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Paietta, Elisabeth

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0561-5544

Mayo Clinic

Montefiore Medical Center

Citations 122

Characterization of Novel Subtypes in B Progenitor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Gu, Zhaohui , Moore, Ian, Hagiwara, Kohei , Gingras, S., Berns, Hartmut , Payne-Turner, Debbie , Hill, Ashley, Pounds, Stanley , Pei, Deqing, Dai, Yunfeng , Reshmi, Shalini C. , Foster, Julie Gastier, Raetz, Elizabeth A. , Borowitz, Michael J., Carroll, William L. , McKay, Patrick Zweider, Mattano, Leonard A. , Maloney, Kelly W. , Rambaldi, Alessandro , Radich, Jerald P. , Minden, Mark D. , Rowe, Jacob M. , Luger, Selina M. , Litzow, Mark R. , Tallman, Martin S. , Recevskis, Janis, Zhang, Yanming , Kohlschmidt, Jessica, Bloomfield, Clara D. , Konopleva, Marina , Evans, William E. , Paietta, Elisabeth , Relling, Mary V. , Zhang, Jinghui , Rambaldi, Alessandro , Pounds, Stanley B , Churchman, Michelle L. , Roberts, Kathryn G. , Zhou, Xin , Nakitandwe, Joy , Pelletier, S. William , Iacobucci, Ilaria , Shi, Lei Gang , Cheng, Cheng , Qu, Chunxu , Devidas, Meenakshi , Wood, Brent L. , Rabin, Karen R. , Spinelli, Orietta , Bhatia, Ravi , Mrózek, Krzysztof , Stock, Wendy , Kornblau, Steven M. , Kantarjian, Hagop M. , Jeha, Sima , Pui, Ching-Hon , Yang, Jun J.J. , Downing, James R. , Loh, Mignon L. , Hunger, Stephen P. , Mullighan, Charles G.

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 132 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 565-565

10.1182/blood-2018-99-111219 Get It

Abstract Introduction B progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is a leading cause of childhood cancer death. Many chimeric genes have been identified and led to a refined classification of B-ALL and tailored therapies. Still, up to 30% of B-ALL cannot be classified into established subtypes, and the outcome for many is poor. Methods To identify novel subtypes of B-ALL, we performed integrative genomic analysis including transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) of 1,988 cases from St. Jude, Children's Oncology Group and adult cooperative group studies and analyzed chromosomal rearrangements, gene-expression profiles (GEP), somatic mutations and chromosome-level copy-number alterations. Cases lacking known or putative subtype-defining alterations underwent whole genome sequencing. Effects on proliferation and transformation of novel lesions were assessed by retroviral expression in cell lines and point-mutation knock-in mice using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Results Using integrated genetic alterations and gene expression profiling, we classified 23 B-ALL subtypes (Table and Figure). Three groups included cases with similar GEP as canonical subtypes (ETV6-RUNX1, KMT2A-rearranged, and ZNF384-rearranged), but lacking the expected drivers (e.g., ETV6-RUNX1-like, n=42). Eighteen cases (0.9%) had rearrangements of BCL2, MYC and/or BCL6 showing a distinct GEP; they were mostly adults (n=16) with very poor outcome. These alterations, rarely seen in ALL, are identical to those observed in "double/triple hit" lymphoma, and are of pre-B immunophenotype. Eight cases with tightly clustered GEP comprised a novel subtype defined by IKZF1 N159Y missense mutation. N159Y is in the DNA-binding domain of IKZF1, and is known to perturb IKZF1 function, with distinct nuclear mislocalization and induction of aberrant intercellular adhesion. We identified two subtypes with distinct GEP characterized by PAX5 alterations. One, herein termed PAX5 altered (PAX5alt), comprised 148 (7.4%) cases, was characterized by diverse PAX5 alterations including rearrangements (n=57), sequence mutations (n=46) and/or focal intragenic amplifications (n=8). These PAX5 alterations were found in 73.6% of PAX5alt cases and different alteration types were mutually exclusive. Other PAX5 alterations, including deletions and large-scale amplifications were also assessed using SNP array, but were not enriched in the PAX5alt group. Clinically, PAX5alt pediatric and adult patients had favorable (96.8±3.2%) and intermediate (42.1±10.2%) 5-year overall survival (OS), respectively. The other GEP distinct subtype comprised 44 cases, all with PAX5 P80R missense mutations. In 30 of these cases, PAX5 P80R was homozygous due to deletion of the wild-type (WT) PAX5 allele or copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity. Of the other 14 cases with heterozygous PAX5 P80R mutations, 13 had a second frameshift (n=7), nonsense (n=2) or deleterious missense (n=4) PAX5 mutation. Four of the remaining 1,944 cases also had the PAX5 P80R mutation, but all were heterozygous with preservation of a WT PAX5 allele, consistent with the notion that homozygous or compound heterozygous PAX5 P80R mutation is the hallmark of this subtype. Adult PAX5 P80R cases (n=14) showed better 5-year OS (61.9±13.4%) than those in PAX5alt subtype (42.1±10.2%). To examine the effects of PAX5 P80R on B-cell maturation, WT PAX5, PAX5 P80R, V26G and P34Q were expressed in Pax5-/- lineage-depleted bone marrow cells. Expression of WT PAX5, PAX5 V26G and P34Q resulted in near complete rescue of B cell differentiation; however, expression of PAX5 P80R blocked the differentiation at the pre-pro-B stage of B-cell maturation. Further, Pax5 P80R heterozygous or homozygous mice developed pre-B-ALL with a median latency of 166 and 87 days, respectively, with heterozygous mice acquiring alterations on the second allele. In contrast, Pax5+/- mice, and those harboring G183S mutation observed in familial leukemia, do not spontaneously develop B-ALL. Conclusions These results show the utility of transcriptome sequencing in defining subtypes and founding genetic alterations in B-ALL, provide a revised taxonomy of the disease across the age spectrum, and reinforce the central role of PAX5 as a checkpoint in B lymphoid maturation and leukemogenesis. Disclosures McKay: ImmunoGen Inc.: Employment. Tallman:Orsenix: Other: Advisory board; AROG: Research Funding; BioSight: Other: Advisory board; Cellerant: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Daiichi-Sankyo: Other: Advisory board; ADC Therapeutics: Research Funding. Stock:Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy. Konopleva:Stemline Therapeutics: Research Funding. Relling:Shire Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Mullighan:Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas: Consultancy; Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Research Funding; Loxo Oncology: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.
Standard Consolidation/Maintenance Chemotherapy Is Consistently Superior to a Single Autologous Transplant for Adult Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Results of the International ALL Trial (MRC UKALL XII/ECOG E2993)
Rowe, Jacob M. , Buck, Georgina , Tallman, Martin S. , Richards, Susan , Burnett, Alan K. , Franklin, Ian M, Wiernik, Peter H. , Paietta, Elisabeth , Litzow, Mark R. , Marks, David I. , Luger, Selina M. , Dewald, Gordon W., Goldstone, Anthony H., Moorman, Anthony V. , Richards, Susan M, Fielding, Adele K. , Franklin, Ian M, Lazarus, Hillard M.

Blood | October 14, 2019 | Volume: 112 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 3314-3314

10.1182/blood.v112.11.3314.3314 Get It

Abstract The International ALL trial, conducted jointly by the MRC in the UK and ECOG in the US (UKALL XII/E2993), recruited 1929 patients between 1993 and 2006. All patients aged 16 to 64 years with newly diagnosed ALL, received the identical two phases of induction therapy. Patients with an HLA-identical sibling were assigned to a sibling allogeneic transplant and those who were Ph-positive could also get an unrelated-donor transplant. Patients who did not have a donor were to be randomized between a single autologous transplant, after conditioning with etoposide/total body irradiation, versus consolidation/maintenance therapy for 2.5 years. Following randomization, but prior to receiving the assigned or randomized therapy, all patients received intensification with 3 cycles of high-dose methotrexate. After excluding patients assigned to an allogeneic transplant, 1028 patients were eligible for randomization but, as in other major transplant studies, only 457 were randomized. The rationale underlying the randomization was based on the fact that protracted consolidation/maintenance therapy in adults, extrapolated from the pediatric experience, had never been prospectively evaluated in the era of intensive chemotherapy. Given that the mortality from autotransplant is not higher than chemotherapy (Goldstone et al. Blood. 2008), it was postulated that if a single autologous transplant is at least as good as standard protracted chemotherapy that may make it the preferable option, except possibly in females in whom fertility may be an issue. The overall survival and the event-free survival were significantly superior among the chemotherapy patients (p = .05) as previously reported (Goldstone et al. Blood. 2008). Because the literature contains reports suggesting a trend in favor of autologous transplantation in some patients with ALL (Dhédiu et al. Leukemia, 2006), an analysis was performed to see if any subgroup of patients could be identified in whom: 1. chemotherapy may not be superior to autologous transplant and 2. autologous transplant may be superior. The table lists a detailed analysis of overall survival looking at various age groups, B- versus T-lineage, the rapidity with which a complete remission was achieved –after phase I or only after phase II of induction. Detailed analysis was also performed by cytogenetics looking at those with standard risk versus those with high risk abnormalities [ t(9;22), t(4;11), t(8;14)] and low hypodiploidy/near triploidy or a complex karyotype (Moorman et al. Blood. 2007)]. In all groups, the chemotherapy group was at least as efficacious as the autograft group, and in some was even significantly superior to autologous transplantation. There is no evidence that other risk factors, such as relapse rate or treatment-related mortality, influenced these overall survival data. In addition, the tests for heterogeneity were not significant across any group. In conclusion, the overall survival was longer in patients randomized to chemotherapy, although the superiority was not statistically significant in most of the groups. There is no clinical indication for autologous transplantation at any age and particularly this should not be considered for patients over age 50, those with high-risk cytogenetics or T-lineage, and late remitters, for whom it might appear most attractive. Overall Survival (OS) at 5 years in 457 Randomized Patients Chemo Auto Subgroups n OS n OS P (log rank) Age (years) < 20 50 58% 43 46% > 0.1 20–29 61 52% 70 43% > 0.1 30–39 46 39% 46 32% > 0.1 40–49 38 31% 35 31% > 0.1 50 + 33 38% 35 31% > 0.1 B-lineage 169 46% 158 35% 0.03 T-lineage 45 54% 54 49% > 0.1 Time to CR phase I 193 48% 190 41% 0.1 phase II 26 36% 29 19% 0.08 Cytogenetics standard-risk 109 51% 122 44% > 0.1 high-risk 29 23% 27 7% 0.02
The Impact of Obesity on the Presentation & Outcome of Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) - ECOG Studies E1900 & E3999
Foran, James M. , Sun, Zhuoxin , Fernández, Hugo F. , Cripe, Larry D., Racevskis, Janis, Luger, Selina M. , Paietta, Elisabeth , Litzow, Mark R. , Tallman, Martin S. , Ketterling, Rhett P. , Lazarus, Hillard M.

Blood | October 13, 2019 | Volume: 118 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 2568-2568

10.1182/blood.v118.21.2568.2568 Get It

Abstract Abstract 2568 Background: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of development of adult AML (Relative Risk approx. 2-fold) (Ross J, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2004;13:1810) and significantly higher mortality in pediatric AML (Lange B, JAMA 2005;293:203). We therefore examined the association of obesity with presenting characteristics in 2 recent large ECOG phase III adult AML trials to determine whether there was a unique clinical and genetic phenotype, and also the impact of obesity on clinical outcomes (complete remission - CR; early death - ED; overall survival - OS) in association with other known risk factors. The impact of obesity on receiving full-dose daunorubicin (D) was also evaluated in these studies. We included patients (pts) from E1900 receiving standard infusional cytarabine with intensified D (45 vs. 90mg/m2) in adults age ≤60 yrs (NEJM 2009;361:1249), and from E3999 receiving conventional intensive chemotherapy +/− the MDR-inhibitor zosuquidar in adults age >60 yrs (Blood 2010;116:4077). Obesity was defined as Body Mass Index (BMI) >30kg/m2. Methods: Pt baseline characteristics were compared using Fisher's exact (categories variables) or Wilcoxon rank sum tests (continuous variables). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between obesity and CR or ED; Cox models stratified on induction treatment arms were used to examine the association between obesity and OS. Multivariate models to examine the effect of Obesity controlled for known prognostic factors (including cytogenetics & secondary AML - sAML). Results: A total of 1089 pts (E1900, n=651; E3999, n=438) with available BMI data were included, the median follow-up of living pts is 4.7 yrs. Obesity was prevalent, with n=359 (33%) of pts with a BMI>30 at presentation. For all patients, median BMI was 27.1 (range 16.7–93.0); for non-obese patients median BMI was 25.0 (range 16.7–29.96) while for obese patients the median BMI was 34.0 (range 30.0–93.0). Obese pts were older (p=0.06), and significantly more likely female gender (p=0.05), ECOG PS>0 (p=0.01), & Intermediate Risk cytogenetics (p=0.006) but not sAML (14% overall, p=ns). Genotyping for FLT3 & MLL was performed in E1900 pts (age ≤60yrs): there was no difference in incidence of FLT3-ITD, but lower incidence of MLL-PTD was observed (p=0.08) in obese pts (not performed in E3999) (See Table). Overall, only 3.7% of pts received <90% of intended D dose. However obesity was significantly associated with receiving <90% intended D dose: in E1900, 11% of obese pts received <90% intended D (45mg/m2 cohort, p<0.001; 90mg/m2 cohort p=0.002), while in E3999 4% obese pts received <90% intended D (45mg/m2, p=0.07). There was no clear difference in toxicity/adverse events during initial induction therapy reported in obese vs. non-obese pts. On multivariate analysis obesity was not significantly associated with achieving CR (p=0.09), and had no direct independent association with ED (p=0.38). Kaplan-Meier plots of OS are shown in Figure. On multivariate analysis, age (p<0.001); ECOG PS (p<0.001); cytogenetic risk group (p<0.001); sAML (p=0.03); gender (p=0.05); and peripheral blasts (p=0.003) but not obesity were significantly associated with OS. Receiving <90% intended D dose was marginally associated with increased hazard ratio for OS (HR 1.50, 95%CI 0.98–2.28, p=0.06). Conclusion: Obesity is associated with specific presenting clinical characteristics in adult AML (female, older, PS>0, Int. risk cytogenetics, less frequent MLL-PTD), but has no direct impact on CR, ED or OS in the setting of a controlled therapeutic trial. Obese pts are at risk of receiving <90% intended D dose, which may impact OS. This analysis suggests that factors that predispose to adult AML may present with a unique clinical phenotype. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
High Dose Daunorubicin Improves Survival in AML up to Age 60, Across All Cytogenetic Risk Groups Including Patients with Unfavorable Cytogenetic Risk, and FLT3-ITD Mutant AML: Updated Analyses from Eastern Cooperative Oncology Trial E1900
Lee, Ju‐Whei , Fernández, Hugo F. , Rowe, Jacob M. , Tallman, Martin S. , Paietta, Elisabeth , Litzow, Mark, Patel, Jay P., Sun, Zhuoxin , Luger, Selina M. , Luskin, Marlise R , Lazarus, Hillard M. , Abdel‐Wahab, Omar , Levine, Ross L.

Blood | October 13, 2019 | Volume: 124 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 373-373

10.1182/blood.v124.21.373.373 Get It

Abstract Background: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trial E1900 (E1900) showed that induction therapy with a high daily dose of daunorubicin (90 mg/m2) (DNR 90) improves survival in younger patients (pts) (<50 yrs) and intermediate (int) cytogenetic risk AML, but at 2 years of follow-up no benefit was seen in older pts (50-60 yrs), or in those with unfavorable cytogenetic risk or FLT3-ITD mutant AML (Fernandez et al. N Engl J Med 2009). Here we update results of E1900 with longer follow-up, focusing on the benefit of DNR 90 in cytogenetic and common molecular subgroups. Methods: Overall survival (OS) was measured from randomization for induction therapy to death from any cause (censored at last contact). Hazard ratios (HR) for death were computed using univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models; multivariable Cox models were adjusted for sex, age, hemoglobin level, leukocyte count, platelet count, and cytogenetic profile. All conclusions regarding the impact of DNR 90, unless noted, are similar based on univariate and multivariable analysis. Results: Overall, 657 pts were enrolled with a median follow-up of 80.1 months. The HR for death in the DNR 90 group as compared with the standard-dose daunorubicin (45 mg/m2) (DNR 45) group was 0.74 (p=0.001). Pts <50 yrs benefited from DNR 90 (p = 0.002) while those >=50 yrs were not proven to benefit (p = 0.12). Pts with favorable (fav) and int. cytogenetic risk benefited from DNR 90 (p = 0.03 and p = 0.02, respectively). A benefit for pts with unfavorable cytogenetic risk was seen on multivariable analysis (p = 0.04). Impact of DNR 90 by mutation status: The 3 most common mutations were FLT3-ITD (24%), NPM1 (26%), and DNMT3A (24%). AML pts with any of these 3 mutations benefited from DNR 90 (p = 0.009, p = 0.002, and p = 0.02, respectively). FLT3-ITD pts who received DNR 90 had a 4-yr OS of 31%. Benefit was seen in pts age 50-60 with FLT3-ITD or NPM1 mutation (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively). No benefit of DNR 90 was seen in a small cohort of pts with MLL-PTD (p = 0.06). Benefit of DNR 90 in FLT3-ITD, NPM1, and DNMT3A mutant AML was confirmed in the int. cytogenetic risk group. Impact of DNR 90 on prognostic impact of NPM1: The presence of an NPM1 mutation conferred an improvement in OS in the DNR 90 group which was not seen in the DNR 45 group (p = 0.01 vs p = 0.3). This finding was confirmed in the int. cytogenetic risk group. Conclusion: With median follow-up of over 6 years on E1900, we confirm that DNR 90 improves outcome in pts with fav/int cytogenetic risk, DNMT3A or NPM1 mutant AML, or age < 50 (Patel et al. N Engl J Med 2012). Additionally, we now demonstrate that DNR 90 additionally benefits pts with FLT3-ITD AML, and pts with unfavorable cytogenetic risk, regardless of age. Moreover, we show that the favorable prognostic impact of the NPM1 mutation is only present when pts receive DNR 90. Given the benefit of DNR 90 across all cytogenetic risk groups as well as common molecularly defined subgroups of AML, DNR 90 should be the standard for all pts up to age 60 who are candidates for induction chemotherapy. Table HR for death by AML cohort. Subgroup N Univariate Model DNR 45 DNR 90 HR (DNR 90/DNR 45) & 95% CI Wald P All patients (n=657) Overall 330 327 0.74 (0.61, 0.89) 0.001 Age < 50 yrs³ 50 yrs 188 142 172 155 0.66 (0.50, 0.85) 0.81 (0.62, 1.06) 0.002 0.12 Cytogenetic Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable 38 232 59 51 212 63 0.51 (0.28, 0.93) 0.76 (0.61, 0.96) 0.79 (0.54, 1.16) 0.03 0.02 0.22 FLT3-ITD WT MUT 215 83 241 64 0.74 (0.59, 0.92) 0.61 (0.42, 0.89) 0.008 0.009 MLL-PTD WT MUT 290 16 296 15 0.70 (0.58, 0.86) 0.46 (0.21, 1.04) 0.0004 0.06 NPM1* WT MUT 180 65 192 65 0.70 (0.55, 0.89) 0.50 (0.32, 0.78) 0.003 0.002 DNMT3A WT MUT 177 61 194 58 0.66 (0.52, 0.85) 0.62 (0.41, 0.94) 0.001 0.02 * Statistically significant test of interaction (p<0.2) Figure 1A: Overall Survival by NPM1 Mutation Status and Treatment Arm Figure 1A:. Overall Survival by NPM1 Mutation Status and Treatment Arm Figure 1B: Overall Survival of FLT-ITD Mutant AML Patients by Treatment Arm Figure 1B:. Overall Survival of FLT-ITD Mutant AML Patients by Treatment Arm Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Integrative Genome-Wide DNA Methylation and Gene Expression Analysis Reveals Biological and Clinical Insights In Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Geng, Huimin , Paietta, Elisabeth , Deng, Xutao , Li, Yushan , Racevskis, Janis, Richards, Susan , Tallman, Martin S. , Rowe, Jacob M. , Litzow, Mark R. , Elemento, Olivier , Neuberg, Donna , Yuan, Xin Y. , Ketterling, Rhett P. , Richards, Susan M, Melnick, Ari

Blood | October 13, 2019 | Volume: 116 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 852-852

10.1182/blood.v116.21.852.852 Get It

Abstract Abstract 852 Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive disease with <30% long-term survival. This relatively poor outcome can be explained in part by an increased frequency of high-risk molecular subtypes compared to childhood ALL, such as BCR/ABL (20%-40% in adults vs 2%-5% in children). We hypothesized that aberrant epigenetic gene regulation contributes to the pathogenesis and clinical features of adult ALL. We therefore performed genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression microarray studies of 215 adult patients with B-lineage ALL enrolled in the ECOG E2993 phase III trial. Patients had a median follow-up 4.75 years (3.5 months to 13 years) and median age 39 years (17 to 63 years). BCR/ABL(+) cases (n=83) had a worse overall survival (OS, p=0.08) than BCR/ABL(-) cases (n=132). The smaller difference in survival in this series between BCR/ABL(+) and (-) cases is likely due to the use of imatinib in some of these patients. The HELP microarray assay was used to measure DNA methylation at 50,000 CpGs annotated to ∼22,000 RefSeq promoters. The accuracy of HELP was confirmed by extensive quantitative single locus validation studies. Supervised analysis revealed the presence of a markedly aberrant DNA methylation signature (166 genes) in BCR/ABL(+) ALL with the cutoff values of p<0.001 (FDR<0.002) and log fold change>1, and a differential gene expression profile of 416 genes at p<0.001 (FDR<0.004) and log fold change>1. Integrative analysis of expression and DNA methylation indicated that many of these genes are functionally connected within a gene network centered around IL8, which was over expressed and hypomethylated in BCR/ABL(+) cases, along with IL2RA(CD25), CEBPB, ABL1, ID1, IL15, BCL2L13, CD69, NOV, S100A8 and S100A9. KEGG and BioCarta pathway analysis also showed enrichment for IL8 signaling, NF-kB Activation, B Cell Development and Antigen Presentation pathways, suggesting these cytokine networks might play central and distinct roles in BCR/ABL(+) ALL. To identify a core set of functionally relevant genes, we explored the overlap of the DNA methylation and gene expression signatures. The overlap consisted of 13 genes, among which 11 showed inverse correlation, including CD200, GAB1, HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQB1, IL2RA (CD25), LST1, LTB, NOV, ROB04, S100A9, and CD38. Consistent with previous ECOG findings, CD25 positivity was a more dominant predictor than BCR/ABL, and could further stratify BCR/ABL(+) patients into a favorable (CD25-) and a poor (CD25+) outcome group (OS, p=0.07). When comparing CD25(+) and CD25(-) groups among BCR/ABL(+) cases, we found RhoH and UBE2J1 as the top differentially methylated and IL2RA(CD25) as the top differentially expressed genes, and all three genes showed concordant corresponding changes in expression and methylation. The aberrant DNA methylation signature of MLL/AF4 cases was even more dramatic, with 469 identified as differentially methylated (p<0.001 (FDR<0.015), log fold change>1) and 1108 genes differentially expressed (p<0.001 (FDR<0.009), log fold change>1). Integrated analysis of DNA methylation and expression implicated gene pathways centered around TNFA and MYC, respectively. A core set of 44 genes were identified overlapping between the methylation and gene expression signatures, among which 34 showed inverse correlation, including ANXA5, BRE, CAPG, CEBPA, FAIM, FLT3, FUT4, IGFBP7, IL1R2, ITGA7, ITGAE, MAP1A, MAP7, MRPL33, PARP8, RBKS, SLITRK4 and TFR2 with overexpression and hypomethylation, and BTBD3, CCR6, FYN, GAB1, GYPC, HPS4, IL2RA, KCNK3, LCK, LST1, LTB, PRKCH, QPCT, S100A13, SGPL1 and ZAP70 with underexpression and hypermethylation in MLL/AF4(+) ALL. All signatures were independent of B-ALL differentiation stage. Using univariate Cox Hazard Regression model adjusted by age, WBC, CD25 and BCR/ABL status, we furthermore identified 259 expression and 115 methylation markers which were significantly correlated with patient OS risk (p<0.01). Molecularly or immunophenotypically defined poor prognosis adult B- ALLs thus feature specific aberrant DNA methylation profiles with associated inversely correlated gene expression. These gene sets delineate specific biological functions that may contribute to disease phenotype and offer an opportunity for development of targeted therapy. Aberrantly methylated genes in adult B-ALL correlate with clinical risk independent of other clinical or molecular risk factors. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A Randomized Phase II Trial of Three Novel Regimens for Relapsed/ Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Demonstrates Encouraging Results with a Flavopiridol-Based Regimen: Results of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Trial E1906
Litzow, Mark R. , Wang, Victoria , Karp, Judith E. , Luger, Selina M. , Paietta, Elisabeth , Rowe, Jacob M. , Altman, Jessica K. , Pratz, Keith W. , Broun, E. Randolph, Tallman, Martin S. , Carroll, Martin P , Ketterling, Rhett P. , Kaufmann, Scott H. , Lazarus, Hillard M.

Blood | October 13, 2019 | Volume: 124 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 3742-3742

10.1182/blood.v124.21.3742.3742 Get It

Abstract Introduction: The therapy of relapsed/refractory AML remains poor and new treatment options are sorely needed. The Leukemia Committee of ECOG devised a randomized phase II trial of 3 novel regimens to determine overall response rates could be improved. Methods: Patients between the ages of 18 and 70 years with a prior diagnosis of AML who relapsed <1 year after initial achievement of complete remission (CR) or who were refractory to initial induction therapy (<2 courses) or to first reinduction after a relapse (<1 course) were eligible for this trial. Eligible patients were randomized equally to one of three regimens described in Table 1 below. The primary endpoint was achievement of a morphologic complete remission (CR) or a CR with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi). A 2 stage statistical design was planned with 18 patients (assuming 16 eligible) to be accrued in the first stage. If at least 3 CR+CRi were seen among the 16 eligible patients, an additional 19 patients (assuming 17 eligible) would be entered in the second stage. If 8 or more CR+CRi were seen in the 33 eligible patients, this would be considered evidence of a promising response rate. Results: This study activated October 16, 2008 and closed August 2, 2013 with a total of 92 patients accrued (91 eligible). The eligibility criteria were amended during the study to lower the upper age limit from 70 to 65 years because 6 treatment related deaths occurred in the initial 27 patients accrued to the FLAM regimen. All of these patients died of septic shock or multi-organ failure and 5 of the 6 died within 1 month of the start of therapy. Most of these patients were over age 65 ( 53, 62, 67, 68, 69 and 69 years). At the first stage analysis, of the first 16 eligible patients accrued to each arm there were 2 CR and 2 CRi in the CT arm, 2 CR and 2 CRi in the FLAM arm and 2 CR in the sirolimus-MEC arm. Thus, the sirolimus-MEC arm was closed to accrual with a total of 20 eligible patients and second stage accrual continued for the CT and FLAM arms. Among the 35, 36 and 20 eligible patients accrued to arms A, B and C, respectively, there were 2 CR and 3 CRi in the CT arm, 6 CR and 4 CRi in the FLAM arm, and 2 CR and 1 CRi in the sirolimus-MEC arm. All 10 CR or CRi of the FLAM arm were among the first 33 eligible patients, therefore FLAM was the only regimen to achieve our target. The overall response rates for arms A, B and C were 14% (90% CI 7.1% - 34.7%), 28% (90% CI 16.1% - 43.0%) and 15% (90% CI 4.2% - 34.4%), respectively. Among the 92 patients accrued, there were 5, 10 and 2 grade 5 events within 30 days of the end of therapy in arms A, B and C, respectively. The vast majority of these deaths were attributed to infection and multi-organ failure except two which were secondary to disease. Conclusion: In this high risk group of AML patients the FLAM regimen showed an encouraging response rate. A randomized phase II trial has also recently been completed exploring its use in the front-line setting with newly diagnosed high-risk AML. While the FLAM regimen was excessively toxic in elderly patients with relapsed or refractory disease, it is a suitable option for younger patients in this setting. Arm A: CT Carboplatin 150 mg/m2/day over 24 hours by continuous infusion IV for 5 days (days 1-5) Topotecan 1.6 mg/m2/day over 24 hours by continuous infusion IV for 5 days (days 1-5) Arm B: FLAM Flavopiridol 30 mg/m2 for ½ hour followed by 60 mg/m2 over 4 hours IV per day for 3 days Cytarabine 667 mg/m2 over 24 hours by continuous infusion IV for 3 days (days 6-8) Mitoxantrone 40 mg/m2 IV over 1-2 hours (day 9) Arm C: Sirolimus-MEC Sirolimus 12 mg by mouth on day 1, followed by 4 mg by mouth daily for 8 days (days 2-9) Mitoxantrone 8 mg/m2/day over 15 minutes IV for 5 days (days 4-8) Etoposide 100 mg/m2/day over 1 hour IV for 5 days (days 4-8) Cytarabine 1000 mg/m2/day over 3 hours IV for 5 days (days 4-8) Table 2. Responses Table 1. Chemotherapy Regimens Regimen n Median age (range), years Responses (%) Deaths (first 30 days) (%) CT 35 55 (23-67) 5 (14%) 5 (14%) FLAM 36 62 (19-69) 10 (28%) 10 (28%) Sirolimus-MEC 20 52 (22-68) 3 (15%) 2 (10%) Disclosures Off Label Use: Sirolimus-potentiate chemotherapy Carboplatin-chemotherapy for AML treatment Topotecan-chemotherapy for AML treatment.
High-Throughput Mutational Profiling In AML: Mutational Analysis of the ECOG E1900 Trial
Patel, Jay P., Gönen, Mithat , Fernández, Hugo F. , Sun, Zhuoxin , Racevskis, Janis, lierberghe, Pieter Van, Cheng, Janice, Viale, Agnès , Heguy, Adriana , Gallagher, Robert E. , Litzow, Mark R. , Rowe, Jacob M. , Ferrando, Adolfo A. , Paietta, Elisabeth , Tallman, Martin S. , Abdel‐Wahab, Omar , Figueroa, María E. , Dolgalev, Igor , Socci, Nicholas D. , Ketterling, Rhett P. , Melnick, Ari , Levine, Ross L.

Blood | October 13, 2019 | Volume: 116 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 851-851

10.1182/blood.v116.21.851.851 Get It

Abstract Abstract 851 Clinical studies have demonstrated that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is heterogeneous with respect to presentation and to clinical outcome, and many studies have shown that cytogenetics can be used to improve prognostication. More recently, it has been shown that FLT3, NPM1, and CEBPA mutations can be used to further risk stratify AML patients. Although recent studies have identified novel, recurrent somatic mutations in AML in genes including TET2, ASXL1, IDH1, IDH2, and PHF6, their prognostic value has not yet been evaluated among patients treated on a large phase III clinical trial. Here we report full-length DNA resequencing of FLT3, NPM1, CEBPA, H/K/NRAS, KIT, WT1, TET2, ASXL1, IDH1/2, TP53, RUNX1, PTEN, and PHF6 in pre-treatment genomic DNA from 398 patients with de novo AML younger than 60 years of age enrolled in the ECOG E1900 protocol. We could identify a clonal alteration, defined as a somatic mutation or cytogenetic abnormality, in 91.2% of all patients; 42% had 1 somatic alteration, 36.4% had 2 alterations, 11.3% had 3 alterations and 1.5% had 4 or more somatic alterations. Mutational Analysis: We identified somatic mutations in FLT3 (37% total; 30% ITD, 7% TKD), NPM1 (14%), CEBPA (10%), TET2 (10%), NRAS (10%), WT1 (10%), KIT (9%), IDH2 (8%), IDH1 (6%), RUNX1 (6%), ASXL1 (4%), PHF6 (3%), KRAS (2.5%), TP53 (2%), and PTEN (1.5%) (Figure 1A). We then performed correlation analysis to determine the frequency of different mutational combinations in AML patients. In addition to previously identified mutational correlations (FLT3 and NPM1, KIT and core binding factor leukemia), we found that FLT3 and ASXL1 mutations were mutually exclusive in this large cohort (p =0.0008). In addition, we found that IDH1/IDH2 mutations were mutually exclusive of both TET2 (p=0.02), and WT1 (p=0.01) mutations consistent with overlapping roles in AML pathogenesis (Figure 1B). Integration of mutational data with response data and outcome: Mutations in ASXL1 (CR rate 33.3% versus 66.5% for ASXL1-WT patients; p= 0.009) were enriched in patients who did not respond to induction chemotherapy. We found that mutations in FLT3 (p=0.0005), ASXL1 (p=0.005; Figure 1C), and PHF6 (p=0.02) were associated with reduced OS. Notably, the adverse effects of ASXL1 and PHF6 mutations on outcome were restricted to patients treated with standard dose daunorubicin (p<0.01 for each mutational cohort); ASXL1 and PHF6 mutational status did not affect outcome in patients treated with high-dose daunorubicin, demonstrating that increased intensity induction chemotherapy can improve outcomes in genetically defined poor risk AML subsets. We also found that mutations in CEBPA (p= 0.04) and in IDH2 (p=0.003) were associated with improved OS; the favorable impact of IDH2 mutations on outcome was exclusive to patients with IDH2 R140Q mutations (Figure 1D). Within the subset of patients with cytogenetically defined intermediate risk AML, we found, as expected, that FLT3-ITD mutations were associated with reduced OS and CEBPA mutations were associated with improved OS. Importantly, we found that IDH2 R140Q mutations were associated with improved OS (p=0.003) in patients with intermediate risk AML regardless of FLT3 mutational status. In contrast, TET2 mutations (P=0.0002) and PHF6 (p<0.0001) were associated with reduced OS in intermediate risk, FLT3-WT, AML. Summary: These data provide important clinical implications of genetic alterations in AML and provides insight into the multistep pathogenesis of adult AML. We identified novel mutations that impact response to induction chemotherapy and predict overall outcome, including ASXL1, PHF6, TET2 and IDH2, suggesting these mutations can be used to improve AML risk stratification and therapeutic decisions in AML patients 18–60 years of age. Most importantly, we identify TET2, IDH1/2, and WT1 mutations as mutually exclusive somatic alterations that form a novel mutational complementation group that contributes to AML pathogenesis. Figure 1. A) Circos diagram depicting relative frequency and pairwise co-occurrence of mutations in de novo AML patients enrolled in the ECOG protocol E1900. B) Circos diagram showing mutational events in IDH1/2, TET2, and WT1 mutant AML patient. C) Overall survival in AML patients with and without ASXL1 mutations (p=0.005). D) Overall survival in AML patients with and without IDH2 R172 and R140 mutations (p=0.003). Figure 1. A) Circos diagram depicting relative frequency and pairwise co-occurrence of mutations in de novo AML patients enrolled in the ECOG protocol E1900. B) Circos diagram showing mutational events in IDH1/2, TET2, and WT1 mutant AML patient. C) Overall survival in AML patients with and without ASXL1 mutations (p=0.005). D) Overall survival in AML patients with and without IDH2 R172 and R140 mutations (p=0.003). Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Increased Incidence of Therapy Related Myeloid Neoplasia (t-MN) After Initial Therapy for CLL with Fludarabine-Cyclophosphamide (FC) Vs Fludarabine (F): Long-Term Follow-up of US Intergroup Study E2997
Grever, Michael R. , Bennett, John M. , Dewald, Gordon W., Paietta, Elisabeth , Litzow, Mark R. , Rowe, Jacob M. , Lucas, David , Kitada, Shinichi, Jelinek, Diane F., Byrd, John C. , Reed, John C. , Hussein, Mohamad A., Appelbaum, Frederick R. , Moore, Dennis F., Tallman, Martin S. , Smith, Mitchell R. , Neuberg, Donna , Flinn, Ian W. , Gribben, John G. , Larson, Richard A.

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 116 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 924-924

10.1182/blood.v116.21.924.924 Get It

Abstract Abstract 924 Background: Therapy-related myeloid neoplasia (t-MN), including myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia, has been reported at a higher frequency with chlorambucil + fludarabine as compared to fludarabine alone, but has not been rigorously studied in the context of cyclophosphamide as an alkylator agent. The intergroup prospective randomized Phase 3 trial, E2997, compared FC with F alone as initial therapy for patients (pt) with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). FC therapy led to higher complete and overall response rates and longer progression-free survival at the initial analysis (Flinn et al JCO 2007). One rationale for combining F with C is that F can inhibit repair of DNA damage induced by C. FC did cause more myelosuppression that could lead to more long-term effects on myeloid hematopoietic function, including t-MN. Methods: E2997 enrolled 278 pts, 141 on FC and 137 on F. These cases were assessed for t-MN by required reporting of these events. Baseline genetic and molecular features of CLL were available through a companion lab correlative trial for 235 pts, 122 on FC and 113 on F. Results: With median follow-up of 6.4 yrs, there have been 13 (4.7%) reported cases of t-MN, 9 after FC and 4 after F. By cumulative incidence methodology, adjusting for the competing risk of death, the rates of t-MN at 7 yr are 8.2% after FC and 4.6% after F (p=0.18 by the Gray test). Median age at study entry of the t-MN pts was 60 (range 45–80) yrs vs 61 (range 33–86) yrs among those not reported to have t-MN. Median time from initial therapy to diagnosis of t-MN was 5 (range 0.7–8) yrs and did not differ between FC and F. Ten of 13 affected pts received 6 chemotherapy cycles. Additional therapy prior to occurrence of t-MN was given to only 2 of 9 FC pts, in contrast to 3 of 4 F pts. Thus, t-MN occurred in only 1 pt treated with F and no further therapy vs 7 who received FC and no further therapy. Ten of 12 pts with available cytogenetics at diagnosis of t-MN had an abnormality of chromosome 5 and/or 7, common to alkylating agent-induced t-MN, usually (n=8) with complex karyotype. Of the 9 pts with t-MN after FC, all 7 with available CLL data had lower risk IgVH mutated disease, in contrast to 1 of 4 with t-MN after F and 44% in the entire cohort. Conclusion: Our analysis suggests that a higher incidence of t-MN has occurred after FC than after F. t-MN after FC occurred most often without additional therapy and in IgVH mutated CLL which is associated with more favorable outcome. The increased incidence of t-MN after FC in this study, usually in the absence of additional treatment, suggests that FC is more leukemogenic than F. This finding emphasizes a need for longer follow-up of toxicity and survival before concluding that FC is preferable to F as the chemotherapy backbone for initial therapy of both low and high risk CLL. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Young Adults Presenting with Extramedullary Acute Myeloid Leukemia Have A Unique Sensitivity to High Doses of Anthracyclines: Subset Analysis of ECOG 1900,
Fernández, Hugo F. , Sun, Zhuoxin , Litzow, Mark R. , Luger, Selina M. , Paietta, Elisabeth , Racevskis, Janis, Dewald, Gordon W., Bennett, John M. , Rowe, Jacob M. , Tallman, Martin S. , Ketterling, Rhett P. , Lazarus, Hillard M.

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 118 | Issue: 21 | Pages: 3619-3619

10.1182/blood.v118.21.3619.3619 Get It

Abstract Abstract 3619 Extramedullary (EM) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is generally associated with a poor prognosis. We evaluated the baseline characteristics, response and survival characteristics in a subset of patients age ≤ 60 years with de novo AML and EM manifestations at presentation, treated on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group E1900 protocol: daunorubicin 45 or 90 mg /m2 x3 days in conjunction with cytarabine 100 mg/m2 × 7 days followed by risk-stratified consolidation. (Fernandez et al New Engl J Med 2009) Methods: Patient baseline characteristics were compared using Fisher's exact test if they were categories and Wilcoxon rank sum tests if they were continuous. Logistic regression models were used for complete remission (CR) rates and Cox regression models were used for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The univariate models included indication of whether patient had extramedullary disease involvement, adjusted by induction treatment. The multivariate models were further adjusted for age, gender, cytogenetic risk, ECOG PS, WBC, platelets, marrow blast, hemoglobin, peripheral blasts, and secondary AML. All P values were based on 2-sided tests. Results: 58 (8.9%) of 651 patients in the study presented with evidence of EM at diagnosis. Patients with EM disease were younger and presented with higher peripheral WBC counts and circulating blasts than those without. Immunophenotyping did not demonstrate a difference in baseline CD56 expression (p=0.77). Sites of EM involvement included gingival hypertrophy (n= 33), skin (n= 7), central nervous system (n= 6), lymphadenopathy (n=6), mediastinum (n=2) and other (n=6). 3 patients had multiple sites. Cytogenetic risk in the EM subgroup was favorable (8.6%), indeterminate (inadequate/missing) (34.5%), intermediate (37.9%) and unfavorable (19%) and did not differ statistically from those without EM disease. The complete remission (CR) rates were similar for patients with EM disease compared to those patient's without, regardless of the anthracycline dose (univariate model p= 0.93; multivariate model p=0.88. DFS (patients in CR) and OS of patients with EM disease was not significantly different in the univariate (p= 0.99, p=0.49) or multivariate models (p= 0.92, p=0.37), respectively. On multivariate modeling patients with EM AML who received the standard-dose of daunorubicin had a shorter OS (HR 1.86, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.91, p=0.006). OS was not improved in EM patients treated with high-dose daunorubicin (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.34 to 1.14, p=0.12) (Table). There was a significant difference in OS for patients with EM treated with the 90 mg/m2 dose of daunorubicin compared to patients with EM treated with the 45 mg/m2 dose (multivariate model: HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.76, p=0.01). Conclusion: Younger patients with de novo EM AML are sensitive to higher doses of anthracycline in induction therapy and should be treated in a similar fashion as patients without EM involvement. For both groups the higher doses of anthracycline are recommended as CR rates, DFS and OS are improved. Further evaluation of immunophenotypic and molecular/ genetic characteristics should be undertaken in this subset of patients. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
in Philadelphia-Chromosome-Negative Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Late Relapses Are Not Uncommon, Occur Mostly in Patients at Standard Risk and Have a Relatively Favorable Outcome. Results of the International ALL Trial: MRC Ukallxii/ECOG E2993
Ganzel, Chezi , Victoria, Wang Xin, Rowe, Jacob M. , Richards, Susan , Buck, Georgina , Chopra, Rajesh, Durrant, Ian, Marks, David I. , Franklin, Ian M., McMilan, Andrew K, Litzow, Mark R. , Paietta, Elisabeth , Luger, Selina M. , Wiernik, Peter H. , Douer, Dan , Tallman, Martin S. , Goldstone, Anthony H., Fielding, Adele K. , Richards, Susan M, Durrant, I. Jill, Franklin, Ian M., Lazarus, Hillard M.

Blood | October 12, 2019 | Volume: 126 | Issue: 23 | Pages: 795-795

10.1182/blood.v126.23.795.795 Get It

Abstract This study was coordinated by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (Robert L. Comis, MD and Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, PhD, Group Co-Chairs) and the Medical Research Counsel, United Kingdom, and supported in part by Public Health Service Grants CA180820, CA180794, CA180790, CA189859, CA180853, CA180791, and from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute. Background: Late relapse in acute leukemia is considered a relatively rare event. Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are often considered cured of the disease at 3 years, but information regarding adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients is scarce. Data are presented from one of the largest prospective adult ALL studies, the MRC UKALLXII/ECOG E2993, to evaluate the rate and characteristics of late relapse in ALL. For this purpose, late relapse was defined, arbitrarily, as relapse 3 years post achievement of complete remission (CR) and very late relapse was defined as relapse > 5 years from CR. Methods: The UKALLXII/ECOG E2993 was an international ALL trial conducted jointly by the MRC in the United Kingdom and ECOG in the United States. All patients received identical induction therapy, followed by central nervous system prophylaxis. Patients with a sibling donor (or a matched unrelated donor in Philadelophia-chromosome-positive ALL) were assigned to receive an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT); all others were randomized to undergo an autologous transplant or protracted standard consolidation/ maintenance therapy. The study accrued 2109 patients from 1993 to 2008. Following relapse, patients were followed for survival. For this report only patients registered before the tyrosine kinase inhibitors era are included in the analysis. Results: 1518 study patients were eligible for this analysis, 1208 (79.6%) Philadelphia-chromosome negative (Ph-neg) and 267 (17.5%) Philadelphia-chromosome positive (Ph-pos). 1381 (91%) of the patients achieved CR; 93% of the Ph-neg and 82% of the Ph-pos. 572 patients (37.7%) underwent allogeneic HSCT. The median duration of follow-up of patients who achieved CR was 10 years. Among the 1381 patients who achieved CR, 626 (45.3%) had a documented relapse; 566 (90.4%) relapsed within 3 years of CR and 60 (9.6%) relapsed beyond 3 years ('late relapse') (Figure 1). Among these 60 patients, 18(2.9%) relapsed after 5 years ('very late relapse'). Table. Patients n CR All relapses Relapses< 3 years Relapses≥ 3 years Relapses≥ 5 years All patients 1518 1381 (91%) 626 (45.3%) 566 (90.4%) 60 (9.6%) 18 (2.9%) Ph-neg 1208 (79.6%) 1123 (93%) 485 (40.1%) 429 (88.5%) 56 (11.5%) 17 (3.5%) Ph-pos 268 (17.5%) 219 (82%) 124 (56.6%) 122 (98.4%) 2 (1.6%) 1 (0.8%) Relapse beyond 3 years occurred in 4.3% of all who achieved CR, in 5% of Ph-neg and 0.01% of Ph-pos patients. Among the 60 late relapses, the median time to relapse was 46 months. 61.7% of the late-relapse patients were males, median age was 32 years, 88.3% were B-lineage ALL and the median white cell count at diagnosis was 6000/ul. 56.7% were in cytogenetic standard risk, 8.3% at high risk and the data of 35% are unknown. The median survival for the late relapse patients was longer than for those who relapsed within 3 years. The overall survival (OS) of the 56 Ph-neg patients who relapsed beyond 3 years is shown in Fig 2. Table.Relapse > 3 yearsRelapse > 3 yearsMedian survival from relapse (months)5.411.23-year OS from relapse6.5%29%5-year OS from relapse5.6%19% Conclusions: Late relapses in adults with Ph-neg ALL are not uncommon. About 10% of relapses occur beyond 3 years and 4.3% of all ALL patients who achieved a CR can expect to have a late relapse. These data are in contrast to AML where only 1% of patients relapse beyond 3 years (Watts JM et al, 2014). Most of the late relapse patients were at standard risk and appeared to have a relatively favorable outcome post relapse. Patients with ALL, particularly those who are Ph-neg, cannot be considered as cured at 3 years and need to be closely followed. Figure 1. Time to relapse of Ph-pos and Ph-neg ALL Figure 1. Time to relapse of Ph-pos and Ph-neg ALL Figure 2. Survival from relapse for Ph-neg patients who relapsed after 3 years from CR. Figure 2. Survival from relapse for Ph-neg patients who relapsed after 3 years from CR. Disclosures Rowe: Amgen: Consultancy; BioSight Ltd.: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BioLineRx Ltd.: Consultancy. Douer:Gilead: Consultancy.