Nowakowski, Grzegorz S.

Background: The combination of lenalidomide+rituximab (R2) recently showed superior efficacy vs R-placebo in patients (pts) with R/R iNHL (Leonard et al. J Clin Oncol 2019). Based on these AUGMENT study results, R2 was approved by the US FDA for treatment of adult pts with previously treated follicular lymphoma (FL) or marginal zone lymphoma (MZL). Advanced age at diagnosis is a risk factor in pts with iNHL. We performed post-hoc subgroup analyses by age from AUGMENT and data here focus on pts age ≥ 70 y. Methods: AUGMENT (NCT01938001) is a multicenter, double-blind, randomized phase III study of R2 vs R-placebo in pts with FL grade 1-3a or MZL previously treated with ≥ 1 systemic therapy with R/R disease but not refractory to rituximab. Pts were randomized 1:1 to R2 or R-placebo. R2 was oral lenalidomide 20 mg/d, d1-21/28 for 12c plus rituximab IV 375 mg/m2 weekly in c1 and d1 of c2-5. R-placebo was rituximab+placebo on the same schedule. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) per 2007 IWG response criteria (without PET) as assessed by IRC (central review). Secondary endpoints included overall response rate (ORR), complete response (CR), time to next anti-lymphoma treatment (TTNLT) and safety. Post-hoc analyses were performed by dividing pts into age < 70 y and ≥ 70 y subgroups, the latter group considered unfit for chemotherapy. Results: Of 358 pts randomized (R2, n = 178; R-placebo, n = 180), 267 pts were age < 70 y (R2, n = 131; R-placebo, n = 136), and 91 pts were age ≥ 70 y (R2, n = 47; R-placebo, n = 44). Baseline characteristics including histology, disease status, and prior treatments are shown in the table and were similar across treatment arms in pts ≥ 70 y. At a median follow-up of 28.3 mo, the study met its primary endpoint of PFS, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.46 (95% CI, 0.34-0.62; P < 0.0001) in the overall population. R2 had superior PFS vs R-placebo in both < 70 and ≥ 70 y subgroups, with HR of 0.41 (95% CI, 0.29-0.59) and HR of 0.66 (95% CI, 0.37-1.18), respectively. In pts ≥ 70 y, median PFS with R2 vs R-placebo was 24.9 vs 14.3 mo; ORR/CR was 81%/26% vs 59%/16%; and TTNLT was not reached in either arm. Efficacy results for all pts and those < 70 y are reported in the table; notably in pts receiving R2, mPFS was longer in pts < 70 y vs ≥ 70 y (39.4 mo [95% CI, 22.9-NE] vs 24.9 mo [95% CI, 16.4-NE]). In pts ≥ 70 y, any-grade adverse events (AEs) with a ≥ 10 % difference between R2 vs R-placebo included neutropenia (63% vs 11%), constipation (33% vs 16%), cough (33% vs 16%), leukopenia (26% vs 2%), anemia (24% vs 9%), pyrexia (24% vs 9%), pruritus/pruritus generalized (24% vs 2%), muscle spasms (22% vs 11%), rash/rash maculopapular (22% vs 5%), headache (20% vs 9%), thrombocytopenia (17% vs 2%), dyspepsia (13% vs 2%), influenza (13% vs 2%), back pain (7% vs 18%), and nasopharyngitis (4% vs 16%). Also, tumor flare was reported in 9% vs 0% of pts, respectively. In pts ≥ 70 y, 75% of R2 pts vs 36% of R-placebo pts had ≥ 1 grade 3/4 AE, mainly due to neutropenia (50% vs 7%). All other grade 3/4 AEs occurred in < 10% of pts ≥ 70 y in both treatment arms. One grade 5 AE occurred in pts ≥ 70 y (R-placebo arm). In the R2 arm, the median number of treatment cycles was 12 for both the < 70 y vs ≥ 70 y subgroups; however, fewer older pts completed 12 cycles of lenalidomide (76% vs 57%), and more started lenalidomide at the lower dose of 10 mg (6% vs 35%) because of low creatinine clearance, respectively. In the R2 < 70 y and ≥ 70 y subgroups, the average daily dose of lenalidomide was 17.9 mg/d (range, 5.6-20.0) and 14.4 mg/d (range 4.2-20.0), and median relative dose intensity was 95% and 86%, respectively. Conclusions: Similar to the results in the original population, R2 showed superior efficacy vs rituximab monotherapy (plus placebo) as measured by the primary end point of PFS and secondary end points of ORR and CR in pts with R/R FL grade 1-3a and MZL irrespective of age. The efficacy and safety profiles of R2 and R-placebo in pts ≥ 70 y were similar to those reported in the overall population. Older pts treated with R2 vs R-placebo had superior mPFS (24.9 vs 14.3 mo). They were more likely to start lenalidomide at a lower dose and had lower median dose intensity which may have contributed to their shorter mPFS vs younger pts receiving R2. These data show that R2 maintained efficacy improvements vs R-placebo in pts ≥ 70 y, despite higher unfit status and lower overall lenalidomide treatment/exposure. Thus, R2 is an effective and available treatment option for pts with iNHL, including those with advanced age. Disclosures Trněný: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; F. Hoffmann-La Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Honoraria; Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead Sciences: Consultancy, Honoraria. Leonard:Nordic Nanovector: Consultancy; Genentech, Inc./F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Bayer Corporation: Consultancy; Epizyme, Inc: Consultancy; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Consultancy; Sutro Biopharma: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; BeiGene: Consultancy; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy; Sandoz: Consultancy; Akcea Therapeutics: Consultancy; Miltenyi: Consultancy; MorphoSys: Consultancy. Nowakowski:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; NanoString: Research Funding; Selvita: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Curis: Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding. Izutsu:Chugai, Celgene, Daiichi Sankyo, Astra Zeneca, Eisai, Symbio, Ono, Bayer, Solasia, Zenyaku, Incyte, Novartis, Sanofi, HUYA Bioscience, MSD, Astellas Amgen, Abbvie, ARIAD, Takeda, Pfizer: Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin, Eisai, Takeda, MSD, Chugai, Nihon Medi-physics, Janssen, Ono, Abbvie, Dainihon Sumitomo, Bayer, Astra Zeneca, HUYA Japan, Novartis, Bristol-Byers Squibb, Mundi, Otsuka, Daiichi Sankyo, Astellas, Asahi Kasei: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy; Eisai, Symbio, Chugai, Zenyaku: Research Funding; Eisai, Chugai, Zenyaku: Honoraria. Fowler:TG Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Thieblemont:Roche: Honoraria, Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Kyte: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Cellectis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Zinzani:Verastem: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Eusapharma: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy; Celltrion: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sandoz: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Immune Design: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Portola: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Kyowa Kirin: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; TG Therapeutics: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Kalambakas:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Czuczman:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Fustier:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Wu:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Gribben:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Acerta/Astra Zeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

Background: Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common aggressive lymphoid malignancy in adults. Though standard immunochemotherapy regimens can result in clinical remission and cure in a majority of patients, approximately 30% of patients are primary refractory or eventually relapse, and their prognosis is very poor. Recent progress by large scale genomic and transcriptomic profiling of DLBCL patients has resulted in a deep understanding of disease drivers in newly diagnosed DLBCL (ndDLBCL). However, previous genomic studies of relapsed and/or refractory DLBCL (rrDLBCL) are limited by small sample sizes and much less is known about the genomic landscape or the changes in clonal populations that occur within a patient undergoing R-CHOP therapy. Analysis of a large cohort of rrDLBCL is needed to uncover the importance of known drivers, define clonal shifts that occur in relapsing patients, and discover novel mutations that impact resistance to therapy. Methods: DNA sequencing (whole exome or genome sequencing) was performed on tumor and matching germline samples from two rrDLBCL patient cohorts (N=143). The first rrDLBCL cohort consisted of 68 formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumor samples with matched germline obtained from the Mayo/Iowa Lymphoma SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER); including 18 diagnostic/relapse paired samples. The second cohort consisted of 75 FFPE samples from 2 rrDLBCL clinical trials CC-122-ST-001 and CC-122-DLBCL-001 (NCT01421524 and NCT02031419). In addition, a ndDLBCL cohort (n=364) consisting of MER front line samples were also analyzed. CNV and SV calling was performed with Sclust and Manta, respectively. Mutational drivers were identified with cDriver. Cosmic mutational signatures were calculated for all samples. Results: For comparison of overall mutation rates between the ndDLBCL and rrDLBCL we analyzed the frequency of mutations in known driver genes [n=211, Chapuy et al, 2018; Schmitz et al, 2018; Reddy et al 2017]. Of these, the top 5 most mutated genes found in the relapse cohort were KMT2D (34.3%), IGLL5 (25.9%), CREBBP (22.4%), TP53 (21.0%), and HIST1H1E (19.6%) all of which were previously reported as mutated genes in rrDLBCL [Morin et al. 2016; Park et al. 2016;Greenawalt et al. 2017]. None of these frequencies changed significantly from the MER ndDLBCL cohort. However, frequencies of 2 genes NCOR1 and ACTB were increased significantly from 3.3% to 13.3% (p= 5.85 x 10-05) and 0.5% to 6.3% (p=2.56 x 10-04), respectively, in the rrDLBCL cohorts. Analysis of the previously reported driver mutations in 18 paired samples revealed a significant increase in the mean variant allele frequency (VAF) from diagnosis to relapse of mutations in BCL2 and BIRC6 from 18.5% to 28.8%(p=0.016) and 4.3% to 13.7%(p=0.011), respectively. In our analysis of novel drivers in rrDLBCL cohorts, 59 significant driver mutations (FDR 0.1) were identified, 23 were novel driver mutations while the remaining 36 have been previously reported as drivers of newly diagnosed DLBCL. These include novel mutations in genes such as IL4R (8.8%), CDK5R1 (6.7%), LAPTM5 (3.7%) and others whose function in lymphoma are unknown. In a secondary analysis, we performed mutational signature analysis for rrDLBCL and identified groups of patients with COSMIC mutational signatures that are associated with aging, defects in homologous end joining resulting in large insertions/deletions, and with defective mismatch repair often found in microsatellite unstable tumors. Together with the high prevalence of TP53 mutations, these results indicate genetic instability as a hallmark of relapse/refractory DLBCL. Analysis of CNV and SV will also be reported. Conclusion: Here we report to our knowledge the largest genomic dataset in relapsed and /or refractory DLBCL using tumor biopsies. Previously identified mutated genes in rrDLBCL were confirmed and novel drivers identified. Paired samples analysis reveals clonal shifts which occur during treatment and at time of relapse. Whether the novel driver mutations appeared as a function of selection of a rare clone over the course of therapy or a therapy induced mutation will be the focus of ongoing work. Novel variants including SNV, CNV and SV can potentially lead to new insights and deepen our understanding of the mechanisms of resistance in DLBCL. * Wenzl, Ortiz and Stong contributed equally **Novak and Gandhi contributed equally Disclosures Ortiz: Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Stong:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Huang:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Maurer:Morphosys: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Research Funding; Nanostring: Research Funding. Towfic:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Hagner:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties. Nikbakht:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Stokes:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Lata:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Kamalakaran:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Mavrommatis:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Trotter:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Czuczman:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ansell:Regeneron: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Affimed: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding. Cerhan:Celgene: Research Funding; NanoString: Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Nowakowski:Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; Selvita: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; NanoString: Research Funding. Novak:Celgene Coorperation: Research Funding. Gandhi:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties.

Introduction: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) are a heterogeneous group of mature aggressive T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. They carry a worse prognosis for most subtypes compared with their B-cell counterparts. Despite the recent approval of newer therapies, the response rate and duration of clinical benefit is short and the outlook for patients with relapsed/refractory (RR) PTCL remains poor. There is therefore a need for novel effective therapies in PTCL. Targeting the profoundly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) in PTCL is one such approach. Preclinical data show that malignant cells in PTCL overexpress programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), which signals via programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor, and provides an inhibitory signal further suppressing antitumor immunity. PD-1/PD-L1/2 interactions in PTCL are particularly complicated as both the receptor and ligands can be expressed on the malignant T-cell. While the use of anti-PD-1 blocking antibodies has shown remarkable efficacy particularly in relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma, only a small number of patients with PTCL have been treated with checkpoint blockade. We conducted an investigator-initiated phase 2 prospective study of single-agent nivolumab for RR PTCL. We report here the results of the prespecified interim analysis. Study design and patient selection: Nivolumab was given at a flat dose of 240 mg intravenously (IV) every 2 weeks for 8 cycles then 480 mg IV every 4 weeks starting cycle 9. The primary objective was to assess the overall response rate (ORR) defined as proportion of subjects achieving either a partial response (PR) or complete response (CR) within 12 cycles of treatment. Secondary objectives were to assess safety and tolerability of nivolumab in PTCL and to assess progression-free survival (PFS), duration of response (DOR) and overall survival (OS). Pre-planned sample size was 39, assuming that an ORR of 10% or less would be considered negative and an ORR of 30% or greater would warrant further study. We used a one-stage design with an interim analysis (upon enrolling 12 subjects) based on a Simon optimal design to assess efficacy. This design had a 90% power with a 1-sided 10% level test. The Duffy and Santner method was utilized to determine confidence intervals for the ORR. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to assess PFS, OS, and DOR. This study was sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb (NCT03075553). Results: Twelve patients who received at least one cycle of nivolumab were included in this interim analysis. Patient characteristics are illustrated in table 1. Half (6/12) of the patients had angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL), 3/12 had PTCL, not otherwise specified (NOS), one had ALK negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK- ALCL). Most (11/12) were advanced stage (stage 4), had extranodal disease and half of the patients had received a prior autologous transplant. The ORR was 33% (4/12) (95% CI: 12.3 - 63.7%): 1 CR seen in ALK-ALCL; 2 PR, 1 in PTCL, NOS and 1 in enteropathy associated T-cell lymphoma; 1 CR in AITL. The median DOR was 3.6 months (95% CI: 1.9-6.9). The median PFS for all 12 patients was short at 1.9 months (95% CI: 1.5-8.7); median OS was 7.9 months (95% CI: 3.4-10.8) (Panel A). Hyperprogressive disease (defined as dramatic progression within 1 cycle of treatment) occurred in 4 patients. Observed grade 3 and higher adverse events (AEs) were as follows: non-hematologic AEs in 5/12 (41.7%), while hematologic AEs were seen in 3/12 (25%) patients. Conclusions: Nivolumab had modest clinical activity in patients with R/R PTCL and the study met the criteria at interim analysis to continue accrual. However, due to the high number of patients with hyperprogressive disease, the moderate activity of the drug, and short DOR, a decision was made to halt the study. These findings likely reflect the distinct biology of PTCL and should be considered when designing future studies using checkpoint inhibitors in these diseases. Further studies are indicated using nivolumab in combination (rather than a single-agent) and use of biomarkers to better predict the responders. Disclosures Bennani: Purdue Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Adicet Bio: Other: Advisory board; Seattle Genetics: Other: Advisory board; Adicet Bio: Other: Advisory board; Purdue Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Adicet Bio: Other: Advisory board; Seattle Genetics: Other: Advisory board; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Kite Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Kite Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Purdue Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Kite Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Seattle Genetics: Other: Advisory board. Nowakowski:Selvita: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; NanoString: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding. Ansell:Merck: Other: research funding for clinical trials; Seattle Genetics: Other: research funding for clinical trials; Takeda: Other: research funding for clinical trials; Bristol Myers Squibb: Other: research funding for clinical trials; Regeneron: Other: research funding for clinical trials; Affimed: Other: research funding for clinical trials; Pfizer: Other: research funding for clinical trials; AI Therapeutics: Other: research funding for clinical trials.

Background: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most frequent indolent lymphoma. While immunochemotherapy (IC) treated FL patients who achieve event-free status at 24 months after diagnosis (EFS24) have the subsequent life expectancy of the general population, those who fail to achieve EFS24 have aggressive disease with poor outcomes. Similarly, in FL patients initially observed or treated with rituximab monotherapy, EFS at 12 months (EFS12) is a strong predictor of subsequent outcome. Thus, an unmet patient need is to predict at diagnosis those at greatest risk of early failure in order to identify better treatments. The lymphoma microenvironment may be a key determinant of early failure. Therefore, we aimed to improve risk stratification of newly diagnosed FL patients by using a discovery and validation study design to identify microenvironment determinants of early failure and then integrate them into the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI). Patients and Methods: We evaluated 496 patients with FL grade 1-3A who were prospectively enrolled into the Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER) cohort from 2002-2012. In the discovery set of patients (N=166), we stained tissue microarrays for CD4, CD8, FOXP3, CD32b, CD14, CD68, CD70, SIRPa, TIM3, PD-1 and PDL1. Immunohistochemical staining was determined both within and between malignant follicles. Stains were scored to the nearest decile as the percentages of cells positive. Scores for each stain were dichotomized as 0% vs >0% except for CD32b (<20% vs ≥20%), CD70 (<10% vs ≥10%), and SIRPa (<30% vs ≥30%). EFS was defined as time from diagnosis to progression, relapse, retreatment, or death. Early failure was defined as failing to achieve EFS24 for patients treated with IC at diagnosis and failing to achieve EFS12 for patients who were observed or received other treatments. Risk of early failure was estimated using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from logistic regression models. Markers at P≤0.15 were brought forward for validation in a separate set of patients from the MER cohort (N=330), with P<0.005 being declared statistically significant after a Bonferroni correction (0.05/10 tests). In the combined dataset, we also used Cox regression to assess associations with continuous EFS and overall survival (OS). Mass cytometry (CyTOF) was then performed on a subset of patients (N=51) to comprehensively characterize the phenotype of intratumoral immune cells associated with outcome. Results: In the discovery set, CD4, CD8, FOXP3, PD-1, and SIRPα were associated with risk of early failure at P≤0.15 and were subsequently evaluated in the validation set. Only CD4 expression inside the follicle validated. Specifically, lack of CD4 expression inside the follicle was associated with higher risk of early failure in the discovery (OR=1.77, P=0.15) and validation (OR=2.59, P=0.001) sets, with a pooled OR=2.29 (95% CI 1.47-3.58; P<0.001). CyTOF analysis characterized the favorable CD4+ T-cell population associated with achieving EFS12/24 as activated effector memory T cells lacking exhaustion markers (Figure 1A). Adjustment of CD4 expression for FLIPI in the combined dataset did not weaken this association (OR=2.38, 95% CI 1.51-3.79), and lack of CD4 expression was prognostic within each FLIPI group 0-1 (OR=2.65; p=0.036), 2 (OR=2.07; P=0.064) and 3-5 (OR=2.51; P=0.015). We next established a bio-clinical risk model (termed BioFLIPI) that combined CD4 intrafollicular expression and FLIPI into a 1-4 scale, where any expression of intrafollicular CD4 moved a patient up one FLIPI risk group, adding a fourth (high) risk group for FLIPI 3-5 and any CD4 inside expression. The BioFLIPI score was strongly associated with risk of early failure: compared to a BioFLIPI score of 1 (24% of patients), patients with a score of 2 (35% of patients; OR=2.17, 95% CI 1.08-4.69), 3 (31% of patients; OR=3.53, 95% CI 1.78-7.54), and 4 (10% of patients; OR=8.92, 95% CI 4.00-21.1) had increasing risk of early failure. The c-statistic for BioFLIPI was 0.665, which was higher than that for FLIPI alone (0.636). BioFLIPI was also strongly predictive of continuous EFS [Figure 1B], OS [Figure 1C], and for EFS and EFS24 when restricted to IC-treated patients [Figure 1D]. Conclusion: Integration of CD4 expression inside the follicle at diagnosis with FLIPI improves identification of FL patients at risk for early failure. Disclosures Novak: Celgene Coorperation: Research Funding. Nowakowski:Curis: Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; Selvita: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; NanoString: Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding. Cerhan:NanoString: Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Research Funding. Ansell:LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Affimed: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Affimed: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Affimed: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Regeneron: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Affimed: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Regeneron: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is a heterogeneous disease, commonly described by cell-of-origin (COO) molecular subtypes. We sought to identify novel patient subgroups through an unsupervised analysis of a large public dataset of gene expression profiles from newly diagnosed de novo DLBCL patients, yielding two biologically distinct subgroups characterized by differences in the tumor microenvironment. Pathway analysis and immune deconvolution algorithms identified higher B-cell content and a strong proliferative signal in subgroup A and enriched T-cell, macrophage, and immune/inflammatory signals in subgroup B, reflecting similar biology to published DLBCL stratification research. A gene expression classifier, featuring 26 gene expression scores, was derived from the public dataset to discriminate subgroup A (classifier-negative, immune-low) and subgroup B (classifier-positive, immune-high) patients. Subsequent application to an independent series of diagnostic biopsies and replicated the subgroups with immune cell composition confirmed via immunohistochemistry. Avadomide, a CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase modulator, demonstrated clinical activity in relapsed/refractory DLBCL patients, independent of COO subtypes. Given the immunomodulatory activity of avadomide and need for a patient selection strategy, we applied the gene expression classifier to pretreatment biopsies from relapsed/refractory DLBCL patients receiving avadomide (NCT01421524). Classifier-positive patients demonstrated an enrichment in response rate and progression-free survival of 44% and 6.2 months versus 19% and 1.6 months for classifier-negative patients (HR=0.49 [0.280, 0.86]; P=.0096). The classifier was not prognostic for R-CHOP or salvage immunochemotherapy. The classifier described here discriminates DLBCL tumors based on tumor and non-tumor composition and has potential utility to enrich for clinical response to immunomodulatory agents including avadomide.

AbstractHistological transformation in Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is an uncommon complication, with limited data, particularly regarding the impact of MYD88 L265P mutation on transformation. We examined risk factors and outcomes associated with transformation in WM, highlighting the role of MYD88 L265P mutation. Patients with WM seen at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA and University Hospital of Reims, France, between 01/01/1996 and December 31, 2017 were included; 50 (4.3%) of 1147 patients transformed to a high‐grade lymphoma, with median time‐to‐transformation of 4.5 (range 0‐21) years in the transformed cohort. The MYD88 L265P mutation status was known in 435/1147 (38%) patients (406 with non‐transformed WM and 29 patients in transformed cohort). On multivariate analysis, MYD88 WT status alone was an independent predictor of transformation (odds ratio, 7[95%CI: 2.1‐23]; P = .003). Additionally, the MYD88 WT status was independently associated with shorter time‐to‐transformation (HR 7.9 [95%CI: 2.3‐27; P = .001]), with a 5‐year transformation rate of 16% for MYD88 WT vs 2.8% with MYD88 L265P mutated patients. Patients with transformation demonstrated a significant increase in risk of death compared to patients who did not transform (HR 5.075; 95%CI: 3.8‐6.8; P < .001). In conclusion, the MYD88 WT status is an independent predictor of transformation and associated with a shorter time‐to‐transformation. Additionally, transformation conferred an inferior overall survival in patients with WM.

Abstract Introduction New treatment strategies are improving outcomes for patients with Hodgkin (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) but achieving durable responses and cure in the relapsed patient remain a challenge. Both the mTORC1 inhibitor everolimus (RAD001) and the IMiD, lenalidomide (LEN) have efficacy as single agents in patients with relapsed and refractory (R/R) HL and NHL. Individually, LEN and RAD present a low toxicity profile and in combination may offer synergistic therapeutic efficacy by unique mechanisms of action. A phase I/II clinical trial of RAD and LEN was designed to explore the tolerability, toxicity and to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of this combination for the Phase II study. The results of phase I/II data are reported here. Methods MC0981 was activated on January 10, 2011. In phase I, the study enrolled a total of 25 patients and RAD 5 mg daily + LEN 10 mg/d X 21d in a 28-day cycle was defined as the MTD. The phase II opened on May 14, 2013, and closed on Feb 19, 2014, during which 33 patients were enrolled and were treated until progression of disease. Eligibility required age ≥18, biopsy proven relapsed or refractory NHL or HL, ECOG PS 0- 2, measurable disease, Hb >9g/dl, ANC ≥1200/uL, platelet ≥ 50,000/uL, creatinine ≤1.5xULN and willingness to sign informed consent. Women of child bearing potential had pregnancy testing and all patients followed recommendations for contraception. Follow up data was analyzed as of July 2014. Results A total of 58 patients were enrolled to this study and fifty five are evaluable for analysis (2 never started therapy, 1 deemed ineligible). The median age was 62 years (21-82) and 38 (69.1%) were male. Sixty-five percent had stage IV disease and 42% had 4 or more prior treatments including stem cell transplantation in 49%. Histologies included HL (n=10) and NHL (n=45 with 23 DLBCL, 2 FL-III, 5 LPL, 3 MCL, 2 MF, and 3 other). At least 1 Gr≥3 adverse event was seen in 74.5% of patients. The most common Gr≥3 toxicities were hematologic - neutropenia (30.9%), and thrombocytopenia (21.8%), and anemia (10.9%). Nine of 55 patients (16%) had Gr≥3 infection; 2 with skin infection, 1 with cholecystitis, 1 with lung infection, 1 with pharyngitis 1 with otitis externa, 1 with otitis media, and 1 with pleural infection and 1 with upper respiratory tract infection. Seven patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events. At this time, 44% (25/55) remain progression-free. A documented tumor response, as overall response rate (ORR) was seen in 20% (11/55) with 1CR, 8PR, and 2MR; 17 remain on therapy; and 22 deaths have occurred with a median survival of 15.0 months (95% CI 7.5-NR). Median follow up time was 5.5 (range, 0.7- 41.0) months. The median duration of response (DOR) in those responding is 19.4 months. Conclusions In a heavily pretreated population with baseline compromised bone marrow function, the combination of everolimus and lenalidomide is feasible with a modest ORR and a surprisingly long DOR. Future studies in more defined groups of NHL or HL are necessary to better predict which patients will be long-term responders. This trial is sponsored by Novartis and Celgene Disclosures Off Label Use: mTORC1 inhibitor (Everolimus) and the Immunomodulatory (IMiD) drug Lenalidomide for patients with Heavily Pretreated Relapsed Lymphoma . Mikhael:Onyx: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Nowakowski:Celgene, Morphosis: Consultancy. Witzig:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Reeder:Millennium, Celgene, Novartis: Research Funding.

Abstract Background: Vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) has been associated with inferior outcomes in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) treated with chemotherapy and an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (immunochemotherapy; IC), but whether this association holds for other FL treatment strategies is not known. Furthermore, the subset of FL patients who experience clinical failure (progression, treatment failure) within 12 months of diagnosis have an inferior outcome compared to those achieving event-free status at 12 months (EFS12). We tested the hypothesis that VDI is predictive of early clinical failure (failure to achieve EFS12), overall survival (OS), and lymphoma-specific survival (LSS) among FL patients overall and in subgroups who were initially observed, treated with IC, rituximab monotherapy, or other therapies. Methods: We evaluated this hypothesis in a prospective cohort study of 642 newly diagnosed patients with grade 1-3a FL enrolled from 2002-2012 in the Molecular Epidemiology Resource of the Iowa/Mayo Lymphoma SPORE. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy, and VDI was defined as serum total 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL (per Institute of Medicine criteria) determined within 120 days of diagnosis. We used logistic regression to estimate Odds Ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs. We adjusted for FLIPI, body mass index, and month of blood draw; for the full cohort, we additionally adjusted for treatment. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 60 years (range 23-93); 19% of patients had VDI. The median follow-up period was 59 months (range 1-144), with 297 events and 78 deaths (42 due to lymphoma). Treatment included IC (N=252), observation (N=218), rituximab monotherapy (N=76), or other (N=96). OS and EFS curves are shown in figures 1 and 2. In the full cohort, VDI was associated with inferior EFS12 (OR=2.05; 95% CI 1.18-3.54), OS (HR=2.35; 95% CI 1.37-4.02), and LSS (HR=2.97; 95% CI 1.52-5.80). In the IC subset, VDI was associated with inferior EFS12 (OR=3.00; 95% CI 1.26-7.13), OS (HR=2.86; 95% CI 1.39-5.85), and LSS (HR=2.96; 95% CI 1.29-6.79). VDI was associated with inferior OS in patients who were observed (HR=2.25; 95% CI 1.20-6.76) or received other therapies (HR=3.06; 95% CI 1.01-9.24). VDI was positively but not statistically significantly associated with inferior EFS12 in the patients who were observed (OR=1.71; 95% CI 0.70-4.17) or received other therapies (OR=2.31; 95% CI 0.41-13.07), with low power for these associations; LSS could not be estimated due to lack of deaths. There were too few events (N=10) and deaths (N=5) in the R-monotherapy group for analysis. Conclusions: We confirm previous findings that vitamin D insufficiency is associated with adverse long-term prognosis among patients with FL treated with IC, and extend these findings to patients who are initially observed or treated with other therapies. For the first time, we observed an association of vitamin D insufficiency with early clinical failure, suggesting a potentially modifiable factor to address in this subset of patients with poor outcomes. Whether treating VDI improves outcomes in FL warrants assessment. Disclosures Ansell: BMS, Seattle Genetics, Merck, Celldex and Affimed: Research Funding. Nowakowski:Celgene: Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding.

Background Burkitt NHL (BL) is a rare hematologic malignancy that occurs in younger adults and is highly curable with aggressive chemoimmunotherapy induction regimens. Unfortunately, patients that are refractory or relapse after these regimens fare poorly and treatment guidelines are not well established. The typical approach is with standard platinum-based salvage regimens; those who obtain a complete remission (CR) become eligible for autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy and bispecific antibodies offer potential novel approaches for these patients, especially those who are unable to achieve remission in order to proceed with SCT; however, CAR-T therapy is not approved nor even tested in BL other than promising single case reports (Avigdor A, Bone Marrow Transplant. 2018 May 24). The goal of this study was to learn the clinical features and outcome of R/R BL in order to design a prospective strategy for novel therapy use in relapsed/refractory (R/R) BL patients. Methods We reviewed the Mayo Clinic Lymphoma database to find cases of BL diagnosed and treated between 1/1/2000 - 9/30/2018. Forty-two cases were identified and 32 (76%) entered CR and never relapsed; 10 (24%) did not respond or relapsed and are the focus of this report. Demographic, clinical response to treatment regimens, and long-term outcomes were extracted from the Mayo Clinic electronic medical record. Results The 10 patients with R/R BL had a median age of 41 years (range, 28-59); all had received aggressive chemoimmunotherapy induction regimens; 7 were primary refractory and 3 relapsed within 3 months (2-4) of achieving first CR. All 3 patients that relapsed did so in the central nervous system (CNS) despite receiving CNS prophylaxis with their induction therapy regimen. The response to salvage therapy was 30% (3/10) with 10% CR and 30% (3/10) proceeded to autologous SCT (no patients made it to allogenic SCT). The median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from diagnosis of all 10 patients was 4 months (1-9) and 70% (7/10) died within 6±4 months from date of relapse. The 3 patients with relapsed BL survived 7, 10, and17 months from date of relapse. The 3 patients who did survive to receive a SCT lived 2, 4, and 13 months from date of SCT. None of the 10 patients survived past 26 months from date of diagnosis. Conclusions Patients with R/R BL represent an uncommon and unique subset of aggressive NHL that require a new therapeutic approach such as CAR-T. Our study demonstrates the very poor outcome with traditional salvage therapies and the very short OS of these young, otherwise healthy patients. We recommend that these patients be considered as emergencies and referred promptly for novel therapies such as CAR-T trials at the very first sign of treatment failure. Waiting with the intent of attaining response to traditional therapies is futile. Insurance approval initiation and harvesting of T-cells should be rapidly performed, preferably prior to initiating salvage therapy, given the rapid clinical deterioration and demise of these patients. Disclosures Kenderian: Lentigen: Research Funding; Novartis: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Tolero: Research Funding; Humanigen: Other: Scientific advisory board , Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Research Funding. Bennani:Kite Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Adicet Bio: Other: Advisory board; Adicet Bio: Other: Advisory board; Seattle Genetics: Other: Advisory board; Purdue Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Seattle Genetics: Other: Advisory board; Purdue Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Purdue Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Adicet Bio: Other: Advisory board; Kite Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Kite Pharma: Other: Advisory board; Seattle Genetics: Other: Advisory board; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding. Nowakowski:Selvita: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; NanoString: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding.

Background: CD19 and CD20 are B-cell lineage-specific antigens expressed on the cell surface of most B-cell lymphomas. While CD20 is acquired during late stages of B-cell lymphogenesis and is then lost upon differentiation into plasma cells, CD19 expression covers the entire spectrum of early B-cell genesis and maturation. CD20-targeting agents have been broadly integrated into the therapeutic armamentarium for B-cell lymphomas. More recently, CD19-targeting agents have emerged as promising alternatives with demonstrated therapeutic value. Given the imminent availability of both CD19 and CD20 targeted therapies, and potential for combinational approaches, we studied the surface expression of these antigens at the single-cell level on lymphoma cells and benign background lymphoid subsets from biopsy specimens. Methods: Flow cytometric analysis (seven-color) was performed on biopsy specimens from 47 patients with newly diagnosed B-cell lymphomas, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n=15), follicular lymphoma (n=15), marginal zone lymphoma (n=9), mantle cell lymphoma (n=9), Burkitt lymphoma (n=2), and unclassifiable low-grade B-cell lymphoma (n=2). Small lymphocytic lymphoma was intentionally excluded, given its well-described loss of CD20 expression. Biopsies from eight additional patients with persistent/recurrent B-cell lymphomas after anti-CD20 therapy (greater than 6 months after last dose) were also evaluated. Thresholds for CD19 or CD20 antigen positivity were defined for each case, based on the 95th percentile fluorescence intensity of the respective marker on tumor-infiltrating T-cells (internal negative control). In addition, CD19 or CD20 fluorescence intensities of tumor cells were normalized to background benign B-cells (internal positive control) using the median fluorescence ratio (MFR). Results: Both CD19 and CD20 were highly expressed on CD20 treatment naïve tumor cells, with a slightly higher median percentage of positive tumor cells for CD19 (98%) compared with CD20 (93%) (p=0.003), and one case lacking CD20 expression. When compared with background benign B-cells, CD20 was frequently overexpressed on tumor cells (mean MFR=1.8), while CD19 expression was overall similar to background benign B-cells (mean MFR=0.9) (p=0.001). As the surface density of CD20 on benign B-cells is reportedly higher than CD19 (~100,000 vs ~20,000 molecules per cell, respectively), these findings are consistent with a higher density of surface CD20 than CD19 on most B-cell lymphomas. However, CD20 expression was more heterogeneous (within individual patient samples and across patients), with a higher median percentage of CD20-negative tumor events (median=0.5%, range=0-98%) compared with CD19-negative events (median=0%, range=0-28%) (p=0.003). Interestingly, expression of CD19 within the CD20-negative tumor subsets was largely preserved (mean % CD19-positive events=97.86%, min=40%). In addition, percentages of CD19/CD20 double-negative tumor events were very small (median=0%, range=0-4.9%), and only detectable in 15 cases (32%). Of eight additional cases studied post-anti-CD20 immunotherapy (6-84 months after last dose), the percentage of antigen-positive events by tumor cells was largely preserved for both CD19 (median=99.6%, range=93.5-100%) and CD20 (median=95.7%, range=55.6-100%), similar to the pre-therapy cohort. Conclusions: CD19 and CD20 are both highly and consistently expressed in B-cell lymphomas. While CD20 has a higher average density of surface molecules per tumor cell, CD19 expression is more homogenous and is preserved in small CD20-negative tumor subsets and after anti-CD20 targeted therapy. These findings support the clinical evaluation of anti-CD19 immunotherapies and combinational therapies targeting both surface antigens. Disclosures Horna: MorphoSys AG: Research Funding. Nowakowski:Selvita: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding; NanoString: Research Funding. Endell:MorphoSys AG: Employment, Patents & Royalties. Boxhammer:MorphoSys AG: Employment, Patents & Royalties.