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ABSTRACTBackgroundRecurrent squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck (SCCHN) remains a formidable clinical challenge despite available treatments. The phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) pathway has been identified as a potential therapeutic target, and alpelisib, a selective PI3Kα inhibitor, has demonstrated efficacy in certain malignancies. Combining this targeted therapy with immunotherapy has been suggested in previous studies as a promising strategy to bolster the immune response against cancer.CasesA 69‐year‐old woman with locoregional recurrence of PIK3CA‐mutated SCC of the left maxilla and cervical nodal metastases. Several chemotherapeutic regimens, including cisplatin, docetaxel, 5FU, chemoradiotherapy, and mono‐immunotherapy, resulted in disease progression. Alpelisib combined with pembrolizumab led to a sustained response for 9 months. A 58‐year‐old man with recurrent metastatic PIK3CA‐mutated SCC of the oropharynx, involving the left lung, hilar, and mediastinal lymph nodes. Despite prior palliative radiation and platinum‐based chemotherapy with pembrolizumab and cetuximab, treatment with alpelisib and nivolumab resulted in a partial response. Severe hyperglycemia and rash led to treatment discontinuation.ConclusionOur findings highlight the potential of this innovative therapeutic combination, suggesting a need for further investigations in this setting.

PURPOSE International medical graduates (IMGs) are an essential component of the oncology workforce in the United States, comprising a third of all practicing oncologists and almost half of hematology/oncology fellows. In this article, we discuss the contributions of IMGs in the US oncology workforce, review unique challenges faced by IMGs, and propose potential solutions to overcome these challenges. METHODS ASCO's IMG Community of Practice was established with the mission to connect, mentor, guide, raise awareness, and overcome the challenges unique to IMGs interested in pursuing medical oncology in the United States. The content of this article is based on discussions at the IMG Community of Practice meetings at ASCO's 2023 and 2024 Annual Meetings. RESULTS IMGs bring an inherent diversity of thought and experience to the oncology workforce. They provide high-quality, culture- and language-concordant care to a diverse population of patients with cancer. However, IMGs in oncology face significant hardships throughout their careers, including visa-related restrictions, psychosocial and cultural struggles, as well as differential treatment while applying for residency and fellowship training, and early career positions. Greater awareness of these challenges among the members of the hematology/oncology community, along with institutional and individual efforts to support IMGs, is warranted. CONCLUSION We encourage oncology professionals and institutions to join our efforts in recognizing the unique paths of IMGs and providing support and advocacy to maximize the potential of IMGs in the US oncology workforce.

Abstract Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) was approved in 2022 for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). We report outcomes with cilta-cel in the standard-of-care setting. Patients with RRMM who underwent leukapheresis for cilta-cel manufacturing between 1 March 2022 and 31 December 2022 at 16 US academic medical centers were included. Overall, 255 patients underwent leukapheresis and 236 (92.5%) received cilta-cel, of which 54% would not have met CARTITUDE-1 eligibility criteria. In treated patients (N = 236), cytokine release syndrome was seen in 75% (grade ≥3, 5%), immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome in 14% (grade ≥3, 4%), and delayed neurotoxicity in 10%. Overall and complete response rates were as follows: all patients who received cilta-cel (N = 236), 89% and 70%; patients receiving conforming cilta-cel (n = 191), 94% and 74%; and conforming cilta-cel with fludarabine/cyclophosphamide lymphodepletion (n = 152), 95% and 76%, respectively. Nonrelapse mortality was 10%, most commonly from infection. After a median follow-up of 13 months from cilta-cel, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was not reached, with 12-month estimate being 68% (95% confidence interval, 62-74). High ferritin levels, high-risk cytogenetics, and extramedullary disease were independently associated with inferior PFS, with a signal for prior B-cell maturation antigen–targeted therapy (P = .08). Second primary malignancies excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers were seen in 5.5% and myeloid malignancies/acute leukemia in 1.7%. We observed a favorable efficacy profile of standard-of-care cilta-cel in RRMM, despite more than half the patients not meeting the CARTITUDE-1 eligibility criteria.

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) remains a significant risk for patients undergoing partial hepatectomy (PHx). Reliable prognostic markers and treatments to enhance liver regeneration are lacking. Plasma nanoparticles, including lipoproteins, exosomes, and extracellular vesicles (EVs), can reflect systemic and tissue-wide proteostasis and stress, potentially aiding liver regeneration. However, their role in PHLF is still unknown. Methods: Our study included nine patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing PHx: three patients with PHLF, three patients undergoing the associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) procedure, and three matched controls without complications after PHx. Patient plasma was collected before PHx as well as 1 and 5 days after. EVs were isolated by ultracentrifugation, and extracted proteins were subjected to quantitative mass spectrometry using a super-SILAC mix prepared from primary and cancer cell lines. Results: We identified 2625 and quantified 2570 proteins in the EVs of PHx patients. Among these, 53 proteins were significantly upregulated and 32 were downregulated in patients with PHLF compared to those without PHLF. Furthermore, 110 proteins were upregulated and 78 were downregulated in PHLF patients compared to those undergoing ALPPS. The EV proteomic signature in PHLF indicates significant disruptions in protein translation, proteostasis, and intracellular vesicle biogenesis, as well as alterations in proteins involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling and the metabolic and cell cycle pathways, already present before PHx. Conclusions: Longitudinal proteomic analysis of the EVs circulating in the plasma of human patients undergoing PHx uncovers proteomic signatures associated with PHLF, which reflect dying hepatocytes and endothelial cells and were already present before PHx.

Abstract Background Hypomagnesemia has been correlated with inferior outcomes in patients with large B cell lymphoma (LBCL) undergoing stem cell transplants. As T-cell and myeloid cell dysfunction have been associated with low magnesium conditions, we investigated whether serum magnesium (Mg) levels could predict clinical outcomes in LBCL patients who received chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. Methods Patients with LBCL who received axi-cel under the ZUMA-1 trial or as FDA approved therapy at Mayo Clinic were examined. Serum samples were obtained at specified time points and cytokine analysis was performed. Single cell RNA sequencing was performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The Student T-test, Kruskal Wallis, or Fisher's Exact Tests were used to compare differences in demographics across Mg levels. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier methodology and compared using the Wilcoxon test. Results We found that hypomagnesemia before lymphodepletion chemotherapy predicted for inferior progression-free and overall survival in the pivotal study ZUMA-1 (NCT02348216). These results were validated in an independent cohort of LBCL patients receiving axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) at Mayo Clinic. Hypomagnesemia correlated with increased inflammatory serum markers and cytokine levels including ferritin, IL-6, IL1Ra, IL-8, and MIP1a. scRNAseq analysis unveiled altered immune interactions between monocytes and T cells with a concordant immune suppressive transcriptome. Conclusions Hypomagnesemia at the time of CAR-T infusion associates with an unfavorable inflammatory profile and decreased response and survival in LBCL patients receiving axi-cel. These findings suggest a potentially actionable prognostic factor for patients with large cell lymphoma undergoing CAR-T.

Abstract Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disease which is diagnosed based on CNS lesions' spatial and temporal dissemination. The 2017 revised McDonald Criteria include cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specific oligoclonal bands (OCBs) to indicate dissemination in time, but their assessment is labor-intensive and requires a paired serum sample. Kappa immunoglobulin free light chain in CSF (KCSF) has emerged as a more sensitive but less specific MS biomarker, measured from a single CSF sample. Our institution's MS testing panel uses KCSF initially to rule out MS, with reflex to OCB for positive confirmation if KCSF is borderline positive (≥0.06 mg/dL). However, manual correlation of laboratory and clinical data hinders the direct comparison of the diagnostic performance between these markers. Herein we report a retrospective assessment of KCSF and OCB diagnostic performance using automated chart review. Methods Between January 1st, 2021 and December 31st, 2022, there were 1,237 patients with simultaneously measured OCB and KCSF. CSF-specific OCBs were measured by separating CSF and serum proteins using an agarose isoelectric focusing gel with a pH gradient from 3-10 (Sebia). After transfer to nitrocellulose paper, antisera were applied to visualize IgG specific bands and quantify CSF-specific OCBs. KCSF was quantitated using nephelometry by applying free light chain antisera (Binding Site) to CSF samples using a Siemens BNII analyzer. An automated chart review process utilizing keyword matching was implemented to identify patients with MS. An initial filter phase required presence of the term “multiple sclerosis”, while a second required the presence of any of the following terms: “primary progressive,” “secondary progressive,” “relapsing remitting,” “progressive relapsing,” or “tumefactive” to identify patients with diagnosed MS. The automated method’s performance was then compared to a manual chart review of 200 randomly selected patients. Subsequently, the automated process was used to determine the MS diagnosis status of all 1,237 patients. Results Of the 200 manually reviewed patients, 44 MS diagnoses were found. The automated process correctly identified 41 of these with a resulting sensitivity and specificity of 93.18% and 95.51%, respectively. Applied to the entire cohort, the automated review identified 275 MS diagnoses. For the entire cohort, the area under the curve (AUC) for the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for OCB and KCSF were 0.824 (95% confidence interval: 0.794, 0.854) and 0.808 (0.777, 0.839) respectively. Our institution’s diagnostic cutoff of ≥2 for OCB yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 74.2% (68.3%, 79.1%) and 84.9% (73.8%, 89.5%), respectively. The best combination for sensitivity and specificity for KCSF with the Youden index yielded a cutoff ≥0.0654 mg/dL (sensitivity of 79.6% [73.1%, 84.0%] and specificity of 72.4% [62.8%, 76.8%]), which is similar to previous publications. This supports the use of automated chart review and suggests the KCSF cutoff has been stable over time. Conclusions KCSF exhibits comparable MS diagnostic performance to OCB yet only requires one CSF sample and can be measured rapidly. When validated, mining unstructured data allows for test performance characterization in large patient cohorts without the need for manual chart review.

Abstract Background Celiac disease (CeD) is a chronic autoimmune disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten in persons with the genetic risk factors human leukocyte antigens (HLA)-DQ2 and DQ8. Diagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected CeD often includes serology tests for tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies. While the presence of HLA-DQ2 or DQ8 is required for the initiation and development of CeD, the genetic risk associated with the various alleles is not equivalent. Previous studies in patients with normal total IgA demonstrated the risk gradients of various HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 heterodimers in CeD. However, the impact of both gene variants in IgA deficient patients has not been investigated. In this study, HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 as risk factors for tTG-IgG positivity in IgA deficient patients were evaluated. Methods Retrospective data was collected from a cohort of individuals (n=3,515) with IgA concentrations below the age-dependent reference interval with suspicion for CeD who were tested for HLA-DQ genotyping and tTG-IgG (reference interval < 6 U/mL) at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. Total IgA was measured using quantitative nephelometry (Siemens BN™ II System); HLA typing was performed using the reverse SSO DNA typing assay (LABType SSO kits). tTG-IgG was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (QUANTA Lite R h-tTG, Werfen Diagnostics) on the Dynex Agility System. The prevalence and frequency distribution of HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 haplotypes were determined and the odds ratio (OR) was calculated to evaluate the risk gradient for tTG-IgG positivity based on different HLA-DQ variants. Results Among IgA deficient patients, 58% (n=2,041) expressed HLA-DQ2 or DQ8 haplotypes. Relative to patients without permissive alleles, patients homozygous for HLA-DQ2.5 exhibited a significantly increased risk for tTG-IgG positivity (OR = 10.98, 95% CI: 6.56-18.18, p < 0.001) while those homozygous for HLA-DQ2.2 and DQ8 did not (DQ2.2/DQ2.2_OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.04-3.44, p = 0.75; DQ8/DQ8_OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.05-4.64, p = 0.97). Patients heterozygous for HLA-DQ2.5 (DQ2.5/x) displayed a lower odds ratio relative to homozygous patients (OR = 3.31, 95% CI: 2.29-4.82, p < 0.001); however, the risk for tTG-IgG positivity increased in the presence of HLA-DQ2.2 (DQ2.5/DQ2.2_OR = 7.59, 95% CI: 4.48-12.65, p < 0.001) or HLA-DQ8 (DQ2.5/DQ8_OR = 6.26, 95% CI: 3.55-10.73, p < 0.001) alleles. Conversely, in the absence of HLA-DQ2.5, HLA-DQ2.2 heterozygotes (DQ2.2/x_OR = 2.80, 95% CI: 1.77-4.39, p < 0.001) and HLA-DQ8 heterozygotes (DQ8/x_OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.52-1.77, p = 0.99) displayed lower correlations with tTG-IgG positivity, suggesting a potential risk elevation for tTG-IgG positivity is associated with the combination of DQ2.5 and DQ2.2 or DQ8. Conclusions Our study indicates the risk gradient of HLA-DQ genes in IgA deficient patients. Overall, compared to patients without HLA-DQ2 or DQ8 haplotypes, the homozygous HLA-DQ2.5 genotype had the highest correlation with tTG-IgG positivity, followed by HLA-DQ2.5/DQ2.2 and HLA-DQ2.5/DQ8 heterodimers. The results suggest that HLA-DQ2.2 or HLA-DQ8 alone does not confer risk, but when in the presence of HLA-DQ2.5 these alleles may increase the risk for tTG-IgG positivity. Results from this study shed light on the risk of CeD in patients with IgA deficiency.

In the Spring of 2020, the United States of America (USA) deployed COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) to treat hospitalized patients. Over 500,000 patients were treated with CCP during the first year of the pandemic. In this study, we estimated the number of actual inpatient lives saved by CCP treatment in the United States of America based on CCP weekly use, weekly national mortality data, and CCP mortality reduction data from meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials and real-world data. We also estimate the potential number of lives saved if CCP had been deployed for 100% of hospitalized patients or used in 15 to 75% of outpatients. Depending on the assumptions modeled in stratified analyses, we estimated that CCP saved between 16,476 and 66,296 lives. The CCP ideal use might have saved as many as 234,869 lives and prevented 1,136,133 hospitalizations. CCP deployment was a successful strategy for ameliorating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA. This experience has important implications for convalescent plasma use in future infectious disease emergencies.