Could it be VEXAS?

We report the case of the youngest patient described with VEXAS syndrome associated with MDS-IB1, successfully treated with azacitidine-venetoclax and allogeneic stem cell transplant.

PHF6-altered T-ALL Harbor Epigenetic Repressive Switch at Bivalent Promoters and Respond to 5-Azacitidine and Venetoclax.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of PHF6 alterations on clinical outcome and therapeutical actionability in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We described PHF6 alterations in an adult cohort of T-ALL from the French trial Group for Research on Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (GRAALL)-2003/2005 and retrospectively analyzed clinical outcomes between PHF6-altered (PHF6ALT) and wild-type patients. We also used EPIC and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data of patient samples to analyze the epigenetic landscape of PHF6ALT T-ALLs. We consecutively evaluated 5-azacitidine efficacy, alone or combined with venetoclax, in PHF6ALT T-ALL. RESULTS: We show that PHF6 alterations account for 47% of cases in our cohort and demonstrate that PHF6ALT T-ALL presented significantly better clinical outcomes. Integrative analysis of DNA methylation and histone marks shows that PHF6ALT are characterized by DNA hypermethylation and H3K27me3 loss at promoters physiologically bivalent in thymocytes. Using patient-derived xenografts, we show that PHF6ALT T-ALL respond to the 5-azacytidine alone. Finally, synergism with the BCL2-inhibitor venetoclax was demonstrated in refractory/relapsing (R/R) PHF6ALT T-ALL using fresh samples. Importantly, we report three cases of R/R PHF6ALT patients who were successfully treated with this combination. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our study supports the use of PHF6 alterations as a biomarker of sensitivity to 5-azacytidine and venetoclax combination in R/R T-ALL.

IL-7 receptor expression is frequent in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and predicts sensitivity to JAK inhibition.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy with a dismal prognosis related to refractory/relapsing diseases, raising the need for new targeted therapies. Activating mutations of interleukin-7-receptor pathway genes (IL-7Rp) play a proven leukemia-supportive role in T-ALL. JAK inhibitors, such as ruxolitinib, have recently demonstrated preclinical efficacy. However, prediction markers for sensitivity to JAK inhibitors are still lacking. Herein, we show that IL-7R (CD127) expression is more frequent (∼70%) than IL-7Rp mutations in T-ALL (∼30%). We compared the so-called nonexpressers (no IL-7R expression/IL-7Rp mutation), expressers (IL7R expression without IL-7Rp mutation), and mutants (IL-7Rp mutations). Integrative multiomics analysis outlined IL-7R deregulation in virtually all T-ALL subtypes, at the epigenetic level in nonexpressers, genetic level in mutants, and posttranscriptional level in expressers. Ex vivo data using primary-derived xenografts support that IL-7Rp is functional whenever the IL-7R is expressed, regardless of the IL-7Rp mutational status. Consequently, ruxolitinib impaired T-ALL survival in both expressers and mutants. Interestingly, we show that expressers displayed ectopic IL-7R expression and IL-7Rp addiction conferring a deeper sensitivity to ruxolitinib. Conversely, mutants were more sensitive to venetoclax than expressers. Overall, the combination of ruxolitinib and venetoclax resulted in synergistic effects in both groups. We illustrate the clinical relevance of this association by reporting the achievement of complete remission in 2 patients with refractory/relapsed T-ALL. This provides proof of concept for translation of this strategy into clinics as a bridge-to-transplantation therapy. IL7R expression can be used as a biomarker for sensitivity to JAK inhibition, thereby expanding the fraction of patients with T-ALL eligible for ruxolitinib up to nearly ∼70% of T-ALL cases.

High tumor burden before blinatumomab has a negative impact on the outcome of adult patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A real-world study by the GRAALL.

Blinatumomab is a bispecific T-cell engager approved for B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) with persistent minimal residual disease (MRD) or in relapse. The prognostic impact of tumor load has been suggested before other immunotherapies but remains poorly explored before blinatumomab. We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of 73 patients who received blinatumomab either in first complete remission (CR) with MRD (n=35) or at relapse (n=38). Among MRD patients, 91% had MRD >0.01% before blinatumomab, and 89% achieved complete MRD response after blinatumomab. High pre-blinatumomab MRD levels were associated with shorter relapse-free survival (P=0.049) and overall survival (OS) (P=0.011). At 3 years, OS was 33%, 58% and 86% for pre-blinatumomab MRD >1%, between MRD 0.1- 1% and <0.1% respectively. Among relapsed patients, 23 received blinatumomab with overt relapse and 15 were in complete response (CR) after bridging chemotherapy. At 3 years, overall CR rate was 68% and complete MRD response rate was 84%. Patients who directly received blinatumomab had shorter relapse-free survival (P=0.033) and OS (P=0.003) than patients bridged to blinatumomab. Three-year OS was 66% in the latter group compared to 16% in the former group. Our observations suggest that pre-blinatumomab tumor burden should help to design more tailored strategies including tumor load reduction in relapsed patients.

Semen Cryopreservation in Adolescents and Young Adults with Hematologic Diseases: from Bed to Benchside.

Purpose: Infertility in adolescents and young adult (AYA) survivors of malignant disease remains a major long-term adverse effect, but semen collection for fertility preservation in fertility centers is not always feasible and makes AYAs uncomfortable. We evaluated the feasibility of collecting sperm samples on the ward versus in fertility centers. Methods: Consecutive hospitalized AYA-aged male patients in the Hematology AYA unit (Saint-Louis Hospital, France) between August 2010 and June 2016 with hematological disease and indication of semen collection (n = 95) were included in this retrospective study. Semen quality was analyzed according to World Health Organization guidelines and was compared according to semen collection place: on the ward (n = 46) or in fertility center (n = 49). Results: The median age was median age 19.1 years (range: 13.7-33.3; interquartile range: 17.1-22.8) and 85 patients successfully collected semen. Sperm collection failure was ∼11% and was comparable between the two modalities as were main sperm quality characteristics (semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, progressive motility and vitality, sperm morphology, and multiple anomalies index). Oligospermia was significantly higher in the samples obtained in fertility center (47.7%) than on the ward (26.8%), p = 0.047. Average frozen straws were comparable, 12.2 ± 6.4 on the ward versus 11.9 ± 6.3 in fertility center. Conclusion: Semen collection on the ward is feasible and would be particularly interesting for AYA male patients without altering semen quality characteristics.

Determinants of CD19-positive vs CD19-negative relapse after tisagenlecleucel for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Tisagenlecleucel therapy has shown promising efficacy for relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). However, relapses occur in 30-50% of patients. Determinants for CD19pos versus CD19neg relapses are poorly characterized. We report on 51 patients with R/R BCP-ALL (median age 17 years) infused with tisagenlecleucel after lymphodepletion. Complete remission rate at D28 was 96%. Prior blinatumomab increased the risk of early failure at D28. The 18-month cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS) were 51%, 44%, and 74%, respectively, at a median follow-up of 15.5 months. Factors associated with a high tumor burden (occurrence of cytokine release syndrome) and prior blinatumomab were associated with an increased CIR, and a shorter EFS and OS. Pre-lymphodepletion high disease burden (MRD ≥ 10-2, SHR 10.4, p = 0.03) and detectable MRD at D28 (SHR 7.2, p = 0.006) correlated with an increased risk of CD19neg relapse. Low disease burden (SHR 5.3, p = 0.03) and loss of B-cell aplasia (BCA) (SHR 21.7, p = 0.004) predicted an increased risk of CD19pos relapses. These data highlight the impact of prior therapy on patient outcome. Finally, detectable MRD at D28 and loss of BCA both define patients at high risk of relapse for whom additional interventions are needed.

T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in a Young Adult With Thrombocytopenia-absent Radius Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Thrombocytopenia-absent radius (TAR) syndrome is a rare inherited bone marrow failure syndrome not generally associated with acute leukemia. The authors report a case of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in an adult female individual newly diagnosed with TAR syndrome. A 347-kb microdeletion of chromosome 1q21.1 involving the RBM8A gene was detected within a gain of whole chromosome 1. Next-generation sequencing on fibroblasts confirmed germline heterozygous deletion of RBM8A but on the other allele, noncoding low-frequency regulatory single-nucleotide polymorphism of RBM8A (rs139428292; rs201779890) were not found. The tolerance of the treatment was unusual and mostly marked by a slow hematopoietic recovery leading to a 6-month delay at the beginning of the maintenance phase. Only 5 cases of acute leukemia were reported in patients with TAR syndrome in the literature: 4 acute myeloid leukemia and one B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This is the first report of T-cell acute lymphoid leukemia occurring in the context of TAR syndrome.

B-ALL With t(5;14)(q31;q32); IGH-IL3 Rearrangement and Eosinophilia: A Comprehensive Analysis of a Peculiar IGH-Rearranged B-ALL.

Background: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia associated with t(5;14)(q31;q32); IGH-IL3 is an exceptional cause of eosinophilia. The IGH enhancer on 14q32 is juxtaposed to the IL3 gene on 5q31, leading to interleukin-3 overproduction and release of mature eosinophils in the blood. Clinical, biological and outcome data are extremely scarce in the literature. Except for eosinophilia, no relevant common feature has been highlighted in these patients. However, it has been classified as a distinct entity in the World Health Organization classification. Cases Presentation: Eight patients with t(5;14)(q31;q32) treated by French or Austrian protocols were retrospectively enrolled. Array comparative genomic hybridization, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification or genomic PCR search for IKZF1 deletion were performed in 7. Sixteen patients found through an exhaustive search in the literature were also analyzed. For those 24 patients, median age at diagnosis is 14.3 years with a male predominance (male to female ratio = 5). Eosinophilia-related symptoms are common (neurologic in 26%, thromboembolic in 26% or pulmonary in 50%). Median white blood cells count is high (72 × 109/L) and linked to eosinophilia (median: 32 × 109/L). Peripheral blasts are present at a low level or absent (median: 0 × 109/L; range: 0-37 × 109/L). Bone marrow morphology is marked by a low blast infiltration (median: 42%). We found an IKZF1 deletion in 5 out of 7 analyzable patients Outcome data are available for 14 patients (median follow-up: 28 months): 8 died and 6 are alive in complete remission. Some of these features are concordant with those seen in patients with other IGH-rearranged B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias: young age at onset, male sex, low blast count, high incidence of IKZF1 deletion and intermediate prognosis. Conclusion: Based on shared epidemiological and biological features, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with t(5;14)(q31;q32) is a peculiar subset of IGH-rearranged B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with an intermediate prognosis and particular clinical features related to eosinophilia.

The effect of age in patients with acquired aplastic anaemia treated with immunosuppressive therapy: comparison of Adolescents and Young Adults with children and older adults.

The incidence of acquired aplastic anaemia (AA) peaks in adolescents and young adults (AYA). Although age has been associated with response after immunosuppressive therapy (IST), few data exist about the specific outcome of AYA. We retrospectively compared the outcome of 29 children (aged <15 years), 32 AYA (15-25 years) and 23 adults (>25 years) with AA treated front-line with IST in Saint-Louis Hospital. The cumulative incidence of response was lower in adults compared with AYA (subdistribution hazard ratio [SHR] = 0·38, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0·96-1·00], P = 0·008), but no difference was observed between children and AYA (SHR = 0·84, 95% CI [0·96-1·00], P = 0·56), with a 6 months cumulative incidence of partial response of 44·8% in children, 62·5% in AYA and 21·7% in adults. The 5-year failure-free survival was 48·4%, without impact of age, with a 5-year relapse rate of 20·7%. With a median follow-up of 5·4 years, the 5-year overall survival was 86·5%, without significant difference between children and AYA overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 1·51, 95% CI [0·25-9·02], P = 0·66), while adults displayed poorer survival than AYA (HR 4·98, 95% CI [1·00-24·73], P = 0·049). This study confirms that age is a prognostic factor in AA patients treated with IST. However, AYA patients have a similar outcome to children in terms of response rate and survival.

Central nervous system relapse in patients over 80 years with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: an analysis of two LYSA studies.

CNS relapse is reported in 2-5% of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients, dramatically decreasing overall survival (OS). Very few studies address incidence and risk factors of CNS relapse in very elderly patients, a challenging population to treat given their commonly associated comorbidities. A retrospective analysis was performed of 270 DLBCL patients >80 years treated between 2004 and 2013 in two multicentre phase II LYSA trials (LNH03-7B, LNH09-7B) evaluating the addition of rituximab or ofatumumab to mini-CHOP as front-line therapy. No patients received CNS prophylaxis. CNS relapse was evaluated according to cumulative incidence, patient characteristics, risk factors, and survival. Median age was 83 years (range: 79-95). After a median follow-up of 28.7 months, eight patients had CNS relapse (3.0%). Median time between inclusion and CNS relapse was 19.2 months (range: 3.2-32.6). Patients survived a median of 1.5 months after CNS relapse (range: 0.4-4.1). Median OS from relapse was significantly lower in CNS relapse patients (1.5 months, 95% CI: 0.4-3.5) compared to patients with non-CNS relapse (6.6 months; 95% CI: 4.6-11.9). No baseline characteristics were associated with CNS relapse. The proportion of patients with CNS disease did not differ significantly between patients with low-intermediate risk according to CNS-IPI and patients with high risk (3% vs. 2.8%, P = 1.00). CNS relapse cumulative incidence in very elderly treatment-naive patients is 1.8% at 2 years and is associated with poor survival. This population had a long median time to CNS relapse. Absence of prophylaxis did not strongly impact CNS relapse incidence.

Traitement par CAR-T des leucémies aiguës de l'adulte.

CAR-T TREATMENT OF ACUTE LEUKEMIA IN ADULTS: The prognosis for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adults remains poor in refractory or relapsed (R/R) situations. Among the immunotherapy strategies that have recently been developed, CAR-T cells (chimeric antigen receptor modified T-cells) represent a major technological and therapeutic advance in the management of adult and pediatric patients with such resistant diseases. The first CAR-T trials targeting the ubiquitous B-cell antigen CD19 showed very encouraging results with complete remission rates of approximately 80%. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity are two major and potentially life-threatening adverse events, that require coordinated management with intensive care units and graduated use of IL-6 pathway blocking antibodies and steroids. In addition to immediate toxicity, many clinical issues arise such as ALL treatment from apheresis to CAR-T infusion, the role of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) before or after CAR-T therapy, or the reduction of escape mechanisms mostly driven by the loss of target expression. The development of these strategies in other subtypes of acute leukemias, including myeloid acute leukemia, is confronted with the expression of antigenic targets by healthy tissues and the potential risk of prolonged cytopenias. This review adopts a clinical perspective to detail the main results of CD19 CAR-T in ALL and the challenges raised by this new therapeutic approach. Cet article fait partie du numéro supplément Les cellules CAR-T : une révolution thérapeutique ? réalisé avec le soutien institutionnel des partenaires Gilead : Kite et Celgene.

Hodgkin lymphoma in adolescent and young adults: insights from an adult tertiary single-center cohort of 349 patients.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent and young adults (AYA) represent one third of patients affected by Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). These patients are frequently treated either with pediatric or adult protocol depending on their physician background. This population has been understudied so far, in terms of HL characteristics and treatment-associated outcomes. AIM: We aimed to extensively describe HL features in the AYA population including HL characteristics, progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). METHODS: From 1979 to 2013, consecutive patients with HL aged between 15 to 25 years and followed at Saint-Louis Hospital were prospectively enrolled. Survivals were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: 349 patients were included and studied, with a median follow-up of 7 years. The majority of patients were treated with adult protocols (mainly ABVD and BEACOPP). They presented adverse clinical characteristics with a high proportion of stage III and IV according to Ann Arbor classification (45 %), a high rate of B symptoms (46 %) and extra-nodal involvement (36 %). Despite these pejorative clinical features, the prognosis remains good with a 10-year PFS and OS estimated at 81.0 % (95%CI [76.7-85.5]) and 90.7% (95%CI [87.2-94.4]), respectively. In multivariate analysis, stages III and IV according to Ann Arbor classification, mixed cellularity histology, elevated neutrophils and LDH above range were independently associated with a worse PFS. We identified a subgroup of 11 primary refractory patients with a particularly poor prognosis. The toxicity rate was low (7.4 %). CONCLUSION: Despite their baseline pejorative features, AYA with HL have a good prognosis. Progresses are still needed in order to reduce toxicities. Primary refractory patients with a particularly poor prognosis should be detected early in order to quickly introduce new targeted therapies.

Clinical profile, biological markers, and comorbidity index as predictors of transplant-related mortality after allo-HSCT.

Various pretransplant patient and disease characteristics are associated with treatment-related mortality (TRM) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, TRM cannot yet be satisfactorily predicted. We prospectively investigated the aggregate impact of pretransplant clinical variables (period, donor/recipient age, gender, cytomegalovirus status, disease risk, stem cell source, and HLA matching), comorbidity index scores (Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Comorbidity Index), and biological markers (telomere length, ferritin, and C-reactive protein) on TRM in single-center patients receiving a first allo-HSCT. From 2006 to 2012, all variables were available for 178 patients. In multivariate analysis, only mismatched unrelated donor (hazard ratio [HR], 2.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-6.58; P = .019) and shorter age-adjusted recipient telomere length (HR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.03-4.57; P = .041) were independently associated with TRM. Pre-allo-HSCT age-adjusted telomere length thus appears to be a useful new predictor of TRM in the setting of HSCT.