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Perl, Alexander E.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1463-2231

Mayo Clinic

University of Pennsylvania

Citations 36

Gilteritinib as Post-Transplant Maintenance for AML With Internal Tandem Duplication Mutation of FLT3
Levis, Mark J. , Hamadani, Mehdi , Logan, Brent R. , Jones, Richard J. , Singh, Anurag K. , Litzow, Mark R. , Wingard, John R. , Papadopoulos, Esperanza B. , Perl, Alexander E. , Soiffer, Robert J. , Üstün, Celalettin , Uy, Geoffrey L. , Vasu, Sumithra, Solh, Melhem , Mishra, Asmita , Muffly, Lori , Mikesch, Jan‐Henrik , Onozawa, Masahiro , Thomson, Kirsty , Nagler, Arnon , Marcucci, Guido , Geller, Nancy L. , Hasabou, Nahla, Delgado, David, Rosales, Matt, Hill, Jason E. , Gill, Stanley C. , Nuthethi, Rishita, King, Denise , Wittsack, Heather, Mendizabal, Adam , Horowitz, Mary M. , Chen, Yi‐Bin , Investigators, on behalf of the BMT-CTN 1506/MORPHO Study, Agura, Ed, Altman, Jessica K. , Anagnostopoulos, Achiles, Aulitzky, Walter E. , Balderman, Sophia , Ballen, Karen K. , Béguin, Yves , Berkahn, Leanne, Bilmon, Ian , Briggs, Adrienne, Brunstein, Claudio G. , Byrne, Michael , Carrum, George, Černý, Jan , Ciceri, Fabio , Colorado, Mercedes , Cook, Rachel J. , Couriel, Daniel R. , Damon, Lloyd E. , Deol, Abhinav , Desbrosses, Yohan, Devine, Steve, Grazia, Carmela Di, Stasi, Antonio Di , Dias, Ajoy , Dorritie, Kathy, Essell, James , Eto, Tetsuya , Forcade, Édouard , Frankfurt, Olga, Fukuda, Takahiro , Fürst, Sabine , Goto, Tatsunori , Hall, Aric C. , Hatta, Shunsuke , Hicheri, Yosr , Horwitz, Mitchell E. , How, Jonathan, Howard, Dianna S. , Hsu, Wei‐Hsun , Huynh, Anne , Irvine, David, Ishikawa, Takayuki , Jamieson, Katarzyna , Wiktor-Jędrzejczak, W , Karakasis, Dimitrios, Kato, Jun , Kekre, Natasha , Khera, Nandita , Klein, A. , Kobbe, Guido , Kornblit, Brian, Lachance, Silvy , Levis, Mark J., Lin, Tung‐Liang , Litzow, Mark, Liu, Ta‐Chih, Martelli, Maurizio , Matsuoka, Ken‐ichi , McCarty, John M. , Mendez, Lourdes , Michelis, Fotios V. , Mikesch, Jan-Henrik, Mineishi, Shin , Moors, Ine , Motyckova, Gabriela, Mueller, Lutz Peter , Muffly, Lori, Nakamae, Hirohisa , Nathan, Sunita , Norkin, Maxim , Ogawa, Yoshiaki, Olesen, G., Onozawa, Masahiro, Paulson, Kristjan, Pemberton, Lucy, Perera, Travis, Perl, Alexander E., Piątkowska‐Jakubas, Beata, Protheroe, Rachel, Ross, Kelly , Santarone, Stella , Sawa, Masashi , Schaar, Dale , Scheid, Christoph, Schriber, Jeffrey, Seropian, Stuart , Shah, Nilay , Shah, Nirav N. , Gil, Jorge Sierra, Sobecks, Ronald , Sprague, Kellie , Spyridonidis, Alexandros , Stelljes, Matthias , Stiff, Patrick J. , Tandra, Anand, Tholouli, Eleni , Thomas, Xavier , Tomlinson, Benjamin , Ustun, Celalettin, Uy, Geoffrey L., Ferreiras, David Valcarcel, Wagner, Eva , Watson, Anne-Marie, Wolschke, Christine, Yamauchi, Takuji , Yeh, Su‐Peng , Logan, Brent , Litzow, Mark R. , Ueda Oshima, Masumi , Uy, Geoffrey , Waller, Edmund K , Solh, Melham M , Mishra, Asmita , Muffly, Lori , Kim, Hee-Je , Najima, Yuho , Onozawa, Masahiro , Nagler, Arnon , Wei, Andrew H , Geller, Nancy , Hill, Jason , Gill, Stanley C , King, Denise , Devine, Steven , Horowitz, Mary , Chen, Yi-Bin , Hamadani, Mehdi , Ueda, Masumi , Waller, Edmund K. , Wei, Andrew H. , Devine, Steven M. , Investigators, on behalf of the BMT-CTN 1506/MORPHO Study, Anagnostopoulos, Achiles, Anand, Sarah , Artz, Andrew , Becker, Michael W. , Berneman, Zwi Nisan , Bhatt, Vijaya Raj , Bonifazi, Francesca , Bruno, Benedetto , Byrne, Jenny , Cabrero, Mónica , Cairoli, Roberto , Cheong, June‐Won , Colorado, Mercedes , Craddock, Charles , Grazia, Carmela Di, Farag, Sherif Shafik , Fujiwara, Shin‐ichiro , Fukushima, Kentaro , Hou, Hsin‐An , Jethava, Yogesh S. , Jiménez, Antonio , Jung, Chul Won , Kanda, Junya , Klein, Andreas, Kota, Vamsi , Leber, Brian F. , Lee, Catherine J , Lee, Je‐Hwan , Levis, Mark J., Litzow, Mark, Martínez, Carmen , Mikesch, Jan-Henrik, Mohty, Mohamad , Mueller, Lutz, Muffly, Lori, Nakano, Nobuaki , Nicholson, Emma , Oluwole, Olalekan O. , Onozawa, Masahiro, Pantin, Jeremy , Perl, Alexander E., Poiré, Xavier , Rambaldi, Alessandro , Ritchie, David , Rubio, Marie‐Thérèse , Sanz, Jaime , Shore, Tsiporah B. , Socié, Gèrard , Stuart, Robert K. , Tanaka, Masatsugu , Tiribelli, Mario , Tsirigotis, Panagiotis D. , Tzachanis, Dimitrios , Uchida, Naoyuki , Ustun, Celalettin, Uy, Geoffrey L., Ferreiras, David Valcarcel, Weisdorf, Daniel J. , Wróbel, Tomasz , Yakoub‐Agha, Ibrahim , Yared, Jean A. , Yoon, Sung‐Soo , Yoshihara, Satoshi

Journal of Clinical Oncology | March 12, 2024 | Volume: 42 | Issue: 15 | Pages: 1766-1775

10.1200/jco.23.02474 Get It

PURPOSE Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) improves outcomes for patients with AML harboring an internal tandem duplication mutation of FLT3 ( FLT3-ITD) AML. These patients are routinely treated with a FLT3 inhibitor after HCT, but there is limited evidence to support this. Accordingly, we conducted a randomized trial of post-HCT maintenance with the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02997202 ) to determine if all such patients benefit or if detection of measurable residual disease (MRD) could identify those who might benefit. METHODS Adults with FLT3-ITD AML in first remission underwent HCT and were randomly assigned to placebo or 120 mg once daily gilteritinib for 24 months after HCT. The primary end point was relapse-free survival (RFS). Secondary end points included overall survival (OS) and the effect of MRD pre- and post-HCT on RFS and OS. RESULTS Three hundred fifty-six participants were randomly assigned post-HCT to receive gilteritinib or placebo. Although RFS was higher in the gilteritinib arm, the difference was not statistically significant (hazard ratio [HR], 0.679 [95% CI, 0.459 to 1.005]; two-sided P = .0518). However, 50.5% of participants had MRD detectable pre- or post-HCT, and, in a prespecified subgroup analysis, gilteritinib was beneficial in this population (HR, 0.515 [95% CI, 0.316 to 0.838]; P = .0065). Those without detectable MRD showed no benefit (HR, 1.213 [95% CI, 0.616 to 2.387]; P = .575). CONCLUSION Although the overall improvement in RFS was not statistically significant, RFS was higher for participants with detectable FLT3-ITD MRD pre- or post-HCT who received gilteritinib treatment. To our knowledge, these data are among the first to support the effectiveness of MRD-based post-HCT therapy.
Clinical outcomes of hypomethylating agents plus Venetoclax as frontline treatment in patients 75 years and older with acute myeloid leukemia: Real‐world data from eight US academic centers
Abaza, Yasmin , Winer, Eric S. , Shallis, Rory M. , Matthews, Andrew , Badar, Talha , Geramita, Emily , Kota, Vamsi , Swaroop, Alok , Doukas, Peter H., Bradshaw, Danielle , Helenowski, Irene , Zhang, Hui , Im, Annie , Litzow, Mark R. , Perl, Alexander E. , Altman, Jessica K. , Zhang, Hui , Matthews, Andrew H , Badar, Talha , Kota, Vamsi , Swaroop, Alok , Bradshaw, Danielle , Im, Annie , Litzow, Mark R. , Perl, Alexander E , Mesulam, M-Marsel , Abaza, Yasmin , Murthy, Guru Subramanian Guru , Doukas, Peter, Liu, Yingzhe , Atallah, Ehab

American Journal of Hematology | February 12, 2024 | Volume: 99 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 606-614

10.1002/ajh.27231 Get It

AbstractVenetoclax (VEN) combined with hypomethylating agents (HMAs) is the standard of care for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) unfit for intensive chemotherapy. To date, real‐world data published on HMAs plus VEN have been either single‐center studies or using community‐based electronic databases with limited details on mutational landscape, tolerability, and treatment patterns in elderly patients. Therefore, we conducted a multicenter retrospective study to assess the real‐world experience of 204 elderly patients (≥75 years) with newly diagnosed AML treated with HMAs plus VEN from eight academic centers in the United States. Overall, 64 patients achieved complete remission (CR; 38%) and 43 CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi; 26%) for a CR/CRi rate of 64%, with a median duration of response of 14.2 months (95% CI: 9.43, 22.1). Among responders, 63 patients relapsed (59%) with median overall survival (OS) after relapse of 3.4 months (95% CI, 2.4, 6.7). Median OS for the entire population was 9.5 months (95% CI, 7.85–13.5), with OS significantly worse among patients with TP53‐mutated AML (2.5 months) and improved in patients harboring NPM1, IDH1, and IDH2 mutations (13.5, 18.3, and 21.1 months, respectively). The 30‐day and 60‐day mortality rates were 9% and 19%, respectively. In conclusion, HMAs plus VEN yielded high response rates in elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML. The median OS was inferior to that reported in the VIALE‐A trial. Outcomes are dismal after failure of HMAs plus VEN, representing an area of urgent unmet clinical need.
Post-Hoc Analysis of Measurable Residual Disease from BMT-CTN 1506/Morpho: FLT3-ITD Variant Allele Frequency and Survival Are Highly Correlated
Logan, Brent R. , Jones, Richard J. , Singh, Anurag K. , Litzow, Mark R. , Papadopoulos, Esperanza B. , Perl, Alexander E. , Soiffer, Robert J. , Üstün, Celalettin , Oshima, Masumi Ueda, Vasu, Sumithira, Solh, Melhem , Mishra, Asmita , Muffly, Lori , Stelljes, Matthias , Onozawa, Masahiro , Thomson, Kirsty , Nagler, Arnon , Marcucci, Guido , Hasabou, Nahla, Rosales, Mathew, Gill, Stanley C. , Nuthethi, Rishita, King, Denise , Wittsack, Heather, Mendizabel, Adam, Horowitz, Mary M. , Chen, Yi‐Bin , Muffly, Lori , Levis, Mark J. , Hamadani, Mehdi , Wingard, John R. , Oshima, Masumi Ueda, Uy, Geoffrey L. , Waller, Edmund K. , Vasu, Sumithira , Kim, Hee-Je , Najima, Yuho , Wei, Andrew H. , Rosales, Mathew, Hill, Jason E. , King, Denise, Devine, Steven M.

Blood | December 1, 2023 | Volume: 142 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 973-973

10.1182/blood-2023-177929 Get It

Background: BMT CTN 1506/MORPHO was a randomized study of the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib versus placebo as post-transplant (HCT) maintenance therapy for patients (pts) with FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients with FLT3-ITD AML in first remission underwent HCT and then were randomized, in double-blind fashion, to either gilteritinib or placebo for 24 months. The primary endpoint was relapse-free survival (RFS), and a pre-specified secondary endpoint was the effect of measurable residual disease (MRD) on survival as detected by a highly sensitive assay for FLT3-ITD mutations. In the primary analysis, while RFS was higher for pts randomized to gilteritinib, the difference did not reach the pre-determined threshold for significance (HR: 0.679; 95% CI: 0.459, 1.005; 2-sided p-value: 0.0518). However, in the secondary analysis, the 50.6% of pts who had MRD detectable pre- or post-HCT had significantly higher RFS with gilteritinib (HR of relapse or death=0.515, 95% CI: 0.316, 0.838, p = 0.0065). In this post-hoc analysis, we examined 1) the impact on RFS of different levels of FLT3-ITD variant allele frequency (VAF) pre-randomization (immediately before or after HCT but prior to randomization to gilteritinib or placebo); 2) the impact of the presence of multiple mutations detected as MRD pre-HCT; and 3) the eradication of FLT3-ITD clones detected post-HCT during follow up on gilteritinib or placebo. Methods: First-pull marrow aspirates were collected from pts at two time points pre-randomization (pre-HCT and between 30-90 days post-HCT), as well as at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months post-randomization. For MRD detection (performed at Invivoscribe; San Diego, CA), 700 ng input DNA was amplified by polymerase chain-reaction (PCR) using 25 cycles and primers flanking exons 14 and 15 of FLT3, followed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of the amplicons. Variant allele frequency (VAF) was calculated as FLT3 mutant reads/total FLT3 reads. For pts with multiple FLT3-ITD mutations, the VAF used in analysis was the sum of the VAFs for each FLT3-ITD variant. The lower limit of blank (LOB) of the assay is estimated to be 1 x 10 -6 VAF. For terminology, VAF > 1 x 10 -6 and < 1 x 10 -5 is referred to as MRD6, VAF > 1 x 10 -5 and < 1 x 10 -4 is MRD5, VAF > 1 x 10 -4 or greater is MRD4, and MRD0 equals no detectable MRD. Results: MRD was evaluated in 350/356 (98.3%) pts pre-HCT and 347/356 (97.5%) pts post-HCT. MRD was detected in 46% of pts pre-HCT and 19.9% prior to randomization, including 4.5% who did not have detectable MRD pre-HCT. The variant allele frequency (VAF) of detectable MRD ranged from a low of 1.09 x 10 -6 to a high of 3.0 x 10 -1. More than a single mutation was detected in 51 pts pre-HCT. Most of these 51 pts had 2 clones, but the total ranged from 2-9. The presence of more than one mutation detected as MRD immediately pre-HCT was associated with worse RFS compared with all other pts (MRD-positive with only one clone and MRD-negative), irrespective of treatment arm (Figure 1A; HR=2.428, 95% CI: 1.555, 3.792, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in age, mutation length, VAF, or karyotype between pts with more than one mutation and those with single mutations. However, if the VAFs of pts with multiple FLT3-ITD mutations were summed and treated as a single value, then the median VAF for pts with multiple mutations was higher than for those with single mutations (2.14 x 10 -4 vs. 3.12 x 10 -5). The VAF (including the summed VAFs of pts with multiple mutations) at multiple levels correlated very closely with RFS after HCT. To illustrate this quantitative effect of peri-HCT FLT3-ITD VAF on RFS, Kaplan-Meier analysis of pts on the placebo arm grouped by MRD level is displayed in Figure 1B. In the 71 pts with MRD detectable post-HCT, the MRD was eradicated in 69% of pts on gilteritinib versus 44% of pts on placebo. Conclusions Pts with multiple FLT3-ITD mutations have a worse prognosis, which may simply be a reflection of increased disease burden (VAF). The quantity of FLT3-ITD MRD appears to highly correlate with outcome. Gilteritinib appears to augment the effect of HCT, as evidenced by increased eradication of MRD post-HCT. These data illustrate the potential utility of the PCR-NGS FLT3-ITD MRD assay in the management of pts with FLT3-ITD AML.
Cytokine Release Syndrome Results in Reduced AML Killing By CD123 CAR T Cells
Bhagwat, Anand , Torres, Leonel , Shestova, Olga, Shestov, Maksim, Luger, Selina M. , Loren, Alison W. , Martin, Mary Ellen , Perl, Alexander E. , Stadtmauer, Edward A. , Mangan, James K. , Brogdon, Jennifer L. , Fraietta, Joseph A. , Hwang, Wei‐Ting , June, Carl H. , Frey, Noelle V. , Hexner, Elizabeth O. , McCurdy, Shannon , Siegel, Donald L , Kenderian, Saad S. , Porter, David , Gill, Saar

Blood | December 1, 2023 | Volume: 142 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 217-217

10.1182/blood-2023-182104 Get It

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have repeatedly demonstrated capacity to induce high rates of response and durable remissions for B cell cancers. In contrast, CAR T cells for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have not yet achieved this impact. We previously demonstrated that CD123 is expressed on AML blasts at high frequency, thus making it an attractive target antigen for AML-directed CAR T cells. Methods and Results: We conducted a pilot study of CD123-directed CAR T cells (CART-123) in adults with relapsed or refractory AML. The primary objective was safety with a secondary objective of anti-leukemia efficacy. Twenty-two subjects were screened, and 20 were eligible for the trial. Fludarabine and cyclophosphamide were used for lymphodepletion (LD). Twelve subjects were infused with CART-123. There were two treatment-related deaths due to cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and infection. Four subjects (33%) achieved complete response with incomplete count recovery (CRi), three subjects had progressive disease, and five had stable disease. Of the four who achieved CRi, one subject remains alive in remission after a relapse and subsequent consolidative hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). One other subject is alive after HSCT following CART-123 failure. There was evidence of CAR T cell expansion and ten subjects (83%) experienced clinical CRS ranging from Grade I to Grade V. There was no neurotoxicity. To address the apparent paradox of high rates of CART-123 bioactivity (clinical CRS and in vivo expansion) co-occurring with low rates of response, we hypothesized that cytokines produced during CRS may undermine the anti-AML effect of CART cells. We obtained serum drawn from trial subjects at baseline (prior to LD chemotherapy) or during CRS. Serum drawn during CRS promotes primary AML survival in cell culture, while matched baseline serum from the same subjects does not. Individual cytokines secreted during CRS that signal through receptors expressed on myeloid progenitors (such as GM-CSF and Flt3 ligand) reproduced this survival advantage in primary AML blasts when tested at physiologically relevant levels. In contrast, these cytokines did not produce a pro-survival effect in primary patient B-ALL blasts. Crucially, candidate myeloid-acting cytokines, as well as serum drawn during the peak of clinical CRS, promoted resistance of AML to killing by CART-123 in vitro. Using scRNAseq of bone marrow aspirates from subjects on this clinical trial, we found that GM-CSF and FLT3L were most frequently expressed by CD4+ T cells. Exposure of primary AML samples to CRS cytokines led to upregulation of signaling (e.g. JAK/STAT5) and pro-survival pathways. In previous work in B-ALL, we showed that relative resistance to killing can translate to a functional deficit in CART-19 due to development of exhaustion in the CART cells. We similarly find that that exposure to GM-CSF reduces AML blast sensitivity to CART-123, and that the persistence of antigen leads to exhaustion in CART cells (Figure 1). Specifically, co-incubation of CART-123 cells and cytokine-exposed primary AML blasts leads to increased populations of PD-1+/CD39+/CTLA4+/LAG3+ CAR T cells, consistent with an exhaustion phenotype. Finally, we found that anti-apoptotic effects of cytokines can be prevented, and CART-123 killing of AML can be restored, via ruxolitinib blockade of JAK/STAT signaling in both in vitro and in vivo settings. Significance: Our work reveals CRS as active in undermining CART-123 lethality first by promoting survival of AML, and subsequently by exhausting CAR T cells. This is in stark contrast to its role in lymphoid malignancies and underscores biological differences in myeloid versus lymphoid neoplasms. These results highlight a need to tailor therapy to limit cytokine effects on AML blasts to improve outcomes with AML-directed CAR T cell therapy.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Version 3.2023, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology
Altman, Jessica K. , Bixby, Dale L. , Fathi, Amir T. , Foran, James M. , Gojo, Ivana , Hall, Aric C. , Maness, Lori J., Mangan, James K. , Mannis, Gabriel N. , Marcucci, Guido , Moriarty, Kelsey , Ali, Moaath K. Mustafa , Neff, Jadee , Nejati, Reza , Olin, Rebecca L. , Percival, Mary-Elizabeth, Perl, Alexander E. , Rao, Dinesh S. , Shallis, Rory M. , Shami, Paul J. , Stein, Eytan M. , Stone, Richard M. , Sweet, Kendra , Uy, Geoffrey L. , Vachhani, Pankit , Cassara, Carly J., Freedman-Cass, Deborah A., Stehman, Katie, Uy, Geoffrey , Pollyea, Daniel Aaron , Jonas, Brian A. , Kishtagari, Ashwin , Lancet, Jeffrey E. , Mims, Alice S , Przespolewski, Amanda , Ravandi, Farhad , Thota, Swapna

Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network | May 8, 2023 | Volume: 21 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 503-513

10.6004/jnccn.2023.0025 Get It

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy characterized by the clonal expansion of myeloid blasts in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and/or other tissues. It is the most common form of acute leukemia among adults and accounts for the largest number of annual deaths from leukemias in the United States. Like AML, blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a myeloid malignancy. It is a rare malignancy characterized by the aggressive proliferation of precursors of plasmacytoid dendritic cells that frequently involves the bone marrow, skin, central nervous system, and other organs and tissues. This discussion section focuses on the diagnosis and management of BPDCN as outlined in the NCCN Guidelines for AML.
A Simplified Patient Care Strategy to Decrease Early Deaths in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL): Results of the ECOG-ACRIN EA9131 Trial
Jillella, Anand P., Altman, Jessica K. , Luger, Selina M. , Tallman, Martin S. , Foran, James M. , Law, Lisa Y. , Bryan, Locke J. , Zahr, Abdallah Abou, Begna, Kebede, Perl, Alexander E. , Vadakara, Joseph , Sánchez, Federico , Carlos, Ruth C. , Litzow, Mark R. , Lee, Sandra J. , Bergan, Raymond C. , Fisch, Michael , Wagner, Lynne I. , Kota, Vamsi

Blood | November 28, 2022 | Volume: 140 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 1011-1013

10.1182/blood-2022-163436 Get It

North American Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm Consortium: position on standards of care and areas of need
Pemmaraju, Naveen , Kantarjian, Hagop M. , Sweet, Kendra , Senapati, Jayastu , Konopleva, Marina , Frankel, Arthur E. , Gupta, Vikas , Ulrickson, Matthew L. , Gorak, Edward J., Bhatia, Sumeet, Budak-Alpdoǧan, Tülin , Mason, James R. , García‐Romero, María Teresa , López‐Santiago, Norma, Vachhani, Pankit , Lee, Sangmin , Blum, William , Walter, Roland B. , Bixby, Dale L. , Gojo, Ivana , Rampal, Raajit K. , Foran, James M. , Fathi, Amir T. , Hall, Aric C. , Jacoby, Meagan A., Mannis, Gabriel N. , Stein, Anthony S. , Rizzieri, David A. , Olin, Rebecca L. , Perl, Alexander E. , Schiller, Gary J. , Shami, Paul J. , Stone, Richard M. , Wieduwilt, Matthew J. , Vasu, Sumithira , Khoury, Joseph D. , Qazilbash, Muzaffar H. , Cuglievan, Branko , Madanat, Yazan F. , Kharfan‐Dabaja, Mohamed A. , Tallman, Martin S. , Dhakal, Prajwal , Senapati, Jayastu , Konopleva, Marina , Gupta, Vikas , Budak-Alpdogan, Tulin , Garcia-Romero, Maria Teresa , Cesarman-Maus, Gabriela , Vachhani, Pankit , Bhatt, Vijaya Raj , Walter, Roland B , Fathi, Amir T , Hall, Aric Cameron , Mims, Alice S , Rizzieri, David A , Perl, Alexander E , Strickland, Stephen Anthony , Daver, Naval , Guzmán, Mónica L. , Roboz, Gail J , Khoury, Joseph , Aung, Phyu P , Madanat, Yazan , Kharfan-Dabaja, Mohamed A , Pawlowska, Anna , Taylor, Justin , Dhakal, Prajwal , Lane, Andrew A , Kantarjian, Hagop , Wang, Eunice S. , Wilson, Nathaniel R. , Mesa, Ruben A. , Cesarman‐Maus, Gabriela , Bhatt, Vijaya Raj , Duvic, Madeleine , Lima, Marcos de , Lancet, Jeffrey E. , Daver, Naval , Ravandi, Farhad , Roboz, Gail J. , Lane, Andrew A.

Blood | November 18, 2022 | Volume: 141 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 567-578

10.1182/blood.2022017865 Get It

Abstract Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare hematologic malignancy with historically poor outcomes and no worldwide consensus treatment approach. Unique among most hematologic malignancies for its frequent cutaneous involvement, BPDCN can also invade other extramedullary compartments, including the central nervous system. Generally affecting older adults, many patients are unfit to receive intensive chemotherapy, and although hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is preferred for younger, fit individuals, not all are eligible. One recent therapeutic breakthrough is that all BPDCNs express CD123 (IL3Rα) and that this accessible surface marker can be pharmacologically targeted. The first-in-class agent for BPDCN, tagraxofusp, which targets CD123, was approved in December 2018 in the United States for patients with BPDCN aged ≥2 years. Despite favorable response rates in the frontline setting, many patients still relapse in the setting of monotherapy, and outcomes in patients with relapsed/refractory BPDCN remain dismal. Therefore, novel approaches targeting both CD123 and other targets are actively being investigated. To begin to formally address the state of the field, we formed a new collaborative initiative, the North American BPDCN Consortium (NABC). This group of experts, which includes a multidisciplinary panel of hematologists/oncologists, hematopoietic stem cell transplant physicians, pathologists, dermatologists, and pediatric oncologists, was tasked with defining the current standard of care in the field and identifying the most important research questions and future directions in BPDCN. The position findings of the NABC’s inaugural meetings are presented herein.
Venetoclax Plus Gilteritinib for FLT3 -Mutated Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Daver, Naval , Perl, Alexander E. , Maly, Joseph, Ritchie, Ellen K. , Litzow, Mark R. , McCloskey, James, Smith, Catherine C. , Schiller, Gary J. , Bradley, Terrence, Tiu, Ramón V., Naqvi, Kiran , Brackman, Deanna J. , Siddani, Satya R., Wang, Jing , Chyla, Brenda , Lee, Paul , Altman, Jessica K. , Litzow, Mark R. , Smith, Catherine C , Dail, Monique , Chyla, Brenda , Altman, Jessica K , Daver, Naval , Levis, Mark J. , Dail, Monique

Journal of Clinical Oncology | July 18, 2022 | Volume: 40 | Issue: 35 | Pages: 4048-4059

10.1200/jco.22.00602 Get It

PURPOSE The FMS-related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitor gilteritinib is standard therapy for relapsed/refractory FLT3-mutated ( FLT3 mut ) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) but seldom reduces FLT3 mut burden or induces sustained efficacy. Gilteritinib combines synergistically with the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax in preclinical models of FLT3 mut AML. METHODS This phase Ib open-label, dose-escalation/dose-expansion study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03625505 ) enrolled patients with FLT3 wild-type and FLT3 mut (escalation) or FLT3 mut (expansion) relapsed/refractory AML. Patients received 400 mg oral venetoclax once daily and 80 mg or 120 mg oral gilteritinib once daily. The primary objectives were safety, identification of the recommended phase II dose, and the modified composite complete response (mCRc) rate (complete response [CR] + CR with incomplete blood count recovery + CR with incomplete platelet recovery + morphologic leukemia-free state) using ADMIRAL phase III–defined response criteria. RESULTS Sixty-one patients were enrolled (n = 56 FLT3 mut ); 64% (n = 36 of 56) of FLT3 mut patients had received prior FLT3 inhibitor therapy. The recommended phase II dose was 400 mg venetoclax once daily and 120 mg gilteritinib once daily. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were cytopenias (n = 49; 80%). Adverse events prompted venetoclax and gilteritinib dose interruptions in 51% and 48%, respectively. The mCRc rate for FLT3 mut patients was 75% (CR, 18%; CR with incomplete blood count recovery, 4%; CR with incomplete platelet recovery, 18%; and morphologic leukemia-free state, 36%) and was similar among patients with or without prior FLT3 inhibitor therapy (80% v 67%, respectively). The median follow-up was 17.5 months. The median time to response was 0.9 months, and the median remission duration was 4.9 months (95% CI, 3.4 to 6.6). FLT3 molecular response (< 10 −2 ) was achieved in 60% of evaluable mCRc patients (n = 15 of 25). The median overall survival for FLT3 mut patients was 10.0 months. CONCLUSION The combination of venetoclax and gilteritinib was associated with high mCRc and FLT3 molecular response rates regardless of prior FLT3 inhibitor exposure. Dose interruptions were needed to mitigate myelosuppression.
Gilteritinib clinical activity in relapsed/refractory FLT3 mutated acute myeloid leukemia previously treated with FLT3 inhibitors
Rahman, Zaid Abdel , Grenet, Justin , Boisclair, Stéphanie , Bewersdorf, Jan Philipp , Barth, Dylan , Fraga, Martina , Bixby, Dale L. , Zeidan, Amer M. , Desai, Pankil , Mannis, Gabriel N. , Deutsch, Yehuda E., Dinner, Shira, Frankfurt, Olga, Litzow, Mark R. , Al‐Kali, Aref , Foran, James M. , Sproat, Lisa Z., Jovanovic, Borko, Perl, Alexander E. , Altman, Jessica K. , Rahman, Zaid H. Abdel , Numan, Yazan , Abdel Rahman, Zaid, Bewersdorf, Jan P , Yilmaz, Musa , Litzow, Mark R. , Daver, Naval , Altman, Jessica K , Abdel Rahman, Zaid H , Zeidan, Amer M , Collins, Cailin T. , Yılmaz, Musa , Abaza, Yasmin , Daver, Naval

American Journal of Hematology | January 4, 2022 | Volume: 97 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 322-328

10.1002/ajh.26447 Get It

AbstractGilteritinib is approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an FLT3‐mutation (FLT3mut+). However, the gilteritinib phase 3 ADMIRAL study (Perl et al NEJM 2019) was conducted prior to widespread adoption of either midostaurin as a component of standard intensive induction and consolidation or posttransplant FLT3 inhibitor maintenance. We performed a retrospective analysis using data from 11 US centers and where we identified 113 patients who received gilteritinib alone or as combination therapy for the treatment of R/R FLT3mut+ AML. The composite complete remission (CR) rate (CRc, defined as CR + CRi + CR with incomplete platelet recovery [CRp]) was 48.7% (n = 55). The CRc rate after treatment with gilteritinib in patients who were treated with only prior 7+3 and midostaurin with or without consolidation was 58% with a median survival of 7.8 months. Survival was longest in patients who obtained a CR, particularly a cMRD (clinical minimal or measurable residual disease) negative response; this remained significant after censoring at the time of stem cell transplant. The mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway activating mutations that are known for gilteritinib resistance (NRAS, KRAS, and PTPN11) had lower CRc (35% vs. 60.5%) and lower median overall survival than patients' whose leukemia did not express these mutations (4.9 months vs. 7.8 months) (HR 2.4; 95% CI 1. 5.4) p value <.01.
Venetoclax in Combination with Gilteritinib Demonstrates Molecular Clearance of FLT3 mutation in Relapsed/Refractory FLT3-Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Perl, Alexander E. , Maly, Joseph, Ritchie, Ellen K. , Litzow, Mark R. , McCloskey, James, Schiller, Gary J. , Bradley, Terrence, Tiu, Ramón V., Naqvi, Kiran , Siddani, Satya R., Chyla, Brenda , Lee, Paul, Altman, Jessica K. , Daver, Naval , Levis, Mark J. , Smith, Catherine C. , Dail, Monique , Wang, Jing , Lee, Paul

Blood | November 23, 2021 | Volume: 138 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 691-691

10.1182/blood-2021-150743 Get It

Abstract Gilteritinib (Gilt), a FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) FLT3-mutated (FLT3 +)acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, long-term survival is limited by the development of drug resistance mutations in persistent FLT3 + clones. Combination regimens may deepen response and improve outcomes. Venetoclax (Ven), a BCL-2 inhibitor, is approved in combination with hypomethylating agents for newly diagnosed AML not suitable for standard induction therapy. FLT3 + AMLhas been associated with clinical resistance to Ven. Still, FLT3 TKIs + Ven have demonstrated synthetic lethality in preclinical models, prompting this multicenter, open-label, phase 1b trial (NCT03625505) to evaluate Ven + Gilt for R/R AML. Here, we report final response and survival endpoints, and molecular clearance among patients (pts) treated at the recommended phase two dose (RP2D). The study design has been previously described (Daver, et al. ASH 2020, Abstract 333). Pts in the dose expansion cohort received Ven 400 mg + Gilt 120 mg (RP2D) daily in 28-day cycles, following Ven ramp-up. The primary endpoint was mCRc (complete response [CR] + CR with incomplete platelet recovery [CRp] + CR with incomplete blood count recovery [CRi] + morphologic leukemia-free state) to align with the ADMIRAL phase III trial (Perl, et al. NEJM 2019). Baseline co-mutations and serial FLT3 internal tandem duplications (ITD) allelic burden were assessed using the MyAML panel (Invivoscribe, San Diego, CA) and FLT3-ITD MRD assay with sensitivities of 5% and 0.001%, respectively. As of the data cut off of January 31, 2021, 54 pts were treated at the RP2D. Fifty-two pts (as assessed locally) had FLT3 +AML; 41 had FLT3-ITD only, 8 had tyrosine kinase domain only, 3 had both mutations, and 2 were FLT3 wild type (wt). Additional baseline characteristics are in Table 1. Grade 3 or 4 AEs occurred in 51 (94.4%) pts, and 39 (72.2%) pts had serious AEs. Grade 3 or 4 cytopenias occurred in 43 (79.6%) pts. AEs of special interest included tumor lysis syndrome (2 [3.7%]) and QT prolongation (1 [1.9%]). AEs leading to dosing interruptions (Ven, 27 [50%]; Gilt, 26 [48.1%]), reductions (Ven, 3 [5.6%]; Gilt, 4 [7.4%]), and discontinuation (Ven, 7 [13%]; Gilt, 7 [13%]) were reported for both study drugs. There was 1 treatment-emergent death of typhlitis. Among FLT3 + pts with post-baseline assessments (51/52), mCRc was achieved by 38 pts (74.5%; CR/CRp/CRi, 19 [37.3%] pts), with a median follow-up time of 12 mo (range: 0.8 - 20.1). The mCRc in pts with prior TKI (32) or prior Ven (10) use were 78.1% and 60%, respectively. The mOS among all FLT3 +pts was 10 mo (95%CI: 6.6, NE), with a median DoR (mDoR) of 5.4 mo (95% CI: 3.3, 6.6). Pts with FLT3-ITD had a mOS of 10.5 mo (95%CI: 6.8, NE), and a mDoR of 5.6 mo (95% CI: 3.3, 8.3). For the 14 pts who had a transplant, the mOS was not reached (95%CI: 10.0, NE) vs 6.89 mo (95%CI: 3.0, 10.5) for those who did not have a transplant (37). The mOS for pts with prior TKI or Ven was 9.6 (95% CI: 4.3, NE) and 10.5 mo (95% CI: 2.0, NE), respectively, with a mDoR of 9.6 (95% CI: 4.3, NE) and 6.2 mo (95% CI: 2.6, NE), respectively. The 60-day mortality rate was 11.8% (95% CI: 4.4, 23.9). The mCRc for NPM1 + and NPM1wt were 92.3% and 61.1%, respectively. mCRc for DNMT3A + and DMNT3A wt pts were 82.4% and 64.3%, respectively. WT1 + and WT1 wt mCRc were 66.7% and 77.3%, respectively. The mCRc for NPM1 + and DNMT3A + co-mutated pts was 100%. In a post hoc analysis of the 30 analyzable mCRc pts with at least one follow-up MRD assessment, 17 (56.7%) achieved molecular clearance defined as FLT3 allelic burden &lt; 10 -2. The mOS of pts achieving mCRc with FLT3 allelic burden of &lt; 10 -2 vs mCRc with FLT3 allelic burden ≥ 10 -2 (Figure 1) was not reached (95% CI: 9.76, NE) vs 6.83 mo (4.21, NE). Ven + Gilt achieved high mCRc in patients with R/R FLT3 + AML, with or without prior TKI exposure, and an encouraging mOS. FLT3 mutation clearance was seen in a majority of patients and associated with longer OS. Encouraging remission rates were observed across many genotypes and were particularly high among pts with NPM1 + +/- DNMT3A co-mutation. Cytopenias were common but manageable with appropriate Ven or Gilt dosing modifications. Serial NGS molecular data, as well as updated survival data will be presented at the meeting. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Daver: Hanmi: Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Trillium: Consultancy, Research Funding; Trovagene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novimmune: Research Funding; FATE Therapeutics: Research Funding; Glycomimetics: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; Astellas: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Gilead Sciences, Inc.: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sevier: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; ImmunoGen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Other: Data Monitoring Committee member; Dava Oncology (Arog): Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Syndax: Consultancy; Shattuck Labs: Consultancy; Agios: Consultancy; Kite Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; SOBI: Consultancy; STAR Therapeutics: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Newave: Research Funding. Perl: Actinium: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy, Research Funding; Forma: Consultancy; Syndax: Consultancy; Loxo: Consultancy; Fujifilm: Research Funding; Arog: Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Research Funding; Onconova: Consultancy; Sumitomo Dainippon: Consultancy. Levis: Amgen, Astellas Pharma, Daiichi-Sankyo, FujiFilm, and Menarini: Honoraria; Astellas and FujiFilm: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria; Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria. Ritchie: Astellas: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Other: travel support, Speakers Bureau; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; NS Pharma: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Jazz: Consultancy, Research Funding; Protaganist: Consultancy, Honoraria; ARIAD Pharmaceuticals: Ended employment in the past 24 months, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding. Litzow: Astellas: Research Funding; Omeros: Other: Advisory Board; Pluristem: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Actinium: Research Funding; Jazz: Other: Advisory Board; Biosight: Other: Data monitoring committee. McCloskey: Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Smith: AbbVie: Research Funding; Revolutions Medicine: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; FUJIFILM: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria. Schiller: Takeda: Research Funding; Trovagene: Research Funding; Tolero: Research Funding; Ono: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; ASH foundation: Other: Chair-unpaid; Pfizer: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy; Sanofi: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Ariad: Research Funding; Stemline Therapeutics, Inc.: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Ono-UK: Consultancy, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Onconova: Research Funding; Mateon: Research Funding; Sangamo: Research Funding; Samus: Research Funding; Regimmune: Research Funding; PrECOG: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Kaiser Permanente: Consultancy; Cyclacel: Research Funding; MedImmune: Research Funding; Ambit: Research Funding; Agios: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Elevate: Research Funding; Bio: Research Funding; Pharma: Consultancy; Johnson & Johnson: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Biomed Valley Discoveries: Research Funding; Eli Lilly: Research Funding; Sellas: Research Funding; Geron: Research Funding; Genentech-Roche: Research Funding; Gamida Cell Ltd.: Research Funding; FujiFilm: Research Funding; Forma: Research Funding; Delta-Fly: Research Funding; Deciphera: Research Funding; Daiichi-Sankyo: Research Funding; Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Celator: Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Arog: Research Funding; Actuate: Research Funding; Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Research Funding; Bluebird Bio: Research Funding; Boehringer-Ingleheim: Research Funding; Cellerant: Research Funding; CTI Biopharma: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Kura Oncology: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Millennium: Research Funding; National Marrow Donor Program: Research Funding; NIH: Research Funding; Onyx: Research Funding; Pharmamar: Research Funding; UC Davis: Research Funding; UCSD: Research Funding; Evidera: Consultancy; NCI: Consultancy; Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Bradley: AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Tiu: Astellas Pharma: Current Employment; Eli Lilly and Company: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Ended employment in the past 24 months. Naqvi: Genentech/Roche: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Dail: Genentech/Roche: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Siddani: AbbVie: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Wang: AbbVie: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Chyla: AbbVie: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Lee: AbbVie: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Altman: Astellas: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Biosight: Consultancy, Other: Travel fees, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Kura Oncology: Consultancy; Syros: Consultancy; Theradex: Consultancy, Other: Advisory boards; GlycoMimetics: Other: Participation on an advisory board; ALZ Oncology: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Aprea: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Research Funding; Fujifilm: Research Funding; Immunogen: Research Funding; Kartos: Research Funding; Kura: Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: Venetoclax is a B-cell lymphoma 2 inhibitor approved in combination with azacitidine, or decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine for the treatment of newly-diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults who are age 75 years or older, or who have comorbidities that preclude use of intensive induction chemotherapy. Gilteritinib is a kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients who have relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an FLT3 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test.