Lee, Shannon

Background: Oral decitabine/cedazuridine (ASTX727) is a fixed dose combination of decitabine (35 mg) and the cytidine deaminase inhibitor cedazuridine (100 mg) given once daily X 5 days on a 28-day cycle producing pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure equivalent to the standard intravenous (IV) decitabine regimen of 20 mg/m 2 daily X 5 days on a 28-day cycle. This was demonstrated in the pivotal ASCERTAIN study (Garcia-Manero, et al, ASH 2019) as it provided a PK bridge to existing decitabine data and demonstrated median OS was 31.7 mo. (Savona,et al. Intl. MDSF International Congress on MDS, 2021). Subjects were initially classified by the International Prognosis Scoring System (IPSS) for historical reasons, however IPSS-R and IPSS-M are enhancements to IPSS that provide dynamic risk assessment for predicting clinical outcomes in MDS. Here, the objective was to re-classify the MDS subjects enrolled on the ASCERTAIN study by IPSS-R and IPSS-M and measure the impact of informing patient outcomes based on re-calculated risk assessment. Methods: One hundred thirty-three subjects with MDS/CMML (chronic myelomonocytic leukemia) were enrolled in ASCERTAIN and were randomly assigned either IV decitabine for cycle 1 and oral decitabine/cedazuridine for cycle 2 or the opposite treatment sequence. All subjects continuing beyond cycle 2 received oral decitabine/cedazuridine for all subsequent cycles until treatment discontinuation for disease progression, toxicity, patient's decision, or HSCT. Whole blood collected prior to treatment was used for DNA isolation and molecular abnormalities identified using next-generation sequencing (NGS) hematologic malignancy panel of 179 genes including all genes commonly mutated in MDS. In the initial analysis of clinical outcomes, subjects were classified by IPSS with response assessment by IWG 2006 IPSS low and Int-1 risk levels were categorized as lower-risk MDS (LR-MDS), whereas IPSS Int-2 and high-risk categories were categorized as higher-risk MDS (HR-MDS). Subjects with sufficient data based on (e.g., available heme parameters, cytogenetics, NGS etc.) were reclassified by IPSS-R and IPSS-M. Subjects with IPSS-R score of ≤3.5 or IPSS-M of either very low, low, or moderate low were categorized as LR-MDS. Similarly subjects with IPSS-R score of >3.5 or an IPSS-M categorization of either moderate high, high, or very high were categorized as HR-MDS. Reclassified subjects were reassessed for CR (Complete Response), OS, and LFS and Harrell's concordance index (c-index) was used to describe the level of agreement between each scale and outcomes. Results: Based on the available data, the number of MDS subjects in the different risk classifications were the following: IPSS: 117, IPSS-R: 104, and IPSS-M: 105. Thirteen and 12 subjects on the IPSS could not be reclassified in the IPSS-R and IPSS-M, respectively, including 5 Int-1 and 2 low-risk MDS cases. CMML subjects were excluded from these analyses. Re-classification generally resulted in the upgrade of the subjects from LR-MDS to HR-MDS (Fig. 1). Thirty-one (26.5%) subjects from IPSS were reallocated in the IPSS-R to different risk categories; 3 (9.7%) were downgraded and 28 (90.3%) were upgraded. Similarly on reclassification with IPSS-M 34 (32.4%) of the patients reclassified; 5 (14.8%) were downgraded and 29 (85.3%) were upgraded. For IPSS LR-MDS, 23.2% of patients achieved CR, and 22.9% in the IPSS HR-MDS. Similarly, 21.6% patients achieved CR in the IPSS-R LR-MDS, and 23.9% in the IPSS-R HR-MDS; 26.3% patients achieved CR in the IPSS-M LR-MDS, and 20.9% in the IPSS-M HR-MDS. The c-index for the IPSS was .64 (OS) and .67 (LFS), IPSS-R was .70 (OS) and .71 (LFS), and .75 (OS) and .78 (LFS) for the IPSS-M (Table1). Conclusion: Reclassification from IPSS to IPSS-R or IPSS-M upgraded multiple subjects from a LR to a HR category, describing the ASCERTAIN patient population as a majority higher risk population with worse prognosis than previously assumed based on the IPSS. The efficacy as measured by the CR rates did not change when the LR and HR categories were defined by the different risk stratification systems. In contrast, the c-index improves with migration from IPSS to IPSS-R to IPSS-M, indicating an increased discriminatory ability of IPSS-M score in comparison to IPSS and IPSS-R, to predict patient outcomes.

ImportancePhysical activity is associated with cognitive health, even in autosomal dominant forms of dementia. Higher physical activity is associated with slowed cognitive and functional declines over time in adults carrying autosomal dominant variants for frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), but whether axonal degeneration is a potential neuroprotective target of physical activity in individuals with FTLD is unknown.ObjectiveTo examine the association between physical activity and longitudinal neurofilament light chain (NfL) trajectories in individuals with autosomal dominant forms of FTLD.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study included individuals from the ALLFTD Consortium, which recruited patients from sites in the US and Canada. Symptomatic and asymptomatic adults with pathogenic variants in one of 3 common genes associated with FTLD (GRN, C9orf72, or MAPT) who reported baseline physical activity levels and completed annual blood draws were assessed annually for up to 4 years. Genotype, clinical measures, and blood draws were collected between December 2014 and June 2019; data were analyzed from August 2021 to January 2022. Associations between reported baseline physical activity and longitudinal plasma NfL changes were assessed using generalized linear mixed-effects models adjusting for baseline age, sex, education, functional severity, and motor symptoms.ExposuresBaseline physical activity levels reported via the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. To estimate effect sizes, marginal means were calculated at 3 levels of physical activity: 1 SD above the mean represented high physical activity, 0 SD represented average physical activity, and 1 SD below the mean represented low physical activity.Main Outcomes and MeasuresAnnual plasma NfL concentrations were measured with single-molecule array technology.ResultsOf 160 included FTLD variant carriers, 84 (52.5%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 50.7 (14.7) years. A total of 51 (31.8%) were symptomatic, and 77 carried the C9orf72 variant; 39, GRN variant; and 44, MAPT variant. Higher baseline physical activity was associated with slower NfL trajectories over time. On average, NfL increased 45.8% (95% CI, 22.5 to 73.7) over 4 years in variant carriers. Variant carriers with high physical activity demonstrated 14.0% (95% CI, −22.7 to −4.3) slower NfL increases compared with those with average physical activity and 30% (95% CI, −52.2 to −8.8) slower NfL increases compared with those with low physical activity. Within genotype, C9orf72 and MAPT carriers with high physical activity evidenced 18% to 21% (95% CI, −43.4 to −7.2) attenuation in NfL, while the association between physical activity and NfL trajectory was not statistically significant in GRN carriers. Activities associated with higher cardiorespiratory and cognitive demands (sports, housework, and yardwork) were most strongly correlated with slower NfL trajectories (vs walking and strength training).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this study, higher reported physical activity was associated with slower progression of an axonal degeneration marker in individuals with autosomal dominant FTLD. Physical activity may serve as a primary prevention target in FTLD.