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Othman, Tamer

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6376-4495

Mayo Clinic

City Of Hope National Medical Center

Citations 15

Improved Outcomes with TKI Maintenance Following Brexucabtagene Autoleucel in Philadelphia-chromosome ALL
Othman, Tamer , Roloff, Gregory W. , Miller, Katharine, Zhang, Amy , Sutherland, Katherine C. , Faramand, Rawan , Hill, LaQuisa C. , Jeyakumar, Nikeshan , Ladha, Abdullah , Kopmar, Noam E., Tsai, Stephanie B., O'CONNOR, TIMOTHY E., Solh, Melhem , Guzowski, Caitlin, Tan, Virginia, Malik, Shahbaz A., Mathews, John, Shaughnessy, Paul , Mountjoy, Luke, Schwartz, Marc S., Connor, Matthew P. , Vasu, Sumithira, Kumaran, Muthu, Hoeg, Rasmus T., Tracy, Sean , Yaghmour, George , Pullarkat, Vinod , Muffly, Lori , Aldoss, Ibrahim, Jeyakumar, Nikeshan , Ladha, Abdullah , Sasine, Joshua , Lin, Chenyu , Hilal, Talal , Majhail, Navneet S , Dykes, Kaitlyn C , Logan, Aaron C , Connor, Matthew , Cassaday, Ryan D , Leonard, Jessica T , Shah, Bijal , Frey, Noelle V , Muffly, Lori , Hill, LaQuisa C , Faramand, Rawan , Sutherland, Katherine , Roloff, Gregory W , Othman, Tamer , Zhang, Amy , Muhsen, Ibrahim N. , Sasine, Joshua , Lin, Chenyu , Kopmar, Noam E. , Tsai, Stephanie, Hilal, Talal , Majhail, Navneet S. , Battiwalla, Minoo , Malik, Shahbaz A. , Mountjoy, Luke , Dykes, Kaitlyn C. , Wang, Jiasheng , Vasu, Sumithira , Hoeg, Rasmus T. , Yalniz, Fevzi , Cassaday, Ryan D. , Shah, Bijal , Frey, Noelle V. , Aldoss, Ibrahim

Blood Advances | June 25, 2026 | Volume: No volume available | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available

10.1182/bloodadvances.2026020707 Get It

Brexucabtagene-autoleucel (brexu-cel) produces high rates of measurable residual disease-negative (MRD-) complete response (CR) in adults with Philadelphia-chromosome positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); however, subsequent relapses remain frequent. It is unclear whether maintenance with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) can enhance remission durability. We evaluated outcomes among adults with relapsed/refractory Ph+ ALL who received commercial brexu-cel and achieved MRD- CR across 19 U.S. institutions. Considering TKI maintenance as a time-varying covariate, we analyzed outcomes based on receipt of subsequent TKI maintenance versus no maintenance. Patients receiving consolidative transplantation or non-TKI maintenance were excluded. Fifty-one patients were included: 20 received TKI maintenance and 31 received no maintenance. The use of TKI maintenance was associated with a significantly lower 1-year cumulative incidence of relapse (HR 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02-0.88; p=0.037) which translated into improved progression-free survival (PFS, HR 0.19; 95% CI, 0.04-0.85; p=0.029) and a trend towards improved overall survival (OS, HR 0.34; 95% CI, 0.07-1.62; p=0.18). There was no difference in non-relapse mortality (NRM, HR 0.83; 95% CI, 0.12-5.87; p=0.85). This real-world analysis supports the administration of TKI maintenance in Ph+ ALL following achievement of MRD- CR with brexu-cel as a strategy to improve PFS following chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy.
Predictors of complete molecular response and impact of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation on outcome in patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): results from the Consortium on Myeloid Malignancies
Mohty, Razan , Narra, Ravi , Hunter, Cameron, Shallis, Rory M. , Jamy, Omer , Coltoff, Alexander , Othman, Tamer , Jonas, Brian A. , Patel, Anand , Foucar, Charles , Abdelsamia, Mahmoud , Palmisiano, Neil , Curran, Emily, Advani, Anjali, Atallah, E., Litzow, Mark R., Shallis, Rory M , Othman, Tamer , Jonas, Brian , Patel, Anand , Patel, Shyam A , Badar, Talha , Jamy, Omer , Mims, Alice S , Hunter, Cameron, Kota, Vamsi , DuVall, Adam , Patel, Shyam A. , Curran, Emily , Omer, Zulfa , Advani, Anjali S. , Atallah, Ehab , Litzow, Mark R. , Badar, Talha

Leukemia & Lymphoma | April 9, 2026 | Volume: 67 | Issue: 7 | Pages: 1587-1594

10.1080/10428194.2026.2650679 Get It

Impact of novel therapies on the efficacy of posttransplantation brentuximab vedotin maintenance in Hodgkin lymphoma
Falade, Ayo , Desai, Sanjal H. , Moskowitz, Alison J. , Geyer, Susan, Ganesan, Nivetha, Chang, Tiffany , Othman, Tamer , Shah, Gunjan L., Nedved, Adrienne, Ng, Lay She , Baron, Kelsey, Ong, Shin Yeu, Yoon, Kevin, Ansell, Stephen M., Iyengar, Siddharth , Micallef, Ivana N. , Herrera, Alex F. , Armand, Philippe, Shah, Gunjan L. , Falade, Ayo S , Desai, Sanjal , Chang, Tiffany , Othman, Tamer , Shah, Gunjan L , Baron, Kelsey , Ong, Shin Yeu , Micallef, Ivana, Stuver, Robert , Herrera, Alex F , Redd, Robert , Shah, Harsh, Ganesan, Nivetha , Durani, Urshila , Ong, Shin Yeu , Ansell, Stephen M. , Stuver, Robert , Mei, Matthew , Armand, Philippe , Merryman, Reid W.

Blood Advances | March 27, 2026 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 3833-3844

10.1182/bloodadvances.2025018683 Get It

Abstract Use of brentuximab vedotin (BV) and PD-1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) before autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) could impact the benefit of post-ASCT BV maintenance in relapsed/refractory (R/R) classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). We identified 1091 patients with R/R cHL who underwent ASCT between 2010-2022. In total, 244 (22%) received a PD-1 mAb and 443 (41%) received BV before ASCT, while 305 (28%) received BV maintenance. We performed 1:1 propensity score matching to assess the efficacy of BV maintenance in different patient subgroups. Among 608 matched patients, the 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were 73% (95% confidence interval [CI], 70-78) and 95% (95%CI, 93-97), respectively. BV maintenance was associated with improved PFS for patients with no exposure to novel agents, especially those with 2+ modified AETHERA risk factors (0-1 factors: hazard ratio (HR), 0.51; 95%CI, 0.24-1.09; P =.083; 2+ factors: HR, 0.40; 95%CI, 0.25-0.65; P< .001). In contrast, BV maintenance was not associated with a significant PFS benefit for any patient subgroup who received novel agents before ASCT (BV-treated, 0-1: HR, 1.43; 95%CI, 0.53-3.81; P =.48; 2+: HR, 0.79; 95%CI, 0.34-1.82; P =.58; PD-1-treated, 0-1 [P>.99], 2+: HR, 0.25; 95%CI, 0.03-2.14; P =.21). In particular, we observed excellent outcomes for patients undergoing ASCT in a complete response after one line of PD-1-based salvage treatment with no significant benefit for BV maintenance observed (2-year PFS 100% vs 95%; P>.99). The benefit of BV maintenance appears to be attenuated for patients receiving novel agents with salvage therapy. Omission of BV maintenance should be considered for patients anticipated to have excellent outcomes.
Blinatumomab nonresponse correlates with poor survival after brexucabtagene autoleucel in B-cell ALL
Srinagesh, Hrishikesh K. , Zhang, Amy, Grunwald, Michael R, Connor, Matthew P, Kota, Vamsi, Boccucci, Jacob , Ulrickson, M., Pradeep, Roshini , Hill, L, Tsai, Stephanie B., O'CONNOR, TIMOTHY E., Sandhu, Karamjeet , Gordillo, Christian , Chen, Evan C., Lin, Chenyu, Kopmar, Noam E. , Majhail, Navneet S. , Lee, C F, Bobillo, Silvina Odstrcil, Park, Jae H, Valtis, Yannis K. , Solh, Melhem M, Guzowski, Caitlin, Vasu, Sumithira, Tan, Virginia, McCauley, Ross , Sasine, Joshua , Tang, Kevin, Kk, Miller, Sutherland, Katherine C. , Mohty, Razan , Jamy, Omer , Hoeg, Rasmus T., Logan, Aaron, Stock, Wendy A, Schwartz, Marc S., Byrd, Kenneth, Bachanova, Veronika, Tracy, Sean , Yaghmour, George , Gatell, Vivian Irizarry , Jackson, Clayton, Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai, O'Dwyer, Kristen M, Moore, Jozal , Aldoss, Ibrahim, Shah, B. D., Oliai, Caspian , Muffly, Lori, Grunwald, Michael R. , Kota, Vamsi , Bachanová, Veronika , Muffly, Lori , Hill, LaQuisa C. , Zhang, Amy , Connor, Matthew P. , Zhang, Amy , Grunwald, Michael , Connor, Matthew , Kota, Vamsi , Ulrickson, Matthew , Pradeep, Roshini , Hill, LaQuisa C , Advani, Anjali S , Reshef, Ran , Luskin, Marlise R , Chen, Evan , Lin, Chenyu , Cassaday, Ryan D , Kopmar, Noam E , Majhail, Navneet S , Battiwalla, Minoo , Strickland, Stephen Anthony , Lee, Catherine J , Odstrcil Bobillo, Silvina , Hilal, Talal , Faramand, Rawan , Leonard, Jessica T , Wang, Eunice S. , Sasine, Joshua , Sutherland, Katherine , Daunov, Michael , Jamy, Omer , Dykes, Kaitlyn C , Logan, Aaron C , Othman, Tamer , Stock, Wendy , Yalniz, Fevzi , Bachanova, Veronika , Irizarry Gatell, Vivian M , Oluwole, Olalekan O , Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai R , O'Dwyer, Kristin , Moore, Jozal , Roloff, Gregory W , Frey, Noelle V , Shah, Bijal , Oliai, Caspian H , Muffly, Lori , Gupta, Vishal , Ulrickson, Matthew L. , Tsai, Stephanie, Advani, Anjali S. , Reshef, Ran , Lin, Chenyu , Cassaday, Ryan D. , Battiwalla, Minoo , Bobillo, María Silvina Odstrcil , Hilal, Talal , Park, Jae H. , Faramand, Rawan , Solh, Melhem , Vasu, Sumithira , Daunov, Michael , Kumaran, Muthu Sendhil , Hoeg, Rasmus T. , Dykes, Kaitlyn C. , Othman, Tamer , Stock, Wendy , Byrd, Kenneth, Yalniz, Fevzi , Jackson, Clayton W., Oluwole, Olalekan O. , Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai , Roloff, Gregory W. , Frey, Noelle V. , Aldoss, Ibrahim

Blood | February 5, 2026 | Volume: 147 | Issue: 17 | Pages: 2011-2017

10.1182/blood.2025031734 Get It

Abstract In a real-world analysis of brexucabtagene autoleucel recipients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (N = 278), lack of response to prior blinatumomab correlates with significantly worse following chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy outcomes.
PD-1–based combinations before autologous transplant are associated with improved outcomes in classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Desai, Sanjal H. , Moskowitz, Alison J. , Pederson, Levi , Geyer, Susan, Ganesan, Nivetha , Chang, Tiffany , Othman, Tamer , Falade, Ayo , Ng, Lay She , Baron, Margaret Kelsey , Ong, Shin Yeu , Yoon, Kevin, Ansell, Stephen M. , Armand, Philippe , Iyengar, Siddharth , Micallef, Ivana N. , Herrera, Alex F. , Pederson, Levi D , Chang, Tiffany , Othman, Tamer , Falade, Ayo S , Shah, Gunjan L , Sumransub, Nuttavut , Baron, Kelsey , Ong, Shin Yeu , Micallef, Ivana, Stuver, Robert , Herrera, Alex F , Mei, Matthew , Desai, Sanjal , Merryman, Reid W. , Shah, Harsh, Shah, Gunjan L. , Durani, Urshila , Stuver, Robert , Mei, Matthew

Blood | December 17, 2025 | Volume: 147 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 1125-1134

10.1182/blood.2025030151 Get It

Abstract Combination therapy incorporating programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade results in unprecedented response rates in both frontline and relapsed/refractory (R/R) classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Previous retrospective studies have suggested benefit for PD-1 blockade before autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) but included few patients receiving PD-1 blockade with cytotoxic chemotherapy. To explore the impact of anti–PD-1 based salvage on outcomes for patients with R/R cHL, we retrospectively reviewed 1280 patients with R/R cHL who underwent ASCT from 2010 to 2022 at 6 transplant centers, none of whom received PD-1 blockade as part of frontline therapy. Overall, 25% received a PD-1 inhibitor at any point before ASCT (10% in conjunction with chemotherapy), 28% received salvage brentuximab vedotin (BV) without PD-1 blockade, and the rest received salvage chemotherapy alone. Patients who received PD-1 inhibitors at any point before ASCT had a significantly higher 2-year progression-free survival than those who received BV without PD-1 inhibitors or patients receiving chemotherapy alone (88.2%, 70.2%, and 67.4%, respectively; P< .0001). When restricted to patients in complete response before ASCT, the benefit of PD-1 blockade remained significant. PD-1 blockade before ASCT is independently associated with superior post-ASCT outcomes and patients proceeding to ASCT should be treated with PD-1–based salvage.
Clinical and molecular characteristics of Philadelphia chromosome positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia with central nervous system relapse versus systemic relapse: Results from consortium on myeloid malignancies and neoplastic diseases (C
Madero‐Marroquin, Rafael , Narra, Ravi , Coltoff, Alexander , Medawar, Georgio , Hisrich, Brooke, Shallis, Rory M. , Hunter, Cameron, Desai, Shreya, Correia, Guilherme Sacchi de Camargo, Palmisiano, Neil , Curran, Emily , Litzow, Mark R. , Mims, Alice S , Hunter, Cameron, Kota, Vamsi , Othman, Tamer , Jonas, Brian A. , DuVall, Adam , Omer, Zulfa , Advani, Anjali S. , Atallah, Ehab , Patel, Anand , Badar, Talha

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 3320-3320

10.1182/blood-2025-3320 Get It

Abstract Introduction: Clinical outcomes for patients (pts) with Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) B-cell precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) have significantly improved with the incorporation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and immunotherapy. Although the incidence of central nervous system (CNS) relapse in Ph+ B-ALL is rare, it has become an emerging challenge with chemotherapy-free approaches. While IKZF1, CDKN2A/B and emergence of T315I kinase domain mutations in ABL1 have been associated with worse outcomes (Foà R, JCO, 2024),further characterization of patients with CNS relapse could prove useful in risk stratification and optimizing treatment intensification. Currently, high white blood cell count (WBC) is being assessed as a marker to identify pts who may benefit from addition of CNS penetrant chemotherapy (ex. cytarabine or high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)) to TKI and immunotherapy protocols (Short NJ, J Hematol Oncol, 2025). Methods This is a multicenter retrospective study of relapsed/refractory Ph+ B-ALL pts under the COMMAND consortium. Age, gender, induction regimen and TKI of choice during induction were descriptively reported for the entire cohort. Categorical variables were compared, using Fisher's exact test, between pts with CNS relapse and pts with systemic relapse. Variables of interest were the presence of IKZF1 or CDKN2A/B alterations, emergence of T3151 mutation, CNS disease at diagnosis (dx), WBC >70K/microliter at dx, use of high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) during induction or consolidation, and use of TKI as part of the induction regimen. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported for each variable. Results A total of 654 Ph+ B-ALL pts were initially identified across multiple centers in the United States, of whom 20 (3%) experienced a CNS relapse and 157 (24%) experienced a systemic relapse on median follow up of 29 months (range, 0-207). A total of 15 pts with CNS relapse and 114 pts with systemic relapse were used for this analysis after exclusion of pts without molecular data. The median age for the 129 pt cohort was 55 years (range 22-85), of whom 65 pts (50%) were male. Induction regimens used were intensive chemotherapy (IC)+TKI for 79 pts (61%), low-intensity chemotherapy or steroids (LDC-S)+TKI for 40 pts (31%), IC without TKI during induction for 5 pts (4%) and blinatumomab+TKI for 1 pt (1%). TKI of choice during induction included second-generation TKIs (dasatinib, nilotinib) for 77 pts (60%), imatinib for 30 pts (23%), ponatinib for 15 pts (12%) and none during induction for 5 pts (4%). CNS disease at dx was found in 6/15 pts (40%) with CNS relapse and 9/114 pts (8%) with systemic relapse, which was a statistically significant difference (p=0.002, OR= 7.57, 95% CI= 1.81 - 31.08). The systemic treatment regimens for the 15 pts with CNS disease at x were IC+TKI for 10 pts (66%) and LDC-S+TKI for 5 pts (33%), 9 of the pts (60%) received HD-MTX during induction. Intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy administration data at dx was available for 8 pts (53%) with CNS disease at dx, of whom 2 pts received <9 doses, 4 pts received 9-12 doses and 2 pts received >12 doses of IT chemotherapy. Although not statistically significant, pts with CNS relapse were more likely to have IKZF1 or CDKN2A/B alterations (p = 0.648, OR= 1.44, 95% CI= 0.14-7.78), WBC >70K/mcl (p = 0.472, OR= 1.73, 95% CI= 0.34-7.41), emergence of T3151 mutations (p = 0.123, OR= 2.54, 95% CI= 0.72-8.84) and use of HD-MTX during induction or consolidation (p = 0.262, OR= 2.15, 95% CI= 0.61-8.61); while they were less likely to have received a TKI during induction (p = 0.106, OR= 0.18, 95% CI= 0.02-2.34). Conclusion This data confirms that the presence of CNS disease at dx is associated with CNS relapse. Despite recent incorporation into clinical trials, WBC≥70K/mcl and omission of HD-MTX were not seen more frequently in pts with CNS relapse in this cohort. However, this analysis is limited by the small number of pts who experienced CNS relapse. With the rising use of chemotherapy-free regimens, prospectively trialing treatment intensification, such as with additional IT chemotherapy or HD-MTX, could be prospectively trialed in pts with CNS disease at dx to potentially improve outcomes for this subset of pts. The impact of increasing IT chemotherapy doses or additional cycles of systemic chemotherapy in this pt population is yet to be elucidated.
Patient characteristics, toxicity, and response after real world administration of obecabtagene autoleucel and brexucabtagene autoleucel for relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A rocca analysis
Valtis, Yannis K. , Sandhu, Karamjeet , Zhang, Amy , Miller, Katharine, Oliai, Caspian , Lill, Georgia R. , Kopmar, Noam E. , Connor, Matthew P. , Solh, Melhem , Guzowski, Caitlin, Tan, Virginia, Jeyakumar, Nikeshan , Hoeg, Rasmus T. , Koura, Divya, Gatell, Vivian Irizarry , O'Dwyer, Kristen M., Moore, Jozal , Ulrickson, Matthew L. , Al-Darobi, Ali, Byrd, Ken, Tsai, Stephanie, O’Connor, Timothy E. , McCauley, Ross , Mohty, Razan , Sutherland, Katherine, Muffly, Lori , Frey, Noelle, Muffly, Lori , Faramand, Rawan , Hill, LaQuisa C. , Muhsen, Ibrahim N. , Othman, Tamer , Luskin, Marlise R , Chen, Evan , Oliai, Caspian H , Cassaday, Ryan D. , Logan, Aaron C , Hilal, Talal , Park, Jae H. , Leonard, Jessica T , Srinagesh, Hrishikesh K. , Kumaran, Muthu Sendhil , Dykes, Kaitlyn C. , Stock, Wendy , Jackson, Clayton, Oluwole, Olalekan O. , Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai , O'Dwyer, Kristin , Wang, Eunice S. , Jamy, Omer , Roloff, Gregory W. , Aldoss, Ibrahim , Shah, Bijal , Frey, Noelle

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 2715-2715

10.1182/blood-2025-2715 Get It

Abstract Introduction Obecabtagene autoleucel (obe-cel) and brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) are CD19 targeted chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapies, approved for the treatment of adults with relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Mechanistic differences between obe-cel and brexu-cel including differing costimulatory domains (4-1BB vs. CD28), CD19 binding domains (intermediate vs. high affinity) and split dose (Days 1 and 10) vs. single infusion may impact in-vivo cellular kinetics that translate into variant clinical outcomes. In pivotal trials, obe-cel resulted in lower rates of severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) compared to brexu-cel with comparable efficacy (Roddie et al., NEJM 2025; Shah et al., Lancet 2021). Real-world utilization and outcomes with obe-cel are unknown given the relatively recent approval. Methods The ROCCA database, comprising real world data from patients (pts) with r/r ALL treated at 40 North American institutions was utilized in this analysis. Pts with r/r ALL were eligible if they were apheresed for obe-cel since its approval (11/8/2024) or brexu-cel over a comparable period (since 8/1/24) and had at least 30 days of follow up. Data cut off was 7/15/2025. CRS/ICANS were graded per ASTCT criteria. Measurable residual disease (MRD) was assessed by flow cytometry and/or next generation sequencing per institutional standards. Results 38 pts have undergone apheresis for obe-cel (36 infused, all received both infusions) and 54 (53 infused) for brexu-cel over the study period. Pts in the obe-cel and brexu-cel cohorts had the following baseline characteristics: median age, 47 vs. 39 years; ECOG 2+, 15% vs. 26%; Ph+ disease, 24% vs 13%; KMT2Ar, 0 vs. 4%; TP53m, 11% vs 11%, and hypodiploid karyotype, 5% vs 6%. The following prior treatment patterns were observed: median lines of therapy before CAR-T 3 vs. 3; prior SCT 24% vs. 30%, prior blinatumomab 68% vs. 46%, prior inotuzumab 45% vs. 30%. At apheresis, active disease (>5% bone marrow blasts) was present in 47% vs. 55% of obe-cel and brexu-cel pts, respectively; the remainder were in CR (with 18% vs. 22% in MRD- CR, respectively). Among obe-cel (n= 35 [92% of cohort]) and brexu-cel (21 [38% of cohort] pts with disease re-assessment prior to lymphodepletion (LD), 31% vs. 43% had active BM disease, respectively; few pts (24% vs. 17%) had >20% marrow disease burden prior to LD. CAR-mediated toxicity differed significantly between the cohorts. CRS occurred in 56% of obe-cel pts compared to 94% of brexu-cel pts (p < 0.0001). There were no Gr3+ CRS events among the obe-cel pts; 3 (6%) brexu-cel pts had Gr3+ CRS (p = 0.27). ICANS occurred in 17% of obe-cel pts vs. 51% of brexu-cel pts (p = 0.001). Gr3+ ICANS occurred in 6% of obe-cel vs. 32% of brexu-cel pts (p = 0.0027). Among the obe-cel pts, CRS occurred in 31% after the first infusion and 46% after the second; ICANS occurred in 3% after the first infusion and 15% after the second. Prolonged Gr4 neutropenia (ANC < 500 cells/uL beyond day 30 from infusion) occurred in 24% of obe-cel vs. 28% of brexu-cel pts (p = 0.73). Deaths within the first 28 days of infusion occurred in 0 obe-cel pts and 4 brexu-cel pts (2 of infection, 1 of infection/brain bleed, and 1 of liver failure in the setting of Gr4 CRS and HLH). Response rates were high and did not significantly differ between cohorts (p = 0.85). Among the 31 obe-cel pts with available response data, 25 (81%) achieved an MRD- CR/CRi, 3 (10%) had an MRD+ CR/CRi, 2 (6%) had a CR/CRi with unknown MRD, and 1 (3%) did not respond. Among 41 brexu-cel pts with available response data, 33 (80%) had an MRD- CR/CRi, 4 (10%) an MRD+ CR/CRi, and 4 (10%) CR/CRi with unknown MRD. Conclusion Pts selected for obe-cel apheresis were similar to those for brexu-cel over the study period (noting that not all centers had access to obe-cel during this time). Similar to clinical trial results, obe-cel was associated with lower rates of CRS/ICANS. Rates of MRD-negative CR were high and did not differ between cohorts. A larger sample and longer follow up are required for further analyses; we anticipate a cohort of ~75 obe-cel treated pts by the annual meeting and will provide updated data.
Pre- or post-CAR-T allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant provides relapse-free survival benefit for R/R Philadelphia negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) successfully treated with brexucabtagene autoleucel in the real world
Zhang, Amy , Miller, Katharine, Sutherland, Katherine, Jeyakumar, Nikeshan , Boccucci, Jacob , Ulrickson, Matthew L. , Al-Darobi, Ali, Sandhu, Karamjeet , Kopmar, Noam E. , Solh, Melhem , Bobillo, Silvina Odstrcil, Tsai, Stephanie, O’Connor, Timothy E. , Valtis, Yannis K. , Vasu, Sumithira, Tan, Virginia, O'Dwyer, Kristen M., Moore, Jozal , McCauley, Ross , Mountjoy, Luke , Ramakrishnan, Aravind , Malik, Shahbaz A. , Shaughnessy, Paul , Mohty, Razan , Hoeg, Rasmus T. , Oliai, Caspian , Lill, Georgia R. , Schwartz, Marc S. , Koura, Divya, Byrd, Ken, Tracy, Sean , Grover, Punita , Frey, Noelle, Connor, Matthew P. , Yaghmour, George , Gatell, Vivian Irizarry , Muffly, Lori , Muffly, Lori , Logan, Aaron C , Yalniz, Fevzi , Srinagesh, Hrishikesh K. , Grunwald, Michael R. , Kota, Vamsi , Sasine, Joshua , Hill, LaQuisa C. , Muhsen, Ibrahim N. , Advani, Anjali S. , Aldoss, Ibrahim , Othman, Tamer , Reshef, Ran , Luskin, Marlise R , Chen, Evan , Lin, Chenyu , Cassaday, Ryan D. , Lee, Catherine J , Bobillo, Silvina Odstrcil, Tsai, Stephanie, Hilal, Talal , Park, Jae H. , Vasu, Sumithira , Bezerra, Evandro D. , Wang, Eunice S. , Leonard, Jessica T , O'Dwyer, Kristin , Majhail, Navneet S. , Battiwalla, Minoo , Mathews, John Abraham , Jamy, Omer , Kumaran, Muthu Sendhil , Stock, Wendy , Roloff, Gregory W. , Oliai, Caspian H , Schwartz, Marc, Dykes, Kaitlyn C. , Daunov, Michael , Bachanová, Veronika , Frey, Noelle, Jackson, Clayton, Oluwole, Olalekan O. , Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai , Faramand, Rawan

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 516-516

10.1182/blood-2025-516 Get It

Abstract Introduction: Brexucabtagene autoleucel (Brexu-cel) is a CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-)T cell therapy approved for treatment of relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-ALL. Brexu-cel's approval was founded on data from the ZUMA-3 trial, in which 78 patients (pts) were treated at the pivotal dose of 1x10e6 CAR-T cells/kg, resulting in a complete remission (CR) rate of 73%. Three-year follow-up from ZUMA-3 demonstrated median relapse-free and overall survival (RFS/OS) of 11.6 and 25.6 months (mos) for all treated pts. Amongst responders, the median OS was 60.4 mos for those who did not receive a subsequent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) (n=43), but only 36.3 months for those who did (n=14). This has led some to conclude that HCT may not be beneficial following brexu-cel therapy for r/r B-ALL; however, it must be noted that 29 (37%) of the pts treated on ZUMA-3 received brexu-cel for post-HCT relapse. T cells collected from individuals who relapse in the post-HCT setting are largely of donor origin, making the CAR-T product comparable to a genetically modified donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). The immunology at play in this scenario may be different from that in which CAR-T cells are of truly autologous origin. Methods: The Real-World Outcomes Collaborative for CAR-T in ALL (ROCCA) consortium database includes pt characteristics and outcomes of brexu-cel therapy given as standard-of-care across 41 US institutions. We identified pts who achieved an MRD negative (neg) CR by either flow cytometry (minimum sensitivity 10e-4) or NGS following brexu-cel for r/r Ph neg B-ALL and categorized them into three groups with regard to use of HCT: Never HCT, Pre-CAR HCT, or Post-CAR HCT. Pts who received second HCT following brexu-cel for post-HCT relapse (n=9) were excluded. Pt/disease characteristics, RFS, and OS were assessed for each group, landmarked at 73 days after brexu-cel infusion (the median time to consolidative allogeneic HCT). Results: In the ROCCA database we identified 165 pts who achieved MRD neg CR following brexu-cel, amongst whom 69 never underwent HCT, 49 were transplanted pre-CAR (ie, brexu-cel served as a genetically modified DLI), and 47 underwent post-CAR consolidative HCT while in CR. The median follow-up is 373 days. The median age was higher in the Never HCT group (49, range 19-83) in comparison with the Pre-CAR HCT (40, 24-72) and Post-CAR HCT (34, 18-70) groups. Thirty-five percent were >60yo in the Never HCT group vs 20% in the Pre-CAR HCT and 9% in the Post-CAR HCT groups. Ph-like disease was present in 38%, 29%, and 43% of the Never HCT, Pre-CAR HCT, and Post-CAR HCT groups, respectively (p=0.35). No significant differences were observed in pre-apheresis bone marrow blasts, presence of CNS disease at apheresis, prior blinatumomab or inotuzumab treatment, or use of bridging therapy across the groups, though there was a higher prevalence of non-CNS extramedullary disease in the Pre- and Post-CAR HCT groups (32, 39%) vs the Never HCT group (13%) (p=0.004). A minority of pts in all groups were deemed to be in MRD neg CR prior to apheresis (6-20%). Median RFS was 260 days in the Never HCT group and not reached in the Pre- and Post-CAR HCT groups (p=0.002), with respective 1-yr RFS of 38%, 64%, and 67%. Median OS was not reached in any group and was similar for all at 1-yr at 68-79% (p=0.13). Characteristics of those in the Never HCT group who were least likely to relapse included age >60 (OR 0.22, CI 0.07-0.73 vs age 18-39, p=0.024) and those with non-Ph-like B-ALL (OR 0.33, CI 0.12-0.94, vs Ph-like, p=0.037) in univariate analyses. Conclusions: Real-world data regarding outcomes following brexu-cel therapy allow evaluation of the role for consolidative allogeneic HCT, which remains one of the most important unresolved questions in the use of CAR-T therapy for r/r B-ALL. This analysis demonstrates that a first consolidative HCT after achieving MRD neg CR with brexu-cel is associated with a significant decrease in relapse. Additionally, use of brexu-cel for post-HCT relapse is also associated with a significantly lower risk of relapse compared with those who never received an allogeneic HCT. With the current duration of followup, OS is not significantly different across the three groups. These data suggest there is a benefit for relapse-free survival in pts receiving an allogeneic HCT at some point in the course of treatment for r/r Ph neg B-ALL.
NGS MRD Negativity on Day 28 after Brexu Cel in Adults with R/R ALL Is Associated with Favorable Progression Free Survival
Valtis, Yannis K. , Devlin, Sean, Jeyakumar, Nikeshan , Miller, Katharine, Zhang, Amy , Sutherland, Katherine C. , Kopmar, Noam E. , Dekker, Simone E. , Yaghmour, George , Tsai, Stephanie B., Moore, Jozal , O'Dwyer, Kristen M., Connor, Matthew P. , Frey, Noelle, Vasu, Sumithira , Ulrickson, Matthew L. , Boccucci, Jacob , Merchant, Akil, Pullarkat, Vinod , Langston, Amelia , Solh, Melhem , O’Connor, Timothy E. , Malik, Shabaz, Mountjoy, Luke , Hoeg, Rasmus T. , Oliai, Caspian , Gupta, Vishal , Koura, Divya, Kumaran, Muthu V., Schwartz, Marc S. , Tracy, Sean , Bobillo, Maria Odstrcil, Ladha, Abdullah , Gatell, Vivian Irrizary, Shaughnessy, Paul , Muffly, Lori , Park, Jae H. , Muffly, Lori , Nemirovsky, David , Roloff, Gregory W. , Aldoss, Ibrahim , Advani, Anjali S. , Luskin, Marlise R , Chen, Evan , Jamy, Omer , Grunwald, Michael R. , Muhsen, Ibrahim N. , Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai , Leonard, Jessica T , Tsai, Stephanie B., Stock, Wendy , O'Dwyer, Kristin , Logan, Aaron C , Frey, Noelle, Bezerra, Evandro D. , Dykes, Kaitlyn C. , Battiwalla, Minoo , Lin, Chenyu , Reshef, Ran , Cassaday, Ryan D. , Hill, LaQuisa C. , Lee, Catherine J , Kota, Vamsi , Sasine, Joshua , Hilal, Talal , Faramand, Rawan , Othman, Tamer , Majhail, Navneet S. , Oliai, Caspian H , Schwartz, Marc, Bachanová, Veronika , Jackson, Clayton, Gatell, Vivian Irizarry , Oluwole, Olalekan O. , Daunov, Michael , Mathews, John, Shah, Bijal

Blood | December 6, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 4200-4200

10.1182/blood-2024-201610 Get It

Introduction: Brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu cel) is a CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy approved for the treatment of adults with relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Some patients (pts) proceed with a consolidative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) after breux cel. We do not know which pts can safely avoid a consolidative HCT and its associated morbidity. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study utilizing the Real-World Outcomes Collaborative of CAR-T in Adult ALL (ROCCA) dataset. ROCCA is a registry of brexu cel pts in 32 centers in North America. We defined complete remission (CR) as < 5% blasts in the bone marrow and no central nervous system (CNS) or extramedullary (EM) disease on or around D28 after brexu cel. We defined measurable residual disease negative (MRD-) CR as CR and no abnormal blasts in the bone marrow by multiparameter flow cytometry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, ClonoSeq next generation sequencing (NGS), or other sequencing modalities with lower sensitivity. ClonoSeq NGS has a sensitivity of 10-6, while the other modalities have a sensitivity of at least 10-4. We defined progression free survival (PFS) as the time from CAR-T infusion to relapse or death, censored at the date of last follow-up. Statistical analyses were performed in R. Univariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to determine the association of pre-specified variables with PFS. Variables known to be associated with CAR T outcomes in ALL were entered into a multivariable model. HCT was incorporated as a time-varying covariate. Results: During the study period, 281 pts were infused with brexu cel. We focused our analysis on 172 (61%) pts with confirmed MRD- CR on D28, as that is the group with clinical equipoise regarding maintenance strategy. 38 (22%) of those pts received a consolidative HCT, 30 (17%) received another form of maintenance therapy (primarily tyrosine kinase inhibitors for Philadelphia (Ph)-chromosome positive ALL), and 104 (60%) pts received no maintenance therapy. Pts who underwent consolidative HCT were younger (median age 35 years) than those who received no maintenance (42y) (p = 0.023) and were less likely to have a history of prior HCT (13% vs. 47%, p < 0.001). No differences were observed with respect to sex, TP53 mutation status, prior inotuzumab (ino) or blinatumomab (blina) exposure, disease burden prior to CAR, or development of any cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or any neurotoxicity with brexu cel. We performed univariable Cox proportional hazard regression analyses among pts in MRD- CR on D28, excluding those who received other maintenance therapy besides HCT; the median follow up was 8.1 months. In univariable analyses, D28 MRD negativity by ClonoSeq NGS (versus MRD negativity by other, less sensitive methods), development of CRS, and pre-CAR BM blasts < 5% were associated with improved PFS; prior ino exposure was negatively associated with PFS (p < 0.05). Age, sex, Ph status, TP53 status, and neurotoxicity development were not associated with PFS. In a multivariable model incorporating ALL type, prior HCT, prior ino/blina, and pre-CAR blast burden, as well as consolidative HCT as a time-varying covariate, only MRD negativity by ClonoSeq NGS with at least 10-6 sensitivity retained statistical significance (PFS hazard ratio 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15-0.77, p = 0.005). Pts who were MRD- by ClonoSeq NGS on D28 and received no maintenance had favorable 6m PFS of 76% (95% CI: 59-98%) and OS of 100% with a median follow up of 6.3 months in this subgroup. Among those in MRD- CR by NGS, HCT as a time-varying covariate was not associated with improved PFS (HR 0.6, p = 0.6). Conclusions: In a large real-world cohort of adults with R/R B-ALL infused with brexu cel, we identified practice variation regarding the use of consolidative HCT. Among brexu cel recipients who entered an MRD- CR, we identified ClonoSeq NGS MRD negativity as a novel predictive factor of favorable oncologic outcomes, even without a consolidative HCT. Similar results have been obtained in pediatric ALL patietns ftreated with 41BB-based tisagenleucleucel (Pulsipher et al., Blood Cancer Discovery 2022). Longer follow-up is needed to validate the safety of omitting consolidative HCT in such pts, but these results encourage the potential for definitive therapy with brexu cel when D28 ClonoSeq NGS MRD is negative.
The Incidence of CNS Relapse in Philadelphia Chromosome Positive (Ph+) Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and Its Impact on Clinical Outcome: Results from Consortium on Myeloid Malignancies and Neoplastic Diseases (COMMAND)
Shah, Kashish J., Kettani, Mobachir El , Narra, Ravi , Coltoff, Alexander , Medawar, Georgio , Hisrich, Brooke, Shallis, Rory M. , Hunter, Cameron J. , Desai, Shreya, Correia, Guilherme Sacchi de Camargo, Palmisiano, Neil , Curran, Emily , Litzow, Mark R. , Shah, Kashish J., Mims, Alice S , Kota, Vamsi , Othman, Tamer , Jonas, Brian A. , Patel, Anand , DuVall, Adam , Omer, Zulfa , Advani, Anjali S. , Atallah, Ehab , Litzow, Mark R. , Badar, Talha

Blood | December 6, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 4184-4184

10.1182/blood-2024-205812 Get It

Background While central nervous system (CNS) disease is found in minority of patients (pts) at diagnosis of Ph+ ALL, later relapses can occur in pts despite adequate CNS prophylaxis. CNS disease can be managed with varying combinations of systemic, radiation, and intrathecal (IT) therapy and can be associated with significant toxicity, especially in older pts. While there are more durable systemic responses with 2nd or 3rd generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) based combinations, CNS penetration can vary by TKI. In this large multi-center study, we analyze the incidence of CNS disease in Ph+ ALL in the context of induction therapies and survival post relapse. Methods We conducted a multicenter observational study in collaboration with 10 U.S. academic centers under the COMMAND consortium and reviewed the incidence of CNS relapse in 505 Ph+ ALL pts. We evaluated baseline characteristics, treatment given prior to CNS relapse, and outcome post relapse. Results Baseline characteristics, initial treatment and outcome prior to CNS relapse Eighteen (3.56%) pts were identified to have CNS disease at relapse. Median age of the pts in years (yrs) was 51 (range [R], 22-75), median white blood cell (WBC) was 33.3 x 10(9)/L (R, 2.1-200) and 6 (33%) pts had additional cytogenetic abnormalities at diagnosis. Sixty-one percent (n= 11) of pts received intensive chemotherapy (IC) during induction; 2 (11%), 14 (78%) and 2(11%) of pts received 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation TKI-based combination during induction, respectively. All of pts achieved complete remission (CR), 45.5% achieved complete molecular remission (CMR) at 3 months from the time of diagnosis. Five (28%) pts received allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) as a consolidation therapy. Treatment received at CNS relapse and response The median time to CNS relapse after induction was 10.8 months (mo) (R, 2-79). All pts except 1 had isolated CNS relapse after CR1, 4/18 (22%) pts had T315I mutation at relapse. Twelve (67%) and 6 (33%) pts received intrathecal chemotherapy (IT) with TKI and systemic chemotherapy + TKI in addition to IT, respectively. Eleven (61%) pts received dasatinib, 5 (28%) pts received ponatinib and one (6%) pts each received bosutinib and imatinib at relapse. Ninety-three percent of pts achieved CR (n=3, not evaluable). Six (33%) pts underwent allo-HCT after CNS relapse, one of these transplanted pts had second allo-HCT. Survival after CNS relapse The median relapse free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) after CNS relapse was 9.8 (95% CI: 3.80-15.76) and 13.87 (95% CI: 4.08-23.65) mo, respectively. In subset analysis, we compared survival outcome among pts who had relapse without CNS involvement (n= 160/505 [32%]). The median RFS (9.9 vs 9.8, p= 0.88) and OS (31.53 vs 28.80, p= 0.57) after relapse was not significantly different among pts who had relapse with or without CNS involvement, respectively. We also compared OS among pts without relapse to those with relapse. The median OS was not reached (NR; 73% alive at 5 years), 28.80 and 31.53 months (p= <0.001) among pts with no relapse, relapse with CNS and without CNS involvement, respectively. Conclusion Our retrospective analysis from a large database showed that CNS relapses were uncommon (3.56%) in adult pts with Ph+ ALL. A majority of pts (89%) received a 2nd or a 3rd generation TKI during induction. Approximately one quarter of pts with CNS relapse had emergence of T315I mutation. While almost all pts achieved CR, the RFS was relatively short. We did not see significant differences in survival among pts who had relapse with or without CNS involvement.