Spleen and Liver Fibrosis Is Associated to Treatment Response and Prognosis in Philadelphia-Negative Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Abstract Introduction: Spleen and liver stiffness, investigated by transient elastography (TE), have been associated with marrow fibrosis in patients (pts) with Ph-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) (Iurlo et al, Br J Haematol. 2015; Webb et al, Ultrasound Q. 2015). Morover, spleen stiffness was found to be greater in Myelofibrosis (MF) and Polycythemia Vera (PV) compared to Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) (Benedetti et al, J Clin Med. 2020). Tissue stiffness can be assessed by ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE), the two most common techniques being point SWE (pSWE) and bidimensional SWE (2D.SWE). Aims: The aims of this study are: 1) to identify TE differences between MPN pts and healthy volunteers (HV); 2) to evaluate specific TE features in pts with MF, PV and ET; 3) to assess whether spleen/liver stiffness may identify clinical-laboratory features associated with prognosis in MPNs Methods: In this monocentric study, MPN pts and HV received elastometric evaluation of spleen and liver stiffness by pSWE and 2D.SWE with an Esaote MyLab™9 ultrasound system. Spleen area, portal (PVD) and splenic vein diameter (SVD) were measured. Results: A total of 220 pts were included in this study: 142 (64.5%) MPN and 78 (35.5%) HV. MPN pts were affected by MF (63, 44.4%: 39 primary MF), PV (33, 23.2%) or ET (46, 32.4%). Compared to HV, MPN pts had greater median spleen maximal cross sectional area (79 vs 38 cm2, p<0.001), greater spleen stiffness (pSWE 31.3 vs 23.7 kPa, p<0.001; 2D.SWE 25.2 vs 18.7 kPa, p<0.001), and greater liver stiffness (pSWE 6.0 vs 4.9 kPa, p<0.001; 2D.SWE 5.4 vs 4.7 kPa, p<0.001). Additionally, PVD and SVD were significantly larger in MPNs than in HV (PVD 10.9 vs 9.2 mm, p<0.001; SVD 8 vs 6.3 mm, p<0.001). Comparing each MPN to HV, only MF retained all the significant differences; conversely, liver stiffness and PVD were comparable between ET/PV and HV. Clinical and laboratory features of MPN pts are shown in Tab 1. Compared to PV and ET pts, MF pts had higher spleen (p<0.001) and liver stiffness (p<0.001), larger PVD (p<0.001) and SVD (p<0.001). Conversely, ET and PV displayed comparable TE values. Notably, higher median spleen area (p<0.001), larger SVD (p=0.03) and PVD (p=0.02), higher liver (pSWE/2D.SWE, p<0.001/p=0.002) and spleen stiffness (pSWE/2D.SWE, p=0.01/p=0.001) were associated with increased marrow fibrosis grade. Grade 0-1 marrow fibrosis was present in 15 MF, 17 PV and 34 ET pts. Considering only these 66 MPN pts, spleen (40.8 vs 31.3/25.6 in PV/ET, p=0.006) and liver (6.5 vs 5.6/4.7 in PV/ET, p=0.01) stiffness was significantly higher in MF pts. Notably, increased spleen fibrosis was significantly associated with thrombotic history (32.2 vs 24.3 kPa in pts without previous thrombosis, p=0.02). Also, MPN pts with splanchnic vein thrombosis had higher spleen (pSWE: p<0.001; 2D.SWE: p<0.001) and liver stiffness (pSWE: p <0.001), and increased PVD (p=0.02) and spleen area (p=0003). In MF pts, TE data did not correlate with DIPSS risk category. However, a higher spleen stiffness (pSWE/2D.SWE, p=0.09/ p=0.03), liver stiffness (pSWE/2D.SWE, p=0.001/p=0.01), PVD (p=0.002), and SVD (p=0.01) were associated with larger spleen length by palpation. Also, a reduced SVD was associated with the presence of ≥1 high molecular risk mutation (HMR) (p=0.04). As expected, MF pts treated with JAK-inhibitors showed larger spleen area (143.8 vs 83.7 cm 2, p=0.01) and higher spleen stiffness (34.3 vs 24 kPa, p=0.01) compared to pts under cytoreductive therapy. However, pts in spleen response at the time of TE had lower median SVD/PVD (p=0.05/p=0.07) and reduced spleen stiffness (sSWE/2D.SWE: 31.5/25.9 vs 39.0/32.8 in non-responders, p=0.01/p=0.04) In ET/PV, TE data were comparable in pts with/without a complete hematological response. However, IFN was associated with enlarged spleen area and stiffness compared to cytoreduction. Conclusions: TE evaluation effectively distinguishes MF pts from HV and ET/PV, while ET/PV show relevant similarities to each other and to HV. TE data were significantly associated with prognostically relevant features including marrow fibrosis and history of thrombosis in all MPNs, and presence of large splenomegaly and HMR in MF. Finally, TE data were significantly associated with spleen response in MF. Overall, spleen/liver stiffness may help in correct MPN diagnosis, and may provide clinical guidance, being associated with known prognostic factors and treatment outcome. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Cavo: Bristol-Myers Squib: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel Accommodations, Speakers Bureau. Piscaglia: ESAOTE: Research Funding. Palandri: CTI: Consultancy; AOP: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sierra Oncology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

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Spleen Stiffness Measurement By Transient Elastography As a Predictor of Bone Marrow Fibrosis in Primary Myelofibrosis Patients

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v124.21.1825.1825 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 124 (21) ◽

pp. 1825-1825

Author(s):

Alessandra Iurlo ◽

Daniele Cattaneo ◽

Mariangela Giunta ◽

Umberto Gianelli ◽

Giovanni Casazza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Portal Hypertension ◽

Liver Disease ◽

Transient Elastography ◽

Liver Stiffness ◽

Primary Myelofibrosis ◽

Bone Marrow Fibrosis ◽

Predicted Probability ◽

Spleen Stiffness ◽

Marrow Fibrosis

Abstract Introduction: transient elastography (TE) is a standardized, non-invasive tool which predicts severity of chronic liver disease (CLD). Owing to the known relationships between liver fibrosis, portal hypertension and splenomegaly, the measurement of spleen stiffness (SS) has been evaluated as an alternative and/or complementary method to liver stiffness (LS) in order to evaluate liver disease severity. In particular, a significant correlation between SS and portal hypertension has been established with hemodynamic measurements, demonstrating that SS accurately predicts the risk of both esophageal varices and clinical decompensation in patients with viral cirrhosis. Recently, we conducted a study in CLD patients with the aim to assess the diagnostic accuracy of combined LS and SS in the prediction of liver fibrosis and portal hypertension; it also included 64 healthy volunteers and 48 patients with a previous diagnosis of hematological malignancies as control population. Among the few hematological patients enrolled in that study, a significant correlation between SS and bone marrow fibrosis grade (p<0.01) was found and it was more pronounced in the 23 primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients than in those with other hematological neoplasms. Methods: to validate further these preliminary observations, we enrolled 108 patients with a clinical and histological diagnosis of PMF based on WHO 2008 criteria. All patients concurrently underwent liver and spleen TE, in conjunction with a bone marrow biopsy, ultrasound evaluation of spleen size and chemistries. Once we found normal LS values granted for the absence of liver disease potentially interfering with SS assessments, according to the updated WHO classification, we considered only two main bone marrow fibrosis categories defined as follows: pre-fibrotic/early fibrotic (MF-0/1) and advanced fibrotic stage (MF-2/3). Results: transient elastography of the liver and spleen was successfully performed in 88 PMF patients (81.5%), whereas 20 (18.5%) had indeterminate spleen-TE results; however, this rate of spleen-TE failure is similar to that reported by previous studies in CLD patients (15 to 20% of all cases). The median liver-TE and spleen-TE values were 7.1 kPa (range 3.5-19.6) and 40.1 kPa (range 11.8–75.0), respectively. In a univariate analysis both spleen (p<.0001) and liver stiffness (p=.0074) correlated with the severity of bone marrow fibrosis, whereas age, gender and the PMF prognostic scoring systems IPSS, DIPSS and DIPSS-plus did not. Furthermore, bone marrow fibrosis did not correlate with the presence of JAK2 V617F or CALR mutations, whereas it did with Hb (p=0.0001), LDH (p<.0001) and peripheral blood CD34-positive cells count (p=0.0003). At multivariate analysis, only SS, LDH and CD34-positive cells count maintained a significant correlation with bone marrow fibrosis, with a discriminative ability assessed by the c statistic of 0.904 (95% CI, 0.841-0.967). According to these results, we were able to propose an equation for the estimation of the probability of being MF-2/3, arranged as follows: probability MF-2/3= exp[-4.83+0.0380*SS+0.0039*LDH+0.0148*CD34]/[1+exp(-4.83+0.0380*SS+0.0039*LDH+0.0148*CD34)]. The model entails two decisional threshold values that predict the probability of diagnosing PMF severity: the best cut-off for the diagnosis of MF-0/1 was 0.15 (negative predictive value=0.97) and the best cut-off for the diagnosis of MF-2/3 was 0.73 (positive predictive value=0.94), with an accuracy of 97% for the former and 94% for the latter. Figure 1 describes the two decisional thresholds and the distribution of our patients in the MF-0/1 and MF-2/3 categories. Conclusions: to our knowledge, this study represents the first attempt to evaluate the entity of SS in PMF patients as a measure of disease severity. Furthermore, our results allow us to suggest the use of SS as a surrogate marker of bone marrow fibrosis, particularly following the fibrogenetic progression of the disease, especially when it is considered together with such routine chemistries as LDH and CD34-positive cells count, a finding that may limit the need for an invasive and more expensive procedure like bone marrow biopsy in the management of PMF patients. Figure 1 Patients’ distribution in the two main bone marrow fibrosis categories according to the predicted probability cut-off values Figure 1. Patients’ distribution in the two main bone marrow fibrosis categories according to the predicted probability cut-off values Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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“SPLEEN STIFFNESS MEASUREMENT IN LIVER CIRRHOSIS PATIENTS FOR NONINVASIVE ASSESSMENT OF ESOPHAGEAL VARICES USING FIBROSCAN”

10.36106/ijsr/8609582 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Revathy Marimuthu Shanmugam ◽

Vinay C ◽

Sathya Gopalasamy ◽

Chitra Shanmugam

Keyword(s):

Liver Cirrhosis ◽

Portal Hypertension ◽

Esophageal Varix ◽

Esophageal Varices ◽

Transient Elastography ◽

Liver Stiffness ◽

Surrogate Marker ◽

Stiffness Measurement ◽

Spleen Stiffness ◽

Cirrhotic Patients

BACKGROUND: Many noninvasive surrogate marker for Portal hypertension or for the presence or grade of esophageal varices were studied..Splenomegaly along with splenic congestion secondary to splenic hyperdynamic circulation is seen secondary to Portal hypertension in cirrhotic patients that can be quantified by elastography. AIM:The aim of this study was to investigate whether spleen stiffness, assessed by TE, useful tool for grading chronic liver diseases and to compare its performance in predicting the presence and size of esophageal varices in liver cirrhosis patients. METHODOLOGY:86 patients with cirrhosis and 80 controls underwent transient elastography of liver and spleen for the assessment of liver stiffness (LSM) and spleen stiffness (SSM) . Upper GI endoscopy done in all Cirrhotic patients. RESULTS: Spleen stiffness showed higher values in liver cirrhosis patients as compared with controls: 58.2 kpa vs14.8 kpa (P < 0.0001) and also found to be significantly higher in cirrhotic patients compared with varices and those without varices (69.01 vs 42.05 kpa, P < 0.0001). Liver stiffness was also found to be higher in cirrhotic patients with varices when compared to patients without varices (38.5vs 21.2 kpa). Using both liver and spleen stiffness measurement we can predicted the presence of esophageal varices correctly. CONCLUSION: Spleen stiffness can be assessed using transient elastography, higher value correlated well with liver cirrhosis and presence of esophageal varices although it couldn’t correlate with grade of Esophageal Varix. Combined assessment of spleen and liver stiffness had better prediction of presence of Esophageal Varix.

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Assessment of Spleen Stiffness for Prediction of Varices in Patients with Hepatitis C Related Cirrhosis Using Transient Elastography

International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health ◽

10.9734/ijtdh/2020/v41i2430421 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 9-18

Author(s):

Naglaa El-Toukhy Ramadan El-Toukhy ◽

Sharaf Elsayed Ali Hassanien ◽

Ramy A. Metwaly ◽

Medhat A. Khalil ◽

Badawy A. Abdulaziz

Keyword(s):

Liver Cirrhosis ◽

Hepatitis C ◽

Esophageal Varices ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Transient Elastography ◽

Liver Stiffness ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Group I ◽

Spleen Stiffness ◽

Cirrhotic Patients

Background and Study Aims: Portal hypertension is one of the most important complications of liver cirrhosis. The prevalence of varices among cirrhotic patients is variable. Therefore, endoscopic screening of all patients with liver cirrhosis would result in a large number of unnecessary additional burdens to endoscopic units. Our aim was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of spleen stiffness measured by transient elastography (Fibroscan) for prediction of the presence of varices in patients with hepatitis C related cirrhosis. Patients and Methods: The study was carried out on 100 patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis and were divided into 2 groups according to presence or absence of varices by Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy: Group I: patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis with varices; Group II: patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis without varices. Clinical and laboratory parameters, andominal ultrasonography, Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and transient elastography to assess the liver and spleen stiffness were carried out to all studied persons. Results: Spleen stiffness had significant diagnostic value to differentiate between cirrhotic patients with varices and cirrhotic patients without varices , it had significant diagnostic value in presence of esophageal varices at cut-off (≥46.4 K Pascal) the sensitivity for detection of esophageal varices was 93%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) was 80%, negative predictive value (NPV) was 100%; accuracy was 95% and area under the curve was 0.98 denoting that spleen stiffness is a good predictor of esophageal varices. Conclusion: Spleen stiffness was considered as an excellent predictor of esophageal varices and better than liver stiffness in prediction of esophageal varices presence and had significant diagnostic value to differentiate between the patients with varices and patients without varices at cut off (≥46.4 K Pascal) and it may have a role in variceal grading.

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Ruxolitinib Provides Reductions in Splenomegaly Across Subgroups: An Analysis of Spleen Response in the COMFORT-II Study

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v118.21.279.279 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 118 (21) ◽

pp. 279-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Claire N. Harrison ◽

Jean-Jacques Kiladjian ◽

Heinz Gisslinger ◽

Dietger Niederwieser ◽

Francesco Passamonti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Board Of Directors ◽

Response Rate ◽

Response Rates ◽

Risk Category ◽

Spleen Volume ◽

Employment Equity ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Starting Dose ◽

Secondary Endpoints ◽

Equity Ownership

Abstract Abstract 279 Background: COMFORT-II is a randomized, open-label, phase 3 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of ruxolitinib, a potent and selective oral inhibitor of JAK1 and JAK2, in patients with primary myelofibrosis (PMF), post-polycythemia vera-MF (PPV-MF), or post-essential thrombocythemia-MF (PET-MF). Patients who received ruxolitinib had significantly greater reductions in spleen volume compared with those who received best available therapy (BAT). The primary and key secondary endpoints of the study were both met: the proportion of patients achieving ≥35% reduction in spleen volume at week 48 (28.5%, ruxolitinib; 0%, BAT; P <.0001) and week 24 (31.9%, ruxolitinib; 0%, BAT; P <.0001), respectively. Subgroup analysis was performed on both the 48- and 24-week endpoints. Methods: In the COMFORT-II study, 219 patients were randomized (2:1) to receive ruxolitinib (15 or 20 mg twice daily [bid] based on the baseline platelet count [100– 200 × 109/L or >200 × 109/L, respectively]) or BAT of the investigator's choice. The proportions of ruxolitinib-treated patients achieving the primary and key secondary endpoints were analyzed by subgroup for gender (male or female), age (≤65 or >65 years), starting dose (15 or 20 mg bid), baseline MF type (PMF, PPV-MF, or PET-MF), previous hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide) use (yes or no), baseline palpable spleen length (≤10 or >10 cm), baseline spleen volume (>median or ≤median), JAK2V617F mutation (presence or absence), and International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) risk category (intermediate-2 or high) (Cervantes F, et al, Blood, 2009;113(13):2895–2901). In addition, the relationships between these factors and spleen volume reduction were investigated by multivariate logistic regression. Results: The proportion of patients in each subgroup with ≥ 35% reduction in spleen volume from baseline at week 48 is shown below (Figure). BL, baseline; HU, hydroxyurea. The response rate was higher in patients receiving ruxolitinib than in patients receiving BAT in all subgroups; no patients in the BAT group reached a ≥35% reduction in spleen volume at week 48. All subgroups receiving ruxolitinib responded and all subgroup comparisons had overlapping 95% confidence intervals. At week 24, a trend for a higher response rate was observed in patients who received a starting dose of 20 mg bid compared with those who received a starting dose of 15 mg bid; however, the response rates among these patients at week 48 were not different. No significant difference in response rates was observed between patients with the JAK2V617F mutation compared with those without the mutation. Results of the subgroup analysis were confirmed by the multivariate models. A significant effect of the ruxolitinib starting dose was seen when response rates were modeled at week 24 but not when modeled at week 48. Conclusions: Recent findings from the COMFORT-II study show that patients who received ruxolitinib had significantly greater reductions in splenomegaly than did patients who received BAT. In this analysis, ruxolitinib was shown to be more effective than BAT at reducing spleen volume in all patient subgroups regardless of gender, age, mutation status, IPSS risk category, baseline spleen size, MF subtype, or ruxolitinib starting dose. Disclosures: Harrison: Novartis: Honoraria; Incyte: Honoraria; S*Bio: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Sanofi Aventis: Honoraria. Kiladjian:Novartis: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria. Gisslinger:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Celgene Austria: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Aop-Orphan: Speakers Bureau. Niederwieser:Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Passamonti:Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Waltzman:Novartis: Employment. Hollaender:Novartis Pharma AG: Employment. Hunter:Incyte Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Levy:Incyte Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Knoops:Novartis: Consultancy. Cervantes:Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Vannucchi:Novartis: Honoraria. Barosi:Novartis: Consultancy.

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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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Vorinostat Impairs Cellular Viability, Differentiation, Redox Homeostasis and Gene Expression in BCR-ABL-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v124.21.3222.3222 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 124 (21) ◽

pp. 3222-3222

Author(s):

Bruno A Cardoso ◽

Helio Belo ◽

Antonio Almeida

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms ◽

Hdac Inhibitors ◽

Growth Arrest ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Expression Of Genes

Abstract Background: The classical BCR-ABL-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are characterized by increased proliferation of hematopoietic precursors in the bone marrow resulting in an elevated number of terminally differentiated cells. Despite the recent description of JAK2 activating mutations and other mutations, these do not completely explain the pathophysiology and clinical heterogeneity of MPN. Epigenetic modifications, particularly histone acetylation, play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of several hematological malignancies, and treatment of such disorders with histone deacetylase inhibitors results cell death and proliferation arrest. Importantly, epigenetic agents have proven to be effective in several hematological malignancies. Aims: HDAC inhibition has demonstrated some efficacy in patients with MPN. In order to investigate the effects of HDAC inhibitors in MPN, we analyzed the impact of Vorinostat on the cellular biology of MPN cell lines and primary bone marrow samples. Material and Methods: MPN bone marrow samples were collected at diagnosis following informed consent in the course of routine clinical laboratory tests. Mononuclear cells were isolated by gradient separation were used for culture experiments and lysed for RNA extraction. RNA extracted from MPN primary samples was used to synthetize cDNA and the transcript levels of genes associated with Apoptosis, Proliferation, Epigenetic modifications and several Signaling pathways were analyzed by quantitative-PCR. MPN primary cells and MPN derived cell lines were incubated with Vorinostat and at different time points the cells were harvest, lysed for gene expression analysis and stained with different antibodies, Annexin-V/PI and DCF-DA to analyze cellular differentiation, apoptosis and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) respectively. Results: We performed a targeted-genome wide screen and compared the transcript levels of a defined set of genes between normal bone marrow and MPN primary samples. We identified 9 genes (BIRC3, TNFRSF9, DLL4, IL1B, CDKN1A, FOSL1, CREL, SERPINB9 and EGR1) whose expression increased for at least 4 fold and 2 genes (HIP1 and DTX1) whose expression decreased by at least 0.5 fold in MPN patients relative to normal bone marrow samples. Interestingly, incubation of Vorinostat in MPN cell lines at physiological concentrations increases the expression of such genes, and also the expression of genes associated with apoptosis and growth arrest while decreasing the expression of genes associated with proliferation, growth arrest and JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Regarding cellular physiology, Vorinostat induces apoptosis in MPN cultured cell lines in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, incubation of primary MPN bone marrow samples with Vorinostat induced apoptosis, blocked differentiation and also diminished ROS levels in a dose dependent manner. These effects were most marked in the monocytic lineage, a population which expresses the highest levels of ROS. Vorinostat also reduced the levels of GPA and CD61, markers of erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation, respectively. Summary/Conclusions: Here, we show that Vorinostat incubation impairs MPN cellular differentiation and reduces ROS and cellular viability, possibly through the down-regulation of genes associated with cellular proliferation, particularly the JAK-STAT target genes, and up-regulation of genes important for apoptosis and growth arrest. Interestingly, the genes that we identified to be up-regulated in MPN primary samples relative to normal controls, are further increased by Vorinostat treatment, suggesting that these could act as potential biomarkers for Vorinostat effectiveness in the MPN context. Furthermore, these results hold therapeutic promise as Vorinostat reduced differentiation markers associated with Polycythemia Vera and Essential Thrombocytosis. The observation that Vorinostat is particularly effective against the monocytic lineage is interesting in the context of the recently described role of bone marrow monocytes in the pathogenesis of Polycythemia Vera in mouse models. Our results point towards the potential role of Vorinostat (and possibly other HDAC inhibitors) in the treatment of MPN. This potential would require clinical trials to investigate its efficacy. Disclosures Almeida: Celgene: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Shire: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Meyer Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

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Nitric Oxide As a Mediator of Bone Marrow Fibrosis in Patients with Myelofibrosis

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v124.21.4587.4587 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 124 (21) ◽

pp. 4587-4587

Author(s):

Ali Tabarroki ◽

Daniel Lindner ◽

Valeria Visconte ◽

Nikolaos Papandantonakis ◽

Jing Ai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Bone Marrow ◽

Growth Factor ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms ◽

Inos Expression ◽

No Production ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Extracellular Matrix Components

Abstract Bone marrow (BM) fibrosis is a key pathomorphologic feature of patients (pts) with primary myelofibrosis (PMF) and the fibrotic phases of essential thrombocythemia (post-ET MF) and polycythemia vera (post-PV MF). The degree of BM fibrosis appears to correlate with survival. Indeed worse survival has been associated with increased BM fibrosis. The BM stromal microenvironment is important in the pathogenesis of BM fibrosis. Cellular components (fibroblasts, macrophages, endothelial cells, adipocytes), structural fibrils (collagen, reticulin) and extracellular matrix components are all forming elements of the BM stroma. Increased stromal fibrosis has been linked to abnormalities in the number/ function of megakaryocytes and platelets in hematologic diseases. Several cytokines like Platelet Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) and Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGF-b) have been also linked to the pathophysiology of BM fibrosis. PDGF has been shown to increase fibroblast growth in megakaryocytes and platelets although increased PDGF did not correlate with increased production of either reticulin or collagenous fibrosis. Moreover, PMF pts have increased TGF-b levels in platelets, megakaryocytes, and monocytes. Nitric Oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous gas important in physiologic processes particularly vasodilatation. Dysregulation of NO levels has been implicated in pulmonary hypertension (PH), hemoglobinopathies, and cardiovascular diseases. In Peyronie’s disease, a localized fibrosis of the penile tunica albuginea, increased NO production by expression of iNOS decreases collagen deposition by neutralization of profibrotic reactive oxygen species and decreased myofibroblast formation. Aside from its role in maintaining normal vascular tone, NO also plays a role in fibroblast formation and collagen biosynthesis. We previously reported that ruxolitinib, a JAK1/2 inhibitor restores NO levels leading to improvement of PH in MF pts (Tabarroki et al., Leukemia 2014). We now hypothesize that plasma/serum NO level is a key regulator of BM fibrosis in MF and that ruxolitinib treatment (Tx) leads to improvement of BM fibrosis by NO modulation. Using a Sievers 280i NO analyzer we measured the plasma/serum NO level of a large cohort (n=75) of pts with myeloid and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) [MDS, RARS/RCMD=8; MPN, ET=8, PV=8, MF=24, Mastocytosis=7; MDS/MPN, CMML=11, MDS/MPN-U, RARS-T=9]. Healthy subjects (n=10) were used as a control. MPN pts had low NO (nM) levels among the pts studied with the lowest level found in MF pts: MF=30.31±11.8, PV=39.0±16.1, ET=36±20.3, RARS=74.6±41.7 (P=.01), CMML=84.4±89.2 (P=.04), RCMD=163.4±103.8 (P<.001), RARS-T=131.1±99.8 (P<.001). In total, NO levels were lower in classic MPN (n=40, 35.3±16.6) compared to MDS (n=8, 119±62.8; P=.001) and MDS/MPN (n=20, 105±94.6; P=.008). When we looked at the correlation between NO levels and BM fibrosis grade we found that there is an inverse correlation between NO levels and worsening BM fibrosis grade from grade MF1 to MF3. NO levels in normal (n=10) vs MF1 (n=3) were 53.3 vs 39.1, P=.025; normal vs MF2 (n=7) were 53.3 vs 37, P=.021; normal vs MF3 (n=12) were 53.3 vs 34.4, P=.006. A total of 8 pts who were treated with ruxolitinib and had at least 1 pre and 1 post Tx (≥3 months from initiation of ruxolitinib) were tested for NO levels. Among the 8 pts, 4 pts who demonstrated improvement in BM scores had a trend towards improved NO levels after ruxolitinib Tx [NO pre vs post; pt #1: 6 vs 10.5; pt#2: 4.3 vs 6.4; pt#3 49.7 vs 52.1; pt#4 36 vs 41.3; P=.02] while 4 had worsening or had no change in BM fibrosis grade and had a minimal change or decline in the NO (pt#5: 18.4 vs 23, pt#6: 14.29 vs 12.1, pt#7: 32.7 vs 32.1, pt#8: 110.9 vs 40.4). One pt who had improvement in BM fibrosis grade after ruxolitinib Tx had increased iNOS expression by Western blotting (pt#1) while no iNOS expression (pt#5) was noted in the pt who did not have improvement in BM fibrosis. Of note, multi-analytic cytokines profile also showed an overall decrease in cytokines especially a 2.8 fold-decrease in IL8 levels post-Tx in the pt with improvement in BM fibrosis. In conclusion, NO is decreased in MPN particularly in MF and may be a key mediator of BM fibrosis in MF. Pharmacologic therapies such as JAK inhibitors may mediate improvement of BM fibrosis by modulation of NO levels in MF. Disclosures Tiu: Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Incyte : Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau.

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Efficacy, Safety, and Confirmation of the Recommended Phase 2 Dose of Ruxolitinib Plus Panobinostat in Patients with Intermediate or High-Risk Myelofibrosis

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v124.21.711.711 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 124 (21) ◽

pp. 711-711 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jean-Jacques Kiladjian ◽

Florian H Heidel ◽

Alessandro M. Vannucchi ◽

Vincent Ribrag ◽

Francesco Passamonti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

High Risk ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Research Funding ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Spleen Volume ◽

Bone Marrow Fibrosis ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Expansion Phase ◽

Marrow Fibrosis

Abstract Background: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a clonal neoplastic disease resulting in bone marrow fibrosis, splenomegaly, and debilitating constitutional symptoms. The Janus kinase (JAK) pathway is often dysregulated in MF, and agents targeting this pathway have demonstrated efficacy in this disease. Ruxolitinib (RUX), a potent JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor, demonstrated superiority in spleen volume reduction, symptom improvement, and survival compared with the control arm in the phase III COMFORT-I and COMFORT-II studies. Panobinostat (PAN), a potent pan-deacetylase inhibitor (pan-DACi), inhibits JAK signaling through disruption of the interaction of JAK2 with the protein chaperone heat shock protein 90. In phase I/II studies, PAN has shown splenomegaly reduction and improvement of bone marrow fibrosis. The combination of RUX and PAN demonstrated synergistic anti-MF activity in preclinical studies. These preliminary results led to the initiation of a phase Ib study evaluating the combination of RUX and PAN in patients (pts) with MF. The updated results from the expansion phase of this trial are presented here. Methods: Eligible pts had intermediate-1, -2, or high-risk primary MF, post-polycythemia vera MF, or post-essential thrombocythemia MF by International Prognostic Scoring System criteria, with palpable splenomegaly (≥ 5 cm below the costal margin). The primary objective was determination of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and/or recommended phase II dose (RPIID). Secondary objectives included safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics. Exploratory endpoints included assessment of improvement in bone marrow fibrosis and reduction of JAK2 V617F allele burden. The treatment schedule was RUX (5-15 mg) twice daily (bid) every day and PAN (10-25 mg) once daily 3 times per week (tiw; days 2, 4, and 6) every other week (qow) in a 28-day cycle. Following dose escalation and identification of the potential RPIID, additional pts were enrolled into the expansion phase and treated at this dose. Results: As of March 14, 2014, a total of 61 pts were enrolled (38 escalation phase and 23 expansion phase). The median duration of exposure to PAN and to RUX was 24.6 weeks and 24.0 weeks, respectively, for pts treated in the expansion phase. Three DLTs were observed in the escalation phase (grade 4 thrombocytopenia [n = 2], grade 3 nausea [n = 1]). No MTD was reached. The RPIID was confirmed to be RUX 15 mg bid and PAN 25 mg tiw qow in May 2014. Among the 34 pts treated at the RPIID, grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) regardless of causality included anemia (32%), thrombocytopenia (24%), diarrhea (12%), asthenia (9%), and fatigue (9%). AEs led to discontinuation in 6% of pts treated at the RPIID. Two pts treated at the RPIID died due to causes unrelated to study treatment (1 due to myocardial infarction and 1 due to progression of myelofibrosis). Among the pts treated at the RPIID, 79% showed a >50% decrease in palpable spleen length, with 100% decrease (non-palpable spleen) being observed in 53% of pts. Additionally, 48% of pts treated at the RPIID in the expansion phase achieved ≥35% reduction in spleen volume (Figure). These results are similar to those observed for spleen volume response at 24 weeks among pts who received single-agent RUX on the phase III COMFORT-I (41.9%) and COMFORT-II (32%) studies. Conclusions: The combination of the JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor RUX and the pan-DACi PAN was well tolerated and resulted in high rates of reductions in splenomegaly in pts with intermediate- and high-risk MF. Although a relatively larger proportion of patients experienced spleen volume reductions at week 24 as compared to the COMFORT studies, the smaller sample size, shorter follow up times and potential differences in the patient populations preclude definitive comparisons. Similar to COMFORT-I and II trials, hematological AEs, specifically anemia and thrombocytopenia, were the most common AEs observed in pts treated with the combination therapy. Pts continue to be treated in the expansion phase at the RPIID. Updated safety, efficacy, and exploratory analyses on bone marrow fibrosis, JAK V617F allele burden, and biomarkers, including cytokines, will be presented. Figure Change in Spleen Volume in Expansion Phase Figure. Change in Spleen Volume in Expansion Phase Disclosures Kiladjian: Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Shire: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AOP Orphan: Honoraria, Research Funding. Heidel:Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Vannucchi:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Ribrag:Celgene: Consultancy; Pharmamar: Consultancy; Epizyme: Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Conneally:Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Kindler:Novartis: Consultancy. Acharyya:Novartis: Employment. Gopalakrishna:Novartis: Employment. Ide:Novartis: Employment, Equity Ownership. Loechner:Novartis: Employment. Mu:Novartis: Employment. Harrison:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; CTI: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; SBio: Consultancy; Shire: Speakers Bureau.

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Disease-Attributable Mortality in the Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS): A Study from the Spanish MDS Cooperative Group (GESMD)

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v126.23.1672.1672 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 126 (23) ◽

pp. 1672-1672

Author(s):

Meritxell Nomdedeu ◽

Xavier Calvo ◽

Dolors Costa ◽

Montserrat Arnan ◽

Helena Pomares ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Low Risk ◽

Attributable Mortality ◽

Risk Category ◽

Intermediate Risk ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Very High ◽

Risk Categories

Abstract Introduction: The MDS are a group of clonal hematopoietic disorders characterized by blood cytopenias and increased risk of transformation into acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The MDS predominate in old people (median age at diagnosis > 70 years) so that a fraction of the observed mortality would be driven by age-related factors shared with the general population rather than the MDS. Distinguishing between the MDS-related and unrelated mortality rates will help better assessment of the population health impact of the MDS and more accurate prognostication. This study was aimed at quantifying the MDS-attributable mortality and its relationship with the IPSSR risk categories. Methods: The database of the GESMD was queried for patients diagnosed with primary MDS after 1980 according to the WHO 2001 classification. Patients with CMML, younger than 16 years or who lacked the basic demographic or follow-up data were excluded. Relative survival and MDS-attributable mortality were calculated by the cohort method and statistically compared by Poisson multivariate regression as described by Dickman (Stat Med 2004; 23: 51). Three main parameters were calculated: the observed (all-cause) mortality, the MDS-attributable mortality (both as percentage of the initial cohort), and the fraction of the observed mortality attributed to the MDS. Results: In total, 7408 patients met the inclusion criteria and constitute the basis for this study. Among these patients, 5307 had enough data to be classified according to the IPSSR. Median age was 74 (IQR: 16-99) years and 58 % were males. The most frequent WHO categories were RAEB, type I or II (29% of cases), RCMD (28%), and RA with ring sideroblasts (16%). Most patients (72%) were classified within the very low and low risk categories of the IPSSR. At the study closing date (December 2014), 1022 patients had progressed to AML, 3198 had died (974 after AML) and 3210 were censored alive. The median actuarial survival for the whole series was 4.8 (95% CI: 4.6-5.1) years and 30% of patients are projected to survive longer than 10 years. The overall MDS-attributable mortality at 5 years from diagnosis was 39%, which accounted for three-quarters of the observed mortality (51%, figure). The corresponding figures at 10 years for the MDS-attributable and observed mortality were 55% and 71%, respectively. According to the IPSSR, the 5-year MDS-attributable mortality rates was 19% for the very low risk category, 39% (low risk), 70% (intermediate risk), 78% (high risk), and 92% (very high risk). On average, the incidence rate ratio for the MDS-attributable mortality increased 1.9 times (95% CI: 1.7-2.3, p<0.001) as the IPSSR worsened from one to the next risk category. The fraction of the observed mortality attributed to the MDS was 0.55 for the very low risk category, 0.79 (low risk), 0.93 (intermediate risk), 0.96 (high risk), and 0.99 (very high risk). After distinguishing between AML-related and unrelated mortality, the 5-year MDS-attributable mortality not related to AML was 10% for the very low risk category, 20% (low risk), 33% (intermediate risk), 42% (high risk), and 44% (very high risk). By comparing these figures with the above ones, we could estimate that about 50% of the MDS-attributable mortality was AML-unrelated and that such fraction kept nearly constant across the five IPSSR categories. Conclusions: About three-quarters of the mortality observed in patients with MDS is caused by the disease, the remaining one-quarter being due to MDS-independent factors shared with the general population. The MDS-attributable mortality increases with the IPSSR risk category, from half the observed mortality in the very low risk to nearly all the mortality observed in the high and very high risk groups. Half the MDS-attributable mortality is driven by factors unrelated to leukemic transformation, a proportion that keeps constant across the five IPSSR risk categories. Disclosures Valcarcel: AMGEN: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; NOVARTIS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; CELGENE: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Ramos:AMGEN: Consultancy, Honoraria; NOVARTIS: Consultancy, Honoraria; JANSSEN: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; CELGENE: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Esteve:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria.

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A Phase 2 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Simtuzumab in Adult Subjects with Primary, Post Polycythemia Vera (PV) or Post Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) Myelofibrosis

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v126.23.2810.2810 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 126 (23) ◽

pp. 2810-2810

Author(s):

Srdan Verstovsek ◽

Michael R. Savona ◽

Ruben A. Mesa ◽

Stephen Oh ◽

Hua Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Research Funding ◽

Phase 2 ◽

Fibrosis Score ◽

Bone Marrow Fibrosis ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Equity Ownership ◽

Stage 1 ◽

Marrow Fibrosis

Abstract Background: Simtuzumab (SIM) is a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits lysyl oxidase-like molecule 2 (LOXL2), an extracellular matrix enzyme that catalyzes the covalent cross-linking of collagen and is widely expressed across many fibrotic diseases. In pre-clinical models, inhibition of LOXL2 blocks fibroblast activation, which plays an important role in the development of organ fibrosis. In Phase 1 studies, SIM was well-tolerated in patients (pts) with advanced solid tumors, liver fibrosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). A Phase 2, open-label study to determine the efficacy of SIM alone (Stage 1) and combined with ruxolitinib (rux) (Stage 2) in pts with primary myelofibrosis (PMF) and post-ET/PV MF was initiated. Methods: Eligible pts had intermediate-1, intermediate-2, or high risk disease and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of <2. The primary endpoint was rate of clinical response as defined by a reduction in bone marrow fibrosis score following 24 weeks of treatment with SIM. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive 200 mg or 700 mg SIM by intravenous infusion every 2 weeks as monotherapy (Stage 1, n=24) or combined with rux (Stage 2, n=30). Patients received SIM for up to 24 weeks. Bone marrow biopsies and aspirates were performed approximately every 3 months. Bone marrow fibrosis scoring was performed and quantified at local investigator sites using the European Consensus on Grading Bone Marrow Fibrosis. Myelofibrosis symptoms were evaluated using the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form (MPN-SAF) and changes in hematologic parameters and splenomegaly were assessed. Results: Between 7/14/11 and 9/22/14, 54 pts were randomized and treated (200 mg SIM [n=12], 700 mg SIM [n=12], 200 mg SIM/rux [n=15], and 700 mg SIM/rux [n=15]). In Stage 1, 0 subjects (0%) in the SIM 200 mg group and 2 subjects (16.7%; 90% CI 3.0%, 43.8%) in the SIM 700 mg group showed a reduction in bone marrow fibrosis score from Baseline to Week 24. In Stage 2, 1 subject (6.7%; 90% CI 0.3%, 27.9%) in the SIM 200 mg/rux group and 2 subjects (13.3%, 90% CI 2.4%, 36.3%) in the SIM 700 mg/rux group showed a reduction in bone marrow fibrosis score from Baseline to Week 24. In an exploratory analysis, similar numbers of subjects showed increases in bone marrow fibrosis scores. SIM treatment was not associated with meaningful improvements in hematologic parameters or reductions in MPN-SAF score or spleen size. The most frequent adverse events were those commonly associated with MF, including constitutional symptoms and reductions in hematological parameters. Conclusions: SIM treatment alone or in combination with rux is safe but does not reliably reduce bone marrow fibrosis in pts with MF. The reason for reduction of marrow fibrosis in some patients and increase in others is unclear and may be sampling variability. Clinical studies of SIM in IPF and liver fibrosis are ongoing. Disclosures Savona: Karyopharm: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Research Funding; Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Mesa:Incyte Corporation: Research Funding; CTI Biopharma: Research Funding; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation: Consultancy; Pfizer: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; NS Pharma: Research Funding; Gilead: 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. Dong:Gilead Sciences: Consultancy, Equity Ownership. Thai:Gilead Sciences: Employment, Equity Ownership. Gotlib:Allakos, Inc.: Consultancy.

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