Curtin, Peter

The NCCN Guidelines for Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) provide recommendations for the evaluation, diagnosis, and comprehensive care of patients with MDS based on a review of recent clinical evidence that has led to important advances in treatment or has yielded new information on biologic factors that may have prognostic significance in MDS. The multidisciplinary panel of MDS experts is convened at least on an annual basis. During the annual meeting, the panel evaluates new and emerging data to inform their recommendations. These NCCN Guidelines Insights review the recent updates, including treatment recommendations both for lower-risk and higher-risk MDS, preference stratification of therapeutic agents, and emerging data on novel therapeutics.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is defined by the presence of Philadelphia chromosome resulting from a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 [t9;22] that gives rise to a BCR::ABL1 fusion gene. CML occurs in 3 different phases (chronic, accelerated, and blast phase) and is usually diagnosed in the chronic phase in developed countries. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy is a highly effective treatment option for patients with chronic phase–CML. The primary goal of TKI therapy in patients with chronic phase–CML is to prevent disease progression to accelerated phase–CML or blast phase–CML. Discontinuation of TKI therapy with careful monitoring is feasible in selected patients. This manuscript discusses the recommendations outlined in the NCCN Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with chronic phase–CML.

The NCCN Guidelines for Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) provide recommendations for the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of patients with MDS based on a review of clinical evidence that has led to important advances in treatment or has yielded new information on biologic factors that may have prognostic significance in MDS. The multidisciplinary panel of MDS experts meets on an annual basis to update the recommendations. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on some of the updates for the 2022 version of the NCCN Guidelines, which include treatment recommendations both for lower-risk and higher-risk MDS, emerging therapies, supportive care recommendations, and genetic familial high-risk assessment for hereditary myeloid malignancy predisposition syndromes.

Hematopoietic growth factors, including erythrocyte stimulating agents (ESAs), granulocyte colony-stimulating factors, and thrombopoietin mimetics, can mitigate anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia resulting from chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer. In the context of pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infection, patients with cancer have been identified as a group at high risk of morbidity and mortality from this infection. Our subcommittee of the NCCN Hematopoietic Growth Factors Panel convened a voluntary group to review the potential value of expanded use of such growth factors in the current high-risk environment. Although recommendations are available on the NCCN website in the COVID-19 Resources Section (https://www.nccn.org/covid-19/), these suggestions are provided without substantial context or reference. Herein we review the rationale and data underlying the suggested alterations to the use of hematopoietic growth factors for patients with cancer in the COVID-19 era.

Management of febrile neutropenia (FN) is an integral part of supportive care for patients undergoing cancer treatment. The NCCN Guidelines for Hematopoietic Growth Factors provide suggestions for appropriate evaluation, risk determination, prophylaxis, and management of FN. These NCCN Guidelines are intended to guide clinicians in the appropriate use of growth factors for select patients undergoing treatment of nonmyeloid malignancies. These NCCN Guidelines Insights highlight important updates to the NCCN Guidelines regarding the incorporation of newly FDA-approved granulocyte-colony stimulating factor biosimilars for the prevention and treatment of FN.

Abstract Intensification of therapy for adults with ALL using pediatric regimens with intensive asparagine depletion is feasible. Targeted therapies are improving outcomes. We hypothesized that the UCSF 8707 regimen (Linker et al.JCO 2002;20:2462) could be safely intensified with the addition of pegylated asparaginase (peg asp), cyclophosphamide, rituximab, dasatinib, and intrathecal liposomal cytarabine. Methods: Patients (pts) enrolled at 4 centers. The primary objective was 3-year (yr) EFS (goal >55%). Eligible pts were age 18-60 yrs with untreated ALL or LBL. Treatment consisted of induction Course 1A (C1A): daunorubicin 60 mg/m2 IV d1-3, vincristine (VCR) 1.4 mg/m2 (2 mg if age >50 yrs) IV day 1,8,15,22, prednisone 60 mg/m2 orally (PO) d1-28, peg-asp 2,000 IU/m2 (cap 3,750 IU; 1,000 IU/m2 if age >50 yrs) IV d15, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2 IV d1,15 (or 500 mg/m2 IV q12h d15,16 if d14 marrow M2 or M3). ALL pts in CR/CRi and LBL pts in CR or PR proceeded to post-remission Course 1B (C1B): methotrexate (MTX) 220 mg/m2 IV bolus then 60 mg/m2/hr CIV for 36 hrs d1,15 with leucovorin rescue, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) 60 mg/m2 PO d1-7, 15-21, peg-asp 2,000 IU/ m2 (cap 3,750 IU; 1,000 IU/m2 if age >50 yrs) IV d16. Course 1C (C1C) consisted of cytarabine 2,000 mg/m2 IV d1-4 and etoposide 500 mg/m2 IV d1-4. Courses A-C repeated once then a third course B given. Maintenance POMP (6-MP 60 mg/m2 PO daily, VCR 1.4 mg/m2 (2 mg age >50 yrs) IV monthly, MTX 20 mg/m2 PO weekly, prednisone 60 mg/m2 PO d1-5) repeated monthly for 12 months then POMP with every other month VCR and prednisone for 12 months. Peg asp was given d16 of maintenance month 1. If B-ALL (+/- CD20 expression), rituximab 375 mg/m2 IV was given every 2 weeks for 8 doses starting day 1 of C1A. If Ph+ ALL, dasatinib 140 mg PO daily was given but held during high-dose MTX then restarted when serum [MTX] was </= 0.1 μM. CNS prophylaxis was liposomal cytarabine 25 mg intrathecal C1A d1,15, C2A d1,15 then 50 mg monthly for 4 doses in maintenance. Bone marrow biopsies were performed C1A d14 and after C1A, C1B, C3B, and maintenance. Measurable residual disease (MRD) was evaluated centrally by multi-parameter flow cytometry. BCR-ABL1 QPCR was performed locally. EFS is the time from start of therapy to failure of response by induction day 28, relapse, or death censored for HCT. RFS is the time from response to relapse or death censored for HCT. OS is the time from start of therapy until death. Survival was estimated by the method of Kaplan and Meier. Toxicity was graded with NCI CTCAE version 4.0. Results: Between 4/2014 and 2/2017, 31 pts enrolled and 29 were eligible. Median age was 28 yrs (20-54), 62% were male, 52% were Hispanic, and 86% had ALL. The end induction ORR (CR + PR) was 90% (2 ALL with PR, 1 early death). ORR for LBL was 100% (n= 4). The CR rate for ALL was 88%. For Ph- B-ALL (n=16), the CR rate was 86% with MRD <0.1% and <0.01% in 90% and 80% of CR pts, respectively. For Ph+ B-cell ALL (n=7), the CR rate was 88% (1 early death) with MRD <0.1% and <0.01% in 100% and a CMR rate of 67% at CR. The 2 T-ALL pts achieved CR with MRD >0.1%. Five pts underwent allogeneic HCT in first CR to study therapy. With a median follow up of 32 months (16-44), the 2- and 3-yr EFS were 59%. EFS was similar for B-ALL, T- ALL, LBL, Ph- B-ALL, and Ph+ B-ALL. Five pts relapsed. The 2- and 3-yr RFS were 66%. Concomitant marrow and CNS relapse occurred in 1 pt. No isolated CNS relapses occurred. Transplant-censored 2- and 3-yr OS were 80% and 72%. Uncensored 2- and 3-yr OS were 75% and 70%. Among eligible pts, 8 died: 4 after relapse, 1 in induction from infection, 2 in CR from infection, and 1 from allogeneic HCT complications. Three reversible grade 3-4 events were attributed to liposomal cytarabine, all grade 3: syncope, pseudotumor cerebri, and headache. Grade 3-5 possible peg asp toxicities were transaminitis (58%), hyperbilirubinemia (42%), hyperglycemia (29%), hypertriglyceridemia (26%), elevated GGT/alkaline phosphatase (19%), thrombosis (19%, 1 cerebral venous), hypoalbuminemia (10%), hypersensitivity (6.5%), elevated lipase (6.5%), pancreatitis (3.2%), encephalopathy (3.2%), and avascular necrosis (3.2%). One pt died from encephalopathy. Conclusions: Intensification of UCSF 8707 is feasible and effective. Post-induction remissions were deep with high MRD-negativity rates. EFS, RFS, and OS are favorable with follow up and accrual ongoing (NCT02043587). Strategies to limit peg asp toxicity are needed. Disclosures Wieduwilt: Amgen: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Shire: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Reata Pharmaceuticals: Equity Ownership; Leadiant: Research Funding. Schiller:Astellas Pharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; bluebird bio: Research Funding. Mannis:AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Agios: Research Funding; NKarta: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Curtin:Amgen: Research Funding; Onconova: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Andreadis:Genentech: Consultancy, Employment; Bayer: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Juno: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kite: Consultancy; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy. Logan:Adaptive Biotech: Consultancy; Napajen: Consultancy; Shire: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy; Astellas: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Kite: Research Funding. Damon:Actelion: Other: spouse's relationship with company; Boston Scientific: Other: spouse's relationship with company; Novartis: Other: spouse's relationship with company; Gilead Sciences Inc: Other: spouse's relationship with company.

Lenalidomide is approved for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion-dependent anemia due to low or intermediate-1 (int-1) risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) associated with a chromosome 5q deletion with or without additional cytogenetic abnormalities. We report results of a multicenter, phase 2 trial evaluating lenalidomide therapy for transfusion-dependent patients with low- or int-1–risk MDS without deletion 5q. Eligible patients had 50 000/mm3 or more platelets and required 2 U or more RBCs within the previous 8 weeks; 214 patients received 10 mg oral lenalidomide daily or 10 mg on days 1 to 21 of a 28-day cycle. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were neutropenia (30%) and thrombocytopenia (25%). Using an intention-to-treat analysis, 56 (26%) patients achieved transfusion independence (TI) after a median of 4.8 weeks of treatment with a median duration of TI of 41.0 weeks. In patients who achieved TI, the median rise in hemoglobin was 32 g/L (3.2 g/dL; range, 10-98 g/L [1.0-9.8 g/dL]) from baseline. A 50% or greater reduction in transfusion requirement occurred in 37 additional patients, yielding a 43% overall rate of hematologic improvement (TI response +‖≥ 50% reduction in transfusion requirement). Lenalidomide has clinically meaningful activity in transfusion-dependent patients with low- or int-1–risk MDS who lack the deletion 5q karyotypic abnormality. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as no. NCT00064974.