Galanina, Natalie

Abstract Introduction: Among Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), DLBCL is the most prevalent subtype (~30% of diagnoses). First-line (1L) chemoimmunotherapy cures many patients (pts), but 30-40% will relapse. Prognostic and predictive biomarkers are needed to identify pts refractory to 1L therapy or at high risk of relapse, enabling timely intervention and improved outcomes. This study evaluated tumor-informed WGS-based longitudinal ctDNA monitoring in a real-world DLBCL cohort. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed ctDNA data from 49 pts with DLBCL. Plasma samples were collected before, during, and at the end of 1L therapy (EOT, defined as ± 21 days from the last infusion (preferred when available) or ± 14 days from post-treatment PET imaging) and during surveillance/subsequent treatments. A WGS-based tumor-informed assay (Signatera™ Genome, Natera, Inc.) was used for ctDNA detection and quantification. The association of ctDNA dynamics with event-free survival (EFS) was evaluated using Cox regression analysis, restricted to pts completing at least 5 cycles of 1L therapy. Results: The median age of the cohort was 62 years (range: 56-74), and median follow-up was 22 months (range: 14-30). Pre-treatment ctDNA-positivity rate was 100% (31/31). A total of 19 pts achieved ctDNA clearance during 1L therapy (early clearance within 3 cycles, n=5; late clearance between cycle 4 and EOT, n=14). Pts with no clearance or ctDNA-positivity at EOT (n=7) had significantly inferior EFS compared to those achieving ctDNA clearance (HR 8.04, 95%CI: 1.87-34.62, p=0051). On further stratifying the clearance group and comparing with no clearances, pts with early clearance had superior outcomes (HR 13.22, 95%CI: 1.48-1741.94, p=0.0166), relative to late clearances (HR 5.65, 95%CI 1.46–25.16, p=0.0129). Notably, all 5 pts with early ctDNA clearance remained serially negative and relapse-free. Of the 49 pts, 9 proceeded to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T). Among 6 of these pts with available ctDNA results pre and post therapy, all 3 who stayed ctDNA-positive after CAR-T relapsed (1.3, 2, and 4.5 months post-infusion); 1 pt with pre- and post-CAR-T ctDNA-negativity and 2 pts with ctDNA clearance post-CAR-T remained relapse-free for 9.6, 15.9, and 22.4 months, respectively. Taken together, the PPV and NPV for a single ctDNA time point post CAR-T infusion were 100% for predicting long-term clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Our data support longitudinal ctDNA monitoring as a valuable prognostic and predictive biomarker in DLBCL. ctDNA clearance, particularly early clearance within the first 3 cycles of 1L therapy, is associated with improved pt outcomes. Longitudinal ctDNA monitoring and dynamics can enable identification of high-risk pts who do not clear ctDNA and may benefit from earlier referral for CAR-T. Furthermore, ctDNA monitoring pre- and post-CAR-T infusion is predictive of treatment response and can identify pts at high risk of relapse.

Abstract Introduction: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a promising biomarker for treatment response monitoring, risk stratification, and early recurrence detection for patients with lymphoma. Tumor-informed ctDNA testing for detecting molecular residual disease (MRD) is seeing early adoption in this setting, demonstrating technical feasibility and clinical need for personalized monitoring tools. However, the prognostic utility of ctDNA across indolent and aggressive subtypes of lymphoma remains poorly understood. Here, we present real-world data on ctDNA detection and clearance dynamics in patients with various lymphoma subtypes, including patients who are newly diagnosed and those in the relapsed/refractory setting receiving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy. Methods: We performed a retrospective, real-world analysis of ctDNA testing in 148 patients with either B-cell (n=129) or T-cell lymphoma (n=19). Among the 129 patients with B-cell lymphoma, 113 patients had aggressive subtypes (n=84 with DLBCL; n=29 with other), and 16 had indolent lymphoma subtypes. ctDNA was analyzed using a tumor-informed 16-plex mPCR-NGS assay (SignateraTM, Natera, Inc.) from September 2020 - May 2025. Plasma samples (n=1,122; median: 7 per patient, range: 1-31) were collected at baseline, during therapy, at end-of-treatment (EOT), and during follow-up per physician's discretion. ctDNA status at baseline and EOT, and clearance kinetics during first-line (1L) induction therapy were correlated with clinical outcomes. Results: The median patient age was 61 years (range: 18.3–84), and median follow-up was 18.7 months (range: 0.6–54.4 months). Disease stage at diagnosis was available for 139 patients: stage I (n=15, 11%), stage II (n=31, 22%), stage III (n=16, 12%), and stage IV (n=77, 55%). Stage was unknown in 9 patients. Overall, ctDNA detection at baseline was 95.7% (90/94), including 100% in patients with indolent B-cell (11/11), and T-cell lymphomas (6/6), and 94.8% (73/77) in patients with aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Across all subtypes, EOT ctDNA status was strongly prognostic for event-free survival (EFS). Patients with ctDNA-positivity at EOT had significantly worse EFS (HR: 7.33, 95%CI: 2.8-19.18, p<0.0001). In aggressive lymphomas, particularly in DLBCL, ctDNA positivity at EOT was associated with a markedly worse prognosis (Aggressive: HR: 7.69, 95%CI: 2.62-22.56, p=0.0002; DLBCL only: HR: 5.74, 95%CI: 1.71-19.23, p<0.01). Among patients with evaluable ctDNA time points relative to 1L therapy (N=60), ctDNA clearance at any time point during treatment correlated with improved EFS. (HR: 18.55, 95%CI: 4.82-71.32, p<0.0001). All patients who did not clear ctDNA relapsed, yielding a positive predictive value of 100% (11/11); the negative predictive value for those who did clear was 88% (43/49). The remaining six patients turned positive during surveillance prior to relapse. Of 15 patients treated with CAR-T cell therapy, 11 had pre- and post-infusion timepoints for ctDNA analysis. Of these, 82% (9/11) were ctDNA-positive prior to CAR-T, and 55% (5/9) achieved post-infusion ctDNA clearance and a complete clinical response, though one became ctDNA-positive and relapsed (13.3 months post-CAR-T), and another suffered non-disease mortality (22.3 months post-CAR-T). In contrast, all 4 patients remaining ctDNA-positive post-CAR-T relapsed or died within a median of 3.3 months (range: 1.3–6.4 months). Two patients persistently ctDNA-negative remain disease-free. Taken together, the PPV and NPV for 12-month EFS following CAR-T therapy using a single ctDNA timepoint were both 100%. Conclusions: This is the first report of the largest, real-world study evaluating the utility of ctDNA across a broad spectrum of heterogeneous lymphoma subtypes in patients receiving various standard of care therapies. ctDNA status at EOT and on-treatment clearance were strong predictors of clinical outcomes across multiple histological subtypes of lymphoma treated with standard-of-care agents including CAR-T cell therapy. The robustness of these findings across biologically distinct subgroups highlight the broad applicability of ctDNA testing for risk stratification and recurrence monitoring for both aggressive and indolent disease. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.

Abstract Introduction: The median age at diagnosis for CLL pts in the US is 72 years. As clinical trials in CLL have largely enrolled younger pt populations, data on disease and pts' characteristics, patterns of care, prognosis, and molecular features in aged CLL pts are limited. With this in mind, we conducted a prospective study to update critical demographic data and patterns of care for aged CLL pt. Patients and Methods: Connect®-CLL is a US-based prospective, longitudinal, multi-center, observational registry that is aimed at understanding patterns of CLL management without a study-specific intervention. We enrolled pts treated at an academic (n=155) or community (n=1340) setting between 2010 and 2014. Eligible pts were adults with a clinical diagnosis of CLL who required therapy 2 or less months after enrollment. Data on demographics, baseline characteristics, and treatment selection are presented here using descriptive statistics. Continuous variables are reported using appropriate measures of dispersion and central tendency (means, medians, ranges and standard deviations) while categorical variables are summarized as number and percentage of the analysis population. Results: Of 1495 enrolled pts, 457 (30.5%) were ≥75 years (57.3% males, 94.2% white). Rai stage III/IV was noted in 33% and B symptoms (predominantly fatigue (58.4%)) were observed in 68.1%. These and other clinical baseline characteristics appeared similar to pts younger than 75 years except that older pts had more prior malignancies (33.5% vs. 19.8%) and co-morbidities (69.3% vs. 53.6%). Cardiac, neurologic, and renal disorders were the most common morbidities in pts ≥75 years (11.5%, 8.8%, and 4.6% respectively). Imaging studies were performed in 157 (60.2%) older pts and in 416 (65.7%) pts less than 75 years prior to initial therapy. Percentage of pts with bulky nodes (> 5 cm) by imaging was similar in the two groups, 19.3% overall. Prognostic biomarker data were available on 247 pts (178 (72%) <75 years; 69 (28%) ≥75 years). While a higher proportion of older pts had CD38+ CLL (55.1% vs. 40.5%, P=0.038), the proportions of patients with ZAP-70+ CLL were similar between the two groups. In total, 137 (9%) older and 378 (25%) younger pts had 17p and 11q analysis by FISH at enrollment prior to first-line therapy. Of these, 27.0% of pts ≥75 years and 20.6% of pts <75 years had a deletion of either 17p or 11q (P=0.125). Out of all pts enrolled in the registry, 894 (60%) received first-line treatment (261 (29%) pts ≥75 years and 633 (71%) <75 years) as their indication for study entry. Amongst these treated pts, interim analysis shows (data cutoff date: 25 June 2014) progressive marrow failure was more commonly used as the indication for therapy in older pts compared to younger pts (52.1% vs. 38.5%; P<0.001), while splenomegaly was a more common cause for therapy in younger pts (16% vs. 9%; P<0.01). Rai stage III/IV at time of first therapy was 46% and 49% for younger and older pts, respectively. Progressive lymphocytosis was used as the indication for therapy in one third of pts regardless of age. Seventy-four percent of older CLL pts received first-line therapies containing rituximab (R) vs. 85% in pts <75 years (P<0.0001). R-bendamustine was the most common first-line regimen for CLL pts ≥75 (23.4%) while FCR was more commonly given to pts <75 years (32.5%). R-monotherapy was used in 18.8% of older pts versus 9.5% in pts <75 years (P<0.0001). Of note, approximately 25% of CLL pts ≥75 years did not receive R-based regimens for initial therapy. Conclusions: Connect®-CLL is the largest prospective, multicenter CLL registry in the United States. CLL Pts ≥75 years more frequently overexpress CD38 and may more commonly demonstrate high risk cytogenetics by FISH, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. Pts ≥75 years also more commonly had co-morbid diseases, and surprisingly 25% did not receive first-line R-based therapy. CLL pts are rarely included in front-line clinical trials (<3%). Given that novel therapies are increasingly available for CLL patients a continued analysis is warranted to determine their use in elderly vs younger patients as well. A longer follow up is needed to evaluate the impact of these findings on outcomes. Disclosures Nabhan: Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding. Off Label Use: Lenalidomide in CLL. Kay:Celgene: Research Funding. Mato:Genentech, Celgene, Millenium: Speakers Bureau. Grinblatt:Celgene: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Kipps:Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Lamanna:Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Weiss:Celgene: Consultancy. Flinn:Celgene: Research Funding. Swern:Celgene: Employment, Equity Ownership. Street:Celgene: Employment, Equity Ownership. Kristen:Celgene: Employment, Equity Ownership. Flowers:Celgene, Prescription Solutions, Seattle Genetics, Millennium (unpaid), Genentech (unpaid) : Consultancy; Gilead, Spectrum, Millennium, Janssen: Research Funding.

AbstractBackgroundCentral nervous system (CNS) relapse in non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a rare but serious complication that carries a poor prognosis. The use of infusional etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and rituximab (EPOCH‐R) for frontline treatment of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is increasing, though little is known about incidence of and risk factors for CNS relapse with this regimenPatients and methodsWe completed a chart review of patients with NHL who received EPOCH‐R as front line therapy. Data obtained included baseline and treatment characteristics including if patients received CNS directed therapy. We measured overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and progression to CNS involvement.ResultsWe identified 223 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 72% had DLBCL. Of all the patients, 5.8% experienced CNS relapse, and 38.6% were treated with CNS prophylaxis. There was no difference in rate of CNS relapse, OS, or PFS between patients who had and had not received CNS prophylaxis. Patients whose serum lactate dehydrogenase was greater than twice the upper limit of normal at diagnosis and those with extranodal disease were significantly more likely to have CNS relapse (P = .0247 and 0.022, respectively) than their counterparts.ConclusionsThe rate of CNS relapse in this patient population approaches 6%, not significantly different from reports on those receiving R‐CHOP. The results of this study suggest that CNS prophylaxis might be more selectively used among patients treated with EPOCH‐R with certain high‐risk features.

The impact of race on outcomes of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common leukemia in the west, is not well studied. We aimed to understand racial variations in clinical and disease characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes in patients with CLL. We utilized the Mayo Clinic CLL database to perform an analysis of these characteristics and natural history of non‐white (NW) compared to white (W) CLL patients. Differences by race in median overall survival (OS) and time‐to‐first‐treatment (TTFT) were investigated. Of the 4215 CLL patients, 4114 (97.6%) were W and 101 (2.4%) were NW. NW patients were younger (median age at diagnosis 59.4 vs. 63.4; P = 0.003) and more likely to have an elevated LDH (28.0% vs. 16.2%; P = 0.02). No differences in prognostic parameters were noted. No major differences were observed in treatment selection. OS and TTFT were similar between both groups. In the largest analysis of NW‐CLL patients in North America, and contrary to historical retrospective reports, W and NW patients appear to have comparable outcomes when treated similarly. These findings suggest previously noted outcome differences may be due to disparities in access to care and management rather than differences in disease biology. Am. J. Hematol. 91:677–680, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.