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Stephens, Deborah M.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9188-5008

Mayo Clinic

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Citations 39

Lisocabtagene maraleucel combined with ibrutinib in R/R CLL or SLL: primary results from TRANSCEND CLL 004
Wierda, William G. , Dorritie, Kathleen , Gauthier, Jordan , Nath, Rajneesh, Kipps, Thomas J. , Riedell, Peter A. , Eradat, Herbert A., Kharfan‐Dabaja, Mohamed A. , Shah, Nirav N. , Solomon, Scott R., Stephens, Deborah M., Ermann, Daniel A., Arnason, Jon , Deol, Abhinav , Feldman, Tatyana , Ghosh, Monalisa , Tuazon, Sherilyn A., Perna, Serena K., Ou, San-San, Ananthakrishnan, Revathi , Rane, Neha, Papp, Eniko, Ansari, Sahar , Thompson, Ethan G., Okal, Abood, Peiser, Leanne, Chen, Yizhe , Sengupta, Sanhita , Wang, Jixian , Wierda, William G. , Dorritie, Kathleen , Kenderian, Saad S. , Kharfan-Dabaja, Mohamed A , Shah, Nirav N , Deol, Abhinav , Ma, Shuo , Schuster, Stephen J , Gergis, Usama , Vose, Julie , Soumerai, Jacob D , Besien, Koen van , Chen, Yizhe , Sengupta, Sanhita , Ray, Pradipta Ranjan , Siddiqi, Tanya , Kipps, Thomas J , Riedell, Peter A , Nath, Rajneesh , Eradat, Herbert, Stephens, Deborah M. , Andreadis, Charalambos Babis , Ma, Shuo , Schuster, Stephen J. , Vose, Julie M. , Soumerai, Jacob D. , Tuazon, Sherilyn A. , Perna, Serena , Ou, San‐San , Papp, Eniko , Ansari, Sahar, Siddiqi, Tanya

Blood Journal | July 28, 2026 | Volume: No volume available | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available

10.1182/blood.2026033565 Get It

Patients in the liso-cel plus ibrutinib cohort of the phase 1/2, open-label TRANSCEND CLL 004 study had relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) and received liso-cel (50×106 [dose level (DL)1] or 100×106 [DL2] chimeric antigen receptor-positive T cells) with concurrent ibrutinib from enrollment through 90 days after liso-cel infusion or longer per investigator discretion. Primary end point was complete response/remission (CR)/CR with incomplete marrow recovery (CRi) by investigator assessment. Among 56 patients who received ibrutinib plus liso-cel (DL1, n=5; DL2, n=51), median (range) age was 64.5 years (44‒77), 98% had high-risk cytogenetics, 55% had progression on Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor and venetoclax failure, and median (range) number of prior therapies was 5 (1‒13). Median (range) follow-up was 24.8 months (3.1‒51.8). At DL2, CR/CRi rate was 45% (95% confidence interval [CI], 31‒60) and overall response rate was 86% (95% CI, 74‒94). Median (95% CI) duration of response was not reached (NR; 28.7‒NR) for patients with CR/CRi and 41.4 months (23.3‒NR) for all responders. Median (95% CI) progression-free survival was 31.4 months (20.1‒NR). In DL1+DL2, most common grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAE) were neutropenia (52%) and anemia (41%). Cytokine release syndrome was reported in 80% of patients (grade 3, 4%; no grade 4/5), and neurological events in 41% (grade 3/4, 11%; no grade 5). Ibrutinib-related TEAEs were reported in 68% of patients (grade 3/4, 43%; no grade 5). Liso-cel plus ibrutinib demonstrated notable efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL/SLL with predictable and manageable safety. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03331198; NCT03435796.
Development and Validation of a Novel Conditional Event‐Free Survival Tool in Diffuse Large B‐Cell Lymphoma
Chen, Zhengming, Luan, Danny , Jørgensen, Rasmus Rask Kragh , El-Galaly, Tarec C., Nastoupil, Loretta J., Cerhan, James R. , Flowers, Christopher R., Link, Brian K., Lossos, Izidore S. , Stephens, Deborah M., Cohen, Jonathon, Nowakowski, Grzegorz, Bartlett, Nancy, Friedberg, Jonathan W. , Kahl, Brad S., Leonard, John P., Brown, Peter, Smedby, Karin E., Martin, Peter, El‐Galaly, Tarec Christoffer , Rask Kragh Jørgensen, Rasmus , Maurer, Matthew , El-Galaly, Tarec C , Cerhan, James R , Lossos, Izidore S , Habermann, Thomas , Jakobsen, Lasse Hjort , Maurer, Matthew J. , Nastoupil, Loretta J. , Flowers, Christopher R. , Link, Brian K. , Stephens, Deborah M. , Habermann, Thomas M. , Nowakowski, Grzegorz, Bartlett, Nancy L. , Kahl, Brad S. , Smedby, Karin E. , Jerkeman, Mats

American Journal of Hematology | June 4, 2026 | Volume: 101 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 2137-2146

10.1002/ajh.70398 Get It

ABSTRACT One quarter of patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who achieve a complete response following front‐line therapy will eventually experience disease relapse. Existing prognostic models use baseline factors to predict outcomes from the start of initial therapy and are not intended for use following completion of treatment. We developed a conditional event‐free survival (cEFS) tool that predicts a patient's risk of lymphoma recurrence after completing front‐line therapy taking into consideration baseline risk characteristics plus the time the patient has been in remission. Model development used pooled and harmonized data from two observational cohorts and four randomized trials of patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL treated with immunochemotherapy and either achieving a complete response or not experiencing an event within 12 weeks of end of therapy. Cox proportional‐hazards regression modeling with backwards stepwise selection was utilized for model development. External validation was performed using a large independent data registry. In total, data from 2757 patients were used for model development. The risk of experiencing an event at a time point after having survived a period of time could be computed parsimoniously using four basic predictors: age, ECOG performance status grade, Ann Arbor stage, and lactate dehydrogenase level. C‐index in the model development cohort was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.63–0.68), compared to 0.64 (95% CI, 0.62–0.66) in the external validation cohort. We believe that this dynamic risk prediction tool will not only aid clinicians in providing data‐driven recommendations for surveillance, but also assist patients themselves with key decisions, such as family planning.
ROCKET-CLL: A randomized, open-label, multicenter, phase 3 study of rocbrutinib (LP-168) versus pirtobrutinib in covalent BTK inhibitor (cBTKi) in pretreated relapsed or refractory (R/R) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).
Chen, Anna, Woyach, Jennifer A. , Seymour, John F. , Brander, Danielle M., Tan, Fenlai , Anthony, Stephen P. , Shang, Kewei, Shen, Yue, Lou, Yejiang, Byrd, John C., Brander, Danielle M. , Stephens, Deborah M. , Kay, Neil E. , Chen, Yi, Byrd, John C.

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 28, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: No page available

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.tps7100 Get It

TPS7100 Background: Bruton tyrosine kinase covalent inhibitors (cBTKi) have been transformative in CLL treatment. Despite achieving extended remissions, in most patients disease still relapses despite cBTKi therapy, often associated with BTK C481 mutations. Non-covalent BTKi (ncBTKi), including pirtobrutinib, can overcome this resistance (Sharman et al. ASCO . 2025). Pirtobrutinib received FDA approval in Dec 2025, for R/R CLL/CLL patients pretreated with cBTKi. Rocbrutinib (LP-168) is a highly selective next-generation BTKi that can covalently bind wild-type and gatekeeper mutations (T474X, commonly seen in patients relapsed after pirtobrutinib) and non-covalently target C481-mutated BTK , with preclinical efficacy in treatment-naïve and BTKi-resistant CLL (Gordon et al. IWCLL . 2025). In the rocbrutinib phase 1 trial (NCT04775745), encouraging safety and efficacy have been observed in CLL patients with prior exposure to BTKi and/or BCL2 inhibitor (BCL2i) (Woyach et al. Blood. 2025). Presented here is the design of a phase 3 trial aiming to compare the efficacy of rocbrutinib versus pirtobrutinib in cBTKi-pretreated R/R CLL/SLL patients. Methods: ROCKET-CLL (NCT07342478) is a randomized, open-label, multicenter, phase 3 study comparing rocbrutinib (Arm 1) to pirtobrutinib (Arm 2) in R/R CLL/SLL subjects who previously received treatments including covalent BTKi. Eligible subjects must require treatment per 2018 iwCLL criteria, have measurable lesions by CT, an ECOG performance score of 0-2, and adequate hematologic and other organ functions. About 306 subjects will be randomized 1:1 based on stratification factors such as 17p deletion/ TP53 mutation presence, reasons for discontinuing prior cBTKi, prior BCL2i treatment, and geographic region. Participants assigned to each arm will receive rocbrutinib (200 mg QD) or pirtobrutinib (200 mg QD) tablets continuously until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, withdrawal, or other study discontinuation criteria are met. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS), assessed by an independent review committee (IRC) per iwCLL 2018 criteria with CLL (Hallek et al. 2018) and Lugano 2014 criteria with SLL (Cheson et al. 2014). Important secondary endpoints include overall survival (OS), time to next treatment (TTNT), event-free survival (EFS), overall response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), PFS assessed by investigator (INV), concordance between IRC and INV PFS, safety and tolerability, and population PK. Exploratory endpoints include health-related quality of life and biomarker assessment. Recruitment is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT07342478 .
PET-adaptive beacopp- versus ABVD-based therapies for advanced-stage (AS) classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL): Survival comparisons leveraging a multi-state model and analyzing the impact of a-hipi scores across the disease course
Zhu, Cui , Counsell, Nicholas , Upshaw, Jenica , Kirkwood, Amy A. , Advani, Ranjana H. , Gallamini, Andrea , Ghesquières, Hervé , Hutchings, Martin , Johnson, Peter , Advani, Ranjana H , Cui, Zhu, Rodday, Angie Mae , Tighiouart, Hocine , Rossetti, Sára , Li, Hongli , Casasnovas, Olivier , Cerhan, James R. , Federico, Massimo , Hawkes, Eliza A. , Hodgson, David , Link, Brian K. , Mou, Eric , Radford, John , Savage, Kerry J. , Stephens, Deborah M. , Zinzani, Pier Luigi , Maurer, Matthew J. , Rossi, Cédric , Evens, Andrew M. , Parsons, Susan K.

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 129-129

10.1182/blood-2025-129 Get It

Abstract Background: Despite recent therapeutic advances in AS cHL, PET-adaptive chemotherapy-based regimens remain a first-line treatment option, especially for patients (pts) without access to novel agents. Most PET-adaptive regiments start with either 2 cycles of escBEACOPP (escBEACOPP2) or ABVD (ABVD2) prior to interim PET assessment (iPET), followed by treatment de-escalation or intensification by iPET result. There have been no direct comparisons of escBEACOPP2 vs ABVD2 PET-adaptive regimens. Additionally, the AS-Hodgkin Lymphoma International Prognostication Index (A-HIPI) score (Rodday JCO 2023) has not been fully explored in escBEACOPP2 regimens. Therefore, we utilized multiple analytic approaches to compare outcomes of PET-adaptive escBEACOPP2 and ABVD2 regimens, while adjusting for and assessing the effect of the baseline A-HIPI score. Methods: Through the global HoLISTIC Consortium (www.hodgkinconsortium.com), we obtained individual patient data from 4 AS clinical trials of newly diagnosed cHL pts treated with PET-adaptive escBEACOPP2 (AHL2011) or ABVD2 (SWOG0816, RATHL, HD0607) regimens. Pts were restricted to age 18 to 65 years (y), stage IIB-IV, and PET-adapted treatment arms. Positive iPET was based on Deauville score >3. Treatment effects of escBEACOPP2 vs ABVD2 (reference) on 5y progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were first evaluated using Cox models. Importantly, baseline disease risk was adjusted for using the 5y PFS or OS A-HIPI score (including stage, sex, age, bulk, lymphocyte count, albumin, white blood cell count), where higher scores indicate higher predicted risk (scale 1-100). The A-HIPI was modeled per 1 standard deviation (SD) increase. Our multistate model (MSM) comprised 4 health states: diagnosis, sustained remission at 1yr, treatment failure, and death from any cause. Pts all started in the diagnosis state and transitioned to other states without return to prior states. We assessed the impact of treatment on transitions (except binary sustained remission at 1y) that involved ≥5 pts per treatment group, adjusting for A-HIPI for all transitions. All effects are reported as adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: 2,381 AS cHL pts were included (n=372 for escBEACOPP2, n=2009 for ABVD2). For escBEACOPP2 and ABVD2 groups (median follow-up 60 and 56 months), respectively, the mean baseline A-HIPI scores (i.e., predicted 5y PFS event rate) were 25.1 (SD=6.3) and 22.9 (SD=6.5), the rates of positive iPET were 11.3% and 17.0%, 5y PFS was 87.0% and 79.5%, and 5y OS was 96.3% and 94.6%. In Cox models, escBEACOPP2 was associated with significantly improved PFS compared to ABVD2 (aHR=0.54, 95% CI=0.39-0.73); the aHR for OS was 0.67 (95% CI=0.37-1.19). Notably, higher risk A-HIPI score was associated with significantly worse PFS (aHR=1.42, 95% CI=1.31-1.54) and OS (aHR=1.60, 95% CI=1.47-1.76), independent of treatment. In the MSM, the effect of escBEACOPP2 compared to ABVD2 regimens was modeled in 3 transitions with adjustment for A-HIPI score: those treated with escBEACOPP2 had lower likelihood of treatment failure with (aHR=0.38, 95% CI=0.22-0.66) or without (aHR=0.61, 95% CI=0.40-0.92) sustained remission at 1y; the aHR for treatment failure to death was 0.55 (95% CI=0.25-1.22). Higher risk baseline A-HIPI score was associated with higher likelihood of treatment failure and death without sustained remission at 1y (aHR=1.43, 95% CI=1.28-1.61 and aHR=2.50, 95% CI=1.80-3.49, respectively). Furthermore, higher risk baseline A-HIPI score was associated with higher likelihood of treatment failure after achieving sustained remission at 1y (aHR=1.29, 95% CI=1.12-1.48) as well as death after treatment failure (aHR=1.54, 95% CI=1.27-1.86). Conclusions: Comparing newly diagnosed adult AS cHL PET-adaptive regimens with adjustment for baseline A-HIPI score, we found pts treated with escBEACOPP2 on AHL2011 had improved PFS versus pooled pt data from 3 ABVD2 trials. Using MSM, we further demonstrated that escBEACOPP2 was associated with a lower likelihood of treatment failure with or without achieving sustained remission at 1yr. In addition, baseline A-HIPI score was associated with PFS and OS, which was independent of treatment. Finally, higher baseline A-HIPI scores maintained prognostic impact throughout the disease course, including increased risk of treatment failure for pts in remission at 1yr and death after treatment failure.
Superior real-world outcomes of lisocabtagene maraleucel in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Huang, Jennifer , Khaire, Niranjan , Pizzuti, V., Shune, Leyla , Skarbnik, Alan P , Mian, Agrima , Bharadwaj, Sushma , Alsouqi, Aseel , Wankel, Bret , Lukowski, Joseph , Danilov, Alexey V. , Scordo, Michael , Franco, Stephanie , Ujjani, Chaitra S. , Lynch, Ryan C. , Kittai, Adam S. , Shulman, Jonah, Lunning, Matthew A. , Rogers, Kerry A. , Fakhri, Bita , Hill, Brian T. , Pinilla‐Ibarz, Javier , Soumerai, Jacob D. , Shadman, Mazyar, Pizzuti, Vincenzo J. , Soumerai, Jacob D , Fakhri, Bita , Pizzuti, Vincenzo J , Voutsinas, Jenna M. , Pizzuti, Vincenzo, Lei, Matthew , Fonseca, Rodrigo , Din, Mohammad Ammad Ud , Wehmeyer, Graham T. , Siddiqi, Tanya , Thompson, Meghan C , Stephens, Deborah M. , Gauthier, Jordan , Wierda, William G. , Barr, Paul M. , Hilal, Talal , Kamdar, Manali , Wu, Qian Vicky , Jain, Nitin , Shadman, Mazyar

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 798-798

10.1182/blood-2025-798 Get It

Abstract Introduction: Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) was approved in the United States for the treatment of CLL in 3/2024 for patients who have received two prior lines of therapy including a covalent BTK inhibitor and a BCL-2 inhibitor. Data regarding outcomes of liso-cel is limited to reports from the registrational TRANSCEND-CLL 004 clinical trial which had strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. This work investigates the real-world efficacy and safety of liso-cel for patients with CLL and its efficacy in specific sub-populations. Methods: This is a multi-institutional retrospective study (Collaborative Assessment of Real-World Evidence of Lisocabtagene Maraleucel in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory CLL/SLL [CARE CAR-T CLL]) of patients with CLL who received commercial liso-cel in the United States. Patients with Richter transformation were excluded. Response was defined by iwCLL criteria. Patients who did not undergo a marrow biopsy but met other criteria for a complete response (CR) were categorized as unconfirmed CR (CRu). CRS and ICANS were graded per ASTCT criteria. Results: A total of 30 patients were identified with a median age of 67 years (range 44 – 80). Twenty of thirty patients (67%) had either del17p and/or mutated TP53, and 8/30 (27%) had complex karyotype (≥ 3 abnormalities) at time of liso-cel infusion. Patients received a median of 6 prior lines of therapy (range 1 - 12), and 24 (80%) were previously treated with chemotherapy. All patients had previous exposure to a covalent BTK inhibitor and a BCL-2 inhibitor. Twenty-seven (90%) of patients had prior exposure to pirtobrutinib. Twenty-nine patients (96.7%) received bridging treatment that was stopped after leukapheresis with 1 patient in CR and 25 patients in PR at time of liso-cel. Eighteen patients (60%) were treated with pirtobrutinib as the last line of treatment prior to liso-cel. Median length of time on pirtobrutinib prior to liso-cel infusion was 4 months (interquartile range [IQR], 2 – 8 months). Twelve (66.7%) patients stopped pirtobrutinib between leukapheresis and lymphodepletion, and 6 continued after liso-cel. Best CR/CRu rate was 60.0% (CR, n = 17/30; CRu, n = 1/30), and best overall response rate (ORR) was 83.3% (25/30) with median time to best response of 30 days (IQR, 28 – 30 days). Of the 18 patients who received pirtobrutinib as their last line of therapy, 13 (72%) achieved a CR/CRu. Meanwhile, of the 12 patients who did not receive pirtobrutinib as their last line of therapy, only 5 (28%) achieved a CR. Measurable residual disease testing (MRD) by flow cytometry was done in 14/30 patients, and 9 patients (64%) had achieved undetectable MRD (uMRD). MRD by next generation sequencing (NGS) was done in 17 patients, and 7 (41%) patients had uMRD. Twenty-seven of 30 patients (90%) were alive at time of data collection. Median follow-up was 3.3 months (IQR, 1.2 – 8.9 months). Twenty-six patients (87%) experienced any grade cytokine release syndrome (CRS), and 3 patients experienced grade 3 CRS (10%). Twelve patients (40%) experienced any grade immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), and 4 patients (13%) experienced grade 3 ICANS. There were no grade 4 or 5 CRS or ICANS. One patient experienced grade 3 immune effector cell-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis-like syndrome (IEC-HS). At day 30, patients had a median absolute neutrophil count of 1.7K/μL (IQR, 0.8 – 3.6K/μL), hemoglobin of 11.7 g/dL (IQR, 8.6 – 13.1 g/dL), and platelet count of 72K/μL (IQR, 29 – 119K/μL). Conclusion: Real-world analysis of liso-cel for patients with relapsed/refractory CLL showed CR and ORR of 60.0% and 83.3%, respectively. Despite having a heavily pre-treated and chemotherapy-exposed population and with over half the patients having high-risk features, these response rates are higher than what was described in the TRANSCEND-CLL 004 clinical trial. These results are limited by the short follow-up period and the variability in response assessment typical of a retrospective study. As we increase our sample size, we will also be interested if the use of the non-covalent BTK inhibitor pirtobrutinib prior to liso-cel is associated with a higher CR rate, mimicking the findings of the sub-cohort analysis of TRANSCEND-CLL 004 where the concurrent use of ibrutinib led to higher CR rates. Further updates and patients from additional collaborators will be presented at the meeting.
Updated results from a Phase II study of minimal residual disease-guided venetoclax + obinutuzumab for the initial treatment of fit patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Mato, Anthony R. , Coombs, Catherine C. , Islam, Prioty , Palomba, Lia, Kumar, Anita , Stein, Eytan M. , Nogan, Lauren, Kikani, Bejal, Sutterby, Ryan, Nguyen, Thu Quynh , Allen, Alexandra M., Sudhir, Sumathy, Panton, Gail, Duffy, Victoria L., Tyznar, Dianna, Brutus, Jamila, Nyima, Tenzin, Shah, Anmol , Soni, Dhara, Silvestrone, Michael R. , Harris, Miranda , Karnam, Megha, Hutzler, Claire, David, Kevin A. , Fleming, Stephen E., Diaz, Giovanni , Fakhri, Bita , Fakhri, Bita , Thompson, Meghan C , Zelenetz, Andrew D. , Park, Jae-Hong , Geyer, Mark Blaine , Derkach, Andriy , Nemirovsky, David , Stephens, Deborah M. , Jensen, Christopher Edward , Falchi, Lorenzo , Salles, Gilles , Lue, Jennifer Kimberly , Kikani, Bejal, Allen, Alexandra, Sudhir, Sumathy, Duffy, Victoria, Brutus, Jamila, Shah, Monica, Harris, Miranda, Goldberg, Aaron D. , Fleming, Stephen, Hamidi, Habib , Roeker, Lindsey E.

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 3902-3902

10.1182/blood-2025-3902 Get It

Abstract Background: Undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD) at the end of first-line (1L) treatment (tx) with 12-cycles (C) of venetoclax (ven) + obinutuzumab (obin) is associated with prolonged survival for patients (pts) with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL, Al Sawaf et al. Blood 2024). We hypothesized that MRD may be used to guide ven tx duration for CLL pts treated with 1L ven + obin. Methods In this ongoing phase II, multicenter investigator-initiated study, pts receive ven + obin for 1L tx of CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma (NCT04447768). Eligible pts have a CIRS score of ≤ 6 and require 1L tx per iwCLL 2018 criteria. Pts receive 6 x 28-day C of obin and initiate ven on C1D22. Ven duration is dependent on peripheral blood (PB) MRD status measured by ClonoSeq next generation sequencing. At C7, pts undergo MRD testing. Pts uMRD6 (<10-6 sensitivity) at both C7 and C9 dc ven after 9C and enter treatment free observation (TFO). Pts with detectable MRD6 (dMRD6) at C7 undergo repeat testing at C12; if uMRD5 (<10-5) pts dc ven after 12C. Pts dMRD5 at C12 continue ven for an additional 12C (24C total) prior to TFO. The primary study endpoint is 36-month PFS; the unpromising rate is set at 82% and will be tested by a nonparametric survival estimate (Kaplan-Meier) along with Greenwood's formula. RNA sequencing (RNAseq) was performed pre-tx on patient bone marrow (or PB if inaspirable) samples. Unsupervised clustering using machine learning (ML) based on consensus nonnegative matrix factorization was applied to the most variable genes to identify patient clusters. Clusters were then biologically characterized by gene signature scoring using xCell algorithm and assessed for association with uMRD6 at C7 using a Fisher exact test. Results Baseline characteristics of the 100 pts who initiated tx include: median age 58 (range 34-81); 71% male, 90% White, 3% Black and 2% Asian, 5% unknown; 49% IGHV unmutated, 16% TP53 mutation, 8% del17p (previously reported, Roeker et al. ASH 2024). 3 pts stopped tx prior to C7. 51 pts were uMRD6 at C7 and C9 and completed 9C ven. 46 pts were dMRD6 at C7; 6 pts stopped tx outside of meeting protocol requirements and are included in intention-to-treat (IIT) analyses. 32 pts were uMRD5 at C12 and dc ven after 12C. 8 pts were dMRD5 at C12: 5 continued ven per protocol (3 completed 24C ven, 2 ongoing tx as of 15 May 2025 data cut-off), 2 stopped ven outside of protocol requirements (included in ITT analyses), and 1 pt withdrew consent. At a median follow-up of 35 months, the 36-month PFS rate is 90% (95% CI: 84%, 97%). 36-month OS is 94% (95% CI: 89%, 99%). Landmark PFS analyses from EOT were performed for pts who dc ven after 9C due to uMRD6 (24-month PFS 92%, 95% CI: 85, 100%, n=51) and pts who dc ven after 12C due to uMRD5 (24-month PFS 96%, 95% CI: 89%, 100%, n=32). For pts dc ven after 9C due to uMRD6 (n=51), PB MRD at 12C after EOT was: 59% uMRD6, 12% uMRD5, 4% uMRD4, 8% dMRD4 and 18% unknown. For pts dc ven after 12C due to uMRD5 status (n=32), PB MRD at 12C following EOT was: 9% uMRD6, 31% uMRD5, 9% uMRD4, 25% dMRD4 and 25% unknown. Of the 5 pts with PD, 3 pts have had Richter Transformation to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (all uMRD6 at C7 / 9). Two pts with PD have not met iwCLL tx criteria and remain in TFO. Five pts have died (suicide, West Nile encephalitis, COVID-19, complications of glioblastoma and RT DLBCL). Five C12 dMRD5 pts who continued ven have reached C18, with only 1 of 5 converting to uMRD5 in PB. However, all 5 maintained uMRD4 (<10-4). Of 3 pts that completed 24C ven (2 ongoing tx), 1 pt had deepening of response to uMRD5 at C24, and 2 pts had rising MRD on ven (dMRD4 at C24). To investigate patient heterogeneity at baseline and its relationship to uMRD, we clustered patient RNAseq samples into two clusters using artificial intelligence/ML based unsupervised clustering. The clusters associated with uMRD6 at C7 (Fisher exact test p=0.038), and patients in the cluster with significantly higher immunosuppressive cells such as T-regulatory cells and M2 macrophages were less likely to be uMRD6 at C7. Conclusions At a median follow-up of 35 months, the estimated 36-month PFS rate is 90%. RNAseq transcriptomic analyses identified that patients with enriched immunosuppressive cells were less likely to be uMRD6 at C7. Additional follow-up is required to confirm the durability of this MRD-guided ven + obin tx strategy.
Evaluation of ventoclax initiation prophylaxis and monitoring outcomes at each dose level and time point in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: A real-world experience
Lamanna, Nicole , Manzoor, Beenish S. , Ujjani, Chaitra S. , Sinai, Wendy, Hill, Brian T. , Brown, Jennifer R. , Tuncer, Hande H. , Eyre, Toby A. , Leslie, Lori A. , Barr, Paul, Emechebe, Nnadozie, Skarbnik, Alan P , Fakhri, Bita , Fleury, Isabelle , Lima, Robson , Zhu, Cui , Coyle, Michael, Houshyar, Samin , Pearson, Laurie, Pivneva, Irina , Watson, Talissa, Fakhri, Bita , Jensen, Christopher Edward , Shadman, Mazyar , Chang, Andrés , Stephens, Deborah M. , Davids, Matthew S. , Martínez‐Calle, Nicolás , Roeker, Lindsey E. , Thompson, Meghan C , Rhodes, Joanna , Lansigan, Frederick , Cui, Zhu, Coyle, Michael, Guerin, Annie , Ghosh, Nilanjan

Blood | December 4, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 3885-3885

10.1182/blood-2025-3885 Get It

Abstract Background: Venetoclax (VEN)+obinutuzumab (VO) is an effective therapy for CLL/SLL requiring regular monitoring for tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) during VEN ramp-up. The CLL14 trial of VO reported no TLS during VEN ramp-up; however, there are limited real-world data on monitoring practices and TLS outcomes for different dose levels and monitoring timepoints. This study assessed VEN initiation prophylaxis and monitoring outcomes for patients (pts) with CLL/SLL starting VO in first line (1L) in an outpatient, real-world setting. Methods This interim analysis relied onretrospective observational data from 4 US sites of the CLL Collaborative Study of Real-World Evidence (CORE). Adult pts with CLL/SLL were eligible if they: (1) started VO per-label outside of a clinical trial in 1L, or immediately after exposure in 1L to agents with different mechanisms of action (i.e., BTKi, anti-CD20 only) of <30 days; (2) prior to VEN start, had either (i) low physician-determined tumor burden (TB) (i.e., all lymph nodes [LN] <5 cm and ALC <25 x 109/L), or (ii) medium physician-determined TB (i.e., any LN ≥5-<10 cm or ALC ≥25 x 109/L) with creatinine clearance ≥80 mL/min; (3) had no strong CYP3A inhibitors or prophylactic rasburicase from 3 days prior to VEN start until end of VEN ramp-up; and (4) had VEN ramp-up in an outpatient setting. TB-related labs/imaging was assessed from 2 months prior to obinutuzumab initiation (i.e., index date) until VEN start. VEN characteristics (i.e., dosing, duration), prophylaxis measures (i.e., antihyperuricemics and IV hydration), and TLS-related monitoring and management (i.e., lab results and interventions received) were collected per ramp-up week and TLS monitoring timepoint. Results Of 128 pts in CORE who initiated VO in any line, 72 pts met inclusion criteria (low TB: 57 [79.2%]; medium TB: 15 [20.8%]). Median (IQR) age was 62 (56.0, 68.5) years, 58.3% were male, and 81.9% had ECOG grade ≤1. Among pts tested, 7/68 (10.3%) had del(17p)/TP53 mutation and 43/66 (65.2%) had unmutated IGHV. Median (IQR) time from index to VEN start was 23.0 (22.0, 30.0) days. Most pts completed ramp-up (98.6% [71/72]) and followed a per-label regular dosing schedule (93.1% [67/72]). Prior to VEN ramp-up, all pts received prophylactic antihyperuricemics (allopurinol: 71 [98.6%]; febuxostat: 2 [2.8%]) and prophylactic hydration. In the 2 days prior to a dose escalation for at least 1 week of ramp-up, prophylactic IV hydration was reported for 27 (37.5%) pts based on physician determination. One pt stopped VEN after week 2 due to neutropenia (grade 3+). During ramp-up (median [IQR] of 9 [8, 12] blood tests per pt), no lab or clinical TLS was reported. Of 21 (29.2%) pts who received an intervention following a lab assessment, most had low TB at VEN start (16 [76.2%]). All interventions were either prophylactic or non-TLS-related. Following a lab assessment for at least 1 week of ramp-up, prophylactic IV or escalated oral hydration intervention was reported in 17/21 pts (81.0%) based on physician determination (e.g., to manage impaired baseline renal function in those with low TB, patient request, or institutional practice) (IV hydration: 15 pts; escalated oral hydration: 2 pts). By per-label monitoring timepoints, hydration intervention was given prophylactically following pre-dose lab tests for 7 pts (across weeks 1-5), 6-8 hours post-dose for 5 pts (weeks 1-2), and 24 hours post-dose for 10 pts (weeks 1-2). By per-label monitoring timepoints, other non-TLS-related interventions (i.e., blood transfusion for anemia, insulin for hyperglycemia, and potassium for non-TLS-related hypokalemia) were given following pre-dose lab tests for 2 pts (weeks 1-5) and 24 hours post-dose for 4 pts (weeks 1-2). Conclusion Consistent with the CLL14 trial, no TLS was reported in this real-world, interim analysis of pts with mostly low TB and good renal function at 1L VO initation. All interventions during VEN ramp-up were prophylactic or non-TLS-related, with prophylactic hydration commonly given based on physician preference. These results suggest that VO initiation is manageable in an outpatient setting. Consideration should be given for simplified monitoring requirements including potential removal of 6-8 hour post-dose lab in this population and be further explored in prospective studies. Data collection for this study is ongoing to further contextualize real-world VEN initiation prophylaxis and monitoring outcomes in a larger cohort.
296 | LIMITED STAGE DIFFUSE LARGE B CELL LYMPHOMA IN THE MODERN ERA: REAL‐WORLD OUTCOMES IN AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY OF OVER ONE THOUSAND PATIENTS
Loh, Zoe , Khurana, Arushi , Puckrin, Robert , Friedberg, Jonathan W. , Hapgood, Greg , Saleh, MN, Fletcher, Cherise, Thordardottir, Thorunn Halldora, Villa, Diego , Sehn, L. H., Ravindra, Aditya, Farooq, Umar , Danilov, Alexey V. , Ku, Matthew , Walker, S. , Churilov, Leonid , Ku, Matthew , Johns, Hannah Tabitha , Paludo, Jonas , Stephens, Deborah M. , Bishton, Mark , Saleh, M., Fletcher, C., Ravindra, Aditya , Farooq, U., Lewis, Katharine L. , Cheah, Chan Y. , Hawkes, Eliza A. , Barraclough, Allison

Hematological Oncology | June 16, 2025 | Volume: 43 | Issue: S3 | Pages: No page available

10.1002/hon.70094_296 Get It

A Multi-Center Retrospective Study on Complex Karyotype in Patients with Richter Transformation Who Received No Chemoimmunotherapy for Their CLL
Allan, John N. , Brander, Danielle M. , Byrd, John C. , Danilov, Alexey V. , Dvorak‐Kornaus, Kaitlyn, Hampel, Paul J. , Islam, Prioty , Malakhov, Nikita , Miller, Sarah , Rogers, Kerry A. , Skarbnik, Alan P , Scott, Hamish W , Schade, Jake , Woyach, Jennifer A. , Kittai, Adam S. , Byrd, John C. , Byrd, John C , Miller, Cecelia , Huang, Ying , Bhat, Seema A. , Bond, David A. , Chavez, Julio C , Chong, Elise A. , Dowling, Mark R. , Ho, Carrie , Matasar, Matthew J. , Parikh, Sameer A. , Rabe, Kari G. , Rhodes, Joanna , Roeker, Lindsey E. , Saha, Aditi , Shadman, Mazyar , Shouse, Geoffrey , Stephens, Deborah M. , Thompson, Meghan C , Thompson, Philip A , Wang, Yucai , Yano, Max , Omer, Zulfa

Blood | December 6, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 3245-3245

10.1182/blood-2024-205668 Get It

Introduction: Complex karyotype (CK, ≥3 chromosome (chr) abnormalities (abn)) is an important adverse prognostic indicator in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CK at diagnosis (dx) of CLL, particularly with major structural chr abn (i.e. unbalanced translocation, add, marker, ring chr), called type-2 CK (CK2), has been associated with an increased risk of Richter transformation (RT) (Visentin Haematologica 2022). RT is defined as development of aggressive lymphoma, most often large B-cell lymphoma, in the setting of CLL. In patients (pts) with relapsed/refractory CLL treated with ibrutinib, CK as a continuous variable and the presence of polyploidy were independent predictors for RT. CK is a common finding at the time of RT, and high-CK (≥5) has been associated with short survival in RT, although previous studies predominantly included pts with prior chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) administration for their CLL. The prognostic significance of CK in pts with RT whose prior CLL-directed therapies include only non-CIT, as is the current standard of care for CLL, has not been evaluated. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective analysis of pts from 14 academic centers. Pts with RT diagnosed between 6/2011 to 6/2023, who had CLL-directed treatment that did not include prior CIT, with stimulated karyotype data available, were included. Pts who did not receive treatment for their CLL prior to developing RT were not included. Baseline pt, disease, and cytogenetics data were collected via chart review at time of CLL diagnosis and at the development of RT. Karyotype abn up to 20 were counted on both CLL tissue (peripheral blood or bone marrow) and RT tissue using IWGMC guidelines (Chun Leuk Res 2010). CK was categorized as CK1 (balanced abn, deletion, aneusomies) or CK2. Polyploidy was defined as ≥58 chrs. Karyotype was considered evolved if one or more chr abn were seen in a follow-up sample of CLL tissue that were not seen at CLL dx.TP53 disruption was defined as presence of del(17p) or TP53 mutation. Overall survival (OS) was measured from RT dx and estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression model was used to identify prognostic factors associated with OS. Results: A total of 64 eligible pts were identified. Median age at RT dx was 65 years (range 40-89) and 71.9% of pts were male. Of those evaluated (n=49), 79.6% had unmutated IGVH. Median number of therapies for CLL prior to RT was 1 (range 1-5) and included BTK inhibitor (n=37), BCL2 inhibitor (n=3), both (n=18), or other non-CIT treatment (n=6). At CLL diagnosis, 54.7% of pts had a CK, and the median number of chr abn was 3 (range 0-20). Of those with CK, 96.9% had a CK2, and 6.3% had a polyploid subclone. TP53 disruption was found in 46% of pts. At time of RT, chr analysis of CLL tissue was available for 38 pts and showed 78.9% had a CK, and the median number of chr abn was 8 (range 0-20). Polyploidy was found in 29.6%. TP53 disruption (46 pts evaluated) was found in 52.2%. Karyotype evolution from dx (35 pts evaluated) occurred in 74.3% of pts. In RT tissue, of those evaluated (n=29), 96.6% were clonally related to the preceding CLL. MYC translocation (45 pts evaluated) occurred in 17.8%. CK (20 pts evaluated) was found in 70%, with a median number of chr abn of 8 (range 0-20). Of those with CK, 33.3% had a polyploid subclone. With a median follow-up of 17.8 months (range 2.1-83.0) there were 42 deaths, with a median OS of 14.3 months (range 6.9-29.1). For this subset of patients with karyotype data available who would go on to develop RT, an exploratory univariable analysis for OS from RT found that increasing number of chr abn as a continuous variable at CLL dx was associated with worse OS (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.19, p=0.01). Similarly, at RT, increasing number of chr abn in CLL tissue (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.16, p=0.01) and in RT tissue (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.18, p=0.03) was also prognostic of survival. Karyotype evolution in CLL tissue at RT (HR 3.02, 95% CI 1.02-8.94, p=0.05) was borderline significant for worse OS. Conclusions: Our multi-center study identified increasing number of chr abn at CLL diagnosis and at time of RT, and clonal evolution in the CLL tissue, are associated with worse OS in pts with RT whose CLL was treated without CIT. Limitations include incomplete cytogenetics data across the cohort and potential variability across institutions in cytogenetics laboratory practices. This provides further evidence for the clinical utility of chr analysis in the modern era of CLL therapy.