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Abstract Introduction Approximately 2-8% chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients develop diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL, so-called Richter syndrome [RS]) over long-term follow-up. The outcomes of patients with RS are variable and poorly understood. Methods CLL patients seen at Mayo Clinic from January 1995 to April 2013 who developed biopsy-proven DLBCL during follow-up were included in this analysis. Clinical characteristics, therapy and overall survival (OS) of all patients with RS were analyzed. Results One hundred and twenty patients with biopsy-proven RS were identified in the Mayo Clinic database. The median age at diagnosis of RS was 67 years (range, 29-88 years), 87 (73%) were male, and 83 (69%) had received prior CLL therapy. The median duration between diagnosis of CLL and development of RS was 3.8 years (range, 0-34.5 years). Stereotyped B-cell receptors were found in 9/30 (30%) RS patients compared to 219/1294 (17%) non-RS patients (OR=2.1, p=0.07). IGHV4-39 gene usage was present in 2/26 (8%) RS patients compared to 57/1354 (4%) non-RS patients (p=0.3). Of the 30 RS biopsy samples in which Epstein Barr virus (EBV) in-situ hybridization studies were performed, EBV was detected in 7 (23%) patients. After a median follow-up of 5.2 years, 86 (72%) patients have died. Causes of death were as follows: progressive DLBCL (n=46, 53%), progressive CLL (n=2, 2%), infection (n=8, 9%), unknown (n=20, 23%) and other (n=10, 12%). The median OS of the entire cohort was 0.9 years (95% CI, 0.5-1.3 years). Tsimberidou and colleagues proposed a prognosis score (RS score) based on the following variables at the time of RS diagnosis: Eastern Co-operative Group performance status of 2-4, lactate dehydrogenase >1.5 x normal, platelets<100 x 109/L, tumour size >5 cm and >1 prior therapy for CLL. Each parameter was assigned one point, and patients were then assigned to one of four risk groups based on their calculated RS score: 0 or 1, low risk; 2, low-intermediate risk; 3, high-intermediate risk; 4 or 5, high risk. The OS according to the RS score for our group of patients is shown in Figure 1. Median survival in the low, intermediate-1, intermediate-2 and high-risk groups were 2.4 years, 0.7 years, 0.3 years and 0.2 years, respectively (p<0.001). Fifteen (12%) patients received cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) as initial therapy for RS, and 68 (57%) received rituximab in addition to CHOP (R-CHOP). There was no difference in survival among patients who received CHOP compared to R-CHOP (median, 1.8 years. vs. 1.2 years, p=0.5). Twenty-four patients (20%) received non-CHOP-based chemotherapy, and treatment was unknown in 4 (3%) patients. Nine patients (7%) died before definitive therapy could be instituted. Thirteen (11%) patients were able to proceed to stem cell transplantation (SCT): 10 (8%) autologous SCT, 2 (2%) allogeneic SCT and 1 (1%) autologous SCT followed by an allogeneic SCT. Although RS patients who underwent SCT were younger compared to those who did not undergo SCT (median, 59 years. vs. 69 years, p=0.001), no differences in prior CLL therapy or receipt of R-CHOP therapy for DLBCL was noted between the two groups. The median survival of patients who proceeded to SCT was superior compared to those who did not (5.2 years vs. 0.7 years; p=0.005). Conclusion Stereotyped B-cell receptors but not VH4-39 had a suggested evidence of an increased risk of RS in our cohort. Although 90% RS patients received intensive chemotherapy, only 11% patients were able to proceed to SCT. Median survival of RS patients remains dismal at 1 year, and newer therapies are needed to improve outcomes. Disclosures: Shanafelt: Genentech: Research Funding; Glaxo-Smith-Kline: Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding; Hospira: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Polyphenon E International: Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction: Our current understanding of CLL biology and optimal therapies is based on clinical trials that have largely enrolled White patient populations. Whether these findings are applicable to Hispanic or non-White patients is unknown but critical to evaluate given the growing numbers of minority patients in the U.S. While retrospective studies have suggested inferior outcomes in non-White patients, prospective data on these disparities are lacking. Patients and Methods: We utilized the Mayo Clinic CLL database to better understand variations in disease characteristics, molecular differences, and treatment selections between non-Hispanic White patients and those not in this category (referred to hereafter as “other race”). After excluding 49 patients with missing diagnosis date and another 490 patients with missing race and/or ethnicity, the remaining 4104 cases within the registry were included in the analysis. Comparisons by race were made using Chi-square or Wilcoxon rank sum tests for qualitative or quantitative variables, respectively. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from diagnosis until death or last known alive date; time to first treatment (TTFT) was calculated from diagnosis until treatment date or date last known to be untreated. OS and TTFT were displayed via Kaplan-Meier plots, and differences in OS and TTFT by race were calculated using log-rank statistics. Individuals who were enrolled in early intervention trials (n=61) were excluded from analyses involving treatment. Results: In total, 4104 CLL patients were identified: 4011 (97.7%) non-Hispanic Whites and 93 (2.3%) other races. Median age at CLL diagnosis was younger for other race patients (59 vs. 63 years; p=0.002), while gender and stage distributions were comparable between both groups. Serum β-2-microglobulin and absolute lymphocyte counts at diagnosis were similar but more other race patients had elevated LDH (29.5% vs. 16.1%; p=0.02). Cytogenetic data by FISH were available for 1884 non-Hispanic Whites and 46 other race patients; poor-risk cytogenetics (17p and/or 11q deletions) were present in 23.9% of other race and 13.5% of non-Hispanic White patients, respectively (p=0.04). No statistically significant differences were observed for CD38, ZAP-70, or IGHV by race TTFT was similar for both non-Hispanic Whites and other race patients (4.6 vs. 5.5 years, respectively; p=0.12). First-line treatment selection was similar for both groups (Table). . With a median follow-up of 12.1 years, median overall survival was 9.3 years for other race and 12.2 years in non-Hispanic White patients (P=0.15; Figure). Conclusions: This prospective data supports the notion that CLL might be biologically different between non-Hispanic White and other race patients with less favorable FISH present in the latter group. Despite the observation that TTFT and type of first therapy are similar between both groups, the trend towards shorter OS in other race patients argues that other factors might contribute to outcome differences, such as disease biology, access to care, co-morbidities, and socioeconomic considerations. Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted. Table: First-line treatment selection among treated individual by racial First-line Treatment Non-Hispanic Whites(n=1875) Other race(n=41) Chemoimmunotherapy Purine analogue-based Alkylator-based 675 (36.0) 495 (26.4) 180 (9.6) 15 (35.6) 9 (22.0) 6 (14.6) Purine analogue -monotherapy 157 (8.4) 4 (9.8) Alkylator monotherapy 610 (32.5) 9 (22.0) PA+Alkylator 41 (2.2) 1 (2.4) Antibody alone 190 (10.1) 6 (14.6) Other 202 (10.8) 6 (14.6) Figure: Overall survival in CLL cases stratified by race Figure:. Overall survival in CLL cases stratified by race Disclosures Nabhan: Genentech: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Kay:Celgene: Research Funding. Shanafelt:Genentech: Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Research Funding; Celegene: Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics/Jannsen: Research Funding; Hospira: Research Funding; Polyphenon E Int'l: Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction: Several B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma (MM), are known to have a familial component to disease risk. Although several common inherited genetic variants have been found to be associated with risk of these malignancies, a large proportion of the heritability remains unexplained. Here we set out to identify rare high-penetrance susceptibility variants for CLL and MM using the established Mayo Clinic family study of B-cell malignancies. Methods: We performed exome sequencing on germ line DNA of 106 families with either two or more members with CLL (n=93 families) or two or more members with MM or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) (n=13 families) using Aglient capture kits. All samples were sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq2000. Bioinformatics analyses leveraged the following software packages: Novoalign, Picard, The Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK), and the Biological Reference Repository (bioR). Quality control filters were implemented; subjects with mis-specified relationships were removed as were variants with <95% call rate or <20x coverage, and those variants identified as sequencing artifacts. To identify potentially functional single nucleotide variants, the following was required a) uncommon in public databases, b) cosegregating variants in multiple families, c) variants to be highly conserved and in coding regions, and d) functional prediction status of deleterious (SIFT score), damaging (PolyPhen score), and a moderate, or high variant impact (SNPEffect). The association of these variants with risk was then evaluated in large samples of cases and controls in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Results: In the CLL familial cohort, there were 443 individuals (160 with CLL, 73 with monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL), and 210 relatives without CLL or MBL) sequenced; and in the MM cohort, there were 39 individuals (13 with MM, 13 with MGUS and 13 without MM or MGUS) sequenced. A total of 61,992 single nucleotide variants passed quality control filters in the CLL cohort and 39,456 single nucleotide variants in the MM cohort. From these, we identified 32 variants in the CLL cohort and 39 variants in the MM cohort that were cosegregating in multiple CLL or MM families, respectively, and were predicted to affect protein structure or function. Of these, one CLL variant was within 1 Mb of a known GWAS-discovered locus. Moreover, there were seven CLL and four MM variants that were within 1 Mb of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that had statistical significance between p<10-4 and p<10-6 in GWAS. Finally, there were 3 variants found to be common between CLL and MM families (see Table). Conclusions: Through whole exome sequencing, we identified a number of rare, highly penetrant predisposition variants for CLL and MM. Several of these variants were common to both B-cell malignancies providing evidence of shared genetic components; one variant may be a functional driver of the GWAS-discovered loci. These identified variants provide a list for future validation studies. Table: Exome variants common in both Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Multiple Myeloma SNP ID rs41314099 rs61754114 rs143025033 Chromosome 17 6 7 Gene WSCD1 BACH2 TNS3 Penetrance (CLL) 0.70 0.75 0.80 Penetrance (MM) 1.00 0.80 0.75 Allele Frequency (CLL) 0.015 0.025 0.017 Allele Frequency (MM) 0.077 0.077 0.058 1000 Genome Frequency (European) 0.010 0.020 0.010 SIFT Term Deleterious Deleterious Deleterious PolyPhen Term Probably Damaging Probably Damaging Probably Damaging SNP: Single Nucleotide Polymorphism; CLL: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia; MM: Multiple Myeloma; Penetrance is defined as proportion of individuals carrying the alternate allele that are also affected; SIFT: Sorting Intolerant From Tolerant, predicts whether an amino acid substitution affects protein function; PolyPhen: Polymorphism Phenotyping, predicts possible impact of an amino acid substitution on the structure of a human protein Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Abstract 4252 Background: Multiple recent studies have demonstrated the survival benefits of reduced intensity allogeneic stem cell transplant for high risk CLL patients. These transplant series, however, represent highly selected cases where age, co-morbidities and performance status preclude transplant in many patients with CLL. The portion of newly diagnosed CLL patients that are eventually considered for transplant is unknown, as well as the proportion that are referred for transplant evaluation; the proportion that actually receive stem cell transplant, and the reasons for not pursuing transplant in referred patients. We conducted a cohort study of newly diagnosed CLL patients to address this gap in knowledge. Methods: We used the Mayo Clinic database to identify all patients with newly diagnosed CLL seen at Mayo Clinic within 1 year of diagnosis between July of 2003 and May of 2011 (time interval during which reduced intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation was part of routine care at Mayo Clinic). Electronic medical record and laboratory studies were reviewed to identify all patients referred for stem cell transplant evaluation (either allogeneic transplant for progressive CLL or autologous stem cell transplant for Richter's transformation). Patients referred for transplant were analyzed to determine what proportion completed transplant and, for those who were not transplanted, the reason they were not transplanted (e.g. lack of insurance approval, co-morbidity, lack of a donor, inadequate disease control, death prior to transplant or patient preference). Results: A total of 1250 patients with newly diagnosed CLL between July 2003 and May 2011 who were seen at Mayo Clinic within 1 year of diagnosis were identified. The mean age at diagnosis was 63.6 yrs and 34.2% were women. With respect to disease stage, 48.7% were Rai stage 0, 45.5% Rai stage I/II, and 5.8% Rai stage III/IV. CLL FISH analysis revealed 126 (13.6%) patients who had either del (17p) or del (11q) and 801 (86.4%) patients who had other FISH abnormalities or normal FISH results. After a median follow-up of 41 months, 425 (34%) of patients have received treatment. A total of 54 patients (4.3%) were referred for a transplant evaluation during follow-up. Of these 54 patients, 48 (3.8% overall cohort) were referred for consideration of allogenic transplant for treatment of progressive CLL and 6 (0.5%) were referred for autologous transplant for treatment of Richter's transformation. Baseline characteristics associated with subsequent transplant referral included age at diagnosis (median: 56 yrs) (p &lt; 0.0001, Odds Ratio (OR) for each year older = 0.91, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)=(0.88, 0.95)), Rai stage (III/IV vs. 0) (p = 0.0002, OR = 22.7, 95% CI=(5.1, 102.4)) and FISH (del(11q), del(17p) vs Normal, del(13q) or Trisomy 12) (p &lt; 0.0001, OR = 7.3, 95% CI=(3.3, 16.1)). Gender, Rai stage (I/II vs. 0), and patient residence (local vs. not local) were not significant. Among the 54 patients referred for transplant, 28 (51.9%) completed a transplant. This included 22 (45.8%) patients referred for allogenic transplant and 6 (100%) patients referred for autologous transplant. Among the 26 patients referred who did not undergo transplant, the principal reasons were patient preference (n = 6, 23.1%), patient still being evaluated for transplant as of the study end date (n = 6, 23.1%), alternative therapy chosen (n = 5, 19.2%), inadequate disease control (n = 3, 11.5%), death prior to transplant (n = 3, 11.5%), lack of insurance approval (n = 2, 7.7%), and lack of a donor (n = 1, 3.8%). Conclusion: 4.3% of the newly diagnosed CLL patients in this series were considered for stem cell transplant at some point during follow-up. Young age, high Rai stage and high risk FISH abnormalities are principal reasons for transplant referral. Only 51.9% of those considered for transplant completed transplant. The principal reasons for referral patients not completing transplant who had adequate time to follow were patient preference, alternative therapy, inadequate disease control and death prior to transplant. The remaining 6 patients (23%) are in process of transplant evaluation with longer follow required. These analyses provide first incidence data for CLL transplant referral in a cohort of newly diagnosed patients. Disclosures: Zent: Biothera: Research Funding; Genzyme: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKlime: Research Funding. Shanafelt:Celgene: Research Funding; Teva/Cephalon: Research Funding; GlaxoSmith Klein: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Hospira: Research Funding; Polyphenon E International: Research Funding.

Abstract Abstract 3903 The clinical utility of 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scans in the management of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has not been clearly defined. CLL cells typically have low FDG avidity and the addition of the PET component has not been shown to improve the utility of CT scans in the management of patients with CLL. However, patients with CLL are at increased risk of developing FDG avid complications including more aggressive lymphomas, other second malignancies, and infections for which FDG PET-CT scans are a useful imaging modality. We hypothesized that FDG PET-CT scans are sensitive tests for evaluation of these complications in patients with CLL. Patients and Methods: This observational study was performed with IRB approval. We studied all 4030 CLL patients seen at least once in the Division of Hematology at Mayo Clinic Rochester between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2011 using data prospectively collected into the Mayo Clinic CLL database. We reviewed the clinical and radiological records of the 272 (7%) patients who underwent 526 FDG PET-CT scans of the trunk during this time period to determine the indication for PET-CT scan, results of imaging, and the effects of the use of PET/CT scan on management. Results: Four hundred and seventy two (90%) of the 526 PET-CT scans were reported as abnormal. Of these, 78 (17%) scans were useful in directing a tissue biopsy of high FDG avidity lesions. Of the 37 (8%) positive PET-CT scans that facilitated the diagnosis of new complications of CLL, 21 (4%) scans led to a diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma and 9 (2%) scans led to a diagnosis of a solid malignancy. The FDG component of 22 PET-CT scans done because of clinical suspicion of complications of CLL were negative, and thus useful in management of these patients. PET-CT scans showed progressive CLL in 138 (29%) studies but in these patients, the PET component of the scan did not provide additional information about the status of the patients' CLL compared to the CT component alone. Conclusions: FDG PET-CT scans are not of proven value in staging CLL or determining response to treatment. However, our data suggest that they could be of considerable value in evaluation for complications, especially more aggressive lymphomas, other cancers, and infections that complicate the course of CLL. Disclosures: Off Label Use: Phase I study using PGG beta glucan in CLL. Zent:Biothera: Research Funding; Genzyme: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Research Funding.

Abstract Abstract 2342 Poster Board II-319 PURPOSE: Numerous clinical and biologic parameters are able to predict time to first treatment (TFT) and overall survival (OS) for patients with CLL. The utility of prognostic testing in CLL patients may vary based on age at diagnosis given the higher mortality from other causes among older individuals. The goals of the present study were to i) evaluate differences in natural history of CLL patients based on age at diagnosis, ii) compare survival to age-matched individuals in the general population, and iii) determine the age-stratified utility of prognostic testing. METHODS: All 2487 CLL/SLL patients diagnosed between January 1995 and June 2008 and cared for in the Mayo Clinic Division of Hematology were categorized by age at diagnosis (<55 years, 55-64 years, 65-74 years, or ≥75 years) and evaluated for differences in clinical characteristics, TFT, and OS using chi-square tests. IGHV gene mutation analysis, ZAP-70 status, CD38 status, and cytogenetics abnormalities by interphase FISH testing were performed as part of clinical and/or research studies using methods previously described by our group. Cox regression was used to evaluate the ability of prognostic parameters to predict clinical outcome stratified by age at diagnosis. Patient survival was compared to that of the age matched Minnesota population. RESULTS: When grouped by age, 593 patients were age <55, 713 age 55-64, 748 age 65-74, and 433 age ≥75 at diagnosis. As of last follow-up, 268, 282, 296, and 108 patients in these age groups have been treated, respectively and 112, 171, 254, and 199 patients have died. Survival decreased as the age at diagnosis increased (p<0.001). OS of CLL patients was significantly shorter than that of the age-matched general population for patients age <55 years (p<0.001), 55-64 years (p<0.001), and 65-74 years (p<0.001) at diagnosis but not those ≥75 years (p=0.136). Among Rai stage 0 patients, survival was also shorter than that of the age-matched general population for CLL patients age <55 years (p<0.001), 55-64 years (p<0.001), and 65-74 years (p<0.001) but not those ≥ age 75 at diagnosis (p=0.07). No statistically significant differences were observed in CD38 status, IGHV mutation status, ZAP-70 status or the frequency of common cytogenetic abnormalities on FISH based on age at diagnosis category. Consistent with prior reports, all of these parameters were powerful predictors of TFT and OS for the overall cohort on univariate analysis (all p<0.001 for both TFT and OS). Given the variation in TFT and OS based on age at diagnosis, we next evaluated the utility of these prognostic parameters for predicting TFT and OS in each age category after adjusting for stage. CD38, IGHV mutation, and ZAP-70 each predicted TFT independent of stage for all age groups (all p <0.05). FISH results predicted TFT independent of stage for patients age 55-64 and 65-74 however did not reach statistical significance for those age <55 (p=0.18) or ≥75 (p=0.07). The utility of these parameters for predicting OS independent of stage was less consistent and varied by age. IGHV predicted OS independent of stage for patients <age 55 (p<0.001), 55-64 (p=0.007), and 65-74 (p'0.001) but was not a significant predictor of OS among those ≥75 (p=0.15). CD38, ZAP-70, and FISH each predicted survival independent of stage for only 2 of the 4 age categories (ZAP-70 for age <55 and 55-64; FISH for age <55 and 65-74; CD38 for 55-64 and ≥75). CONCLUSIONS: Survival of CLL patients is shorter than that of the age-matched general population for individuals age <75 at diagnosis regardless of disease stage. In contrast, survival does not differ from the age-matched general population among CLL patients ≥age 75 at diagnosis. Prognostic testing using CD38, IGHV mutation, and ZAP-70 is useful for predicting TFT independent of stage for CLL patients of all ages (including those ≥age 75) but has less value for predicting OS particularly as the age at diagnosis increases. IGHV appeared to be the best predictor of OS independent of stage among all patients age <75. Unexpectedly, prognostic testing had little utility for predicting OS independent of stage among patients age ≥75. These findings have important implications regarding the use of prognostic tests in patients with CLL as well as the use of test results to select patients for clinical trials testing early treatment for asymptomatic individuals. Disclosures: Shanafelt: Cephalon: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Polyphenon Pharma : Research Funding; Hospira: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Bayer Health Care Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Kay:Biogenc-Idec, Celgene, Genentech, genmab: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genentech, Celgene, Hospira, Polyphenon Pharma, Sanofi-Aventis: Research Funding. Zent:Genentech, Bayer, Genzyme, Novartis: Research Funding.

Abstract Abstract 4410 BACKGROUND Autoimmune cytopenia occurs in 5%-10% of patients with CLL. Treatment for patients with both autoimmune cytopenia and progressive CLL is challenging due to poor tolerance of myelosuppression, and the risk of exacerbation of autoimmune cytopenia by purine analogues. METHODS We identified 20 patients from our CLL database of approximately 3000 patients who were treated with a chemoimmunotherapy regimen of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CVP) for both autoimmune cytopenia and progressive CLL from January 2000-December 2008 at Mayo Clinic Rochester. RESULTS Autoimmune cytopenia responded in 19 patients (14 CR and 5 PR) with a median time to progression (TTP) of 13.6 months (range 5 – 29). Five patients remain in sustained remission at last follow up (range 15 – 30 months) and 4 patients have had recurrent autoimmune cytopenia requiring re-treatment. Six patients required maintenance corticosteroid therapy after completing R-CVP. Progressive CLL responded to treatment in 17 patients (9 CR/CCR, 8 PR by NCI-WG 1996 criteria) with a median TTP of 6.3 months (range 1-40 months). Fourteen patients have required additional treatment for progressive CLL at a median of 5.4 months (range 4-22 months). Five patients have not required additional treatment for either CLL or autoimmune cytopenia at 15 -30 months after completing treatment. R-CVP treatment toxicity included 3 patients with grade 3-4 infections, 2 with grade 1 peripheral neuropathy, and one with grade 3 drug-induced pneumonitis. No patient required blood cell transfusions after the completion of cycle 1 of therapy. CONCLUSIONS Although R-CVP is an effective and tolerable therapy for patients with simultaneous autoimmune cytopenia and progressive CLL requiring therapy, the duration of response is suboptimal. Clinical trials testing alternative treatment strategies are needed for this patient population. Disclosures: Zent: Genentech, Bayer, Genzyme, Novartis: Research Funding. Shanafelt:Cephalon: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Polyphenon Pharma : Research Funding; Hospira: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Bayer Health Care Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Kay:Biogenc-Idec, Celgene, Genentech, genmab: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genentech, Celgene, Hospira, Polyphenon Pharma, Sanofi-Aventis: Research Funding.

AbstractAlterations in global DNA methylation patterns are a major hallmark of cancer and represent attractive biomarkers for personalized risk stratification. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) risk stratification studies typically focus on time to first treatment (TTFT), time to progression (TTP) after treatment, and overall survival (OS). Whereas TTFT risk stratification remains similar over time, TTP and OS have changed dramatically with the introduction of targeted therapies, such as the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib. We have shown that genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in CLL are strongly associated with phenotypic differentiation and patient outcomes. Here, we developed a novel assay, termed methylation-iPLEX (Me-iPLEX), for high-throughput quantification of targeted panels of single cytosine guanine dinucleotides from multiple independent loci. Me-iPLEX was used to classify CLL samples into 1 of 3 known epigenetic subtypes (epitypes). We examined the impact of epitype in 1286 CLL patients from 4 independent cohorts representing a comprehensive view of CLL disease course and therapies. We found that epitype significantly predicted TTFT and OS among newly diagnosed CLL patients. Additionally, epitype predicted TTP and OS with 2 common CLL therapies: chemoimmunotherapy and ibrutinib. Epitype retained significance after stratifying by biologically related biomarkers, immunoglobulin heavy chain mutational status, and ZAP70 expression, as well as other common prognostic markers. Furthermore, among several biological traits enriched between epitypes, we found highly biased immunogenetic features, including IGLV3-21 usage in the poorly characterized intermediate-programmed CLL epitype. In summary, Me-iPLEX is an elegant method to assess epigenetic signatures, including robust classification of CLL epitypes that independently stratify patient risk at diagnosis and time of treatment.

Background:We have previously reported that ∼50% of CLL patients (pts) experience rapid flare of disease when they discontinue ibrutinib therapy due to progression of disease (CLL or Richter's transformation [RT]) (Hampel et al, JCO suppl, 2018). This lead to the clinical practice of overlapping venetoclax with ibrutinib for combination therapy in this setting to prevent ibrutinib withdrawal.Aims:To evaluate the role of continuing ibrutinib beyond the start of salvage venetoclax in pts who have progression of disease on ibrutinib monotherapy, both in preventing ibrutinib withdrawal associated with ibrutinib discontinuation and in disease response.Methods:We identified all CLL pts at Mayo Clinic (3/2017–11/2018) who had disease progression on ibrutinib therapy, where venetoclax was added as subsequent treatment while ibrutinib was continued. CLL‐specific characteristics, treatment timeline and toxicities, and disease course following combination therapy were ascertained. All pts started venetoclax according to the weekly ramp‐up per the package instructions.Results:Eighteen pts treated with the addition of venetoclax to ibrutinib therapy were identified; indications were CLL progression (n = 13) and RT (n = 5). BTK or PLCG2 mutations were present in 8/13 pts. Median duration of follow‐up was 9.6 months after the start of combination therapy.The target venetoclax dose was reached by 5 weeks in 13 pts; reasons for delaying or stopping dose escalation included diarrhea (n = 2), sepsis (n = 2), and neutropenia (n = 1). No patient experienced a disease flare during venetoclax ramp‐up.The median duration of combination ibrutinib and venetoclax therapy was 3 months (range, 0–14 months). Of 18 pts who started combination therapy with ibrutinib and venetoclax, ibrutinib was discontinued in 10 pts. Reasons included hematopoietic stem cell transplant (n = 2), planned stop after adequate disease control (n = 4), financial reasons (n = 1), toxicity (neutropenia n = 1, immune thrombocytopenia/bleeding risk n = 1), and death (n = 1). Only 1 patient experienced ibrutinib withdrawal, which occurred following planned discontinuation after clinical complete response (CR) with a 41 day overlap and toleration of venetoclax 400 mg daily; management with re‐initiation of ibrutinib was effective in regaining disease control. Of 9 pts who stopped ibrutinib, 4 pts had a slow taper over 2–8 weeks, and 2 pts also received corticosteroids at the time of ibrutinib discontinuation.Among the other 8 pts who did not discontinue ibrutinib, 6 pts remain on the combination with venetoclax (median duration 6.5 months, range 3–14 months), and 2 pts continued on ibrutinib following venetoclax discontinuation due to disease progression (both pts received further combination of ibrutinib with multi‐agent chemotherapy).The overall response rate (ORR) to combination therapy with ibrutinib and venetoclax was 81% (CR/clinical CR n = 9, partial response n = 4, stable disease n = 1, and primary refractory disease n = 2). The duration of combination therapy was <4 weeks in 2 pts, precluding response assessment. The estimated 12‐month event‐free survival was 54% (95% CI 33–87%), and the estimated 12‐month overall survival from start of combination therapy was 79% (95% CI 60–100%); see Figure 1.Summary/Conclusion:Among CLL pts who develop progression of disease on ibrutinib monotherapy, continued ibrutinib therapy with addition of venetoclax was feasible, ameliorated ibrutinib withdrawal, and was associated with high ORR.image

Abstract Introduction: Laboratory studies have demonstrated that zinc and zinc transporters play important roles in the development of urological cancers, including prostate, bladder, and renal cell cancer. To date however, there have been no efforts to evaluate whether germline variation in zinc transporter genes alter the risk of developing these cancers. Motivated by this, we evaluated associations of known variants in zinc transporter genes with risk of prostate, bladder, and renal cell cancer using three NCI Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) data sets downloaded from dbGaP. Methods: Data consisted of GWAS data from the PLCO Screening Trial (prostate; 1172 cases, 1157 controls); Bladder Cancer study (3527 cases, 5119 controls); and Renal Cancer study (1453 cases, 3531 controls). All genotyped variants in 10 ZNT family genes (ZNT1-ZNT10) and 14 ZIP family genes (ZIP1-ZIP14) in each data set were analyzed by logistic regression models to evaluate the association of each variant with risk of developing prostate, bladder, and renal cancer, respectively. We evaluated these associations in a univariable setting, after adjusting for available covariates, such as age and gender. Correction for multiple comparisons used Max T permutation tests. Results: One variant in ZIP11, rs8081059, was associated with increased risk of renal cancer (OR=1.28, 95% CI= 1.13-1.45; corrected p= 0.049). Another ZIP11 variant, rs11871756, was associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer risk (OR=1.43, 95% CI 1.24-1.63; corrected p=0.0002). We also found three variants in ZIP11 associated with a decreased risk of bladder cancer: rs11077654 (OR=0.76, 95% CI 0.68-0.85; corrected p=0.001), rs9913017 (OR=0.76, 95% CI= 0.68-0.85; corrected p=0.002), and rs4969054 (OR=0.78, 95% CI 0.69-0.88; corrected p=0.02). Interestingly, these three protective variants are within the same LD block. There were no associations between zinc transporter variants and prostate cancer risk. Conclusion: We report for the first time that specific genetic variants of a zinc transporter gene, ZIP11, are associated with risk of renal and bladder cancer. If validated in larger, more focused studies, further investigations are warranted to explore the functional significance of ZIP11 in these two cancers. Citation Format: Lang Wu, Kari G. Rabe, Alexander S. Parker, Gloria M. Petersen. ZIP11 and susceptibility to renal and bladder cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2013 Oct 27-30; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2013;6(11 Suppl): Abstract nr A52.