Bennani, N. Nora

ABSTRACT Angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma (AITL) is an aggressive peripheral T‐cell lymphoma with poor outcomes, and the role of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) as consolidation after frontline therapy remains controversial. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Database, including adults diagnosed with AITL between 2004 and 2020 who received frontline systemic therapy. Patients were categorized as chemotherapy alone (Chemo) or chemotherapy followed by ASCT (Chemo + ASCT). To mitigate immortal time bias, prespecified landmark analyses were performed, with a 6‐month landmark analysis as the primary approach and a 9‐month landmark analysis as a sensitivity analysis. Multivariable Cox regression and propensity score weighting using inverse probability of treatment weighting for the average treatment effect were used to address measured confounding. Among 3996 patients receiving systemic therapy, 686 (17.2%) underwent ASCT. In the 6‐month landmark analysis, ASCT was associated with improved overall survival (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.45–0.62; p < 0.001). Findings were consistent in the 9‐month landmark analysis (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.49–0.69; p < 0.001) and IPTW‐adjusted model (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.44–0.60; p < 0.001). In this large real‐world cohort, ASCT consolidation was consistently associated with improved survival in patients with AITL. Although treatment‐response data were unavailable and residual confounding cannot be excluded, these findings provide supportive real‐world evidence and warrant prospective studies with treatment‐timing and response data to better define patient selection.

Summary Chimeric antigen receptor T cells directed against CD‐19 are highly effective therapies for various subtypes of B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We have studied the impact of patient‐specific lymphocyte growth kinetics after lymphoid depletion chemotherapy on both long‐term outcomes and toxicity in patients with diffuse large B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (DLBCL). The growth of the lymphocyte populations early after chimeric antigen receptor T‐cell (CAR‐T) therapy is well described by an exponential function and the growth rate of the cells appears to be one of the most critical determinants of overall survival in these patients. The maximum lymphocyte peak and the area under curve for lymphocytes within the first 4 weeks after CAR‐T therapy had no impact on survival. Receiver operator characteristic analysis determined that a replication rate ≥0.3876/day is associated with superior rates of complete response and durable responses. This threshold is associated with higher grades of cytokine release syndrome and the need for tocilizumab. However, patients with this threshold have a median overall survival of 3.04 years compared to 1.035 years for patients with slower lymphocyte replication ( p = 0.0206). The major determinant of depth of response and durability of response to CAR‐T in NHL is the speed of lymphocyte expansion.

Abstract Few prospective benchmark studies exist to characterize the evolving contemporary real-world practice for peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). We report the patterns of first-line care and outcomes for 720 patients with systemic PTCL enrolled in 2 related prospective cohort studies, Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes (LEO) from 2015 to 2020 and Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER) from 2002 to 2015, both followed to 2024. The primary end points were event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) using Kaplan-Meier estimator and Cox regression model. Secondary end points included correlations of clinical and treatment factors with survival. The most common induction regimens were CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) based (70%), given as CHOP (36%), CHOP plus etoposide (23%), or CHOP-like plus novel agents (11.5%, including 5% BV-CHP [brentuximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone]). Consolidative autologous stem cell transplant was performed in 102 patients (14%). Within nodal PTCL, EFS and OS were adversely associated with International Prognostic Index 2 to 5, prognostic index for T-cell lymphoma score 1 to 4, and non–anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) subtypes. Within LEO, which captured increasing first-line etoposide and brentuximab vedotin, adding etoposide to CHOP was associated with better OS in anaplastic lymphoma kinase-negative ALCL. BV-CHP showed a trend toward OS improvement in ALCL. Patients failing EFS6 and EFS24 had 5-year subsequent OS of 12% and 17%, respectively. The inferior outcomes in non-ALCL subtypes and patients failing EFS6 and EFS24 highlight unmet needs with CHOP-based induction, where clinical trials with targeted therapy should be prioritized. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02736357.

Abstract Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has demonstrated remarkable response rates in relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, durable remissions occur in only 40% of treated patients, highlighting mechanisms of therapeutic resistance and immune escape. While cytotoxicity is principally executed by CAR T-cells, monocytes shape CAR-T cell efficacy and orchestrate cytokine-driven immunity. In this study, we defined distinct metabolic profiles of T-cell and monocyte subsets based on clinical response. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and T-cell receptor sequencing (scTCR-seq) were performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells at three timepoints: before lymphodepletion (BL), at peak CAR-T expansion (PK), and one-month post-infusion (M1). Data were processed with CellRanger v7.0.1 and analyzed with the immunopipe pipeline (Wang et al., 2025). Seurat v4.3.0 was utilized for unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis; subsets identified included classical monocytes (CM), intermediate monocytes (IM), non-classical monocytes (NM), and monocytic myeloid derived suppressor cells (mMDSC). Metabolic profiles were compared across patients achieving ≥6-month complete remission (CR, n=16), primary refractory disease (PD1, n=4), or relapsed after a prior response (PD2, n=12). A total of 107035 T cells and 129981 monocytes from 77 serial samples in 32 patients were analyzed. CR patients had a higher T-cell:monocyte ratio than PD1/PD2 at all time points, especially at BL and PK (BL 1.2 vs 0.4, p=0.011; PK 1.3 vs 0.3, p=0.027). Clinical responses were compared with metabolic pathway analysis and identified oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) as the dominant pathway. OXPHOS was consistently enriched in PD cohorts across T-cell subsets, particularly in PD1 vs CR at BL (mucosal-associated invariant T-cell (MAIT) and T peripheral memory (Tpm)), and at PK (CD4/CD8 memory precursor effector cells (MPEC) and activated MPECs (MPECa), CD4 T-helper 1 proliferating (Th1p), CD4 Th2 activated (Th2a), regulatory T-cell (Treg), CD8 naive senescent (CD8NS), CD8 T effector memory (Tem) tumor recirculating (TR), CD8 Tpm, CD8 T resident memory (Trm) TR and MAIT Tpm). By M1, OXPHOS enrichment in CD4/CD8MPECa, CD4Th2a, CD8NS, CD8TemTR reversed, now predominant in CR although CD8Tpm and CD8TrmTR remained enriched in PD1. In the monocyte subsets at BL, PD2 showed OXPHOS enrichment in CD163+ monocytes (mono), IM IL1, mMDSC SIRPA, mMDSC TGFβ, and CM IL6 subsets compared to PD1 and CR, while PD1 showed OXPHOS enrichment in IM CD38, CM TGFβ, and mMDSC HIF1A vs CR and PD2. This persisted at PK. By M1, the pattern reversed and mirrored that of T-cells, with CR patients showing OXPHOS enrichment in CD163+mono, CM IL6, CM TGFβ, IM CD38, mMDSC HIF1A, mMDSC SIRPA and mMDSC TGFβ, and additionally in CM EMT, CM p53, NM, NM CD36 vs PD1/PD2. Glycolysis/gluconeogenesis (GLY) was also enriched across subsets. In T-cells, PD1 vs CR showed GLY enrichment in CD4Th2a, CD8Tpm, CD8Tpm proliferating and MAIT Tpm at PK. In monocytes, GLY was enriched in PD1/2 vs CR at BL (CD163+mono, CM IL6) and PK (CD163+mono, IM CD18, mMDSC SIRPA). By M1, GLY metabolism was enriched in CR vs PD1/PD2 in CD163+mono, CM IL6, mMDSC SIRPA. Additional GLY enriched subsets at CR vs PD1 included CM, CM p53, EMT, IM CD38, IM IL1, mMDSC HIF1A, NM, NM CD36. Inositol phosphate metabolism (IP) was predominantly enriched in PD2 vs CR at BL (CD8NS, CD8Tcm, CD8Tpm activated), PK (CD4Th2, CD8NS, CD8Tem TR, CD8Tpm proliferating, γδT Tem) and M1 (CD4/CD8 MPECa, CD4 Th1/Th2, CD8NS, CD8Tpm, CD8 Tpm proliferating, Treg and MAIT Tpm). Notably, Treg was the only T-cell subset enriched for IP at PK in CR vs PD1/PD2. Additionally, the TCA cycle was enriched in PD1 Tregs and Th2 cells at BL and PK vs CR/PD2. A higher T-cell:monocyte ratio in CR vs PD1/PD2 supports prior evidence that elevated pre-lymphodepletion lymphocyte:monocyte ratios predict better outcomes. We identified distinct metabolic signatures in T-cells and monocytes between CR and PD1/PD2. OXPHOS enrichment in T-cells and monocytes at M1 in CR patients may reflect oxidative programming as a hallmark of sustained anti-tumor immunity. Conversely, GLY enrichment in PD1 T-cells at PK may reflect short-lived effector states lacking persistence. Overall, these findings highlight metabolic profiling as a promising predictive biomarker and therapeutic programming target to enhance CAR T-cell outcomes.

Abstract Introduction: CTCLs are rare, heterogeneous non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) with significant regional variability in treatment patterns. Prospective studies characterizing CTCL management, particularly in racially and ethnically diverse populations, remains limited. The LEO-MER multi-center prospective cohort study (NCT02736357) is designed to address the persistent disparities in outcomes research by enrolling historically underrepresented groups of patients diagnosed with lymphoma across the United States (US). Here, we present a real-world analysis of CTCL patients that reflects US academic practice, evaluating treatment patterns, as well as prognostic factors influencing survival outcomes. Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with newly diagnosed CTCL were prospectively enrolled in either the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic MER cohort (2002-2015) or the expanded LEO cohort (2015-2020), which included 8 US academic centers. Standardized protocols were used to abstract clinical, pathologic, treatment, and outcome data from medical records. ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis and Fisher's/chi-square tests were used to compare patient distribution across demographic and clinical characteristics based on data distribution and sample size. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from diagnosis to death or last follow-up. Survival analyses employed Kaplan-Meier estimation supplemented by Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results: The LEO-MER cohort enrolled 223 CTCL patients (91 MER and 132 LEO). Subtypes included mycosis fungoides (MF, n=155, 69.5%), Sézary syndrome (SS, n=22, 9.9%), primary cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (n=17, 7.6%), subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (n=11, 4.9%), cutaneous CD4+ small/medium T-cell lymphoproliferative-disorder (n=9, 4%), and other rarer CTCL subtypes (n=9, 4%). Among the MF/SS cohort, median age was 64 years (Range: 18-89 years), 58.2% (n=103) were male and race/ethnicity distribution included White (n=123, 69.5%), Black (n=29; 16.4%) and others/unknown (n=25; 14.1%). Stage distribution included 62.7% with early-stage (ES) MF (IA-IIA, n=111), 37.2% with advanced-stage (AS) MF (IIB-IVB, n=66). To complete diagnostic workup, T-cell receptor (TCR) testing was performed in 52.6% of skin biopsies (n=92) and 62.5% of blood samples (n=110), with clonal detection rates of 75% (69/92) in skin and 51.8% (57/110) in blood. Paired TCR matching between skin and blood samples was performed in 31.6% (n=56) of cases, demonstrating 53.6% (30/56) concordance. Blood flow cytometry data were reported in 80.1% (89/111) and 84.4% (56/66) of ES and AS MF cases, with T-cell population being detected in 7.2% (8/111) and 62.1% (41/66) of ES and AS cases. Nodal biopsies were obtained in 23.4% (n=41) of patients and clonality assessment was reported in 18.6% (33/177) of these cases. The MF/SS cohort's lifetime treatment exposure data (n=160) revealed topical skin-directed therapies alone (n=49, 31.8%) as the most common approach followed by lifetime exposure to topical skin-directed and systemic therapies (n=45, 29.2%) followed by multimodal exposure of topical skin-directed, radiation and systemic treatments (n=30, 19.5%). Only 5.6% of patients were enrolled in a clinical trial. First-line (1L) systemic regimens were predominantly a) immunomodulatory agents (n=47, 29.3%); including oral retinoid (n=20), extracorporeal photopheresis (n=18), interferon (n=9) followed by b) chemotherapy (n=30, 18.7%) and c) targeted therapies (n=17, 10.6%) including Brentuximab Vedotin (n=6), Romidepsin (n=5), Mogamulizumab (n=3), Vorinostat (n=2) and Pralatrexate (n=1). Multivariable analysis predicting 1L systemic treatment initiation demonstrated a significant association with presence of N2/N3 stage (N2/N3 vs N0/N1: Odds Ratio (OR): 5.45) and elevated LDH (OR: 5.30). At median follow-up of 91.1 months (mon), median OS was 122.3 mon (95% confidence interval 67.2-159.2 mon). In subset analyses, Black race (p=0.001) and SS (p=0.0001) were associated with worse OS outcomes. Conclusion: We present initial data from our prospective LEO-MER cohort, a large US-based multicenter consortia. Our findings demonstrate variability in both diagnostic staging and treatment approaches for MF/SS patients. The cohort demonstrated worse outcomes with high-risk disease and Black race/ethnicity. These findings warrant further study on the impact of underlying social determinant factors, given the variability noted in this population.

Abstract Introduction With a median age of 60-70 years at diagnosis, many patients with MCL are ineligible for aggressive treatment. Bendamustine and rituximab (BR) is a standard therapy for older patients with MCL. Venetoclax (VEN) has shown pre-clinical evidence of synergy with chemotherapy. Thus, PrE0405 was designed to evaluate the addition of VEN to BR in previously untreated older patients with MCL. We have previously reported on response rate and short-term survival (Portell et al. ASH 2023). Here, we update survival and include minimal residual disease (MRD) at end of treatment (EOT). Methods Eligible patients included those that were previously untreated and diagnosed with MCL by presence of t(11;14) or cyclin D1 expression. Patients must have been ≥60 years of age at the start of therapy with a good performance status (ECOG 0-2). Adequate marrow and organ function was required, specifically a creatinine clearance ≥ 40 ml/min. Eligible subjects were treated with bendamustine 90mg/m2 D1-2 and rituximab 375mg/m2 IV D1 every 28 days for a planned 6 cycles of therapy. For patients ≥75 years, 70mg/m2 of bendamustine was allowed. VEN was given concurrently with BR. During Cycle 1, VEN was dose escalated weekly, as done in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, from 20mg to 200mg. For Cycle 2-6, VEN was administered as 400mg PO daily on days 1-10 only. Maintenance rituximab was encouraged but was per investigator discretion. Primary end point was PET-negative complete remission (CR) at EOT by Lugano Criteria and was confirmed by a negative bone marrow biopsy if involved at screening. MRD was assessed at EOT by next-generation sequencing (Clonoseq). Amended accrual goal was 33 patients with a planned 32 being eligible and treated. This provided an 81% statistical power to detect a 17% difference in CR rate (from 60% [E1411, Smith et al Blood 2024] to 77%) using an exact binomial test with a 1-sided alpha of 11.6%. Thus, BR-VEN would be considered promising if 23 or more subjects attained a CR. Results From 1/2020 to 3/2022, 33 subjects were enrolled, deemed eligible, and treated on study. Subjects were followed until 7/2024. Median age was 71 (range 61-80) and 76% (n=25) were male. All but 1 subject (97%, n=32) were White. MIPI was high in 67% (n=22), intermediate in 27% (n=9) and low in 6% (n=2). Ki67 was available in 25 (76%) subjects and was ≥30% in 14 (56%) and ≥50% in 7 (28%). Only one subject started bendamustine treatment at 70mg/m2; though 6 others had dose reductions during treatment. Thirty (90%) subjects completed all 6 cycles of therapy. Maintenance rituximab was administered in 19 (56%) of subjects and 9 completed all 12 recommended doses. Treatment was generally well tolerated. During BR-VEN, Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAE) occurring in &gt;10% (i.e., 4 or more) of subjects were neutropenia (n=8, 24%), and thrombocytopenia (n=5, 15%). Other common TRAE of all grades were nausea/vomiting (n=19, 58%), diarrhea (n=10, 30%), and fatigue (n=19, 58%). At EOT with BR-VEN, overall response and CR rate was 97% (32 of 33) and 85% (28 of 33) respectively. The study met its primary endpoint of at least 23 subjects with a CR best response (p=0.002). EOT MRD sample (blood or marrow aspirate) was available for 28 subjects (85%). At EOT, MRD was undetectable for 100% (n=28) of evaluable subjects at a sensitivity of 10-4 and 10-5. At a sensitivity of 10-6, 64% (n=18) were undetectable, 4% (n=1) were detectable and 32% (n=9) were indeterminate. With a median follow up of 39.1 months, 3-year progression free survival (PFS) was 68.9 and 3-year overall survival (OS) was 70.0%. There were 11 total PFS events during follow up. Four subjects in remission died due to COVID-19, 1 died from influenza, one died from HSV encephalitis, and 2 others died from other causes. Two subjects died shortly after progression and 1 subject is alive following disease progression. As this study enrolled during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a sensitivity analysis was performed censoring the COVID-19 attributable deaths – PFS and OS at 3 years was 78.7% and 80.0%. Conclusions BR-VEN was generally well tolerated as induction therapy in older patients with MCL. It achieved a high CR rate of 85% with 100% MRD undetectable rate at 10-5 sensitivity in those evaluable. However, there were competing risks for survival in this older population as, of the 11 PFS events, only 3 events were due to progression; 8 were due to death without progression.

Abstract Introduction: CAR-T therapy has transformed cancer therapy. with its first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved product in August 2017. Given the expanding indications and growing experience, particularly with management of immediate toxicities requiring specialized expertise such as Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) and Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), FDA recently removed the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for CD19 and BCMA targeting CAR-T on June 26th2025. In particular, given that CRS and ICANS typically occur in the first 2 weeks post CAR-T infusion, the minimum required stay near CAR-T treatment center is reduced from one month to 2 weeks. While this could reduce treatment burden for patients (pts) who need to travel away from home to receive CAR-T, there is a need to update the transition of care from CAR-T center to pts' local oncology practice. Pts carry in their rate of recovery and have varying supportive care needs in the second half of the month post CAR-T infusion. To assist with care transition and planning, we examine the use of AI multimodal large language model (LLM) to predict patients' supportive care needs 2 weeks after CAR-T infusion based on the clinical data at the time of CAR-T evaluation, prior to leukapheresis. This timepoint was selected to also maximize travel, lodging and caregiver planning for pts and family as well. Methodology: Pts who were treated with FDA-approved CAR-T at Mayo Clinic Rochester between December 2022 and June 2025 were examined. Based on experiences with referral practices in the Midwest region, we defined patients with high monitoring needs as those who between day 14-30 post CAR-T had either hospital admission due to recurrent CRS or ICANS or required transfusion of more than 1 blood product per week (red blood cell or platelets). Others were classified as low monitoring needs. Clinical notes, labs, vital signs and electrocardiogram at the time of CAR-T evaluation were abstracted and summarized by Gemini LLM for association with patients with high versus low monitoring needs post CAR-T. Model was developed and tested for predicted needs and concordance with actual outcome of these pts. Results: Among the 362 pts who received FDA approved CAR-T in the timeframe, 84 pts had high monitoring needs. An additional 84 pts with low monitoring needs were randomly selected from 278 pts. These were divided into a training cohort and test cohort of 84 pts each, with 42 pts with high and 42 pts with low monitoring needs. Demographics of the two cohorts displayed no statistical difference. LLM analysis of the clinical data at the time of CAR-T eval identified 5 categories associated with risk for high monitoring needs: 1) Disease status (clinical notes about bulky, progressive disease or CNS involvement); 2) inflammatory and tumor burden markers (CRP, LDH); 3) hematologic status (platelet, plt; neutrophil count ANC); 4) renal function; 5) performance status. Using common clinical lab parameter convention (platelets &lt;100, ANC&lt; 1, CrCl&lt; 30ml/min), and prioritizing for not missing pts with high monitoring needs, LLM model was defined to predict patients for high monitoring needs if high risk feature was identified in category 1 or any category combinations; whereas patients with no high risk feature or only 1 category that is not disease status was predicted as low monitoring needs. In this model, the sensitivity was 85.7%, specificity 23.8%, F1 score 65.5%. Applying this model to test cohort 2, the sensitivity was 83.3%, specificity 28.6%, and F1 score 65.4%. Discussion: We demonstrate proof-of-concept that LLM can be used to analyze clinical data at the time of evaluation for CAR-T eligibility to predict for supportive care needs post treatment. Not surprisingly, features identified by LLM to be associated with high monitoring needs are those previously reported by us and others at the time of CAR-T evaluation and or pre-lymphodepletion to be associated with risk for cytopenia, infection, hospitalization and non-relapse mortality. Based on the summary output generated by LLM, additional opportunities for classification methods were identified to improve specificity and balanced accuracy of the LLM model. This is a promising tool for further development to assist clinicians and patients to plan their treatment journey.