WT1 Peptide Vaccine Is Able to Induce WT1-Specifc Immune Response with TCR Clonal Enrichment to Control Minimal Residual Disease in Patients with Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract Background: Immunotherapy has the potential for clinical efficacy in patients with myeloid leukemia, especially in the setting of minimal residual disease. WT-1, aberrantly expressed in both myeloid and lymphoid leukemia, is associated with adverse risk in AML. WT1 is highly antigenic and is an attractive target for immunotherapy. The optimal strategy for vaccination to induce CD8+ T cell responses against WT1 is not known. Methods: We performed a pilot randomized study of HLA-A02+ patients to receive vaccination with WT1 126-134 peptide (RMFPNAPYL) in Montanide or in poly ICLC (Hiltonol from Oncovir, a TLR3 agonist) to explore the novel immune adjuvant in patients with myeloid leukemia (NCT01842139). The vaccine was administered q 2 weeks X 6 during the induction phase followed by monthly booster vaccinations X 6 months. Enrollment: Seven patients (4 males, 3 female ages 39 to 73) were randomized. Four patients received WT1 in Montanide (3 AML, 1 CML myeloid blast phase, 2 s/p allo-SCT), and three with WT1 in poly ICLC (2 AML, one MDS RAEB2 s/p allo-SCT). Five patients were in morphologic remission (3 in CR1) and two had very low burden of residual morphologic disease at study entry. Toxicities: All patients finished the induction phase without any major toxicity except mild transient local injection reaction. One patient post allo-SCT on the Montanide arm developed transverse myelitis with evidence of bacterial meningitis following the first monthly booster vaccination. Another patient on the Montanide arm developed aseptic ulceration at the 12th vaccine site followed by inflammation at the 11th WT1 vaccine site, and persistent erythema at the 1st induction vaccine site about 4 weeks after the completion of all 12 WT1 vaccinations. The aseptic ulcers eventually healed with wound care without antibiotics. Efficacy: Three of 4 patients on the Montanide arm had decease of WT1 qRT-PCR levels after WT1 vaccination, and two of them demonstrated generation of WT1-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses with biased TCR beta chain enrichment. Three patients from who cells were available for TCR alpha and beta CDR3 sequencing had TCR clonal enrichment after WT1 vaccination. In contrast, no obvious WT1-specific immune responses were detected in 2 patients on the poly ICLC arm, nor was there clonal enrichment by TCR alpha/beta sequencing; however, these patients did have a decrease in WT1 qRT-PCR levels and remained in remission 3 years after the initiation of WT1 vaccination. Thus, WT1 peptide in poly ICLC may induce anti-leukemia immune response not detected by our current assays. The third patient on the poly ICLC arm was later found to have A0202 instead of A0201, and thus could serve as negative control. Not surprisingly, this patient did not have a decrease of WT1 qRT-PCR levels nor TCR clonal evolution during vaccination. The patient tolerated the vaccine well without injection reactions and had stable AML for 12 weeks, but the disease progressed before the first monthly WT1 vaccination. Conclusions: WT1 peptide vaccine with Montanide as an adjuvant induces WT1-specific CD8+ T cell responses with TCR clonal and specific TCR beta CDR3 enrichment, which may be capable of controlling leukemia recurrence in the setting of minimal residual disease. Future investigation to combine checkpoint inhibitors with peptide vaccination might further enhance efficacy in patients with myeloid leukemia. Disclosures Liu: Karyopharm: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding. Salazar:Oncovir Inc: Employment. Odenike:Suneisis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Algeta: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Spectrum: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Geron: Research Funding; CTI/Baxter: 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; Sanofi-Aventis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Gajewski:Abbvie: Consultancy; Celldex: Consultancy, Research Funding; Jounce: Consultancy; Incyte: Consultancy, Research Funding; Evelo: Patents & Royalties: Patent application; BMS: Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche/Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy; Aduro: Patents & Royalties: Patent application.

Download Full-text

Impact of Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) Assessed before Transplantation on the Outcome of Children with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Given an Allograft: A Retrospective Study By the I-BFM Study Group

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2020-137424 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 38-39

Author(s):

Martina Pigazzi ◽

Maddalena Benetton ◽

Christiane Walter ◽

Maria Hansen ◽

Anne-Sofie Skou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽

High Risk ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Research Funding ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Institutional Research ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Minimal Residual ◽

Acute Myeloid

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease where selected subgroups of patients, linked by the presence of biological and clinical high-risk features, are candidates to receive allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation HSCT) as post-remission consolidation treatment. The achievement of morphological complete remission (CR) before HSCT is an important pre-requisite to optimize the chance of successful post-transplant outcome. Minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) has been shown to increase the ability to monitor therapy response in AML, improving prognostic accuracy and allowing to refine transplant strategies. Although MRD assessment was shown to have potential benefit when measured after induction and consolidation therapy courses, its role before HSCT remains to be fully elucidated. In order to contribute to better clarify this issue, we conducted a q-PCR I-BFM-AML collaborative study to measure MRD in bone marrow samples collected within 5 weeks prior to HSCT of 108 pediatric AML patients harboring one of the main recurrent AML aberrancies t(8;21)(q22;q22); RUNX1-RUNX1T1, inv(16)(p13.1q22)/t(16;16)(p13.1;q22); CBFB-MYH11, t(9;11)(p22;q23); KMT2A-MLLT3 or FLT3-ITD. Sixty patients underwent HSCT in first complete remission (CR1) with an overall survival (OS) of 84% versus 54% for the 48 transplanted in CR2 achieved after an initial relapse. Sixty patients showed q-MRD negativity (defined as a value lower than 2.1x10-4 calculated by ROC curve analysis with respect to diagnosis or relapse), whereas in 48 patients we detected q-MRD levels >2.1x10-4. Five-year OS after HSCT was 83% for patients with q-MRD negativity, while that of patients with q-MRD above the cutoff was 57% (p=0.012). As regards, cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), q-MRD above the cutoff was associated with a high risk of recurrence (26% versus 10% for patients with q-MRD <2.1x10-4, p=0.036), q-MRD positivity representing an independent prognostic factor. When we interrogated the 3 genetic subgroups (namely CBFr, KMT2Ar and FLT3-ITD), despite the limited sample size, we found that OS was significantly influenced by q-MRD pre-HSCT in FLT3-ITD (63% versus 100% for q-MRD negative patients, p=0.019) and in t(8;21)RUNX1-RUNX1T1 rearranged patients (50 % versus 84% for q-MRD negative patients, p=0.048). We further investigated the impact of higher levels of q-MRD: we found that the 17 patients showing a pre-transplant q-MRD reduction lower than 1x10-2 (2-log), with respect to either diagnosis or relapse value, had a worse outcome (OS=39%) when compared to the 91 patients who reduced q-MRD values more than 2-log (OS=78%, p=0.0019). These 17 patients, transplanted in CR1 (n=8) or CR2 (n=9), were heterogeneous in terms of genetic lesions (t(8;21) n=7, inv(16) n=2, t(9;11) n=5 and FLT3-ITD n=3). Applying this 2-log cutoff by genetic subgroups, we found that cases with RUNX1-RUNX1T1 with q-MRD reduction above 2-log had the worst prognosis (OS 29% for q-MRD>2-log versus 73% for q-MRD<2-log, p=0.016). Overall, cases with FLT3-ITD, KMT2A-MLLT3 or CBFB-MYH11 more often achieved a q-MRD reduction greater than 2-log. In line with these results we combined the two measurement approaches and proposed a model where the two cutoffs generate 3 risk groups stratification, namely low (q-MRD<2.1x10-4, LR), intermediate (q-MRD>2.1x10-4 and <2-log, IR) or high risk (q-MRD>2-log, HR). This combined stratification by q-MRD resulted into a better subdivision of the OS probability, which was 83%, 69% and 39% for LR, IR and HR respectively (p=0.004). Finally, a multivariate Cox regression model revealed that, together with CR status at time of the allograft (CR2, hazard ratio 4.4, p=0.001), q-MRD was an independent factor (hazard ratio 0.5, p=0.001) predicting HSCT outcome. In conclusion, this study supports the role of q-MRD pre-HSCT as a useful prognostic tool in childhood AML, able to provide information to tailor transplant strategies involving conditioning regimen intensity and graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis. Disclosures Reinhardt: AbbVie: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Other: Institutional Research Funding; Jazz: Consultancy, Other: Institutional Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Other: Institutional Research Funding; bluebird bio: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy, Other: Institutional Research Funding; Biotest: Other: Institutional Research Funding; Novo Nordisk: Other: Institutional Research Funding; Behring: Other: Institutional Research Funding. Merli:Bellicum Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; SOBI: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Jazz: Honoraria; Sanofi-Genzyme: Honoraria; Atara Therapeutics: Honoraria.

Download Full-text

Venetoclax and Azacitidine for Older Newly Diagnosed Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Single-Institution Pilot Study Using Measurable Residual Disease to Guide Therapy

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2019-122120 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 2638-2638 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Amanda Winters ◽

Jonathan A Gutman ◽

Enkhtsetseg Purev ◽

Brett M. Stevens ◽

Shanshan Pei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Board Of Directors ◽

Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Research Funding ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Refractory Disease ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Ras Pathway ◽

Measurable Residual Disease ◽

Count Recovery

Background: Venetoclax (ven) was approved for older untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients due to high response rates and durable remissions. As a participating site in the dose escalation study, we observed deeper/more durable responses in some who received >400mg ven. We also noted 16/33 discontinued azacitidine (aza) after achieving a response; 9 relapsed and 7 remained in long term remission on ven only. Based on these observations, we designed a study that hypothesized: A)Higher initial doses of ven would allow deeper/more durable responses, and B)Multi modality high sensitivity measurable residual disease (MRD) testing could identify patients able to discontinue aza and remain on maintenance ven. Methods: This is an ongoing phase 2 study (NCT03466294) of 42 untreated AML patients ≥60 who decline/are ineligible for induction. Patients have adequate organ function and white blood cell counts <25x109/L (hydrea permitted). In cycle 1, patients receive aza 75mg/m2 on days (d) 1-7 and ven, escalated from 100 to 200 to 400 to 600mg on d 1-4. Ven continues at 600mg d 5-28 and bone marrow biopsies (BMBXs) are performed on d 8 and 28. Patients who achieve morphologic remission without count recovery have up to 14 days off therapy before subsequent cycles, with growth factor support; "upgraded" responses are recorded if count recovery occurs. Non responders discontinue or receive up to two additional cycles of aza and ven 600mg. Responders who remain MRD+ by multiparameter flow cytometry (MPFC, Hematologics) and/or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) for as many identifiable diagnostic genes as possible also receive up to 2 additional cycles of aza and ven 600mg. MRD+ responders after 3 cycles continue aza and ven 400mg until toxicity/progression. Patients who experience MRD- responses at any time stop aza and continue ven 400mg daily (Fig 1). Results: 30 patients enrolled between May 2018 and July 2019; median age is 71 (60-88), 10% evolved from MDS and 10% and 73% had intermediate and unfavorable risk disease by ELN, respectively (Table 1). 732 adverse events (AEs) occurred; 46 (6%) were serious, the most common were neutropenic fever (37%) and pneumonia (13%). The most common >grade 2 related AEs were leukopenia (53%), thrombocytopenia (44%) and neutropenia (35%); there were no related grade 5 AEs. The overall response rate was 70% (21/30; CR=19, MLFS=2). Median number of cycles to achieve best response was 1. Significant blast reductions were seen on day 8; of the 28 with interpretable day 8 BMBXs, 10 achieved MLFS on day 8. 4 completed ≥1 cycle and were refractory. An additional 4 did not complete cycle 1: 1 died of disease and 3 elected to come off therapy (all subsequently died of disease). Four (19%) responders relapsed, after a median 180 days (27-279). With median follow up of 214 days, median response duration has not been reached. 10 patients died, after a median 65 days (29-256); 1/30 died within 30 days. Median overall survival has not been reached. Of the 26 who completed ≥1 cycle, 19 were MRD- by MPFC, including 18/19 who achieved CR. Of these 26, 3 were not monitored by ddPCR: for 2 patients this was due to the absence of detectable baseline mutations and for 1 patient it was due to refractory disease. The remaining 23 had ddPCR monitoring; 3 became MRD- by this modality (Fig 2). All 3 were also MRD- by MPFC and per protocol discontinued aza and initiated ven maintenance (Fig 1). MRD negativity by both parameters occurred after cycles 1, 2 and 3, respectively. One MRD- patient relapsed after 216 days; two remain in remission after 301 and 124 days. An additional 4 who achieved MRD+ responses discontinued aza at their insistence (and in violation of the protocol); 1 relapsed after 279 days, and 3 remain in ongoing remission. Univariate predictors of refractory disease were FAB M0/M1 (OR 0.070, p=0.02) and RAS pathway mutations (OR 14.25, p=0.02). Conclusions: Higher initial doses of ven are tolerated in this population. Blast reduction occurs quickly in many patients (day 8), for this low intensity regimen. Response rates are consistent with lower doses of ven. Very deep responses, as measured by highly sensitive MRD methods (MPFC and ddPCR are capable of sensitivity up to 0.02%), are attainable. Longer follow up time will determine if higher ven doses and MRD-driven decisions related to continuation of aza result in more durable responses. Increased maturation of blasts and RAS pathway mutations are predictors for refractory disease. Disclosures Lyle: Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Daiichi Sankyo Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Agios: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Pollyea:Agios: 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; Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: 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, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celyad: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Diachii Sankyo: 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; Forty-Seven: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Download Full-text

Highly Sensitive Monitoring of Minimal Residual Disease in FLT3-itd-Positive Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients with a Mutation Specific Quantitative-PCR Method,

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v118.21.3530.3530 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 118 (21) ◽

pp. 3530-3530

Author(s):

Joanna Schiller ◽

Inka Praulich ◽

Michael Hallek ◽

Karl-Anton Kreuzer

Keyword(s):

Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Research Funding ◽

Tandem Duplication ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Patient Specific ◽

Base Pairs ◽

Qrt Pcr ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Minimal Residual ◽

Acute Myeloid

Abstract Abstract 3530 Minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can predict relapse clearly in advance and therefore allows early therapeutic intervention. Moreover, recent studies have highlighted the significance of personalized treatment on the basis of MRD status for improving outcome in AML. The FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3 -ITD) is one of the most frequent mutations in AML patients occurring in 15–35% of all cases and approximately in 20–30% of cytogenetic normal (CN) AML. Clinically, FLT3 -ITDs have been strongly associated with high leukocytosis, high blast counts, normal karyotype and, most importantly, poor clinical outcome. However, due to the high sequence variability of individual FLT3 -ITD commonly a universal PCR approach is applied which has a low sensitivity (approx. 1: 5×102). For this reasons FLT3 -ITD is regarded as not suitable for longitudinal MRD measurements. The aim of this study was to develop a novel cDNA-based, highly sensitive quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay for the detection of the FLT3 -ITD mutation level. Furthermore, the prognostic value of FLT3 -ITD-based MRD detection in AML patients was compared with other genetic markers like NPM1 mutations, MLL -partial tandem duplication (MLL -PTD) and the expression of PML /RARα fusion gene or WT1 over-expression. To design patient-specific qRT-PCR, FLT3 -ITDs were amplified with universal primers, purified corresponding bands from agarose gel and directly sequenced. On the basis of the FLT3 -ITD, individual mutation-specific primers were designed. The expression of FLT3 -ITD was determined using complementary DNA samples at different points in time diagnosis and subsequent treatment. For estimation of the sensitivity and specificity of this approach we used a dilution of FLT3 -ITD cDNA in a pool of FLT3 -unmutated cDNA. From a total of 394 newly diagnosed AML patients 55 (14%) were FLT3 /ITD positive. Retrospectively we analyzed ITD mutation of FLT3 in 39 available cases. The length of ITD ranged from 3 to 144 base pairs (median 46). Nine patients had extra insertions of 2–38 base pairs between two repeats. For the FLT3 -ITD quantification we developed patient-specific qRT-PCR for 29 individuals with mutation-specific forward primers and studied 83 peripheral blood and 61 bone marrow samples. Three cases with WT1, fifteen with NPM1, three with MLL -PTD and five with PML /RARα fusion genes expression levels were compared with FLT3 -ITD expression levels. 26 of 29 assays (90%) were highly specific (1:104 − 1:105) and yielded similar results when compared to other high sensitive assays for molecular markers like NPM1 or PML /RARα. In three cases (10%) a co-amplification of the wild-type could not be avoided resulting in lower sensitivity (1:103). We could show that FLT3 -ITD positivity reliably predicted relapse up to 10 months in advance. 92% patients, who achieved FLT3 -ITD negativity with our assay, did not relapse. Furthermore we compared paired PB and BM samples at diagnosis and after induction therapy in 5 cases. The difference in FLT3 -ITD expression were not statistically significant (p=0.8) which is in line with recent studies. We conclude that highly sensitive detection of individual FLT3 -ITD posses equal prognostic power in AML like established molecular MRD markers. Using this approach MRD guided treatment decisions appear to be justified and should be incorporated in future studies. Disclosures: Hallek: Hoffmann-la Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kreuzer:Alexion: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding; CSL Behring: Honoraria, Research Funding; Genzyme: Honoraria, Research Funding; Mundipharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; MSD: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Shire: Honoraria, Research Funding.

Download Full-text

Switching to Nilotinib Is Associated with Continued Deeper Molecular Responses in CML-CP Patients with Minimal Residual Disease After ≥ 2 Years On Imatinib: Enestcmr 2-Year Follow-up Results

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v120.21.694.694 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 120 (21) ◽

pp. 694-694 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Timothy P. Hughes ◽

Jeffrey H. Lipton ◽

Nelson Spector ◽

Brian Leber ◽

Ricardo Pasquini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Board Of Directors ◽

Minimal Residual Disease ◽

Research Funding ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Molecular Response ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Molecular Responses ◽

The Difference ◽

Minimal Residual

Abstract Abstract 694 Background: Superior rates of deeper molecular responses were achieved with nilotinib vs imatinib in patients newly diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP) in the Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials—newly diagnosed patients (ENESTnd) trial. In addition, the 12-month (mo) analysis of the ENEST—complete molecular response (ENESTcmr) study demonstrated that switching to nilotinib after a minimum of 2 years on imatinib led to increased rates of major molecular response (MMR) and deeper molecular responses vs remaining on imatinib. Results from ENESTcmr are presented here with minimum 24 mo of patient follow-up. Methods: Patients with Ph+ CML-CP who had achieved complete cytogenetic responses but still had persistent BCR-ABL positivity by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) after ≥ 2 years on imatinib were eligible. Patients (n = 207) were randomized to switch to nilotinib 400 mg twice daily (BID; n = 104) or to continue on the same dose of imatinib (400 or 600 mg once daily [QD]; n = 103). Rates of MMR, MR4 (BCR-ABL ≤ 0.01% according to the International Scale [IS], corresponding to a 4-log reduction), MR4.5 (BCR-ABL ≤ 0.0032%IS, corresponding to 4.5-log reduction), and undetectable BCR-ABL via RQ-PCR with ≥ 4.5-log sensitivity were measured. Results: Among all randomized patients (intent-to-treat population), significantly more patients treated with nilotinib continued to achieve undetectable BCR-ABL by 24 mo (32.7% on nilotinib vs 16.5% on imatinib; P =.005; Table).The difference between the arms in achievement of this endpoint increased between 1 and 2 years (from 12.4% to 16.2%). The median time to MR4.5 and undetectable BCR-ABL was also significantly faster on nilotinib than on imatinib (P = .005 and .003, respectively). Cumulative rates of MR4.5 and undetectable BCR-ABL continued to be higher with nilotinib in patients without those responses at baseline, and the difference between arms appeared to increase over time. The safety profiles for nilotinib and imatinib were consistent with prior studies. By 24 mo, no patients in either arm progressed to accelerated phase/blast crisis. No patients on nilotinib died since the 12-mo analysis; 1 patient on imatinib died from metastatic prostate cancer in follow-up after discontinuation from the study. Conclusions: Switching to nilotinib led to significantly faster, deeper molecular responses in patients with minimal residual disease on long-term imatinib therapy. Since the 12-mo analysis, rates of deep molecular response (MR4.5 and undetectable BCR-ABL) have remained significantly higher in patients who did not have the response at baseline and were switched to nilotinib (vs those remaining on imatinib). In fact, the difference in favor of nilotinib increased between 1 and 2 years. These results suggest that switching to the more potent, selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib is beneficial in patients with minimal residual disease after long-term imatinib therapy. Achievement of these deeper molecular responses (MR4.5 and undetectable BCR-ABL) after switching to nilotinib may enable a greater proportion of CML-CP patients to be eligible for future discontinuation studies. Cumulative rates of confirmed undetectable BCR-ABL by 24 mo will be presented as the confirmation assessments for several responders were not available at the time of this analysis. Disclosures: Hughes: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Ariad: Consultancy; CSL: Research Funding. Lipton:Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Spector:Novarits: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy. Leber:Novartis: Advisory Board Other, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Schwarer: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; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Etienne:Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Branford:Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Ariad: Research Funding. Purkayastha:Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp: Employment. Collins:Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp: Employment. Szczudlo:Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp: Employment. Cervantes:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi-Aventis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Teva Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Download Full-text

Clinical Relevance of Minimal Residual Disease Monitoring in NPM1 Mutated AML: A Study of the AML Study Group (AMLSG)

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v126.23.227.227 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 126 (23) ◽

pp. 227-227

Author(s):

Silke Kapp-Schwoerer ◽

Andrea Corbacioglu ◽

Verena I. Gaidzik ◽

Peter Paschka ◽

Daniela Weber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Board Of Directors ◽

Clinical Relevance ◽

Research Funding ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Time Points ◽

Check Points ◽

The Impact ◽

Kinetics Of ◽

Minimal Residual

Abstract Background: Nucleophosmin (NPM1mut) mutations represent one of the most common gene mutations in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and can be used for monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD). In a former study, we could define clinical relevant check-points and a cut-off value to identify patients (pts) at high risk of relapse. Aims: To confirm our previous results on the clinical relevance of NPM1mut transcript levels (TL) in an extended cohort of younger AML pts (18 to 60 years) harbouring NPM1mut type A, B, C, D, JT, 4, QM, NM or KM, and to assess the impact of concurrent FLT3 internal tandem duplications (ITD) and DNMT3A (DNMT3Amut) mutations on NPM1mut TL kinetics. Methods: All pts were enrolled in one of four AMLSG [AMLHD98A (n=46; NCT00146120); AMLSG 07-04 (n=199; NCT00151242); AMLSG 09-09 (n=179; NCT00893399); AMLSG 16-10 (n=75; NCT01477606)] treatment trials. Treatment comprised double induction therapy (DI) with ICE (idarubicin, cytarabine, etoposide) with or without ATRA or gemtuzumab ozogamicin, or 1 cycle of daunorubicin and cytarabine followed by 1 to 4 cycles of high-dose cytarabine (n=292), autologous (n=19) or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (n=141). NPM1mut TL (ratio of NPM1mut/ABL1 transcripts x 104) were determined by RQ-PCR using TaqMan technology; the sensitivity of the assays was 10-5 to 10-6. DNMT3A and FLT3 -ITD (FLT3 -ITDmut) mutation status was assessed by standard PCR-based methods. Results: A total of 2835 samples from 499 NPM1mut pts were analysed at diagnosis (n=439), after each treatment cycle (n=1394) and during follow-up (FU) (n=1002). Peripheral blood (PB) samples were only included in the advanced FU period (defined as at least 12 months after completion of therapy). NPM1mut TL at diagnosis varied between 7.03 x103 and 2.38 x 107 (median 5.37 x 105). Pretreatment NPM1mut TL were not associated with clinical characteristics (e.g., age, WBC, BM blasts, FLT3 -ITDmut, DNMT3Amut) with the exception of LDH level (p=0.006) and did not impact event-free survival (EFS), relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). NPM1mut TL as log 10 transformed continuous variable at different time points during therapy were significantly associated with shorter remission duration (RD) and shorter OS. After DI therapy, the cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) at 4 years was 10% for RQ-PCR-negative pts (n=41) versus 45% for RQ-PCR-positive pts (n=226) (p<0.0001); the lower CIR translated into a significant better OS (92% versus 60%, respectively; p=0.001). After completion of therapy, CIR at 4 years was 13% for RQ-PCR-negative pts (n=126) and thus significantly lower compared with 56% in RQ-PCR-positive pts (n=139; p<0.00001). Again, the lower CIR translated into a significantly better OS (81% versus 55%, respectively; p<0.00001). Multivariable analysis performed at both time points showed that NPM1mut TL were significantly associated with a shorter RD (HR, 1.86; 2.30, respectively) and shorter OS (HR, 1.58; 1.72, respectively). During FU, 1002 bone marrow (BM) and PB samples from 280 pts were analysed. The relapse rate at 2 years for pts exceeding the previously defined cut-off value of >200 NPM1mut copies was 90% with a median time to relapse of 1.38 months. In contrast, only 6/104 pts with sustaining RQ-PCR negativity relapsed. Finally, we evaluated the impact of concurrent FLT3 -ITDmut and DNMT3Amut on kinetics of NPM1mut TL. Following the first induction cycle, the median NPM1mut TL was significantly lower in pts with the NPM1mut/FLT3 -ITDwildtype/DNMT3Awildtype genotype compared to pts with the genotype NPM1mut/FLT3 -ITDmut/DNMT3Amut. This effect could be observed throughout subsequent treatment cycles. Conclusions: The results of our analysis on an extended cohort of younger AML pts with NPM1mut highly confirmed the two clinically relevant MRD check-points, after DI and after completion of therapy; during the FU period, exceeding a cut-off value of >200 TL was highly predictive for relapse. Finally, we found a significant impact of concurrent FLT3 -ITDmut/DNMT3Amut on the kinetics of NPM1mut TL. Disclosures Fielder: Amgen: Other: Congress Participation; Teva: Other: Congress Participation; Kolltan: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Astellas: Other: Congress Participation. Horst:Boehringer Ingleheim: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding. Götze:Celgene Corp.: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria. Schlenk:Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Teva: Honoraria, Research Funding; Boehringer-Ingelheim: Honoraria; Arog: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Download Full-text

A Prospective Phase 2 Study of Venetoclax and Low Dose Ara-C (VALDAC) to Target Rising Molecular Measurable Residual Disease and Early Relapse in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2021-152583 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 1261-1261

Author(s):

Ing S Tiong ◽

Sun Loo ◽

Emad Uddin Abro ◽

Devendra Hiwase ◽

Shaun Fleming ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Board Of Directors ◽

Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Research Funding ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Phase 2 ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Early Relapse ◽

Phase 2 Study ◽

Measurable Residual Disease ◽

Acute Myeloid

Abstract Introduction Rising molecular measurable residual disease (MRD) is an arbiter of clinical relapse in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Venetoclax (VEN) is active against IDH and NPM1 mutant (mt) AML as monotherapy (Konopleva et al, 2016 and Chua et al, 2020) and can yield MRD negative remission when combined with low dose ara-C (LDAC) in patients unfit for intensive chemotherapy (DiNardo and Tiong et al, 2020). In a retrospective study, we showed that VEN in combination with hypomethylating agents or LDAC could erase rising NPM1mt MRD in 6/7 cases (Tiong et al, 2020). We now present a prospective phase 2 study of VEN and LDAC in patients with molecular MRD failure or oligoblastic AML relapse. Methods This multicenter phase 2 study stratified patients into oligoblastic relapse (marrow blasts 5-15%; Group A), or molecular MRD failure (Group B) as defined by the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) recommendations (failure confirmed by 2 interval samples) (Schuurhuis et al, 2018). Patients received VEN 600 mg (days 1-28) and LDAC 20 mg/m 2 (days 1-10). Primary objectives were morphologic or MRD response (≥1 log reduction) in groups A and B, respectively. Key secondary objectives were allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) realization and relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). The study had Alfred Health ethics approval (196/19). NPM1mt and other fusion transcript levels (per 10 5 ABL) from bone marrow were analyzed by RT-qPCR, IDH1 and IDH2 by Bio-Rad TM droplet digital PCR. Results The study enrolled 32 patients, with 29 evaluable (cut-off date 15/7/21). The median age of the study population was 62 years; 79% had intermediate cytogenetic risk, 66% NPM1mt, 11% FLT3-ITD and 37% IDH1/IDH2 mt. Most received prior intensive chemotherapy (93%) and 2 (7%) allo-HCT in first remission. Median interval from AML diagnosis to study entry was 12.6 months (Table 1). After a median follow-up of 7.9 months, patients had received a median of 3 cycles (range 1-14) of VEN-LDAC, with 13 patients ongoing. The main reasons for treatment cessation were allo-HCT (n=10; 34%) or donor lymphocyte infusion (n=2; 7%), treatment failure (n=3) or an adverse event (n=1). Hematologic complete/incomplete response (CR/CRi) among 11 patients with oligoblastic relapse (group A) was 73% and included: CR (n=5, 45%) or CRi (n=3, 27%), with an additional patient with morphologic leukemia-free state and 2 patients with stable disease. Overall, across both groups, median RFS and OS were not reached, estimated at 78% and 91% at 1 year, respectively. Among 18 patients with molecular MRD failure (group B) treated with VEN+LDAC, molecular response (≥1 log reduction) was achieved in 72%, and the RFS and OS were estimated at 83% and 87% at 1 year, respectively. Analysis of a sub-group of patients with NPM1mt (n=18); 6 and 12 from Groups A and B, respectively revealed the median NPM1mt transcript level at study entry to be 8985 copies (IQR 826, 94,431). A molecular response was achieved in 14 (78%) patients, including 9 (50%) with complete molecular remission (CR MRD-), with most responses achieved within 2 cycles of therapy (Figure B). Treatment with VEN-LDAC was generally well tolerated, with 15 serious adverse events reported within the first 2 cycles, including infection (n=6; 19%) and febrile neutropenia (n=3; 9%). Only one subject discontinued treatment due to stroke. Conclusions In this prospective study, in patients with first oligoblastic relapse or MRD failure, VEN in combination with LDAC induced a high rate of molecular MRD remission that was rapidly achieved, resulting in a high rate of survival at 12-months (>90%) and with low toxicity. Follow-up is ongoing to determine the durability of response. Treatment of patients with MRD or early clinical failure may represent an attractive clinical trial setting for investigation of novel, non-intensive AML therapies. This approach will be investigated in a future multi-arm, precision-based platform trial called INTERCEPT (Investigating Novel Therapy to Target Early Relapse and Clonal Evolution as Pre-emptive Therapy in AML). Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Tiong: Servier: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy. Hiwase: Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Fleming: Amgen Inc: Research Funding. Bajel: Amgen: Speakers Bureau; Abbvie, Amgen, Novartis, Pfizer: Honoraria. Fong: Amgen, BMS: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Research Funding; AbbVie, Amgen, Novartis, Pfizer, Astellas: Honoraria. Wei: Celgene/BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Agios: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astra Zeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Macrogenics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: This presentation will discuss the use of venetoclax in targeting measurable residual disease and early relapse of acute myeloid leukemia.

Download Full-text

Comparison of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Measurable Residual Disease Detection By Flow Cytometry in Peripheral Blood and Bone Marrow

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2019-127128 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 2729-2729

Author(s):

Colin D. Godwin ◽

Yi Zhou ◽

Megan Othus ◽

Carole M. Shaw ◽

Kelda M. Gardner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Research Funding ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Spearman Correlation ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Measurable Residual Disease ◽

Acute Myeloid

BACKGROUND: The current recommendation against the need for bone marrow aspiration (BMA) in routine follow-of persons with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in remission preceded the recognition that multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) is a sensitive and specific means to detect imminent morphologic relapse. Given this recognition, we wondered whether BMA is now necessary, or if concordance between MFC results in peripheral blood (PB) and BMA is such as to make BMA unnecessary, at least for evaluation of measurable residual disease (MRD) by MFC. Previous studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between disease detection by MFC in PB and BMA. Here we examined 724 paired PB and BMA samples from 482 patients to further examine the concordance between PB and BMA blast detection by MFC, particularly among patients in morphologic remission. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included adults in our institutional AML database, covering 2008-2018. Our Hematopathology database was queried to identify PB and BMA MFC sample pairs with samples considered "paired" if measured within one week of each other. If an individual had multiple pairs, all were included unless otherwise specified. Ten-color MFC was performed routinely on BMA aspirates with a panel of three antibody combinations, with the same antibody combinations applied to PB samples. When identified, the abnormal population was quantified as a percentage of the total CD45+ white cell events. Any level of residual disease was considered positive. Complete remission (CR) and relapse were defined according to the European LeukemiaNet 2017 classification. Relationship between PB and BMA blast % was measured using Spearman's Rank-Order Correlation. Relationship between PB and BMA samples identified as positive or negative is illustrated using 2 X 2 tables (Table 1). RESULTS: Considering all 724 sample pairs, the Spearman correlation coefficient between PB and BMA blast percentage was 0.93, and was 0.91 considering only the first sample pair for each individual patient (n= 482). 315 sample pairs were positive by PB, 97% of which were also positive by BMA while 95% of 409 pairs negative by PB were also negative by BMA. Similar results were seen considering only a patient's first pair. Restricting analysis to patients with pairs obtained between the dates of CR and relapse, the Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.82 with 91% of 35 cases positive in PB also positive in BMA; 93% of 114 pairs negative in PB were also negative in marrow. As a complementary means to compare pairs when AML burden was low, we examined only pairs where the BMA MFC showed <5% blasts. Here, the Spearman correlation coefficient between PB and BMA blasts was 0.83. 90% of 70 positive PB cases were also positive by BMA while 95% of 295 negative PB cases were also negative by BMA. Examining pairs taken from patients in morphologic remission immediately prior to undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant yielded a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.92, with all 9 PB positive cases also being positive in BMA and 96% of PB negative cases being negative in BMA. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest cohort of AML PB and BMA sample pairs analyzed by MFC to-date. The percentages of blasts measured in PB and BMA are strongly correlated. In the 365 pairs from patients with MRD-level disease, the predictive value of PB MFC positivity for BMA positivity was 90% (63/70) while the predictive value PB MFC negativity for BMA negativity was 95%. Disclosures Othus: Glycomimetics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Gardner:Abbvie: Speakers Bureau. Walter:BioLineRx: Consultancy; BiVictriX: Consultancy; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy; Boston Biomedical: Consultancy; Covagen: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Kite Pharma: Consultancy; New Link Genetics: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Race Oncology: Consultancy; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Argenx BVBA: Consultancy; Aptevo Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy; Agios: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Amphivena Therapeutics: Consultancy, Equity Ownership.

Download Full-text

Interim Analysis of Lenalidomide Consolidation on Minimal Residual Disease in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Following Initial FCR Chemotherapy - CLL6 Residuum Study of the Australian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group (ALLG) and the French Innovative Leukemia Organization (FILO)

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v128.22.2053.2053 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 128 (22) ◽

pp. 2053-2053 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David Gottlieb ◽

Thérèse Aurran ◽

Constantine S. Tam ◽

Mary Sartor ◽

Rémi Letestu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Research Funding ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Consolidation Therapy ◽

Front Line ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

To Receive ◽

Minimal Residual

Abstract Introduction Patients with residual disease following initial treatment of chronic lymphocyticleukemia(CLL) withfludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab (FCR) chemotherapy have reduced progression free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The CLL6 RESIDUUM trial is a joint trial of the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group (ALLG) and the French CLL branch of the French InnovativeLeukemiaOrganization (FILO) thatanalyzesthe role oflenalidomide(LEN) as consolidation therapy in patients following front-line treatment for CLL who do not enter minimal residual disease (MRD) negative complete remission. Methods CLL patients with CIRS score <6 requiring treatment according to iwCLLcriteria receive 6 cycles of FCR. Following completion of treatment, those with clinical, radiological and/or multiparameterflow cytometry (MFC) evidence of residual CLL in blood or bone marrow are randomized 1:1 to receive 2 years of maintenance treatment with LEN 10 mg daily or observation (OBS). Patients are reviewed for evidence of clinical progression, and peripheral blood and bone marrow are sampled regularly for evidence of MRD. CT scans are performed until resolution of lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. Flow analysis for MRD is performed at two central laboratories using ERIC accredited methodology to achieve a sensitivity of 10-4. The primary end point of the study is time to progression or death. Results As of end of July 2016, data from 79 patients randomized on the study were analyzedfor the effects of consolidation treatment on blood and marrow MRD. Median duration from randomization was 488 days. There were 63 males and 16 females. Median age was 62 years (range 29 to 81). 37 patients were randomized to receive LEN, 42 to OBS .On the LEN arm 13, 3 and 21 patientsvs 12, 9 and 21 on the OBS arm were in CR, nodular PR and PR respectively at the time of randomization. There were 26 serious adverse events (SAEs) reported in 22 patients. 12 SAEs in 11 patients were attributed to LEN including pneumonia/chest infection (n=4), pulmonary infiltrate (1), prostatitis (1) second primary malignancy (SPM) (1), vomiting (1), neutropenia (1), tumorflare (1), acute kidney injury (1) and anal warts (1). There were 5 SAEs in the OBS arm comprising SPM (2), neutropenia (1), gout (1) and GuillainBarre syndrome(1). Peripheral blood samples were analyzedprior to consolidation and at 3, 6 and 12 months and every 6 months thereafter. MRD levels during consolidation were compared with pre-consolidation levels and categorized as increasing, decreasing, stable detectable or stable undetectable (Fig 1). MRD increased over the period of observation in 38% of patient on the LEN arm and in 62% of patients on the OBS arm (p = 0.032, Χ2). 10 patients (27%) in the LEN arm and 2 patients (5%) in the control arm had decreasing levels of MRD in the blood (p = 0.006, Χ2). There was no difference between consolidation treatments in the percentage of patients with stable blood MRD measurements, whether in the detectable or the undetectable range. The effect of LEN was most apparent in patients in PR at randomization where 5 patients (24%) taking LEN had increasing MRD in the blood compared to 15 patients (71%) on the OBS arm (p = 0.002, Χ2). Bone marrow MRD levels were assessed prior to consolidation and after 12 months in 9 patients in each arm of the study (LEN arm 2 CR, 1 nPR, 6 PR; OBS arm 4 CR, 1 nPR, 4 PR at randomization). Eight patients in the LEN arm and 2 patients in the OBS arm were observed to have a reduction in marrow MRD. There was a significant reduction between the 2 time points in the LEN arm (p=0.022 paired Wilcoxon test) but not in the OBS arm. Four of 9 patients in the LEN arm and 1 patient in the OBS arm achieved marrow MRD values below 10-4 after 1 year on trial. Conclusion LEN consolidation therapy for residual disease after FCR front-line therapy for CLL is associated with improved control of MRD in both blood and bone marrow. A large group of recently randomized patients will provide more data to determine whether these encouraging results will translate into improved progression free and overall survival. Figure 1 Percentage of patients on LEN and OBS arms with increasing, decreasing, stable detectable or stable undetectable MRD. Figure 1. Percentage of patients on LEN and OBS arms with increasing, decreasing, stable detectable or stable undetectable MRD. Disclosures Gottlieb: Indee: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Research Funding; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Aurran:Janssen: Honoraria. Tam:Gilead: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria. Letestu:Roche: Honoraria; Alexion: Honoraria. Levy:Roche: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Abbive: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria. Leblond:Roche: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria. Mulligan:GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Cymbalista:Abbvie: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria.

Download Full-text

TCR Clonal Evolution in AML Patients in Morphologic Remission Treated with Anti-PD1 Antibody, Nivolumab

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v128.22.2325.2325 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 128 (22) ◽

pp. 2325-2325 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hongtao Liu ◽

Jae-Hyun Park ◽

Noreen Fulton ◽

Kazuma Kiyotani ◽

Yusuke Nakamura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

T Cell ◽

Board Of Directors ◽

Research Funding ◽

Residual Disease ◽

T Cell Repertoire ◽

Cell Repertoire ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Tcr Repertoire ◽

Minimal Residual

Abstract We are conducting a clinical trial titled "Randomized Phase II Study to Assess the Role of Nivolumab as Single Agent to Eliminate Minimal Residual Disease and Maintain Remission in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) Patients After Chemotherapy" (REMAIN trial) (NCT02275533). A critical barrier in developing immunotherapies is the identification of predictive biomarkers of response to therapy. T lymphocytes play critical roles in response to immunotherapies but their clonality and temporal changes in the T cell repertoire during treatment have not been well investigated. Recent advances in deep sequencing technology make it possible to characterize the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire generated following immunotherapy. In this study, we characterized T cell repertoire in peripheral blood and/or bone marrow samples of three AML patients on the REMAIN trial before and after nivolumab treatment. Using Illumina MiSeq sequencer and total RNA from each sample, we conducted deep sequencing of TCR-α and -β chains, and calculated the diversity index (inverse Simpson's index) in their CDR3 sequences to assess overall clonality of T cells. We obtained total CDR3 clonotypes of 420,765 ± 155,449 (average ± standard deviation) for TCR-α and 410,786 ± 115,219 for TCR-β per each sample. Interestingly, we found that certain TCR-α and -β clonotypes were drastically enriched in the bone marrow samples after nivolumab treatment. Many of these enriched TCR clonotypes were minimal or undetectable before nivolumab treatment, indicating that nivolumab might induce expansion of anti-AML T cell subclones. Particularly, nivolumab treatment led to marked reduction of TCR diversity indexes in both peripheral blood and bone marrow samples of one AML patient, who had shown a clearance of minimal residual disease as detected by WT1 qRT-PCR. Our results thus far indicate the feasibility of this type of comprehensive analysis of TCR repertoire in the context of immunotherapy for AML. Preliminary results suggest that such analysis may be utilized to predict response of immune checkpoint blockade, and could also be useful to identify high-affinity TCRs for adaptive T cell therapy approaches. Disclosures Liu: BMS: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding. Odenike:Incyte: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Suneisis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Geron: Research Funding; CTI/Baxter: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Spectrum: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Algeta: 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. Stock:ADC Therapeutics: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Gilead Sciences: Honoraria; Sigma-Tau: Honoraria, Research Funding; Royalties for a chapter in Up to Date: Patents & Royalties.

Download Full-text

Clonal Hematopoiesis and Its Implications for Flow Cytometric Assessment of Measurable Residual Disease in Patients with NPM1-mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2020-139871 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 38-39

Author(s):

Sanam Loghavi ◽

Courtney D. DiNardo ◽

Koichi Takahashi ◽

Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna ◽

Tomoyuki Tanaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Board Of Directors ◽

Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Research Funding ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Clonal Hematopoiesis ◽

Hla Dr ◽

Measurable Residual Disease ◽

Acute Myeloid ◽

Myeloid Progenitors

INTRODUCTION: NPM1 mutations (NPM1mut) occur in ∼30% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and frequently co-occur with mutations in other genes including those attributed to clonal hematopoiesis (CH) including DNMT3A and TET2, among others. CH mutations may persist beyond attaining NPM1mut-negative remission. Persistent CH may be associated with immunophenotypic alterations in myeloid progenitors detected by flow cytometry (FC) which poses an interpretive challenge in assessment of measurable residual disease (MRD) by FC. The aim of this study was to characterize the immunophenotypic alterations associated with persistent CH in the setting of NPM1mut clearance and to determine their possible clinical or biologic significance. METHODS: The cohort included 67 consecutive patients (pts) with NPM1mut AML treated at our institution between 01/2017 and 11/2019. FC assessment for MRD was performed an eight-color panel using FACSCanto II instruments (BD Biosciences, San Diego, CA) with a sensitivity of 10-3 to 10-4. Whole bone marrow (BM) DNA was interrogated for mutations with an 81-gene myeloid next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel using an Illumina MiSeq sequencer (Illumina, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) with a sensitivity: 1% variant allelic frequency (VAF). RESULTS: Pts included 26 men and 41 women with a median age of 64 (range, 19-84) years with newly diagnosed NPM1mut AML. AML blasts had the following immunophenotype at baseline: promyelocytic-like phenotype (CD34-, CD117+, HLA-DR-) in 18 (27%), aberrant myeloid CD34-/CD117+/HLA-DR+ in 15 (22%), aberrant myeloid CD34+ in 13 (19%), myelomonocytic in 11 (16%), and monocytic in 10 (15%) cases. All pts had additional co-mutations at baseline (Fig 1). The most frequently co-mutated genes were DNMT3A (58%) FLT3 (51%), TET2 (27%), IDH2 (24%), PTPN11 (19%), IDH1 (18%), NRAS (16%), and SRSF2 (12%). Pts were treated with intensive (35;52%) and non-intensive induction regimens (32; 48%) (Fig 1); 22 (33%) received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant as post-remission consolidation. We compared FC and NGS results in follow-up samples in pts achieving NPM1mut negative remission with adequate data available for comparison (n=50). 13 (26%) pts cleared all mutations whereas 37 (74%) had persistent CH. The most common mutations in the setting of residual CH involved DNMT3A (70%), TET2 (27%), IDH2 (19%) and IDH1 (11%). Among 37 pts with residual CH, 19 (51%) had no phenotypic alterations detected by FC while 17 (49%) had myeloid progenitors with alterations in intensity of antigen expression (increased CD13, CD123, CD117 and/or decreased CD38) or deviation from normal maturation but not diagnostic for AML MRD (herein referred to as pre-leukemic (PL) phenotype); 1 sample was MRD+ by FC. Mutation VAF of ≥5% was significantly more common (p=0.008) in cases with FC PL+ (100%) vs cases with normal FC phenotype (63%). IDH2 and SRSF2 mutation were exclusively observed in PL+CH+ cases with the former being statistically significant when compared with the FC-normal group (p=0.016). PL phenotype by FC did not correlate with intensity of induction therapy (41% treated with intensive regimens vs 59% non-intensive). The CH+/PL+ cohort had more pts ≥60 yrs old (67%) but the difference was not significant. There was no significant association between PL+ and residual mutation count. Presence of PL+ phenotype was not associated with a shorter relapse-free survival (RFS) (median not reached for both groups). CONCLUSIONS: Post-remission clonal hematopoiesis in the setting of NPM1mut clearance is common, and may result in immunophenotypic changes in myeloid progenitors, posing interpretive challenges for MRD assessment by FC. These alterations may be attributable to specific CH characteristics, such as IDH2 and SRSF2 mutations and VAF, but are not associated with a shorter RFS and thus should not be interpreted as residual AML or considered a high-risk attribute. Additional studies in other AML subtypes are warranted to further delineate these changes and their clinical significance. Figure 1 Disclosures DiNardo: Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Notable Labs: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy; Takeda: Honoraria; Jazz: Honoraria; ImmuneOnc: Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Syros: Honoraria; Agios: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Calithera: Research Funding; MedImmune: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Short:AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Takeda Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria; Astellas: Research Funding. Kadia:JAZZ: Honoraria, Research Funding; Ascentage: Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria; Cyclacel: Research Funding; Genentech: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Cellenkos: Research Funding; Pulmotec: Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding. Konopleva:Sanofi: Research Funding; Eli Lilly: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Rafael Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy; F. Hoffmann La-Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Stemline Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kisoji: Consultancy; Reata Pharmaceutical Inc.;: Patents & Royalties: patents and royalties with patent US 7,795,305 B2 on CDDO-compounds and combination therapies, licensed to Reata Pharmaceutical; Ascentage: Research Funding; Calithera: Research Funding; Forty-Seven: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cellectis: Research Funding; Agios: Research Funding; Ablynx: Research Funding. Kantarjian:Adaptive biotechnologies: Honoraria; Aptitute Health: Honoraria; BioAscend: Honoraria; Delta Fly: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Oxford Biomedical: Honoraria; Ascentage: Research Funding; Daiichi-Sankyo: Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Immunogen: Research Funding; Jazz: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Actinium: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding. Ravandi:Macrogenics: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria; Xencor: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Orsenix: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

Download Full-text