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Alencar, Alvaro J.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1720-9295

Mayo Clinic

University of Miami

Citations 16

Molecular and Structural Basis of Pan-Resistance to BTK Degraders and Inhibitors
Sievers, Quinlan , Lu, Hao , Cool, Allison , Gajewski, Stefan , Kong, Tim , Noviski, Mark , Whelan, Sarah , Wang, Yuhan , Navarrete, Lizbeth Mendoza, Mi, Xiaoli , Mukerji, Ratul , Ye, Jordan , Rios, Mateo Sanchez Garcia de los, Bousquet, Hugo , Tan, Y. , Brathaban, Nivetha , Narasappa, Nell , Lu, Ya‐Wen , Elechko, Jennifer, Phelps, Christopher B., Sekeres, Samantha, Bravo, Eduardo , Alencar, Alvaro J. , Islam, Prioty , Mato, Anthony R. , Noviski, Mark A , Wang, Yuhan , Mendoza Navarrete, Lizbeth , Ficici, Emel , Mukerji, Ratul , Iuliano, James N , Ye, Jordan , Sanchez Garcia De Los Rios, Mateo , Bousquet, Hugo , Tan, May , Brathaban, Nivetha , Narasappa, Nell , Lu, Ya-Wen , Elechko, Jennifer , Maron, Maxim I , Phelps, Christopher B , Rahman, Jahan , Notti, Ryan Q , Sekeres, Samantha , Lamkin, Erica N , Bravo, Eduardo , Alencar, Alvaro J , Ewalt, Mark D , Islam, Prioty , Mato, Anthony , Roeker, Lindsey , Bhatt, Shruti , Taylor, Justin , Thompson, Meghan C , Hansen, Gwenn M , Abdel-Wahab, Omar , Lamkin, Erica , Ewalt, Mark D. , Roeker, Lindsey E. , Abdel‐Wahab, Omar

Cancer Discovery | July 22, 2026 | Volume: No volume available | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available

10.1158/2159-8290.cd-26-0251 Get It

Abstract Early-phase clinical trials of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) degraders have demonstrated efficacy in patients with BTK inhibitor-resistant chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). How clinical resistance to BTK degraders arises is unknown. Here we sequenced serial CLL samples from patients enrolled in the phase I trials of zelebrudomide and bexobrutideg and observed recurrent expansion of preexisting BTK A428D mutations at relapse. Unlike previously studied BTK inhibitor resistance mutations, BTK A428D conferred pan-resistance to BTK inhibitors and degraders. In the absence of BTK-directed therapies, however, cells bearing BTK A428D exhibited a competitive disadvantage. A crystal structure of BTK A428D revealed that the mutant aspartate clashes with the adenine ring of ATP and the adenine-mimetic moiety of BTK inhibitors and degraders. Combining BTK degraders with venetoclax mitigated the expansion of BTK A428D. These results provide the molecular basis for clinical resistance to BTK degraders and will inform the development of next-generation BTK degrader therapies.
Pirtobrutinib in Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL): Final update from the Phase 1/2 BRUIN study
Cohen, Jonathon B. , Shah, Nirav N. , Ujjani, Chaitra S. , Kim, Won Seog , Alencar, Alvaro J. , Lewis, David , Woyach, Jennifer A. , Maddocks, Kami J. , Seymour, John F. , Nagai, Hirokazu, Vose, Julie, Fakhri, Bita , Hoffmann, Marc , Hernandez‐Ilizaliturri, Francisco J. , Kumar, Anita , Munir, Talha, Tsai, Donald E. , Abada, Paolo, Balbas, Minna, Eyre, Toby A. , Fakhri, Bita , Wang, Michael , Jurczak, Wojciech , Zinzani, Pier Luigi , Cheah, Chan Y. , Koh, Youngil , Nasta, Sunita , Flinn, Ian W. , Tessoulin, Benoit , Ma, Shuo , Patel, Krish , Wang, Yucai , Rhodes, Joanna , Tam, Constantine S. , Hoffmann, Marc, Zelenetz, Andrew D. , Li, Jian , Wang, Ying , Roeker, Lindsey E.

Blood | December 4, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 665-665

10.1182/blood-2025-665 Get It

Abstract Background: Despite the efficacy of covalent Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (cBTKi) in R/R MCL, patients (pts) ultimately discontinue treatment due to intolerance or development of resistance and disease relapse. Pirtobrutinib is a highly selective, non-covalent BTKi that inhibits BTK with low nM potency throughout the daily dosing interval. Pirtobrutinib was safe and effective in the phase 1/2 BRUIN study in pts with R/R B-cell malignancies, including those previously treated with a BTKi. Pirtobrutinib is approved in the EU for adults with R/R MCL after prior treatment with a BTKi (EMA Conditional Approval, Oct 2023), and in the USA for adults with R/R MCL after ≥ 2 lines of systemic therapy, including a BTKi (FDA Accelerated Approval, Jan 2023).Here, we report the final results from the phase 1/2 BRUIN study (NCT03740529), with a follow-up period of up to 5 yrs, focusing on the efficacy and safety of pirtobrutinib in all R/R MCL pts. Methods: Pts with R/R MCL who received ≥1 prior lines of therapy (including BTKi) were eligible for treatment with pirtobrutinib monotherapy. Key endpoints included overall response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR) and progression-free survival (PFS), all assessed by independent review committee (IRC) per Lugano 2014 criteria (presented here) and investigator, overall survival (OS), and safety. Pts were included across the range of doses evaluated in dose escalation and expansion (25-300 mg/day). A data cutoff on 27 January 2025 was utilized, with a median study follow-up of 17.5 months (range, 0.5-69.6). Results: Among the 166 pts with R/R MCL, 153 (92%) received the pirtobrutinib approved dose of 200 mg/day, 152 (92%) had received prior cBTKi, of which 128 (84.2%) discontinued any prior cBTKi due to progressive disease (PD), and 15 (9.9%) due to toxicity. The cBTKi-pre-treated pts had a median age of 70 yrs (range, 46-88), 52% had intermediate-risk and 28.3% had high-risk sMIPI scores. The median number of prior lines of therapy was 3 (range 1-9), with most pts having received a prior anti-CD20 antibody (96.7%) and chemotherapy (90.1%). Additional prior therapies included hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (21.7%; 19.7% auto and 4.6% allo), BCL-2 inhibitor (15.8%), CAR-T cell therapy (8.6%). As of the data cutoff, 11 (7.2%) pts who received a prior cBTKi and 6 (42.9%) cBTKi naïve pts remained on treatment. The cBTKi pre-treated pts had an ORR of 49.3% (95% CI, 41.1-57.6), including 15.8% complete responses (CR) (n=24) and 33.6% partial responses (PR) (n=51). The 75 responding pretreated pts had a median DOR of 21.6 months (95% CI, 9.2-27.2) at a median follow-up of 24 months. The ORR among 128 pts who had discontinued any prior cBTKi due to PD and 15 pts who discontinued due to toxicity was 43.0% and 93.3%, respectively. The median PFS and OS for cBTKi pre-treated pts were 5.6 months (95% CI, 5.3-9.2) and 23.9 months (95% CI, 17.3-51.5), respectively. Fourteen pts (9.2%) were censored for PFS due to subsequent anticancer therapy without documented PD, including 8 pts who received CAR-T. The cBTKi naïve pts (n=14) had an ORR of 85.7% (95% CI, 57.2-98.2), including 50.0% CR (n=7) and 35.7% PR (n=5). The 12 responding naïve pts had a median DOR of 42.7 months (95% CI, 25.8-NE) at a median follow-up of 43 months. The median PFS and OS in the cBTKi naïve pts were 44.6 months (95% CI, 16.7-NE) and not reached (95% CI, 33.5-NE), respectively. Among all R/R MCL pts (n=166), the most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAE), regardless of attribution, were fatigue (31.9%), diarrhea (22.9%), anemia (18.1%), and dyspnea (18.1%). The most common Grade ≥3 TEAE was neutropenia/neutrophil count decreased (13.3%), and the rate of Grade ≥3 infections was 21.1%. Grade ≥3 hemorrhage/hematoma (2.4%) and all-grade atrial fibrillation/flutter (3.6%) were infrequent. In total, 13 (7.8%) pts had a fatal TEAE, with 4 (2.4%) classified as infections. Overall, 8 pts (4.8%) had treatment-related AE leading to dose reductions, and 6 (3.6%) had treatment-related AE leading to pirtobrutinib discontinuation. Conclusion: Pirtobrutinib continues to demonstrate efficacy in pts with heavily pre-treated R/R MCL including both those who previously received a cBTKi and those who were BTKi-naïve. The safety profile of pirtobrutinib remained favorable with a low-rate of dose reductions/discontinuations due to drug-related toxicity. No new safety signals were identified after up to 5 yrs of follow-up.
121 | INFLUENCE OF HEALTH DISPARITIES (HD) ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS (PTS) WITH DIFFUSE LARGE B CELL LYMPHOMA (DLBCL) IN THE UNITED STATES
Alencar, Alvaro J. , Geyer, Susan M. , Pederson, Levi , Dockter, Travis , Adekola, Kehinde , Unger, J., Nowakowski, G. S., Friedberg, Jonathan W. , Dinner, Shira, Blum, K. A., Leonard, John P. , Paskett, Electra D. , Ghosh, Nilanjan , Unger, J. M., Jegede, Opeyemi A. , Kahl, Brad S. , Bartlett, Nancy L.

Hematological Oncology | June 17, 2025 | Volume: 43 | Issue: S3 | Pages: No page available

10.1002/hon.70093_121 Get It

Representation of Minorities in Therapeutic Clinical Trials - a 15-Year Review of Lymphoma Cooperative Group Studies (Alliance A152123)
Alencar, Alvaro J. , Geyer, Susan M. , Pederson, Levi , Dockter, Travis , Adekola, Kehinde , Friedberg, Jonathan W. , Dinner, Shira, Blum, Kristie A. , Leonard, John P. , Paskett, Electra D. , Ghosh, Nilanjan , Unger, Joseph M. , Jegede, Opeyemi A. , Kahl, Brad S. , Bartlett, Nancy L.

Blood | December 5, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 110-110

10.1182/blood-2024-209365 Get It

Introduction: Health disparities negatively impact outcomes of patients (pts) with hematologic malignancies. Limited retrospective data correlating health disparities with lymphoma outcomes prohibit proper identification of reversible causes and elaboration of potential interventions. We present data from a coordinated effort between the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) cooperative groups (Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology [Alliance], Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group [ECOG], and the Southwest Oncology Group [SWOG]) to catalog the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic characteristics of pts with lymphoma to better understand the quality of data collected, analyze selected health disparity indicators, and develop a prospective data collection tool. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of demographic data from pts with lymphoma enrolled on 32 cooperative group therapeutic trials between 2005 and 2020. Special focus was placed on data regarding race, ethnicity, and proxies that help identify socioeconomic status (health insurance, residential zip code, Social Deprivation Index [SDI]). These were evaluated in relation to histology-based metrics from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) Program with reported data through 2022. Here, our focus is to characterize baseline demographic and disparities data on the collection of these 32 NCTN lymphoma trials. Results: A total of 3,897 pts were included, with 3,406 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (87.4%) - 1,644 diffuse large B-cell (DLBCL, 48.3%), 905 follicular (26.6%), 669 mantle cell (19.6%), 113 primary central nervous system (3.3%), 75 T-cell (2.2%) - and 491 Hodgkin lymphoma (12.6%). Age at registration was available for 3,891 pts with median age 57.1 years (range: 18-92). The majority of patients were male (58.8%; one pt missing biological sex data). Race data were available for all but one patient, where most pts were white (W, 86.6%), followed by 246 African American (AA, 6.3%), 99 Asian (A, 2.5%), 13 American Indian or Alaska Native (AI, 0.3%), 8 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (PI, 0.2%), 11 with more than 1 race reported (0.3%), and 145 with unknown/not reported race. Ethnicity data were unknown for 327 pts (8.4%) with 179 Hispanic or Latino (Hisp, 4.6%). Combined race/ethnicity data showed 3,010 non-Hisp white (NHW, 77.2%) and 219 non-Hisp black (NHB, 5.6%). For comparison, in the SEER database, 84.7% of all lymphoma cases were W, with 8.6% AA, 5.2% A/PI, 0.4% AI, and 1.1% unknown race, and with 13.9% of pts reported as Hisp. When focusing on the 804 pts enrolled on Alliance CALGB 50303 and ECOG-ACRIN 1412 studies, two randomized DLBCL studies, there was a more proportional representation of W and AA pts with DLBCL - 82.1% and 9.8% compared 84.6% and 7.7%, respectively, at SEER database, with 5.3% Hisp (with another 5.3% unknown) compared to 14.9% at SEER. Insurance information was missing in 113 pts. Of the remainder, 2,102 pts had private insurance only (55.6%), 549 with a mix of private and public (14.5%), 701 public only (18.5%, including 11.4% Medicare, 4.5% Medicaid, 0.8% both), and 166 self-pay (4.4%). Year-matched SDI score was available in 2,885 pts, where higher SDI scores = higher social deprivation. The total mean SDI score for the overall cohort was 42.5 with significant differences observed based on race/ethnicity and insurance type. Specifically, NHW were from less deprived areas (mean SDI=38.8) than NHB (66.4) or Hisp (65.5) (p<0.0001). Those without insurance (mean SDI=52.6) or only public insurance (48.9) were located in areas associated with greater deprivation compared to pts with private (40.1) or public+private (38.8) insurance (p<0.0001). Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the largest retrospective catalog of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic characteristics of pts with lymphoma enrolled on cooperative group therapeutic trials. The scope of NCTN cooperative group lymphoma studies provides a unique opportunity to assess novel therapeutic outcomes for patients representing racial, ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups with both common and rare lymphoma subtypes. From this resource, additional analyses on relationships between SDI, race/ethnicity, insurance coverage, disease subtype, and temporal trends will be presented. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, UG1CA189823
Trial in Progress - Alliance A052101: A Randomized Phase 3 Trial of Continuous Vs. Intermittent Maintenance Therapy with Zanubrutinib As Upfront Treatment in Older Patients with Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Beaven, Anne , Geyer, Susan M. , Cohen, Jonathon B. , Dockter, Travis , Thanarajasingam, Gita , Mazza, Gina L. , Alencar, Alvaro J. , Dinner, Shira, Welliver, M.X., Nikcevich, Daniel A., Friedberg, Jonathan W. , Leonard, John P., Mazza, Gina L , Phillips, Tycel , Pophali, Priyanka A. , Hsi, Eric D. , Kahl, Brad S. , Bartlett, Nancy L.

Blood | December 5, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 1661.3-1661.3

10.1182/blood-2024-207372 Get It

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare lymphoma with a median age at diagnosis of 60-70 years. Front line therapy has traditionally been bendamustine-rituximab (BR) in older patients and then Bruton Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) for relapsed disease. Due to their efficacy, BTKi are now being combined with chemotherapy as induction treatment. The TRIANGLE trial of R-CHOP/R-DHAP +/- ibrutinib +/- transplant showed the benefit of adding a BTKi in young patients (Dreyling M, 2022). The SHINE trial, a phase III trial of BR +/- ibrutinib in patients >65 years, showed a significant improvement in median PFS (81 months vs. 53 months) (Wang M, 2022). However, this came with an increase in toxicity with more treatment related deaths in the ibrutinib arm (11% vs. 6%) and no difference in overall survival. Therefore, a better tolerated approach is still needed in older patients. A phase II study of rituximab + indefinite ibrutinib in 50 patients >65 years demonstrated efficacy of frontline BTKi with a 96% ORR and 71% CR (Jain P, 2021). However, a disadvantage of BTKi therapy is continuous treatment until disease progression or intolerance. In this study half of patients required dose reductions and almost a third of patients stopped treatment due to drug toxicity, most frequently atrial fibrillation or bleeding. If front line intermittent BTKi therapy is as effective as continuous therapy, it could minimize cumulative toxicity. A052101 (NCT05976763), an Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology trial, is a randomized phase 3 multicenter trial of upfront zanubrutinib that asks the question “in older patients with previously untreated MCL who obtain a CR with zanubrutinib-rituximab, is it safe and equally effective to stop treatment and restart it upon disease progression rather than continuing indefinitely?” The A052101 trial is enrolling pts with previously untreated MCL who are either >70 years old or 60-69 years old but are not transplant candidates due to cardiac ejection fraction <45%, DLCO <60% of predicted, creatinine clearance <70, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of >2, or a Cumulative Illness Rating Scales score of >6. Key exclusion criteria include: history of a severe bleeding disorder or clinically significant cardiac arrhythmias. Patients will take zanubrutinib 320 mg daily and rituximab/rituximab biosimilar once monthly for 6 cycles. Patients with less than partial response after 6 cycles will go off study treatment. Patients with a complete remission will be randomized in a 1:1 manner to intermittent treatment versus continuous treatment. Randomization will be stratified by age (60-69 years vs ≥70 years) and MIPI score. Those randomized to the continuous arm will receive zanubrutinib until intolerance or disease progression. Those randomized to the intermittent arm will stop all study drugs after those initial 6 cycles and will restart zanubrutinib at first disease progression and continue it until intolerance or second disease progression. In order to make the study results generalizable to clinical practice, disease progression will be defined by clinical parameters rather than minimal residual disease testing. The primary objective of this study is to compare time from randomization to first progression or death (PFS1) in the continuous treatment arm to the time to second progression or death (PFS2) in the intermittent treatment arm. The primary evaluation will be to determine whether, for patients in a CR, active monitoring followed by retreatment with zanubrutinib therapy upon disease progression will result in non-inferior clinical outcomes compared to indefinite zanubrutinib. Serial quality of life testing and adverse event monitoring will be performed throughout the study to gain a full understanding of the impact of continuous vs intermittent zanubrutinib on patients' lives. A052101 has the potential to change management of older patients with previously untreated MCL. If our study demonstrates that the time to second progression/death when using the stop and retreat strategy is non-inferior to time to first progression/death when using continuous BTK therapy, then it might lead to a new standard of care in this patient population. This could result in decreased health care costs, decreased toxicity and improved quality of life for older patients with mantle cell lymphoma. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882; https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org
Trial in Progress - Alliance A051901 - Phase I Trial of Methotrexate, Rituximab, Lenalidomide, and Nivolumab (Nivo-MR2) Induction Followed By Lenalidomide and Nivolumab Maintenance in Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL)
Alencar, Alvaro J. , Mehta-Shah, Neha, Lu‐Emerson, Christine , Rutherford, Sarah C. , Dockter, Travis , Geyer, Susan M. , Fuente, Macarena de la, Dinner, Shira, Rubenstein, James L. , Leonard, John P. , Bobek, Olivia , Mehta–Shah, Neha , Epperla, Narendranath , Olszewski, Adam J. , Ollila, Thomas A , Singer, Samuel , Rosenstein, Lori J. , Hsi, Eric D. , Bartlett, Nancy L.

Blood | December 5, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 4502.4-4502.4

10.1182/blood-2024-209238 Get It

Background: The rising incidence of PCNSL in the elderly represents an unmet need with an undefined standard approach [Villano Br J Cancer 2011]. High-dose methotrexate-based (HD-MTX) therapy is feasible and effective in older patients, but outcomes in this population remain poor. Despite high response rates to HD-MTX induction therapy, poor candidacy for intensive consolidative therapy results in transient disease control that may benefit from maintenance strategies [David Am J Hematol 2023]. Lenalidomide (len) has demonstrated activity in PCNSL even at low doses and represents a potential alternative to consolidation considering its extensive use in maintenance settings [Vu Br J Haematol 2019]. Anecdotal activity in PCNSL by checkpoint inhibitors such as nivolumab (nivo) has been reported [Nayak Blood 2017], and its immune response may be enhanced by len [Görgün Clin Cancer Res 2015]. A051901 evaluates the feasibility of the addition of len and nivo to rituximab (R) and HD-MTX as first line induction therapy followed by len-nivo maintenance in elderly patients with PCNSL not eligible for intensive consolidation. Study Design and Methods: This is a single-arm phase 1 multicenter US study (NCT04609046) conducted by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology with a traditional 3+3 design. Eligible patients are 18 years of age or older with untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma PCNSL diagnosed through brain biopsy or resection, or cerebrospinal (CSF) or vitreous fluid not considered candidates for high dose chemotherapy consolidation. This study is available to all eligible patients, regardless of race, gender, or ethnic origin. Patients must have adequate end-organ function including creatinine clearance of at least 50 mL/min. Use of systemic corticosteroids for disease control to be tapered after initiation of therapy is allowed. Induction consists of six 14-day cycles with rituximab 500 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1, HD-MTX 3g/m2 i.v. on day 2. In the most recent treatment schedule, a 5-day course of lenalidomide PO at different dose levels (dose level (DL) 1 = 10 mg, DL2 = 15 mg, DL3 = 20 mg) is initiated immediately after adequate clearance of HD-MTX. Once a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of len is defined, a subsequent cohort will evaluate the addition of nivo 240 mg i.v. to the day 14 of the induction cycle of R-HD-MTX plus len at the MTD. Patients who present any clinical benefit from induction with at least stable disease by International PCNSL Collaborative Group response criteria are eligible for maintenance - twelve 28-day cycles of therapy with len 15 mg PO from day 1 to day 21 (regardless of dose during induction) +/- nivo 480 mg i.v. on day 1 (for those who received len and nivo during induction). The primary endpoint of the induction therapy is the MTD of len when given in combination with R-HD-MTX; the primary endpoint of maintenance is its feasibility, defined as the proportion of patients able to remain on maintenance for at least 6 cycles. As of July 2024, 16 patients have been enrolled with a maximum expected sample size of 47 patients with the assumption of 75% of patients being eligible to proceed with maintenance and 50% of those who begin maintenance not progressing in the first 6 cycles. Overall response, adverse events, progression-free and overall survival will be evaluated in all eligible patients with a focus on the outcome of patients treated at the MTD. For patients who consent to biobanking, diagnostic tissue, peripheral blood and CSF from different timepoints are collected and banked with planned exploratory analyses including whole exome sequencing, circulating tumor DNA, proteomics, metabolomics. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882. https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org.
Pirtobrutinib in Richter Transformation: Updated Efficacy and Safety Results with 18-Month Median Survival Follow-up from the Phase 1/2 BRUIN Study
Shah, Nirav N. , Lewis, David , Coombs, Catherine C. , Lamanna, Nicole , Jagadeesh, Deepa, Munir, Talha, Eyre, Toby A. , McKinney, Matthew , Alencar, Alvaro J. , Seymour, John F. , Woyach, Jennifer A. , Abada, Paolo, Ho, Caleb , Marella, Narasimha, Wang, Chunxiao , Ruppert, Amy S. , Nair, Binoj C., Liu, Hui , Tsai, Donald E. , Wierda, William G. , Cheah, Chan Y. , Hoffmann, Marc Steven , Ma, Shuo , Jagadeesh, Deepa , Wang, Yucai , Rhodes, Joanna , Lech‐Marańda, Ewa , Tam, Constantine S. , Jurczak, Wojciech , Izutsu, Koji , Patel, Manish R. , Roeker, Lindsey E. , Thompson, Philip A , Ghia, Paolo

Blood | December 1, 2023 | Volume: 142 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 1737-1737

10.1182/blood-2023-181108 Get It

Background:Richter transformation (RT) occurs in up to 10% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), typically presents as an aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and is associated with poor survival. RT has no approved standard therapy; and clinical trial enrollment is the preferred first line of therapy. Pirtobrutinib, a highly selective, non-covalent (reversible) BTKi, that inhibits both wildtype and C481-mutant BTK with equal low nM potency, has favorable oral pharmacology that enables continuous BTK inhibition throughout the dosing interval. Pirtobrutinib demonstrated durable overall response rates (ORR) and was well tolerated in patients (pts) with poor-prognosis B-cell malignancies regardless of prior therapy. Here we provide updated safety and efficacy of pirtobrutinib in RT pts from the phase 1/2 BRUIN trial (NCT03740529). Methods: Pts with previously treated, histologically confirmed RT were eligible in the global, multicenter, phase 1/2 BRUIN study. Pts with untreated RT became eligible after Amendment 10. All but one patient received the recommended phase 2 dose of 200 mg daily. Key endpoints included investigator-assessed ORR, DoR per Lugano 2014 criteria, OS, and safety. A data cut of 05 May 2023 was utilized. To assess clonal relationship, IGH rearrangement studies were done on tissue biopsies with RT involvement, and baseline blood or bone marrow (BM) samples with CLL involvement. Results: Among all pts with RT (N=82) the median age was 67 (range, 26-95) and the median total number of lines of prior systemic therapy was 4 (range, 0-13). Pts with prior treatment had a median of 2 CLL-directed therapies and 2 RT-directed therapies. Eight pts did not have a previous line of RT-directed therapy, and 1 patient received neither RT- nor CLL-directed therapy. Common prior RT- and CLL-directed therapies (RT, CLL) included: chemotherapy (76%, 52%), cBTKi (34%, 62%), anti-CD20 antibody (78%, 66%), BCL2i (38%, 49%), stem cell transplant (SCT; 6%, 7%), and CAR-T (11%, 4%). Of 29 pts with bone marrow screening, 41.4% had CLL alone present in BM, 13.8% had DLBCL present and 24.1% had both CLL and DLBCL present. For 39 pts with available PET data, the median SUVmax was 19.1 (range, 2.6-41.2). For all 82 pts, the ORR was 50.0% (95% CI, 38.7-61.3) including complete (13.4%, n=11) and partial (36.6%, n=30) responses. For 61 pts who received prior cBTKi therapy, the ORR was 45.9% (95% CI 33.1-59.2). Among 28 pts with an RT-directed cBTKi and 51 pts with prior CLL-directed cBTKi, the ORR was 42.9% (95% CI, 24.5-62.8) and 43.1% (95% CI, 29.3-57.8), respectively. In 50 pts who discontinued prior cBTKi due to disease progression, the ORR was 42.0% (95% CI, 28.2-56.8). At median follow-up time of 9.7 months, the median DoR for all 82 RT pts was 7.4 months (95% CI, 3.1-19.1) and the estimated rate at 12 months was 45.9% (95% CI, 28.3-61.8). The median time on treatment for the 41pts who responded to treatment was 8.3 months. Eight pts stopped pirtobrutinib to pursue curative-intent allogeneic SCT and DoR was censored at the last preceding disease assessment. At a median survival follow-up of 18.3 months, the median OS for the entire RT cohort was 12.5 months (95% CI, 6.9-20.5). At 18 months, the OS rate was 44.3% (95% CI, 32.5-55.4). Frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAE) in the RT cohort (n=82) were neutropenia/decreased neutrophil count (29.3%, n=24), fatigue (24.4%, n=20) and diarrhea, dyspnea, thrombocytopenia, and pyrexia (18.3% each, n=15). Common grade ≥3 TEAEs were neutropenia/decreased neutrophil count (23.2%, n=19), thrombocytopenia (11.0%, n=9), plus anemia and sepsis (9.8% each, n=8). Any grade hypertension (3.7%, n=3) or atrial fibrillation (1.2%, n=1) were infrequent. Three pts (3.7%) had treatment-related AEs leading to dose reductions, but no pt had a treatment-related AE leading to pirtobrutinib discontinuation. Analyses of clonality will be presented. Conclusions: Continued follow-up from BRUIN demonstrates encouraging response and OS in pts with RT. Pirtobrutinib remains well-tolerated with low rates of discontinuation and manageable safety profile. While RT remains a challenging diagnosis, pirtobrutinib represents a potential treatment option that warrants further investigation.
Pirtobrutinib in Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) Patients with Prior cBTKi: Safety and Efficacy Including High-Risk Subgroup Analyses from the Phase 1/2 BRUIN Study
Cohen, Jonathon B. , Shah, Nirav N. , Eyre, Toby A. , Ujjani, Chaitra S. , Kim, Won Seog , Alencar, Alvaro J. , Lewis, David , Woyach, Jennifer A. , Maddocks, Kami J. , Seymour, John F. , Nagai, Hirokazu, Fakhri, Bita , Hernandez‐Ilizaliturri, Francisco J. , Kumar, Anita , Munir, Talha, Tsai, Donald E. , Balbas, Minna, Liu, Bin , Ruppert, Amy S. , Nguyen, Bastien , Wang, Michael , Fakhri, Bita , Jurczak, Wojciech , Zinzani, Pier Luigi , Cheah, Chan Y. , Koh, Youngil , Nasta, Sunita , Flinn, Ian W. , Tessoulin, Benoit , Ma, Shuo , Patel, Krish , Wang, Yucai , Rhodes, Joanna , Tam, Constantine S. , Vose, Julie M. , Hoffmann, Marc Steven , Zelenetz, Andrew D. , Roeker, Lindsey E.

Blood | December 1, 2023 | Volume: 142 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 981-981

10.1182/blood-2023-181627 Get It

Background: Despite the efficacy of covalent (c) Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) in R/R MCL, disease relapse arises through evolution of resistance mechanisms or development of cBTKi intolerance. Pirtobrutinib, a highly selective, non-covalent (reversible) BTKi has favorable oral pharmacology that enables continuous BTK inhibition throughout the daily dosing interval regardless of the intrinsic rate of BTK turnover. Pirtobrutinib is the first BTKi to demonstrate durable efficacy following prior cBTKi therapy in heavily pre-treated R/R MCL and was well-tolerated with a low frequency of treatment discontinuation due to toxicity (Wang et al., JCO, 2023). Pirtobrutinib is approved in the USA to treat relapsed or refractory MCL after at least two lines of systemic therapy including a prior cBTKi. Here, we report updated results of pirtobrutinib therapy in all patients (pts), including those with biologically high-risk R/R MCL with a median survival follow-up of 24.2 months (range, 18.2-29.8). Methods: Pts with R/R MCL received pirtobrutinib monotherapy in the multicenter Phase 1/2 BRUIN trial (NCT03740529). Efficacy was assessed in all cBTKi pre-treated pts, as well as in cBTKi treatment-naïve pts. Key endpoints included overall response rate (ORR) as assessed by independent review committee per Lugano 2014 criteria, duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. Pts were included across the dose escalation range and expansion (25-300 mg/day) with 93% (n=141) receiving at least one dose of 200 mg/day, the FDA-approved dose. A data cut of 05 May 2023 was utilized. Results: Among all 152 pts with R/R MCL who received a prior cBTKi, the median age was 70 years (range, 46-88), and 52% had intermediate-risk and 28.3% had high-risk sMIPI scores. Median prior lines of therapy were 3 (range, 1-9), including an anti-CD20 antibody (96.7%), chemotherapy (90.1%), immunomodulator (17.1%), stem cell transplant (21.7%), BCL-2 inhibitor (15.8%), CAR-T cell therapy (8.6%), and PI3K inhibitor (3.9%). Among pts with high-risk biomarker data available, 30/60 (50%) had TP53 mutations and 45/63 (71%) had a Ki-67 index of ≥30%. The ORR for cBTKi pre-treated pts was 49.3% (95% CI, 41.1-57.6), including 15.8% complete responses (n=24) and 33.6% partial responses (n=51), whilst cBTKi naïve pts (n=14) had an ORR of 85.7% (95% CI, 57.2-98.2). The ORR among 128 pts who had discontinued a prior cBTKi due to PD and 21 pts who had discontinued for toxicity/other reasons was 43.0% and 90.5%, respectively. Among the 75 responding cBTKi pre-treated pts, the median DOR was 21.6 months (95% CI, 9.2-27.2) at a median follow-up of 24 months. The 18- and 24-month DOR rates were 51.9% (95% CI, 37-64.8) and 38.9% (95% CI, 22.7-54.8), respectively. ORR and DOR by high-risk subgroups (including blastoid/pleomorphic variants, Ki-67 index ≥30%, and TP53 mutations) are shown in Table 1. The 18- and 24-month DOR rates among 12 responding cBTKi naïve pts were both 90.0% (95% CI, 47.3-98.5). The median PFS and OS for cBTKi pre-treated pts was 5.6 months (95% CI, 5.3-9.2), and 23.5 months (95% CI, 17.1-NE), respectively. In the MCL cohort (n=166), the most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were fatigue (31.9%), diarrhea (22.3%), and dyspnea (17.5%). The most common Grade ≥3 TEAE was neutropenia/neutrophil count decreased (13.3%) and the rate of Grade ≥3 infections was (19.9%). Grade ≥3 hemorrhage/hematoma (2.4%) and all-grade atrial fibrillation/flutter (3.6%) were infrequent. Overall, 8 pts (5%) had treatment-related AEs leading to dose reductions and 5 (3%) had treatment-related AEs leading to pirtobrutinib discontinuation. Conclusion: Pirtobrutinib continues to demonstrate durable efficacy and a favorable safety profile in heavily pre-treated R/R MCL pts with prior cBTKi therapy. High ORRs were observed in pts who had PD on a prior cBTKi, and in pts with high-risk disease features including blastoid/pleomorphic variants, elevated Ki-67 index, and TP53 mutations.
P1087: PIRTOBRUTINIB IN COVALENT BTK-INHIBITOR PRE-TREATED MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA: UPDATED RESULTS AND SUBGROUP ANALYSIS FROM THE PHASE 1/2 BRUIN STUDY WITH >3 YEARS FOLLOW-UP FROM START OF ENROLLMENT
Eyre, Toby A. , Ujjani, Chaitra S. , Alencar, Alvaro J. , Lewis, David , Maddocks, Kami J. , Munir, Talha, Balbas, Minna, Tsai, Donald E. , Wang, Chunxiao , Wang, Michael , Shah, Nirav N. , Jurczak, Wojciech , Zinzani, Pier Luigi , Cheah, Chan Y. , Izutsu, Koji , Ma, Shuo , Flinn, Ian W. , Patel, Krish , Wang, Yucai , Zelenetz, Andrew D.

HemaSphere | August 9, 2023 | Volume: 7 | Issue: S3 | Pages: e45636b5

10.1097/01.hs9.0000971244.45636.b5 Get It

PIRTOBRUTINIB IN COVALENT BTK‐INHIBITOR PRE‐TREATED MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA: UPDATED RESULTS, SUBGROUP ANALYSIS FROM BRUIN WITH >3 YEARS FOLLOW‐UP FROM START OF ENROLLMENT
Shah, Nirav N. , Eyre, Toby A. , Ujjani, Chaitra S. , Alencar, Alvaro J. , Lewis, David , Maddocks, Kami J. , Wang, Y., Munir, T, Balbas, Minna, Tsai, Donald E. , Wang, C., Wang, M. L., Cheah, Chan Y. , Jurczak, Wojciech , Zinzani, Pier Luigi , Izutsu, Koji , Ma, Shuo , Flinn, Ian W. , Patel, Krish , Wang, Yucai , Zelenetz, Andrew D.

Hematological Oncology | June 9, 2023 | Volume: 41 | Issue: S2 | Pages: 153-156

10.1002/hon.3163_102 Get It