Citations

The NCCN Guidelines for Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) provide recommendations for diagnostic workup, clinical stage, and treatment options for patients. The panel meets annually to discuss updates to the guidelines based on comments from expert review from panel members, institutional review, as well as submissions from within NCCN and external organizations. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on the introduction of a new page for locally advanced disease in the setting of clinical node negative status, entitled “Clinical N0 Disease, Locally Advanced MCC.” This new algorithm page addresses locally advanced disease, and the panel clarifies the meaning behind the term “nonsurgical” by further defining locally advanced disease. In addition, the guideline includes the management of in-transit disease and updates to the systemic therapy options.

Abstract The canonical non-homologous end joining (c-NHEJ) repair pathway has generally been considered a highly efficient and stochastic repair process. Yet recent studies indicated that c-NHEJ-mediated CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis, primarily leading to 1-bp insertions and small deletions, may be highly predictable. This observation has spurred the development of in-silico programs with remarkable accuracy in various animal species. Nevertheless, the predictability of CRISPR-induced mutation profiles across species and the associated mechanisms remained elusive. Through comparison of CRISPR-Cas9 repair outcomes between human and plant species, we discovered significant differences in 1-bp insertion profiles across species, governed by an X-family DNA polymerase, DNA Pol λ. The high predictability observed in human cells seemed linked to the template-dependent activity of human DNA Pol λ. However, this predictability cannot be directly extended to plants due to the dual activities of the plant homolog, capable of generating 1-bp insertions through both templated and non-templated manners. While knocking out DNA Pol λ led to deletion-only mutations, its overexpression enhanced 1-bp insertion by 1.2 - 2 folds at multiple target sites in plants. These findings unveiled the underlying mechanism dictating unique CRISPR-Cas9-induced insertion profiles across species and presented new strategies for achieving predictable and precise genome editing through c-NHEJ.

Background. Some patients who present with clinical features consistent with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES; absolute eosinophil count (AEC) ≥1.5 x 10 9/L with related end organ damage) are ultimately diagnosed with a myeloid neoplasm. Although FIP1L1::PDGFRA is the most common molecular abnormality in this setting, many other fusion genes, point mutations and cytogenetic abnormalities have been implicated in driving primary (neoplastic) eosinophilia. Given the poor prognosis of these disorders in the absence of treatment and the availability of targeted therapies for many of the driver mutations, it is becoming increasingly important to rapidly identify the underlying genetic alteration. In this regard, the expense and variable sensitivity of molecular diagnostic tests remains problematic. Although clinical features have been reported to distinguish between PDGFRA-associated myeloid neoplasms and D816V KIT-positive systemic mastocytosis with hypereosinophilia, little is known about the clinical phenotypes of other subsets of patients. This multicenter retrospective study aimed to assemble a large cohort of patients with HES secondary to a myeloid neoplasm to explore the utility of clinical and laboratory features in predicting the underlying molecular abnormality. Methods. Retrospective, de-identified data from 16 centers were collected via an online Research Electronic Data Capture repository. Patients and associated data were obtained from in-house research databases and/or electronic medical record searches at each site. Clinical and laboratory data were entered in accordance with local Institutional Review Boards. Inclusion criteria were peripheral blood hypereosinophilia (AEC >1.5 x 10 9/L) on at least two occasions and one of the following: ≥1 confirmed genetic abnormality recurrently associated with primary myeloid neoplasms, other evidence of clonal eosinophilia, or increased blasts (≥2% in the blood or >5% but <20% in the marrow). Patients with acute myeloid leukemia were excluded. Results. A total of 277 patients followed between 1990 and 2022 were included in the analysis. Median length of follow up was 31 months (range <1-356), and 217/277 (78%) were alive at last follow up. The most common genetic abnormality was FIP1L1::PDGFRA (n=131) followed by D816V KIT mutations (n=39) and alterations involving JAK2 (n=22) (Figure 1). Five patients had genetic abnormalities involving two distinct genes recurrently associated with eosinophilic myeloid neoplasms. The overall median age at diagnosis was 55 years (range 12-89) and 79% of the patients were male. When patients with abnormalities involving PDGFRA and PDGFRB were excluded from the analysis, the male predominance was significantly lower at 62% (p<0.001, Fisher's exact test as compared to the data set as a whole). The overall pattern of organ system involvement was similar irrespective of the underlying genetic abnormality with a few notable exceptions. Cardiac involvement was most common in patients with FIP1L1:: PDGFRA, abnormalities involving JAK2 or without pathologic alterations identified (reported in 22%, 32% and 30%, respectively); whereas skin and gastrointestinal involvement, lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly were most frequent in patients with KIT D816V. Laboratory abnormalities also differed between groups. Whereas anemia was the most common blood abnormality (reported in >50% of patients), erythrocytosis was noted primarily in patients with abnormalities involving JAK2. In contrast, circulating blasts were identified in 70% of patient with BCR::ABL1 and 29% of patients with chromosomal abnormalities or KIT D816V, but in <15% of patients in any of the other groups. Whereas peak AEC alone did not discriminate between the different patient groups, the AEC/tryptase ratio was increased in patients with PDGFRA-associated myeloid neoplasms, molecular abnormalities involving JAK2, or chromosomal abnormalities as compared to those with KIT mutations (Figure 2). Conclusions. Despite the limitations of retrospective data analysis, the data from this large multicenter cohort of patients with HES due to a chronic myeloid neoplasm suggest that routine demographic, clinical and laboratory features vary depending on the underlying molecular abnormality. This approach could ultimately help guide empiric therapy when molecular studies are negative or unavailable.

Introduction: Patients with TCE RRMM have a high disease burden and often report worsening HRQoL with additional lines of therapy. The single-arm, phase 2 KarMMa study demonstrated that ide-cel, a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, improved HRQoL from baseline in patients with TCE RRMM who had received ≥ 3 prior regimens (Delforge M, et al. Blood Adv 2022;6:1309-1318). Furthermore, in the phase 3 KarMMa-3 clinical trial (NCT03651128), ide-cel significantly improved progression-free survival and response compared with standard regimens in patients with TCE RRMM who had received 2-4 prior regimens (Rodriguez-Otero P, et al. N Engl J Med 2023;388:1002-1014). Here we assessed the comparative effects of ide-cel versus standard regimens on HRQoL in patients with TCE RRMM who had received 3-4 prior regimens including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor, and daratumumab (an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody) using data from the KarMMa-3 study. Methods: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30), EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Multiple Myeloma Module (QLQ-MY20), and EQ-5D-5L. The pre-specified primary domains of interest included EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status/QoL, physical functioning, cognitive functioning, fatigue, and pain; EORTC QLQ-MY20 disease symptoms and side effects of treatment; and the EQ-5D-5L visual analog scale (EQ-5D VAS). PROs were collected at screening (baseline), the day of ide-cel infusion (ide-cel) or first treatment dose (standard regimens), monthly from 2 to 28 months, and thereafter every 3 months. Comparisons were performed on least squares (LS) mean changes from baseline through 28 months between arms using constrained longitudinal data analysis (cLDA). Effect size was estimated by Hedges' g. The comparative effects of ide-cel versus standard regimens on time to confirmed improvement and time to confirmed deterioration (defined by prespecified change thresholds) were assessed via stratified Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. All P values are nominal and not adjusted for multiple testing. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Baseline characteristics were well balanced among the patients in the ide-cel arm (n = 167) and the standard regimen arm (n = 93), with a median age of 63 years and a median time of 4.7 years from RRMM diagnosis to study screening. Completion rates of HRQoL assessments were high over time for most visits (> 75%). At baseline, mean HRQoL domain scores were similar between arms. Overall LS mean changes from baseline to 28 months showed significant differences in favor of ide-cel versus standard regimens (nominal P < 0.05) for 11 domains (effect sizes of 0.26-0.82), and 7 (4 primary: global health status/QoL, cognitive functioning, pain, EQ-5D VAS; 3 secondary: dyspnea, insomnia, constipation) of them exceeded the prespecified MID thresholds (Table). Time to confirmed improvement was significantly shorter (nominal P < 0.05) in the ide-cel arm than in the standard regimen arm for 10 domains, including all primary domains except pain. Time to confirmed deterioration was longer in the ide-cel arm than the standard regimen arm for most domains, with significant differences in emotional functioning, cognitive functioning, and dyspnea (EORTC QLQ-C30). Finally, side effects of treatment favored the ide-cel versus standard regimen arm (EORTC QLQ-MY20) (Table). Conclusions: These patient-reported findings demonstrate that compared with standard regimens, treatment with ide-cel improved MM-relevant disease symptoms, functioning, and overall health status/HRQoL of patients with TCE RRMM in the KarMMa-3 trial. These data further substantiate the superior treatment outcomes of ide-cel over standard regimens in this patient population. Overall, treatment with ide-cel may help alleviate detriments to HRQoL in these patients with complex disease.

Primary Myelofibrosis (PMF) is an aggressive myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) characterized by constitutional symptoms, cytopenias, splenomegaly, extramedullary hematopoiesis, bone marrow (BM) fibrosis, and a propensity to transform to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Despite advances in understanding the underlying genetic abnormalities in MPN and the development of JAK2 inhibitors to treat MF, there is an urgent need to devise new treatment strategies, particularly for triple negative myelofibrosis (TN-MF) cases that lack mutations in the JAK2 kinase pathway and who have inferior outcomes. To identify potential oncogenic drivers in TN-MF, we performed cytogenetic analyses and targeted exome sequencing of 98 genes commonly mutated in myeloid malignancies in 584 MF patients identified from the Total Cancer Care database at Moffitt Cancer Center. Notably, there were no significant differences in the somatic mutation profiles (other than JAK2 activating mutations) between TN vs. JAK2/CALR/MPL mutant MF patients. However, trisomy of chromosome 8 occurs more frequently in TN-MF vs. other subtypes (26.7% vs. 6.2%, p=0.0001). To identify oncogenic drivers in trisomy 8+ TN-MF, we performed scRNA-seq analysis from 18,651 cells ( n=15,850 from 3 normal donors and n=2,801 from a trisomy 8+ TN-MF patient) and identified a total of 1,260 genes that are differentially regulated in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) of trisomy 8+ TN-MF compared to normal donors. Among these, 131 genes were located on chromosome 8 and MYC was one of the top 5 genes that are significantly upregulated in trisomy 8+ HSCs. Additional immunohistochemistry staining demonstrated that MYC protein levels in BM cells were significantly higher in trisomy 8+ TN-MF patients vs. trisomy 8- patients. To assess whether MYC might be a driver of MPN, we established an Mx1-Cre +/-;Rosa26 LSL-MYC/LSL-MYC transgenic mouse model that inducibly overexpresses MYC in HSCs following treatment of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (pIpC). Forced MYC expression induced profound anemia, monocytosis, megakaryocytic atypia, splenomegaly, increased BM collagen deposition/fibrosis, extramedullary hematopoiesis in spleen and liver, and significantly reduced OS vs. Mx1-Cre +/- wild type controls (median OS 258 days vs. not reached (NR), p<0.0001). MYC also promoted expansion of HSCs, myeloid progenitors, and Gr-1 +/CD11b + mature myeloid cells in BM and spleen; thus, MYC was sufficient to provoke MF-like disease independent of JAK2 pathway mutations. Subsequent scRNA-seq analysis of 25,232 cells ( n=13,552 from control and n=11,680 from a MYC transgenic mouse) revealed that S100a9 mRNA levels were increased by MYC in most major hematopoietic cell types. Supporting oncogenic roles of S100A9 in MYC-driven MF, deletion of S100a9 in Mx1-Cre +/-;Rosa26 LSL-MYC/LSL-MYC;S100a9 -/- mice abolished MYC-induced MF phenotypes and significantly improved OS (median OS NR vs. 225 days, p=0.0345). To test whether inhibition of MYC can suppress MF disease progression in vivo, lethally irradiated CD45.1 +/CD45.2 + WT mice were transplanted with BM cells harvested from CD45.2 + Mx1-Cre +/-;Rosa26 LSL-MYC/LSL-MYC mice that were treated with pIpC 20 weeks prior to transplant. MYCi975, a small molecule that inhibits MYC, reduced MYC and S100a9 protein levels in BM and spleen cells. Further, MYCi975 effectively suppressed MYC-driven MF phenotypes and disease progression, and significantly improved OS (median OS NR vs. 252 days, p=0.0109). In summary, our studies are the first to describe an oncogenic role of MYC in MF pathogenesis, where MYC provokes an alarmin-driven inflammatory circuit, and where the MYC-S100A9 axis represents a therapeutic vulnerability for TN-MF patients. Accordingly, our results provide a strong rationale for testing agents targeting MYC or S100A9 in early phase clinical trials in MPNs having increased MYC levels or activity.

Background: An interim analysis (data cutoff date April 18, 2022) of the international, open-label, phase 3 KarMMa-3 trial (NCT03651128) showed the chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) significantly improved progression-free survival and treatment response rates, as well as HRQoL, as compared with standard regimens, in patients with triple-class exposed (TCE) RRMM who had received 2-4 prior regimens (Rodriguez-Otero P, et al. N Engl J Med 2023;388:1002-1014; Delforge M, et al., HemaSphere, 2023;7(S3):P905). The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of ide-cel versus standard regimens (daratumumab [DARA], pomalidomide, and dexamethasone [DEX]; DARA, bortezomib, and DEX; ixazomib, lenalidomide, and DEX; carfilzomib and DEX; or elotuzumab, pomalidomide, and DEX) on HRQoL in KarMMa-3 trial participants with an extended follow-up of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data collection (data cutoff date April 28, 2023). Methods: In KarMMa-3, HRQoL was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30), EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Multiple Myeloma Module (QLQ-MY20), and EQ-5D-5L. HRQoL assessments were completed at screening (baseline); the day of ide-cel infusion or the first dose of standard treatment; and monthly from 2 to 28 months; and every 3 months thereafter. The prespecified primary outcomes of interest were EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status/QoL, physical functioning, cognitive functioning, fatigue, and pain; EORTC QLQ-MY20 disease symptoms and side effects of treatment; and the EQ-5D visual analog scale (EQ-VAS). Least squares (LS) mean changes from baseline through month 25 for ide-cel and standard regimens were compared by constrained longitudinal data analysis (cLDA). Effect sizes were estimated by Hedges' g. The effect of ide-cel versus standard regimens on time to confirmed improvement and deterioration in HRQoL (defined by prespecified change thresholds and sustained duration) were compared by stratified Cox proportional hazards regression. There was no adjustment for multiple testing, and all P values reported are nominal. Results: Overall, 254 patients were randomized to the ide-cel arm and 132 to the standard regimens arm. Baseline characteristics were well balanced across treatment arms; both arms had a median age of 63 years, a median of 3 prior anti-myeloma regimens, and median time from MM diagnosis to screening was 4 years. The baseline HRQoL scores were generally comparable between treatment arms. Overall LS mean changes from baseline to month 25 showed significant differences (nominal P value < 0.05) in favor of ide-cel for 18 out of 21 HRQoL domains, with effect sizes (Hedges' g) of 0.27 to 0.82 (Table). For 13 of these domains (including 6 primary domains of interest), the difference in overall LS mean change from baseline exceeded the prespecified minimum important difference (MID) threshold. Time to confirmed improvement was significantly shorter in the ide-cel arm than the standard regimens arm for 19 domains, including all primary domains of interest (Table). Time to confirmed deterioration showed trends of being longer in the ide-cel arm than the standard regimens arm for most domains and was significantly longer for emotional functioning, cognitive functioning, social functioning, dyspnea, and constipation as measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30. The time to confirmed deterioration in side effects of treatment (based on the EORTC QLQ-MY20) was significantly longer for patients in the ide-cel arm and time to confirmed improvement was significantly faster, as compared with the standard regimens arm (Table). Conclusions: In the KarMMa-3 trial, patients with TCE RRMM who had received 2-4 prior regimens, ide-cel significantly and meaningfully improved MM-relevant symptoms, functioning, and overall health status/HRQoL compared with standard regimens. Confirmed HRQoL improvements in the ide-cel arm occurred sooner than standard regimens. PRO improvements were sustained over more than 2 years, which is notable after a single infusion treatment with ide-cel. These patient-reported findings further support the benefit of ide-cel in this patient population.