Citations

Abstract To assess the impact of the pandemic on the field, we performed an international web-based survey of practitioners, scientists, and trainees from 21 neuro-oncology organizations across 6 continents from April 24 through May 17. Of 582 respondents, 258 (45%) were in the US, and 314 (55%) were international. 80.4% were affiliated with academic institutions. 94% respondents reported changes in clinical practice; 95% reported conversion to telemedicine for at least some appointments. However, almost 10% practitioners felt the need to see patients in person specifically because of billing concerns and perceived institutional pressure. Over 50% believed neuro-oncology patients were at increased risk of contracting COVID-19. 67% practitioners suspended enrollment for at least one clinical trial: 53% suspended phase II and 62% suspended phase III trial enrollment. 71% clinicians feared for their or their families’ safety, specifically because of their clinical duties. 20% percent said they did not have enough PPE to work safely; about the same percentage were unhappy with their institutions’ response to the pandemic. 43% believed the pandemic would negatively affect their academic career, and 52% fellowship program directors were worried about losing funding for their training programs. While 69% respondents reported increased stress, 44% were offered no psychosocial support. 37% had their salary reduced. 36% researchers had to temporarily close their laboratories. In contrast, the pandemic created positive changes in perceived patient and family satisfaction, quality of communication, and use of technology to deliver care and interactions with other practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic has altered standard treatment schedules and limited investigational treatment options for patients. In some cases, clinicians felt institutional pressure to continue conducting billable in-person visits when telemedicine visits would have sufficed. A lack of institutional support created anxiety among clinicians and researchers. We make specific recommendations to guide clinical and scientific infrastructure moving forward.

Abstract Introduction: CLR 131 (I-131-CLR1404) is a novel targeted radiotherapeutic that exploits the selective uptake and retention of phospholipid ethers (PLEs) by malignant cells. Based on preclinical and clinical experience and the radiosensitivity of MM, CLR 131 is being examined in relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies through an open-label, phase 2 trial, CLOVER-1 (NCT02952508); initial results in pts with LPL/WM are reported here. Procedures: The primary objective of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of CLR 131 in select B-cell malignancies. Eligibility criteria include adult pts with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL)/Wadenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM), marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Pts with LPL/WM must have received at least two prior treatment regimens unless ineligible to receive standard agents and have measurable disease: either a nodal lesion > 15 mm, an extranodal lesion > 10 mm, or measurable IgM. Prior external beam radiation therapy is allowed (< 20% of total marrow irradiated). CLR 131 is administered intravenously up to 30 minutes at total body doses (TBD) of <50 mCi, ~50 mCi, and ~75 mCi. Adverse events (AEs) are graded by NCI-CTCAE v4.03; responses are assessed by the 2012 WM Criteria for Response Assessment. Results: Four pts with LPL/WM have been enrolled in the study with data presented as of 1 Mar 2020. The median age was 70 (range 54-81) and included 2 females and 2 males who had a median of two prior regimens (range 1-5). The overall response rate was 100%, including one pt with a complete response, one pt with a partial response, and one pt with a minimal response; one pt remains under evaluation. The primary treatment-emergent AEs across all doses in pts with LPL/WM included neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, nausea, fatigue, anemia, and decreased white blood cell count, in line with experience to date with CLR 131 in other B-cell malignancies. Median time to resolution of cytopenias was 21 days. One pt received two cycles of CLR 131 with a TBD of ~100 mCi. The pt was determined to be a partial response 43 days post initial dose and a complete response at approximately 200 days; this was confirmed radiologically 406 days post initial dose. The duration of response for this pt is currently at 25 months and is ongoing. One pt received ~ 50 mCi CLR 131 and saw an 89% decrease in IgM at 64 days post infusion. One pt received ~ 75 mCi CLR 131 and had a 45% decrease in IgM at 64 days post infusion. One pt received two cycles of CLR 131 with a TBD of ~150 mCi, experiencing a 48% reduction in IgM to date and has not yet completed the evaluation period. Conclusions: CLR 131 is a unique, first-in-class targeted radiotherapeutic in development for multiple B-cell hematologic malignancies. The observed positive signals of efficacy and safety from this preliminary data in relapsed or refractory LPL/WM pts is encouraging and will be further explored. Citation Format: Sikander Ailawadhi, Jarrod Longcor, Kate Oliver, Igor D. Grachev. CLR 131 demonstrates 100% overall response rate in relapsed or refractory lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL)/Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM): initial results from ongoing phase 2 trial, CLOVER-1 study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: Advances in Malignant Lymphoma; 2020 Aug 17-19. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Blood Cancer Discov 2020;1(3_Suppl):Abstract nr PO-25.

Uveal melanoma is a rare form of melanoma with particularly poor outcomes in the metastatic setting. In contrast with cutaneous melanoma, uveal melanoma lacks BRAF mutations and demonstrates very low response rates to immune-checkpoint blockade. Our objectives were to study the transcriptomics of metastatic uveal melanoma with the intent of assessing gene pathways and potential molecular characteristics that might be nominated for further exploration as therapeutic targets. We initially analyzed transcriptional data from The Cancer Genome Atlas suggesting PI3K/mTOR and glycolysis as well as IL6 associating with poor survival. From tumor samples collected in a prospective phase II trial (A091201), we performed a transcriptional analysis of human metastatic uveal melanoma observing a novel role for epithelial-mesenchymal transition associating with survival. Specifically, we nominate and describe initial functional validation of neuropillin-1 from uveal melanoma cells as associated with poor survival and as a mediator of proliferation and migration for uveal melanoma in vitro. These results immediately nominate potential next steps in clinical research for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.

AbstractFirst‐degree relatives of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (SZ‐FDRs) show similar patterns of brain abnormalities and cognitive alterations to patients, albeit with smaller effect sizes. First‐degree relatives of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD‐FDRs) show divergent patterns; on average, intracranial volume is larger compared to controls, and findings on cognitive alterations in BD‐FDRs are inconsistent. Here, we performed a meta‐analysis of global and regional brain measures (cortical and subcortical), current IQ, and educational attainment in 5,795 individuals (1,103 SZ‐FDRs, 867 BD‐FDRs, 2,190 controls, 942 schizophrenia patients, 693 bipolar patients) from 36 schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder family cohorts, with standardized methods. Compared to controls, SZ‐FDRs showed a pattern of widespread thinner cortex, while BD‐FDRs had widespread larger cortical surface area. IQ was lower in SZ‐FDRs (d = −0.42,p = 3 × 10−5), with weak evidence of IQ reductions among BD‐FDRs (d = −0.23,p = .045). Both relative groups had similar educational attainment compared to controls. When adjusting for IQ or educational attainment, the group‐effects on brain measures changed, albeit modestly. Changes were in the expected direction, with less pronounced brain abnormalities in SZ‐FDRs and more pronounced effects in BD‐FDRs. To conclude, SZ‐FDRs and BD‐FDRs show a differential pattern of structural brain abnormalities. In contrast, both had lower IQ scores and similar school achievements compared to controls. Given that brain differences between SZ‐FDRs and BD‐FDRs remain after adjusting for IQ or educational attainment, we suggest that differential brain developmental processes underlying predisposition for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are likely independent of general cognitive impairment.

Abstract Objectives To summarize cases submitted to the 2019 Society for Hematopathology/European Association for Haematopathology Workshop under the category of myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with eosinophilia and PDGFRA, PDGFRB, or FGFR1 or with PCM1-JAK2 rearrangements, focusing on recent updates and relevant practice findings. Methods The cases were summarized according to their respective gene rearrangement to illustrate the spectrum of clinical, laboratory, and histopathology manifestations and to explore the appropriate molecular genetic tests. Results Disease presentations were heterogeneous, including myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs), MDS/MPN, acute myeloid leukemia, acute B- or T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL/LBL), or mixed-lineage neoplasms. Frequent extramedullary involvement occurred. Eosinophilia was common but not invariably present. With the advancement of RNA sequencing, cryptic rearrangements were recognized in genes other than PDGFRA. Additional somatic mutations were more frequent in the FGFR1-rearranged cases. Cases with B-ALL presentations differed from Philadelphia-like B-ALL by the presence of an underlying MPN. Cases with FLT3 and ABL1 rearrangements could be potential candidates for future inclusion in this category. Conclusions Accurate diagnosis and classification of this category of myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms has important therapeutic implications. With the large number of submitted cases, we expand our understanding of these rare neoplasms and improve our ability to diagnose these genetically defined disorders.

Abstract A key component of cardiac ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) is the increased generation of reactive oxygen species, leading to enhanced inflammation and tissue dysfunction in patients following intervention for myocardial infarction. In this study, we hypothesized that oxidative stress, due to ischemia–reperfusion, induces senescence which contributes to the pathophysiology of cardiac IRI. We demonstrate that IRI induces cellular senescence in both cardiomyocytes and interstitial cell populations and treatment with the senolytic drug navitoclax after ischemia–reperfusion improves left ventricular function, increases myocardial vascularization, and decreases scar size. SWATH‐MS‐based proteomics revealed that biological processes associated with fibrosis and inflammation that were increased following ischemia–reperfusion were attenuated upon senescent cell clearance. Furthermore, navitoclax treatment reduced the expression of pro‐inflammatory, profibrotic, and anti‐angiogenic cytokines, including interferon gamma‐induced protein‐10, TGF‐β3, interleukin‐11, interleukin‐16, and fractalkine. Our study provides proof‐of‐concept evidence that cellular senescence contributes to impaired heart function and adverse remodeling following cardiac ischemia–reperfusion. We also establish that post‐IRI the SASP plays a considerable role in the inflammatory response. Subsequently, senolytic treatment, at a clinically feasible time‐point, attenuates multiple components of this response and improves clinically important parameters. Thus, cellular senescence represents a potential novel therapeutic avenue to improve patient outcomes following cardiac ischemia–reperfusion.

Abstract Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare histiocytic neoplasm. To date, there is a lack of U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved treatments in adult LCH to establish optimal first-line therapy. We conducted a retrospective, single-center case series evaluating the use of BRAF inhibitors in adult patients with BRAFV600E- LCH proven by biopsy. Our case series is the first to report the use of BRAF inhibitors as first-line therapy in adults with LCH. We also report the efficacy with single-agent dabrafenib in adult LCH. All but one of our patients had favorable response to targeted therapy.