Nguyen, Phuong L.

Abstract Abstract 3841 Introduction: The International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) has recently been revised (IPSS-R) to capture more inclusive cytogenetic characterization, more stringent blast description, and more detailed cytopenia assignments. To validate the IPSS-R in a prospective cohort of patients, we compared IPSS and IPSS-R categorization within a group of newly diagnosed MDS patients in a prospective population-based epidemiologic study in Minnesota. Methods: We identified all newly diagnosed MDS cases in Minnesota between the ages of 20 and 85 years from April 1, 2010 to April 2012. Our process includes rapid case identification by the Minnesota Cancer Surveillance System (MCSS), patient contact and enrollment, central medical review including: 1) independent review by two hematopathologists to confirm diagnosis and WHO subclassification; 2) independent cytogeneticist's review for classification as defined by IPSS and IPSS-R; and 3) medical chart review with prospective calculation of IPSS, IPSS-R, and WPSS by a an oncologist. Results: Classification of the 128 patients by IPSS versus IPSS-R is shown (Table) Kendall's Tau = 0.77 In this comparative classification, IPSS-R scoring refined the MDS prognostic risk groups. Low IPSS remained low risk in the IPSS-R spanning the Very Low and Low groups, while all high risk IPSS remained in the Very High risk group in the IPSS-R. However, those in the INT-1 and INT-2 IPSS categories were inconsistently reclassified in the IPSS-R. INT-1 IPSS spanned from Very Low to High and INT-2 IPSS spanned from Intermediate to Very High in the IPSS-R. While reclassification of this prospective cohort resembles results in the IPSS-R reports, ongoing follow-up will be needed to determine if the survival and AML progression measures are reproducible. Conclusion: Until molecular data are available to refine future prognostic scoring systems, the IPSS-R enhances our prognostic risk stratification abilities and is applicable to the general MDS population. As treatment decisions are based on this initial prognostic risk assessment, the more diverse differentiation of risk within the IPSS-R will directly refine prognosis and impact decisions on therapy. Disclosures: Miller: Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Coronado Bioscience: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Background: Although 50% to 90% of patients who receive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors develop a rash, options for rash prevention or palliation remain limited. This issue is particularly important from a palliative care standpoint because these agents are prescribed only to patients with incurable cancer. Here, we report (1) gene expression profiling of skin biopsies from patients with an EGFR inhibitor–induced rash and (2) a randomized, placebo-controlled feasibility trial with the antiandrogen, spironolactone. Both investigations were undertaken to begin to explore the hypothesis that androgens mediate EGFR inhibitor–induced rash and that antiandrogens palliate it. Methods/Results: First, 4 skin biopsies from patients with EGFR inhibitor–induced rash (3 men and 1 woman) were subject to gene expression microarray profiling. A public data set of normal skin gene expression (Gene Expression Omnibus, GSE22998) served as a reference. Sixty percent of commonly interrogated androgen receptor genes (207 of 308 between the 2 data sets) were differentially expressed ( P < .05) in the rash samples. Second, in a 17-patient double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial with topical spironolactone applied to the face, although the primary feasibility end point was not achieved, patients in the spironolactone arm received more doses of EGFR inhibitor, and anecdotal photographic evidence suggested salutatory effects of spironolactone on rash. Conclusions: Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor–induced rash appears to be androgen-mediated; antiandrogen therapy merits further study for rash prevention/palliation.

e18560 Background: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are rare hematological neoplasms typically seen in the elderly. Young MDS (yMDS) patients ( < 50 years old) have been reported to comprise between 3-6% in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (Ma X et al, Cancer 2007; Rollison R et al, Blood 2008) with a better overall survival (OS). Methods: 1012 MDS patients from 1993 to 2015 were found after IRB approval was obtained. All cases had their bone marrow slides reviewed at our institution. yMDS Patients were included as cohort 1, while the rest as cohort 2. Survival estimates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves and univariate and multivariate analyses was based on log-rank testing using JMP software version 10. Results: We found 68 (7%) yMDS patients with a median age of 42 years (range, 18-49). Female gender was more common (43% vs 31%, p = 0.05) while platelets were lower in yMDS (61 vs 102, p < 0.0001). Therapy related MDS (t-MDS) was more frequent (33% vs 17%, p = 0.005), as was transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in yMDS (28 % vs 11%, p = 0.0004). Allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) was more frequent in yMDS (42% vs 4%, p < 0.0001). Survival outcome: Median OS was longer for cohort 1 vs cohort 2 but did not reach statistical significance (43 vs 21 months, p = 0.1). Median progression free survival (PFS) was shorter for cohort 1 vs cohort 2 but also did not reach statistical significance (8 vs 12 months, p = 0.3). Median OS for cohort 1 based on R-IPSS was 44, 105, 40, 18, and 12 months for very low, low, intermediate, high and very high risk groups, respectively (p = 0.09). Median OS was shorter in t-MDS vs de novo MDS in yMDS (13 vs 47 months, p = 0.04). yMDS patients who transformed to AML had worse median OS (18 vs 93 months, p = 0.001). On multivariate analysis neither t-MDS nor R-IPSS had a statistically significant impact on OS. Conclusions: MDS is rarely diagnosed under the age of 50 with IPSS-R being less powerful in detecting mOS. Among yMDS patients, there was a higher proportion of t-MDS compared to older patients with subsequent higher rates of AML transformation and higher rates of allogeneic HCT. In our study, we did not find an improved OS for yMDS patients compared to older patients.

e18559 Background: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of myeloid neoplasms defined by ineffective hematopoiesis, dysplastic morphologic features, and variable risks of progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Refractory anemia with ring sideroblasts (RARS) is a subtype of MDS defined by < 5% basts and > 15% ring sideroblasts (per 2008 WHO). Because RARS is a lower risk disease which does not frequently require HMA therapy, very little is known about the effects of HMA on RARS. Methods: A total of 1325 MDS patients’ data from 1993-2016 at Mayo Clinic were reviewed after appropriate IRB approval was obtained. All cases had their bone marrow slides reviewed at our center. Patients were considered for our study if they received HMA for their RARS. Response was identified based on MDS IWG 2006 criteria. Prognostic factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. Survival estimates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: 168 of the initial 1325 patient were RARS (14%); only 14 (8%) were treated with HMA. Median age was 72 years (range, 51-85); half were males, with median overall survival of 91.3 months. The median number of ring sideroblasts (RS) at diagnosis was 40% (range 10-85%). Of the 14 patients, 11 (79%) received azacitidine (AZA), 2 (14%) decitabine (DAC) and one received both (7%). The median number of cycles for AZA was 6.5 (range, 2-28) vs 6 cycles for DAC (range, 1-24). Of the 14 patients receiving HMA, only 3 responded (21%) achieving hematologic improvement. All 3 responders received AZA. 6 of the 14 RARS patients (43%) had their bone marrow biopsy repeated after HMA therapy, 3 of whom were among the responders to AZA therapy and 3 were non-responders. In 5 patients, ring sideroblasts decreased after HMA therapy by a median of 15% (range 0-80); they remained the same in 1 patient; one patient who had developed AML had a decrease in RS from 85% to 5%. Conclusions: RARS is a low-risk subtype of MDS that is infrequently treated with HMA (8% in our study). Response rate to HMA (21%) was inferior to known rates in MDS. HMA therapy seems to decrease the number of ring sideroblasts irrespective of response. RARS patients should be treated on clinical trials if available.

e18556 Background: RARS is a subtype of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) defined by < 5% blasts and ≥15% ring sideroblasts (WHO 2008). Hereditary hemochromatosis is a disorder characterized by dysregulations in iron absorption, largely associated with C282Y and H63D mutations of the HFE gene. Iron levels are elevated in both disorders and pathophysiologic correlations were suggested. HFE gene mutations were previously found higher in MDS compared to controls (50% vs 36%) ( Nearman et al, Am J Hematol 2007). Methods: A total of 168 RARS patients’ data from 1994 to 2015 at Mayo Clinic were reviewed after appropriate IRB approval was obtained. All cases had their bone marrow slides reviewed at our center. We searched patients’ records retrospectively to Identify those tested for HFE gene (C282Y, H62D, S65C) mutations, done inside or outside our institution. Survival estimates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: Out of the 168 RARS patients, only 17 (10%) were tested for HFE gene mutations. Out of the 17 tested, 11 (65%) were found to have mutations; 2 of which (18%) had homozygous H63D mutation, 1 patient (9%) had double heterozygous H63D and C282Y mutations, 5 (45%) had only one H36D heterozygous mutation vs 3 patients (27%) with only one C282Y heterozygous mutation. Only one patient was tested for the additional S65C mutation and it was not detected. H63D mutation was present in a total of 8 patients (73%) vs C282Y mutation which was present in 4 patients (36%). Bone marrow iron stores were increased in all 17 tested patients, except one who had decreased stores, this patient had one heterozygous C282Y mutation. Median overall survival (mOS) was 117 months in the HFE mutated patients vs 75 months in the non-mutated (p = 0.6). Conclusions: Our study found the HFE gene, when tested, to be mutated in higher frequencies among patients with RARS compared to that reported in the general population (65% vs 36%), with H63D mutation in almost three quarters of all mutated patients. Although it did not reach statistical significance, the longer survival observed among HFE mutated patients compared to the wild-type raises the question whether testing for HFE gene mutations among patients with MDS-RARS should be further explored.