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Rogers, Kerry A.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5748-7874

Mayo Clinic

The Ohio State University

Citations 21

Updated consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with HCL and HCL variant
Zent, Clive S. , Tiacci, Enrico , Kreitman, Robert J. , Tadmor, Tamar , Tallman, Martin S., Wörmann, Bernhard J., Andritsos, Leslie A. , Arons, Evgeny , Barrientos, Jacqueline C. , Broccoli, Alessandro , Call, Timothy G., Dearden, C. J., El‐Sharkawi, Dima , Fagarasanu, Andrei, Gladstone, Douglas E. , Gozzetti, A, Hampel, Paul J. , Hermel, David J. , Johnston, James B. , Juliusson, Gunnar, Kipps, T J, Lauria, Francesco, Lozanski, Gerard , Park, Jae H, Polliack, Aaron, Quest, Graeme, R., K. , Rogers, Kerry A. , Saven, Alan, Seymour, John F. , Tam, Constantine S., Troussard, Xavier, Zenz, Thorsten, Grever, Michael Rhodes, Gozzetti, Alessandro , Barrientos, Jacqueline , Blachly, James , Dietrich, Sascha , El-Sharkawi, Dima , Falini, Brunangelo , Forconi, Francesco , Gerrie, Alina S , Gozzetti, Alessandro , Hampel, Paul J , Iyengar, Sunil , Johnston, James B , Parikh, Sameer A , Robak, Tadeusz , Rogers, Kerry A , Seymour, John F , Zinzani, Pier Luigi , Zent, Clive S , Tallman, Martin S. , Wörmann, Bernhard , Banerji, Versha , Bhat, Seema A. , Blachly, James S. , Call, Timothy G. , Demeter, Judit , Falini, Brunangelo , Forconi, Francesco , Gerrie, Alina S. , Juliusson, Gunnar , Kipps, Thomas J. , Lauria, Francesco, Parikh, Sameer A. , Park, Jae H. , Polliack, Aaron, Ravandi, Farhad , Tam, Constantine S. , Troussard, Xavier , Zenz, Thorsten , Zinzani, Pier Luigi , Grever, Michael R.

Blood | April 14, 2026 | Volume: 148 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 31-42

10.1182/blood.2025032757 Get It

Abstract Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) and HCL variant (HCLv) are distinct, rare, and chronic splenic B-cell lymphomas/leukemias that partially overlap in clinicopathologic presentation but differ in genetic basis, prognosis, and management. HCL is caused by the BRAF-V600E kinase–activating mutation in >95% of the patients, usually has excellent responses to chemotherapy with purine analogues, and is also amenable to BRAF inhibitor–based targeted treatments. In contrast, HCLv lacks BRAFV600E mutation, requires combined therapy with purine analogues in addition to rituximab, and generally shows less durable responses. Here, an international team of hematologists, experts on these rare diseases, was convened by the Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation to update the previous guidelines (published in 2017) by providing a summary of current methods to diagnose and manage patients with HCL and HCLv as well as a prospective on newer targeted therapies to further improve outcomes.
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.
Expert consensus opinion on the management of hairy cell leukemia in elderly patients
Fagarasanu, Andrei, Kreitman, Robert J. , Rogers, Kerry A. , Saven, Alan, Seymour, John F. , Tallman, Martin S. , Tiacci, Enrico , Wörmann, Bernhard , Grever, Michael R. , Levy, Ilana , Seymour, John F , Yurkovski, Ilana Levy , Tadmor, Tamar , Demeter, Judit , Parikh, Sameer A. , Ravandi, Farhad , Tam, Constantine S. , Zenz, Thorsten , Zent, Clive S.

Leukemia & Lymphoma | October 10, 2025 | Volume: 66 | Issue: 14 | Pages: 2611-2617

10.1080/10428194.2025.2562961 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.
Hodgkin Lymphoma Transformation in Patients Who Received No Prior Chemotherapy for CLL/SLL: Outcomes from a Multicenter Retrospective Study in the Modern Era of Therapy
Hampel, Paul J. , Miller, Sarah , Allan, John N. , Brander, Danielle M. , Byrd, John C. , Danilov, Alexey V. , Dvorak‐Kornaus, Kaitlyn, Freedman, Hannah, Malakhov, Nikita , Rai, Manoj, Rogers, Kerry A. , Schade, Jake , Spurgeon, Stephen E. , Woyach, Jennifer A. , Zulfa, Omer, Kittai, Adam S. , Byrd, John C , Huang, Ying , Bhat, Seema A. , Bond, David A. , Chavez, Julio C., Chong, Elise A. , Davids, Matthew S. , Matasar, Matthew J. , Miller, Cecelia , Parikh, Sameer A. , Parry, Erin M. , Rabe, Kari G. , Raess, Philipp W. , Rai, Manoj, Rhodes, Joanna , Saha, Aditi , Shouse, Geoffrey , Stephens, Deborah M. , Wang, Yucai , Yano, Max

Blood | December 6, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 5099-5099

10.1182/blood-2024-198742 Get It

Introduction: Richter transformation is the development of an aggressive lymphoma, most commonly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, in patients (pts) with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). Transformation into Hodgkin lymphoma (HT) is a rare event and outcomes in pts with this complication in the current CLL/SLL therapeutic era of small molecule inhibitors (SMI; e.g., Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors [BTKi] and BCL2 inhibitors [BCL2i]) are unknown. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of pts from 12 academic centers. Pts with HT who had not previously received chemotherapy for CLL/SLL-directed treatment (tx) were included. Pt, disease, and tx characteristics were collected. HT was categorized into 3 groups: “Concurrent HT,” defined as HT and CLL/SLL diagnosed simultaneously (within 3 months); “HT without prior CLL/SLL tx,” defined as HT and CLL/SLL diagnosed >3 months apart with the CLL/SLL never treated; and “HT with prior non-chemotherapy tx for CLL/SLL” defined as having received non-chemotherapy CLL/SLL-directed tx prior to the diagnosis (dx) of HT. Overall survival (OS) was measured from HT dx and estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression model was used to identify prognostic factors associated with OS. Results: Within a total cohort of 402 pts with Richter transformation (all histologies) without prior chemotherapy, 41 pts with HT (10%) were identified: 12 with concurrent HT, 10 with HT without prior CLL/SLL tx, and 19 with HT with prior non-chemotherapy tx for CLL/SLL. The median age at CLL/SLL dx was 62 years (range 31-96 years) and 73% were male. At CLL/SLL dx, 67% (14/21 evaluated) had unmutated IGHV, and 24% (8/34 evaluated) had TP53 disruption (del(17p) and/or TP53 mutation). The median age at HT dx was 65 years (range 31-96 years) among all pts. At HT dx, there was no significant difference in highest SUV on PET (median 12.3, range 3-31.1), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level (median 242 U/L, range 112-859 U/L), or lymph node longest diameter (median 4.6 cm, range 1.6-25 cm) among the 3 subgroups. The median time from CLL/SLL dx to HT dx was 5.4 years (range 0.3-16.5 years) in pts with HT without prior CLL/SLL tx and 4.2 years (range 0.5-17.3 years) in pts with HT with prior non-chemotherapy tx for CLL/SLL. The median number of prior non-chemotherapy CLL/SLL-directed tx was 1 (range 1-6) and included BTKi only (n=17) and BTKi and BCL2i sequentially (n=2); no patient had received only prior BCL2i. Among the 19 pts with HT with prior non-chemotherapy tx for CLL/SLL, 18 pts were on active tx at time of dx (17 BTKi, 1 BCL2i). Initial HT management included: doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD; n=16), brentuximab vedotin (BV)-AVD (n=10), radiation only (n=2), other systemic tx (n=11), and supportive cares / hospice (n=2). All but 1 of the 11 other systemic tx were various HL tx regimens. Across all pts with available data (n=32), the overall response rate to 1st line HT tx was 78% (69% complete response rate); 13% had progressive disease and 9% (n=3; all with concurrent HT) died within 6 months without formal response assessment. A total of 11 pts received at least 1 additional line of therapy for HT, which included BV (n=4), an immune checkpoint inhibitor (n=1), or both (n=6) at any point beyond 1st line HT tx. Median follow-up from HT dx was 32.8 months (range 2.4-253.8 months). The 36-month OS for the entire cohort was 75% (95% CI: 55-87%). The 36-month OS estimates by subgroups were: 62% (95% CI: 26-84%) in pts with concurrent HT, 100% in pts with HT without prior CLL/SLL tx (no events by 36 months), and 67% (95% CI: 33-87%) in pts with HT with prior non-chemotherapy tx for CLL/SLL. Exploratory univariable analysis identified TP53 disruption at CLL dx (HR 12.36; 95% CI: 2.55-59.84) and lymph node longest diameter (HR 1.32 per 1 cm increase; 95% CI: 1.12-1.55) and LDH 2-fold increase (HR 3.97; 95% CI 1.24-12.68) at HT dx as prognostic for worse OS. HT subgroup was not prognostic. Conclusions: This is the largest report of outcomes in pts with CLL/SLL who develop HT following SMI tx without any prior chemotherapy, representing a contemporary cohort. Prior CLL/SLL tx status was not associated with OS; however, cautious interpretation is required given the sample size. Our findings support the use of appropriate HL-directed treatment in the setting of HT; however, OS estimates remain worse than would be expected in an older adult de novo HL cohort (Cheng Blood Adv 2022).
A multicenter study of venetoclax-based treatment for patients with Richter transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Hampel, Paul J. , Rogers, Kerry A. , Parry, Erin M. , Burger, Jan A. , Hyak, Jonathan, Woyach, Jennifer A. , Parry, Erin M , Burger, Jan A , Hyak, Jonathan M , Kenderian, Saad S. , Wang, Yucai , Parikh, Sameer A , Thompson, Philip A , Swaminathan, Mahesh , Davids, Matthew S. , Ding, Wei , Ferrajoli, Alessandra , Jain, Nitin , Wang, Yucai , Wierda, William G. , Parikh, Sameer A.

Blood Advances | March 27, 2024 | Volume: 8 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 2342-2350

10.1182/bloodadvances.2023012080 Get It

Abstract Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who develop Richter transformation (RT) have a poor prognosis when treated with chemoimmunotherapy regimens used for de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Venetoclax, a BCL2 inhibitor, has single-agent efficacy in patients with RT and is potentially synergistic with chemoimmunotherapy. In this multicenter, retrospective study, we evaluated 62 patients with RT who received venetoclax-based treatment outside of a clinical trial, in combination with a Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi; n=28), rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (R-CHOP) (n=13), or intensive chemoimmunotherapy other than R-CHOP (n=21). The best overall and complete response rates were 36%/25%, 54%/46%, and 52%/38%, respectively. The median progression-free and overall survival estimates for the same treatment groups were 4.9/14.3 months, 14.9 months/not reached, and 3.3/9 months, respectively. CLL with del(17p) was associated with a lower complete response rate in the total cohort (odds ratio [OR] 0.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-0.6; p=0.01) and venetoclax-naïve subgroup (OR 0.13; 95%CI 0.02-0.66; p=0.01). TP53 mutated CLL was associated with a lower complete response rate (OR 0.15; 95%CI 0.03-0.74; p=0.02) and shorter progression-free survival (hazard ratio 3.1; 95%CI 1.21-7.95; p=0.02) only in venetoclax-naïve subgroup. No other clinical or baseline characteristics, including prior venetoclax treatment for CLL, showed statistically significant association with outcomes. Grade 3-4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia events were most frequent with intensive chemoimmunotherapy + venetoclax; grade 3-4 infection rates were similar across treatment groups. In this difficult-to-treat RT patient population, venetoclax-based combination regimens achieved high response rates, with durable remission and survival observed in a subset of patients.
Follow-up from the A041202 study shows continued efficacy of ibrutinib regimens for older adults with CLL
Woyach, Jennifer A. , Burbano, Gabriela Perez , Ruppert, Amy S. , Heerema, Nyla A. , Zhao, Weiqiang , Wall, Anna, Brander, Danielle M. , Rogers, Kerry A. , Stephens, Deborah M. , Brown, Jennifer R. , Lozanski, Gerard , Nattam, Sreenivasa, Litzow, Mark R. , Luger, Selina M. , Owen, Carolyn , Kuzma, Charles, Little, Richard F. , Dinner, Shira, Stone, Richard M. , Uy, Geoffrey L. , Mandrekar, Sumithra J. , Byrd, John C. , Perez Burbano, Gabriela , Barr, Paul M , Rogers, Kerry A , Parikh, Sameer A , Stephens, Deborah M , Blachly, James , Larson, Richard A , Erba, Harry Paul , Litzow, Mark R. , Abramson, Jeremy S , Little, Richard F , Uy, Geoffrey , Byrd, John C , Miller, Cecelia , Ding, Wei , Bartlett, Nancy L. , Barr, Paul M. , Parikh, Sameer A. , Blachly, James S. , Larson, Richard A. , Abramson, Jeremy S. , Stock, Wendy

Blood | January 12, 2024 | Volume: 143 | Issue: 16 | Pages: 1616-1627

10.1182/blood.2023021959 Get It

Abstract A041202 (NCT01886872) is a phase 3 study comparing bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) with ibrutinib and the combination of ibrutinib plus rituximab (IR) in previously untreated older patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The initial results showed that ibrutinib-containing regimens had superior progression-free survival (PFS) and rituximab did not add additional benefits. Here we present an updated analysis. With a median follow-up of 55 months, the median PFS was 44 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 38-54) for BR and not yet reached in either ibrutinib-containing arm. The 48-month PFS estimates were 47%, 76%, and 76% for BR, ibrutinib, and IR, respectively. The benefit of ibrutinib regimens over chemoimmunotherapy was consistent across subgroups of patients defined by TP53 abnormalities, del(11q), complex karyotype, and immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IGHV). No significant interaction effects were observed between the treatment arm and del(11q), the complex karyotype, or IGHV. However, a greater difference in PFS was observed among the patients with TP53 abnormalities. There was no difference in the overall survival. Notable adverse events with ibrutinib included atrial fibrillation (afib) and hypertension. Afib was observed in 11 patients (pts) on BR (3%) and 67 pts on ibrutinib (18%). All-grade hypertension was observed in 95 pts on BR (27%) and 263 pts on ibrutinib (55%). These data show that ibrutinib regimens prolong PFS compared with BR for older patients with treatment-naïve CLL. These benefits were observed across subgroups, including high-risk groups. Strikingly, within the ibrutinib arms, there was no inferior PFS for patients with abnormalities in TP53, the highest risk feature observed in CLL. These data continue to demonstrate the efficacy of ibrutinib in treatment-naïve CLL.
Targeting Covalent and Non-Covalent Btki-Resistant CLL Using the Dual Irreversible/Reversible 4 th Generation BTK Inhibitor LP-168
Muhowski, Elizabeth M. , Ravikrishnan, Janani , Misra, Shrilekha , Lai, Tzung-Huei , Marr, Alexander , Walker, Brandi R. , Perry, Elizabeth J. , Rogers, Kerry A. , Kittai, Adam S. , Byrd, John C. , Lapalombella, Rosa , Tan, Fenlai , Anthony, Stephen P. , Chen, Yu , Woyach, Jennifer A. , Byrd, John C. , Byrd, John C , Gordon, Britten K. , Benrashid, Samon , Mitchell, Andrew, He, Alexander , Thangavadivel, Shanmugapriya , Yu, Lianbo , Perry, Elizabeth, Bhat, Seema A. , Sampath, Deepa , Han, Weiguo , Kay, Neil E. , Chen, Yi

Blood | December 1, 2023 | Volume: 142 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 416-416

10.1182/blood-2023-178259 Get It

Background: Treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has been transformed with targeted therapies including inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTKi). Currently three covalent BTK inhibitors (cBTKi) are approved for CLL, but most patients eventually relapse, commonly through acquisition of the C481S BTK mutation (Woyach et al. 2014). Pirtobrutinib and nemtabrutinib are non-covalent BTK inhibitors (ncBTKi) developed to target and inhibit C481S mutant BTK. However novel secondary site mutations in BTK, namely T474I and L528W, have been found to confer resistance to both cBTKi and ncBTKi (Wang et al. 2022). Regardless of these mutations, BCR signaling remains intact, suggesting that inhibition of BTK maintains its therapeutic importance. LP-168 is a novel ultra-selective 4 th generation BTKi with an active warhead capable of covalent interaction with WT BTK or non-covalent binding when a BTK C481 mutation is present. Methods: To determine the target selectivity of LP-168 we screened the compound against 468 kinases in the scanMAX Kinase Assay. For validation of covalent binding, dialysis against WT BTK was performed. Primary CLL B cells were isolated by negative selection and treated with LP-168 for all experiments. BCR signaling alterations were assessed via immunoblot to observe changes in target protein phosphorylation. Changes in CLL migration towards CXCL12 or CXCL13 were interrogated by transwell migration. Cytotoxicity towards primary CLL cells was measured via Annexin V/PI flow cytometry with and without HS-5 stromal cell support. Experiments using TMD8 cells were performed following CRISPR modification to insert WT, C481S, or T474I BTK. In vivo survival studies were performed using both the Eμ-TCL1 and Eμ-MTCP1 mouse engraftment models. Results: LP-168 demonstrated selectivity towards BTK with roughly 700-fold selectivity for BTK vs its next off-target. In an enzymatic assay, LP-168 displayed nanomolar potency towards both WT BTK (IC 50=0.11 nM) and C481S BTK (IC 50=1.0 nM). Following 2-hour drugging, LP-168 inhibited BCR signaling in primary CLL B cells at increasing concentrations, demonstrated by reduced phosphorylation of BTK (92%, p<0.0001, n=8) and its immediate downstream target PLCγ2 (41%, p=0.0013, n=8). Migration capacity of primary CLL cells towards CXCL12 and CXCL14 was also found to decrease after 2-hours of treatment with LP-168 (52%, p<0.001, n=10 and 51%, p<0.001, n=10, respectively). After 48 hours of exposure, LP-168 was able to induce cytotoxicity of primary CLL cells alone and in co-culture with HS-5 stromal cells in a dose-dependent manner, with similar or improved efficacy to other BTKi. LP-168 decreased CLL cell production of CCL3 and CCL4 chemokines (CCL3: 93%, p<0.001, n=8; CCL4: 93%, p<0.001, n=8). LP-168 also demonstrated modest cytotoxicity towards TMD8 cells harboring either C481S BTK (24%, p=0.0008 , n=3) or T474I BTK (13%, p=0.0690, n=3), as well as decreased production of CCL3 (C481S: 95%, p<0.0001, n=3; T474I: 99%, p<0.0001, n=3) and CCL4 (C481S: 97%, p<0.0001, n=3; T474I: 98%, p<0.0001, n=3) (Figure 1A). Further, we observed inhibition of downstream BCR signaling in primary CLL B cells harboring C481S via immunoblotting and cytokine production. Finally, to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of LP-168 we tested this compound in both the Eµ-TCL1 and Eµ-MTCP1 models. We treated mice daily via oral gavage and found that 50 mg/kg of LP-168 significantly improved survival in the Eµ-TCL1 model when compared to vehicle (median 51 vs 44 days; p=0.0018) or ibrutinib at 50 mg/kg (median 51 vs 45 days; p=0.0098) and the Eµ-MTCP1 model when compared with vehicle (median 122 vs 62 days; p<0.0001) or ibrutinib at 50 mg/kg (median 122 vs 96 days; p=0.0162) (Figure 1B). Conclusions: Collectively, our data demonstrate that LP-168 is a potent and selective inhibitor of BTK with activity against CLL, even in the presence of mutations that mediate resistance to cBTKi and ncBTKi. These data support the continued preclinical and clinical investigation of LP-168, which is currently being studied in the phase 1 setting of CLL (NCT04775745) and NHL (NCT04993690).
Outcomes of Patients with Richter Transformation without Prior Chemoimmunotherapy for CLL/SLL: An International Multicenter Retrospective Study
Kittai, Adam S. , Miller, Sarah , Allan, John N. , Brander, Danielle M. , Byrd, John C. , Danilov, Alexey V. , Dvorak‐Kornaus, Kaitlyn, Freedman, Hannah, Hampel, Paul J. , Islam, Prioty , Rai, Manoj, Rogers, Kerry A. , Schade, Jake , Skarbnik, Alan P , Spurgeon, Stephen E. , Zulfa, Omer, Woyach, Jennifer A. , Byrd, John C , Huang, Ying , Bhat, Seema A. , Bond, David A. , Chavez, Julio C , Chong, Elise A. , Davids, Matthew S. , Ding, Wei , Dowling, Mark R. , Ho, Carrie , Hwang, Steven R. , Jain, Nitin , Matasar, Matthew J. , Miller, Cecelia , Parry, Erin M. , Rabe, Kari G. , Rai, Manoj, Raess, Philipp W. , Roeker, Lindsey E. , Rhodes, Joanna , Saha, Aditi , Scott, Hamish S. , Shadman, Mazyar , Shouse, Geoffrey , Stephens, Deborah M. , Thompson, Meghan C , Thompson, Philip A , Wang, Yucai , Wierda, William G. , Yano, Max , Zulfa, Omer

Blood | December 1, 2023 | Volume: 142 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 497-497

10.1182/blood-2023-182114 Get It

Background: Richter Transformation (RT) refers to the development of an aggressive lymphoma in the setting of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). Small molecule inhibitors (SMI), such as the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) and BCL2 inhibitors (BCL2i), have revolutionized the treatment of CLL/SLL. Prior studies evaluated outcomes of patients (pts) with RT in an era where chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) was typically used to treat CLL/SLL. Now that SMI are standard of care, fewer pts with CLL/SLL receive CIT, therefore we sought to determine which variables predict survival in pts who developed RT without prior CIT exposure for CLL/SLL. Methods: We conducted an international multicenter retrospective study of pts from 11 academic centers. Pts with RT occurring as large B-cell lymphoma who did not previously receive CIT (e.g., fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, bendamustine, chlorambucil) for their CLL/SLL were included. We collected pt, disease, and treatment (tx) characteristics. RT was categorized into 3 groups: “Concurrent RT,” defined as RT and CLL/SLL diagnosed simultaneously (within 3 months [mos]); “RT w/o prior CLL/SLL tx,” defined as RT and CLL/SLL diagnosed >3 mos apart with the CLL/SLL never treated; and “RT with prior non-CIT tx for CLL/SLL” defined as having received prior CLL/SLL tx. Overall survival (OS) was measured from RT diagnosis (Dx) and estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression model was used to identify prognostic factors associated with OS. Results: 242 pts were identified. At CLL/SLL Dx, 66% of pts had unmutated IGHV, 37% had del17p/ TP53 disruption, and 20% had trisomy 12. At RT Dx, 56% of the RT with prior non-CIT tx for CLL/SLL group had a del17p/ TP53 disruption versus 27% for the concurrent RT group and 18% for the RT w/o prior CLL/SLL tx groups. Median time from CLL/SLL Dx to RT Dx was 47 mos (range 3-394) for RT w/o prior CLL/SLL tx and 46 mos (range 4-218) for RT with prior non-CIT tx for CLL/SLL. Pts with prior non-CIT tx for CLL/SLL received a median of 1 (range 1-5) prior tx. 86% of pts previously received a BTKi or a BCL2i for tx of CLL/SLL (54% BTKi only, 5% BCL2i only, 27% both). The remaining 14% had been treated with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (MoAb), steroids, lenalidomide, radiation, or alemtuzumab. 85% of pts developed RT while on active tx with SMI. Median age at RT Dx was 69 years (range 37-92). At RT Dx, 38% and 21% of pts had del17p/ TP53 disruption, and trisomy 12 in CLL/SLL tissue, respectively. At RT Dx, there was no difference in highest SUV on PET (median 16, range 2.9-65.6), LDH (median 325, range 103-8162, ULN range 180-271), largest lymph node in diameter (median 4.9 cm, range 0-17.1), Ki-67 (median 80%, range 5%-100%), rate of GCB subtype (27%), presence of MYC translocation (20%), or CLL/SLL and RT clonal relationship (81%) for those pts tested amongst the 3 groups ( Table). The most common 1 st line tx for RT was CIT with or w/o radiation and/or steroids (76%), followed by CIT plus SMI (13%), SMI single agent or combination (7%), and other (4%, which includes anti-CD20 MoAb). Median follow-up from RT Dx was 42.3 mos; the median OS for the entire cohort was 25.8 mos (95% CI: 16.8-49.1). Pts with RT after non-CIT tx for CLL/SLL had a significantly worse OS (median 8.2 mos [95% CI: 5.6-14.3]) than pts with concurrent RT (median 46.3 mos [95% CI: 23.8-96.9]) and RT w/o prior CLL/SLL tx (median 63.5 mos [95% CI: 28.3-70.3]) ( Figure). From an exploratory univariable analysis, we found RT after non-CIT tx for CLL/SLL compared to concurrent RT (HR 2.32 [95% CI: 1.55-3.46]), RT Dx age (HR for 5-year increase 1.14 [95% CI: 1.05-1.23]), del17p/ TP53 disruption (HR 2.27 [95% CI: 1.45-3.56]), and LDH (HR for 2-fold increase 1.37 [95% CI: 1.20-1.58]) were prognostic for worse OS. Conclusions: This is the largest cohort of pts who developed RT having received only SMI with no CIT for their CLL reported, thus reflecting the current treatment landscape. Despite being CIT-naïve, pts in our series who received tx for their CLL/SLL and then developed RT had a short OS, underscoring the need to develop better therapies for these pts. In contrast, as in other published analyses (Wang Haematologica 2020), pts w/o prior tx for CLL/SLL had more favorable outcomes, with a median OS of approximately 5 years. Further analysis to determine PFS and OS by tx for RT for pts who have been treated with SMI for their CLL/SLL is ongoing.