Pulmonary Hypertension Is Associated with Poor Outcomes in Patients with Myeloproliferative Neoplasms and Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract Background: Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a group of disorders of clonal hematopoiesis and include essential thrombocythemia (ET), polycythemia vera (PV) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). Cardiovascular disease, including atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), pulmonary hypertension (PH), and atherosclerotic heart disease, is an underappreciated cause of morbidity and mortality in MPNs. Additionally, MPNs harbor mutations commonly seen in clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) which has been shown to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk. PH has been associated with MPN and MPN-associated PH is classified as group 5 PH according to the World Health Organization. Although studies have shown PH to occur in between 3.8% to 58% of patients with PMF and has been associated with decreased overall survival in PV, its impact on cardiovascular prognosis, including cardiovascular death (CV death), in patients with MPN has been understudied. Our study aims to investigate the prognostic implication of PH in a high risk MPN population, those with cardiovascular disease. Methods: Our study is a single center retrospective cohort study. Using an institutional database, we identified 197 patients with MPN (ET, PV or PMF) who had cardiovascular disease (AF, hospitalization for HF or acute coronary syndrome after MPN diagnosis) and had undergone right heart catheterization (RHC) or transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). PH was defined as either a mean pulmonary artery pressure ≥ 20 mmHg on RHC or estimated right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) ≥ 50 mmHg on TTE. Our primary outcome was CV death (death due to pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, stroke, arrhythmia, sudden death or HF). Other outcomes of interest included all-cause mortality, HF hospitalization, VTE and arterial thrombosis. Continuous variables were compared using Student's t-test, categorical variables and outcomes were compared with the Fisher exact test. We used a Fine-Gray model to determine the effect of PH on CV death using other causes of death as competing events. To investigate the effect of PH on our outcomes we also used a multivariable logistic regression model using age, sex, MPN type, MPN treatment, arterial and venous thrombosis prior to and after MPN diagnosis, diabetes, prior HF diagnosis, HF hospitalization after MPN diagnosis, AF, hyperlipidemia, leukemic or secondary myelofibrosis transformation, and diabetes as co-variables. Results: There were 92 patients with PH and 105 patients without PH. Median age at MPN diagnosis was higher in PH vs non-PH patients (73 vs 71, p = 0.038). The median time to diagnosis of PH from MPN diagnosis was 69 months (IQR 43, 113). Patients with PH had higher rates of prior HF (54% vs 32%, p = 0.001) and hypertension (83% vs 64%, p = 0.004), but lower rates of AF (64% vs 79%, p = 0.026) compared with patients without PH. MPN types and driver mutations were not statistically significant between PH and non-PH groups. More patients with PH had leukemic or secondary myelofibrosis transformation compared with patients without PH (23% vs 11%, p = 0.037). Patients with PH had higher rates of CV death (35% vs 9%, p < 0.0001), all-cause death (58% vs 37%, p = 0.004), HF hospitalization (73% vs 36%, p < 0.0001) and VTE (25% vs 12%, p = 0.027) but not arterial thrombosis (39% vs 41%, p = 0.88). Cumulative incidence of CV death was higher in PH compared with non-PH patients (Figure 1A, Fine-Gray HR 5.53, 95% CI 2.58-11.85). After multivariable regression, PH was associated with higher odds of CV death (Figure 1B, aOR 6.1, 95% CI 2.2-19.0), VTE (aOR 3.3, 95% CI 2.0-25.5), HF hospitalization (aOR 3.9, 95% CI 1.6-10.2) but not all-cause death (aOR 1.5, 95% CI 0.7-3.2) or arterial thrombosis (aOR 0.9, 95% CI 0.4-1.9), Figure 1B. Conclusions: In patients with MPN and cardiovascular diseases, PH is associated with worse outcomes including CV death, VTE, HF hospitalization and leukemic/secondary myelofibrosis transformation compared with patients without PH. More investigation is needed but our results suggests early screening for PH may be beneficial in this patient population. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Neuberg: Madrigal Pharmaceuticals: Other: Stock ownership; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding. Rosovsky: Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Inari: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Dova: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Hobbs: Bayer: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; AbbVie.: Consultancy.

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BAX-Mutated Clonal Hematopoiesis in Patients on Long-Term Venetoclax for Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2020-137775 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 9-10

Author(s):

Piers Blombery ◽

Ella R Thompson ◽

Xiangting Chen ◽

Tamia Nguyen ◽

Mary Ann Anderson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Advisory Committee ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Research Funding ◽

Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Clonal Hematopoiesis ◽

Eliza Hall Institute ◽

Hall Institute ◽

Over Time

Venetoclax (Ven) is an effective element of treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with high response rates observed in the upfront and relapsed/refractory (R/R) settings. In addition to inducing apoptosis in CLL cells, Ven also induces apoptosis within normal and malignant myeloid lineage populations (accounting for its efficacy in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia). We investigated the effects of Ven outside the target tumor compartment in patients (pts) with CLL receiving long-term continuous Ven and make the novel observation of the development of BAX-mutated clonal hematopoiesis in this heavily pre-treated patient group. 92 pts with CLL receiving continuous non time-limited Ven have been treated at our institutions on clinical trials. Of these, 41 had sufficient (>6 mo) follow up (median 70; range 14-95 mo) and suitable samples available for further analysis. 38/41 (93%) pts had received previous treatment with alkylators and/or fludarabine. In order to assess the non-CLL compartment in these 41 pts we identified those with peripheral blood or bone marrow aspirate samples taken during deep response to Ven demonstrating either minimal (<5%) or no CLL involvement by flow cytometry (sensitivity 10-4). We initially performed unique molecular index (UMI)-based targeted next generation sequencing of apoptosis pathway genes as well a panel of 60 genes recurrently mutated in lymphoid and myeloid malignancy. From these 41 pts we identified mutations in the apoptosis effector BAX in samples from 12 (29%). 20 different BAX mutations were observed across these 12 pts at variant allele frequencies (VAF) consistent with their occurrence in the non-CLL compartment. Mutations included frameshift, nonsense, canonical splice site and missense mutations occurring in key structural elements of BAX consistent with a loss-of-function mechanism (Fig 1A). Interestingly, an enrichment of missense and truncating mutations predicted to escape nonsense mediated decay were observed at the C-terminus of the BAX protein affecting the critical α9 helix. Mutations in this region have previously been shown in cell lines to cause aberrant intracellular BAX localization and abrogation of normal BAX function in apoptosis (Fresquet Blood 2014; Kuwana J Biol Chem 2020). For comparison, NGS targeted sequencing for BAX mutations was performed on samples from cohorts of pts with (i) myeloid or lymphoid malignancy (n=80) or (ii) R/R CLL treated with BTK inhibitors (n=15) after a similar extent of preceding chemotherapy. Neither of these cohorts had previous exposure to Ven. BAX mutations were not detected in any samples from these pts. Longitudinal sampling from pts on Ven harboring BAX mutations in the non-CLL compartment was performed to further understand compartment dynamics over time (in 9 pts over 21-93 months of follow up). Multiple pts demonstrated a progressive increase in VAF of single BAX mutations over time to become clonally dominant within the non-CLL compartment and with observed VAFs consistent with their presence in the myeloid compartment. Mutations in other genes implicated in clonal hematopoiesis and myeloid malignancy including ASXL1, DNMT3A, TET2, U2AF1 and ZRSR2 were also detected in these pts samples. Targeted amplicon single cell sequencing (Mission Bio) demonstrated the co-occurrence of clonally progressive BAX mutations within the same clones as mutations in DNMT3A and ASXL1 as well as the existence of further BAX mutations at low VAF outside these dominant clones which remained non-progressive over time (Fig 1B). In addition, fluctuations in the presence and VAF of myeloid-disease associated mutations was noted with Ven exposure. In aggregate these data are consistent with the existence of a selective pressure within the myeloid compartment of these pts and an interplay of BAX with other mutations in determining survival and enrichment of these clones over time with ongoing Ven therapy. In summary, we have observed the development of BAX-mutated clonal hematopoiesis specifically in pts with CLL treated with long-term Ven. These data are consistent with a multi-lineage pharmacological effect of Ven leading to a survival advantage for clones harboring BAX mutations within the myeloid compartment during chronic Ven exposure. Finally, our data support the further investigation of BAX mutations as a potential resistance mechanism in myeloid malignancies treated with Ven. Disclosures Blombery: Invivoscribe: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy; Janssen: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy. Anderson:Walter and Eliza Hall Institute: Patents & Royalties: milestone and royalty payments related to venetoclax.. Seymour:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Consultancy; Mei Pharma: Consultancy, Honoraria; Morphosys: Consultancy, Honoraria; Nurix: Honoraria; AbbVie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Tam:Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; BeiGene: Honoraria. Huang:Servier: Research Funding; Walter and Eliza Hall Institute: Patents & Royalties: milestone and royalty payments related to venetoclax.; Genentech: Research Funding. Wei:Janssen: Honoraria, Other; Walter and Eliza Hall Institute: Patents & Royalties; AMGEN: Honoraria, Other: Advisory committee, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Honoraria, Other: Advisory committee; Pfizer: Honoraria, Other: Advisory committee; Macrogenics: Honoraria, Other: Advisory committee; Abbvie: Honoraria, Other: Advisory committee, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Genentech: Honoraria, Other: Advisory committee; Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory committee; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Advisory committee, Speakers Bureau; Astra-Zeneca: Honoraria, Other: Advisory committee, Research Funding. Roberts:Janssen: Research Funding; Servier: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Genentech: Patents & Royalties: for venetoclax to one of my employers (Walter & Eliza Hall Institute); I receive a share of these royalties.

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Risk Factors for Thrombosis Among 1,545 Patients with Polycythemia Vera: An International Study.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v120.21.2849.2849 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 120 (21) ◽

pp. 2849-2849

Author(s):

Guido Finazzi ◽

Elisa Rumi ◽

Alessandro M. Vannucchi ◽

Maria Luigia Randi ◽

Ilaria Nichele ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Venous Thrombosis ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Arterial Thrombosis ◽

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Abnormal Karyotype ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Free Survival ◽

History Of

Abstract Abstract 2849 Background We have previously reported on the natural history of polycythemia vera (PV), focusing primarily on overall and leukemia-free survival (ASH Annual Meeting Abstracts. 2011;118(21):277-). In the current study, we present, on behalf of the International Working Group for Myeloproliferative neoplasms Resarch and Treatment (IWG-MRT), our analysis regarding risk factors for thrombosis. Methods Under the auspices of IWG-MRT, seven international centers of excellence for myeloproliferative neoplasms participated in the current study. The two principle investigators (AT and TB) reviewed all the cases and selected 1,545 patients who met the 2008 WHO criteria for PV, were age 18 years or older, diagnosed after 1970, and whose submitted data included diagnostically essential information. Results I: Presenting Features Median age was 61 years (range, 18–95; 51% females). Arterial and venous thrombosis history before or at diagnosis was documented in 246 (16%) patients and 114 (7.4%) patients, respectively. Major hemorrhage hemorrhage before or at diagnosis was documented in 17 (4.5%) patients. Other features at diagnosis included pruritus (36%), microvascular disturbances (28.5%), palpable splenomegaly (36%), abnormal karyotype (12%), leukoerythroblastosis (6%), increased LDH (50%), thrombocytosis (53%), extreme thrombocytosis (platelets >1 million mm3; 4%) leukocytosis (49%), JAK2 V617F (95%), other JAK2 mutations (3%), subnormal serum erythropoietin (Epo) level (81%), and endogenous erythroid colonies (EEC; 73%). History of hypertension (46%), hyperlipidemia (18.3%), diabetes (8.4%), and tobacco use (16%) was also obtained. Results II: Clinical Course To date, 347 (23%) deaths, 50 (3%) leukemic progressions, and 138 (9%) fibrotic transformations have been recorded. Overall, cytoreductive treatment was not used in 416 (27%) patients and the remaining were exposed to different agents based on physician discretion. Post-diagnosis arterial or venous thrombosis occurred in 184 (12%) and 137 (9%) patients, respectively. Results III: Risk Factors for thrombosis Arterial and venous thrombosis-free survival, from time of diagnosis, were separately analyzed using the occurrence of thrombosis as the endpoint (uncensored variable) and last follow-up or death before thrombosis as the censored variable. In univariate analysis, the following were significantly associated with post-diagnosis arterial thrombosis: advanced age, leukocyte count, presence of a leukoerythroblastic smear (LES), history of hypertension and history of arterial thrombosis before or at diagnosis; multivariable analysis using all these five parameters identified arterial thrombosis history (RR 2.5, 95% CI 1.6–4.0; p<0.0001), LES (RR 2.3, 95% CI 1.3–4.2; p=0.005) and history of hypertension (RR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.4; p=0.02) as independent predictors of post-diagnosis arterial thrombosis. Only two parameters predicted post-diagnosis venous thrombosis, in univariate analysis, and both remained significant during multivariable analysis: abnormal karyotype (RR 3.1, 95% CI 1.7–5.4; p=0.0001) and history of venous thrombosis (RR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2–4.9). Of note, the type of JAK2 mutation or presence of either subnormal Epo or EEC did not influence either arterial or venous thrombosis. Results IV: Risk Stratification for arterial and venous thrombosis The figures below illustrated arterial or venous thrombosis-free survival of patients stratified by the absence of all risk factors or presence of one or ≥2 risk factors. For arterial thrombosis, the presence of ≥2 risk factors clearly delineated a high risk group (RR 3.1, 95% CI 1.9–5.0) whereas the presence of one (RR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4–4.2) or two risk factors (RR 10.1, 95% CI 3.6–28.2) for venous thrombosis delineated an intermediate and high risk group, respectively. Conclusions: History of arterial thrombosis and venous thrombosis are key risk factors, respectively, for recurrent arterial and venous thrombosis in PV. In addition, abnormal karyotype is a strong independent risk factor for venous thrombosis and the presence of leukoerythroblastosis and hypertension, for arterial thrombosis. This information allows for a simple and practical risk stratification and raises interesting pathogenetic implications that require further clarification. Disclosures: Vannucchi: Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Gisslinger:Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Passamonti:Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi-Aventis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

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Dynamic Changes in Clonal Clearance with Decitabine Therapy in AML and MDS Patients

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v126.23.689.689 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 126 (23) ◽

pp. 689-689

Author(s):

John S. Welch ◽

Allegra Petti ◽

Christopher A. Miller ◽

Daniel C. Link ◽

Matthew J. Walter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Complete Remission ◽

Clinical Response ◽

Exome Sequencing ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Research Funding ◽

Bone Marrow Cells ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Clonal Hematopoiesis ◽

Clinical Responses

Abstract To determine how AML subclonal architecture changes during decitabine treatment, and whether specific mutations might correlate with sensitivity vs. resistance to decitabine, we performed exome sequencing at multiple time points during single agent decitabine therapy. We enrolled 69 patients with either AML (age ≥ 60, or with relapsed/refractory disease, N = 45) or MDS (N = 24) on a phase I clinical trial. All subjects were treated with decitabine 20 mg/m2 on days 1-10 of 28 day cycles. With a median follow-up of 13.7 months, the intention to treat clinical response (complete remission with or without complete count recovery: CR/CRi) is 40%, with survival correlating with response (median survival - CR/CRi: 583 days; partial response/stable disease (PR/SD): 260 days; progressive disease (PD) or failure to complete cycle 1: 36 days, p < 0.0001). We performed exome sequencing on unfractionated bone marrow cells at diagnosis (day 0), cycle 1 day 10, cycle 1 day 28, cycle 2 day 28, and, when possible, during remission and at clinical relapse/progression. We have completed sequencing analysis for the first 34 cases (outcomes: 5 CR, 15 CRi, 3 PR, 8 SD, and 3 PD). Several important themes have emerged, as follows: 1) We correlated mutation status at diagnosis with clinical response. All six patients with TP53 mutations obtained clinical CR or CRi, and exome analysis demonstrated near complete elimination of the TP53- associated founding clones by the end of cycle 2 (p < 0.03). Long-term outcomes were similar in these patients compared with other patients who achieved CR/CRi: four patients relapsed after 8, 9, 10, or 17 cycles; 1 patient is doing well post-transplant; and one patient died of an infectious complication after cycle 2. No other mutations were significantly associated with clinical response or with consistent mutation clearance. 2) We observed a reduction in blast counts, which preceded mutation elimination in fourteen cases with CR, CRi or PR. This suggests that decitabine may induce morphological blast differentiation in vivo prior to mutation elimination. 3) In eight of nine cases with a clinical response followed by relapse, clinical progression was associated with expansion of a pre-existing subclone. We have not yet observed any recurrent mutations that reliably predict whether a subclone will contribute to relapse. Intriguingly, in two of these cases, the relapse-associated subclone was detectable at diagnosis and was eliminated more slowly than the founding clone mutations, suggesting that this subclone harbored intrinsic decitabine-resistance. 4) Complete remission can occur with concomitant non-malignant, clonal hematopoiesis. In three cases with a CR, a new clonal population was selected for during the remission. In two of these cases, there were no shared mutations between the founding clone and the emergent, non-malignant, clonal hematopoiesis, suggesting that these clones were unrelated. 5) Mutational architecture is generally stable, but differential chemo-sensitivity can be detected even between subclones in the same patient. In ten cases with PR or SD, we observed minimal shifts within the mutational burden over the course of eight weeks, suggesting that "clonal drift" is a relatively slow process. However, in four cases with SD, what appeared clinically to be simple persistent disease was in fact a dynamic elimination of one subclone, and its replacement by a different subclone. Similarly, in three cases with CRi, we observed rapid clearance of a subclone with slower clearance of the founding clone, again suggesting differential chemo-sensitivity among subclones. 6) Finally, we correlated pharmacologic markers with clinical outcomes. We observed no correlation between steady-state plasma decitabine levels and clinical responses. Using Illumina 450k methylation arrays, we observed a correlation between response and the extent of decitabine-induced hypomethylation in total bone marrow cells that persisted on cycle 1 day 28 (p < 0.01), but not on cycle 1 day 10 (p < 0.1). In summary, these data reveal that response to decitabine is associated with morphologic blast clearance before mutations are eliminated, that relapse is associated with subclonal outgrowth that may be identified early in the treatment course, and that TP53 mutations may be predictive of rapid clinical responses, although, like most responses to decitabine, these are not necessarily durable. Disclosures Off Label Use: Decitabine treatment of AML.. Uy:Novartis: Research Funding. Oh:CTI Biopharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Abboud:Novartis: Research Funding; Gerson Lehman Group: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Teva Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Cashen:Celgene: Speakers Bureau. Schroeder:Celgene: Other: Azacitidine provided for this trial by Celgene; Incyte: Consultancy. Jacoby:Sunesis: Research Funding; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy.

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Clonal Hematopoiesis Prevalence Increases throughout Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patients

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2021-152025 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 1091-1091

Author(s):

Tarek H. Mouhieddine ◽

Chidimma Nzerem ◽

Robert A. Redd ◽

Andrew Dunford ◽

Matthew Joseph Leventhal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Myeloma ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Peripheral Blood ◽

Research Funding ◽

Hematologic Malignancy ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Clonal Hematopoiesis ◽

First Time ◽

Time Point

Abstract Background: Recent studies have identified clinical and genomic factors contributing to worse clinical outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) reflects the presence of somatic driver mutations in the blood or marrow of otherwise asymptomatic individuals. Using a variant allele frequency (VAF) cutoff of 2%, we recently reported CH in 21.6% of MM patients at the time of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) and found it was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in those who did not receive maintenance therapy with an immunomodulatory drug (IMiD). However, this finding was based on a single tertiary center and only included MM patients who received ASCT. Methods: We studied a larger cohort of 986 newly diagnosed MM cases. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) data of peripheral blood and bone marrow samples of 986 MM patients (523 transplanted and 463 non-transplanted) from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Clinical Outcomes in MM to Personal Assessment of Genetic Profile (CoMMpass, NCT0145429) study were analyzed. Both peripheral blood and tumor samples were analyzed to filter out myeloma mutations that could be contaminating the peripheral blood. Given the lower depth of coverage compared to prior targeted sequencing studies, small clones with a VAF below 2% were not detected. Altogether, the WES samples had a total depth of coverage of 117.68X. All data were analyzed using R version 3.5.0 (R Core Team). Results: Among the total cohort, 113 CH mutations were detected in 101/986 (10.24%) patients. CH was detected in 42/523 (8.03%) transplanted patients, compared to 59/463 (12.74%) non-transplanted patients. The most commonly mutated genes were DNMT3A, TET2, ASXL1, PPM1D, and TP53. The median age of the cohort was 63 years (range: 27 - 93), 60% were male, and median follow-up was 3.9 years (95% CI: 3.7 - 4.0). The presence of CH was associated with age (69 vs. 62 years, P < 0.001). As expected, the median age of transplanted patients was lower (60 vs. 67 years) than in the non-transplanted group, which likely explains the higher prevalence of CH detected in the non-transplanted group. CH was associated with recurrent bacterial infections (P = 0.01) and increased cardiovascular disease (P = 0.006), but not with cerebrovascular disease (P = 0.74) or coagulopathies (P = 0.65). There was a trend towards worse PFS in non-ASCT patients with CH who were not treated with IMiDs (1.8 years) compared to non-CH IMiD-treated patients (2.7 years) (P < 0.001). A CH effect on PFS was not detected in ASCT patients. OS was not different in those with or without CH in both ASCT and non-ASCT groups. 8 (0.8%) patients developed a second hematologic malignancy. CH at the time of MM diagnosis was not associated with an increased risk of developing a second hematologic malignancy (P = 0.58). To determine whether CH clones emerged or evolved during treatment, we examined serial samples from 52 patients (36 ASCT patients and 16 non-transplanted patients) with sequential samples. The median time between the first and second time point was 3.1 years (range: 1.0 - 5.4 years). At the first time point, only 3/52 (5.8%) patients had CH, but that number increased to 13/52 (25.0%) at the second time point. Five out of the 13 (38%) were non-transplanted patients. All but 1 patient were exposed to IMiDs. The most common emerging mutated gene was DNMT3A, found in 7 patient samples at the second time point, compared to 2 patients at the first time point. Conclusion: Using WES in a large cohort of newly diagnosed MM patients, we detected CH in 10.2% (VAF ≥ 2%) of patients. CH and non-IMiD treatment confers a shorter PFS in non-transplanted MM patients. However, throughout IMiD-based treatment, MM patients tend to acquire and/or expand previously undetected CH clones, particularly DNMT3A. The clinical significance of this clonal expansion during therapy is yet to be elucidated, and for now, this observation does not yet change clinical management. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Steensma: Novartis: Current Employment. Ebert: Deerfield: Research Funding; GRAIL: Consultancy; Exo Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Research Funding; Skyhawk Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Soiffer: NMPD - Be the Match, USA: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead, USA: Other: Career Development Award Committee; Rheos Therapeutics, USA: Consultancy; Kiadis, Netherlands: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Juno Therapeutics, USA: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Precision Biosciences, USA: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals, USA: Consultancy; Jasper: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Sperling: Adaptive: Consultancy. Getz: Scorpion Therapeutics: Consultancy, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; IBM, Pharmacyclics: Research Funding. Ghobrial: AbbVie, Adaptive, Aptitude Health, BMS, Cellectar, Curio Science, Genetch, Janssen, Janssen Central American and Caribbean, Karyopharm, Medscape, Oncopeptides, Sanofi, Takeda, The Binding Site, GNS, GSK: Consultancy.

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RON Kinase Is a Novel Therapeutic Target for Philadelphia-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2021-148192 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 1462-1462

Author(s):

Lindsay Meg Gurska ◽

Rachel Okabe ◽

Meng Maxine Tong ◽

Daniel Choi ◽

Kristina Ames ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Research Funding ◽

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms ◽

Marrow Transplant ◽

Jak Inhibitor ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Stat Signaling ◽

Genetic Deletion

Abstract The Philadelphia-chromosome negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), including polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocytosis (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF), are clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by the proliferation of one or more myeloid lineage compartments. Activation of JAK/STAT signaling is a major driver of all Ph-negative MPNs. During disease progression, MPN patients experience increased pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, leading to remodeling of the bone marrow microenvironment and subsequent fibrosis. The JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib is an approved targeted therapy for MPN patients and has shown promise in its ability to reduce splenomegaly and the cytokine storm observed in patients. However, JAK inhibitors alone are not sufficient to reduce bone marrow fibrosis or to eliminate the JAK2-mutated clone. Furthermore, JAK inhibitor persistence, or reactivation of JAK/STAT signaling upon chronic JAK inhibitor treatment, has been observed in both MPN mouse models and MPN patients. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new treatment options in MPN. The tyrosine kinase RON, a member of the MET kinase family, has well-characterized roles in erythroblast proliferation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. RON can be phosphorylated by JAK2 to stimulate erythroblast proliferation. However, the role of RON in MPN pathogenesis is unknown. We found that the ALK/MET/RON/ROS1 inhibitor crizotinib inhibited colony formation by MPN patient CD34+ cells, regardless of their disease subtype, mutation status, or JAK2 inhibitor treatment history (Figure 1A). To determine whether this is due to inhibition of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, we performed phospho-flow cytometry of STAT3 and STAT5 in myelofibrosis patient erythroblasts treated with crizotinib ex vivo as well as Western blot analysis in the JAK2-mutated cell lines SET2 and HEL. We found that crizotinib inhibits the phosphorylation of JAK2, STAT3, and STAT5 (Figure 1B). Since crizotinib has not been reported to directly inhibit JAK2, we asked whether these effects of crizotinib in MPN cells could be explained by RON inhibition. Consistent with this hypothesis, we observed that shRNA knockdown of multiple RON isoforms also decreases the phosphorylation of JAK2, STAT5, and STAT3 in HEL cells (Figure 1C-D). To determine whether crizotinib can alter the MPN disease course in vivo, we tested crizotinib by oral gavage in the MPLW515L bone marrow transplant murine model of myelofibrosis at 100mg/kg daily for 2 weeks. We showed that crizotinib decreased the disease burden of MPL-W515L mice, as evidenced by decreased spleen and liver weights (Figure 1E). To determine the effects of RON genetic deletion on MPN pathogenesis, we tested whether genetic deletion of Stk (mouse gene for RON) impairs disease progression in the JAK2V617F bone marrow transplant MPN model by transplanting Stk-/- c-Kit+ bone marrow cells transduced with the JAK2V617F-GFP retrovirus into lethally irradiated recipients. We observed a significant delay in disease onset in Stk-/- transplant recipients compared to WT controls (Figure 1F). However, we found that Stk-/- mice have normal numbers of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and normal bone marrow myeloid colony forming capacity, suggesting that RON is a safe therapeutic target. To determine whether RON plays a role in the JAK inhibitor persistence phenotype, we generated persistent cells by treating SET2 cells with increasing doses of ruxolitinib over 8 weeks, and confirmed persistent proliferation and JAK/STAT activation. Interestingly, we found that RON phosphorylation is enhanced in JAK inhibitor persistent cells, and that dual inhibition of RON and JAK2 overcomes JAK inhibitor persistence in SET2 cells (Figure 1G-H), suggesting that RON may potentiate the JAK2 persistence phenotype in response to ruxolitinib. Importantly, we showed by immunoprecipitation that phospho-RON and phospho-JAK2 physically interact in JAK inhibitor persistent SET2 cells, and that this interaction is disrupted by crizotinib (Figure 1I). In summary, our data demonstrate that RON kinase is a novel mediator of JAK/STAT signaling in MPNs, and that it plays a particularly important role in JAK inhibitor persistence. Our work suggests that therapeutic strategies to inhibit RON, such as crizotinib, should be investigated in MPN patients. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Halmos: Guardant Health: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Apollomics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; TPT: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Eli-Lilly: Research Funding; Advaxis: Research Funding; Blueprint: Research Funding; Elevation: Research Funding; Mirati: Research Funding; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Boehringer-Ingelheim: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Astra-Zeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Gritsman: iOnctura: Research Funding.

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The Impact of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs) on Patients' Quality of Life and Productivity: Results from the International MPN Landmark Survey

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v128.22.4267.4267 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 128 (22) ◽

pp. 4267-4267

Author(s):

Claire N. Harrison ◽

Steffen Koschmieder ◽

Lynda Foltz ◽

Paola Guglielmelli ◽

Tina Flindt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Board Of Directors ◽

Interim Analysis ◽

Research Funding ◽

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms ◽

Well Being ◽

Ability To Work ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

The Past ◽

Night Sweats ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV), and essential thrombocythemia (ET) are myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) whose associated disease burden includes a range of debilitating symptoms, thrombosis, hemorrhage, and shortened survival. To enhance patient care, it is important to understand the impact of MPNs in patients' lives; however, little is known regarding how these conditions affect patients' quality of life (QOL), activities of daily living, productivity, and emotional well-being. The US LANDMARK survey (Mesa et al. BMC Cancer 2016) captured data for US patients. Here, we present an interim analysis of results of another MPN LANDMARK survey conducted in the rest of the world. Methodology MPN LANDMARK survey is a cross-sectional survey of MPN patients across 6 countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Italy, and UK). Patients completed an online questionnaire to measure MPN related symptoms experienced over the past 12 months and the impact of their condition on their QOL and ability to work. Additional questions related to employment productivity and activity impairment (including absenteeism and loss of productivity over the past 7 days). Patients included in this interim analysis had completed the survey by July 18, 2016, with enrollment continuing in all countries. Results Patients: Overall, 437 patients had completed the survey (98 MF, 121 PV, 218 ET). For MF and PV, the male to female gender split was relatively even (54% male for each), whereas an expected greater proportion of ET patients was female (70%). Patients with MF were significantly older than PV and ET patients (mean ages, 62, 59, and 55 years, respectively) and more had been diagnosed within 2 years of experiencing their symptoms (83% MF, 67% PV, 71% ET). MPN Symptoms (Table): Most patients (94%) experienced MPN-related symptoms in the past 12 months. The most commonly reported symptom among all subtypes was fatigue (69% MF, 62% PV, 73% ET), incidence of other common symptoms varied depending on disease subtype (MF: shortness of breath [38%], bruising [36%], night sweats [35%], early satiety [33%]; PV: night sweats [36%], trouble concentrating [36%], trouble sleeping [34%], dizziness [34%]; ET: trouble sleeping [37%], dizziness [37%], bruising [35%], night sweats [35%]). When asked which symptom patients would most like to have resolved, most patients preferred to have feeling of fatigue/tiredness improved across all disease subtypes (31% MF, 30% PV, 33% ET). Patients experienced an average of 6.4 symptoms at diagnosis but this progressed to an average of 7.6 symptoms since diagnosis after a median time of 6 years. QOL: A majority of patients indicated that they experienced a reduction in QOL due to MPN symptoms (87% MF, 71% PV, 73% ET) with 33% and 26% of MF and ET patients expressing that their condition has caused emotional hardship, and one-third of patients with PV reporting that they have felt worried or anxious about their disease (39%). MPN Impact on Activity/Employment: Patients reported a high impact on their ability to work, 12% reported voluntarily leaving their job, 10% had taken early retirement, 10% had moved onto disability living allowance, 8% moved to a lower paid job, and 2% experienced involuntary loss of work (Table). Of the patients who were in full-time or part-time employment at the time of the survey (MF [n=17]), PV [n=41], ET [n=98]), approximately, 40% had been absent from work within the past 7 days; this was the highest in MF patients (41% MF, 38% PV, 33% ET). On an average, over the past 7 days, MF patients had missed 3.1 hours from work, PV patients 2.3 hours and ET patients 2 hours. Across all subgroups, a substantial proportion of patients reported impairment in work (mean: 34% MF, 33% PV, 31% ET) and overall activity (mean: 46% MF, 42% PV, 39% ET). Conclusions This interim analysis from the MPN LANDMARK survey indicates that MPN patients experience a high burden of disease, including a high prevalence of symptoms, an increase in the number of symptoms from diagnosis and reduction of their emotional well-being, QOL, and ability to work. These results are consistent with those from the previous US LANDMARK survey with the addition of novel data on how MPNs impact work. When treating MPN patients, care should be taken in trying to manage a patient's disease burden, so as to minimize the impact on a patient's daily life. Further results from additional survey responses will be presented at the congress. Disclosures Harrison: Baxaltra: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel, accommodations, expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte Corporation: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Shire: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Koschmieder:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Foltz:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Koehler:Novartis Inc. (Germany): Consultancy, Other: Training. Komatsu:Shire: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Boothroyd:Novartis: Employment, Equity Ownership. Spierer:Novartis: Employment. Ronco:Novartis: Employment. Taylor-Stokes:Adelphi Real World: Employment. Waller:Adelphi Real World: Employment. Mesa:Celgene: Research Funding; Galena: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; CTI: Research Funding; Ariad: Consultancy; Incyte: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding.

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Clinico-Molecular Features and Treatment Outcomes in Primary Myelofibrosis Phenotypes with Protracted Disease Dynamics

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2021-152026 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 2571-2571

Author(s):

Luis E. Aguirre ◽

Akriti G Jain ◽

Somedeb Ball ◽

Najla Al Ali ◽

Sara Marie Tinsley-Vance ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Board Of Directors ◽

Active Surveillance ◽

Research Funding ◽

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms ◽

Primary Myelofibrosis ◽

Lower Percentage ◽

Cancer Center ◽

Blast Phase ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Molecular Features

Abstract Background Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is the most aggressive subtype among classical BCR-ABL1 negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Driven by constitutive activation of the JAK/STAT pathway, its prognosis is defined by cardinal clinical, cytogenetic and molecular features. While most patients require therapy for symptomatic splenomegaly, disease-related symptoms, or cytopenias, asymptomatic lower-risk patients may be appropriately monitored with active surveillance. The aim of this study was to explore disease characteristics and outcomes among pts who remained on prolonged active surveillance compared to those who received early treatment. Methods We identified patients with confirmed MF (inclusive of primary MF and MF occurring after essential thrombocythemia or polycythemia vera) treated at Moffitt Cancer Center between 2003-2021. Patients were stratified into two cohorts: those remaining on active surveillance for ≥ 36 months following diagnosis and those who received within 36 months of diagnosis. Results Between August 2000 and March 2021, we identified 626 patients with a diagnosis of MF. Among these, 48 (8%) did not receive treatment for at least 3 years. Table 1 summarizes the baseline characteristics comparing those pts who remained on active surveillance for ≥ 36 months (LTO-MF) to those who received treatment within 36 months of diagnosis (ET-MF). The LTO cohort presented at a younger age (median age 63 vs 68; p = 0.001), but otherwise demographic variables were balanced between the two cohorts. LTO patients were more likely to have primary MF (85.4% vs 60.9%, p=0.003). LTO patients were less likely to have leukocytosis (28.2% vs 49.9%, p=0.01), and constitutional symptoms (29.8% vs 44.6%, p=0.05), while having a higher reticulocyte percentage (81.4% vs 64.1%, p=0.02). LTO patients also had lower platelet counts (mean: 274k vs 359k, p=0.006), lower percentage of circulating blasts (0.4% vs 1.2%, p<0.001), and lower percentage of marrow myeloblasts (1.3% vs 1.9%, p<0.001) at baseline. Cohorts had comparable rates of anemia, thrombocytopenia, transfusion dependence, LDH levels and splenomegaly at baseline. Interestingly, the cohorts were well-balanced in terms of risk score based across all major prognostic scoring systems: IPSS (p=0.356), DIPSS (p=0.764), DIPSS+ (p=0.148), GIPSS (p=0.125), MIPSS70 (p=0.924) and MIPSS70+ (p=0.407). There was no association between GPSS karyotype risk and need to start treatment earlier (p=0.481) (Table 1). LTO patients were less likely to harbor JAK2 mutations (58.3% vs 72.4%, p=0.04). No significant differences were seen regarding CALR (p=0.144), MPL (p= 0.271), or triple-negative disease (p=0.521) (Table 2). The median OS (mOS) for the entire population was 82.5 months (95%CI 69.4-95.5). LTO patients had longer OS (mOS 170.3 mo vs 63.9 mo; (p<0.001). Rates of transformation to blast phase were comparable (6.2% vs 9.7%;p=0.441), but median time to blast phase transformation was longer for LTO MF: 66.3 mo vs 29 mo, p=0.011). Expectedly, time to first treatment longer for LTO patients (62.1 mo vs 0.9 mo; (p<0.001). No differences were noted between cohorts in terms of response to ruxolitinib, duration of response to ruxolitinib or response to lenalidomide/thalidomide (p = 0.91, 0.90, 0.83, respectively) Conclusion In this single-center study of patients seen at a tertiary referral center, the vast majority of MF patient required treatment within 36 months of diagnosis. Those monitored with active surveillance were younger, had less proliferative signs/symptoms, were less likely to have JAK2 mutations, and more favorable outcomes. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Tinsley-Vance: Fresenius Kabi: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Incyte: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Honoraria; Jazz: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Taiho: Consultancy; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Speakers Bureau. Sallman: Magenta: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Syndax: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Speakers Bureau; Agios: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kite: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Aprea: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Shattuck Labs: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Intellia: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Sweet: Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Meyers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AROG: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Lancet: AbbVie: Consultancy; BerGenBio: Consultancy; ElevateBio Management: Consultancy; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy; Agios: Consultancy; Millenium Pharma/Takeda: Consultancy; Jazz: Consultancy. Padron: Incyte: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Taiho: Honoraria; Kura: Research Funding; Blueprint: Honoraria; Stemline: Honoraria. Kuykendall: Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Consultancy; BluePrint Medicines: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Protagonist: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Prelude: Research Funding; PharmaEssentia: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria; Celgene/BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; CTI Biopharma: Honoraria. Komrokji: AbbVie: Consultancy; Geron: Consultancy; Acceleron: Consultancy; BMSCelgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Taiho Oncology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Jazz: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; PharmaEssentia: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

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DNMT3A and TET2 mutant Clonal Hematopoiesis May Drive a Proinflammatory State and Predict Enhanced Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2021-150347 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 4295-4295

Author(s):

Abhay Singh Singh ◽

Nuria Mencia-Trinchant ◽

Elizabeth A. Griffiths ◽

Mahesh Swaminathan ◽

Matthew Gravina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Research Funding ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Advisory Board ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Clonal Hematopoiesis ◽

Serial Sample ◽

Serial Samples

Abstract Background. DNA methylation is a key epigenetic process involved in development, aging, and cancer. Mutations in DNMT3A and TET2 in the hematopoietic stem cell compartment lead to increased self-renewal. In addition to mutations in ASXL1, collectively, these DTA mutations are recognized as an aging phenomenon, known as the most common Clonal hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential (CHIP) mutations and alone are not predictive of increased risk for hematopoietic malignancy. Recently, DNMT3A mutations in donor hematopoietic cells were suggested to be associated with enhanced T-cell activity in allografted patients. Additionally, role of DNMT3A mutations in creating a proinflammatory state in cardiovascular disease setting and associated elevation of T-cell markers in the myocardium have been recently explored (Sano S et al. Circ Res. 2018). Since an inflamed tumor microenvironment is associated with improved immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) activity, we sought to determine the impact of CHIP (a proinflammatory state) on response to CPI and CPI's effects on clonal dynamics. Additionally, while classical chemotherapy (CTX) can create selective external pressure providing survival advantage to mutant stem cells, the selective pressure of T-cell activating therapies on hematopoietic stem cells is unclear. Methods. To study the relationship between CHIP and CPI, we used paired peripheral-blood samples taken before and after treatment with CPI therapy in patients (pts) with melanoma (MEL; n= 32) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC; n=109). Serial samples (or post CPI samples) were evaluable in 5 MEL pts and 6 NSCLC pts. Error-corrected sequencing of a targeted panel of genes recurrently mutated in clonal hematopoiesis (CH) was performed on peripheral blood genomic DNA. Statistical comparisons between baseline and serial sample VAFs were performed using two-sided fisher's exact test, with a p < 0.05 considered significant. Results. In both the MEL and NSCLC cohort, baseline samples were collected before extensive therapy exposure. 90% (29/32) of the MEL cohort had no CTX or targeted therapy prior to the baseline sample; 28% (9/32) had prior radiotherapy (RT). 10% (11/109) of the NSCLC cohort samples had prior CTX, but only 2 of these were treated for more than 1 month before sample collection. CH was frequent in these minimally pre-treated patient samples; 28.1% (9/32) and 37.6% (41/109) of the baseline MEL and NSCLC samples, respectively. As expected, DTA mutations were the most common events in these cohorts. Samples with CH were from patients of older age, but had normal hematological parameters with exception of increased RDW (p=0.022). Primary tumor responses in this cohort were defined as durable (receipt of ≥12 CPI cycles) or not durable (<12 cycles). DNMT3Amut patients (VAF ≥1%, n=5) had more durable responses, i.e. higher median number of CPI cycles (21 cycles, range:10-40) compared to non-DNMT3Amut pts (7 cycles, range:1-13; p= NS). Additionally, pts with larger DNMT3Amut clones (figure 1- MEL cohort) tended to receive higher numbers of CPI cycles. In the serial sample analysis, we observed that mutations in DNMT3A and TET2 increased in size with longer CPI exposures (Figure 2, MEL cohort); pts 2, 3 and 5 received 13, 15 and 18 CPI cycles respectively, while pt 4 with the most notable clonal expansion in DNMT3A received 40 CPI cycles. All serial samples in MEL cohort showed a statistically significant change in VAF from baseline. In the serial sample analysis of NSCLC pts, we observed that those with ≥ 3 months of CPI exposure demonstrated decreases in clone size for non-DTA gene mutations such as SRCAP, STK11 and TPM1 (Table 1), but increases or stability in DNMT3A and TET2 mutations (Table 1). However, this VAF increase in DNMT3A and TET2 mutations in NSCLC cohort was not statistically significant. Conclusions. In this small cohort of pts with MEL and NSCLC, the presence of DNMT3A/TET2 CH was associated with longer checkpoint inhibitor exposure and increased allelic frequency over time. These findings need further validation in larger cohorts and delineation of the relationship between DTA mutations such as DNMT3A and enhanced immune activity. Acknowledgement: Data and samples for this study were provided by the Data Bank and BioRepository (DBBR), which is funded by the National Cancer Institute (P30 CA016056) and is a Roswell Park Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant shared resource. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Griffiths: Taiho Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria; Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria; Boston Biomedical: Consultancy; Astex Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Apellis Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Takeda Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria. Hassane: Tempus Labs, Inc: Current Employment. Guzman: SeqRx: Consultancy; BridgeMedicines: Consultancy; Cellectis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Daiichi Sankyo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Wang: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kite Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Kura Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, steering committee, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Mana Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board, Speakers Bureau; Stemline Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; DAVA Oncology: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Rafael Pharmaceuticals: Other: Data safety monitoring committee; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; PTC Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Genentech: Consultancy; MacroGenics: Consultancy.

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Phase II Trial of SGI-110 (Guadecitabine) in Philadelphia Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2019-127663 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 1666-1666

Author(s):

Pinkal Desai ◽

Niamh Savage ◽

Spencer Krichevsky ◽

Tania Curcio ◽

Sangmin Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Research Funding ◽

Progressive Disease ◽

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms ◽

Philadelphia Chromosome ◽

Advisory Board ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Advisory Committees

Introduction: Philadelphia negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (Ph- MPN) are hematopoietic stem cell malignancies associated with poor median survival of 12.4 months. They are often excluded from clinical trials because there are no accepted standards for treatment or assessment of disease response. SGI-110 (guadecitabine) is a second-generation DNA hypomethylating agent (HMA) that is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. Guadecitabine was designed to resist degradation by protein aminases and prolong the exposure of tumor cells to the active metabolite decitabine. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy and safety of SGI-110 in Philadelphia chromosome negative MPNs (Ph- MPN) and to also test the clinical applicability of the International IWG MDS/MPN response criteria in a prospective trial1. Methods: This is an interim analysis of an open label single-arm, single-institution study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SGI-110 in Philadelphia chromosome negative (Ph-) myeloproliferative Neoplasms as classified by WHO, including chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL), atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm unclassifiable, accelerated phase myelofibrosis and MPN unclassifiable (defined as peripheral and or bone marrow blasts of 10-19%). PV, ET and primary/secondary myelofibrosis were excluded. Patients were required to complete at least 3 cycles of guadecitabine to be considered evaluable for efficacy. Safety analyses were done on all patients who received any treatment with guadecitabine. Guadecitabine was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 60mg/m2 on days 1-5 repeated every 28 days. The IWG MDS/MPN response classification was used to assess treatment response. Results: Baseline characteristics of the study participants are presented in Table 1. Among the 20 treated patients, 2 (10.0%) were treated with previous HMAs, 3 had progressive disease, 1 transferred care, 7 were not yet evaluable for response, and 1 died after receiving only 2 cycles of treatment. Of the 13 evaluable, protocol specific response was seen in 8 (61.5%) patients: 2 (15.4%) achieved complete remission (CR), 3 (23.1%) with optimal marrow response (OMR), 3 (23.1%) with hematological response/clinical benefit (CB). Stable disease was seen in 4 patients (30.8%). Of the 7 patients that were inevaluable: 3 had progressive disease before completing 3 cycles, 2 received <3 cycles of therapy, 1 discontinued treatment due to personal choice, and 1 patient died from infection after receiving 2 cycles of treatment. The median overall survival (OS) for all evaluable patients was 27.4 months with 25.8 months for responders. Median OS for patients who achieved CR was 27.4 months and 25.0 months for OMR. For patients with CB, mean survival was 21.0 months. There was 1 patient with stable disease with prolonged survival (21 cycles), which elevated the mean survival to 26.0 months for the SD category. The median number of cycles to achieve a response was 3. The median times to first and best response were 3.6 and 3.8 months, respectively. The combination of ASXL1 and EZH2 mutations was associated with rapid progression. The most common AEs and SAEs related to guadecitabine are listed in Tables 2 and 3 respectively. Conclusion: SGI-110 was safe and well tolerated in patients with Ph negative MPN, with encouraging efficacy in this difficult-to-treat patient population. Further investigation of this agent in MDS/MPN overlap syndromes is warranted, and the present trial is ongoing. 1. Savona MR, Malcovati L, Komrokji R, et al. An international consortium proposal of uniform response criteria for myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) in adults. Blood. Mar 19 2015;125(12):1857-1865. Disclosures Desai: Cellerant: Consultancy; Astex: Research Funding; Astellas: Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy. Lee:Helsinn: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Consultancy; Roche Molecular Systems: Consultancy; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Consultancy; Ai Therapeutics: Research Funding. Ritchie:Celgene, Incyte, Novartis, Pfizer: Consultancy; Ariad, Celgene, Incyte, Novartis: Speakers Bureau; AStella, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, NS Pharma, Pfizer: Research Funding; Celgene, Novartis: Other: travel support; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Celgene: Other: Advisory board; Pfizer: Other: Advisory board, travel support; agios: Other: Advisory board; Tolero: Other: Advisory board; Genentech: Other: Advisory board. Roboz:Trovagene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sandoz: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche/Genentech: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astex: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bayer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celltrion: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Eisai: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Jazz: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; MEI Pharma: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Orsenix: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Otsuka: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Agios: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Actinium: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amphivena: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Argenx: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

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Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) Is a Risk Factor for Venous Thrombosis in Polycythemia Vera

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2021-146793 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 1499-1499

Author(s):

Alessandra Carobbio ◽

Alessandro Vannucchi ◽

Paola Guglielmelli ◽

Giuseppe Gaetano Loscocco ◽

Ayalew Tefferi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factor ◽

Venous Thrombosis ◽

Polycythemia Vera ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Arterial Thrombosis ◽

Research Funding ◽

Multivariate Model ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Thrombotic Risk ◽

Lymphocyte Ratio

Abstract Background. The tendency towards thrombosis in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) is linked to the JAK2-mutant clone which leads to hypercellularity and functional interplay between abnormal erythrocytes, platelets, leukocytes and dysfunctional endothelium. The resulting cell activation that also involves stromal cells in their microenvironment, has been shown associated with chronic, systemic, subclinical pro-inflammatory state, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of thrombosis in MPN. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a novel inflammatory marker found to be associated with the severity and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases but there is little evidence for its prognostic significance in MPN. We investigated whether NLR could predict the onset of arterial and venous thrombosis in polycythemia vera (PV). Methods. Subjects of this study were 1508 patients included in the ECLAP trail with NLR evaluation available. In addition to standard statistical methods, we used proportional hazards additive models (GAM) as they can provide an excellent fit in the presence of nonlinear relationships, for the prediction of total, arterial and venous thrombosis as smooth functions with cubic splines of different blood parameters. Results. After a median follow-up of 2.76 years, 169 thrombotic events (10.3%) were objectively diagnosed and analyzed: 87 arterial (MI, Stroke, TIA, PAT) and 88 venous thrombosis (DVT±PE, superficial thrombophlebitis). In univariate analysis, arterial thrombosis was associated with age (p=0.003) and previous thrombosis, especially if arterial (p<0.001), and with the presence of at least one cardiovascular risk factor (p=0.009). No association between baseline platelet and leukocyte counts and NLR with arterial events was found. Conversely, in venous thrombosis, beside age (p=0.039) and history of venous thrombosis (p<0.001), additional risk factors were low hemoglobin (p=0.039) and increasing values of NLR (p=0.002) resulting from a simultaneous increase of neutrophils (p=0.002) and to a decrease of absolute number lymphocytes (p=0.002).To predict outcomes, we tested total leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets and NLR by GAM to evaluate their trend in continuous scale of thrombotic risk. A significant association between the risk of venous thrombosis and the progressive lower counts of lymphocytes (p=0.002) emerged, leading to increase the NLR values (p=0.005). However, given the greater precision of the NLR estimates and the markedly wide confidence interval of lymphocyte counts estimates, NLR was used in multivariate model. Conversely, neither absolute values of neutrophils and lymphocytes nor NLR were found associated with arterial events.In multivariate model, adjusted for age, gender and treatments at baseline, the risk of venous thrombosis was independently associated with previous venous events (HR=5.48, p ≤0.001) and NLR values ≥5 -the best cut-off resulted applying the Liu's method (HR=2.13, p=0.001). NLR effect for total venous thrombosis was not modified by excluding superficial venous thrombosis (HR=2.90, p=0.001) in a sensitivity analysis. Older age (i.e., ≥65 years, HR=1.88, p=0.005) and previous arterial thrombosis (HR=1.92, p=0.003) retained the prognostic statistical significance for arterial thrombosis.Our learning cohort findings, indicating a correlation between NLR values and venous thrombosis, have been validated in two Italian independent external cohorts (Florence, n=282 and Rome, n=173) of contemporary PV patients (Figure 1). Conclusions. The NLR is an inexpensive and easily accessible test compared to other inflammatory markers. We found that NLR-alone is an independent predictor of venous thrombosis and could be included in a new scoring system. In addition to guiding the stratification of thrombotic risk, these data confirm that inflammation is a relevant target of antithrombotic therapy in PV. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Vannucchi: Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Barbui: AOP Orphan: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

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