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Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common form of acute leukemia among adults and accounts for the largest number of annual deaths due to leukemias in the United States. Recent advances have resulted in an expansion of treatment options for AML, especially concerning targeted therapies and low-intensity regimens. This portion of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for AML focuses on the management of AML and provides recommendations on the workup, diagnostic evaluation and treatment options for younger (age <60 years) and older (age ≥60 years) adult patients.

Background:Iberdomide (IBER) is a novel cereblon (CRBN) E3 ligase modulatory compound (CELMoD) that is being investigated as monotherapy, in combination with dexamethasone (DEX), and in combination with DEX and daratumumab or bortezomib in a phase 1b/2a dose‐escalation study in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). IBER modulates CRBN, which induces ubiquitination of Aiolos, Ikaros and ZFP91, increases their proteasome‐dependent degradation, and thereby inhibits myeloma cell growth. IBER binds more potently to CRBN and is more efficient at degrading Aiolos and Ikaros than the immunomodulatory agents (IMiDs) lenalidomide (LEN) and pomalidomide (POM) and it can overcome IMiD drug resistance in pre‐clinical models.Aims:To determine if IBER is pharmacodynamically (PD) active in multiple myeloma patients refractory to POM and/or LEN, and to establish pharmacokinetic (PK)/PD and PD/dose relationships.Methods:As of Jan 11, 2019, 83 patients received IBER as monotherapy or in combination with DEX; 61 (74%) were LEN refractory and 47 (57%) were POM refractory. Longitudinal immunohistochemistry (IHC) data on CRBN, Aiolos, Ikaros and ZFP91 expression was obtained from bone marrow samples from 14 patients dosed with 0.3–0.9 mg IBER daily ± DEX. PD analysis of immune activity by TruCulture® (n = 45) and by peripheral blood flow cytometry (n = 60) was completed on a subset of patients dosed up to 1.0 mg IBER ± DEX. A population PK approach was used to estimate exposure (area under the concentration curve over the 24 hr dosing interval [AUCτ]) on 59 patients dosed up to 1.0 mg IBER ± DEX.Results:IBER AUCτ increased in a dose‐proportional manner in RRMM patients over the dose range 0.3–1.0 mg (22.4–65.31 ng∗hr/mL, respectively). In patient biopsies analyzed to date, CRBN expression was observed in all tumors by IHC at baseline and did not significantly change while on‐treatment. Furthermore, no significant decrease in baseline CRBN expression was observed in patients refractory to POM. In MM cells, significant decreases in Aiolos (median 37% decrease, P < 0.001), Ikaros (median 12% decrease, P = 0.006), and ZFP91 (median 47% decrease, P < 0.001) protein expression were observed on‐treatment across all dose levels; these decreases were unrelated to levels of CRBN expression at screening or prior LEN or POM refractoriness. In TruCulture® samples, dose‐dependent increases were observed in IL‐2 and IFN‐γ, with median increases of 78% and 66%, respectively, 5 hours post 0.9 mg dose of IBER. A dose‐ and exposure‐dependent decrease in B‐cells was detected (median 74% decrease at cycle 2 day 15, IBER 0.9 mg). These observations are consistent with the proposed IBER mechanism of action. Immunoprofiling showed significant increases in total and proliferating NK cells in RRMM patients treated with IBER, and a dose‐dependent increase in proliferating, activated, and effector memory T‐cells. These trends were consistent in RRMM patients treated with IBER monotherapy and in combination with DEX.Summary/Conclusion:These translational analyses from IBER treated RRMM patients indicate it is pharmacodynamically active at the lowest dose (0.3 mg) and exhibits dose‐ and exposure‐dependent immunostimulatory activity, supporting further dose‐escalation beyond 1.0 mg, which is currently ongoing. These results also suggest that prior refractoriness to LEN or POM is not associated with significant loss of CRBN or IBER PD activity, supporting continued investigation of IBER in RRMM patients refractory to IMiD drugs.

Background:The pivotal FIRST trial, the largest study conducted in transplant‐ineligible (TNE) patients (pts) with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), examined lenalidomide plus low‐dose dexamethasone until disease progression (Rd continuous), Rd for 18 cycles (Rd18), and melphalan, prednisone, and thalidomide (MPT). The study, conducted in 18 countries in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific, demonstrated that Rd continuous significantly improved progression‐free survival (PFS) vs MPT (median 26.0 vs 21.9 mos; HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.59‐0.79; P < .00001). PFS was similarly extended for Rd continuous vs Rd18 (median 21.0 mos; HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.60‐0.81). Furthermore, median overall survival (OS) was significantly longer with Rd continuous vs MPT (median 59.1 vs 49.1 mos; HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67‐0.92; P = .0023). These results support the use of frontline oral, alkylator‐free continuous therapy for TNE NDMM pts and established Rd continuous as a standard of care as reflected by clinical guidelines in Canada, the US, and Europe.Aims:To report outcomes in the subset of patients from Canada and the US.MethodsPts with TNE NDMM were randomized 1:1:1 to Rd continuous (with lenalidomide given on days 1‐21 of 28‐day cycles until disease progression), Rd18 (with lenalidomide given on days 1‐21 of eighteen 28‐day cycles), or MPT (twelve 42‐day cycles). Rd18 and MPT were both 72 weeks in duration. Stratification factors included country and Rd continuous vs MPT was the primary comparison. The primary endpoint was PFS and secondary endpoints included OS, time to next therapy (TTNT) and safety. Time from randomization to second progression or death (PFS2) was an exploratory analysis. Response assessment used for PFS and PFS2 analysis was determined by investigators based on International Myeloma Working Group criteria. Data is presented as of the January 21, 2016 cutoff used for the final OS analysis.Results:A total of 312 pts from Canada (n = 252) and the US (n = 60) were enrolled (104 in each arm). Consistent with results from the intent‐to‐treat (ITT) analysis, the Canada/US subgroup also demonstrated a significant improvement in PFS with Rd continuous vs MPT (median 29.3 vs 20.2 mos; HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.49‐0.97; P = .03326) and an improvement vs Rd18 (median 21.9 mos; HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.51‐1.02; Table). Median OS was 56.9 vs 46.8 mos for Rd continuous vs MPT (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.53‐1.11; P = .15346). Median PFS2 was longer for Rd continuous vs MPT (median 39.3 vs 35.1 mos; HR, 0.69; 95% CI 0.50‐0.95) as was TTNT (median 39.1 vs 24.6 mos; HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.37‐0.78). Additional details, including safety data, will be presented at the meeting.Summary/Conclusion:In the Canada/US subpopulation of pts from FIRST, Rd continuous extended median PFS by 9 mos vs MPT and > 7 mos vs Rd18. Rd continuous also delayed median TTNT > 14 mos and resulted in a longer PFS2 vs MPT, suggesting that the benefit from frontline Rd continuous is maintained at relapse. These results are consistent with that from the ITT population confirming the advantage of Rd continuous vs MPT in the Canada/US subgroup and supporting the role of Rd continuous as a standard of care for TNE pts with NDMM. The efficacy observed with Rd continuous raises the question on the role of immunostimulatory effects by the immunomodulatory agents in NDMM.image

Background:Up to 30% of newly diagnosed patients (pts) with advanced‐stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) are not cured by multi‐agent chemotherapy. High expression of the programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) ligands in these pts, associated with frequent genetic alterations at chromosome 9p24.1 in Hodgkin Reed‐Sternberg cells, supports the investigation of front‐line PD‐1 blockade in cHL (Roemer MG et al. J Clin Oncol 2016). Promising activity and acceptable safety was previously reported in newly diagnosed pts with advanced‐stage cHL treated with nivolumab, an anti–PD‐1 immune checkpoint inhibitor monoclonal antibody, followed by nivolumab plus doxorubicin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (N‐AVD) at a 9‐month follow‐up of Cohort D of the CheckMate 205 study (NCT02181738; Ramchandren R et al. EHA 2018).Aims:To further characterize the efficacy, including post hoc Deauville assessment, and safety of nivolumab followed by N‐AVD in pts with newly diagnosed advanced‐stage cHL with 2‐year extended follow‐up of CheckMate 205 Cohort D.Methods:Pts ≥ 18 years of age with newly diagnosed advanced‐stage cHL (stage IIB with unfavorable risk factors, III, or IV) received 4 doses of nivolumab monotherapy (240 mg IV every 2 weeks) followed by N‐AVD combination therapy for 6 cycles (12 doses). Primary endpoint was safety; secondary endpoints included complete remission (CR) rate per independent review committee (IRC) at end of study therapy (EOT) using 2007 International Working Group criteria. Complete metabolic response (CMR) was defined as a Deauville score of ≤ 3 (PET negative). Overall survival (OS) and modified progression‐free survival (PFS) were exploratory endpoints; PFS was assessed in a post hoc analysis.Results:Fifty‐one pts were treated (median age 37 years); minimum follow‐up was 24.4 months at data cutoff. Other baseline characteristics have been previously described (Ramchandren R et al. EHA 2018). Monotherapy was completed by 49/51 (96%) pts, combination therapy by 45/50 (90%); 48 pts entered follow‐up. After 2 combination cycles, CR rate was 51% per IRC (71% CMR) and 71% per investigator; at EOT, CR rate was 69% (75% CMR) per IRC and 80% per investigator. At 21 months, modified PFS rate per investigator was 80% (95% CI, 66–89) and PFS rate per investigator was 83% (95% CI, 69–91; Figure). Overall, 30 (59%) pts experienced grade 3–4 TRAEs, most commonly neutropenia in 21 (41%). The most common grade 3–4 immune‐mediated AE was hepatitis (2 pts, 4%). No grade 5 TRAEs occurred ≤ 30 days from last dose; 2 deaths were reported during the extended follow‐up: 1 pt (age 68 years) died 38 days after last dose due to study drug toxicity; another (age 85 years) died 451 days after last dose due to disease progression.Summary/Conclusion:With extended follow‐up, nivolumab followed by N‐AVD demonstrated a 21‐month PFS rate of 83% per investigator, a high metabolic response rate with 75% CMR at EOT per IRC, with no new safety signals. Incorporation of Deauville assessment improved the concordance of CR between IRC‐ and investigator‐assessed responses. Nivolumab followed by N‐AVD provides a promising alternative treatment option in newly diagnosed advanced‐stage cHL.image

6010 Background: An evolutionary action scoring algorithm (EAp53) based on phylogenetic sequence variations and speciation stratifies head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients bearing TP53 missense mutations as high-risk (high, EAp53≥75), associated with poor outcomes, or low-risk (low), with similar outcomes as TP53 wild-type (wt), and has been validated as a reliable prognostic marker. This study is designed to further validate prior findings that EAp53 is a prognostic marker for locally advanced HNSCC patients, and assess its predictive value for treatment outcomes to adjuvant bio-chemoradiotherapy. Methods: Eighty one resection specimens from patients treated surgically for stage III or IV human papillomavirus-negative (HPV(-)) HNSCC with high-risk pathologic features, who received either Arm 1) radiotherapy(RT)+cetuximab(CTX)+cisplatin or Arm 2) RT+CTX+docetaxel, as adjuvant treatment in a phase II randomized clinical trial (RTOG 0234) underwent TP53 targeted sequencing, and EAp53 scoring. The EAp53 scores were correlated with clinical outcomes. Due to limited sample sizes, patients were combined into 2 EAp53 groups: wt/low and high/other. Results: At median follow-up of 10 years, there was a significant interaction between treatment and EAp53 group for overall survival (OS) (p = 0.008), disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.05) and distant metastasis (DM) (p = 0.004). Within arm 2, high/other showed worse OS [HR 4.69 (1.52-14.50)], DFS [HR 2.69 (1.16-6.21)], and had higher DM [HR 11.71 (1.50-91.68)] than wt/low. Within arm 1, there was no significant difference by EAp53 in OS, DFS and DM. Within the wt/low group, arm 2 had better OS [HR 0.11 (0.03-0.36)], DFS [HR 0.24 (0.09-0.61)], and DM [HR 0.04 (0.01-0.31)] than arm 1 but this was not found in high/other. Conclusions: High/other EAp53 scores were associated with worse survival for patients in arm 2. Arm 2 is associated with better survival than arm 1 for patients with wt/low EAp53. This benefit appears to be largely driven by a reduction in DM. Further validation is required to determine whether EAp53 can be used for personalized post-operative treatment decisions in HPV(-) HNSCC.

e14144 Background: There is little real-world evidence evaluating treatment patterns and outcomes with IO therapies for pts with advanced melanoma (aMEL). We present results from the OPTIMIzE (NCT02780089) study in pts with aMEL receiving IO therapies. Methods: OPTIMIzE is a US-based multisite (150 sites), community-based study of adult pts with aMEL. Pts receiving first-line (1L) nivolumab (NIVO)+ipilimumab (IPI), anti-PD-1 (NIVO/pembrolizumab), or IPI between 2011-2018 with a minimum 1 y of follow-up were included. Baseline characteristics, objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), and quality of life (QoL) were analyzed. QoL assessments included the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Melanoma (FACT-M), EQ-5D index, and visual analog scale (VAS). Results: Cohort size: 81 NIVO+IPI, 147 anti-PD-1, and 16 IPI (IPI arm not included in the analysis). Overall, mean age was 64.5 y; 42% had BRAF mutation. Mean follow-up was 14.1 mo. Pts in the NIVO+IPI group were younger, had better ECOG performance status, and a higher likelihood of M1c disease and elevated LDH vs the anti-PD-1 group. ORR was higher for pts treated with NIVO+IPI vs anti-PD-1 (48% vs 33%, P= 0.08). Unadjusted 1-y OS was 78.4% for NIVO+IPI and 73.1% for anti-PD-1. In multivariate Cox model analysis, the hazard ratio for OS for NIVO+IPI vs anti-PD-1 was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.46–1.33; P= 0.36). Grade 3/4 TRAEs occurred in 53% and 22% of pts in the NIVO+IPI and anti-PD-1 groups, respectively ( P˂0.001). QoL changes from baseline were clinically meaningful for EQ-5D VAS and FACT-M in the NIVO+IPI group at 12 mo (Table). After adjusting for baseline covariates, the difference at 12 mo between NIVO+IPI vs anti-PD-1 was 6.7 ( P= 0.04) for EQ-5D VAS and 8.8 ( P= 0.02) for FACT-M. Conclusions: Safety and efficacy outcomes from this prospective real-world study are consistent with those reported in prior clinical trials in treatment-naive aMEL pts. No clinically meaningful deterioration in QoL measures was observed in either group. Clinical trial information: NCT02780089. [Table: see text]

Survival outcomes for older adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are poor and optimal management is challenging due to higher-risk leukemia genetics, comorbidities, and lower tolerance to intensive therapy. A critical understanding of these factors guides the selection of frontline therapies and subsequent treatment strategies. In addition, there have been recent developments in minimal/measurable residual disease (MRD) testing and blinatumomab use in the context of MRD-positive disease after therapy. These NCCN Guidelines Insights discuss recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines for ALL regarding upfront therapy in older adults and MRD monitoring/testing in response to ALL treatment.

PURPOSE Nivolumab, an anti–programmed death-1 monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated frequent and durable responses in relapsed/refractory classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). We report results from Cohort D of the CheckMate 205 trial, which assessed nivolumab monotherapy followed by nivolumab plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (N-AVD) for newly diagnosed cHL. METHODS Patients 18 years of age or older with untreated, advanced-stage (defined as III to IV and IIB with unfavorable risk factors) cHL were eligible for Cohort D of this multicenter, noncomparative, phase II trial. Patients received nivolumab monotherapy for four doses, followed by 12 doses of N-AVD; all doses were every 2 weeks, and nivolumab was administered at 240 mg intravenously. The primary end point was safety. Efficacy end points included objective response rate and modified progression-free survival, defined as time to disease progression/relapse, death, or next therapy. Chromosome 9p24.1 alterations and programmed death-ligand 1 expression were assessed in Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells in evaluable patients. RESULTS A total of 51 patients were enrolled and treated. At diagnosis, 49% of patients had an International Prognostic Score of 3 or greater. Overall, 59% experienced a grade 3 to 4 treatment-related adverse event. Treatment-related febrile neutropenia was reported in 10% of patients. Endocrine immune-mediated adverse events were all grade 1 to 2 and did not require high-dose corticosteroids; all nonendocrine immune-mediated adverse events resolved (most commonly, rash; 5.9%). At the end of therapy, the objective response rate (95% CI) per independent radiology review committee was 84% (71% to 93%), with 67% (52% to 79%), achieving complete remission (five patients [10%] were nonevaluable and counted as nonresponders). With a minimum follow-up of 9.4 months, 9-month modified progression-free survival was 92%. Patients with higher-level Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg programmed death-ligand 1 expression had more favorable responses to N-AVD ( P = .041). CONCLUSION Nivolumab followed by N-AVD was associated with promising efficacy and safety profiles for newly diagnosed, advanced-stage cHL.