Evolving characteristics and outcome of secondary acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL): A prospective analysis by the French-Belgian-Swiss APL group.

BACKGROUND: Reports of patients with secondary acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) have increased in recent years, particularly for those who received treatment with mitoxantrone, and retrospective studies have suggested that their characteristics and outcomes were similar to those of patients with de novo APL. METHODS: The authors investigated patients with de novo and secondary APL who were included in the ongoing APL-2006 trial. Patients with secondary APL who were included in that trial also were compared with a previous retrospective cohort of patients with secondary APL. RESULTS: In the APL-2006 trial, 42 of 280 patients (15%) had secondary APL. Compared with the retrospective cohort, patients with secondary APL in the APL-2006 trial had a lower incidence of prior breast carcinoma (35.7% vs 57%; P = .03) and a higher incidence of prior prostate carcinoma (26.2% vs 4.7%; P < .001). Treatment of the primary tumor in the APL-2006 trial less frequently included combined radiochemotherapy (28.6% vs 47.2%; P = .044) and no mitoxantrone (0% vs 46.7%; P = .016) but more frequently included anthracyclines (53.3% vs 38.3%; P = .015). In the APL-2006 trial, patients who had secondary APL, compared with those who had de novo APL, were older (mean, 60.2 years vs 48.7 years, respectively; P < .0001) but had a similar complete response rate (97.6% vs 90.3%, respectively), cumulative incidence of relapse (0% vs 1.8%, respectively), and overall survival (92.3% vs 90.9%, respectively) at 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: Although the incidence of secondary APL appears to be stable over time, evolving strategies for the treatment of primary cancers have reduced its occurrence among breast cancer patients but have increased its incidence among patients with prostate cancer. The current results confirm prospectively that patients with secondary APL have characteristics and outcomes similar to those of patients with de novo APL.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and myeloma.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has rarely been described in myeloma, but chemotherapy is a known risk factor. We report 3 patients with myeloma who developed PRES, and analyzed them with 13 published cases, mostly women. The most frequent causative agents were proteasome inhibitors and autologous stem cell transplantation. Risk factors were frequently associated: hypertension, infection or renal failure. Symptoms included headache, blurred vision, altered mental status, seizures. Most patients experienced rapid clinical recovery, without relapse even after resuming treatment. Although rare, we must remain vigilant about PRES in myeloma patients. Stricter control of blood pressure could limit its occurrence.

The impact of JAK2 and MPL mutations on diagnosis and prognosis of splanchnic vein thrombosis: a report on 241 cases.

Myeloproliferative diseases (MPDs) represent the commonest cause of splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT), including Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) and portal vein thrombosis (PVT), but their diagnosis is hampered by changes secondary to portal hypertension, while their influence in the outcome of SVT remains unclear. We assessed the diagnostic and prognostic value of JAK2 and MPL515 mutations in 241 SVT patients (104 BCS, 137 PVT). JAK2V617F was found in 45% of BCS and 34% of PVT, while JAK2 exon 12 and MPL515 mutations were not detected. JAK2V617F was found in 96.5% of patients with bone marrow (BM) changes specific for MPD and endogenous erythoid colonies, but also in 58% of those with only one feature and in 7% of those with neither feature. Stratifying MPD diagnosis first on JAK2V617F detection would have avoided BM investigations in 40% of the patients. In BCS, presence of MPD carried significantly poorer baseline prognostic features, required hepatic decompression procedures earlier, but had no impact on 5-year survival. Our results suggest that JAK2V617F testing should replace BM investigations as initial test for MPD in patients with SVT. Underlying MPD is associated with severe forms of BCS, but current therapy appears to offset deleterious effects of MPD on the medium-term outcome.

Carfilzomib Weekly plus Melphalan and Prednisone in Newly Diagnosed Transplant-Ineligible Multiple Myeloma (IFM 2012-03): A Phase I Trial.

PURPOSE: Carfilzomib is a novel generation proteasome inhibitor. The Carmysap trial demonstrated that twice-weekly KMP (carfilzomib, melphalan, prednisone) might challenge the MPV (melphalan, prednisone, bortezomib) standard. We sought to study KMP weekly, allowing to increase carfilzomib's dose with maintained efficacy and improved safety profile. PATIENTS AND METHODS: IFM2012-03, a phase I multicenter study of KMP weekly in elderly patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (eNDMM), aimed to determine the MTD of carfilzomib. Carfilzomib was given intravenously at 36, 45, 56, and 70 mg/m2/day on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 with melphalan and prednisone, for nine 35-day induction cycles, followed by carfilzomib maintenance for 1 year. Three dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) determined MTD at the lower dose. RESULTS: Thirty eNDMMs were treated, 6 per cohort at 36, 45, and 56 mg/m2 and 12 at 70 mg/m². There was one DLT at 36 mg/m2 (lymphopenia), one at 45 mg/m2 (lysis syndrome), two at 56 mg/m2 (cardiac insufficiency and febrile neutropenia), and two at 70 mg/m2 (vomiting and elevated liver enzymes). The safety profile was acceptable; however, specific attention must be paid to the risk of cardiovascular events, especially for elderly patients. The overall response rate was 93.3%, with 46.6% complete response. CONCLUSIONS: The MTD dose of carfilzomib was 70 mg/m2 in this KMP weekly study in eNDMM. Response rates, and especially CR rate, were remarkable in this population, and would benefit from being assessed in a larger-scale study. The IFM2012-03 study demonstrated that the MTD of carfilzomib weekly is 70 mg/m2 in eNDMM, and 56 mg/m2 for patients older than 75 years. Carfilzomib used weekly in combination has a good efficacy and safety profile in eNDMM.