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Muffly, Lori

0000-0002-9887-6136

Mayo Clinic

Stanford University

Citations 35

Regional practice differences significantly impact benefit from post-HCT gilteritinib for FLT3-ITD AML
Levis, Mark J. , Hamadani, Mehdi , Logan, Brent R, Jones, Richard J., Singh, Anurag K, Litzow, Mark R. , Papadopoulos, Esperanza B. , Perl, Alexander E. , Soiffer, Robert J., Üstün, Celalettin , Vasu, Sumithira, Solh, Melhem , Mishra, Asmita , Muffly, Lori , Stelljes, Matthias, Onozawa, Masahiro , Thomson, Kirsty , Chen, Caroline , Hasabou, Nahla, Rosales, Matt, Gill, Stanley C. , Nuthethi, Rishita, King, Denise , Mendizabal, Adam , Horowitz, Mary M, Chen, Yi‐Bin , Papadopoulos, Esperanza , Perl, Alexander E , Ustun, Celalettin , Ueda Oshima, Masumi , Uy, Geoffrey , Waller, Edmund K , Muffly, Lori , Kim, Hee-Je , Najima, Yuho , Onozawa, Masahiro , Hill, Jason , Devine, Steven , Chen, Yi-Bin , Hamadani, Mehdi , Logan, Brent R. , Jones, Richard J. , Singh, Anurag K. , Wingard, John R. , Soiffer, Robert J. , Ueda, Masumi , Uy, Geoffrey L. , Waller, Edmund K. , Vasu, Sumithira , Stelljes, Matthias , Hill, Jason E. , Devine, Steven M. , Horowitz, Mary M.

Blood Advances | July 31, 2026 | Volume: No volume available | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available

10.1182/bloodadvances.2026020327 Get It

BMT CTN 1506 ("MORPHO") was a phase 3 study of post-hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) maintenance with gilteritinib versus placebo for patients with FLT3-ITD-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first remission. Subgroup analysis indicated a significant benefit of post-HCT gilteritinib for participants in North America, but no benefit for those in Europe or Asia. We conducted a post-hoc analysis of the data focusing on days from AML diagnosis to HCT, pre-HCT FLT3 inhibitor use, and FLT3-ITD measurable residual disease (MRD). Participants transplanted < 120 days from AML diagnosis and/or those treated with FLT3 inhibition pre-HCT were more likely to have improved survival from post-HCT gilteritinib. Pre-HCT MRD levels were higher (P = 0.001) in participants transplanted within 120 days from diagnosis and in those treated with a FLT3 inhibitor pre-HCT and transplanted within 120 days (P = 0.008). Pre-HCT MRD was dependent on both FLT3 inhibitor use and time to HCT, as participants treated with successive courses of chemotherapy + FLT3 inhibition had successively lower MRD by the time of HCT. Time from AML diagnosis to HCT and pre-HCT FLT3 inhibitor use both appeared to impact MRD levels immediately prior to HCT, and geographic differences in these two practice patterns likely accounted for the observed regional differences in benefit from post-HCT gilteritinib. Increasing the number of courses of treatment pre-HCT may lower MRD sufficiently to eliminate the need for post-HCT inhibition, but with a presumed risk of some patients experiencing early progression. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02997202.
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.
Consensus recommendations for CAR T-cell administration in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a modified Delphi study
Muffly, Lori , Frey, Noelle V. , Roloff, Gregory W. , Park, Jae H, Advani, Anjali S. , Bachanová, Veronika , Cassaday, Ryan D. , Daunov, Michael , Dykes, Kaitlyn C. , Gatell, Vivian Irizarry , Jamy, Omer , Kota, Vamsi, Kumaran, Muthu, O’Dwyer, Kristen M. , Oliai, Caspian , Schwartz, Marc S., Solh, Melhem M., Stock, Wendy, Tsai, Stephanie B., Ulrickson, Matthew L., Vasu, Sumithira, Leonard, Jessica T., Aldoss, Ibrahim, Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai R , Advani, Anjali S , Cassaday, Ryan D , Daunov, Michael , Dykes, Kaitlyn C , Grunwald, Michael , Hilal, Talal , Hill, LaQuisa C , Jamy, Omer , Lin, Chenyu , Logan, Aaron C , Luskin, Marlise R , O'Dwyer, Kristin , Oliai, Caspian H , Oluwole, Olalekan O , Sasine, Joshua , Wang, Eunice S. , Strickland, Stephen Anthony , Leonard, Jessica T , Shah, Bijal , Bachanova, Veronika , Muffly, Lori , Frey, Noelle V , Roloff, Gregory W , Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai , Grunwald, Michael R. , Hilal, Talal , Hill, LaQuisa C. , Kota, Vamsi , Oluwole, Olalekan O. , Sasine, Joshua , Solh, Melhem , Stock, Wendy , Tsai, Dr. Stephanie B., Ulrickson, Matthew L. , Vasu, Sumithira , Yalniz, Fevzi , Shah, Bijal , Aldoss, Ibrahim

Blood | May 19, 2026 | Volume: 148 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 657-668

10.1182/blood.2026033559 Get It

Abstract The use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is increasing for adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), with 3 CD19 CAR T-cell products commercially available. Several key clinical questions related to best practices for CAR T-cell administration in this population exist, and limited prospective randomized trials have been conducted to fill these knowledge gaps. Thus, to help guide clinical practice, we conducted a modified Delphi study to develop and validate consensus recommendations on the administration of commercially available CAR T-cell therapy for adults with B-ALL. Consensus panelists (n = 9) included principal investigators (PIs) from Real World Outcomes Collaborative of CAR T-Cell Therapy in Adult ALL (ROCCA) consortium sites and were selected based on expertise and CAR T-cell center volume. Final panel consensus recommendations were distributed for rating by the remaining PIs from ROCCA consortium sites, which served as the validation group (n = 27). Consensus topics included patient selection, bridging and pre–CAR T-cell leukemia staging, lymphodepletion, and CAR T-cell treatment setting, specific toxicity prevention and management, post–CAR T-cell response assessment and disease monitoring, and the role of consolidation and/or maintenance therapies after CAR T-cell therapy. Initially, 58 recommendation statements were evaluated for consensus. After 2 panel meetings, a total of 34 statements achieved consensus rating among the expert panel. After rating by the validation group, all but 1 recommendation statement continued to meet consensus, for a total of 33 consensus recommendation statements on the administration of CAR T-cell therapy in adult B-ALL.
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.
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.
Effect of FLT3 maintenance in older FLT3-ITD+ adults undergoing allogeneic HCT. a post hoc analysis of BMT CTN 1506
Abedin, Sameem , Baidoo, Victor, Szabo, Aniko, 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 , Chen, Caroline , Hasabou, Nahla, Rosales, Mathew, Gill, Stanley C. , Nuthethi, Rishita, King, Denise , Mendizabal, Adam , Horowitz, Mary, Chen, Yi‐Bin , Levis, Mark J., Muffly, Lori , Abedin, Sameem , Litzow, Mark R. , Wingard, John R. , Oshima, Masumi Ueda, Uy, Geoffrey L. , Waller, Edmund K. , Kim, Hee-Je , Najima, Yuho , Rosales, Mathew, Hill, Jason E. , King, Denise, Devine, Steven M. , Levis, Mark J. , Hamadani, Mehdi

Blood | December 4, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 170-170

10.1182/blood-2025-170 Get It

Abstract INTRODUCTION Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) is indicated in patients (pts) with FLT3-ITD mutated AML. The randomized BMT CTN 1506 trial (Levis et al. JCO) demonstrated that maintenance with FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib (gilt) significantly improved relapse-free survival (RFS) among pts with detectable peri-alloHCT minimal residual disease (MRD) but was also associated with a greater degree of myelosuppression and infections. In older pts, aged >60 years, increasing post-HCT toxicity may adversely impact outcomes. On this basis, we performed a post-hoc analysis of pts aged > 60 years enrolled onto BMT CTN 1506 to examine the impact of gilteritinib maintenance in older pts. METHODS Pts ≥60 years randomized on BMT CTN 1506 (gilt=47, placebo=57; N=104) were included. The primary endpoint of this post-hoc analysis was RFS. We additionally assessed overall survival (OS), incidence of relapse, non-relapse mortality (NRM) in all pts and in pts with detectable MRD. RESULTS Baseline characteristics were balanced. Age was similar (65.2 vs 64.7 years; p = 0.12), as was prior TKI exposure, and NPM1 mutation status. Myeloablative conditioning (MAC) was used in 8 (17%) pts randomized to gilt and 18 (32%) pts randomized to placebo (p=0.08). Median f/u of survivors was 43.8 months (range:1-61 mo.). Estimated RFS and OS at 48 months were not different between groups (RFS: gilt: 57.0%, 95%CI 44.1-73.7%, placebo: 57.1%, 95%CI 45.4-71.8%; OS: gilt: 56.9%, 95%CI 42.9-46.7%, placebo: 58.4%, 95%CI 46.7-73.1%). While gilt assignment did not affect survival, several predictors of poorer survival were identified including use of reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) (HR = 3.46; p = 0.014), use of calcineurin inhibitor/MTX for graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis (HR = 2.29; p = 0.041), high-risk cytogenetics (HR = 2.64; p = 0.021), and MRD (+) pre-HCT (HR = 2.29; p = 0.018). Finally, relative to gilt assignment, opposing rates of relapse and NRM were observed. The incidence of relapse was lower with gilt (16%, 95%CI 6.8-28% vs 32%, 95%CI 20-45%, p=0.046) but NRM was higher (27%, 95%CI 15-41% vs 11%, 95% CI 4.3-21%, p=0.033). We next analyzed the 49 pts (gilt=22, placebo=27) with detectable peri-HCT MRD. RFS and OS again were not different (RFS: gilt: 44.4%, 95%CI 27.1-72.7%, placebo: 43.8%, 95%CI 28.4-67.5%, OS: gilt: 49.2%,95%CI, 31.3-77.4%, placebo: 55.6%, 95%CI 39.4-77.8%). The incidence of relapse trended lower in gilt pts (25%, 95%CI, 5.3-44.7% vs 45% (95%CI, 25-63%), p=0.2) while NRM trended higher (31%, 95%CI 12-52% vs 11%, 95%CI, 2.7-26%, p=0.12). Seventeen (36%) patients completed planned 2 year maintenance with gilt compared to 29 (51%) completing therapy with placebo. Median time on gilt was 13.2 months. The most common reason for discontinuation was adverse events (n=19, 40%), of which cytopenias (n=8) and infections (n=4) were most frequent. Non-relapse causes of death among gilt treated pts included infections (n=8), intracranial hemorrhage related to thrombocytopenia (n=1), second cancer (n=1), and Guillain-Barre syndrome (n=1). Most infections (n=5) were attributed to GVHD as an underlying cause. CONCLUSION Among pts aged ≥60 years, gilt maintenance did not improve RFS or OS. Gilt use was associated with reduced relapse regardless of peri-HCT MRD status demonstrating disease effect; however, higher NRM limited overall benefit. In older FLT3 mutated pts, employing strategies to mitigate HCT related toxicity, e.g. alternative GVHD prophylaxis strategies, may better accommodate use of maintenance therapy including gilt. Lower doses of gilt (particularly with azole co-use) may be worth exploring to mitigate drug AEs, improve compliance, thus further improving benefit.
Time from AML diagnosis to HCT and pre-HCT FLT3 inhibition impact pre-transplant MRD and benefit from post-HCT gilteritinib
Levis, Mark J., 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 , Chen, Caroline , Hasabou, Nahla, Rosales, Mathew, Gill, Stanley C. , Nuthethi, Rishita, King, Denise , Mendizabal, Adam , Horowitz, Mary, Chen, Yi‐Bin , Muffly, Lori , Levis, Mark J. , Hamadani, Mehdi , Litzow, Mark R. , Wingard, John R. , Oshima, Masumi Ueda, Uy, Geoffrey L. , Waller, Edmund K. , Vasu, Sumithira , Kim, Heeje, Najima, Yuho , Rosales, Mathew, Hill, Jason E. , King, Denise, Devine, Steven M.

Blood | December 4, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 1058-1058

10.1182/blood-2025-1058 Get It

Abstract Aims BMT CTN 1506 (“MORPHO”) was a global phase 3 study of post-hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) maintenance with gilteritinib versus placebo for patients with FLT3-ITD-mutated AML in CR1. The study did not meet its primary endpoint of improved relapse-free survival (RFS) for post-HCT gilteritinib, but subgroup analysis indicated a benefit for participants with pre-HCT measurable residual disease (MRD). Subgroup analysis also indicated a statistically significant benefit of post-HCT gilteritinib for participants in North America, but no benefit for those in Europe or Asia. RFS for the control arms in Europe and Asia was higher than anticipated, suggesting that participants with different disease biology may have accrued to the study in these different geographic regions. In the primary analysis of the study, pre-HCT FLT3 inhibitor use and MRD across the entire study population were both found to have impacted outcomes. Time from diagnosis to HCT, a reflection of local practice patterns, is also known to impact outcomes for FLT3-ITD AML. We hypothesized that local practice patterns of pre-HCT FLT3 inhibitor use and time from AML diagnosis to HCT could have influenced the disease biology of study pts at the time of enrollment. This would be predicted to result in pre-HCT MRD levels and could provide an explanation for the regional differences observed in the study outcome. Methods We conducted a post-hoc analysis of the data focusing on days from AML diagnosis to HCT, pre-HCT FLT3 inhibitor use, and FLT3-ITD MRD assessed by a high-sensitivity assay. Eligibility requirements included FLT3-ITD-mutated AML in first remission after intensive chemotherapy and HCT occurring within 12 months of achieving remission. Patients refractory to induction therapy, or those with a history of relapse, were ineligible. Results Accrual took place in 16 different countries, with 5 countries accounting for 79.7% of the total accrual: USA 42.7%; Japan 15.7%; Korea 8.4%; UK 6.7%; Germany 6.2%; other countries 20.2%. In two countries, USA and Germany (48.9% of total enrollment), participants underwent HCT a median of 119 days after AML diagnosis, and 90.2% were treated with a FLT3 inhibitor pre-HCT. In contrast, in Japan, Korea, the UK and the other 11 countries all combined, participants underwent HCT a median of 152.5 days after AML diagnosis, and only 30.8% received any FLT3 inhibitor pre-HCT. Amongst all participants, those transplanted < 120 days from AML diagnosis and/or those treated with FLT3 inhibition pre-HCT were more likely to have improved RFS from post-HCT gilteritinib. RFS was improved with post-HCT gilteritinib in the US and Germany (HR 0.397; CI 0.220-0.718), whereas no benefit was evident in all other countries combined (HR 1.184; CI 0.685-2.048). Pre-HCT MRD levels were significantly higher (P = 0.011) in participants transplanted within 120 days from diagnosis as well as in those treated with a FLT3 inhibitor pre-HCT and also transplanted within 120 days (P = 0.019). Pre-HCT MRD was dependent on both FLT3 inhibitor use and time to HCT, as participants treated with successive courses of chemotherapy + FLT3 inhibition had successively lower MRD by the time of HCT. Conclusions The time from AML diagnosis to HCT and FLT3 inhibitor use pre-HCT both appeared to impact MRD levels immediately prior to HCT, and geographic differences in these two practice patterns likely accounted for the regional differences in benefit from post-HCT gilteritinib observed in BMT CTN 1506. Successive courses of chemotherapy without FLT3 inhibition appears to have selected a more favorable risk (e.g., MRD-lower) population for enrollment. Successive courses of chemotherapy combined with FLT3 inhibition progressively eradicated MRD, such that a majority of participants undergoing HCT after 3 or 4 courses were MRD negative and therefore unlikely to benefit from post-HCT gilteritinib. These findings have implications for clinical practice. Increasing the number of courses of chemotherapy combined with FLT3 inhibition before HCT may lower MRD sufficiently to eliminate the need for post-HCT inhibition for some patients but, alternatively, the additional delay could increase the risk of pre-HCT relapse, preventing patients from receiving HCT in first remission.
CRS/ICANS Prophylaxis does not Improve Outcomes in adult patients with Relapsed/Refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) treated with brexucabtagene autoleucel
McCauley, Ross, Zhang, Amy, Kota, Vamsi, Boccucci, Jacob, Grunwald, Michael, Ulrickson, Matthew, Hill, LaQuisa, Muhsen, Ibrahim, Sasine, Joshua, Advani, Anjali, Aldoss, Ibrahim, Sandhu, Karamjeet, Reshef, Ran, Luskin, Marlise, Lin, Chenyu, Cassaday, Ryan, Kopmar, Noam, Solh, Melhem, Bobillo, Silvina Odstrcil, Tsai, Stephanie, Hilal, Talal, Shah, Bijal, Faramand, Rawan, Park, Jae, Valtis, Yannis, Othman, Tamer, Vasu, Sumithira, Bezerra, Evandro, Leonard, Jessica, Tan, Virginia, O'Dwyer, Kristen, Moore, Jozal, Jamy, Omer, Mohty, Razan, Kumaran, Muthu, Hoeg, Rasmus, Stock, Wendy, Oliai, Caspian, Lill, Georgia, Schwartz, Marc, Koura, Divya, Dykes, Kaitlyn, Logan, Aaron, Daunov, Michael, Byrd, Ken, Yalniz, Fevzi, Frey, Noelle, Connor, Matthew, Yaghmour, George, Gatell, Vivian Irizarry, Jackson, Clayton, Oluwole, Olalekan, Al-Darobi, Ali, Chen, Evan, Lee, Catherine, O'Connor, Timothy, Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai, Bachanova, Veronika, Tracy, Sean, Srinagesh, Hrishikesh, Miller, Katharine, Sutherland, Katherine, Majhail, Navneet, Mountjoy, Luke, Malik, Shahbaz, Ramakrishnan, Aravind, Shaughnessy, Paul, Mathews, John, Wang, Eunice, Battiwalla, Minoo, Roloff, Gregory, Muffly, Lori, Muffly, Lori , Muffly, Lori , McCauley, Ross, Zhang, Amy, Kota, Vamsi, Boccucci, Jacob, Grunwald, Michael, Ulrickson, Matthew, Hill, LaQuisa, Muhsen, Ibrahim, Sasine, Joshua, Advani, Anjali, Aldoss, Ibrahim, Sandhu, Karamjeet, Reshef, Ran, Luskin, Marlise, Lin, Chenyu, Cassaday, Ryan, Kopmar, Noam, Solh, Melhem, Bobillo, Silvina Odstrcil, Tsai, Stephanie, Hilal, Talal, Shah, Bijal, Faramand, Rawan, Park, Jae, Valtis, Yannis, Othman, Tamer, Vasu, Sumithira, Bezerra, Evandro, Leonard, Jessica, Tan, Virginia, O'Dwyer, Kristen, Moore, Jozal, Jamy, Omer, Mohty, Razan , Kumaran, Muthu, Hoeg, Rasmus, Stock, Wendy, Oliai, Caspian, Lill, Georgia, Schwartz, Marc, Koura, Divya, Dykes, Kaitlyn, Logan, Aaron, Daunov, Michael, Byrd, Ken, Yalniz, Fevzi, Frey, Noelle, Connor, Matthew, Yaghmour, George, Gatell, Vivian Irizarry, Jackson, Clayton, Oluwole, Olalekan, Al-Darobi, Ali, Chen, Evan, Lee, Catherine, O'Connor, Timothy, Dholaria, Bhagirathbhai, Bachanova, Veronika, Tracy, Sean, Srinagesh, Hrishikesh, Miller, Katharine, Sutherland, Katherine, Majhail, Navneet, Mountjoy, Luke, Malik, Shahbaz, Ramakrishnan, Aravind, Shaughnessy, Paul, Mathews, John, Wang, Eunice, Battiwalla, Minoo, Roloff, Gregory

Blood | December 4, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 2396-2396

10.1182/blood-2025-2396 Get It

Abstract Introduction: CD19-directed CAR T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has substantially improved clinical outcomes for adults with relapsed or refractory (R/R) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). However, notable toxicities are associated with CAR-T, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). Variable practice patterns have emerged regarding the use of CRS/ICANS prophylaxis (ppx) via corticosteroids and/or other pharmacologic agents, but the utility of these approaches on reducing CRS or ICANS following CAR-T in B-ALL remains unknown. Thus, we utilized the Real-World Outcomes Collaborative for CAR T in ALL (ROCCA) database to evaluate associations between ppx and the development and severity of CRS or ICANS following brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) for B-ALL. Methods: Adult patients (pts) who received standard-of-care brexu-cel for relapsed/refractory B-ALL across 40+ US centers were included. Primary endpoints were the incidence of CRS and ICANS within 28 days of CAR-T infusion. Secondary endpoints included timing of CRS and ICANS onset, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression evaluated associations between ppx and incidence of CRS/ICANS; KM and log-rank methods were used for survival analyses. Results: A total of 378 pts were included: 53 pts (14.0%) received CRS/ICANS ppx and 325 (86.0%) received no ppx. Ppx agents included steroids only (26.4%), steroid and anakinra (52.8%), anakinra only (15.1%), and steroid and tocilizumab (5.7%). Pts in the ppx group had a higher proportion of Hispanic pts (64% vs 34%), Ph-like (36% vs 19%) and a lower proportion had 0-5% bone marrow blasts at apheresis (38% vs 53%). The ppx and no ppx groups were similar in age, prior therapies, CAR-T indication, and marrow blasts >50%. Cumulative incidence of any grade (gr) CRS was 94% with ppx and 86% with no ppx (p=0.025), of any gr ICANS was 53% with ppx and 51% with no ppx (0= 0.85). Cumulative incidence of gr 3-4 CRS was 9% in the ppx group and 10% in the no ppx group (p=1.00), of gr 3-4 ICANS was 26% in the ppx group and 29% in the no ppx group (p=0.71). Median time to onset for any gr CRS or any gr ICANS was identical in the ppx and no ppx cohorts (CRS: 5 days, range ppx 1-9 days, no ppx 0-14 days; ICANS: 7 days, ppx 1-20 days, no ppx 0-16 days). Univariate logistic regression analyses showed no significant association between ppx and the incidence of gr 2-4 CRS (OR 1.34, 95% CI: 0.75-2.40, p=0.326) or gr 3-4 ICANS (OR 0.88, 95% CI: 0.46-1.70, p=0.708). Multivariate analysis adjusting for ethnicity, leukemia genetic sub-type, and pre-apheresis disease burden similarly found no significant associations between ppx and gr 2-4 CRS (adjusted OR 1.06, 95% CI: 0.55-2.01, p=0.870) or gr 3-4 ICANS (OR 1.23, 95% CI: 0.59-2.55, p=0.584). When comparing steroid-only ppx (N=14) to steroid combinations or other drug ppx (N=39), there was no significant differences in gr 2-4 CRS (57% vs 44%, p=0.345) or gr 3-4 ICANS (43% vs 21%, p=0.115). Comparing cumulative incidence of dexamethasone (dex) exposure, pts in the ppx group had numerically greater dex exposure than pts in the no ppx group, with median (range) dosing of 182 mg (10-1386mg) and 100mg (1-4000mg), respectively. Finally, we found no significant differences in PFS or OS based on ppx. Median PFS was 9.6 months in the ppx group vs 13.3 months in the no ppx group (p=0.646) and median OS was 17.2 months in the ppx group vs 34.4 months in the no ppx group (p=0.170). Conclusions: In this large cohort of adult patients with R/R ALL receiving brexu-cel CAR-T therapy, prophylaxis intended to prevent CRS/ICANS was ineffective at reducing CRS/ICANS incidence, time to onset, or overall steroid exposure. Furthermore, PFS and OS were comparable between patients who received prophylaxis and those who did not. In the absence of prospective trials in B-ALL, these data suggest that current strategies of CRS/ICANS prophylaxis has limited benefit.