Gundabolu, Krishna

AbstractRare cases of COVID‐19 vaccinated individuals develop anti‐platelet factor 4 (PF4) antibodies that cause thrombocytopenia and thrombotic complications, a syndrome referred to as vaccine‐induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Currently, information on the characteristics and persistence of anti‐PF4 antibodies that cause VITT after Ad26.COV2.S vaccination is limited, and available diagnostic assays fail to differentiate Ad26.COV2.S and ChAdOx1 nCoV‐19‐associated VITT from similar clinical disorders, namely heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) and spontaneous HIT. Here we demonstrate that while Ad26.COV2.S‐associated VITT patients are uniformly strongly positive in PF4‐polyanion enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs); they are frequently negative in the serotonin release assay (SRA). The PF4‐dependent p‐selectin expression assay (PEA) that uses platelets treated with PF4 rather than heparin consistently diagnosed Ad26.COV2.S‐associated VITT. Most Ad26.COV2.S‐associated VITT antibodies persisted for >5 months in PF4‐polyanion ELISAs, while the PEA became negative earlier. Two patients had otherwise unexplained mild persistent thrombocytopenia (140‐150 x 103/µL) 6 months after acute presentation. From an epidemiological perspective, differentiating VITT from spontaneous HIT, another entity that develops in the absence of proximate heparin exposure, and HIT is important, but currently available PF4‐polyanion ELISAs and functional assay are non‐specific and detect all three conditions. Here, we report that a novel un‐complexed PF4 ELISA specifically differentiates VITT, secondary to both Ad26.COV2.S and ChAdOx1 nCoV‐19, from both spontaneous HIT, HIT and commonly‐encountered HIT‐suspected patients who are PF4/polyanion ELISA‐positive but negative in functional assays. In summary, Ad26.COV2.S‐associated VITT antibodies are persistent, and the un‐complexed PF4 ELISA appears to be both sensitive and specific for VITT diagnosis.

TPS7051 Background: The prognosis for adults with relapsed or refractory BCP-ALL is poor. MRD+ is the strongest predictor of relapse. Blinatumomab, a CD3/CD19-directed BiTE® (bispecific T-cell engager) molecule, is an effective treatment for patients with MRD+.1 Blinatumomab is administered as a continuous intravenous infusion (cIV) 28 days per cycle. Severe adverse events (AEs) such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic toxicity (NT) may occur; thus, hospitalization is recommended for the first 3 days of cycle 1 and the first 2 days of cycle 2 for MRD+ patients. However, the incidence of severe AEs is low in MRD+ BCP-ALL patients (CRS: 2%, NT: 13%).1 We believe that with the use of effective digital monitoring devices, blinatumomab can be safely administered for the entire 28-day cIV cycle as an outpatient. Methods: Adult patients (n = 45) with BCP-ALL in complete remission and MRD+ (≥0.1% blasts) are being enrolled at 25 planned treatment sites, endpoint: grade ≥3 AE during monitoring (Amgen NCT04506086). Patient suitability for blinatumomab and outpatient monitoring is established. Patients will receive 2-4 cycles of blinatumomab. Cycles are initiated in the outpatient setting, digital monitoring devices activated and attached, and patients sent home. Once home, patients set up the home hub and real-time remote data transfer to the healthcare professional (HCP) begins. The devices are worn continuously, 24 hours a day for the first 3 days of cycle 1 and the first 2 days of cycle 2 only. Devices: Current Health’s Wearable Monitoring System (CHWMS) is an FDA-cleared platform for wireless and wearable health monitoring of patients at home. The CHWMS provides continuous oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and heart rate; an axillary temperature sensor is worn and provides continuous temperature. Patients manually measure blood pressure every 3-6 hours around the clock. Patients have an integrated mobile device (tablet) to initiate contact with the HCP if needed. HCP/designee has a mobile device (smart phone) and receives vital signs as a constant live feed transmitted from the CHWMS device. The CHWMS platform generates a loud audible alert based on pre-specified vital sign alarming thresholds or if there is an interruption in data transfer. HCP may initiate direct audio and video contact with the patient, assess the patient’s condition, and make an appropriate intervention. HCP may also initiate patient contact in the absence of an alert. Patients are required to have a caregiver present during the entire period of outpatient monitoring. Patients have a full set of replacement devices as well as a 24/7 hotline for device support. Trial enrollment is underway. This study may generate feasibility data on the effectiveness of home monitoring during blinatumomab infusion in patients with MRD+ BCP-ALL. 1Gökbuget, Blood, 2018. Clinical trial information: NCT04506086.

Eosinophilic disorders and related syndromes represent a heterogeneous group of neoplastic and nonneoplastic conditions, characterized by more eosinophils in the peripheral blood, and may involve eosinophil-induced organ damage. In the WHO classification of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms, eosinophilic disorders characterized by dysregulated tyrosine kinase (TK) fusion genes are recognized as a new category termed, myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with eosinophilia and rearrangement of PDGFRA , PDGFRB or FGFR1 or with PCM1-JAK2 . In addition to these aforementioned TK fusion genes, rearrangements involving FLT3 and ABL1 genes have also been described. These new NCCN Guidelines include recommendations for the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of any one of the myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with eosinophilia (MLN-Eo) and a TK fusion gene included in the 2017 WHO Classification, as well as MLN-Eo and a FLT3 or ABL1 rearrangement.

Abstract Background: Currently, low molecular weight heparin is the guideline endorsed treatment of patients with cancer associated venous thromboembolism (VTE). While apixaban is approved for the treatment of acute VTE, there are limited data supporting its use in cancer patients. Methods: Patients with cancer associated acute VTE were randomly assigned to receive either apixaban 10 mg twice daily for 7 days followed by 5 mg twice daily or subcutaneous dalteparin (200 IU/kg for 1 month followed by 150 IU/kg once daily) for 6 months. The primary outcome was major bleeding. Secondary outcomes included VTE recurrence and a composite of major plus clinically relevant non-major bleeding. Results: Of the 300 patients who underwent randomization, 287 were included in the primary analysis. Of these, metastatic disease was present in 65.5% of subjects and 74% were receiving concurrent systemic cancer therapy. Colorectal, lung, pancreas, and breast cancers were the four most prevalent cancer types. Major bleeding occurred in 0 of the 142 patients (0%) in the apixaban group as compared with 3 of the 145 patients (2.1%) in the dalteparin group (p=0.9956). Recurrent VTE occurred in 5 patients (3.4%) in the apixaban group and 20 patients (14.1%) in the dalteparin group (difference in risk -10.7 percentage points) with a Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.26, (95% CI, 0.09 - 0.80, p = 0.0182). Major plus clinically relevant non-major bleeding were similar at 9% for both groups. There were no mortality differences comparing apixaban (15.9%) and dalteparin (10.6%) groups at 6 months (HR 1.36, 95% CI 0.79 - 2.35). Monthly quality of life surveys favored apixaban therapy for many measures including: concern for excess bruising, stress, irritation, burden of delivery, and overall satisfaction with anticoagulant therapy (p<0.05). Monthly bruising questionnaire favored apixaban at each interval (p<0.002). Conclusions: Oral apixaban therapy was associated with very low rates of bleeding and significantly lower VTE recurrence with superior quality of life outcome measures compared to parenteral dalteparin in the treatment of cancer associated VTE. These data support the clinical utility of apixaban for the acute treatment of VTE in this patient population. Table. Table. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Introduction The International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the age-adjusted IPI (aaIPI) are the most commonly used tools to predict outcomes in patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL). The IPI does not take into account sex or race. In the pre-rituximab era, sex was found to be a strong predictor of poor prognosis in low-grade lymphomas. While there is emerging evidence that female sex is associated with better survival in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with R-CHOP, much less is known about the prognostic impact of race. We retrospectively assessed the impact of sex and race on overall survival in patients with indolent and aggressive NHL treated at any stage with rituximab at our institution. Methods We retrospectively identified all patients >/=18 years who were diagnosed with B-cell NHL (except SLL/CLL and Burkitt lymphoma) between 1/1/2000 and 12/31/2010 and received rituximab at any stage as part of their therapy at the Montefiore Medical Center. We collected data on histology, age (<60 vs. >/=60), date of diagnosis, date and status at last follow-up, and stage from the MECCC Cancer registry, and we obtained data on the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) from Clinical Looking Glass® (CLG), an interactive software application developed at Montefiore Medical Center which integrates clinical and administrative datasets. The histological subtypes DLBCL and grade 3 follicular lymphoma (FL) were classified as “high-grade lymphoma” (HGL), while other types of lymphoma were termed “low-grade lymphoma” (LGL; these included marginal zone lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, grade 1 & 2 FL, and malignant lymphoma NOS). Self-reported race was classified as White, Black, Hispanic or “Other”. Only <2% of the patients were of “Other” racial background and therefore excluded from this analysis. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) calculated as time from diagnosis to time of death. We used the Kaplan-Meier (KM) method to describe OS for race and sex and the log-rank test to test for significance (p<0.05). We used a Cox proportional hazard (CPH) model to assess the association of variables with OS. Except for age, race and sex, variables that were not significantly associated with OS (i.e. p-value>0.10 in the multivariate model) were excluded from the final model (backward elimination). Results 353 patients were included in the analysis. Median follow-up for all patients was 37.3 months (range 0.03-202.40). Baseline characteristics between male and females were similar with the exception of age at diagnosis and histology (see Table 1). On univariate analysis there was no OS difference between male and female patients (p=0.13), while race was associated with significant differences in OS (p=0.04; see Fig. 1). In the multivariate model, only stage >/=3 was associated with worse survival (Hazard Ratio [HR] 2.78, 95% CI 1.62-4.77; p<0.0001), but there was no significant association with OS for type of lymphoma (HGL vs. LGL) or the CCI (low vs. high score) and these 2 variables were therefore eliminated from the final multivariate model. In the final multivariate model, female sex was associated with a 37% reduction in the risk of death (HR 0.63; 95%CI 0.40-0.98; p=0.04), while race was no longer associated with OS (Hispanic vs. White: HR 0.76, 95%CI 0.41-1.40, p=0.38; Black vs. White: HR 0.66, 95%CI 0.40-1.10; p=0.11; Black vs. Hispanic: HR 1.15; 95% CI 0.63-2.08, p=0.65). Conclusions Female patients treated at any stage with rituximab for high-grade and low-grade B-cell NHL at our institution experienced longer OS. However, we observed no racial disparity in survival in our analysis. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Background The management of extramedullary relapse (EM) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) is not standardized. We present a single institution experience, describing the risk factors, outcomes and management of EM leukemia relapse in AML patients who underwent allo-SCT. Methods After due IRB approval, 351 patients with AML who underwent allo-SCT at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, from 1985 through 2012, were evaluated for EM relapse. All patients had BM biopsies and cytogenetic studies at diagnosis and at relapse. Extramedullary relapse was identified by clinical exams and radiological methods and confirmed where possible by biopsies and cerebrospinal analysis (CSF). Clinical, pathological and transplant related data was retrospectively abstracted. Results Of 351 patients, 26 (7%) had EM involvement at initial diagnosis (17 CNS, 9 non-CNS, 3 both). Forty-four (13%) patients had CNS disease detected prior to allo-SCT. Of these, 17 (39%) were detected at AML diagnosis due to clinical signs/symptoms, 11 (25%) were detected to have CNS involvement at the time of AML relapse and 16 (36%) were asymptomatic; diagnosed on routine pre transplant CSF studies. All patients with pretransplant EM disease received appropriate therapy prior to undergoing transplantation. After allo-SCT, 21 (6%; 12 male) of 351 patients sustained an EM relapse (11 CNS alone, 9 non-CNS, 1 both). The non-CNS EM relapse sites were cutaneous, skeletal, renal, breast, testicular, gastrointestinal tract and soft tissue. In 12 patients with CNS relapse, 8 (68%) presented with localizing signs and symptoms and 4 were asymptomatic. The median age at EM relapse was 42 years (range; 2 - 61 years) and the median time to EM relapse was 443 days (range; 90- 6069 days). Salvage therapy offered in 18 patients included, intrathecal chemotherapy (IT) alone in 2, IT + systemic chemotherapy (CTX) in 2, allo-SCT in 1, CTX alone in 6, IT + radiation therapy (XRT) in 1, CTX, IT and XRT in 1, and CTX + XRT in 5 patients, respectively. Three patients were ineligible for further therapy. Median survival after EM relapse was 136 days (18 – 819, days), with 4 patients alive at last followup. At the time of AML diagnosis; 6 (29%) of 21 patients had EM involvement (2 breast, 1 lymph node, 1 CNS and lymph node, 1 cutaneous), 8 (38%) patients had a monocytic differentiation (AML-M4/M5) and 6 of 9 tested, had CD56 expression. Three (14%), 8 (38%) and 10 (48%) patients were risk stratified based on cytogenetic and molecular status (FLT3/NPM1) into favorable, intermediate and high risk, respectively. Subsequently, all 21 patients underwent allo-SCT with 14 patients undergoing matched related donor (MRD) transplants. The transplant conditioning was myeloablative in 16 (76%) patients, of which 11 (69%) received total body irradiation (TBI). Grade II-IV acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) was noted in 11 (52%) patients, while chronic GVHD was noted in 8 (38). On univariate analysis, factors associated with shortened survival after EM relapse included; high risk karyotype at diagnosis (p=0.009), concurrent bone marrow involvement with EM relapse (p=0.01) and reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) (p=0.04). Importantly, CD56 expression (p=0.27), CNS involvement at diagnosis (p=0.76), and chronic GVHD (p=0.383) were not prognostic. On a multivariate analysis, high risk karyotype (p=0.04) and concurrent bone marrow involvement (p=0.04) retained their negative prognostic value. Conclusions Although uncommon, EM relapse after allo-SCT for AML is associated with poor outcomes. Pretransplant CSF screening identifies a significant number of asymptomatic patients with CNS disease. High risk karyotype at diagnosis and concurrent BM involvement with EM relapse are poor prognosticators. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Elderly patients (>60 years) with acute myeloid leukemia have a poor prognosis with a chemotherapy-alone approach. Allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplantation (HCT) can improve overall survival (OS). However, myeloablative regimens can have unacceptably high transplant-related mortality (TRM) in an unselected group of older patients. Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) or nonmyeloablative (NMA) conditioning regimens preserve the graft- versus-leukemia effects but reduce TRM. NMA regimens result in minimal cytopenia and may not require stem cell support for restoring hematopoiesis. RIC regimens, intermediate in intensity between NMA and myeloablative regimens, can cause prolonged myelosuppresion and usually require stem cell support. A few retrospective and prospective studies suggest a possibility of lower risk of relapse with myeloablative HCT in fit older patients with lower HCT comorbidity index; however, RIC and NMA HCTs have an important role in less-fit patients and those with significant comorbidities because of lower TRM. Whether early tapering of immunosuppression, monitoring of minimal residual disease, and post-transplant maintenance therapy can improve the outcomes of RIC and NMA HCT in elderly patients will require prospective trials.