Drivers of deep molecular response and long-term outcomes in patients with core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia.

A swimmer plot on clinical course of patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplant for core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and the Risk of Allograft Rejection: A Comprehensive Analysis on an Emerging Issue.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that the state of immune tolerance induced by broad immunosuppression to prevent allograft rejection leads to an increased risk of the development of cancer. One of the most promising new areas of cancer treatment has been the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors that target the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 and programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathways. As a logical consequence, growing interest in these agents translated into their implementation in patients with transplant-related malignancies. Because of overlapping and perhaps mutually exclusive mechanisms of action of transplant immunosuppression and cancer immunomodulation, it is critical to examine these interactions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a systematic search for review articles and case reports published between July 2014 and November 2017 using three engines: Usearch, PubMed, and Up-to-date. RESULTS: Overall, there were 20 cases with 12 allograft rejections. The rejection rate associated with nivolumab was 73% (8/11) and with pembrolizumab it was 100% (2/2). The use of ipilimumab did not lead to rejection in any instance (0/4, 0%). Of the two patients treated with the sequential use of ipilimumab/nivolumab, one lost his allograft, yielding a rejection rate of 50%. The sequential use of ipilimumab/pembrolizumab led to a rejection rate of 100% (1/1, 100%). CONCLUSION: The use of agents that act on the PD-L1 pathway are contraindicated in the face of solid organ allografts because of unacceptably high rates of irreversible allograft rejection. It appears that the use of ipilimumab may be tolerated as the mechanism is different from that of the PD-L1 agents. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Transplant rejection is a complex process that puts stress on patients and their families and can lead to tragic results. Significant advancements in the field of immunosuppression have led to the engenderment of agents devised to extend the survival of transplant recipients. The advent of immunomodulators in cancer therapy has been paradigm-shifting; however, because of their mechanism of action, their use must be carefully considered in patients with allografts and concomitant cancer. It appears that ipilimumab can be administered safely in these patients but that agents acting on the programmed death-ligand 1 pathway are contraindicated because of high rates of irreversible rejection.

Vinorelbine plus Capecitabine (Vinocap): a retrospective analysis in heavily pretreated HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Metastatic breast cancer is regarded as an incurable entity. In heavily pretreated patients with increasingly limited options for palliative management, ensuring proper quality of life continues is to be an elusive issue. With this in mind, the authors evaluated the efficacy and safety of the Vinorelbine/Capecitabine doublet (VINOCAP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The investigators retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 67 women with HER2 negative MBC treated at a large breast cancer practice and a local cancer center with Vinorelbine 22.5 mg/m2 IV on days 1 and 8 combined with Capecitabine 1 g PO BID for 14 consecutive days of 21 day cycles. Patients had been treated with an average of 4 prior lines of chemotherapy. Patient characteristics and outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 67 patients received VINOCAP, and an additional 2 underwent repeat exposure yielding a cohort of 69. Clinical benefit rate, defined as complete response (CR), partial response (PR) or stable disease ≥ 6 months (SD), was 55.07%. Complete response was seen in 4.34%, PR in 18.8% and SD ≥ 6 months in 31.9%. Median progression-free survival was 6.2 months and overall survival 35.47 months after VINOCAP exposure. The most common grade 3-4 toxicity was neutropenia in 10% of cases. Dose had to be reduced in 18% of cases due to toxicity of any type. The regimen was well tolerated, and serious side effects were uncommon. CONCLUSION: Vinorelbine/Capecitabine appears to be an active and well-tolerated regimen in women with MBC. In particular, encouraging was the efficacy of VINOCAP as fourth or greater line of chemotherapy.

Sensing surface morphology of biofibers by decorating spider silk and cellulosic filaments with nematic microdroplets.

Probing the surface morphology of microthin fibers such as naturally occurring biofibers is essential for understanding their structural properties, biological function, and mechanical performance. The state-of-the-art methods for studying the surfaces of biofibers are atomic force microscopy imaging and scanning electron microscopy, which well characterize surface geometry of the fibers but provide little information on the local interaction potential of the fibers with the surrounding material. In contrast, complex nematic fluids respond very well to external fields and change their optical properties upon such stimuli. Here we demonstrate that liquid crystal droplets deposited on microthin biofibers--including spider silk and cellulosic fibers--reveal characteristics of the fibers' surface, performing as simple but sensitive surface sensors. By combining experiments and numerical modeling, different types of fibers are identified through the fiber-to-nematic droplet interactions, including perpendicular and axial or helicoidal planar molecular alignment. Spider silks align nematic molecules parallel to fibers or perpendicular to them, whereas cellulose aligns the molecules unidirectionally or helicoidally along the fibers, indicating notably different surface interactions. The nematic droplets as sensors thus directly reveal chirality of cellulosic fibers. Different fiber entanglements can be identified by depositing droplets exactly at the fiber crossings. More generally, the presented method can be used as a simple but powerful approach for probing the surface properties of small-size bioobjects, opening a route to their precise characterization.

Triple-Negative Myelofibrosis: Disease Features, Response to Treatment and Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Myelofibrosis is the most aggressive subtype among classical BCR::ABL1 negative myeloproliferative neoplasms. About 90% of cases are driven by constitutive activation of 1 of 3 genes impacting the JAK/STAT pathway: JAK2, CALR, and MPL. Triple-negative myelofibrosis (TN-MF) accounts for only 5%-10% of cases and carries the worst outcomes. Little has been described about this subset of disease. Given the marked heterogeneity surrounding disease biology, clonal architecture, clinical presentation, and poor outcomes in TN-MF, identification of features of interest and assessment of treatment response are areas in need of further investigation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We collected and evaluated baseline clinical and molecular parameters from 626 patients with a diagnosis of myelofibrosis who presented to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa (Florida, US) between 2003 and 2021 and compared them based on presence or absence of the three classical phenotypic driver mutations. RESULTS: A small proportion of patients (6%) harbored TN-MF which correlated with inferior outcomes, marked by a 4-year reduction in overall survival time compared to the non-TN cohort (mOS 37.4 months vs. 85.7 months; P = .009) and higher rates of leukemic transformation. More pronounced thrombocytopenia and anemia, lower LDH, EPO levels, as well as lower percentage of marrow blasts at baseline were more commonly seen in TN-MF (P < .05). Similarly, patients with TN-MF had higher risk disease per DIPSS+ and GIPSS. Mutations impacting RNA splicing, epigenetic modification and signaling, specifically SRSF2, SETBP1, IDH2, CBL, and GNAS, were more commonly seen among those lacking a classical phenotypic driver. The prevalence of co-mutant ASXL1/SRSF2 clones was significantly higher in TN-MF as was trisomy 8. TN patients had fewer responses (46.2% vs. 63.4%) and shorter duration of response to ruxolitinib. CONCLUSION: TN-MF is invariably associated with significantly decreased survival and more aggressive clinical behavior with higher rates of leukemic transformation and shorter duration of response to ruxolitinib. Mutations impacting RNA splicing, epigenetic modification and signaling (SRSF2, SETBP1, IDH2, CBL, and GNAS) are more common in TN-MF, which likely drive its aggressive course and may account for suboptimal responses to JAK inhibition.

Updates in Risk Stratification in Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

ABSTRACT: Risk stratification plays an essential role in treatment planning in myelodysplastic syndromes. For decades, the International Prognostic Scoring System and its revised version have provided unified consensus for clinical trial enrollment and design. These models relied on laboratory and cytogenetic data to estimate prognosis and dictate treatment paradigms. Critical developments in DNA sequencing techniques in recent years, as well as our growing understanding of the clonal dynamics of myelodysplastic syndromes and the role that specific mutations have in shaping disease-specific phenotypes and treatment susceptibilities, have made it possible to identify molecular markers that carry critical diagnostic and therapeutic relevance and remained unaccounted for in the older models. The Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System is a novel risk stratification model that integrates clinical, cytogenetic, and molecular data to devise a more refined prognostic tool that builds on the accuracy of the traditional models.

U2AF1 and EZH2 mutations are associated with nonimmune hemolytic anemia in myelodysplastic syndromes.

Hemolysis is a well-recognized but poorly characterized phenomenon in a subset of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Its pathobiological basis seems to underpin a nonimmune etiology whose clinical significance has not been adequately characterized. Hemolysis in MDS is often attributed to either ineffective intramedullary erythropoiesis or acquired hemoglobinopathies and red blood cell (RBC) membrane defects. These heterogeneous processes have not been associated with specific genetic subsets of the disease. We aimed to describe the prevalence of hemolysis among patients with MDS, their baseline characteristics, molecular features, and resulting impact on outcomes. We considered baseline serum haptoglobin <10 mg/dL a surrogate marker for intravascular hemolysis. Among 519 patients, 10% had hemolysis. The baseline characteristics were similar among both groups. Only 13% of patients with hemolysis were Coombs-positive, suggesting that hemolysis in MDS is largely not immune-mediated. Inferior survival trends were observed among lower-risk patients with MDS undergoing hemolysis. Decreased response rates to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) and higher responses to hypomethylating agents (HMA) were also observed in the hemolysis group. U2AF1 and EZH2 hotspot mutations were more prevalent among those undergoing hemolysis (P < .05). U2AF1 mutations were observed in 30% of patients with hemolysis and occurred almost exclusively at the S34 hotspot. Somatic mutations encoding splicing factors may affect erythrocyte membrane components, biochemical properties, and RBC metabolic function, which underpin the development of atypical clones from erythroid precursors in MDS presenting with hemolysis. Future studies will explore the contribution of altered splicing to the development of acquired hemoglobinopathies.

Sex Disparities in Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Genotype, Phenotype, and Outcomes.

Introduction/Background The impact of biological sex on the clinical phenotype, genotype, and outcomes among patients with MDS is not well characterized. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and genomic data from male and female patients included in our institutional MDS database at Moffitt Cancer Center. Results Among 4580 patients with MDS, 2922 (66%) were men and 1658 (34%) were women. Women were younger (mean age 66.5 vs. 69 years for men, P < .001) at diagnosis. There were more Hispanic/black women than men (9% vs. 5%, P =<.001). Women had lower hemoglobin and higher platelet counts than men. More women had del 5q/monosomy 5 abnormalities compared to men (P =<.001). Therapy related MDS were more common in women than men (25% vs.17%, P=<.001). On assessment of molecular profile, SRSF2, U2AF1, ASXL1, and RUNX1 mutations were more frequent in men. The median overall survival (mOS) was 37.5 months (mo) for females compared to 35 monthsfor males, (P = .002). The mOS was significantly prolonged for women in lower-risk MDS, but not in higher-risk MDS. Women were more likely to respond to immunosuppression with ATG/CSA than men (38% vs. 19%, P= 0.04).Conclusion Ongoing research is needed for understanding the impact of sex on phenotype, genotype, and outcomes in patients diagnosed with MDS.

Utilization of Serial Next-Generation Sequencing Among Patients Receiving CPX-351 for Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: The phase III trial that led to the approval of CPX-351 for treating secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) in 2017 did not study the effect of specific mutations on outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective study was done to evaluate the effect of next-generation sequencing (NGS) results at the time of best response and before allogeneic stem cell transplant (alloSCT) in patients treated with CPX-351 as frontline therapy for sAML between 2017 and 2021. RESULTS: The most common mutations seen were DNMT3A (n = 17, 29.8%), SRSF2 (n = 13, 22.8%), RUNX1 (n = 13, 22.8%), TET2 (n = 9, 15.8%), ASXL1 (n = 9, 15.8%), and BCOR (n = 9, 15.8%). Median OS (mOS) for the entire cohort was 47 months. Though 64.7% patients cleared the DNMT3A mutation, only 44.4% and 22.2% of patients cleared the TET2 and ASXL1 mutations, respectively. The mOS for patients who cleared their mutations vs. for those who did not was not significantly longer (46 vs. 30 months; P = .991). The relapse-free survival (RFS) for patients who cleared mutations was numerically longer compared to those who had persistent mutations; however, this did not reach statistical significance (44 months vs. 26 months; P = .786). CONCLUSION: This is the first study reporting NGS at best response and before alloSCT and its effect on OS and RFS. We found that OS and RFS were numerically longer among patients who cleared mutations; however, this did not reach statistical significance. In addition, alloSCT led to improved RFS irrespective of mutational clearance.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of EZH2-mutant myelodysplastic syndrome: A large single institution analysis of 1774 patients.

EZH2 mutations in myeloid neoplasms are loss of function type, and have been linked to poor overall survival (OS) in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). However, the specific determinants of outcomes in EZH2-mutant (mut) MDS are not well characterized. In this single-center retrospective study, clinical and genomic data were collected on 1774 patients with MDS treated at Moffitt Cancer Center. In our cohort, 83 (4.7%) patients had a pathogenic EZH2 mutation. Patients with EZH2mut MDS were older than EZH2-wild type (wt) group (median age- 72 vs. 69 years, p = 0.010). The most common co-occurring mutation in EZH2mut MDS was ASXL1, with a significantly higher frequency than EZH2wt (54% vs. 19%, p < 0.001). Patients with EZH2mut MDS had lower response rates to hypomethylating agents compared to EZH2wt MDS (26% vs. 39%; p = 0.050). Median OS of patients with EZH2mut MDS was 30.8 months, with a significantly worse OS than EZH2wt group (35.5 vs. 61.2 months, p = 0.003) in the lower-risk IPSS-R categories. Among patients with EZH2mut MDS, co-presence of ASXL1 or RUNX1 mutations was associated with inferior median OS compared to their wt counterparts (26.8 vs. 48.7 months, p = 0.031). Concurrent chromosome 7 abnormalities (12%) were also associated with significantly worse OS (median OS- 20.8 vs. 35.5 months, p = 0.002) in EZH2mut MDS. Future clinical trials should explore the potential role of novel targeted therapies in improving outcomes in patients with EZH2mut MDS.

Assessment and validation of the molecular international prognostic scoring system for myelodysplastic syndromes.

The Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-M) is a novel risk stratification model for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) that builds on the IPSS and IPSS-R by incorporating mutational data. The model showed improved prognostic accuracy over the IPSS-R across three endpoints: overall survival (OS), leukemia-free survival (LFS) and leukemic transformation. This study aimed to validate the findings of the original in a large cohort of MDS patients, as well as assess its validity in therapy-related and hypoplastic MDS. We retrospectively reviewed clinical, cytogenetic and molecular data for 2355 MDS patients treated at the Moffitt Cancer Center. Correlative analysis between IPSS-R and mean IPSS-M scores and outcome predictions was performed on LFS, OS and leukemic transformation. Using the IPSS-M, patients were classified as Very Low (4%), Low (24%), Moderate-Low (14%), Moderate-High (11%), High (19%) and Very-High risk (28%). Median OS was 11.7, 7.1, 4.4, 3.1, 2.3, and 1.3 years from VL to VH risk subgroups. Median LFS was 12.3, 6.9, 3.6, 2.2, 1.4, and 0.5 years respectively. For patients with t-MDS and h-MDS the model retained its prognostic accuracy. Generalized use of this tool will likely result in more accurate prognostic assessment and optimize therapeutic decision-making in MDS.

It is time to shift the treatment paradigm in myelodysplastic syndromes: A focus on novel developments and current investigational approaches exploring combinatorial therapy in high-risk MDS.

Higher risk myelodysplastic syndromes are defined as a subset of disease with higher risk of AML transformation and poor overall survival. For decades, therapeutic options for high-risk MDS have been limited to allogeneic stem cell transplant (the only option for cure but limited to only a handful of patients) or hypomethylating agents, with the goal to alter the natural history of disease, delay progression and improve survival, while addressing cytopenias, transfusion requirements and improving quality of life. Recent developments in DNA sequencing and other technologies have shed significant light into the pathogenesis of MDS and led to rational and targeted drug development across a variety of therapeutic vulnerabilities, including disruption of protein ubiquitination through NAE inhibition, selective modulation of macrophage activity and immune checkpoint inhibition through blockade of TIM-3. This review highlights some of the most promising agents in recent drug development and their therapeutic efficacy in the management of high-risk MDS, and further explores the rationale behind potential combinatorial approaches using an HMA backbone to synergistically improve treatment outcomes.

Therapeutic Advances for Pancreatic Cancer: a Slow and Challenging Feat that Continues to Evolve.

Despite precision medicine and advances in oncology such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy that have made substantial strides in certain solid malignancies, effective treatment options are still needed for pancreatic cancer, a highly-lethal disease with a dismal prognosis. Current treatment regimens with antimetabolites and taxanes have only modestly improved survival rates, and surgery remains the only curative measure, with just a minority of patients being eligible for curative surgery at the time of diagnosis. The role of traditional anti-cancer approaches such as radiation has yet to be definitively determined for this malignancy, and more contemporary approaches such as targeted therapy are limited in pancreatic cancer. Exploring alternate expression pathways that can be selectively targeted along with the combination of existing strategies with checkpoint inhibition or CAR-T technology, for example, may prove to be successful in making significant headway for this disease.

Adult Langerhans cell histiocytosis presenting with multisystem involvement and sarcomatoid features: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Langerhans cell tumors are rare clonal disorders characterized by neoplastic proliferation of dendritic cells that can be further classified into the subtypes Langerhans cell histiocytosis and Langerhans cell sarcoma, which are rare neoplasms exhibiting aggressive features and a poor prognosis. In addition to illustrating the refractoriness and poor outcomes of multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis in adults, specific events in this case highlight important characteristics of disease biology that warrant detailed discussion and exposition to a wider audience. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a 42-year-old Caucasian man with Langerhans cell histiocytosis diagnosed from a lesion on the left arm that presented with constitutional symptoms, early satiety, and weight loss. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed extensive esophageal and duodenal involvement by Langerhans cell histiocytosis with features of Langerhans cell sarcoma. He was initially treated for Langerhans cell histiocytosis with low doses of cytarabine until he eventually presented clear transformation to acute monoblastic leukemia with complex karyotype that could not be properly controlled, leading eventually to death. CONCLUSIONS: Langerhans cell histiocytosis remains an exceedingly rare entity in adults, frequently presenting as multisystem disease with risk organ involvement. Langerhans cell sarcoma represents an aggressive subtype with extremely poor prognosis for which intensive acute myeloid leukemia induction should be strongly considered.

Endogenous Endophthalmitis Heralding Central Nervous System Involvement by Nocardia Farcinica.

Nocardiosis is an uncommon opportunistic infection caused by aerobic, gram-positive, weakly acid-fast, filamentous bacteria of the genus Nocardia that presents as a suppurative disease in immunocompromised hosts. Herein the authors describe the case of an elderly male with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) on chronic immunosuppressive therapy that presented initially with visual symptoms and developed focal neurological deficits. Nocardia should be considered as a potential pathogen in any immunosuppressed patient presenting with endogenous endophthalmitis and new-onset focal neurological deficits. Early recognition and treatment may prevent irrevocable neurological compromise stemming from misdiagnosis.

Spontaneous remission of acute myeloid leukemia with NF1 alteration.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is defined by the presence of ≥ 20% myeloblasts in the blood or bone marrow. Spontaneous remission (SR) of AML is a rare event, with few cases described in the literature. SR is generally associated with recovery from an infectious or immunologic process, and more recently possibly with clonal hematopoiesis. We review the literature and assess the trends associated with SR, and report a new case of a 58-year-old man with a morphologic diagnosis of AML associated with a severe gastrointestinal (GI) tract infection. The patient had an NF1 variant that was previously unreported in AML as the only clonal abnormality.  After treatment of the infection, the increased blast population subsided with no leukemia-directed therapy, and the patient has remained in a continuous, spontaneous complete remission for > 2 years.

Anchoring Bias, Lyme Disease, and the Diagnosis Conundrum.

Lyme disease remains the most common vector-borne disease in North America. This academic teaching case highlights a full diagnostic workup fueled by anchoring bias, resulting in a presumptive diagnosis of early disseminated Lyme meningitis. Patient report of direct tick exposure, neurocranial defects, and equivocal serologies, despite geographic region of low pretest probability, confounded the clinical picture. Infectious workup confirmed the true diagnosis to be aseptic meningitis due to enterovirus. This clinical vignette acknowledges the habitual anchoring biases in the daily decision-making among internists and trainees contributing to misdiagnoses and subsequently, overtreatment.

Aplasia in Chronic Phase CML Post-TKI Therapy: A Management Dilemma.

Transient cytopenias and bone marrow hypoplasia commonly occur during treatment of CML with TKIs (tyrosine kinase inhibitors). This is usually related to the eradication of CML clones that initially compose the majority of hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow at the time of diagnosis. With continuation of effective therapy, normal blood counts return as normal hematopoiesis is restored and CML clones are reduced. Though rare and more unusual than myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), isolated instances of persistent marrow aplasia have been documented with chronic use of TKIs. We describe two such instances of chronic phase CML where no significant reduction of CML clones was achieved following treatment with TKIs, but bone marrow aplasia occurred resulting in persistent dysfunctional hematopoiesis. Due to prolonged aplasia/hypoplasia, such patients are no longer amenable to TKI treatment. CML progression to accelerated or blast phase in that setting would likely be fatal.

Kaposiform Hemangioendothelioma of the GI Tract: An Exception to Occam's Principle in an Adult with SBO.

Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is a rare and locally aggressive vascular tumor with histological features resembling Kaposi sarcoma and capillary hemangioma mainly occurring in children and adolescents. Approximately 200 cases have been reported since its original description in 1993, with the vast majority presenting at an early age as raised ill-defined lesions with a red-blue hue mainly involving the skin and soft tissues in the extremities. Cases in adults remain extremely rare. Herein, we describe the case of a 29 year-old man who presented with progressive abdominal pain for 4 months and signs of obstipation found to be consistent with small bowel volvulus. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy and resection of 55 cm of necrotic small bowel followed by enteroenterostomy and anastomosis. Microscopic examination revealed KHE involving small intestinal mesentery, muscularis propria, and submucosa. His recovery was uneventful and he was discharged after stabilization, opting to manage him expectantly with abdominopelvic imaging and to monitor for development of Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon. To our knowledge, this represents the first reported case of this entity presenting as intestinal obstruction in an adult for which we also present a review of the existing literature and possible treatment options.