Fauble, Veena

Abstract Introduction: Approximately 75% of myelofibrosis (MF) patients develop anemia during evolution of the disease process predicting decreased survival. Previous studies exploring the effect of danazol in the treatment of anemia in MF demonstrate responses in anemia of 30-55%. Ruxolitinib has demonstrated improvement in MF related splenomegaly, symptom burden, and even survival yet improvements in cytopenias are uncommon. We designed a phase II multicenter pilot study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of combination therapy with ruxolitinib and danazol in MF patients with anemia. Methods: This is a pre-planned interim analysis of a Simon optimum two-stage phase II trial designed to include a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 27 patients. Participants received ruxolitinib 10mg (plat >75 x10x9) BID or 5mg (plat <75 x10 x9) BID with danazol 200mg orally TID. Dose escalation was allowed after completion of 28 days for lack of response or for disease progression. Patients without progression were continued for 6 cycles at 56 days each. Treatment modifications were based on adverse events including thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and elevation in creatinine and transaminases. Treatment responses were evaluated by the IWG-MRT response criteria (Blood 2013). Patient reported outcome questionnaires (MPN-SAF and EORTC QLQ-C30) were administered at baseline, prior to treatment cycles, and at study discontinuation. Results: Patients: Ten of the 12 evaluable patients enrolled (median age 70.5, range 57-78, M:F ratio 4:1) are included in this analysis. Eight patients had primary MF (PMF), 1 had post essential thrombocytosis (ET) MF, and 1 had post polycythemia vera (PV) MF. Jak2 V617F mutation was positive in 30%. At the time of enrollment 40% had received an erythrocyte transfusion in the last month and all were DIPSS Int-2 or higher. Median baseline hemoglobin was 9.0 g/dL (range 8.3 - 12.4). Median baseline platelet level was 172 x10 (9)/L (range 56 - 346). Most (90%) had received prior therapy and many were refractory to multiple lines of therapy prior to enrollment. Three (30%) patients had previously participated in a JAK inhibitor clinical trial. Tolerability: Among 6 patients who have completed treatment, median duration of treatment was 39 days (range 24-287) with treatment discontinuation due to progression of disease in 2 patients, allogeneic stem cell transplant in 1, alternative treatment in 1, unrelated adverse event (hyponatremia) in 1, and unrelated death (leukemic transformation with intracranial hemorrhage) in 1. Hematologic Grade 3 or > adverse events included anemia (60%), neutropenia (20%), and leukopenia (10%). Non-hematologic Grade 3 or > adverse events included electrolyte abnormalities (20%), edema (10%), infection (10%), and intracranial hemorrhage (10%). Efficacy: Treatment response per IWG-MRT response criteria included stable disease (SD) in 8/10 (80%), clinical improvement in 1/10 (10%), and progressive disease (PD) in 1 (10%). The median change in hemoglobin and platelet count from baseline was -0.05 g/dL (range -0.5 - 1.8) and 28.5 x10(9)/L (range -143 – 118) respectively, however 4/10 (40%) and 7/10 (70%) had improvement at some point during treatment in level of anemia and/or thrombocytopenia. The median follow-up time was 2 months (range 0.9-9.4). Among 6 patients with a baseline and at least one post-baseline MPN-SAF TSS, 2/6 (30%) of patients had at least a 10-point (clinically meaningful) improvement, with 1 of the 2 achieving the stricter 50% improvement from baseline. Responses might have been confounded due to impact of prior therapies. Conclusions: On interim analysis, ruxolitinib and danazol combination therapy demonstrates modest additional clinical benefit, however in a group of exceedingly high risk MF patients with significant anemia and prior single agent JAK inhibitor failures. Preliminary data suggests improvement in anemia and/or thrombocytopenia in some treated patients however only one clinical improvement per IWG-MRT criteria was observed. Combination therapy was well tolerated with no major incremental toxicity attributable to the addition of danazol. Maturation of data is needed to fully evaluate efficacy of ruxolitinib and danazol combination therapy prior to continuation of accrual. Disclosures Mascarenhas: Incyte Corporation: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation: Research Funding. Reeder:Millennium, Celgene, Novartis: Research Funding. Tibes:Seattle Genetics, Inc.: Research Funding. Mesa:Incyte: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Gilead: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; Ns Pharma: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Lilly: Research Funding; Cti: Research Funding.

Abstract Background: Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) including polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and myelofibrosis (MF) are clonal hemopathies characterized by burdensome symptom profiles and impaired quality of life. Treatments include pharmacologic approaches, phlebotomy, and bone marrow transplant. Outcome studies have historically focused on hematologic improvement and survival benefit. Few prospective studies have evaluated patient-reported symptoms and quality of life outcomes after standard therapy. The Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Quality of Life (MPN-QOL) Study Group aims to objectively quantify symptomatic response to standard treatments. Here we provide updated results for the prospective MPN Experimental Assessment of Symptoms by Utilizing Repetitive Evaluation (MEASURE) trial. Methods: The MEASURE trial is a prospective international cohort study evaluating responsiveness of the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score (MPN-SAF TSS or MPN-10) in an anticipated 480 ET, PV, and MF patients receiving non-experimental medical therapy and/or phlebotomy. Patients complete the MPN-SAF TSS (JCO 2012) for seven consecutive days at enrollment then again for seven days between 90 days and six months later. Patients also complete the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) instruments at enrollment and on the first day of the second assessment. Physicians report demographic, laboratory, and clinical data. Results: Demographics To date, 340 patients have enrolled and 270 have completed both study visits. Participants include ET (60%), PV (29%), and MF (12%; including 68% primary MF, 12% post-ET, 20% post-PV) patients. Enrolled patients are 51% male. The most common therapies received prior to enrollment were aspirin (34%), phlebotomy (15%), hydroxyurea (14%), and warfarin/clopidogrel/anticoagulation (6%). The most common current MPN therapies were hydroxyurea (67%), aspirin (24%), phlebotomy (9%), and ruxolitinib (8%). Information on mutational analysis was also collected; 77% of patients have a known JAK2 V617F mutation, 3% have an MPL W515 mutation. Symptom Measures On the MPN-SAF TSS, the majority of individual symptoms assessed did not change significantly between the two assessment time points while on standard therapy. Notable exceptions were a significant decrease in weight loss (mean 2.0 vs. 1.7 on a 0=absent to 10=worst imaginable scale, p=0.005) and a significant worsening in quality of life (mean 3.6 vs. 3.8 on a 0=as good as it can be to 10=as bad as it can be scale, p=0.04). No changes were seen in other symptoms including early satiety, abdominal discomfort, night sweats, fatigue, inactivity, poor concentration, bone pain, itching, or fever. Similarly, the cumulative MPN-SAF TSS score remained stable at a mean of 24.4 over the treatment period. These findings were congruent with those observed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 instrument, with no significant changes seen in emotional, physical, role, cognitive, or social functioning. Finally, the MDASI also revealed a lack of change in either symptom severity (mean 2.7) or symptom distress (mean 3.0) scores, which remained stable over the study period. Discussion: Myeloproliferative neoplasms are associated with burdensome symptoms that significantly compromise quality of life. To date, no studies have quantified symptomatic response to standard-of-care treatments. Overall, results from the MEASURE study suggest that standard treatments have limited systematic impact on patient symptomatology over time, with no improvements in overall quality of life. However, we note the relatively low proportion of patients in this cohort treated with ruxolitinib, which has been shown previously to improve symptom burden, and this may have impacted the symptom responses seen in the group as whole; detailed responses by treatment and MPN subtype will be presented. Figure. Figure. Disclosures Dueck: Pfizer: Honoraria; Bayer: Employment; Phytogine: Employment. Ross:BMS: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Research Funding. Tam:Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Travel funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria; Beigene: Honoraria, Other: Travel funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Beigene: Honoraria, Other: Travel funding. Radia:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Blueprint: Consultancy. Mesa:UT Health San Antonio - Mays Cancer Center: Employment; Celgene: Research Funding; NS Pharma: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; CTI Biopharma: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy.

Abstract Background: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a bone marrow disorder characterized by anemia, splenomegaly and constitutional symptoms. There has been substantial work documenting quality of life (QoL) in patients with MF, however, very little data about patients following allogeneic stem cell transplant (alloSCT) for MF. Many patients decline alloSCT due to concerns secondary to QoL. Methods: Medical facts and patient reported outcomes (PRO) measures were collected within a month prior to transplant, at day 30, 100 and 1 year post alloSCT. PRO measures include Brief Fatigue Inventory, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplant (FACT-BMT), global assessment of change and the Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Symptom Assessment Form (MPN-SAF). The group was measured as a whole, and the patients in the upper quartile of MPN-TSS (the aggregate score of the 10 core items of the MPN-SAF) were also considered. Results: Fifty patients were enrolled on this study, 47 who proceeded with transplant. The median age of the patients was 63, ranging from 35-74. The majority of the patients were male (29, 66%), and Caucasian (43 (96%)). Most patients had primary MF (26, 59%), 9 patients had post-PV MF, and 9 patients had post-ET MF. Twenty patients had DIPSS Intermediate 2 risk disease, and 16 had DIPSS high risk disease. Twenty-six (51%) had a matched unrelated donor, 12 (30%) had a matched related donor and 5 (12%) had a mismatched unrelated donor. The majority of the patients had RIC regimens (35, 88%). At baseline the mean MPN-TSS was 27.7 (out of possible 100), and at day 30, day 100 and 1 year it was 24.6, 32.0, and 25.0, which reflected no significant change between the time points. Interestingly, all the MPN specific symptoms (including fevers, night sweats, pruritis, abdominal pain) had a significant improvement at least one time point following alloSCT. Patients in the highest quartile based on baseline TSS score (12 patients with scores at baseline greater than or equal to 37), had significant improvement in TSS score at day 100, headache at day 30, insomnia at day 100, night sweats at day 100, itching at day 100 and overall QOL at day 100. With regards to the FACT BMT, as would be expected, there was a significant decline in the FACT BMT total score, as well as trial outcome index (TOI) at day 30, but a return to close to baseline by one year. In the global assessment of change, on day 30, 11 (27.5%) of patients reported feeling a little/moderately/very much better overall quality of life since their transplant and 27 (67.5%) felt a little/moderately/very much worse quality of life. At day 100, 11 (31.4%) reported better quality of life and 20 (57%) reported worsening since transplant. By one year, 17 (60.7%) reported feeling better and 7 (25%) reported worsening. These findings did not appear to have a correlation with presence or absence of graft versus host disease. We were unable to assess the impact of conditioning as the majority of the patients had RIC conditioning. Discussion/ Conclusions: Our study evaluated the quality of life in patients with myelofibrosis who have undergone bone marrow transplantation. We have shown that there is very little change in symptom burden over the first year following transplant in general; however, significant improvement was observed in MF specific symptoms, and in patients who had a high symptom burden at baseline. By one year 61% felt that their QoL was better than it was prior to transplant. Our findings suggest that many of the patients do not experience a significant decline in QoL at 1 year after alloSCT, and actually report that their QoL improves. Further investigation is required to validate these findings. Figure. Figure. Disclosures Palmer: Novartis: Research Funding. Dueck:Phytogine: Employment; Pfizer: Honoraria; Bayer: Employment. Mesa:Novartis: Consultancy; NS Pharma: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Research Funding; UT Health San Antonio - Mays Cancer Center: Employment; Pfizer: Research Funding; CTI Biopharma: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction Myelofibrosis (MF), both primary myelofibrosis (PMF) and post essential thrombocytosis/polycythemia vera myelofibrosis (post ET/PV-MF), are chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms that are incurable with standard medical therapy. The only potential curative therapeutic modality remains allogeneic stem cell transplant (ASCT), but the optimum conditioning regimen has yet to be defined and may vary due to pre-ASCT factors such as age, donor source, and comorbidities. In the past, traditional myeloablative (MA) regimens have proven toxic. Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens have generally become the accepted standard of care for patients with PMF or Post PV/ET MF in need of ASCT, but with the potential for increase in relapse especially for high risk disease. The optimal conditioning regimen has yet to be defined. The regimen of Fludarabine, BCNU, and melphalan (FBM) is considered a reduced toxicity regimen that may afford the benefit of reduction in relapse without increase in toxicity and may “bridge the gap” between MA and RIC especially in older patients. Patients with MF have high inflammatory cytokine levels which may act as mediators of MF symptom burden and may further aggravate mediators of acute GVHD, which is one of the most frequent and severe complications of ASCT. Selection of conditioning regimen and GVHD prophylaxis are keys to MF transplant outcomes. We report here the results of 16 patients who received conditioning with FBM with rATG (FBM-A) with PMF and post PV/ET MF. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all patients from October 2009 to November 2012 with PMF or post ET/PV-MF who underwent an ASCT with FBM-A. Patient demographic and transplant data were analyzed from a comprehensive database. The use of such data for reporting purpose was approved by the Mayo Clinic Arizona Institutional Review Board. Overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier. Results There were 16 patients analyzed who had PMF or post PV/ET MF or overlap syndromes. The median follow-up of surviving patients is 20.4 months (range 8 months – 46 months). The median age was 60 (range 47-68 yrs) with 56% of patients being ≥ 60yrs. There were 8 males and 8 females. The JAK2 V617F mutation was present in 64% of patients. 86% were high risk according to the DIPSS system with 14% being intermediate-2 risk. None of the patients underwent splenectomy prior to transplant. The median HCT-CI score was 1.5 with 6 (38%) of the patients having an HCT-CMI ≥3. Donors were related in 10 patients (8 matched, 2 mismatched at 1 antigen) and unrelated in 6 (matched, n=3, 1-antigen mismatch, n=3). GVHD prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus, MMF, and ATG 2.5 – 5.0 mg/kg. The cumulative incidence of acute GVHD grades III-IV was 15.3% at 6 months, and the cumulative incidence of NIH-defined moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD was 25% at 2 years. No patient has relapsed, and no patient has developed graft failure. There have been 4 deaths, 3 from GVHD, and 1 from infection. Among the 3 patients who died from GVHD, all were unrelated donor transplants, and 2 were mismatched unrelated transplants. The 2-year Kaplan-Meier estimate of overall survival (OS) is 72% (95% CI, 45 – 91%). The cumulative incidence of TRM was 12.6% (95% CI 3.9%-34%) at 1 year. Conclusion The reduced-toxicity regimen of FBM-A in PMF, Post ET/PV MF and overlap syndromes appear to provide the benefit of an ablative regimen with the tolerance of a RIC. The 2-year overall survival of 72% in our series is encouraging in an older population of predominantly high-risk patients. Treatment failure was related predominately to GVHD, which continues to be a significant obstacle to better long-term outcomes, especially in unrelated and mismatched patients. Reduced toxicity ASCT conditioning regimens in the setting of MF warrant further investigation. Disclosures: Reeder: Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Millenium: Research Funding.

Abstract Abstract 4479 Background: In vivo T-cell depletion with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is known to decrease the incidence of acute and chronic graft vs. host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, the detailed patterns of GVHD (incidence, severity, timing, and quality) after ATG-based conditioning have not been examined in large patient cohorts, and it is unknown whether they differ from those seen in patients who do not receive ATG during conditioning therapy. Patients and Methods: We analyzed the incidence and characteristics of acute and chronic GVHD, requirements for immunosuppressive therapy (IST) and survival in a cohort of 174 patients who underwent a first HCT for hematologic malignancy with ATG as a part of their conditioning regimen. The median age was 54 years (range 19–76); all but 5 pts received PBSC, and median follow-up of survivors was 16.9 months (range 3–70 months). Donors were matched related in 18% (n=32), matched unrelated in 44% (n=77), and mismatched unrelated in 37% (n=65). Conditioning regimens were myeloablative in 33% (n=57) and reduced intensity in 67% (n=117). Additional GVHD prophylaxis included tacrolimus in all patients combined with either methotrexate (42%) or MMF (58%). Results: The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV and III-IV acute GVHD at 100 days was 34% and 7%, respectively, with the median time of onset at 43 days (range 11–98 days) after transplant. Eleven patients (6.3%) required additional immunosuppressive treatment due to steroid refractory GVHD. Late/persistent acute GVHD without any evidence of chronic occurred in 25% of patients. NIH chronic GVHD developed in 25 patients, with a cumulative incidence of 24.4% at 2 years. Forty four percent of these patients were classified as classic chronic, and 56% as overlap. The onset of chronic GVHD was quiescent in 20 (80%), progressive in 3 (12%), and de-novo in 2 (8%) patients. The global severity was mild in 9 (36%), moderate in 11 (44%) and severe in 5 (20%) cases. The median time of onset for chronic GVHD was 185 days (range 99–763). In a multivariate analysis of factors predictive for development of chronic GVHD, the only factor associated with development of chronic GVHD was prior grade II-IV acute GVHD (HR 2.5, p =.03). The most common diagnostic organ was mouth (n=16), followed by skin (n=8) and eye (n=1). The median number of sites involved during the course of chronic GVHD was 4 (range 1–7), and the median number of systemic immunosuppressive agents for treatment was 2 (range 0–4). Among the 25 chronic GVHD patients, 5 have discontinued immunosuppression at a median time of 13.1 months (range 6–26) since the diagnosis of chronic GVHD. The cumulative incidence of discontinuation of IST was 23% at one year and 50% at two years. Three deaths in the overall cohort were attributed to complications related to acute (n=2) or chronic GVHD (n=1). At 2 years, the overall survival among all 174 pts was 62.4%, cumulative incidence of relapse was 23.1%, and non-relapse mortality was 22.7%. Conclusion: These data from a large, uniformly treated and graded, predominantly peripheral blood stem cell transplant recipient population, confirm that ATG decreases both the incidence and severity of acute and chronic GVHD. In particular, the rate of moderate to severe chronic GVHD is extremely low, resulting in minimal need for tertiary treatment and decreased duration of immunosupression. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Background The prognosis for AML or MDS patients (pts) with monosomal karyotype (MK) is dismal. Although a benefit for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) compared to chemotherapy or autologous HCT has been demonstrated in young (≤ 60) pts (Cornelissen, 2012), the curative potential of allo-HCT in older (≥ 60) pts with monosomal karyotype AML/MDS is not known. Patients and methods In this retrospective review, we analyzed outcomes for 69 AML (n = 49) or MDS (n = 20) pts ≥ 60 who underwent allo-HCT at Mayo Clinic Arizona between 2005 and 2013, based on cytogenetic grouping as follows: cytogenetically normal (CN, n = 23), cytogenetically abnormal but not MK (CA, n = 32), and MK (n = 14). Monosomal karyotype was defined (Breems, 2008) as a karyotype with at least two autosomal monosomies or a single autosomal monosomy in combination with at least one structural abnormality. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of these 3 cytogenetic groupings on outcome (primary endpoint progression-free survival). The median age for all pts was 66 (60-76), and median follow-up for surviving pts was 22 months (range 70 days – 7.1 years). Thirty-seven pts had high-risk disease (MDS > 5% blasts or AML not in CR), while 32 were considered standard risk (MDS <5% blasts or AML in CR). The majority of pts had good performance status (KPS ≥ 90% in 66), but 34 pts (49%) had an HCT-CI score of ≥ 3. Conditioning was myeloablative (Bu-Cy) in 4, reduced toxicity FBM (Fludarabine, BCNU, Melphalan) in 36, and RIC/NMA in 29. Donors were matched related in 18, matched unrelated in 36, and mismatched unrelated in 15. GVHD prophylaxis included tacrolimus in all pts combined with mycophenolate mofetil (37) or methotrexate (32); 49 pts received in-vivo T-cell depletion with rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG, Thymoglobulin, Genzyme, Cambridge, MA). Results The Kaplan-Meier estimate of progression-free survival (PFS) at 2 yrs was 59% (CN), 39% (CA), and 1.5% (MK); P = 0.004 (Fig. 1). The cumulative incidence of relapse at 2 yrs (with death without relapse as a competing risk) was 34% (CN), 25% (CA), and 94% (MK); P= 0.009). In a Cox proportional hazards analysis adjusted for age (≤ 66 vs. > 66), risk status (standard vs. high), conditioning (myeloablative [Bu-Cy + FBM] vs. RIC/NMA), use of ATG (yes/no), donor type (unrelated vs. related), and HCT-CI (0-2 vs. ≥ 3), the only factor predictive for inferior PFS was cytogenetic status (MK vs. CN, HR 4.64 [95% CI, 1.7 – 13]; P = 0.003); (MK vs. CA, HR 2.4 [95% CI 0.97 – 5.9]; P = .057). Conclusions Standard allo-HCT in AML or MDS pts ≥ 60 with a monosomal karyotype appears to have limited curative potential. Although larger studies will be required to confirm our results, novel transplant approaches or post-transplant strategies to prevent relapse should be a focus of future studies in this incurable pt population. Disclosures: Reeder: Novartis: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding.

Introduction Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) patients are at risk for having a low Vitamin D (VD) level. VD level has been correlated with cancer incidence, pulmonary disease and infection. VD also has immunomodulatory properties and reports suggest that a low VD level increases the incidence of chronic GVHD and may impact mortality in HCT. HCT morbidity and mortality is attributed to infection, organ system toxicity, GVHD and recurrent disease. Identifying a correctable factor that would reduce the occurrence or severity of these complications would be beneficial. It is possible that VD may have significant effect on outcome after HCT due to its described properties. Normal VD level may infer better outcome for HCT patients by improving response in or preventing infection, protecting organ function, decreasing risk of relapse and/or decrease incidence or severity of GVHD. We hypothesize that there is a relationship between VD level and morbidity and mortality after HCT. We therefore studied VD levels pre- and post-HCT to determine if there was an impact of VD level on these outcomes. Patients and Methods Two hundred and fifty patients underwent myeloblative or non-myeloablative HCT between 3/12/2009 and 10/29/2012 at our institution. Baseline demographic data, disease characteristics, transplant variables and outcomes data were obtained from the transplant database. These data were supplemented by retrospective chart review for VD levels prior to transplant, at day 100 and 1 year post-HCT. Data were collected through day 100 for occurrence of infection and admissions to the ICU. Categories for VD level included normal (≥30 ng/ml) or abnormal (<30 ng/ml). Patient characteristics were compared using the Chi-square test or Wilcoxon rank sum test. The logrank test was used to compare the survival curves between groups, and the Cox proportional hazard model was used to measure the association between outcomes (mortality, relapse, acute or chronic GVHD) and VD level. Results Of the 250 patients undergoing HCT VD level was performed on 180 (72%) patients pre-HCT, 149 (60%) patients at day 100 post-HCT and 81 (32%) patients at 1 year post-HCT. The rate of acute or chronic GVHD was not significantly associated with VD level pre or post-HCT. Overall infection risk was not significant pre or post-HCT but when sorted by type of infection bacterial infection (p=0.01), radiologic evidence of pulmonary nodules/consolidation (p=0.03), and ICU admissions (p=0.0313) within the first 100 days post-transplant were significantly increased in patients who had a low VD level at day 100 post -HCT. Pre-HCT and 1 year post-HCT VD level did not impact mortality or relapse but there was a significant increase in one year mortality (p=0.02, HR = 5.99) and relapse (p = 0.03, HR=9.47) in patients who had a low VD level at day 100 post-HCT. Discussion This study shows that VD may play a significant role in bacterial infection, pulmonary infection, ICU admission, mortality and relapse after HCT. Those patients with a low VD level at day 100 post-HCT had significantly worse outcomes for relapse and mortality. Those patients with a low VD level at day 100 post-HCT had a higher incidence of lung infection, bacterial infection and admission to the ICU. In contrast to previous studies, we found no correlation between VD level and incidence of acute or chronic GVHD. This study is one of the largest reported and the first to our knowledge that reports decreased risk of certain types of infection (bacterial and lung), mortality and relapse in those with an adequate VD level receiving HCT. It is possible that supplementation of VD to keep levels ≥30 would reduce these complications of HCT. Future prospective study of VD is warranted. Finding a low cost and easy to administer therapy (such as VD replacement) that would reduce morbidity, mortality and relapse in the HCT population is needed. Disclosures: Reeder: Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Millenium: Research Funding.

Background Steroid-refractory (SR) acute graft-versus host disease (aGVHD) is a serious complication of allogeneic HCT, for which there is no established standard treatment. Both ECP and cytokine inhibitors such as Infliximab have apparent single agent activity in the therapy of SR aGVHD, but there are no published data that address the efficacy of combination anticytokine therapy and ECP in this setting. We report here results in 18 adult patients (pts) with grade III or IV SR aGVHD who were treated with concurrent Infliximab and ECP. Patients All pts underwent allogeneic HCT (first transplant, n=15, second transplant, n=3) for a hematologic malignancy at Mayo Clinic Arizona between March 2012 and May 2013. The median age was 61 (range 22-70), and the median follow-up of 6 surviving pts is 263 days (range 79-433). Donors were related in 3, matched unrelated in 8, and mismatched unrelated in 7. GVHD prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil in 13 pts and tacrolimus/methotrexate in 5; in addition, 17 pts received in vivo T-cell depletion with Thymoglobulin 2.5 – 7.5 mg/kg. All pts developed grades III-IV aGVHD at a median day 27 post-transplant (range 10-107) and failed to respond to a course of high-dose corticosteroids (methylprednisolone or equivalent 2 mg/kg daily) for at least 5 days. Treatment Regimen At diagnosis of SR aGVHD, pts were scheduled to receive weekly Infliximab 10 mg/kg (maximum 4 doses), concurrent with ECP performed twice or thrice weekly for one month, followed by a pre-specified taper schedule (anticipated total treatment duration of 6-9 months). To minimize infectious risk and morbidity, corticosteroids were tapered rapidly after the start of Infliximab/ECP therapy. Results Thirteen pts (72%) responded to the Infliximab/ECP combination; complete response (CR; resolution of all GVHD symptoms for at least 30 days and able to discontinue corticosteroids) was observed in 6 pts (33%), and partial response (PR; improvement in GVHD symptoms, partial taper of corticosteroids, and no additional agent for at least 30 days) in 7 pts (39%). At the time of this report, 6 pts are alive, and the Kaplan-Meier estimate of one-year survival is 22.5 % (95% CI, 8.8%-47%). Only pts who achieved CR had good outcomes (5/6 surviving and clinically well); among 13 pts with PR (7) or no response/progression (6) to Infliximab/ECP, 12 have died and one is day 79 post transplant and remains on ECP and low-dose prednisone. Eleven of the 12 deaths were related to GVHD or complications of its treatment (infection, multi-organ failure). Conclusions In this retrospective study of adult pts with severe (grade III/IV) SR aGVHD, treatment with 4 doses of weekly Infliximab and concurrent ECP resulted in an overall response rate of 72%, with one-third of pts achieving CR; the regimen was well-tolerated and facilitated early taper and rapid discontinuance of corticosteroids. Unfortunately, the overall survival of 22.5% at one year does not appear superior to other single agent or combination therapies reported in the literature, or to historical data from our program. Although a small percentage of pts appear to be long-term survivors, the majority of pts succumb to complications of progressive GVHD or infection. Given poor results with available therapies, and the dismal prognosis of pts with SR aGVHD, future research should focus on better preventative strategies for this devastating complication of allogeneic HCT. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Introduction Although allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is an expensive modality of treatment for hematological disorders, very little is known about the financial burden for the patients themselves. We analyzed factors associated with financial burden and its impact on health behaviors of allogeneic HCT recipients. Patients and Methods A questionnaire was mailed to adult patients who were alive after allogeneic HCT performed between 1/06 to 6/12 at Mayo Clinic to collect information regarding financial concerns, household income, employment status, insurance, out-of-pocket expenses and health and functional status. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with financial hardship. Results Of 482 patients, 268 responded (response rate 56%). Respondents were more likely to be older and Non-Hispanic Whites. No significant differences were seen in disease or transplant characteristics between the two groups except that respondents were more likely to have received reduced intensity conditioning. Median follow-up after HCT was 2.3 years (range 0.7-6.7 years). All the patients for whom the insurance information was available (missing n=13) were insured. Median physical and mental component score, as derived from the SF-12, were 36.8 [Interquartile range (IQR) 29.3-49.0] and 53.1 (IQR 42.1-57.1) respectively, where the general population score is 50, and lower scores indicate worse functioning. The proportion of patients that reported being on medical disability increased from 8% prior to HCT to 29% after HCT. 73% of the respondents reported that being sick had hurt them financially. 54% experienced adverse financial consequences such as decrease in household income by &gt;50% due to the HCT, need to sell/mortgage home, withdraw money from retirement accounts or having to pay more for medical care than they could afford. 3% declared bankruptcy. 12% had out-of pocket costs for the past 3 months that were&gt; $5000. Median monthly medication copayments were $100 (range $ 0-3000). 36% patients felt that their insurance coverage was poor which was strongly correlated with adverse financial consequences (p=0.0013). Other risk factors for financial burden were poor physical functioning reflected by the physical component score &lt;40 (OR 3.2; p=0.005), lower household income (OR 3.08; p=0.006) and lack of commercial/private insurance (OR 4.2; p&lt;0.001) while adjusting for patient and transplant related characteristics. Time from transplant was a significant predictor (OR 1.2; p=0.03) in the univariate analysis, but lost its significance in the multivariate analysis. 18 to 27% patients reported deleterious health behaviors due to financial constraints such as not taking prescribed medications, not using a recommended medical service or not making physician appointments. Conclusions A significant proportion of allogeneic HCT survivors experience adverse financial consequences with a few reporting severe outcomes like bankruptcy, despite having health insurance coverage. Future research should investigate potential interventions such as early financial counseling and connecting with sources of financial support to help at-risk patients and prevent long-term adverse financial outcomes after this life-saving procedure. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Cytarabine (AraC) resistance is a fundamental feature of refractory/relapsed AML. RNA interference (RNAi) screens conducted in our laboratory recently identified WEE1 kinase (WEE1) as one of the top candidate genes and target in leukemias in combination with AraC. WEE1 is a tyrosine kinase belonging to the Ser/Thr family of protein kinases and acts as a negative regulator of mitotic entry by controlling DNA damage (DDR) and cell cycle checkpoint responses. The WEE1 inhibitor MK1775 potently synergizes with AraC ex vivo and in vitro and clinical trials are in preparation. However, the mechanism of action for the anti-leukemic activity of MK1775 with AraC remains unknown. To elucidate genes mediating activity of the combination, we first performed siRNA rescue screens silencing a custom set of 44 genes involved in WEE1 regulation under combined AraC + MK1775 to identify sensitizers and markers of resistance. The MRN (MRE11, Rad51, NBS1) complex and particularly NBS1 were potent modifiers of AraC and MK1775. Focusing on NBS1 since it is proposed to centrally regulate the defense capacity of leukemic cells, we identified that NBS1 phosphorylation at Ser343 (the ATM regulation site) is significantly altered both in cell lines and primary AML samples under combined AraC+MK1775 treatment as compared to single agent MK1775. In parallel, lower phosphorylation of ATMS1981(an autophosphorylation site in response to DNA strand breaks), was observed indicating that the ATM-CHEK1 pathway is not activated under co-treatment. Further Homologous recombination (HR)-mediated repair was compromised by AraC+MK1775 shown by DR-GFP expression vector to measure intracellular HR capacity: post-transfection of the I-SceI nuclease which cleaves non-functioning GFP tandem repeats to form a functional GFP unit, the HR was reduced with the combination. Consistently other HR markers decreased as well. Delayed accumulation of Cyclin A (indicative of S-phase progression) and greater inhibition of phospho-Cdk2Y15in synchronized cells treated with AraC + MK1775 in comparison to controls was observed. In addition the cell cycle was globally dysregulated by slower S-phase kinetics (progression), a completely abrogated G2/M checkpoint/phase as well as de-regulated DNA replication origin formation and firing as evidenced by Cdt1 and Mus81. As a consequence high single and double strand breaks (ɣH2AX) were observed with an increase in phospho-histone H3 in AraC + MK1775 treated cells compared to untreated cells or MK1775 single agent, confirming faster mitotic entry. Changes were followed by massive induction of apoptosis. Since WEE1 is implicated in leukemic stem cell maintenance we examined the long term effects of the combination in colony forming assays. AraC + MK1775 treated leukemic cells obtained from patients with AML were re-plated on Methocult after drug washout and colonies counted after 14 days. While MK1775 as a single agent could reduce colony formation by 4 fold compared to controls and lower dose AraC, co-treatment with low to moderate doses of AraC and MK1775 reduced colony formation by more than 7 fold and to almost zero in some primary specimens. Taken together, these results suggest that leukemia cells co-treated with AraC + MK1775 lost their ability to activate DNA damage and repair pathways mainly by compromising the MRN complex via NBS1 with subsequently reduced HR. The combination (as opposed to single agents) almost complete dysregulated the cell cycle and its checkpoints lead to DNA damage, genomic instability and rapid exit from the cell cycle with cell death via apoptosis. Thus we have molecularly characterized the detailed mechanisms underlying the potent AraC+WEE1 inhibition in AML and describe for the first time a therapeutic combination that has the potential to abrogate the MRN and NBS1 repair capacity which is central for drug resistance in AML. A key implication of our work is to provide a clinical rationale, mechanistic understanding and suggestions for biomarkers to clinically evaluate AraC + MK1775 in patients with AML. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.