Management of Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS): A Practical Guide

Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a prevalent and pervasive disease. The physical and psychological sequelae can be very burdensome for the patient, and the condition represents a real challenge for the clinician as well. With no simple pathognomonic test, finding harmony in navigating patient care can be demanding. Diagnosis and management rely upon a multidisciplinary and holistic approach. Treatment options include conservative measures and pharmacotherapies as well as bladder instillation therapies. Ultimately, surgery may be offered but only in cases of refractory disease. This article offers a pragmatic guide for clinicians managing this challenging disease.

Vaccine Protection of Mice With Primary Immunodeficiencies Against Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis

Disseminated coccidioidomycosis (DCM), often a severe and refractory disease leading to poor outcomes, is a risk for people with certain primary immunodeficiencies (PID). Several DCM-associated PID (STAT4, STAT3, IFNγ, and Dectin-1) are modeled in mice. To determine if vaccination could provide these mice protection, mice with mutations in Stat4, Stat3, Ifngr1, Clec7a (Dectin-1), and Rag-1 (T- and B-cell deficient) knockout (KO) mice were vaccinated with the live, avirulent, Δcps1 vaccine strain and subsequently challenged intranasally with pathogenic Coccidioides posadasii Silveira strain. Two weeks post-infection, vaccinated mice of all strains except Rag-1 KO had significantly reduced lung and spleen fungal burdens (p<0.05) compared to unvaccinated control mice. Splenic dissemination was prevented in most vaccinated immunodeficient mice while all unvaccinated B6 mice and the Rag-1 KO mice displayed disseminated disease. The mitigation of DCM by Δcps1 vaccination in these mice suggests that it could also benefit humans with immunogenetic risks of severe disease.

Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma Refractory for ABVD Treatment Is Characterized by Pathologically Activated Signal Transduction Pathways as Revealed by Proteomic Profiling

In classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), the tumour microenvironment (TME) is of major pathological relevance. The paucity of neoplastic cells makes it important to study the entire TME when searching for prognostic biomarkers. Cure rates in cHL have improved markedly over the last several decades, but patients with primary refractory disease still show inferior survival. We performed a proteomic comparison of pretreatment tumour tissue from ABVD treatment-refractory versus ABVD treatment-sensitive cHL patients, in order to identify biological differences correlating with treatment outcome. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumour tissues from 36 patients with cHL, 15 with treatment-refractory disease, and 21 with treatment-sensitive disease, were processed for proteomic investigation. Label-free quantification nano liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was performed on the tissues. A total of 3920 proteins were detected and quantified between the refractory and sensitive groups. This comparison revealed several subtle but significant differences in protein expression which could identify subcluster characteristics of the refractory group. Bioinformatic analysis of the biological differences indicated that a number of pathologically activated signal transduction pathways are disturbed in ABVD treatment-refractory cHL.

The Role of Proteasome Inhibitors in Treating Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is an aggressive haematolymphoid malignancy. The prognosis of ALL is excellent in paediatric population, however the outcome of relapse/refractory disease is dismal. Adult ALL has less favourable prognosis and relapse/refractory disease is not uncommonly encountered. Bortezomib is the first generation proteasome inhibitor licensed to treat plasma cell myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma with favourable side effect profile. Efficacy of bortezomib had been proven in other solid tumors. Clinical studies showed promising response for proteasome inhibitors in treating relapse/refractory ALL. Thus, proteasome inhibitors are attractive alternative agents for research in treating ALL. In the review article, we will introduce different proteasome inhibitors and their difference in pharmacological properties. Moreover, the mechanism of action of proteasome inhibitors on ALL will be highlighted. Finally, results of various clinical studies on proteasome inhibitors in both paediatric and adult ALL will be discussed. This review article provides the insights on the use of proteasome inhibitors in treating ALL with a summary of mechanism of action in ALL which facilitates future research on its use to improve the outcome of ALL.

CYCLON and NPM1 Cooperate within an Oncogenic Network Predictive of R-CHOP Response in DLBCL

R-CHOP immuno-chemotherapy significantly improved clinical management of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, 30–40% of DLBCL patients still present a refractory disease or relapse. Most of the prognostic markers identified to date fail to accurately stratify high-risk DLBCL patients. We have previously shown that the nuclear protein CYCLON is associated with DLBCL disease progression and resistance to anti-CD20 immunotherapy in preclinical models. We also recently reported that it also represents a potent predictor of refractory disease and relapse in a retrospective DLBCL cohort. However, only sparse data are available to predict the potential biological role of CYCLON and how it might exert its adverse effects on lymphoma cells. Here, we characterized the protein interaction network of CYCLON, connecting this protein to the nucleolus, RNA processing, MYC signaling and cell cycle progression. Among this network, NPM1, a nucleolar multi-functional protein frequently deregulated in cancer, emerged as another potential target related to treatment resistance in DLBCL. Immunohistochemistry evaluation of CYCLON and NPM1 revealed that their co-expression is strongly related to inferior prognosis in DLBCL. More specifically, alternative sub-cellular localizations of the proteins (extra-nucleolar CYCLON and pan-cellular NPM1) represent independent predictive factors specifically associated to R-CHOP refractory DLBCL patients, which could allow them to be orientated towards risk-adapted or novel targeted therapies.

The value of immunotherapy in pediatric leukemia and lymphoma

SummaryLeukemia and lymphoma are a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in children and the prognosis for patients with relapsed or refractory disease remains poor. Standard therapies are associated with a wide array of acute and long-term toxicities. Immunotherapy is changing the treatment landscape for pediatric leukemia and lymphoma patients and has advanced at a tremendous pace over the last decade. Immunotherapies are thought to exhibit fewer long-term toxicities than chemotherapy and radiation, which makes it very appealing in the field of pediatrics. These novel therapeutic concepts may overcome resistance to and decrease side effects of standard therapy. Many therapies are currently being investigated, from immunomodulatory agents to adoptive cell therapy, bispecific T‑cell engagers, oncolytic virotherapy, and checkpoint inhibition. A critical challenge that must be overcome is the identification of biomarker(s) to identify patients who would benefit from immunotherapy.

A Phase II Single Arm Study of Nivolumab As Maintenance Therapy after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma at Risk of Relapse or Progression

Introduction: Autologous stem cell transplants (ASCT) are standard of care for patients with primary refractory or recurrent Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). While transplant results in cure for some patients, others relapse and succumb from their disease. Studies have found high expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in HL cells. The anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, nivolumab, has been safe and efficacious in the treatment of relapsed, refractory HL (Ansell et al. 2015). We evaluated the safety and efficacy of nivolumab maintenance therapy post-ASCT in high risk for relapse Hodgkin disease. Methods: Patients with HL with high risk of residual disease following ASCT ( high risk defined as refractory disease, relapse <12 months, or relapse ≥12 months with extranodal disease after frontline therapy) received nivolumab (240 mg IV every 2 weeks) starting 45-180 days post-transplant for a maximum of 6 months of treatment. Patients were followed for AEs through 100 days after the last dose of drug. PET-CT response assessments were performed 1-3 month, 6 month, and 12 month post-ASCT. The primary objective was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of nivolumab as maintenance therapy early after ASCT. The secondary objective was to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) at 12 months post-transplant. Results: To date, 37 patients were enrolled; median age 36 years; 25 patients (68%) male. The median number of prior systemic regimens was 2 (range 2-4). 25 patients (68%) had relapsed disease, and 12 patients (32%) had primary refractory disease. 18 patients (49%) had extranodal disease at relapse, 6 patients (16%) had B-symptoms at relapse, and 11 patients (30%) had residual disease after salvage, including 10 patients (27%) of whom had 2-3 prior salvage therapies. 22 patients (60%) had received prior brentuximab, and 3 patients (8%) had received prior nivolumab or pembrolizumab. 36 patients received ASCT and 1 patient received tandem ASCT. At the time of data cutoff, 28 patients (76%) had discontinued nivolumab treatment, 22 patients (60%) because they had completed the 6-month treatment course, 4 patients (11%) due to an adverse event (AE) (1 patient each with pain, pneumonitis, rhabdomyolysis, or hypothyroidism), and 2 patients (5%) due to disease progression. The median duration of treatment was 22.1 weeks. 17 patients (46%) experienced a treatment-related AE (TRAE), of which 5 patients (14%) experienced a ≥Grade 3 TRAE. The most common (≥5%) TRAEs were diarrhea, fatigue, bone pain, neutrophil count decreased, pruritus, rash, and vomiting. 2 patients experienced a treatment-related serious AE (pneumonitis, rhabdomyolysis). There were no treatment-related deaths. With a median follow up of 9.2 months, the median PFS and overall survival (OS) have not been reached. The 6 month PFS is 92.1% and the 12-month OS is 100%. There were no differences in OS when stratified based on prior treatment. Conclusions: The use of nivolumab maintenance early after ASCT is safe and tolerable in this high risk patient population. Early efficacy data is promising, but data need to mature to determine the 12 month PFS. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Bachier: CRISPR: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Autolus: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Nkarta: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Mana: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Shah: Umoja: Consultancy; Incyte: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Kite: Consultancy; Miltenyi Biotec: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Lily: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Epizyme: Consultancy.

ADAMS-TS13 Inhibitor Level and Risk of Relapse in Acquired Idiopathic Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Introduction: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a thrombotic microangiopathy due to reduced activity of ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif, 13). This disorder can be due to a congenital deficiency state or be acquired (immune TTP (iTTP)) due to an antibody which either inhibits or causes clearance of ADAMTS13. The aim of our study was to determine whether ADAMTS13 inhibitor titer at initial presentation could serve as a predictor of refractory disease and relapse in iTTP. We also measured clinical outcomes across different gender and racial subgroups. Methods: The United States Thrombotic Microangiopathy (USTMA) iTTP registry was used to extract patient information for two academic institutions in Eastern North Carolina. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The first iTTP episode recorded in the data base was used as the index episode. All patients included in the final analysis had an ADAMTS13 activity of <10%. An inhibitor level of 5 Bethesda units was arbitrarily chosen as the cutoff between low (<5) and high (>/5) inhibitor level. Response time was defined as the number of days of plasma exchange (PEX) required to achieve a platelet count of 150,000 for two consecutive days. Relapse was defined as occurrence of a new episode of iTTP 30 days after achievement of response. Refractory disease was defined as persistence of thrombocytopenia or absence of a sustained platelet count increment or platelet counts of < 50,000 despite 4-7 days of plasma exchanges and steroid treatment. Rituximab resistance was defined as lack of platelet recovery to more than 150,000 within 11 to 14 days of administration of the first dose of Rituximab. Results: A total of 161 patients with iTTP were identified. Ten patients had ADAMTS13 activity >10% and 15 patients did not have a reported inhibitor level. These subjects were not included in the final analysis. The cohort had 28% male (n =38/136) and 72% (n=98/136) female patients. There were more African American patients 73% (n=99/136) than Caucasians 24% (n=32/136). There were also 2 Hispanic, 1 Native American and 2 patients with unidentified race. Median ADAMTS3 inhibitor titer was 1.05 (Range 0-87). Forty three patients with ADAMTS13 activity <10 % had an inhibitor level of 0 (i.e undetectable).They were included in the low inhibitor group. Overall, 88% patients (n=120/136) had low inhibitor level and only 12% (n=16/136) had a high inhibitor. Thirteen percent females (n=13/98) and 8% (n=3/38) males had a high inhibitor level (p=0.387). Fourteen percent (n=14/99) African Americans and 6 % (n=2/32) Caucasians had a high inhibitor, p=0.23. In the low inhibitor group 30% (n=36/120) patients suffered at least one episode of relapse whereas 31% (n=5/16) had relapsed in the high inhibitor group. The median time to response was 6 days (range 1-76) in the low inhibitor group and 7 days (range 4-20) in the high inhibitor group (p=0.61). While looking at the various subgroups, median time to response for males was 6 days (range 4-21), females 6 days (range 1-76) , African Americans 6 days (range 3-29) , and Caucasians 6 days (range 1-76). The frequency of refractory disease was 31 % (n=5/16) in the high inhibitor group and 29% (n=34/119) in the low inhibitor group. At the time of enrollment in the registry, Rituximab was not a part of first line therapy. Only 26 out of 136 patients had received Rituximab. In the low inhibitor group 5 patients displayed Rituximab resistance whereas there were no patients in the high inhibitor group with Rituximab resistance. Conclusion: When evaluating patients presenting with iTTP in two centers in North Carolina, no correlation was found between a high inhibitor levels of >/ 5 Bethesda units and risk of relapse or refractory disease. A larger study is needed to evaluate this further. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

A Single-Arm, Open-Label Phase 2 Pilot Study of Vyxeos (CPX-351) in Adults with Relapsed or Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Introduction: Vyxeos® is a liposomal formulation employing a 1:5 molar ratio of daunorubicin:cytarabine. Clinical trials in high risk acute myeloid leukemias demonstrated a significant benefit in CR rates and median OS, culminating in FDA approval August 2017. Emerging pediatric data suggest this benefit may extend to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The following pilot trial was performed to better understand the activity and toxicity profile in adults with relapsed and refractory ALL. Methods: Adults with ALL or mixed phenotype leukemia were eligible if >5% lymphoblasts and/or extramedullary disease >1x1cm. Induction consisted of Vyxeos 100 units/m2 on days 1, 3 and 5. Those with clinical benefit could receive up to 3 cycles of consolidation delivered at 65 units/m2 on days 1 & 3 after recovery of neutrophils (>500 cells/uL) and platelets (>50,000 cells/uL). Response: 11 patients (pts) have been treated to date, with median age of 39y (22-74y), 9 male, and 3 Caucasian. Six pts had B-ALL, including 1 B-myeloid. Four of 5 T-ALL pts had early T-cell precursor (ETP) phenotype. NGS was available in 9 pts, and included TP53 mutation (n=4), and PH-like changes (n=2). Median prior lines of therapy was 3, with 7 pts showing primary refractory disease. Prior blinatumomab, inotuzumab, CAR-T cell therapy, and allogeneic transplant were noted in 5, 2, 1, and 3 pts. Pancytopenia was uniform during induction, with febrile neutropenia noted in 9 pts. One pt passed from pneumonia after moving to comfort measures in lieu of intubation 20 days after Vyxeos, and is non-evaluable for response. A second pt developed grade 3 sepsis. The remainder of infections were grade 1-2. One pt had grade 3 gastrointestinal bleed, and 3 pts had grade 1 spontaneous subdural bleeding. One pt developed recurrent pericarditis in setting of anterior mediastinal mass. One case of veno-occlusive disease was observed in a pt with prior allogeneic transplant and inotuzumab. Median time to ANC recovery was 33.5 days among 10 evaluable pts. Two pts with refractory disease failed to recover platelets; among the remaining pts, median time to platelet recovery was 30.5 days. Adverse events were uncommon during consolidation, and include foot cellulitis and myopericarditis, each in 1 pt. Among 10 evaluable pts, 3 achieved CR/CRi, including 2 ETP T-ALL and one B-ALL. Two pts with TP53 mutation demonstrated >50% blast reduction with hematologic recovery, allowing for prolonged time to subsequent therapy. Four pts received 1-3 cycles consolidation. One pt was bridged to donor leukocyte infusion. Responses were noted in only 2 pts after progression following Vyxeos, highlighting refractory status of those enrolled. Median PFS was 57 days (95%CI: 10, 105), time to next therapy 76 days (95%CI: 47, 105), and OS 223 days (95%CI: 144, 302). Conclusions Vyxeos in high-risk refractory adult ALL was overall well tolerated and active, with median OS of approximately 7.5 months in this pilot trial. Confirmation of benefit in a larger study is warranted, incorporating a second induction course and/or the addition of novel agents to further improve on remission rate and duration of response. Disclosures Shah: Incyte: Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Servier Genetics: Other; BeiGene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Acrotech/Spectrum: Honoraria; Pharmacyclics/Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Expenses; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Expenses, Research Funding; Precision Biosciences: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Other: Expenses; Pfizer: Consultancy, Other: Expenses; Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene: Consultancy, Other: Expenses; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Consultancy. Chavez: Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Merck: Research Funding; Morphosys: Speakers Bureau; Adaptive Biotech: Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Beigene: Speakers Bureau; Kite/Gilead: Consultancy; karyopharm: Consultancy; Epizyme: Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Consultancy. Sokol: Dren Bio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kyowa-Kirin: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Lancet: Celgene/BMS: Consultancy; Millenium Pharma/Takeda: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; BerGenBio: Consultancy; ElevateBio Management: Consultancy; Agios: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy; Jazz: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Vyxeos is being evaluated in the described trial for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults.

The Impact of Molecular and Cytogenetic Clonal Evolution on Survival in Relapsed/Refractory AML

Background: Clonal diversity and evolution in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are consequences of disease progression and play a pivotal role in the development of drug resistance and refractoriness to therapy. Much work has been done with characterizing clonal architecture in bulk tumors samples or single-cell DNA sequencing, but real-world data observing the impact of clonal evolution and responses to therapy remains scarce in the relapsed and refractory settings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of observed clonal evolution on survival. Patients & Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 81 patients with AML with relapsed or refractory disease from June 2018 to December 2020. Cytogenetic and molecular data were obtained at the time of diagnosis and the time of primary induction failure or relapse, when available. We identified a total of 24 patients that demonstrated evidence of clonal evolution following induction or salvage therapy. Baseline patient demographics were obtained, including cytogenetic risk and next-generation sequencing molecular profiling at diagnosis and throughout treatment alongside dates and types of induction regimens. We compared the survival of those with evidence of clonal evolution to matched groups without. The groups with and without clonal evolution were compared for baseline statistical differences using an unpaired t-test with Welch's correction and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were computed and compared with log-rank tests using GraphPad Prism. The event for calculating the overall survival was the date of death with patients otherwise censored at the date of last contact. Results: Of the 24 patients with evidence of clonal evolution, we detected that evolution occurred in four (16.7%) patients at the time of primary induction failure (refractory to first induction), 19 (70.8%) at the time of first relapse, and 3 (12.5%) at the time of second relapse. The median age of patients with clonal evolution was 63 years (range: 23 - 74) with 17 (70.8%) males and 7 (29.2%) females. The most commonly occurring mutations were NPM1 (25.0%), FLT3-ITD (20.8%), and TP53 (20.8%). At the time of initial diagnosis, cytogenetic risk was favorable in one (4.2%), intermediate in 7 (29.2%), and adverse in 16 (66.7%). The majority (79.2%) of patients underwent first induction with 7+3 and 8 (33.3%) patients underwent allogenic SCT. At the time of clonal evolution and ignoring the adverse prognosis associated with relapse, one patient with favorable cytogenetics remained favorable, only one (14.3%) patient with intermediate cytogenetics shifted to adverse, and one (6.3%) patient in the adverse category shifted to intermediate by ELN criteria. Three (12.5%) patients out of 24 acquired FLT3-ITD and three (12.5%) acquired an additional cooperating mutation (NRAS, KRAS, or KIT) for a total of 25.0% acquiring a signaling pathway mutation. Out of 10 patients with either mutated TP53 or MLL, three (27.3%) acquired a cooperating mutation in FLT3 or RAS. We then compared the clonal evolution cohort with the 57 remaining relapsed/refractory patients without evidence of clonal evolution. There was no difference between the groups with respect to baseline characteristics, including age (p = 0.989), ECOG status at diagnosis (p = 0.4689), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score (p = 0.6454), or prior SCT (p = >0.999). The median overall survival (OS) of the clonal evolution group was 227 days and compared to 382 days in the non-evolution cohort (p = 0.843). Conclusion: We did not detect a significant OS difference between those with clonal evolution and those without. Independent of the adverse prognosis associated with relapsed or refractory disease, cytogenetic risk category appeared to remain the same with clonal evolution. Common trends during clonal evolution included acquisition of one or several cooperating mutations in FLT3 or RAS, both with and without the presence of mutated TP53 and MLL. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.