Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is the most common histiocytic disorder that is now recognized as a neoplasm by the World Health Organization. It is generally classified based on the site and extent of disease involvement (single system or multisystem). Pulmonary LCH (pLCH), an uncommon interstitial lung disease associated with smoking, often presents as isolated pulmonary disease. It is unclear whether patients with clinically isolated pLCH have extra-pulmonary lesions at diagnosis or during the course of their disease. The role of [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG-PET-CT) in the staging of pLCH remains unclear. Our study aims to better characterize the utility of radiographic staging studies at time of diagnosis and prevalence of extrapulmonary disease at follow up in pLCH. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients presenting with clinical findings consistent with isolated pLCH seen at the Mayo Clinic from January 2000 to January 2020. All patients had a diagnosis of pLCH determined by chest imaging studies [computed tomography (CT) or high-resolution CT (HRCT)] or by histopathologic findings from surgical or transbronchial lung biopsy. Histopathologic findings for the diagnosis of pLCH required the presence of Langerhans cells (S100+/CD1a+/Langerin+). Patients were excluded if they had clinically apparent extra-pulmonary organ involvement at the time of diagnosis. BRAF V600E mutation was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Staging was defined as FDG-PET-CT or whole body CT imaging obtained within 3 months of diagnosis of pLCH. Extra-pulmonary LCH involvement was determined by imaging characteristics or by histopathologic findings. Descriptive statistics and overall survival (OS) were analyzed with JMP software, version 14 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Results: A total of 112 patients with clinically isolated pLCH were identified. The median age at diagnosis was 45 years (range 21-73), and 48 (43%) were male. The majority (n=110, 99%) were former or current smokers with a median pack year of 25 (range 1-57). Three (3%) patients were noted to have occupational industrial exposure. Nine patients had a history of another cancer prior to their diagnosis and staging of pLCH [lung (n=4), breast (n=2), neuroendocrine (n=2), thyroid (n=1)]. Presenting symptoms included dyspnea on exertion 49 (44%), cough 18 (16%), chest pain 14 (13%), and 29 (28%) were incidentally discovered on imaging studies. On HRCT, the following characteristics were observed: 42 (38%) cystic, 32 (29%) cystic and nodular, 37 (33%) nodular, 1 (<1%) ground glass opacities. Seventy (63%) patients had lung biopsy confirmation, of which 11 (16%) patients underwent BRAF V600Emutation testing (7 by IHC, 4 by cfDNA). Six (55%) of these 11 patients were positive for BRAF V600E mutation. 34 (30%) patients underwent radiographic staging studies within 3 months of diagnosis of pLCH (25 FDG-PET-CT and 9 whole-body CT), and none of these imaging studies showed evidence of extra-pulmonary disease. Of the patients who had at least one year of follow-up (n=52), one (2%) developed extra-pulmonary disease. This patient did not undergo initial staging studies, developed headaches and was found to have a large calvarial lytic lesion within 2 months of pLCH diagnosis (BRAF V600E+). Among those who did not undergo staging at diagnosis (n=78), long term (>5 years) follow up data were available for 23 (29%), and none developed extra-pulmonary disease as determined by clinical notes or imaging studies. No patient had evidence of new extra-pulmonary involvement or second malignancy at the time of last known follow-up. After a median follow-up duration of 2.4 years (95% CI: 1.5-3.6, range: 0.1-17) ten (9%) patients died, of which 5 died of pLCH related complications. The median OS for entire cohort was 15 years (95% CI 9.1-not reached, Figure 1). Conclusion: Our study shows that adult patients with clinically isolated pLCH rarely present with extra-pulmonary manifestations at diagnosis or at follow up. These findings suggest a limited role of routine radiographic staging studies in pLCH unless clinically indicated. Studies on longer follow up of this cohort would provide further insights into the natural history of pLCH and are underway. Disclosures Bennani: Purdue Pharma: Other: Advisory Board; Verastem: Other: Advisory Board; Kite/Gilead: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding. Shah:Dren Bio: Consultancy.
Rosai-Dorfman Disease Displays a Unique Monocyte-Macrophage Phenotype Characterized by Expression of OCT2
Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare histiocytosis with heterogenous clinical features. In this study, we characterized the histologic and phenotypic features in 33 RDD patients to better define the pathologic diagnosis. Cases included 24 patients with extracutaneous disease (“R” group), and 9 patients with lesions limited to the skin or subcutaneous tissue (“C” group). We identified OCT2 as a novel marker for the monocyte-macrophage phenotype of RDD, expressed in 97% of RDD cases. In contrast, OCT2 expression was seen in 0% of Erdheim-Chester disease cases and 6.7% of Langerhans cell histiocytosis cases. Other markers useful in the diagnosis of RDD included S100 (100%), CD163 (88%), and cyclin D1 (97%). In a subset of cases, RDD showed moderate to strong expression of factor 13a (30%), p16 (64%), and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (45%); RDD was uniformly negative for ZBTB46, CD1a, and langerin. Within the “R group” of RDD, increased expression of factor 13a or phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase showed a statistically significant association with multifocal disease ( P <0.05). Identification of the unique monocyte-macrophage phenotype of RDD with OCT2 expression furthers our understanding of this complex disease and allows for more uniform classification.
NCCN Guidelines Insights: T-Cell Lymphomas, Version 1.2021
Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL) is a rare subtype of T-cell lymphoma associated with an aggressive clinical course and a worse prognosis. HSTCL develops in the setting of chronic immune suppression or immune dysregulation in up to 20% of cases and is most often characterized by spleen, liver, and bone marrow involvement. Diagnosis and management of HSTCL pose significant challenges given the rarity of the disease along with the absence of lymphadenopathy and poor outcome with conventional chemotherapy regimens. These Guidelines Insights focus on the diagnosis and treatment of HSTCL as outlined in the NCCN Guidelines for T-Cell Lymphomas.
Efficacy of BRAF-Inhibitor Therapy in BRAF
V600E-Mutated Adult Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis
Abstract Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare histiocytic neoplasm. To date, there is a lack of U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved treatments in adult LCH to establish optimal first-line therapy. We conducted a retrospective, single-center case series evaluating the use of BRAF inhibitors in adult patients with BRAFV600E- LCH proven by biopsy. Our case series is the first to report the use of BRAF inhibitors as first-line therapy in adults with LCH. We also report the efficacy with single-agent dabrafenib in adult LCH. All but one of our patients had favorable response to targeted therapy.
Low-dose vemurafenib monotherapy in BRAFV600E-mutated Erdheim-Chester disease
Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common subtype of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), and Sézary syndrome (SS) is a rare erythrodermic and leukemic subtype of CTCL characterized by significant blood involvement. Although early-stage disease can be effectively treated predominantly with skin-directed therapies, systemic therapy is often necessary for the treatment of advanced-stage disease. Systemic therapy options have evolved in recent years with the approval of novel agents such as romidepsin, brentuximab vedotin, and mogamulizumab. These NCCN Guidelines Insights discuss the diagnosis and management of MF and SS (with a focus on systemic therapy).
Erdheim-Chester disease: consensus recommendations for evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment in the molecular era
Abstract Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare histiocytosis that was recently recognized as a neoplastic disorder owing to the discovery of recurrent activating MAPK (RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK) pathway mutations. Typical findings of ECD include central diabetes insipidus, restrictive pericarditis, perinephric fibrosis, and sclerotic bone lesions. The histopathologic diagnosis of ECD is often challenging due to nonspecific inflammatory and fibrotic findings on histopathologic review of tissue specimens. Additionally, the association of ECD with unusual tissue tropism and an insidious onset often results in diagnostic errors and delays. Most patients with ECD require treatment, except for a minority of patients with minimally symptomatic single-organ disease. The first ECD consensus guidelines were published in 2014 on behalf of the physicians and researchers within the Erdheim-Chester Disease Global Alliance. With the recent molecular discoveries and the approval of the first targeted therapy (vemurafenib) for BRAF-V600–mutant ECD, there is a need for updated clinical practice guidelines to optimize the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. This document presents consensus recommendations that resulted from the International Medical Symposia on ECD in 2017 and 2019. Herein, we include the guidelines for the clinical, laboratory, histologic, and radiographic evaluation of ECD patients along with treatment recommendations based on our clinical experience and review of literature in the molecular era.
Time to first treatment is an independent prognostic factor for multiple myeloma (MM).
e19523 Background: Previous studies have shown a disparity in outcomes of MM between clinical trials and real-world practice. This could be partly due to clinical trial exclusion of patients who need urgent treatment due to high burden of disease or significant illness. In this study, we aim to analyze the impact of time to initiation of systemic therapy for MM on overall survival (OS). Methods: We included MM patients reported to National Cancer Data Base (2004-2014). We excluded 2,860 patients with suspected smoldering MM due to initial treatment beyond 120 days. Relative risk of delayed time to systemic therapy was assessed by logistic regression model. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox multivariate analysis were used to evaluate the association between time to therapy and OS. Results: A total of 53, 519 MM patients were included. Median time to systemic therapy in our cohort was 18 days (range 0-120). Of the entire cohort, 24% patients received systemic therapy for MM < 7 days from diagnosis, and 32% received it after 30 days. Factors associated with time to systemic therapy > 30 days were Black race (OR 1.12, CI 1.07-1.16), female sex (OR 1.10, CI 1.06-1.14), lower Charlson comorbidity score (OR 1.36, CI 1.28-1.45), and academic facility (OR 1.18, CI 1.13-1.24). The median OS for patients who initiated therapy > 30 days after diagnosis was longer than those who received it within 7 days (37 vs. 29 month, p < 0.001). Similarly, on multivariate analysis, patients who received treatment > 30 days after diagnosis were found to have a lower mortality as compared to those who initiated treatment < 7 days (HR 0.81, CI 0.79-0.83; Table). Conclusions: In our study, time to initiation of systemic therapy was an independent prognostic factor in MM. This could be related to the high-risk nature of disease of patients treated within a short duration of diagnosis. These findings have implications for future clinical trial design, which should allow for a pragmatic approach toward enrollment of these high-risk patients to improve external validity. [Table: see text]
Clinical features, molecular aberrations, treatments, and outcomes in histiocytic sarcoma.
7020 Background: Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is a rare and aggressive malignancy of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. There is a paucity of data on treatments and outcomes in HS. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of HS from 2000-2018. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests were used to perform overall survival (OS) analyses. Hazard ratios (HR) with confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Cox-proportional hazards. Results: There were 27 patients in the study (median age 59; range 3-83) and 63% were males. Nine had unifocal involvement and 18 had multifocal disease. Common sites involved were lymph node (50%), soft tissue (40%), bone (36%), and bone marrow (22%). Two of 8 patients had the BRAF-V600E mutation. Next-generation sequencing was performed on 8 patients and showed ≥1 oncogenic alterations (DNMT3A, FLT4, KRAS, NRAS, NUP98, PTCH1, PTPN11, TP53, TSC1, PDGFR, or BRAF genes) as well as a CLIP2-BRAF fusion. The median OS for the cohort was 12 months. Factors associated with worse OS included multifocal disease (OS 10 vs. 125 months, p = 0.03; HR 5.0, CI 1.1-21.8) and marrow involvement (OS 3 vs. 43 months, p = 0.003; HR 8.9, CI 1.7-45.0). Twelve (44%) had surgery with median OS of 42 months (range 1-125). Fifteen had chemotherapy with median OS of 12 months (range 2-67; Table). Conclusions: HS is an aggressive neoplasm, with multifocal disease and bone marrow involvement portending worse outcomes. Most patients have somatic oncogenic alterations involving the MAPK-ERK pathway and other genes. Chemotherapeutic regimens have variable response rates but are not durable. More studies on targeted kinase inhibitors in HS are needed to improve outcomes. [Table: see text]
Adult Langerhans cell histiocytosis: A contemporary single-institution series of 186 patients.
7018 Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare histiocytic neoplasm driven by MAPK-ERK mutations in majority of patients. Contemporary data on treatments and outcomes in adult LCH are lacking. Hence, we undertook this study to analyze a large cohort of adult LCH patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study of adult (≥18 years) LCH patients seen at our institution between 1998 and 2018. Results: We included 186 patients with adult LCH (median age 43; 19-88), and 54% were females. 70% of patients were diagnosed after 2007. Common presenting symptoms were cough/dyspnea (30%), rash (17%), pain/swelling in head (17%), and diabetes insipidus (10%). 70 (38%) patients had multisystem LCH, 62 (33%) had isolated pulmonary LCH, and 35 (19%) had unifocal LCH. Common sites of involvement included lung (59%), bone (37%), skin (21%), and nervous system (16%). 121 (65%) were smokers; 48% of these had lung disease, while 52% had multisystem disease. 18 of 31 tested (58%) patients had BRAF-V600E mutation. Most common first-line treatment was smoking cessation in 24 patients, and led to an overall response rate (ORR) of 83% in pulmonary lesions. Radiation therapy was used in 11 patients, and led to an ORR 82%. Surgical resection of lesion was done in 23 patients, with relapses in 24%. Systemic therapies were used in 78 (42%) patients (Table). Most common first-line systemic therapy was cladribine with ORR of 78%. Vemurafenib was used in 3 patients with BRAF-V600E, leading to an ORR of 67% . After a median follow-up of 23 months (0-261), 21 patients had died. Of these, 10 died of progressive LCH. Median OS was not reached, and mean OS was 196 months. Conclusions: This is the largest contemporary series of adult LCH. It shows that diverse clinical spectrum, ranging from benign course to a progressive multisystem disease. Although smoking cessation was an effective treatment for pulmonary LCH, a large subset required systemic chemotherapy. [Table: see text]