggered by ʟ-asparaginase sensitizes MM cells to carfilzomib by inducing mitochondria ROS-mediated cell death.

Metabolic reprogramming is emerging as a cancer vulnerability that could be therapeutically exploitable using different approaches, including amino acid depletion for those tumors that rely on exogenous amino acids for their maintenance. ʟ-Asparaginase (ASNase) has contributed to a significant improvement in acute lymphoblastic leukemia outcomes; however, toxicity and resistance limit its clinical use in other tumors. Here, we report that, in multiple myeloma (MM) cells, the DNA methylation status is significantly associated with reduced expression of ASNase-related gene signatures, thus suggesting ASNase sensitivity for this tumor. Therefore, we tested the effects of ASNase purified from Erwinia chrysanthemi (Erw-ASNase), combined with the next-generation proteasome inhibitor (PI) carfilzomib. We observed an impressive synergistic effect on MM cells, whereas normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells were not affected. Importantly, this effect was associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, compounded mitochondrial damage, and Nrf2 upregulation, regardless of the c-Myc oncogenic-specific program. Furthermore, the cotreatment resulted in genomic instability and DNA repair mechanism impairment via increased mitochondrial oxidative stress, which further enhanced its antitumor activity. Interestingly, carfilzomib-resistant cells were found to be highly dependent on amino acid starvation, as reflected by their higher sensitivity to Erw-ASNase treatment compared with isogenic cells. Overall, by affecting several cellular programs, Erw-ASNase makes MM cells more vulnerable to carfilzomib, providing proof of concept for clinical use of this combination as a novel strategy to enhance PI sensitivity in MM patients.

Autologous haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation versus bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone, with or without bortezomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone consolidation therapy, and lenalidomide maintenance for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (EMN02/HO95): a multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of highly active novel agents has led some to question the role of autologous haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) and subsequent consolidation therapy in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. We therefore compared autologous HSCT with bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone (VMP) as intensification therapy, and bortezomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (VRD) consolidation therapy with no consolidation. METHODS: In this randomised, open-label, phase 3 study we recruited previously untreated patients with multiple myeloma at 172 academic and community practice centres of the European Myeloma Network. Eligible patients were aged 18-65 years, had symptomatic multiple myeloma stage 1-3 according to the International Staging System (ISS), measurable disease (serum M protein >10 g/L or urine M protein >200 mg in 24 h or abnormal free light chain [FLC] ratio with involved FLC >100 mg/L, or proven plasmacytoma by biopsy), and WHO performance status grade 0-2 (grade 3 was allowed if secondary to myeloma). Patients were first randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either four 42-day cycles of bortezomib (1·3 mg/m2 administered intravenously or subcutaneously on days 1, 4, 8, 11, 22, 25, 29, and 32) combined with melphalan (9 mg/m2 administered orally on days 1-4) and prednisone (60 mg/m2 administered orally on days 1-4) or autologous HSCT after high-dose melphalan (200 mg/m2), stratified by site and ISS disease stage. In centres with a double HSCT policy, the first randomisation (1:1:1) was to VMP or single or double HSCT. Afterwards, a second randomisation assigned patients to receive two 28-day cycles of consolidation therapy with bortezomib (1·3 mg/m2 either intravenously or subcutaneously on days 1, 4, 8, and 11), lenalidomide (25 mg orally on days 1-21), and dexamethasone (20 mg orally on days 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, and 12) or no consolidation; both groups received lenalidomide maintenance therapy (10 mg orally on days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle). The primary outcomes were progression-free survival from the first and second randomisations, analysed in the intention-to-treat population, which included all patients who underwent each randomisation. All patients who received at least one dose of study drugs were included in the safety analyses. This study is registered with the EU Clinical Trials Register (EudraCT 2009-017903-28) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01208766), and has completed recruitment. FINDINGS: Between Feb 25, 2011, and April 3, 2014, 1503 patients were enrolled. 1197 patients were eligible for the first randomisation, of whom 702 were assigned to autologous HSCT and 495 to VMP; 877 patients who were eligible for the first randomisation underwent the second randomisation to VRD consolidation (n=449) or no consolidation (n=428). The data cutoff date for the current analysis was Nov 26, 2018. At a median follow-up of 60·3 months (IQR 52·2-67·6), median progression-free survival was significantly improved with autologous HSCT compared with VMP (56·7 months [95% CI 49·3-64·5] vs 41·9 months [37·5-46·9]; hazard ratio [HR] 0·73, 0·62-0·85; p=0·0001). For the second randomisation, the number of events of progression or death at data cutoff was lower than that preplanned for the final analysis; therefore, the results from the second protocol-specified interim analysis, when 66% of events were reached, are reported (data cutoff Jan 18, 2018). At a median follow-up of 42·1 months (IQR 32·3-49·2), consolidation therapy with VRD significantly improved median progression-free survival compared with no consolidation (58·9 months [54·0-not estimable] vs 45·5 months [39·5-58·4]; HR 0·77, 0·63-0·95; p=0·014). The most common grade ≥3 adverse events in the autologous HSCT group compared to the VMP group included neutropenia (513 [79%] of 652 patients vs 137 [29%] of 472 patients), thrombocytopenia (541 [83%] vs 74 [16%]), gastrointestinal disorders (80 [12%] vs 25 [5%]), and infections (192 [30%] vs 18 [4%]). 239 (34%) of 702 patients in the autologous HSCT group and 135 (27%) of 495 in the VMP group had at least one serious adverse event. Infection was the most common serious adverse event in each of the treatment groups (206 [56%] of 368 and 70 [37%] of 189). 38 (12%) of 311 deaths from first randomisation were likely to be treatment related: 26 (68%) in the autologous HSCT group and 12 (32%) in the VMP group, most frequently due to infections (eight [21%]), cardiac events (six [16%]), and second primary malignancies (20 [53%]). INTERPRETATION: This study supports the use of autologous HSCT as intensification therapy and the use of consolidation therapy in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, even in the era of novel agents. The role of high-dose chemotherapy needs to be reassessed in future studies, in particular in patients with undetectable minimal residual disease after four-drug induction regimens including a monoclonal antiboby combined with an immunomodulatory agent and a proteasome inhibitor plus dexamethasone. FUNDING: Janssen and Celgene.

Lenalidomide-based induction and maintenance in elderly newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients: updated results of the EMN01 randomized trial.

n the EMN01 trial, the addition of an alkylator (melphalan or cyclophosphamide) to lenalidomide-steroid induction therapy was prospectively evaluated in transplant-ineligible patients with multiple myeloma. After induction, patients were randomly assigned to maintenance treatment with lenalidomide alone or with prednisone continuously. The analysis presented here (median follow-up of 71 months) is focused on maintenance treatment and on subgroup analyses defined according to the International Myeloma Working Group Frailty Score. Of the 654 evaluable patients, 217 were in the lenalidomide-dexamethasone arm, 217 in the melphalan-prednisone-lenalidomide arm and 220 in the cyclophosphamide-prednisone-lenalidomide arm. With regards to the Frailty Score, 284 (43%) patients were fit, 205 (31%) were intermediate-fit and 165 (25%) were frail. After induction, 402 patients were eligible for maintenance therapy (lenalidomide arm, n=204; lenalidomide-prednisone arm, n=198). After a median duration of maintenance of 22.0 months, progression-free survival from the start of maintenance was 22.2 months with lenalidomide-prednisone vs 18.6 months with lenalidomide (hazard ratio 0.85, P=0.14), with no differences across frailty subgroups. The most frequent grade ≥3 toxicity was neutropenia (10% of lenalidomide-prednisone and 21% of lenalidomide patients; P=0.001). Grade ≥3 non-hematologic adverse events were rare (<15%). In fit patients, melphalan-prednisone-lenalidomide significantly prolonged progression-free survival compared to cyclophosphamide-prednisone-lenalidomide (hazard ratio 0.72, P=0.05) and lenalidomide-dexamethasone (hazard ratio 0.72, P=0.04). Likewise, a trend towards a better overall survival was noted for patients treated with melphalan-prednisone-lenalidomide or cyclophosphamide-prednisone-lenalidomide, as compared to lenalidomide-dexamethasone. No differences were observed in intermediate-fit and frail patients. This analysis showed positive outcomes of maintenance with lenalidomide-based regimens, with a good safety profile. For the first time, we showed that fit patients benefit from a full-dose triplet regimen, while intermediate-fit and frail patients benefit from gentler regimens. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT01093196.

Impact of HLA Disparity in Haploidentical Bone Marrow Transplantation Followed by High-Dose Cyclophosphamide.

We studied the impact of HLA mismatching on the outcome of 318 consecutive patients who received an unmanipulated haploidentical bone marrow transplant, followed by post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy). The number of HLA-mismatched antigens was tested for its impact on overall survival (OS) and nonrelapse mortality (NRM), whereas HLA mismatches in the graft-versus-host (GVH) direction were tested for prediction of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD and relapse. Finally, we studied whether graft rejection correlated with the number of HLA mismatched antigens in host-versus-graft (HVG) direction. Two hundred thirty-one donor-recipient pairs (72%) had 4/8 mismatches at the -A, -B, -C, -DRB1 HLA loci. HLA mismatches did not predict the 2-year OS (hazard ratio, .83; P = .58) and NRM (subhazard ratio, 1.08; P = .93). The cumulative incidence of acute GVHD (P = .13), 1-year chronic GVHD (P = .84), and relapse rate (P = .26) did not correlate with univectorial GVH mismatches. Similarly, no correlation was observed between the amount of HLA mismatch in the HVG direction and graft rejection. In multivariate analysis advanced disease at transplant was the strongest predictor of survival, NRM, relapse, and graft rejection. In conclusion, the degree of HLA mismatching should not be used as a criterion to select family haploidentical donors when using bone marrow as stem cell source and PTCy for GVHD prophylaxis.

De novo AML patients with favourable-intermediate karyotype may benefit from the addition of low-dose gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) to fludarabine, Ara-C and idarubicin (FLAI): a contribution to the reopened "GO question".

We report the final results of a prospective trial testing the combination of fludarabine, Ara-C and idarubicin (FLAI) followed by low-dose gemtuzumab ozogamicin (FLAI-GO) in 85 patients aged 60 years or more with CD33+ acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Median age was 68 years (60-82); karyotype was unfavourable in 21 patients (24%), intermediate in 63 (74%) and favourable in 1 (2%). There were five therapy-related deaths. Of the 80 evaluable patients, 47 achieved complete response (CR) (58%); CR rates were 65 and 32% in good-intermediate/poor karyotype patients, respectively. Median length of CR was 7 months (3-76). The cumulative incidence of relapse was 84% with an actuarial survival of 50.3% at 1 year and 14.4% at 2 years. The study control population is an unselected consecutive historic cohort of 104 patients treated with the FLAI regimen, who were matched for age and prognostic factors. CR rates after FLAI-GO and FLAI were comparable. However, patients with de novo AML and intermediate-favourable karyotype receiving GO had a significantly lower risk of relapse at 2 years as compared to patients not receiving GO (n = 77) (40 vs 80%, p = 0.01) and significantly better disease-free survival (p = 0.018) and overall survival (p = 0.022).

WT1 overexpression at diagnosis may predict favorable outcome in patients with de novo non-M3 acute myeloid leukemia.

We reviewed the frequency and prognostic significance of FLT3 (fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-3) and NPM (nucleophosmin) gene mutations and WT1 (Wilms' tumor) and BAALC (brain and acute leukemia, cytoplasmic) gene expression in 100 consecutive patients with intermediate and poor cytogenetic risk de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving conventional anthracycline-AraC based therapy. We observed a strict relationship between unfavorable karyotype and BAALC >1000 (p = 0.0001). Multivariate analysis of 81 patients with intermediate karyotype revealed that younger age (p = 0.00009), NPM gene mutation (p = 0.002), and WT1 >75th percentile (>2365) (p = 0.003) were independent, positive factors for complete remission (CR). WT1 expression above 2365 was correlated also to longer event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in the same subset of patients (p = 0.003 and p = 0.02, respectively); the same finding occurred in younger patients with AML with intermediate karyotype (p = 0.008 and p = 0.01, respectively). In patients with intermediate karyotype, FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) negatively affected EFS (EFS at 30 months: 30% vs. 6% in FLT3-ITD negative and FLT3 positive patients, respectively; p = 0.01) and OS (OS at 30 months: 38% vs. 20%, p = 0.03). The positive prognostic value of high WT1 expression does not have a clear explanation; it may be implicated either with WT1 anti-oncogenic function, or with the stimulating effect of WT1 oncogene on the leukemic cellular cycle, possibly associated with an enhanced response to chemotherapy.

Therapy of Hodgkin's lymphoma in clinical practice: A retrospective long-term follow-up analysis.

Treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is perceived to be relatively straightforward. Consequently, patients are not usually referred to hemato-oncologically specialized centres and are treated locally instead. Comprehensive findings beyond prospective controlled trials are therefore lacking. Clinical data of 209 patients who had received a HL diagnosis were collected. A total of 7 patients received radiotherapy (RT) alone (3%), 75 (35%) were treated with a combination of chemotherapy (CT) and RT and 127 patients received CT alone [mainly doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD)]. Complete response (CR) following first-line treatment was achieved in 178 patients (85%) and in 195 (93%) after salvage treatment. Favorable disease (p=0.000359), limited-stage disease (p=0.0003), involvement of lymph nodes above the diaphragm (p=0.05) and absence of mediastinal bulky tumor involvement positively affected the CR rate following first-line treatment. Out of the 195 patients that achieved CR, 31 relapsed. Male gender (p=0.043) and age over 45 years (p=0.047) were significantly associated with an increased incidence of relapse. Age at diagnosis was the key factor affecting long-term outcome. The event-free survival (EFS) projected at 120 months was 80 and 57% for patients younger and older than 45 years, respectively (p=0.022). The overall survival (OS) projected at 120 months was 92 and 38% for patients younger and older than 45 years, respectively (p=0.00561). A second neoplasia was diagnosed in 8 patients. The development of a tumor in 4 cases (breast, lung and thyroid cancer) was likely RT-related. Only 1 patient not receiving RT developed acute myeloid leukemia. The EFS and OS of the 141 early-stage patients treated with CT + RT (n=62) or with CT alone (n=79) were not statistically different.

Evaluación del Sistema de Información Rutinaria de la Dirección de Salud V Lima Ciudad / Evaluation of the Routine information system from the Dirección de Salud V Lima Ciudad

Objetivo: Estimar el nivel de desempeño del sistema de información rutinaria de salud de la Dirección de Salud V Lima Ciudad (DISA V LC) y describir las características de sus determinantes organizacionales, técnicos y de comportamiento; como base para emprender un proceso de mejora. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y transversal para conocer el estado de los recursos y capacidades del sistema de información y los indicadores de gestión y desempeño. El ámbito del estudio incluyó 22 establecimientos, seis hospitales y 16 centros de salud o centros materno-infantiles. La obtención de la información fue realizada por el personal de la Unidad de Estadística de la Dirección de Salud, de la Redes de Salud y de los hospitales involucrados. El análisis de la información consistió en la medición de los indicadores expresados en porcentajes y promedios y presentados a través de tablas y gráficos. Resultados: El 68% del personal de estadística de los de los establecimientos de salud de la DISA V LC tienen deficiencias en el análisis de datos; el 57% tienen deficiencias en la utilización de la información; 67% tienen deficiencias para definir problemas y 60% para proponer planes de acción. El 80% de las unidades de estadística de los establecimientos de salud de la DISA V LC no cuenta con financiamiento especifico para el sistema de información y al 62% no le realizan supervisión. El 66% no recibió capacitación en el cumplimiento de sus funciones. El 38% de los registros de las hojas HIS son codificados por el personal de estadística, el 14% de los registros presentan errores en la codificación del diagnóstico y de las actividades preventivas y promocionales y el 22% de los registros presentan discordancias entre los registros del HIS y la historia clínica. Conclusiones: Se propone definir un conjunto de estrategias para la mejora del sistema de información en el nivel de la DISA V LC...

Objective: To estimate the performance level of the health routine information system of health from the Direccción de Salud V Lima Ciudad (DISA V LC) and to describe the characteristics of its organizational, technical and behavioral determinants, as the base to undertake an improvement process. Methods: Descriptive and cross-sectional study to know the state of the resources and capacities of the information system and the indicators of management and performance. The scope of the study included 22 establishments, 6 hospitals and 16 small clinics or maternal-infantile clinics. Personnel from the Statistics unit of the DISA V LC, Health Networks and the involved hospitals obtained the information. The analysis of the information consisted of the measurement of the indicators expressed in percentage and averages and presented through tables and graphs. Results: 68% of the statistic personnel of the DISA V LC establishments have deficiencies in data analysis; 57% have deficiencies in the use of the information; 67% have deficiencies to define problems and 60% to propose action plans. 80% of the Statistics units from the DISA V LC health establishments do not count on specific financing for the information system and 62% do not receive supervision. 66% did not receive training in the fulfillment of their functions. 38% of the HIS registries are codified by the statistic personnel, 14% of the registries have errors in the codification of the diagnosis and of the preventive and promotional activities, and 22% of the registries presents discordancies between the HIS registries and the clinical chart. Conclusions: we propose to define a set of strategies for the improvement of the information system in DISA V LC, in a coordinated and articulated manner with the Sanitary Strategies, Networks of Health and Hospitals.