Ansell, Stephen M.

Key PointsA total of 47% of patients who achieved CR on brentuximab vedotin remain progression-free after being followed a median of 53 months. Younger age, less functional impairment, and lower disease burden at baseline were associated with CR and prognostic for longer survival.

Key Points Elevated IL-2R, IL-1RA, and CXCL9 are associated with shorter event-free survival in newly diagnosed FL, treated with chemoimmunotherapy. Increased serum IL-12 and IL-1RA is associated with shorter event-free survival in patients who were observed or treated with rituximab alone.

AbstractImmune and nonimmune microenvironmental factors play a critical role in the progression, transformation, and resistance to therapy in follicular lymphoma (FL). A recent increase in our understanding of the role of microenvironment in FL biology has led to the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting the nonimmune and immune microenvironment. These include immunomodulatory drugs, immune checkpoint inhibitors, immnunoconjugates, and small-molecule inhibitors with an impact on the microenvironment in addition to direct antitumor activity. These agents are now at different stages of clinical development, ranging from early clinical trials in relapsed disease to phase 3 studies in the upfront setting, including combinations with other agents such as monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy. It is important to recognize that, although the current upfront therapy of FL is associated with favorable outcomes in the majority of patients, a significant proportion experience early disease progression and develop treatment resistance and transformation to aggressive lymphoma. Although the development of “chemo-free” combinations using drugs targeting the microenvironment offers a promising approach to minimize toxicity, the identification of patients at risk of relapse and the use of biomarkers allowing the personalization of therapy will likely play a major role in the development of maintenance strategies. Against this landscape of currently available therapy options, this chapter discusses the clinical status of therapies targeting the microenvironment in FL.

Abstract Brentuximab vedotin is an anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate with proven efficacy in patients with CD30+ malignancies, including classical Hodgkin lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Promising activity has also been seen in other lymphomas that express CD30. Because of its acceptable toxicity profile and significant clinical efficacy, single-agent brentuximab vedotin is an approved treatment for relapsed patients with these diseases. Brentuximab vedotin has safely been combined with chemotherapy and is now being compared with standard treatments in randomized trials.

Purpose We examined the utility of post-therapy surveillance imaging in a large, prospectively enrolled cohort of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) from the United States and confirmed our results in an independent cohort of patients from France. Methods Patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL and treated with anthracycline-based immunochemotherapy were identified from the Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER) of the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma Specialized Program of Research Excellence and the Léon Bérard Cancer Center, Lyon, France. In those with relapse, details at relapse and outcomes were abstracted from records. Results 680 individuals with DLBCL were identified from the MER, 552 (81%) of whom achieved remission after induction. 112 of the 552 patients (20%) suffered a relapse. The majority (64%) of relapses were identified before a scheduled follow-up visit. Surveillance imaging detected DLBCL relapse before clinical manifestations in nine out of 552 patients (1.6%) observed after therapy. In the Lyon cohort, imaging identified asymptomatic DLBCL relapse in four out of 222 patients (1.8%). There was no difference in survival after DLBCL relapse in patients detected at scheduled follow-up versus before scheduled follow-up in both the MER (P = .56) and Lyon cohorts (P = .25). Conclusion The majority of DLBCL relapses are detected outside of planned follow-up, with no difference in outcome in patients with DLBCL detected at a scheduled visit compared with patients with relapse detected outside of planned follow-up. These data do not support the use of routine surveillance imaging for follow-up of DLBCL.

The serum immunoglobulin free light chain (FLC) assay quantitates free kappa (κ) and lambda (λ) light chains. FLC elevations in patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are associated with an inferior survival. These increases in FLC can be monoclonal (as in myeloma) or polyclonal. The goal was to estimate the frequency of these elevations within distinct types of B‐cell and T‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and whether the FLC measurements are associated with event‐free survival (EFS). We studied serum for FLC abnormalities using normal laboratory reference ranges to define an elevated κ or λ FLC. Elevations were further classified as polyclonal or monoclonal. Four hundred ninety‐two patients were studied: 453 B‐cell and 34 T‐cell NHL patients. Twenty‐nine % (142/453) of patients had an elevated FLC of which 10% were monoclonal elevations. Within B‐cell NHL, FLC abnormalities were most common in lymphoplasmacytic (79%), mantle cell (68%), and lymphomas of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (31%); they were least common in follicular (15%). The hazard ratio (HR) for EFS in all patients was 1.41 (95% CI; 1.11–1.81); in all B‐cell NHL the HR was 1.44 (95% CI 1.11–1.96); in all T‐cell NHL the HR was 1.17 (95% CI 0.55–2.49). FLC abnormalities predicted an inferior OS (HR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.93–3.90, P < 0.0001). The serum FLC assay is useful for prognosis in both B‐cell and T‐cell types of NHL. In B‐cell NHL further discrimination between a monoclonal and polyclonal elevation may be helpful and should be analyzed in prospective clinical trials. Am. J. Hematol. 89:1116–1120, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abstract Background: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) represent a heterogeneous group of generally aggressive malignancies, with 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of ∼35%. Only ALK translocations, which define ALK-positive anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma (ALCL), have emerged as a genetic biomarker predicting favorable outcome following conventional chemotherapy (e.g. CHOP). Using next-generation sequencing, we discovered additional recurrent chromosomal translocations in PTCLs involving either the DUSP22 locus on 6p25.3 or TP63 on 3q28. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic utility of combined testing for both these events in PTCL patients. Methods: We examined the clinicopathologic features of 134 systemic PTCLs using WHO criteria, including 49 ALCLs, 23 angioimmunoblastic PTCLs, 50 PTCLs of “not otherwise specified” type, and 12 PTCLs of other subtypes. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine ALK expression, an established surrogate for ALK translocations in ALCL. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed to detect translocations of DUSP22 or TP63 in all cases. OS was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparisons were made using the log-rank test. Results: There were 83 males and 51 females, with a mean age of 58 years (range, 6 to 90 years). Median OS for all patients was 22 months (5-year OS, 36%) with a median follow-up of 24 months (range, 0.1 to 354 months). Translocations of DUSP22, TP63, and ALK were mutually exclusive. Patients with ALK-positive ALCL (n=17) had a median OS of 176 months (median follow-up, 68 months; 5-year OS, 69%). Despite being ALK-negative, cases with translocations of DUSP22 or TP63 shared pathologic features with ALCL. Median OS was not reached in patients with DUSP22 translocations (n=7; median follow-up, 88 months; 5-year OS, 100%). Patients with tumors harboring TP63 translocations (n=9) had a median OS of 13 months (all dead at 76 months; 5-year OS, 11%). Patients with none of these abnormalities (n=101) had a median OS of 17 months (median follow-up, 13 months; 5-year OS, 29%). Differences in OS among these groups were highly significant (p=0.0002). Conclusions: PTCLs with DUSP22 translocations had a favorable prognosis similar to ALK-positive ALCLs. In contrast, TP63 were associated with very poor prognosis. FISH for these biomarkers is a promising tool for risk stratification, particularly since both translocations occurred in cases with overlapping pathologic features. PTCLs with DUSP22 translocations may represent a genetically defined subset of ALK-negative ALCLs. Like patients with ALK-positive ALCLs, these patients may not derive additional benefit from intensified up-front strategies such as early transplantation. Patients with none of these abnormalities comprised 75% of patients studied and had an intermediate prognosis, indicating the need for additional biomarkers in this group to improve risk stratification. Citation Format: Edgardo R. Parrilla Castellar, George Vasmatzis, Ryan A. Knudson, Rhett P. Ketterling, Karen L. Grogg, William R. Macon, Mark E. Law, Stephen M. Ansell, Ahmet Dogan, Andrew L. Feldman. Genetic biomarkers for risk stratification of patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3538. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3538

Disease overview: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is an uncommon B‐cell lymphoid malignancy affecting 9,200 new patients annually and representing approximately 11.5% of all lymphomas in the United States.Diagnosis: HL is composed of two distinct disease entities; the more commonly diagnosed classical HL and the rare nodular lymphocyte‐predominant HL. Nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity, lymphocyte depletion, and lymphocyte‐rich HL are subgroups under the designation of classical HL.Risk stratification: An accurate assessment of the stage of disease in patients with HL is critical for the selection of the appropriate therapy. Prognostic models that identify patients at low or high risk for recurrence, as well as the response to therapy as determined by positron emission tomography scan, are used to optimize therapy.Risk‐adapted therapy: Initial therapy for HL patients is based on the histology of the disease, the anatomical stage, and the presence of poor prognostic features. Patients with early stage disease are treated with combined modality strategies using abbreviated courses of combination chemotherapy followed by involved‐field radiation therapy, while those with advanced stage disease receive a longer course of chemotherapy often without radiation therapy.Management of relapsed/refractory disease: High‐dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is the standard of care for most patients who relapse following initial therapy. For patients who fail HDCT with ASCT, brentuximab vedotin, palliative chemotherapy, nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplant, or participation in a clinical trial should be considered. Am. J. Hematol. 89:772–779, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Key Points ALK-negative ALCLs have chromosomal rearrangements of DUSP22 or TP63 in 30% and 8% of cases, respectively. DUSP22-rearranged cases have favorable outcomes similar to ALK-positive ALCLs, whereas other genetic subtypes have inferior outcomes.

Abstract Purpose: Transformation of follicular lymphoma is a critical event associated with a poor prognosis. The role of the tumor microenvironment in previous transformation studies has yielded conflicting results. Experimental Design: To define cell subtypes associated with transformation, we examined tissue specimens at diagnosis from patients with follicular lymphoma that later transformed and, using immunohistochemistry (IHC), stained for CD68, CD11c, CD21, CXCL13, FOXP3, PD1, and CD14. Cell content and the pattern of expression were evaluated. Those identified as significantly associated with time to transformation (TTT) and overall survival (OS) were further characterized by flow cytometry and multicolor IHC. Results: Of note, 58 patients were analyzed with median TTT of 4.7 years. The pattern of PD1+ and CD14+ cells rather than the quantity of cells was predictive of clinical outcomes. On multivariate analysis, including the follicular lymphoma international prognostic index score, CD14+ cells localized in the follicle were associated with a shorter TTT (HR, 3.0; P = 0.004). PD1+ cells with diffuse staining were associated with a shorter TTT (HR, 1.9; P = 0.045) and inferior OS (HR, 2.5; P = 0.012). Multicolor IHC and flow cytometry identified CD14+ cells as follicular dendritic cells (FDC), whereas PD1+ cells represented two separate populations, TFH and exhausted T cells. Conclusion: These results identify the presence of PD1+ T cells and CD14+ FDC as independent predictors of transformation in follicular lymphoma. Clin Cancer Res; 20(11); 2862–72. ©2014 AACR.