A phase II study of lenalidomide and rituximab (R2) combination in patients with high-risk refractory/relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma have a dismal prognosis in need of innovative treatments. This prospective phase 2 study enrolled 32 patients between 2013 and 2017 with Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma treated with Rituximab and Lenalidomide (R2). Median age was 69 years (40-86), 90.1% had received at least 2 prior lines of treatment, 81% were defined as having High Risk disease according to our criteria and ECOG performance status was > 2 in 51.6%. Patients received a median number of 2 cycles of R2 (1-12). With a median follow up of 22.6 months, the objective response rate was 12.5%. Median progression free survival was 2.6 months (95% CI, [1.7-2.9]) and median overall survival was 9.3 months (95% CI, [5.1-Not estimable]). This study therefore did not achieve its primary endpoint and the R2 regimen cannot be recommended in Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma patients with High Risk features.

Intensive chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation in primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSLs). Therapeutic outcomes in real life-experience of the French Network.

We analysed the therapeutic outcomes of all consecutive patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) registered in the prospective French database for PCNSL and treated with intensive chemotherapy (IC) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (IC-ASCT) between 2011 and November 2019 (271 patients recruited, 266 analysed). In addition, treatment-related complications of thiotepa-based IC-ASCT were analysed from the source files of 85 patients from 3 centers. Patients had received IC-ASCT either in first-line treatment (n = 147) or at relapse (n = 119). The median age at IC-ASCT was 57 years (range: 22-74). IC consisted of thiotepa-BCNU (n = 64), thiotepa-busulfan (n = 24), BCNU-etoposide-cytarabine-melphalan (BEAM, n = 36) and thiotepa-busulfan-cyclophosphamide (n = 142). In multivariate analysis, BEAM and ASCT beyond the first relapse were adverse prognostic factors for relapse risk. The risk of treatment-related mortality was higher for ASCT performed beyond the first relapse and seemed higher for thiotepa-busulfan-cyclophosphamide. Thiotepa-BCNU tends to result in a higher relapse rate than thiotepa-busulfan-cyclophosphamide and thiotepa-busulfan. This study confirms the role of IC-ASCT in first-line treatment and at first-relapse PCNSL (5-year overall survival rates of 80 and 50%, respectively). The benefit/risk ratio of thiotepa-busulfan/thiotepa-busulfan-cyclophosphamide-ASCT could be improved by considering ASCT earlier in the course of the disease and dose adjustment of the IC.

Positron Emission Tomography-Driven Strategy in Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma: Prolonged Follow-Up of the AHL2011 Phase III Lymphoma Study Association Study.

PURPOSE: The AHL2011 study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01358747) demonstrated that a positron emission tomography (PET)-driven de-escalation strategy after two cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPP) provides similar progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) and reduces early toxicity compared with a nonmonitored standard treatment. Here, we report, with a prolonged follow-up, the final study results. METHODS: Patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (stage III, IV, or IIB with mediastinum/thorax ratio > 0.33 or extranodal involvement) age 16-60 years were prospectively randomly assigned between 6 × BEACOPP and a PET-driven arm after 2 × BEACOPP delivering 4 × ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) in PET2- and 4 × BEACOPP in PET2+ patients. PET performed after four cycles of chemotherapy had to be negative to complete the planned treatment. RESULTS: In total, 823 patients were enrolled including 413 in the standard arm and 410 in the PET-driven arm. With a 67.2-month median follow-up, 5-year PFS (87.5% v 86.7%; hazard ratio [HR] = 1.07; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.57; P = .67) and OS (97.7% in both arms; HR = 1.012; 95% CI, 0.50 to 2.10; P = .53) were similar in both randomization arms. In the whole cohort, full interim PET assessment predicted patients' 5-year PFS (92.3% in PET2-/PET4-, 75.4% [HR = 3.26; 95% CI, 18.3 to 5.77] in PET2+/PET4- and 46.5% [HR = 12.4; 95% CI, 7.31 to 19.51] in PET4+ patients, respectively; P < .0001) independent of international prognosis score. Five-year OS was also affected by interim PET results, and PET2+/PET4- patients (93.5%; HR = 3.3; 95% CI, 1.07 to 10.1; P = .036) and PET4+ patients (91.9%; HR = 3.756; 95% CI, 1.07 to 13.18; P = .038) had a significant lower OS than PET2-/PET4- patients (98.2%). Twenty-two patients (2.7%) developed a second primary malignancy, 13 (3.2%) and 9 (2.2%) in the standard and experimental arms, respectively. CONCLUSION: The extended follow-up confirms the continued efficacy and favorable safety of AHL2011 PET-driven strategy, which is noninferior to standard six cycles of BEACOPP. PET4 provides additional prognostic information to PET2 and allows identifying patients with particularly poor prognosis.

Obinutuzumab plus lenalidomide in advanced, previously untreated follicular lymphoma in need of systemic therapy: a LYSA study.

Obinutuzumab and lenalidomide (referred to as the GALEN combination) is an active immunomodulatory combination with a manageable safety profile in multiple types of lymphoma. We report efficacy and safety results for the phase 2 GALEN study in previously untreated patients with advanced follicular lymphoma (FL). Eligible patients aged ≥18 years had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤2 and high-tumor burden, grade 1 to 3a FL. Induction treatment was obinutuzumab (1000 mg IV, days 8, 15, and 22, cycle 1; day 1, cycles 2-6) plus lenalidomide (20 mg/d, days 1-21, cycle 1; days 2-22, cycles 2-6) for six 28-day cycles. Maintenance included obinutuzumab (1000 mg every 2 cycles) plus lenalidomide (10 mg, days 2-22) for ≤12 cycles (year 1) followed by obinutuzumab (1000 mg every 56 days) for 6 cycles (year 2). The primary end point was complete response rate (CRR) after induction per the 1999 International Working Group criteria. From October 2015 to February 2017, a total of 100 patients were enrolled. CRR after induction was 47%, and the overall response rate (ORR) was 92%. Post hoc analyses per the 2014 Lugano classification, including patients with missing bone marrow assessments, identified an additional 13 patients fulfilling CRR criteria, resulting in a complete metabolic response of 80% and an ORR of 94%. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, 3-year progression-free survival and overall survival were 82% and 94%, respectively. The most common adverse event was neutropenia (48% any grade; 47% grade ≥3). Only 2% of patients presented with febrile neutropenia; others were mainly grade ≤2. No other specific grade ≥3 toxicity occurred at a frequency >3%. Overall, these results showed promising clinical efficacy for the chemotherapy-free GALEN backbone in previously untreated patients with high tumor burden FL. Except for neutropenia, the safety profile of the combination is remarkable. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01582776.

A Phase 1b Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Durvalumab in Combination With Tremelimumab or Danvatirsen in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Despite recent advances, outcomes in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remain poor. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown limited efficacy in this setting, but combinations with novel agents may enhance benefit. Combination therapy with durvalumab, an anti-programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody, and danvatirsen (AZD9150; an antisense oligonucleotide inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 [STAT3]) or tremelimumab (an anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 [CTLA-4] antibody) may augment endogenous antitumor activity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this phase 1b dose escalation and dose expansion study, we evaluated durvalumab 20 mg/kg every 4 weeks plus either tremelimumab 1 mg/kg every 4 weeks or danvatirsen 2 or 3 mg/kg (administered on days 1, 3, 5, 8, 15, and 22, then every week). Treatment continued until disease progression. The primary endpoint was safety; secondary endpoints included efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity. RESULTS: As of April 4, 2019, 32 patients were enrolled and treated, receiving a median of 2 prior lines of systemic therapy. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 21 patients (65.6%), most commonly alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase increased (grade 1-3), anemia (grade 1-3), and fatigue (grade 1). The overall objective response rate was 6.3%, with 2 partial responses. Median time to response was 11.0 weeks (range, 7.7-14.3 weeks). Median progression-free survival was 7.4 weeks (range, 0.1-31.4 weeks), and median overall survival was 28.0 weeks (range, 1.9-115.4 weeks). CONCLUSION: The primary endpoint was met, with durvalumab plus tremelimumab/danvatirsen generally well tolerated in patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL; however, antitumor activity was limited.

Health-related quality of life and utility outcomes with selinexor in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Aim: Evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and health utility impact of single-agent selinexor in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Patients & methods: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) - Lymphoma and EuroQoL five-dimensions five-levels data collected in the single-arm Phase IIb trial SADAL (NCT02227251) were analyzed with mixed-effects models. Results: Treatment responders maintained higher FACT - Lymphoma (p ≤ 0.05), FACT - General (p < 0.05) and EuroQoL five-dimensions five-levels index scores (p < 0.001) beginning in cycle 3. The estimated difference in health state utilities for treatment response and progressive disease was both statistically significant and clinically meaningful (mean difference: 0.07; p = 0.001). Conclusion: In patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, objective response to selinexor was associated with HRQoL maintenance, reduction in disease-related HRQoL decrements and higher health utilities.

Lay abstract This work examined quality of life (QoL) among patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with two to five prior therapies who received single-agent selinexor in the SADAL clinical trial. Analysis of patient-reported Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy ­ Lymphoma and EuroQoL five-dimensions five-levels data showed that patients who had objective clinical response to selinexor maintained their QoL over the course of treatment. Grade ≥3 adverse events and serious adverse events were not associated with clinically meaningful negative QoL impacts. Clinical trial registration: NCT02227251 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Integrative analysis of a phase 2 trial combining lenalidomide with CHOP in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a frequent T-cell lymphoma in the elderly population that has a poor prognosis when treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone  (CHOP) therapy. Lenalidomide, which has been safely combined with CHOP to treat B-cell lymphoma, has shown efficacy as a single agent in AITL treatment. We performed a multicentric phase 2 trial combining 25 mg lenalidomide daily for 14 days per cycle with 8 cycles of CHOP21 in previously untreated AITL patients aged 60 to 80 years. The primary objective was the complete metabolic response (CMR) rate at the end of treatment. Seventy-eight of the 80 patients enrolled were included in the efficacy and safety analysis. CMR was achieved in 32 (41%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 30%-52.7%) patients, which was below the prespecified CMR rate of 55% defined as success in the study. The 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 42.1% (95% CI, 30.9%-52.8%), and the 2-year overall survival was 59.2% (95% CI, 47.3%-69.3%). The most common toxicities were hematologic and led to treatment discontinuation in 15% of patients. This large prospective and uniform series of AITL treatment data was used to perform an integrative analysis of clinical, pathologic, biologic, and molecular data. TET2, RHOA, DNMT3A, and IDH2 mutations were present in 78%, 54%, 32%, and 22% of patients, respectively. IDH2 mutations were associated with distinct pathologic and clinical features and DNMT3A was associated with shorter PFS. In conclusion, the combination of lenalidomide and CHOP did not improve the CMR in AITL patients. This trial clarified the clinical impact of recurrent mutations in AITL. This trial was registered at www.clincialtrials.gov as #NCT01553786.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation in poor prognosis peripheral T-cell lymphoma: the impact of different donor type on outcome.

We report the outcome of 68 patients with advanced peripheral T-cell lymphoma receiving transplantation from haploidentical or from conventional donors. The 4-year OS, PFS, 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse and 2-year GRFS was 75%, 70%, 21%, and 51%, respectively. Survival was not affected by donor type. The 2-year NRM was 9%, lower after related or haploidentical donor (21% vs 0% vs 7%; p = 0.06). Grade 2-4 aGVHD cumulative incidence was significantly different after transplantation from haploidentical vs matched sibling vs unrelated donor, and (24% vs 35% vs 58%, p = 0.024). The familial donor cohort was compared to the unrelated cohort. Familial donor induced less grade 2-4 aGVHD, with a trend to less grade 3-4 aGVHD or moderate-severe cGVHD. The OS and PFS were not different, while the relapse risk and NRM were reduced. Allo-SCT is highly effective in T-cell lymphoma, with low NRM and low relapse rate. The incidence of aGVHD was lower after haploidentical transplantation. Related donor may challenge unrelated transplant reducing the risk of relapse and NRM.

Haploidentical related donor compared to HLA-identical donor transplantation for chemosensitive Hodgkin lymphoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic stem cell transplantation from haploidentical donor using an unmanipulated graft and post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) is growing. Haploidentical transplantation with PT-Cy showed a major activity in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), reducing the relapse incidence. The most important predictive factor of survival and toxicity was disease status before transplantation, which was better in patients with well controlled disease. METHODS: We included 198 HL in complete (CR) or partial remission (PR) before transplantation. Sixty-five patients were transplanted from haploidentical donor and 133 from a HLA identical donor (both sibling and unrelated donors). Survival analysis was defined according to the EBMT criteria. Survival curves were generated by using Kaplan-Meier method and differences between groups were compared by the log rank test or by the log rank test for trend when appropriated. RESULTS: The PFS, OS, and RI were significantly better in patients in CR compared to PR (55% vs 29% p = 0.001, 74% vs 55% p = 0.03, 27% vs 55% p <  0.001, respectively). The 2-year PFS was significantly better for HAPLO than HLA-id (63% vs 37%, p = 0.03), without difference in OS. The 1-year NRM was not different. The 2-year relapse incidence (RI) was lower in the HAPLO group (24% vs 44%, p = 0.008). Patients in CR receiving haplo HSCT showed higher 2-year PFS and lower 2-year RI than those allografted with HLA-id donor (75% vs 47%, p <  0.001 and 11% vs 34%, p < 0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, donor type and disease status before transplantation were independent predictors of PFS as well as they predict the risk of relapse. Disease status at transplantation and age were independently associated to OS. CONCLUSIONS: Nonetheless this is a retrospective study, limiting the wide applicability of results, data from this analysis suggest that HLA mismatch can induce a strong graft versus lymphoma effect leading to an enhanced PFS.

ICOS is widely expressed in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and its targeting promotes potent killing of malignant cells.

The treatment of advanced-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) remains an unmet medical need. Mogamulizumab, anti-KIR3DL2, and brentuximab vedotin (BV), an anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) coupled with monomethyl-auristatin-E (MMAE), provided encouraging results, but new targeted therapies are needed. Inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS), a T-cell costimulatory receptor, is a promising therapeutic target, not only because it is expressed by malignant T cells in CTCL but also because of its connection with the suppressive activity of regulatory T (Treg) cells. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that ICOS was widely expressed by malignant cells in skin biopsy specimens from 52 patients with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome (SS), as well as in involved node biopsy specimens from patients with SS. Furthermore, flow cytometry demonstrated its strong expression by circulating tumor cells in all our patients with SS. Percentages of ICOS+ Treg cells were significantly higher in patients with SS than in healthy donors. We then investigated the preclinical efficacy of anti-ICOS ADCs generated by coupling murine anti-ICOS monoclonal antibodies with MMAE and pyrrolobenzodiazepine. In 3 CTCL cell lines (Myla, MJ, and HUT78), we observed a significant dose-dependent decrease in cell viability in the presence of anti-ICOS ADCs. In addition, anti-ICOS-MMAE ADCs had an in vitro and in vivo efficacy superior to BV in a mouse xenograft model (MyLa). Finally, we assessed the efficacy of anti-ICOS ADCs in ICOS+ patient-derived xenografts from patients with SS and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. Collectively, our findings provide the preliminary basis for a therapeutic trial.

Avadomide plus obinutuzumab in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (CC-122-NHL-001): a multicentre, dose escalation and expansion phase 1 study.

BACKGROUND: Avadomide (CC-122) is a novel oral cereblon-modulating agent with promising activity in non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We aimed to examine the safety and preliminary activity of avadomide plus obinutuzumab in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. METHODS: CC-122-NHL-001 was a phase 1b dose escalation and expansion study at eight sites in France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Eligible patients (aged ≥18 years) had histologically confirmed CD20-positive relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, and had received previous treatment. In the dose expansion phase, only patients with previously treated relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (grade 1, 2, or 3a) were included. Avadomide was administered in escalating doses and two formulations: active pharmaceutical ingredient in capsule in 1·0 mg, 2·0 mg, 3·0 mg, and 4·0 mg doses and as formulated capsules in 3·0 mg and 4·0 mg doses orally once daily on days 1-5 followed by 2 days off (5-7-day schedule) every week of each 28-day cycle. Obinutuzumab 1000 mg was administered intravenously on days 2, 8, and 15 of cycle 1 and day 1 of cycles 2-8. Primary objectives were to determine the safety and tolerability, the non-tolerated dose, maximum tolerated dose, and recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). All patients who received treatment were included in the safety analyses. Efficacy-evaluable patients completed at least one cycle of treatment and had baseline and at least one post-baseline assessment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02417285 and EudraCT 2014-003333-26, and is ongoing. FINDINGS: Between June 24, 2015, and Dec 5, 2018, 73 patients were enrolled and treated; 19 had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 53 follicular lymphoma, and one marginal zone lymphoma. Median follow-up was 253 days (IQR 127-448). The median number of previous anticancer regimens was three (IQR 2-4). The maximum tolerated dose and non-tolerated dose were not reached in the dose escalation phase. On the basis of safety and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic data, the avadomide RP2D was established as 3·0 mg as formulated capsules on a 5-7-day schedule in combination with 1000 mg of obinutuzumab. Patients enrolled in the expansion cohort received the established RP2D of avadomide. Across all doses, three patients had dose-limiting toxicities; one patient treated at the RP2D had dose-limiting toxicity (grade 3 sepsis). The most common adverse events of grade 3 and above were neutropenia (41 [56%] of 73) and thrombocytopenia (17 [23%] of 73). 34 (47%) patients had serious adverse events, which were considered to be avadomide-related in 23 (32%) of 73 patients and obinutuzumab-related in 20 (27%) of 73 patients. Two treatment-related deaths occurred, one owing to tumour flare and one from acute myeloid leukaemia after study discontinuation. INTERPRETATION: Avadomide plus obinutuzumab has a manageable toxicity, being a tolerable treatment option for most patients. Although the prespecified threshold for activity was not met in the trial, we believe that the preliminary antitumour activity of cereblon modulators plus next-generation anti-CD20 antibodies in heavily pretreated relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma warrants further investigation as a chemotherapy-free option in this setting. FUNDING: Celgene Corporation.

Selinexor in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (SADAL): a single-arm, multinational, multicentre, open-label, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive cancer with a median overall survival of less than 6 months. We aimed to assess the response to single-agent selinexor, an oral selective inhibitor of nuclear export, in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL who had no therapeutic options of potential clinical benefit. METHODS: SADAL was a multicentre, multinational, open-label, phase 2b study done in 59 sites in 19 countries. Patients aged 18 years or older with pathologically confirmed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 or less, who had received two to five lines of previous therapies, and progressed after or were not candidates for autologous stem-cell transplantation were enrolled. Germinal centre B-cell or non-germinal centre B-cell tumour subtype and double or triple expressor status were determined by immunohistochemistry and double or triple hit status was determined by cytogenetics. Patients received 60 mg selinexor orally on days 1 and 3 weekly until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The study was initially designed to evaluate both 60 mg and 100 mg twice-weekly doses of selinexor; however, the 100 mg dose was discontinued in the protocol (version 7.0) on March 29, 2017, when an improved therapeutic window was observed at 60 mg. Primary outcome was overall response rate. The primary outcome and safety were assessed in all patients who received 60 mg selinexor under protocol version 6.0, or enrolled under protocol versions 7.0 or higher and received at least one dose of selinexor. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02227251 (active but not enrolling). FINDINGS: Between Oct 21, 2015, and Nov 2, 2019, 267 patients were randomly assigned, with 175 allocated to the 60 mg group and 92 to the discontinued 100 mg group. 48 patients assigned to the 60 mg group were excluded due to enrolment before version 6.0 of the protocol; the remaining 127 patients received selinexor 60 mg and were included in analyses of primary outcome and safety. The overall response rate was 28% (36/127; 95% CI 20·7-37·0); 15 (12%) achieved a complete response and 21 (17%) a partial response. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were thrombocytopenia (n=58), neutropenia (n=31), anaemia (n=28), fatigue (n=14), hyponatraemia (n=10), and nausea (n=8). The most common serious adverse events were pyrexia (n=9), pneumonia (n=6), and sepsis (n=6). There were no deaths judged as related to treatment with selinexor. INTERPRETATION: Single-drug oral selinexor induced durable responses and had a manageable adverse events profile in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL who received at least two lines of previous chemoimmunotherapy. Selinexor could be considered a new oral, non-cytotoxic treatment option in this setting. FUNDING: Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc.

Checkpoint inhibition before haploidentical transplantation with posttransplant cyclophosphamide in Hodgkin lymphoma.

We report on 59 Hodgkin lymphoma patients undergoing haploidentical stem cell transplantation (SCT; haplo-SCT) with posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, comparing outcomes based on pretransplant exposure to checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs). Considering pretransplant characteristics, the 2 cohorts (CPI = 29 patients vs no-CPI = 30 patients) were similar, except for the number of prior lines of therapy (6 vs 4; P < .001). With a median follow-up of 26 months (range, 7.5-55 months), by univariate analysis, the 100-day cumulative incidence of grade 2-4 acute GVHD was 41% in the CPI group vs 33% in the no-CPI group (P = .456), whereas the 1-year cumulative incidence of moderate to severe chronic GVHD was 7% vs 8%, respectively (P = .673). In the CPI cohort, the 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse appeared lower compared with the no-CPI cohort (0 vs 20%; P = .054). No differences were observed in terms of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) (at 2 years, 77% vs 71% [P = .599], 78% vs 53% [P = .066], and 15% vs 21% [P = .578], respectively). By multivariable analysis, CPI before SCT was an independent protective factor for PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.32; P = .037). Stable disease (SD)/progressive disease (PD) was an independent negative prognostic factor for both OS and PFS (HR, 14.3; P < .001 and HR, 14.1; P < .001, respectively) . In conclusion, CPI as a bridge to haplo-SCT seems to improve PFS, with no impact on toxicity profile.

Phase I dose escalation study of BI 836826 (CD37 antibody) in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

BI 836826 is a chimeric immunoglobulin G1 antibody targeting CD37, a tetraspanin transmembrane protein predominantly expressed on normal and malignant B cells. This phase I, open-label study used a modified 3 + 3 design to evaluate the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), pharmacokinetics, and preliminary activity of BI 836826 in patients with relapsed/refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL; NCT01403948). Eligible patients received up to three courses comprising an intravenous infusion (starting dose: 1 mg) once weekly for 4 weeks followed by an observation period of 27 (Course 1, 2) or 55 days (Course 3). Patients had to demonstrate clinical benefit before commencing treatment beyond course 2. Forty-eight patients were treated. In the dose escalation phase (1-200 mg) involving 37 Caucasian patients, the MTD was 100 mg. Dose-limiting toxicities occurred in four patients during the MTD evaluation period, and included stomatitis, febrile neutropenia, hypocalcemia, hypokalemia, and hypophosphatemia. The most common adverse events were neutropenia (57%), leukopenia (57%), and thrombocytopenia (41%), and were commonly of grade 3 or 4. Overall, 18 (38%) patients experienced infusion-related reactions, which were mostly grade 1 or 2. Preliminary evidence of anti-tumor activity was seen; three patients responded to treatment, including one complete remission in a Korean patient with diffuse large B cell lymphoma. BI 836826 plasma exposure increased more than proportionally with increasing doses. BI 836826 demonstrated preliminary activity; the most frequent adverse events were hematotoxicity and infusion-related reactions which were manageable after amending the infusion schedule. Although BI 856826 will not undergo further clinical development, these results confirm CD37 as a valid therapeutic target in B cell NHL.

Avadomide monotherapy in relapsed/refractory DLBCL: safety, efficacy, and a predictive gene classifier.

Treatment options for relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are limited, with no standard of care; prognosis is poor, with 4- to 6-month median survival. Avadomide (CC-122) is a cereblon-modulating agent with immunomodulatory and direct antitumor activities. This phase 1 dose-expansion study assessed safety and clinical activity of avadomide monotherapy in patients with de novo R/R DLBCL and transformed lymphoma. Additionally, a novel gene expression classifier, which identifies tumors with a high immune cell infiltration, was shown to enrich for response to avadomide in R/R DLBCL. Ninety-seven patients with R/R DLBCL, including 12 patients with transformed lymphoma, received 3 to 5 mg avadomide administered on continuous or intermittent schedules until unacceptable toxicity, disease progression, or withdrawal. Eighty-two patients (85%) experienced ≥1 grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs), most commonly neutropenia (51%), infections (24%), anemia (12%), and febrile neutropenia (10%). Discontinuations because of AEs occurred in 10% of patients. Introduction of an intermittent 5/7-day schedule improved tolerability and reduced frequency and severity of neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and infections. Among 84 patients with de novo R/R DLBCL, overall response rate (ORR) was 29%, including 11% complete response (CR). Responses were cell-of-origin independent. Classifier-positive DLBCL patients (de novo) had an ORR of 44%, median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 6 months, and 16% CR vs an ORR of 19%, mPFS of 1.5 months, and 5% CR in classifier-negative patients (P = .0096). Avadomide is being evaluated in combination with other antilymphoma agents. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01421524.