Serve, Hubert L.

Background: C10603/RATFIY was the first AML trial to show the benefit of adding a targeted agent to intensive chemotherapy for a specific genetically determined subset (Stone R et al, NEJM 2017). The addition of the multi-kinase inhibitor midostaurin (M) to chemotherapy in previously untreated adults with FLT3-mutant AML resulted in superior event-free (EFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to placebo (P) and led to the approval of this agent in combination therapy. Subsequently, additional targeted drugs including gilteritinib for relapsed/refractory FLT3-mutant AML and quizartinib plus chemotherapy in untreated adults with AML with FLT3-ITD disease have gained approval. Long-term follow-up after reporting of the primary endpoint, especially if met, is important in oncology. Objective: We report the EFS and OS data from C10603 using 10 years of follow up to determine the persistence of a midostaurin benefit and to assess the nature of late relapses or toxicity. Methods: C10603 enrolled 717 pts (360 on the M and 357 on the P arm; median age 47.8 years (range 18-61), 398 women (55.5%) of whom 51.7% were randomized to M and 59.4% to P (p=0.04), and 89% white) from 2011-2015 with previously untreated AML who had either a FLT3-TKD or ITD mutation with allelic ratio of >0.05 to receive daunorubicin/cytarabine (3+7) induction (one reinduction permitted) followed by up to 4 consolidation cycles with cytarabine 3 g/m2 every 12h on days 1, 3 and 5. M (50 mg bid) or P was given orally on days 8-22 of each chemotherapy cycle as well as daily during one year of single-agent maintenance. Allogeneic transplantation (alloHCT) was employed at investigator's discretion; study drug was not continued post-HCT. Pts stayed on their randomized arm and were not re-randomized prior to maintenance. Pts were followed for relapse and survival after the end of protocol therapy, regardless of subsequent therapy, for 10 years. Log-rank tests, Kaplan-Meier methods, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the treatment effect in EFS and OS, as well as the alloHCT effect. All p values are two-sided. Results: We have completed the 10-year FU on this trial and data collection has concluded. The median EFS was 8.2 months (95% CI, 5.5-11.4) on the M arm compared with 3.0 months for P (95% CI, 1.9-6.0) with a HR of 0.79 (95% CI 0.67-0.94, p=0.0067). Among the 420 CR pts who achieved complete remission (CR) by the protocol specified time of 60 days, 253 have had an event (death in 69 and relapse in 184); these events were relatively equal on each arm. OS, the co-primary endpoint, remained marginally superior for those randomized to M compared to P; the 10-year OS estimate was 43.7% (95% CI, 38.7-49.3%) vs 38.6% (95% CI, 33.6-44.4%) (p= 0.0485). The hazard ratios for OS favored randomization to M in each key biological subgroup (FLT3-ITD low or high allelic ratio or FLT3-TKD), but smaller subsets precluded statistical significance. There was a 10-year OS benefit in favor of M in men (p=0.005), but not women (p=0.9). A total of 414 transplants were performed: only 5 in the latter half of the follow-up period. Transplantation in CR1 was highly beneficial overall (10-year OS, 56% vs 35.8% without transplantation, p=0.001). Among those transplanted in CR1, randomization to M was marginally better than P (61.5% vs 49%, p=.064). After censoring for alloHCT in CR1, there was an OS trend in favor of M (51.8% v 48.0%, p=0.102). In CR1 patients who were randomized to maintenance therapy, M reduced the cumulative incidence of relapse in ELN 2017 favorable and intermediate risk pts, but not in those with adverse risk disease (HR 0.71, 0.47, and 1.01, respectively); maintenance M had no effect on OS. Only 3 pts relapsed after 5 years (all randomized to M). 25 pts randomized to M vs 13 P pts died after 5 years of follow-up. 5 pts on each arm died of a new primary cancer whereas 17 M and 5 P pts were coded as having died from treatment-related causes. None of the 3 pts who relapsed after 4 years had spliceosome mutations at diagnosis; whereas 18% (21/117) patients pts who had relapsed earlier had spliceosome mutations at diagnosis (p=0.419). Conclusions: The EFS benefit of randomization to midostaurin vs placebo when added to chemotherapy was maintained over time, although the benefit for OS was diminished, likely due in part to aging. Patient and disease factors differed between early vs late relapses, which could suggest the use of alternative therapies during distinct therapeutic stages.

Abstract Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) harboring FLT3 internal tandem duplications (ITDs) have poor outcomes, in particular AML with a high (≥0.5) mutant/wild-type allelic ratio (AR). The 2017 European LeukemiaNet (ELN) recommendations defined 4 distinct FLT3-ITD genotypes based on the ITD AR and the NPM1 mutational status. In this retrospective exploratory study, we investigated the prognostic and predictive impact of the NPM1/FLT3-ITD genotypes categorized according to the 2017 ELN risk groups in patients randomized within the RATIFY trial, which evaluated the addition of midostaurin to standard chemotherapy. The 4 NPM1/FLT3-ITD genotypes differed significantly with regard to clinical and concurrent genetic features. Complete ELN risk categorization could be done in 318 of 549 trial patients with FLT3-ITD AML. Significant factors for response after 1 or 2 induction cycles were ELN risk group and white blood cell (WBC) counts; treatment with midostaurin had no influence. Overall survival (OS) differed significantly among ELN risk groups, with estimated 5-year OS probabilities of 0.63, 0.43, and 0.33 for favorable-, intermediate-, and adverse-risk groups, respectively (P < .001). A multivariate Cox model for OS using allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in first complete remission as a time-dependent variable revealed treatment with midostaurin, allogeneic HCT, ELN favorable-risk group, and lower WBC counts as significant favorable factors. In this model, there was a consistent beneficial effect of midostaurin across ELN risk groups.

Abstract Background: Midostaurin (M) is a multi-targeted small molecule FLT3 inhibitor which has single agent activity in both internal tandem duplication (ITD) and tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) mutant FLT3 AML. The objective of this global rand phase III trial was to determine if the addition of M to ind and consol therapy followed by one year of maint would improve overall survival (OS) compared to standard chemotherapy in younger adults with activating FLT3 muts. Methods: Between May 2008 and October 2011, 3279 previously untreated AML pts age 18-60 (exclusive of acute promyelocytic leukemia) in 225 sites/17 countries were screened for FLT3 muts at one of 7 academic labs (subject to extensive assay cross-validation). Hydroxyurea was allowed for up to 5 d prior to beginning ind therapy while awaiting results of mut testing. Pts were rand for the duration of therapy to M or P stratified by FLT3 mut subtype (TKD v ITD high allelic mut fraction (>0.7) vs low mut fraction (0.05-0.7). Ind therapy consisted of D 60 mg/m2 IV d1-3 and C 200 mg/m2 d1-7 CIV plus M or P (50 mg po bid, d 8-22). Re-treatment with a second blinded course was allowed if residual AML was noted on a d 21 marrow exam. Pts achieving complete remission (CR) received 4 cycles of C 3g/m2 over 3h q 12h on days 1, 3, and 5 plus M or P (50 mg po bid, d 8-22) followed by a year of maint therapy with M or P (50 mg po bid). Transplantation (SCT) was allowed. With a sample size of 717 pts, the trial was powered to detect an improvement from 16.3 (P) to 20.9 (M) months in median OS (HR = 0.78) using a one-sided alpha of 0.025 and power of 84%. The final analysis was to occur after 509 deaths, but given the slow rate of events (359 deaths by April 2015), the trial was amended to change the timing of the OS analysis, and promote event free survival (EFS, defined as the earliest of death, relapse, or no CR within 61 d of the start of ind) as a key secondary endpoint. The critical value for this primary analysis is set at 0.02286 (1-sided) accounting for the alpha spent at the interim analysis (0.5%). Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, CA31946, Novartis Results: 717 pts (341 FLT3 ITD-Low, 214 FLT3 ITD-High; 162 FLT3 TKD) were rand to either M (n=360) or P (n=357). There were no significant differences between the arms in age (median, 48y), race, FLT3 subtype, or baseline CBC except for gender (M, 48.2% male; P, 40.6% male; p=.04). All pts are off active treatment, with a median follow-up of 57 months for surviving pts. No statistically significant differences were observed in the overall rate of grade 3 or higher hematologic or non-hematologic adverse events (AEs) between M and P (regardless of attribution). A total of 37 grade 5 AEs were reported (M, 5.3%; P, 5.0%; p=1.0). No differences in treatment-related grade 5 AEs were observed (M, 3.1%; P, 2.5%; p=0.82). CR rate is 59% (M) and 54% (P) (p=0.18). The HRs comparing M to P for OS is 0.77 (one-sided p = 0.007; Figure 1), and for EFS is 0.80 (one-sided p = 0.004; Figure 2). 402/717 (57%) pts received an allogeneic SCT (M, 58%; P, 54%) at any time; 177/717 (25%) in CR1 (M, 27%; P, 22%). Median time to allogeneic SCT was similar on each arm (M, 5.0 months; P, 4.6; p=0.23). Secondary analyses for OS and EFS censoring at the time of SCT provided similar results (Table). The benefit of M was consistent across all FLT3 subgroups for both EFS and OS (Figure 3). Conclusions: The C10603 trial demonstrated that a prospective trial in a pre-therapy genetically defined subgroup of AML pts was feasible and that the addition of the multi-kinase inhibitor M to standard chemotherapy and for one year of maint therapy significantly improved EFS and OS (in both uncensored and censored for transplant analyses) in pts whose blasts had a TKD or ITD (low or high FLT3 mut burden). These findings may lead to improved outcomes through the use of M as a component of therapy in younger adults with mutant FLT3 AML. Table.ArmMedian, mos (95% CI)p-value 15-year Event rate% (95% CI)HR2(95% CI)OSM74.7 (31.5, * )0.00750.8 (45.4-55.9)0.77 (0.63, 0.95)P26.0 (18.5, 46.5)43.1 (37.6-48.4)OS, SCT censoredM* (*,*)0.04762.6 (54.6-69.7)0.77 (0.56,1.05)P* (36.9, *)54.9 (46.2-62.8)EFSM8.0 (5.3, 10.6)0.004426.7 (22.2-31.5)0.80 (0.67, 0.95)P3.0 (1.9, 5.8)19.1 (15.1-23.6)EFS, SCT censoredM8.2 (5.5, 10.7)0.02524.2 (18.9-29.8)0.84 (0.70, 1.0020)P3.0 (1.9, 5.8)21.8 (16.8-27.3)1Stratified on FLT3 subtype; one-sided, log-rank p-value.2Cox model stratified on FLT3 subtype.*= not attained Figure 1. Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 3. Disclosures Stone: Celgene: Consultancy; Sunesis: Consultancy, Other: DSMB for clinical trial; Novartis: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy; Agios: Consultancy; Roche/Genetech: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; AROG: Consultancy; Celator: Consultancy; Juno: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy. Off Label Use: midostaurin- FLT 3 inhibitor. Thiede:Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AgenDix GmBH: Equity Ownership. Niederwieser:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Medeiros:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Agios Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Schlenk:Daiichi Sankyo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Arog: Honoraria, Research Funding; Teva: Honoraria, Research Funding; Boehringer-Ingelheim: Honoraria; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding. Larson:Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Ariad: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy.