Model of Care for Microelimination of Hepatitis C Virus Infection among People Who Inject Drugs

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are the largest group at risk for HCV infection. Despite the direct acting antivirals (DAA) advancements, HCV elimination has been hindered by real-life difficulties in PWID. Aims: This study aimed to assess the impact of a multidisciplinary intervention strategy where HCV screening, treatment and follow-up were performed at the same location on efficacy and safety of DAA-therapy in real-life PWID population. Methods: All HCV-infected PWID referred to five specialized outpatient centers for drug addicts (SerDs) in Northern Italy were prospectively enrolled from May 2015 to December 2019. Hepatologists and SerDs healthcare workers collaborated together in the management of PWID inside the SerDs. Sustained virologic response (SVR), safety of treatment, proportion of patients lost to follow-up and reinfection rate were evaluated. Results: A total of 358 PWID started antiviral treatment. About 50% of patients had advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis, 69% received opioid substitution treatment, and 20.7% self-reported recent injecting use. SVR was achieved in 338 (94.4%) patients. Two patients died during treatment; one prematurely discontinued, resulting in a non-responder; twelve were lost during treatment/follow-up; and five relapsed. No serious adverse events were reported. SVR was lower in recent PWID than in former ones (89.2% vs. 95.8%; p = 0.028). Seven reinfections were detected, equating to an incidence of 1.25/100 person-years. Reinfection was associated with recent drug use (OR 11.07, 95%CI 2.10–58.38; p = 0.005). Conclusion: Our embedded treatment model could be appropriate to increase the linkage to care of HCV-infected PWID. In this setting, DAA regimens are well tolerated and highly effective, achieving a lower rate of reinfection.

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SAT0501 EARLY START OF BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT IN JUVENILE IDIOPHATIC ARTHRITIS: DOES A THERAPEUTIC WINDOW EXIST IN REAL LIFE?

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-eular.4611 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 1207.2-1207

Author(s):

A. García Fernández ◽

A. Briones-Figueroa ◽

L. Calvo Sanz ◽

Á. Andreu-Suárez ◽

J. Bachiller-Corral ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Activity ◽

Biological Treatment ◽

Real Life ◽

Therapeutic Window ◽

Systemic Jia ◽

Active Arthritis ◽

The Impact ◽

Active Patients ◽

Active Disease

Background:Biological therapy (BT) has changed the treatment and perspectives of JIA patients but little is known about when is the best moment to start BT and the impact of this prompt iniciation.Objectives:To analyze the response to BT of Juvenile Idiophatic Arthritis (JIA) patients according to the time when the BT was started.Methods:A retrospective, descriptive study was conducted on JIA patients followed up in a referal hospital that started BT up to 24 months after diagnosis from 2000 to 2018. Disease activity was measured, at 2 years after diagnosis, according to Wallace criteria for remission (absence of: active arthritis, active uveitis, fever, rash or any other manifestation attributable to JIA, normal CRP and ESR, PGA indicating no active disease) for at least 6 months.Results:55 JIA patients that started BT up to 24 months from diagnosis were analyzed. 69,1% were girls with a median age at diagnosis of 8 years old IQR(3-13), median age at the start of BT of 9 years old IQR(3-13). Regarding JIA categories: 25,5% were Oligoarticular Persistent (OligP), 18,2% Systemic JIA (sJIA), 16,4% Entesitis related Arthritis (ERA), 12,7% Psoriatic Arthritis (APso) and Polyarticular RF- (PolyRF-), 5,5% Oligoarticular Extended (OligE) and Polyarticular RF+ (PolyRF+), 3,6% Undifferentiated (Und). 20% of patients had uveitis during followup. Conventional DMARD (cDMARD) was indicated in 83,6% of patients (95,7% Methotrexate) at diagnosis [median 0 months IQR(0-2,3)]. At the end of followup (2 years) only 30,9% of patients continued with cDMARDs. The main causes of discontinuation were: adverse events (46,7%), remission (36,7%). TNF inhibitors were precribed in 81,8% of patients and 18,2% of patients recieved two BT during the first 2 years from diagnosis. 54,5% of BT were indicated during the first 6 months from diagnosis, 27,3% from 7 to 12 months, 12,7% from 13 to 18 months, 5,5% from 19 to 24 months.After 2 years from diagnosis, 78,2% of patients were on remission and 21,8% active. Among patients with active disease: 75% had arthritis, 16,7% had uveitis and 8,3% had both. There were no differences regarding disease activity among patients with uveitis and neither taking cDMARDs. Regarding JIA categories: 66,7% of OligE, 57,1% of PolyRF- and 57,1% of APso patients were active at 2 years from diagnosis when compared to the other categories (p=0.004).Patients on remission at 24 months from diagnosis started sooner the BT than active patients [CI 95% (0,46-8,29) p=0,029]. The time when the BT was started was correlated to the activity at 2 years (K= 0,294 p=0,029). When the BT was prescribed after 7,5months from diagnosis it was correlated, in a COR curve, with a higher probability of active disease at 2 years (S= 0,67 E= 0,63). There was a correlation, among patients on remission at 2 years, between prompt start of BT and less time to reach remission (K= -0,345 p=0,024). Patients with active disease at 2 years, regardless of moment of BT iniciation, required more BT during follow-up (p=0,002).Conclusion:Prompt iniciation of BT was correlated with a better outcome. JIA patients that started BT early after diagnosis had a higher probability of remission after 2 years. Starting BT after 7,5 months was correlated with a higher probability of active disease at 2 years. Active disease at 24 months was correlated with persistent active disease during follow-up.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

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Opt-out screening for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C: observational study of screening acceptance, yield and treatment outcomes

Emergency Medicine Journal ◽

10.1136/emermed-2019-208637 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 102-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Conor Grant ◽

Sarah O'Connell ◽

Darren Lillis ◽

Anne Moriarty ◽

Ian Fitzgerald ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis C ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Screening Programme ◽

Linkage To Care ◽

Opt Out ◽

B Virus ◽

Lost To Follow Up ◽

The Impact ◽

Test Result

BackgroundWe initiated an emergency department (ED) opt-out screening programme for HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) at our hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The objective of this study was to determine screening acceptance, yield and the impact on follow-up care.MethodsFrom July 2015 through June 2018, ED patients who underwent phlebotomy and could consent to testing were tested for HIV, HBV and HCV using an opt-out approach. We examined acceptance of screening, linkage to care, treatment and viral suppression using screening programme data and electronic health records. The duration of follow-up ranged from 1 to 36 months.ResultsOver the 36-month study period, there were 140 550 ED patient visits, of whom 88 854 (63.2%, 95% CI 63.0% to 63.5%) underwent phlebotomy and 54 817 (61.7%, 95% CI 61.4% to 62.0%) accepted screening for HIV, HBV and HCV, representing 41 535 individual patients. 2202 of these patients had a positive test result. Of these, 267 (12.1%, 95% CI 10.8% to 13.6%) were newly diagnosed with an infection and 1762 (80.0%, 95% CI 78.3% to 81.7%) had known diagnoses. There were 38 new HIV, 47 new HBV and 182 new HCV diagnoses. 81.5% (95% CI 74.9% to 87.0%) of known patients who were not linked were relinked to care after screening. Of the new diagnoses, 86.2% (95% CI 80.4 to 90.8%) were linked to care.ConclusionAlthough high proportions of patients had known diagnoses, our programme was able to identify many new infected patients and link them to care, as well as relink patients with known diagnoses who had been lost to follow-up.

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Comparative data on left atrial appendage occlusion efficacy and clinical outcomes by age group in the Amplatzer™ Amulet™ Occluder Observational Study

EP Europace ◽

10.1093/europace/euaa262 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xavier Freixa ◽

Boris Schmidt ◽

Patrizio Mazzone ◽

Sergio Berti ◽

Sven Fischer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Observational Study ◽

Ischaemic Stroke ◽

Left Atrial ◽

Left Atrial Appendage ◽

Atrial Appendage ◽

Serious Adverse Events ◽

Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact

Abstract Aims Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) may be considered for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and a relative/formal contraindication to anticoagulation. This study aimed to summarize the impact of aging on LAAO outcomes at short and long-term follow-up. Methods and results We compared subjects aged <70, ≥70 and <80, and ≥80 years old in the prospective, multicentre Amplatzer™ Amulet™ Occluder Observational Study (Abbott, Plymouth, MN, USA). Serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported from implant through a 2-year post-LAAO visit and adjudicated by an independent clinical events committee. Overall, 1088 subjects were prospectively enrolled. There were 265 subjects (24.4%) <70 years old, 491 subjects (45.1%) ≥70 and <80 years old, and 332 subjects (30.5%) ≥80 years old, with the majority (≥80%) being contraindicated to anticoagulation. As expected, CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED Scores increased with age. Implant success was high (≥98.5%) across all groups, and the proportion of subjects with a procedure- or device-related SAE was similar between groups. At follow-up, the observed ischaemic stroke rate was not significantly different between groups, and corresponding risk reductions were 62, 56, and 85% when compared with predicted rates for subjects <70, ≥70 and <80, and ≥80 years old, respectively. Major bleeding and mortality rates increased with age, while the incidence of device-related thrombus tended to increase with age. Conclusions Despite the increased risk for ischaemic stroke with increasing age in AF patients, LAAO reduced the risk for ischaemic stroke compared with the predicted rate across all age groups without differences in procedural SAEs.

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Impact of the M184V/I Mutation on the Efficacy of Abacavir/Lamivudine/Dolutegravir Therapy in HIV Treatment-Experienced Patients

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofz330 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Flaminia Olearo ◽

Huyen Nguyen ◽

Fabrice Bonnet ◽

Sabine Yerly ◽

Gilles Wandeler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Outcome ◽

Antiviral Treatment ◽

Composite Endpoint ◽

Hiv Treatment ◽

Hiv Positive ◽

Prior History ◽

History Of ◽

The Impact ◽

Hiv 1

Abstract Objective The impact of the M184V/I mutation on the virological failure (VF) rate in HIV-positive patients with suppressed viremia switching to an abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir regimen has been poorly evaluated. Method This is an observational study from 5 European HIV cohorts among treatment-experienced adults with ≤50 copies/mL of HIV-1 RNA who switched to abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir. Primary outcome was the time to first VF (2 consecutive HIV-1 RNA >50 copies/mL or single HIV-1 RNA >50 copies/mL accompanied by change in antiretroviral therapy [ART]). We also analyzed a composite outcome considering the presence of VF and/or virological blips. We report also the results of an inverse probability weighting analysis on a restricted population with a prior history of VF on any ART regimen to calculate statistics standardized to the disparate sampling population. Results We included 1626 patients (median follow-up, 288.5 days; interquartile range, 154–441). Patients with a genotypically documented M184V/I mutation (n = 137) had a lower CD4 nadir and a longer history of antiviral treatment. The incidence of VF was 29.8 cases (11.2–79.4) per 1000 person-years in those with a previously documented M184V/I, and 13.6 cases (8.4–21.8) in patients without documented M184V/I. Propensity score weighting in a restricted population (n = 580) showed that M184V/I was not associated with VF or the composite endpoint (hazard ratio [HR], 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35–4.59 and HR 1.66; 95% CI, 0.81–3.43, respectively). Conclusions In ART-experienced patients switching to an abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir treatment, we observed few VFs and found no evidence for an impact of previously-acquired M184V/I mutation on this outcome. Additional analyses are required to demonstrate whether these findings will remain robust during a longer follow-up.

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Impact Of Age On Toxicity Associated With Chemotherapy For Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL): Results From The UK Prospective Study UKALL2003

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v122.21.840.840 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 122 (21) ◽

pp. 840-840

Author(s):

Rachael E. Hough ◽

Clare Rowntree ◽

Rachel Wade ◽

Nicholas Goulden ◽

Chris Mitchell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Age Groups ◽

Serious Adverse Events ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Teenagers And Young Adults ◽

The Uk ◽

Cure Rates ◽

The Impact

Abstract Despite the substantial improvements made in the outcomes of paediatric ALL, with ‘cure' rates now in excess of 90%, survival in teenage and young adult (TYA) patients has remained inferior. The reasons for this are likely multifactorial, including tumour biology, toxicity, compliance, access to clinical trials and protocol (adult or paediatric) used. We report the toxicity profiles observed in children, teenagers and young adults treated on the UK intensive, minimal residual disease (MRD) directed ALL protocol, UKALL2003. Of a total of 3126 patients treated, 1520 patients were under 5 years old, 767 were aged 5-9 years, 610 aged 10-15 years and 229 aged 16-24 years, with a median overall follow-up of 4 year and 10 months. The risk of serious adverse events (SAEs) was higher in patients older than 10 years (56% in 10-15 year olds, 53% in 16-24 year olds) compared to those aged 9 or younger (30% in under 5 years and 31% in 5-9 years)(p<0.0001), with no difference in the those aged 16-24 compared to younger teenagers (p=0.5). The incidence (per number of patients in each group) and distribution of toxicities according to age group is summarised in the table.Table 1Age in years<55-910-1516-24AllTotal number of patients1520767610229 NB: 56 pts≥20 years3126Infection n (%)328 (21.6%)130 (17.0%)145 (23.8%)72 (31.4%)675 (21.6%)Asaparaginase n (%)57 (3.8%)57 (7.4%)64 (10.5%)31 (13.5%)209 (6.7%)Methotrexate n (%)100 (6.6%)74 (9.6%)123 (20.2%)33 (14.4%)330 (10.6%)Steroid n (%)54 (3.6%)37 (4.8%)141 (23.1%)52 (22.7%)284 (9.0%)Vincristine n (%)34 (2.2%)11 (1.4%)22 (3.6%)7 (3.0%)74 (2.4%)Other SAEs94 (6.2%)42 (5.5%)90 (14.8%)25 (10.9%)251 (8.0%) The incidence of certain toxicities including viral infection (5.3%), asparaginase hypersensitivity (1.9%) and vincristine neurotoxicity (2.1%) appeared equivalent across all age groups. Avacular necrosis was seen predominantly in adolescents (83% of 147 events in 10-19 year olds) and was rare in those younger than 10 years (n=18) or older than 20 years (n=7). Asparaginase thrombotic events increased in frequency with increasing age (1.5% in under 5 years, 3.3% in 5-9 years, 4.4% in 10-15 years and 8.3% in 16-24 year olds)(p<0.0001). All other toxicities were more frequently observed in over 10 year olds compared to patients aged 9 or younger, with no difference between 16-24 year olds and 10-15 year olds. The impact of age on SAEs associated with intensive ALL chemotherapy varies according to specific toxicities. In general, toxicity is higher in those over 10 years compared to younger patients, with no excess toxicity in those aged 16-24 compared to 10-15 years. However, specific toxicities may increase with increasing age (thrombosis), be restricted to adolescence (AVN) or be unrelated to age (vincristine neurotoxicity, asparaginase hypersensitivity). Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Impact of Diabetes Mellitus and Its Comorbidities on Elderly Patients Hospitalized in Internal Medicine Wards: Data from the RePoSi Registry

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare10010086 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 86

Author(s):

Christiano Argano ◽

Giuseppe Natoli ◽

Salvatore Mularo ◽

Alessandro Nobili ◽

Marika Lo Monaco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Internal Medicine ◽

Elderly Patients ◽

Real Life ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Laboratory Findings ◽

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Patients With Diabetes ◽

The Impact ◽

Diabetes Patients

Background: Currently, diabetes represents the seventh leading cause of death worldwide, with a significant economic burden. The number and severity of comorbidities increase with age, and are identified as important determinants that influence the prognosis. We aimed to investigate comorbidities and outcomes in a cohort of hospitalized elderly patients affected by diabetes. Methods: In this observational study, we retrospectively analyzed data collected from the REgistro dei pazienti per lo studio delle POlipatologie e politerapie in reparti della rete Simi (RePoSI) registry. Socio-demographic, clinical characteristics, and laboratory findings were considered. The association between variables and in-hospital and 1-year follow-up were analyzed. Results: Among 4708 in-patients, 1378 (29.3%) had a diagnosis of diabetes. Patients with diabetes had more previous hospitalization, a clinically significant disability, and more need for a urinary catheter in comparison with subjects without diabetes. Patients affected by diabetes took more drugs, both at admission, at in-hospital stay, at discharge, and at 1-year follow-up. Thirty-five comorbidities were more frequent in patients with diabetes, and the first five were hypertension (57.1%), ischemic heart disease (31.4%), chronic renal failure (28.8%), atrial fibrillation (25.6%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (22.7%). Heart rate was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality. At 1-year follow-up, cancer and male sex were strongly independently associated with mortality. Conclusions: Our findings showed the severity of the impact of diabetes and its comorbidities in the real life of internal medicine and geriatric wards, and provide data to be used for a better tailored management of elderly in-patients with diabetes.

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Impact of Early Switching to Nilotinib As Second Line TKI in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Who Were Intolerant to, Suboptimal to and Failed Imatinib: The Thai Multi-Centered Study

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2018-99-117787 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 4267-4267

Author(s):

Pongtep Viboonjuntra ◽

Arnuparp Lekhakula ◽

Kanchana Chansung ◽

Chittima Sirijerachai ◽

Pimjai Niparuck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Overall Survival ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Real Life ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Second Line ◽

Free Survival ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Grade 3 ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction : To date, the ELN recommendation and NCCN guidelines are the principle mile stones to follow up the treatment response and to make the decision of TKIs switching. However, in real life practice, many factors influence changing the real switching date from the date had an indication. This study aims to analyze the impact of early switching to second line TKI, nilotinib, in real life practice, for the CML patients who failed, had sub-optimal response or were intolerant to imatinib. Methods : This prospective study was conducted through 7 medical centers in Thailand between 1st of September 2009 and 31st of August 2011. Adult CML patients of age ≥ 18 years old, in chronic and accelerated phase, who had failure, suboptimal response or intolerance to imatinib, based on ELN 2009 guideline, were included and were eligible with nilotinib 400 mg twice daily. Prospective data collection for 24 months of each patient was performed. The main objective was to identify the impact of early switching to nilotinib on major molecular response (MMR). The other objectives were to observe the efficacy of nilotinib including overall survival, progression free survival and the safety. The survival results were presented as Kaplan-Meier survival curves. For the comparison of the treatment groups, the Kaplan-Meier estimator with the corresponding log-rank test for equality of survivor functions across treatment group was applied. Results : The final 108 cases were analysed. The median age was 47 (17-79) years with the proportion of male to female of 1.4:1 respectively. The median duration of the prior imatinib treatment was 18 months (2-142 months). The median duration between the date of indication and the date of real switching was 3.1 months (0-62.8 months) with 50% changing less than 3 months, 26.9% between 3 months and 12 months, and 23.1% changing longer than 12 months. The indication of switching included 63.6% failure to imatinib, 29% intolerance to imatinib and 7.4% suboptimal to imatinib. On the nilotinib switching, 70.4% completed 24 months follow-up, and 29.6% discontinued treatment mostly because of unsatisfactory results or adverse events. Evaluation was made every 3 months based on 2009 ELN recommendation. At 3 months, 57%, 20%, and 8% of the patients achieved CHR, CCyR and MMR, respectively. Those who did not achieve CHR at 3 months never achieved MMR, while 86 % of those who achieved CCyR at 3 months achieved MMR. All CML achieving MMR at 3 months had sustained MMR throughout the study period (24 months). Imatinib suboptimal response had better outcome than imatinib failure and imatinib intolerance groups. A preliminary analysis of BCR-ABL mutation was performed on 90 cases, and mutations were found on 21 cases. Two of them were T315I which were excluded from the study. The cases with mutation had poorer response to treatment than those without mutation. There was one case with initial G250E mutation developing T315I mutation after treatment with nilotinib. At 24 months, one case progressed to accelerated phase and 3 cases progressed to blastic transformation. The 2-year overall survival and 2-year progression-free survival and were 98.9% and 96.9% (figure 1 and 2), respectively. The interquatile analysis was done to identify the groups of cumulative MMR according to the duration between the date of indication and the date of real switching to nilotinib. The patients who switched to nilotinib within 12 months after date of indication could have a greater chance to achieved MMR than those who switched treatment later than 12 months (p(log-rank) = 0.002) (figure 3). Skin rash, musculoskeletal pain, and infection were the three most common non-hematologic adverse events, However, most of them were grade 1-2, except for 4 cases with grade 3-4 infections. Grade 3-4 hematologic adverse events included thrombocytopenia (12%), neutropenia (11%), anemia (5%) and leucopenia (4%), and most of them were manageable. Although biochemical abnormalities were commonly found, most of them were mild. Conclusions : Nilotinib, as a second line treatment showed excellent efficacy and tolerability. Indication for nilotinib treatment, initial mutation status and depth of response at 3 months after treatment can predict outcomes of the patients. However, the patients will have a greater chance to achieve MMR if they switched to nilotinib within 12 months after the date of indication for changing. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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The Amount of Apoptosis Predicts Outcome in Ibrutinib-Treated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2018-99-113060 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 4397-4397

Author(s):

Giovanni Del Poeta ◽

Massimiliano Postorino ◽

Federico Pozzo ◽

Maria Ilaria Del Principe ◽

Enrico Santinelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multivariate Analysis ◽

Prognostic Factor ◽

Clinical Outcome ◽

Real Life ◽

Response To Therapy ◽

Independent Prognostic Factor ◽

Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽

Apoptosis Resistance ◽

Serious Adverse Events ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Altough the inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosyne kinase (BTK) ibrutinib has transformed the management of patients with CLL obtaining decreased tumor burden and improved progression free survival (PFS), it does not induce substantial apoptosis in vitro (Ponader, 2012). Dysregulation of the mitchondrial pathway of apoptosis is one of the hallmarks of CLL cell pathophysiology and thus targeting the anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2 with venetoclax is a promising new therapeutic strategy (Souers, 2013; Roberts, 2016). Moreover ibrutinib increases bcl-2 dependence (Deng, 2017) enhancing sensitivity to venetoclax in CLL. Therefore the basal level of apoptosis measured through bax/bcl-2 ratio before therapy may be crucial to test sensitivity to ibrutinib. Aims The primary aims of our research were: i) to verify the correlations of bax/bcl-2 ratio with other well-known biological and clinical prognosticators in patients treated with ibrutinib; ii) to evaluate the impact of bax/bcl-2 ratio on overall response rate (ORR), PFS and overall survival (OS); iii) to test bax/bcl-2 ratio as an independent prognostic factor. Patients and Methods Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of ibrutinib, in a real-life contest, on 100 patients, median age 60 years (38-85), median number of previous regimens 2 (0-4; 14% previously untreated). Patients received 420 mg oral ibrutinib once daily until progression or occurrence of unacceptable side effects. Median follow up on ibrutinib was 16 months. ORR was 92% [complete response (CR): 27%, partial response (PR): 32%, PR with lymphocytosis (PR-L): 33%]. The estimate 1-year PFS and OS were 74% and 77%, respectively. Twenty-nine patients (29%) discontinued ibrutinib therapy due to progression (n=11) and serious adverse events (n=18). Five out of 6 patients with Richter's syndrome (RS) had baseline del(17p)/TP53 mutations (M). Interestingly, PFS was significantly better for patients in first/second lines (n=38) vs later lines of therapy (n=55; p=0.022). Bax/bcl-2 ratio was calculated by flow cytometry, dividing mean florescence intensity (MFI) of bax by MFI of bcl-2 on peripheral CLL cells before treatment with ibrutinib. The threshold of positivity was set at the median value higher than 1.5 (range 0.38-5.10). Results Sixty-four patients had bax/bcl-2 ratio <1.5 (64%). Bax/bcl-2 ratio <1.5 was strongly correlated with ZAP-70 >20% (40/64; p=0.005), but not with CD49d or CD38 >30%. There was only a slight significant correlation between bax/bcl-2 ratio <1.5 and NOTCH1 mutations (M) (25/32; p=0.030). On the other hand, no significant correlations were found between bax/bcl-2 ratio and del(17)p/TP53 M or IGHV status or cytogenetic subsets. With regard to clinical outcome, lack of response/progression and PR/PR-L were significantly correlated both with bax/bcl-2<1.5 (p=0.001) and NOTCH1 M (p=0.0005), but not with del(17)p/TP53 M. Noteworthy, 20/37 del(17)p/TP53 M patients were treated in first/second lines (p=0.001). Significant shorter PFS was observed in patients with bax/bcl-2 ratio <1.5 (65% vs 92% at 24 months, p=0.015, Figure A). Moreover, patients with lower bax/bl-2 ratio showed significant shorter OS (68% vs 96% at 24 months, p=0.006, Figure B). In multivariate analysis of PFS, only bax/bcl-2 ratio < 1.5 (p=0.030), analysed together with NOTCH1 M, TP53 M, number of therapeutic lines and age, was confirmed as an independent prognostic factor. With regard to multivariate analysis of OS, bax/bcl-2 ratio (p=0.016) and number of therapeutic lines (p=0.035) remained significant. Conclusions In our hands, bax/bcl-2 ratio was a powerful prognosticator for patients treated with ibrutinib, particularly useful to identify subsets of CLL patients with different levels of spontaneus apoptosis and consequent different clinical outcome under ibrutinib treatment. At the light of these our recent observations, bcl-2 antagonists, such as ABT-199, should be reasonably combined with BTK inhibitors, as it is already underway in clinical protocols, in order to overcome apoptosis resistance in patients treated with ibrutinib, particularly within the CLL subset characterized by lower bax/bcl-2 ratio e poor response to therapy with ibrutinib. Figure. Figure. Disclosures Del Principe: Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

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