Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a disease of the hematopoietic system that remains a therapeutic challenge despite advances in our understanding of the underlying cancer biology in the past decade. It is also an affliction of the elderly that predominantly affects patients above 60 years of age. Standard therapy involves intensive chemotherapy that is often difficult to tolerate in older populations. Fortunately, recent developments in molecular targeting have shown promising results in treating leukemia, paving the way for novel treatment strategies that are easier to tolerate. SUMMARY/CONCLUSIONS:Venetoclax, a BCL-2 inhibitor, when combined with a hypomethylating agent, has proven to be a highly effective and well-tolerated drug, and established itself as a new standard for treating AML in patients who are unfit for standard intensive therapy. Other targeted therapies include clinically proven and FDA approved agents, such as IDH1/2 inhibitors, FLT3 inhibitors, and Gemtuzumab, as well as newer and more experimental drugs such as magrolimab, PI-kinase inhibitors, and T-cell engaging therapy. Some of the novel agents such as magrolimab and menin inhibitors are particularly promising, providing therapeutic options to a wider population of patients than ever before. Determining who will benefit from intense or novel low intense therapy remains a challenge and it requires careful assessment of individual patient's fitness and disease characteristics. KEY MESSAGES/CONCLUSIONS:This article reviews past and current treatment strategies that harness various mechanisms of leukemia-targeting agents and introduces novel therapies on the horizon aimed at exploring therapeutic options for elderly and unfit patient population. It also provides a strategy to select the best available therapy for elderly patients with both newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory AML.

Reducing the incidence of graft-versus host disease (GvHD) following haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is warranted. Post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) is the main agent used for GvHD prevention in this setting. It remains unknown if costimulation blockade can be safely combined with PTCy and enhance its efficacy. We performed a phase Ib-II clinical trial to examine the combination of PTCy, abatacept and a short course of tacrolimus (CAST) following peripheral blood haploidentical HSCT. The primary end-point was the incidence of acute GvHD grades II-IV at day +120. The study enrolled 46 patients with a median age of 60 years (range: 18 to 74). The cumulative incidence of acute GvHD grades II-IV and III-IV was 17.4% (95% CI, 9.2% to 32.9%) and 4.4% (95% CI, 1.1% to 17.1%). With a median follow-up of 15.3 months, the cumulative incidence of one-year treatment-related mortality is 4.4% (95% CI, 1.1% to 17.1%). The estimated one-year chronic GvHD moderate to severe rate, relapse rate, progression-free survival, overall survival, and GvHD- and relapse-free survival were 15.9% (95% CI, 8% to 31.7%), 11.7% (95% CI, 5% to 27.2%), 84.1% (95% CI, 73.8% to 95.7%), 85.9% (95% CI, 75.9% to 97.2%) and 66.1% (95% CI, 53.4% to 81.8%), respectively. Toxicities were similar to those expected in patients receiving haploidentical HSCT. This clinical trial showed that CAST regimen is safe and effective in reducing the rate of grades II-IV acute GvHD following haploidentical peripheral blood HSCT (NCT04503616 at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04503616).

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND:Asparaginase remains an important component in many adult regimens for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In pediatric patients (<21 years), calaspargase pegol (Cal-PEG) provides sustained asparagine depletion as compared to pegaspargase, with similar rates of complete remission (CR), minimal residual disease (MRD), event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS), with a similar safety profile. OBJECTIVE:To confirm the recommended dose of Cal-PEG in adults (age ≥22 years) and to establish safety and PK/PD analysis. DESIGN/METHODS:. A minimum of 4 (initial cohort) and ~8 patients will be enrolled per group. The study will be conducted in ≤25 investigational centers in the US. Part 2 will comprise expansion cohorts after verifying safety and PK/PD analysis. PATIENTS/METHODS:Newly diagnosed patients with Philadelphia-negative B- or T-cell ALL ≥22 years with ECOG performance status 0-2, no known history of pancreatitis, coagulopathy, CNS thrombosis, or severe hepatic impairment. Approximately 114-122 patients are expected to be enrolled in the study, including 16-32 patients in Part 1. INTERVENTIONS/METHODS:. A total of 6 Cal-PEG doses will be administered during the treatment period as part of a multiagent chemotherapy regimen based on CALGB 10403, with an end-of-treatment visit 1 year after the induction dose, and an additional 2 years of survival follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/METHODS:The primary endpoints in part 1 are the safety of Cal-PEG, the incidence of pre-defined unacceptable toxicities within 30 days after the induction dose and achieving plasma asparaginase activity ≥0.1 U/mL 21 days after the consolidation day 43 dose. Secondary endpoints include immunogenicity, CR, end-of-induction and consolidation MRD, 1-, 2- and 3-year EFS, disease-free survival, and OS.

BACKGROUND:Large granular lymphocytic leukemia is a rare lymphocytic neoplasm that can pose a treatment challenge in patients with severe neutropenia in whom conventional therapies fail. We report one of the first cases in which allogeneic stem cell therapy was used as treatment for large granular lymphocytic leukemia. We report and discuss the case of a 42-year-old white Caucasian female who, despite multiple therapies including methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, prednisone, cyclosporine, and pentostatin, continued to show severe neutropenia and recurrent infections. The patient was treated successfully and cured by allogeneic stem cell transplant without any major complications. CONCLUSIONS:The significant importance of this case report is the introduction of a new treatment algorithm for challenging cases of T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia in which standard care fails. We hope that this case report will raise awareness of the potential benefits of allogeneic stem cell transplant in the treatment of aggressive forms of T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia.

We present the case of a 56-year-old female with a diagnosis of acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia who received myeloablative conditioning for bone marrow transplant with total body irradiation (TBI) using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) to the upper body and anterior-posterior/posterior-anterior (AP/PA) open fields to the lower body followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Her clinical course was complicated by high-grade pulmonary toxic effects 55 days after treatment that resulted in death. We discuss the case, planning considerations by radiation oncologists and radiation physicists, and the multidisciplinary medical management of this patient.

Background: Overall survival (OS) in adults with ALL remains around 40%, but treatment with asparaginase (ASP)-containing pediatric-inspired regimens demonstrated a 3- or 4-year OS of 67-76%, including in patients with T-cell ALL, with manageable toxicities (Geyer 2020, Stock 2019, DeAngelo 2015). Recent studies in adults with reduced pegaspargase (PEG-ASP) doses showed survival outcomes similar to those with standard doses, with reduced toxicities, including pancreatitis, hepatic and thromboembolic events (Derman 2020, Patel 2020). Calaspargase pegol (ASPARLAS; Cal-PEG), similar to PEG-ASP, is an E. coli L-asparaginase covalently conjugated to monomethoxy polyethylene glycol, but with a more chemically stable succinimidyl carbonate linker, providing sustained asparagine depletion with less frequent dosing (every 21 days). The efficacy and safety of Cal-PEG 2500 U/m ², vs PEG-ASP 2500 U/m ², was evaluated in 2 multicenter, randomized clinical trials (AALL07P4 [n=166] and DFCI 11-001 [n=239]) in newly diagnosed patients with ALL <=21 years. Complete remission (CR), minimal residual disease (MRD), event-free survival (EFS), and OS were similar in both arms, with a 94% 5-year OS for Cal-PEG. The safety profile was consistent with that of PEG-ASP, with similar rates of hypersensitivity, pancreatitis, thrombosis, and hyperbilirubinemia (Vrooman 2021). Plasma asparaginase activity (PAA) levels were >=0.1 U/mL 25 days after the induction dose in 95% of patients (Angiolillo 2014). The absence of a standardized treatment and the inadequate outcome of adult treatment regimens, as well as a lack of targeted immunotherapies for T-ALL, highlight a critical unmet need for improved therapeutic approaches. A treatment protocol with less frequent Cal-PEG administration due to a more sustained asparaginase activity as well as age- and weight-based dose adjustments may improve clinical outcomes without added toxicities, and possibly extend the upper age limit of ASP-containing regimen for older adults. Trial Design: We present a clinical trial design of an ongoing, multicenter, phase 2/3 study (NCT04817761) assessing the safety and anti-leukemic activity of Cal-PEG in newly diagnosed patients with Philadelphia-negative B- or T-cell ALL. Patients aged >=22 years are eligible with ECOG performance status 0-2, no known history of pancreatitis, coagulopathy, CNS thrombosis or severe hepatic impairment. This trial comprises two parts: dose confirmation run-in (part 1) and the expansion phase (part 2). Part 1 is open for enrollment and is the focus of this abstract. Starting doses of Cal-PEG are based on the patients' age and BMI, with older patient groups assigned to lower doses (Table 1). A minimum of 4 (initial cohort) and up to 8 patients will be admitted per patient group. A total of 6 Cal-PEG doses will be administered during the treatment period as part of a multiagent chemotherapy regimen based on CALGB 10403 trial (Figure 1; Table 2), with end of treatment visit 1 year after the induction dose, and an additional 2 years of survival follow-up. The primary endpoints in part 1 are 1) the safety of Cal-PEG, including incidence of pre-defined unacceptable toxicities (UT) within 30 days after the induction dose and 2) PAA profiles, including achieving PAA >=0.1 U/mL at pre-specified time points. Secondary endpoints include immunogenicity, CR, end of induction and consolidation MRD, and 1-, 2- and 3-year EFS, disease-free survival, and OS. Bayesian optimal interval design (BOIN) will be used to evaluate UT with specified boundaries for dose confirmation, expansion, or reduction. For each patient group, the observed UT rate at a dose level will be compared with the safety boundary (23.6%) and toxicity boundary (35.8%) to guide safety confirmation. PAA data from previous pediatric studies and each run-in cohort will also be used to confirm the tested dose through population PK modeling-based predictions. The decision to confirm or adjust the dose will be based on the accumulated safety and induction PAA data at end-of-cohort meetings with the investigators, sponsor and in consult with DSMB recommendations. Part 1 started in July 2021 and will enroll =16-32 patients at multiple sites in the US. Part 2 will commence once the safety and PAA data from part 1 are analyzed and the expansion doses are confirmed. Up to 122 patients are expected to be enrolled in both phases of the trial. Clinical trial information: NCT04817761 [Formula presented] Disclosures: Stock: Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; amgen: Honoraria; agios: Honoraria; jazz: Honoraria; kura: Honoraria; kite: Honoraria; morphosys: Honoraria; servier: Honoraria; syndax: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pluristeem: Consultancy, Honoraria. Park: Kura Oncology: Consultancy; Autolus: Consultancy; Intellia: Consultancy; Affyimmune: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Kite Pharma: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; PrecisionBio: Consultancy; Minerva: Consultancy; Innate Pharma: Consultancy; Curocel: Consultancy; Servier: Consultancy; Artiva: Consultancy. Emadi: Secura Bio.: Consultancy; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Research Funding; NewLink Genetics: Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; KinaRx, Inc.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Co-founder. Abdul-Hay: Jazz: Other: Advisory Board, Speakers Bureau; Servier: Other: Advisory Board, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Consultancy; Takeda: Speakers Bureau. Cassaday: Kite/Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Vanda Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Pepromene Bio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding. Pullarkat: Amgen, Dova, and Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie, Amgen, Genentech, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Pfizer, and Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Webster: AmGen: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy. Pandya: Servier: Current Employment; Agios: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Ended employment in the past 24 months. Mogul: Servier Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment. Shvenke: Servier Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment. Zhu: Servier Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment. Tessier: Servier: Current Employment. DeAngelo: Abbvie: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Shire: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Agios: Consultancy; Autolus: Consultancy; Forty-Seven: Consultancy; Blueprint Medicines Corporation: Consultancy; Jazz: Consultancy; GlycoMimetics: Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: Calaspargase pegol is an asparagine specific enzyme indicated as a component of a multi-agent chemotherapeutic regimen for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in pediatric and young adult patients age 1 month to 21 years, with recommended dosage of 2,500 units/m2 intravenously no more frequently than every 21 days
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Introduction. Prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) remains a major challenge. The combination of methotrexate (MTX) and a calcineurin inhibitor has been the standard regimen for prophylaxis in patients receiving matched sibling donor (MSD) or matched unrelated donor (MUD) transplants for the past few decades. However, over 50% of patients undergoing AHCT still develop acute or chronic GvHD or even both, causing high rates of morbidity and mortality. Moreover, calcineurin inhibitors also have untoward toxic side effects. High dose post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy), initially introduced for GvHD prevention in the setting of haploidentical transplantation, has now been studied in MSD and MUD transplants. We adopted a novel approach to prevent GvHD using a short course of PTCy and bortezomib. We hypothesized that such combination is safe and effective and omits the need for calcineurin or m-TOR inhibitors. Study Design. We report the outcomes of a prospective cohort of patients who received PTCy and bortezomib for GvHD prevention following MSD or MUD transplants. Twenty-eight patients were treated in a phase I-II trial and their clinical outcomes were previously reported (al-Homsi AS et al, BBMT 2019). Most of the remaining patients were treated on an extension trial. GvHD prevention consisted of PTCy 50 mg/kg IV on day +3 and +4, and bortezomib 1.3mg/m ² IV 6 hours after transplant and again 72 hours after. Patients receiving MUD transplants also received rabbit ATG (thymoglobulin) 5mg/kg total IV fractionated on day -4 to -2. All patients received peripheral blood grafts and standard supportive care as per Institutional policy. G-CSF was administered routinely until neutrophil engraftment. Results. Fifty-eight patients are included in this analysis. Median age was 60 (range 22-78) years. Fifty-three percent of patients were male. Underlying malignancies consisted of myeloid and lymphoid malignancies in 79.3% and 20.6%, respectively. Acute myeloid leukemia (50%) and myelodysplastic syndromes (24.1%) were the most common diseases. At transplant, disease risk index was low, intermediate, high and very high in 19.0%, 48.3%, 31.0% and 1.7% of patients, respectively. Median Pretransplant Assessment of Mortality Score (PAM) was 16.7 (5.4-29.4). Grafts were from MSD in 24.1% or MUD in 75.9% of patients. Recipient (R)/Donor (D) CMV status at transplant was as follows: R+/D+: 43%; R+/D-: 21%; R-/D+: 14% and R-/D-: 22%. Conditioning regimens consisted of reduced intensity fludarabine and busulfan in all but 2 patients who were conditioned with myeloablative fludarabine and busulfan. Overall, the regimen was remarkably well tolerated. Median times to neutrophil and platelet engraftment were 16 (13-28) and 26 (15-57) days respectively. No patient experienced primary graft failure. CMV and EBV reactivation rates were 46.6% and 24%. Cumulative incidences of grade II-IV and grade III-IV acute GVHD were 35% (95% CI: 22%-47%) and 15% (95% CI: 7%-25%) at day +120, respectively. Cumulative incidence of chronic GvHD was 14% at 1 year. Overall, 34% of patients required immunosuppression with systemic steroids after day +4 either for grade III-IV acute or chronic GvHD. Disease relapse rate was 26%. One-year cumulative incidence of transplant-related mortality was 14% (95% CI: 6%-25%). Median overall survival was 30.7 (95% CI: 15.7-not yet reached) months. One-year overall survival was 72% (95% CI: 57%-82%). One-year composite GvHD (acute and chronic) free and relapse free survival (GRFS) was 41.6% (95% CI: 28.9%-54%). Conclusion. PTCy and bortezomib combination for GvHD prophylaxis following MSD and MUD transplants is well tolerated and effective. It offers an alternative regimen to calcineurin and m-TOR inhibitor-containing regimens and may be preferred in certain settings including patients with limited resources, poor medication compliance, and with impaired renal function. A comparison of this cohort to a matched control group of patients receiving methotrexate and cyclosporine for GvHD prevention is ongoing. Disclosures: Abdul-Hay: Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Other: Advisory Board, Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Other: Advisory Board, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Consultancy; Takeda: Speakers Bureau. Al-Homsi: Celyad: Other: Advisory Board; Daichii Sanyko: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Cyclophosphamide and Bortezomib are used for GvHD prevention
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