Back to Authors

Ruan, Jia

0000-0002-6557-1360

Mayo Clinic

NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital

Citations 17

Patterns of care and clinical outcomes in systemic peripheral T-cell lymphoma: the LEO-MER prospective cohort study
Ruan, Jia , Chen, Zhengming , Larson, Melissa C, Bennani, N Nora, Allen, Pamela B. , Mou, Eric , Wallace, Danielle , Mehta-Shah, Neha, Lossos, Izidore S, Castillo, Luis E Malpica, Vega, Francisco, Inghirami, Giorgio GA, Pongas, Georgios , Akkad, Neha, Casulo, C., Martin, Peter, Cohen, Jonathon B. , Habermann, Thomas M, Maurer, Matthew J., Leonard, John P, Friedberg, Jonathan W. , Cerhan, James R, Flowers, Christopher R, Feldman, Andrew L, Bennani, N. Nora , Chen, Zhengming , Malpica, Luis , Bennani, N Nora , Allen, Pamela Blair , Mehta-Shah, Neha , Lossos, Izidore S , Malpica Castillo, Luis E , Vega, Francisco , Inghirami, Giorgio , Casulo, Carla , Cohen, Jonathon B , Maurer, Matthew , Kahl, Brad S , Cerhan, James R , Flowers, Christopher R , Feldman, Andrew L , Mou, Eric , Wallace, Danielle S , Larson, Melissa C. , Mehta–Shah, Neha , Lossos, Izidore S. , Castillo, Luis Enrique Malpica , Jaye, David L. , Inghirami, Giorgio , Akkad, Neha , Casulo, Carla , Habermann, Thomas M. , Leonard, John P. , Kahl, Brad S. , Cerhan, James R. , Flowers, Christopher R. , Feldman, Andrew L.

Blood Advances | February 18, 2026 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 3480-3493

10.1182/bloodadvances.2025018455 Get It

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.
Benefit of rituximab maintenance after first-line bendamustine-rituximab in patients with mantle cell lymphoma
Wang, Yucai , Hwang, Steven R. , Villa, Diego , Kugathasan, Laveniya , Kumar, Anita , Joseph, Ashlee , Brooks, Taylor , Hill, Brian T. , Bond, David A. , Maddocks, Kami J. , Nizamuddin, Imran , Danilov, Alexey V. , Argao, Christine, Ruan, Jia , Khan, Nazneen B., Ouchveridze, Evguenia, Mou, Eric , Pongas, Georgios , Lossos, Izidore S. , Harris, Zoey I., Young, Philip, Greenwell, Irl Brian , Gerber, Drew G. , Wang, Michael , Narkhede, Mayur , Stack, Anthony , Messmer, Marcus , Moyo, Tamara K. , Anna, Jacob, Stanisic, Alexander , Cohen, Jonathon B. , Hwang, Steven R , Villa, Diego , Kumar, Anita , Joseph, Ashlee , Brooks, Taylor R , Bond, David A , Kahl, Brad S , Ryan, Christine E , Grover, Natalie S , Tun, Aung M , Mou, Eric , Lossos, Izidore S , Moustafa, Muhamad Alhaj , Pophali, Priyanka , Gerber, Drew , Jain, Preetesh , Wang, Michael L , Narkhede, Mayur S , Mehta, Amitkumar , Stack, Anthony C , Bhansali, Rahul S , Barta, Stefan K , Ghosh, Nilanjan , Kamdar, Manali , Stanisic, Alexander V , Karmali, Reem , Maurer, Matthew , Cerhan, James R , Cohen, Jonathon B , Wang, Yucai , Larson, Melissa C. , Kahl, Brad S. , Ryan, Christine E. , Merryman, Reid W. , Grover, Natalie S. , Ouchveridze, Evguenia, Tun, Aung M. , Ayyappan, Sabarish Ram , Muñoz, Javier , Portell, Craig A. , Baidoun, Firas , Moustafa, Muhamad Alhaj , Reagan, Patrick Michael , Banaszak, Lauren Gabriele , Pophali, Priyanka A. , Velayati, Arash , Jain, Preetesh , Mehta, Amitkumar , Bhansali, Rahul S. , Kamdar, Manali , Anna, Jacob, Karmali, Reem , Maurer, Matthew J. , Cerhan, James R. , Martin, Peter

Blood Advances | December 11, 2025 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 1372-1380

10.1182/bloodadvances.2025018527 Get It

Abstract The benefit of rituximab maintenance after first-line (1L) bendamustine-rituximab (BR) in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) remains uncertain, with inconsistent results from the phase 2 MAINTAIN trial and several retrospective studies. We conducted a large retrospective study at 27 US and Canadian academic centers to examine the benefit of rituximab maintenance after BR. A total of 911 patients received 1L BR between 2010 and 2020, and 703 had an objective response and no evidence of disease progression at the 3-month post-BR landmark. Among those, 394 (56%) received rituximab maintenance and 309 (44%) did not, with largely similar baseline patient and disease characteristics. In the landmark analysis, rituximab maintenance was associated with improved event-free survival (EFS; median, 49.9 vs 29.7 months; P< .001) as well as overall survival (OS; median, 109.5 vs 74.2 months; P< .001). The EFS and OS benefits were observed across most of the subgroups. EFS and OS differences were statistically significant in those who achieved a complete response to 1L BR (n = 590; median EFS, 62.7 vs 31.1 months [P< .001]; median OS, 136.1 vs 75.3 months [P< .001]), but the analysis among those who achieved a partial response to 1L BR was limited by the small sample size. These results provide additional evidence for the survival benefit of rituximab maintenance after BR in MCL and support its use in clinical trial design and routine practice.
Diagnostic and therapeutic patterns in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL): Real-world data from the lymphoma epidemiology outcome-molecular epidemiology resource (LEO-MER) prospective cohort study.
Hamid, Muhammad Saad , Mehta-Shah, Neha, Akkad, Neha , Orlando, Evelyn, Ruan, Jia , Abro, Brooj , Flowers, Christopher R. , Pongas, Georgios , Allen, Pamela B. , McCook‐Veal, Ashley A. , Switchenko, Jeffrey M. , Mehta–Shah, Neha , Malpica, Luis , Wallace, Danielle, Larson, Melissa C. , Cerhan, James R. , Mou, Eric , Bennani, N. Nora

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 1870-1870

10.1182/blood-2025-1870 Get It

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.
Patterns of care in second line management of nodal peripheral T-cell lymphoma from the lymphoma epidemiology of outcomes (LEO) and molecular epidemiology resource (MER) prospective cohort Study
Aperna, Fnu, Orlando, Evelyn, Ravindra, Aditya, Akkad, Neha , Moore, J. Russell, Pongas, Georgios , Kille, Kelsey, Hamid, Muhammad Saad , Mehta-Shah, Neha, Flowers, Christopher R. , Allen, Pamela B. , Ruan, Jia , Wallace, Danielle, Ravindra, Aditya , Larson, Melissa C. , Watkins, Marcus P. , Nayak, Rahul , Mehta–Shah, Neha , Malpica, Luis , Cerhan, James R. , Maurer, Matthew J. , Feldman, Andrew L. , Mou, Eric , Bennani, N. Nora

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 3635-3635

10.1182/blood-2025-3635 Get It

Abstract Background Nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas (nPTCLs) are a challenging group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas that frequently recur after or are refractory to first line (1L) treatment. Chemotherapy options in the relapsed or refractory (R/R) setting are limited. The incorporation of non-cytotoxic agents including antibody drug conjugates, immune checkpoint inhibitors, epigenetic modifiers, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors offers new therapeutic potential and possibly better outcomes. We report on outcomes for patients (pts) with R/R nPTCL enrolled in the multi-center LEO-MER prospective cohort study (NCT02736357) who received second line (2L) therapy. Methods Six hundred and three adult pts with newly diagnosed nPTCL were prospectively enrolled in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic MER observational cohort (2002-2015) or the expanded LEO cohort (2015-2020). Secondary overall survival (sOS) was calculated from date of 2L treatment initiation to date of death or last follow-up. Secondary event-free survival (sEFS) was calculated from date of 2Ltreatment initiation to disease progression, initiation of 3rd line therapy, or death from any cause. sEFS and sOS were evaluated using Cox model and Kaplan-Meier estimator. Log-rank test was used to test the significance of difference between groups. Pts with concomitant B-cell lymphomas were excluded from this analysis. Results Thus far, 169 pts with nPTCL initiating 2L therapy were evaluated. Of these, 75 (44.4%) had PTCL-NOS, 63 (37.3%) had angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL, inclusive of nodal T-follicular helper cell lymphoma), 20 (11.8%) had ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), and 11 (6.5%) had ALK-positive ALCL. At 2L treatment initiation, the median age was 64 with 86.1% of pts having advanced stage disease. Of the 108 pts with available international prognostic index (IPI) scoring, 46.3% had an IPI of ≥3. Thirty-four (20.1%) pts had received a consolidative autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in the 1L. A total of 86 pts (50.1%) had primary refractory disease (partial response, stable or progressive disease as best response to 1L therapy), 45 (26.6%) experienced early relapsing disease within 6 months of 1L therapy, and 38 (22.5%) had relapsed disease >6 months from 1L therapy. After a median follow-up of 7.1 years (yrs), median sOS was 1.52 yrs, and sEFS was 3.2 months (mos). There was no difference in sOS or sEFS regardless of timing of relapse. In keeping with other studies, ALK-positive ALCL pts had the best 5-year OS (70.1%) compared to other subgroups (ALK-negative ALCL 45.0%, AITL 30.4%; PTCL-NOS 21.3%). Lymphoma was the leading cause of death following 2L therapy, with a 2-year cumulative incidence of 49.2%. Eighty pts (47.3%) received only cytotoxic chemotherapy as second line (2L) therapy; ICE (41 (51.3%)) and gemcitabine-containing regimens were most common (14 (17.5%)). Seventy-five pts (44.4%) were treated with non-cytotoxic agents given as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy. The most common non-cytotoxic therapies were brentuximab vedotin (33 (44.0%)), romidepsin (17 (22.7%)) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (9 (12.0%)). Fourteen pts (8.3%) underwent palliative interventions involving radiation, steroids, or cyclosporine alone. Intent to proceed to transplant in the 2L was known in 158 pts (101 (63.9%) not intended, 57 (36.1% intended)). Following 2L treatment, 18 (10.7%) pts proceeded to consolidative ASCT and 10 (5.9%) to allogeneic transplant. Only 21 (12.9%) were treated on a clinical trial. Pts who received a non-cytotoxic agent had superior outcomes compared to pts receiving only chemotherapy; the median sOS was 30.4 mos (95% confidence interval [CI] 15.3, 53.52 mos) vs 11.7 mos ((95% CI 7.95,19.58); p=0.04; HR 0.67) and the median sEFS was 4.83 mos (95% CI 3.38, 10.09) vs 2.33 mos ((95% CI 1.71,3.02); p=0.02; HR=0.65). Conclusions We report here one of the largest prospective cohorts in R/R nPTCL. The LEO-MER cohort, despite its association with academic centers, shows poor outcomes regardless of refractory or relapsed disease, frequent inability to proceed to intended consolidative transplant, and low clinical trial participation in 2L, which corroborates findings from other registries (Jain 2025, Stuver 2019). Outcomes improved for pts treated with non-cytotoxic agents. Updated data including additional pts and subgroup analyses will be reported at the meeting.
Shorter diagnosis to treatment interval is associated with poor prognosis in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma: Analysis from the LEO and MER cohorts
Mehta-Shah, Neha, Allen, Pamela, Cohen, Jonathon B. , Lossos, Izidore S. , Pongas, Georgios , Flowers, Christopher R. , Ruan, Jia , Mehta–Shah, Neha , Larson, Melissa C. , Mou, Eric , Bennani, N. Nora , Wallace, Danielle, Malpica, Luis , Martin, Peter, Habermann, Thomas M. , Wang, Yucai , Nze, Chijioke , Witzig, Thomas E. , Syrbu, Sergei , Jaye, David L. , Nastoupil, Loretta J. , Cerhan, James R. , Feldman, Andrew L. , Maurer, Matthew J.

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 5439-5439

10.1182/blood-2025-5439 Get It

Abstract Background Previous studies in aggressive B-cell lymphoma demonstrate that patients with shorter diagnosis-to-treatment intervals (DTI) represent those with higher risk disease. This suggests that patients enrolled in clinical trials may carry a selection bias as they often have longer DTI than patients in the general population. This has important implications for clinical research design and the generalizability of clinical trials in aggressive lymphomas. However, the prognostic implications of DTI have not been evaluated in peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL). Therefore, we examined DTI and its association with clinical factors and outcomes in a prospective observational cohort of patients with PTCL from the United States within the LEO (Lymphoma Epidemiology and Outcomes) and MER (University of Iowa and Mayo Clinic Specialized Programs of Research Excellence Molecular Epidemiology Resource). Patients and Methods We evaluated patients enrolled to the MER (2002-2015) and LEO (2015-2020) cohorts with the following forms of PTCL: PTCL-not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS, n=217), nodal T-follicular helper (TFH) cell lymphoma (nTFHL, n=153), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), ALK positive (ALCL, ALK+, n=74), ALCL, ALK negative (ALCL, ALK-, n=95), enteropathy associated T-cell lymphoma (n=18), and monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma (n=2). Associations of DTI with clinical factors and outcomes were examined using Kaplan Meier and Cox models. Event free survival (EFS) was defined as the time from start of treatment to relapse/progression, start of 2nd line therapy, or death from any cause. Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from start of treatment until death from any cause. DTI was defined as the number of days between the first diagnostic biopsy and the start of therapy. Patients who were initially observed or had DTI > 100 days were excluded. Results In 559 patients (229 MER and 330 LEO), median age was 60, 34% had IPI>2 and 71% were stage III/IV. 472 (84%) patients initially received anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Median DTI was 23 days (interquartile range (IQR): 12-39) and was similar in MER (21 days, IQR: 11-33) and LEO (25 days, IQR: 14-42). 168 (30%) patients had DTI 0-14 days, 178 (32%) 15-28 days, and 213 (38%) 29-100 days. Overall in the cohort, shorter DTI was associated with a worse 5-year OS (DTI 0-14 days: 43%; DTI 15-28 days: 53%; DTI 29-100 days: 58%, p<0.001) and 5-year EFS (DTI 0-14 days: 31%; DTI 15-28 days: 39%; DTI 29-100 days: 45%, p<0.001). In multivariable analyses, the association of DTI with outcomes remained consistent after adjusting for age and International Prognostic Index (IPI). Shorter DTI was strongly associated with adverse clinical factors, including elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels, poor performance status, B-symptoms, and higher IPI in both cohorts (all P < .003). DTI was not associated with age, sex, or distance from the LEO/MER center (all p>0.3). 6% patients with DTI of 0-14 days received 1L treatment on a clinical trial, compared to 11% with DTI 15-28 days and 13% with DTI 29-100 days, underscoring that patients with lower DTI may be underrepresented in clinical trials. When examining within PTCL subtypes, the association between short DTI (0-14 days) and inferior outcomes was most prominent in PTCL, NOS (OS HR=2.13, 95% CI: 1.52-2.94; EFS HR =1.49, 95% CI: 1.19-1.85). Associations between short DTI and outcomes were weaker in other subtypes: nTFHL (OS HR=1.28, 95% CI: 0.83-2.00; EFS HR =1.22, 95% CI: 0.82-1.81), ALCL, ALK-, (OS HR=1.30, 95% CI: 0.59-2.86; EFS HR =1.32, 95% CI: 0.68-2.56), ALCL, ALK+, (OS HR=1.05, 95% CI: 0.26-4.17; EFS HR =2.12, 95% CI: 0.84-5.26). Conclusion Shorter DTI is associated adverse prognostic clinical factors (LDH, stage, high IPI) and inferior EFS and OS in newly diagnosed PTCL. Patients with DTI ≤ 14 days, which represents approximately 1/3 patients with PTCL, may be underrepresented in clinical trials. Understanding of this selection bias should inform clinical trial design and interpretation. Future studies should consider strategies to minimize barriers to enrollment for patients with low DTI.
Impact of Novel Therapies (NTs) on Real-World (RW) Clinical Outcomes of Patients (pts) with Relapsed/Refractory (RR) Mantle-Cell Lymphoma (MCL) By Race/Ethnicity and TP53 Mutation Status
Danilov, Alexey V. , Ruan, Jia , Kumar, Anita J. , Maglinte, Gregory A. , Phillips, Tycel , Patel, Krish , Wang, Yucai , Seymour, Erlene Kuizon , Kamdar, Manali

Blood | December 6, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 5097-5097

10.1182/blood-2024-204269 Get It

Introduction: Treatments for R/R MCL have evolved with NTs, including BTK inhibitors (BTKis). Little is known about RW treatment patterns and clinical outcomes of pts with R/R MCL for chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) vs NTs among pts of different race/ethnicity. Data on RW testing and clinical outcomes of pts with R/R MCL harboring a TP53 mutation are limited. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adult pts with R/R MCL who initiated second-line (2L) or third-line (3L) treatment on 1/1/2018 or later and were followed up until loss to follow-up, death, or data cut-off using US Flatiron Health electronic health record-derived de-identified databases. Median RW time to next treatment (mrwTTNT) and median RW overall survival (mrwOS) were estimated based on Kaplan-Meier analyses and adjusted for age and sex. CIT included any MCL treatment with chemotherapy + anti-CD20 antibody. NTs included BTKis, BCL2 inhibitors, lenalidomide, bortezomib, and CAR-T, or combinations. Results:This study included 1,377 pts with R/R MCL who received 2L+ therapy. Of these, 1,028 (75%) were non-Latinx (NL)-White, 53 (4%) were NL-Black, 86 (6%) were Latinx, 108 (8%) were NL-Asian or other race, and 102 (7%) were of unknown/undocumented race. The overall 2L+ population had a median age of 71 y (range 63-78), were mostly male (74%), had a diagnosis of MCL not otherwise specified (NOS; 85%), and had stage IV disease (62%). Sixty-three percent had disease progression within 24 mo from first-line (1L) treatment (POD24) before starting 2L therapy. Relative to all pts, NL-Black and NL-Asian/other race pts had more variants of MCL (blastic, leukemic, pleomorphic) and higher Ki67% and lactose dehydrogenase (LDH) levels at 2L/3L index date. In contrast, Latinx pts had more MCL NOS (92%) and lower Ki67% and LDH levels at 2L index date. More NL-Black and unknown race pts had POD24 than did other races (70% and 76%, respectively). Overall, the most common NTs used were BTKis. 1L treatments were bendamustine-rituximab (BR; 54%), R-CHOP (18%), and cytarabine-containing CIT (9.7%). The most common 2L treatments were BR (32%), acalabrutinib (31%), ibrutinib (21%), zanubrutinib (11%), and RCHOP (11%). The most common 3L therapies were BR (34%), acalabrutinib (21%), zanubrutinib (12%), ibrutinib (10%), R-CHOP (9.2%), and brexucabtagene autoleucel (7.4%). Transplantation rates before 2L and CAR-T use in 3L was highest among White pts. When assessing mrwTTNT and mrwOS by therapy in 2L, 766 pts (70%) received NTs and 333 (30%) received CIT. Among all pts, mrwTTNT (mo [95% CI]) was longer with 2L NT (11.9 [10.6, 14.5]) vs CIT (9.9 [8.1, 12.9]). NL-White, NL-Black, and NL-Asian/other race pts had longer mrwTTNT with NT (11.9 [10.5, 14.6], 12.9 [7.6, NR], and 14.6 [8.5, 21.4], respectively) vs CIT (9.9 [7.6, 12.9], 9.7 [3.0, NR], and 6.0 [3.2, 21.2]). Latinx pts had longer mrwTTNT with CIT (14.9 [11.8, NR]) vs NT (9.0 [3.8, 24.2]). Among all pts, mrwOS (mo [95% CI]) was longer with 2L CIT (43.0 [34.1, 56.5]) vs NT (35.6 [29.9, 41.2]). White and Latinx pts had longer mrwOS with CIT (47.3 [33.9, NR] and NR [33.3, NR], respectively) vs NT (35.0 [28.8, 48.4] and 42.3 [31.0, NR]). Black and Asian/other race pts had longer mrwOS with NT (41.2 [32.8, NR] and 38.8 [23.5, NR], respectively) vs CIT (34.8 [9.7, NR] and 13.5 [8.3, NR]). Among all 3L pts (n=364 on NTs, n=119 on CIT), mrwTTNT (mo [95% CI]) improved when using NTs (7.9 [6.8, 10.3]) vs CIT (4.4 [3.5, 6.9]). NTs demonstrated better mrwTTNT vs CIT in all race/ethnic groups except Latinx pts. For all race/ethnic groups, mrwOS was improved with NTs (32.5 [24.7, 42.6]) vs CIT (19.5 [13.7, 47.3]). Overall RW testing for TP53 aberrations was limited, with 72 pts (5%) found to be positive for a TP53 mutation. For pts with TP53 mutations, mrwTTNT and mrwOS were longer for 2L NTs (3.3 [2.2, 6.4] and 18.3 [9.0, NR], respectively; n=42) vs CIT (3.0 [1.9, 7.6] and 15.0 [7.2, NR]; n=16). Conclusions: High-risk features, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes for NTs vs CIT in R/R MCL differed by race/ethnicity. Use of 2L+ NTs was associated with a trend towards improved mrwTTNT and mrwOS among NL-Black and NL-Asian/other race pts. NT use in 3L numerically improved mrwTTNT and mrwOS for most pts vs CIT. RW pts with TP53 mutations had a poor prognosis and numerically improved outcomes with the use of 2L NT, although testing remains limited. Future research evaluating reasons for these differences and increased RW TP53 testing is warranted.
Real World First-Line Treatment Strategies and Outcomes in TP53 Mutated and Unmutated Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Annunzio, Kaitlin , Karimi, Yasmin , Luu, Binh, Spurgeon, Stephen E. , Chang, Cheryl , Wan, Zihan, Gathers, Diamone, King, Emily R., Gerhard, Genevieve M. , Armand, Philippe , LaCasce, Ann S. , Vaddaraju, Vedha, Kenkre, Vaishalee P. , Junge, Chase, Stanisic, Alexander V., Zhang, Chen , Ying, Grace W, Gribbin, Caitlin , Ruan, Jia , Shukla, Navika , Smith, Sonali M. , Zelikson, Viktoriya, Williams, Michael, Elghawy, Omar , Schade, Jake , Navalekar, Rohini, Evens, Andrew M. , Danilov, Alexey V. , Fenske, Timothy S. , Stanisic, Alexander , Karimi, Yasmin H , Evens, Andrew M , Stanisic, Alexander V , Wang, Jie , Zhou, Jihao , Wang, Yucai , Muñoz, Javier , Shim, Kevin G. , Moustafa, Muhamad Alhaj , Baidoun, Firas , Epperla, Narendranath , McLane, Michael, Luu, Binh, King, Emily R., Watkins, Marcus P. , Bartlett, Nancy L. , Ryan, Christine E. , Vaddaraju, Vedha , Wallace, Danielle , Junge, Chase, Grover, Natalie S. , Florindez, Jorge A. , Karmali, Reem , Venugopal, Parameswaran , Barta, Stefan K , Matasar, Matthew J.

Blood | December 6, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 4406-4406

10.1182/blood-2024-194601 Get It

Introduction: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an uncommon B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) Prognosis is highly variable due to underlying biological and molecular heterogeneity. The first-line (1L) treatment paradigm for MCL continues to evolve with increasing use of bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) and decreasing use of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). TP53 alterations are associated with inferior outcomes in MCL. The aim of this retrospective study is to determine treatment strategies and clinical outcomes in MCL patients based on TP53 gene mutation status. Methods: Retrospective data were collected from 19 institutions in the United States from 1/1993 to 1/2024. We examined treatment patterns and outcomes among MCL patients >18 years of age with known TP53 mutation status by sequencing. Patients who did not receive treatment were excluded. The analysis was stratified based on presence of TP53 mutations. Systemic therapies were categorized as chemo-immunotherapy (CIT), non-chemotherapy (including monoclonal antibodies, lenalidomide, venetoclax, and novel agents on clinical trial), and regimens containing BTKi. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) and secondary outcomes were progression free survival (PFS) and time to next treatment (TTNT). OS and PFS were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were used to compare groups. Results: 645 patients were included in the study, with 468 men (72.6%) and median age was 64 years (range 30-89). 230/645 patients (35.7%) had a TP53 mutation, of which 182 (79%) were identified prior to 1L. While the male/female distribution was the same between the mutated and unmutated groups, median age at diagnosis and MIPI risk score was higher in the TP53 mutated group (age 65.9 vs 63.1 yrs, p= 0.015; MIPI 6.4 vs 6.1, p<0.001). TP53 unmutated patients had a median of 1 line of therapy vs. 2 for the mutated group (p<0.001, range 1-8). Blastoid histology and higher ki67 were also associated with the TP53 mutated group (p=0.045, 0.01 respectively) The median OS was 14.2 years for TP53 unmutated and 8.3 years for TP53 mutated patients (p<0.0001). PFS in 1L was 0.95 years in TP53 mutated compared to 2.02 years in TP53 unmutated group (p<0.0001). Selection of 1L therapeutic strategy was not associated with presence of TP53 mutation (Χ2 p= 0.21) although more patients in the TP53 unmutated group underwent ASCT (119/415 vs 38/230; Χ2 p=0.0006) TP53 mutation was associated with inferior survival compared to TP53 unmutated patients for CIT in 1L but the difference did not reach statistical significance when non-chemotherapy regimens and regimens containing BTKi were used. For CIT in 1L, 5 year OS was 78% [71-84%] for unmutated compared to 58% [48-67%] for the mutated group (p=0.0001 ). For non-chemotherapy regimens, 5 year OS for unmutated patients was 73% [52- 86%] compared to 52% [25-73%] for the mutated group (p=0.09). For regimens containing BTKi, 5 year OS for unmutated was 93% [81-97%] compared to 57% [28-78%] for mutated (p=0.07). Within the TP53 mutated group, there were no differences in any clinical outcomes between those receiving CIT, non-chemotherapy, or BTKi in 1L. While median OS appeared numerically longer in the BTKi group (14.4 yrs vs 8.8 yrs for CIT and 6.8 yrs for non-chemotherapy), the difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.58). In contrast,TP53 unmutated patients who received CIT in 1L had better TTNT (p=0.0039) compared to those in non-chemotherapy and BTKi groups. There was no improvement in PFS (p=0.79) or OS (p=0.47). Conclusions To our knowledge this is the largest retrospective real world dataset of MCL treatment outcomes stratified by TP53 mutation. As in prior studies, TP53 mutation portends a worse prognosis in MCL compared to TP53 unmutated patients, but outcomes are better than historically reported. CIT in 1L was not associated with improved OS in either group. Irrespective of TP53 mutation status, incorporation of BTKi in first line was not associated with improved clinical outcomes. The gap in OS between TP53 mutated and unmutated MCL may be narrowing as treatment paradigms shift away from intensive induction chemotherapy and ASCT, and due to an increasing number of effective therapies for relapsed patients. Clinical trials of novel agents are needed to further improve the OS of TP53 mutated MCL patients.
Association of Sex, Race and Ethnicity with Clinical Characteristics and Survival Outcomes of Mantle Cell Lymphoma: A National Cancer Database Study
Wang, Jacqueline , Tawfiq, Reema, Okcu, Izel, Ruan, Jia , Martin, Peter , Nowakowski, Grzegorz S. , Wang, Jacqueline F , Tawfiq, Reema K , Okcu, Izel , Zhou, Jihao , Tun, Han W. , Muñoz, Javier , Paludo, Jonas , Moustafa, Muhamad Alhaj , Hwang, Steven R. , Diefenbach, Catherine , Habermann, Thomas M. , Witzig, Thomas E. , Wang, Yucai

Blood | December 5, 2024 | Volume: 144 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 1637-1637

10.1182/blood-2024-204268 Get It

Background Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is more common in males, with a male to female ratio of approximately 3:1. However, it is unclear whether disease characteristics and survival outcomes differ by sex. Additionally, the impact of race and ethnicity in MCL is understudied due to underrepresentation of minorities in clinical studies and trials. In this study, we utilized the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to examine patient and disease characteristics and survival outcomes of MCL by sex, race and ethnicity. Methods Patients diagnosed with MCL in 2004-2020 were identified from NCDB. Patient and disease characteristics were compared between groups using Chi-squared tests. Overall survival (OS) analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model. Results A total of 35,135 patients was included. The median follow-up was 83.0 months (95% CI 81.9-84.1). 24,980 (71.1%) patients were male and 10,155 (28.9%) were female. Females had more elderly (age ≥65: 65.9% vs 59.0%; p<0.001), lower Charlson-Deyo Score (CDS ≥2: 7.0% vs 8.6%; p<0.001) and fewer stage III-IV diagnoses (80.5% vs 82.6%; p<0.001). Females were less likely to receive upfront treatment (80.7% vs 85.3%; p<0.001), treatment at academic centers (36.8% vs 40.9%; p<0.001) or transplant (11.0% vs 13.7%; p<0.001). Compared to males, females were more likely to live in metropolitan areas (83.7% vs 81.6%; p<0.001), had similar incomes, had more Medicare (60.4% vs 53.1%) and fewer private insurance (33.2% vs 38.6%; p<0.001). Female patients had better OS, with a median OS of 76.0 (95% CI 72.4-79.6) vs 67.8 months (95% CI 65.9-69.6; p<0.001). In the multivariable Cox model adjusting for age, race, ethnicity, CDS, stage, upfront treatment (vs surveillance or no treatment), facility (academic vs nonacademic), transplant, residence (metropolitan vs urban or rural) and insurance, female sex remained associated with superior OS (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.793-0.890; p<0.001). For race, 32,399 (92.2%) patients were White, 1,465 (4.2%) were Black, 942 (2.7%) were others and 329 (0.9%) were unknown. Compared to White patients, Black patients had fewer elderly (52.9% vs 61.7%; p<0.001), higher CDS (≥2: 11.4% vs 7.9%; p<0.001), similar stage III-IV (80.7% vs 82.1%; p=0.276) and upfront treatment (84.7% vs 84.0%; p=0.074), were more likely to be treated at academic centers (50.6% vs 38.9%; p<0.001), were less likely to receive transplant (11.1% vs 13.0%; p=0.042), were more likely to live in metropolitan areas (91.0% vs 81.5%; p<0.001), had lower income, had more uninsured (4.4% vs 2.0%) and Medicaid (9.8% vs 3.7%) and fewer Medicare (47.4% vs 56.0%; p<0.001). Black and White patients had similar OS, with a median of 67.9 (95% CI 57.5-78.2) vs 69.6 months (95% CI 67.8 vs 71.3; p=0.697). In the multivariable Cox model, Black vs White race was not associated with OS (HR 1.086, 95% CI 0.952-1.240; p=0.219). For ethnicity, 31,717 (90.3%) patients were non-Hispanic, 1,894 (5.4%) were Hispanic and 1,534 (4.3%) were unknown. Hispanics had fewer elderly (51.3% vs 61.5%; p<0.001), lower CDS (≥2: 6.4% vs 8.2%; p=0.018), similar stage III-IV (81.2% vs 82.1%; p=0.467), were more likely to receive upfront treatment (86.0% vs 83.9%; p<0.001), more likely to be treated at academic centers (49.9% vs 39.5%; p<0.001), equally likely to receive transplant (13.0% vs 13.1%; p=0.943), more likely to live in metropolitan areas (95.4% vs 81.6%; p<0.001), had lower income, had more uninsured (9.6% vs 1.8%) and Medicaid (15.2% vs 9.6%) and fewer Medicare (40.3% vs 55.9%; p<0.001). Hispanics had better OS, with a median OS of 84.4 (95% CI 71.7-97.1) vs 70.5 months (95% CI 68.7-72.2; p<0.001). However, in the multivariable Cox model, Hispanic ethnicity was not associated with OS (HR 0.952, 95% CI 0.839-1.080; p=0.448). Conclusion This study is the first of its scale to demonstrate that female MCL patients have superior survival outcomes compared to males. It also demonstrated that neither Black race nor Hispanic ethnicity appears to be associated with worse survival outcomes. Despite its size, the NCDB is limited in the treatment information and disease characteristics it provides, including MIPI score, Ki-67, blastoid/pleomorphic morphology, and TP53 status. Thus, additional real-world dataset studies are needed to gain a deeper understanding of potential differences in sex, race and ethnicity with regards to disease characteristics and survival outcomes.
Treatment patterns and outcomes in follicular lymphoma with POD24: an analysis from the LEO Consortium
Day, Jonathan R , Koff, Jean L. , Wang, Yucai , Lossos, Izidore S. , Nastoupil, Loretta J. , Strouse, Christopher , Chihara, Dai , Martin, Peter , Leonard, John P. , Cohen, Jonathon B. , Ruan, Jia , Friedberg, Jonathan W. , Flowers, Christopher R. , Koff, Jean L , Wang, Yucai , Lossos, Izidore S , Nastoupil, Loretta J , Chihara, Dai , Cohen, Jonathon B , Kahl, Brad S , Burack, W Richard , Cerhan, James R , Link, Brian K , Maurer, Matthew , Casulo, Carla , Strouse, Christopher S , Larson, Melissa C. , Durani, Urshila , Habermann, Thomas M. , Martin, Peter, Kahl, Brad S. , Burack, Richard , Cerhan, James R. , Link, Brian K. , Maurer, Matthew J. , Casulo, Carla

Blood Advances | November 27, 2024 | Volume: 9 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 1013-1023

10.1182/bloodadvances.2024014053 Get It

Abstract Progression of disease within 24 months of initial immunochemotherapy (POD24) is a negative prognostic factor for patients with follicular lymphoma (FL). There is no standard treatment after POD24. Assembling an academic-based cohort from the Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes Consortium for Real World Evidence, we evaluated patterns of care and outcomes for 220 patients with FL with POD24 and retained FL histology. Therapy after POD24 was heterogeneous, with no treatment category accounting for >25% of the total. Among patients initially treated with bendamustine-rituximab, rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (R-CHOP) was the predominant second-line choice (48%). Among patients initially treated with R-CHOP, aggressive salvage therapy was the predominant second-line choice (38%). Overall response rate to therapy after POD24 was 64% (95% confidence interval [CI], 56-70); complete response rate was 39% (95% CI, 32-46). The median event-free survival for therapy after POD24 was 9.8 months (95% CI, 7.3-12.1); 5-year overall survival (OS) was 71% (95% CI, 65-78). OS was inferior for patients aged >70 years (hazard ratio [HR], 2.31; 95% CI, 1.27-4.20) and those with high-risk FL International Prognostic Index scores at diagnosis (HR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.23-3.60). No treatment category stood out with more favorable results. Cause of death was predominantly lymphoma related. Patients with follicular histology at their POD24 event had a low cumulative incidence of transformation (1.1% at 5 years). Our study is among the largest cohorts describing contemporary patterns of care for patients with POD24, providing a focused data set useful for interpreting and designing prospective clinical trials in this population.
The Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes cohort study: Design, baseline characteristics, and early outcomes
Cerhan, James R. , Maurer, Matthew J. , Link, Brian K. , Feldman, Andrew L. , Habermann, Thomas M. , Jaye, David L. , Burack, Richard , McDonnell, Timothy J. , Vega, Francisco , Chapman, Jennifer R. , Leonard, John P. , Bernal‐Mizrachi, Leon , Alderuccio, Juan Pablo , Riska, Shaun M., Gysbers, Brianna, Lunde, Julianne J. , Reicks, Tanner W., Ayers, Amy , O’Leary, Colin B. , Yost, Kathleen J. , Nowakowski, Grzegorz S. , Ruan, Jia , Koff, Jean L. , Thompson, Carrie A. , Cohen, Jonathon B. , Lossos, Izidore S. , Friedberg, Jonathan W. , Martin, Peter W., Flowers, Christopher R. , Burack, W Richard , Syrbu, Sergei , Vij, Kiran R , Bernal-Mizrachi, Leon , Witzig, T.E. , Weiner, George , Wang, Yucai , Alderuccio, Juan Pablo , Slager, Susan L , Liu, Hongfang , Chihara, Dai , Koff, Jean L , Casulo, Carla , Thompson, Carrie A , Cohen, Jonathon B , Kahl, Brad S , Lossos, Izidore S , Feldman, Andrew L , Maurer, Matthew , Cerhan, James R , Vega, Francisco , Link, Brian K , Habermann, Thomas , Jaye, David L , Syrbu, Sergei , Inghirami, Giorgio , Farooq, Umar , Witzig, Thomas E. , Weiner, George J. , Wang, Yucai , Slager, Susan L. , Larson, Melissa C. , Liu, Hongfang , Chihara, Dai , Casulo, Carla , Kahl, Brad S. , Nastoupil, Loretta J. , Martin, Peter

American Journal of Hematology | January 13, 2024 | Volume: 99 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 408-421

10.1002/ajh.27202 Get It

AbstractTo address the current and long‐term unmet health needs of the growing population of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients, we established the Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes (LEO) cohort study (NCT02736357; https://leocohort.org/). A total of 7735 newly diagnosed patients aged 18 years and older with NHL were prospectively enrolled from 7/1/2015 to 5/31/2020 at 8 academic centers in the United States. The median age at diagnosis was 62 years (range, 18–99). Participants came from 49 US states and included 538 Black/African‐Americans (AA), 822 Hispanics (regardless of race), 3386 women, 716 age <40 years, and 1513 rural residents. At study baseline, we abstracted clinical, pathology, and treatment data; banked serum/plasma (N = 5883, 76.0%) and germline DNA (N = 5465, 70.7%); constructed tissue microarrays for four major NHL subtypes (N = 1189); and collected quality of life (N = 5281, 68.3%) and epidemiologic risk factor (N = 4489, 58.0%) data. Through August 2022, there were 1492 deaths. Compared to population‐based SEER data (2015–2019), LEO participants had a similar distribution of gender, AA race, Hispanic ethnicity, and NHL subtype, while LEO was underrepresented for patients who were Asian and aged 80 years and above. Observed overall survival rates for LEO at 1 and 2 years were similar to population‐based SEER rates for indolent B‐cell (follicular and marginal zone) and T‐cell lymphomas, but were 10%–15% higher than SEER rates for aggressive B‐cell subtypes (diffuse large B‐cell and mantle cell). The LEO cohort is a robust and comprehensive national resource to address the role of clinical, tumor, host genetic, epidemiologic, and other biologic factors in NHL prognosis and survivorship.