ImportanceMeasurable residual disease (MRD) refers to the presence of disease at low levels not detected by conventional pathologic analysis. The association of MRD status as a surrogate end point of clinical outcome in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has not been established in the era of targeted agents. Assessing the association of MRD with progression-free survival (PFS) may improve its role as a surrogate marker and allow its use to accelerate drug development.ObjectiveTo assess the association between MRD and PFS in CLL using data from prospective clinical trials that studied targeted agents or obinutuzumab-based treatment.Data SourcesClinical studies on CLL were identified via searches of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception through July 31, 2023.Study SelectionProspective, single-arm, and randomized clinical trials that assessed targeted agents or obinutuzumab-based treatment and reported PFS by MRD status were included. Studies with insufficient description of MRD information were excluded.Data Extraction and SynthesisStudy sample size, median patient age, median follow-up time, line of treatment, MRD detection method and time points, and survival outcomes were extracted.Main Outcomes and MeasuresAnalyses of survival probabilities and hazard ratios (HRs) were conducted for PFS according to MRD status. Meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model.ResultsA total of 11 prospective clinical trials (9 randomized and 2 nonrandomized) including 2765 patients were analyzed. Achieving undetectable MRD (uMRD) at 0.01% was associated with an HR of 0.28 (95% CI, 0.20-0.39; P < .001) for PFS. Median PFS was not reached in both groups (uMRD vs MRD), but the estimated 24-month PFS was better in the uMRD group (91.9% [95% CI, 88.8%-95.2%] vs 75.3% [95% CI, 64.7%-87.6%]; P < .001). The association of uMRD with PFS was observed in subgroup analyses in the first-line treatment setting (HR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.18-0.33), relapsed or refractory disease setting (HR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.16-0.71), and trials using time-limited therapy (HR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.19-0.40).Conclusions and RelevanceThe findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that assessing MRD status as an end point in clinical trials and as a surrogate of PFS may improve trial efficiency and potentially allow for accelerated drug registration.
Efficacy of pembrolizumab monotherapy and in combination with BCR inhibitors for Richter transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
Journal of Clinical Oncology | June 10, 2024 | Volume: 42 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: 7050-7050
7050 Background: The management of Richter transformation (RT) of CLL represents an unmet clinical need. We previously reported modest efficacy of pembrolizumab monotherapy in an initial cohort of patients with RT (Ding, et al, Blood 2017). Here we report updated results of this trial, including an expansion cohort and a combination therapy cohort. Methods: Patients with biopsy proven RT to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were enrolled and treated with single agent pembrolizumab (200 mg IV Q3W). Patients with progressive disease (PD) or stable disease (SD) after 3 months of pembrolizumab monotherapy were allowed to add a B-cell receptor (BCR) kinase inhibitor. The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR). Results: A total of 26 patients with RT were enrolled (9 in initial cohort and 17 in expansion cohort). The median age was 68.5 years. Ten (38%) patients had del(17p) or TP53 mutation. The median number of prior lines of therapy was 3 (range 1-10). Fifteen (58%) patients had received ibrutinib previously (14 of whom had PD on ibrutinib). With pembrolizumab monotherapy (n=26), the ORR was 23.1%, with 2 (7.7%) complete response (CR), 4 (15.4%) partial response (PR), and 7 (26.9%) SD. Of the 6 patients with confirmed CR or PR, responses occurred after a median of 2 cycles of monotherapy. The median duration of response (DOR) was 3.2 months (95% CI 2.8-NA). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.6 months (95% CI 1.6-3.6). Sixteen patients went on to receive a BCR kinase inhibitor (ibrutinib [n=15], idelalisib [n=1]) in combination with pembrolizumab, after SD or PD on pembrolizumab monotherapy. The ORR to combination therapy was 62.5%, with 4 (25.0%) CR and 6 (37.5%) PR. Of the 10 patients with confirmed CR or PR to combination therapy, responses occurred after a median of 4 cycles of therapy. The median DOR was 4.5 months (95% CI 1.6-NA). The median PFS was 7.6 months (95% CI 2.3-13.3). After a median follow-up of 50.4 (95% CI 34.0-56.0) months, the median overall survival (OS) for all 26 patients with RT was 11.6 months (95% CI 7.5-20.1), and the 2-year OS rate was 27%. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of any grade occurred in 24 (92%) patients, including anemia (54%), thrombocytopenia (58%), neutropenia (54%), leukopenia (35%), lymphopenia (23%), dyspnea (23%), diarrhea (19%), and nausea (23%). Treatment-related grade 3 or above AEs occurred in 21 (81%) patients, including neutropenia (38%), leukopenia (31%), thrombocytopenia (27%), anemia (15%), febrile neutropenia (12%), and lung infection (12%). Conclusions: This expanded analysis confirmed that pembrolizumab has modest single agent activity in RT. Combination therapy with pembrolizumab and a BCR kinase inhibitor is associated with increased efficacy (ORR >60%), similar to other reports. These results support further investigation of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based combination therapy in RT. Clinical trial information: NCT02332980 .
Clonal dynamics of Richter transformation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Hematological Oncology | June 9, 2024 | Volume: 42 | Issue: 4 | Pages: No page available
Abstract High-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (HCMBL) is a precursor condition to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We have shown that among individuals with HCMBL, the CLL-International Prognostic Index (CLL-IPI) is prognostic for time-to-first therapy (TTFT). Little is known about the prognostic impact of somatically mutated genes among individuals with HCMBL. We sequenced DNA from 371 individuals with HCMBL using a targeted sequencing panel of 59 recurrently mutated genes in CLL to identify high-impact mutations. We compared the sequencing results with that of our treatment-naïve CLL cohort (N = 855) and used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations with TTFT. The frequencies of any mutated genes were lower in HCMBL (52%) than CLL (70%). At 10 years, 37% of individuals with HCMBL with any mutated gene had progressed requiring treatment compared with 10% among individuals with HCMBL with no mutations; this led to 5.4-fold shorter TTFT (95% CI, 2.6-11.0) among HCMBL with any mutated gene vs none, independent of CLL-IPI. When considering individuals with low risk of progression according to CLL-IPI, those with HCMBL with any mutations had 4.3-fold shorter TTFT (95% CI, 1.6-11.8) vs those with none. Finally, when considering both CLL-IPI and any mutated gene status, we observed individuals with HCMBL who were high risk for both prognostic factors had worse prognosis than patients with low-risk CLL (ie, 5-year progression rate of 32% vs 21%, respectively). Among HCMBL, the frequency of somatically mutated genes at diagnosis is lower than that of CLL. Accounting for both the number of mutated genes and CLL-IPI can identify individuals with HCMBL with more aggressive clinical course.
Incidence of Richter Transformation in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) /Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL): A Cohort Study Evaluating Different Therapeutic Eras
INTRODUCTION Richter transformation (RT) is the histologic transformation of CLL/SLL into an aggressive lymphoma, most commonly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We previously reported an incidence of 0.5% per year of RT in patients with newly diagnosed CLL and an incidence of 1% per year following initiation of therapy (Parikh, BJH, 2013). It is unknown whether these incidences have changed in the novel agent era. METHODS We identified patients with previously untreated CLL/SLL in the Mayo Clinic CLL Database who were seen within 12 months of diagnosis. Only patients with biopsy-proven DLBCL with histopathology confirmation at Mayo Clinic were included. Cumulative incidence methodology was used to display the time to development of RT with death as a competing risk (both from time of initial CLL/SLL diagnosis, and from start of CLL directed therapy). We defined the time period prior to February 2014 (FDA approval of ibrutinib for CLL) as the pre-novel agent era and the time period starting February 2014 as the novel agent era. Using Cox regression analysis, we compared the incidence of RT, both after initial CLL diagnosis and after initiation of CLL therapy, between patients diagnosed with CLL in the pre-novel agent era versus the novel agent era. RESULTS Between 1/2000 and 4/2023, 3347 patients were seen at Mayo Clinic. The median age at diagnosis was 65 years (range 21-97 years), and 66% patients were male. Baseline characteristics of patients at the time of CLL and RT diagnoses between the two treatment eras were similar, including distance in miles of primary residence from Mayo Clinic ( Table 1). The median follow-up for the entire cohort was 5.6 years (9.5 years for the pre-novel agent era cohort and 3.2 years for the novel agent era cohort). A total of 82 patients were diagnosed with RT (69 in the pre-novel agent era and 13 in the novel agent era). Overall, the 1-, 5- and 10-year cumulative incidence rates for RT from the time of CLL/SLL diagnosis were 0.6% (95% CI: 0.4-0.9%), 1.8% (95% CI: 1.3-2.3%), and 3.0% (95% CI: 2.4-3.8%), respectively. Among the patients who received CLL/SLL therapy (n=1382), the 1-, 5-, and 10-year incidence rates for RT from the time of treatment start were 0.3% (95% CI: 0.1-0.8%), 3.3% (95% CI: 2.4-4.5%), and 4.9% (95% CI: 3.7-6.5%), respectively. Among 1981 patients diagnosed with CLL/SLL in the pre-novel agent era, the 1- and 5-year incidence rates for RT from the time of diagnosis were 0.6% (95% CI: 0.4-1.1%) and 2.1% (95% CI: 1.5-2.8%), respectively. Among 1366 patients diagnosed with CLL/SLL in the novel agent era, the 1- and 5-year incidence rates following CLL/SLL diagnosis were 0.5% (95% CI: 0.2-1.1%) and 1.1% (95% CI: 0.6-2.2%), respectively. The RT incidence from time of CLL/SLL diagnosis was not significantly different between the pre-novel agent and novel agent era patients (hazard ratio [HR] 1.6, 95%CI 0.9-3.0, p=0.13). Patients who received CLL/SLL treatment in the pre-novel agent era (n=926) and novel agent era (n=456) had subsequent 1-year incidence rates of RT of 0.3% (95% CI: 0.1-1.0%) and 0.2% (95% CI: 0.0-1.8%), respectively. The 5-year incidence rates for these groups were 3.7% (95% CI: 2.6-5.2%) and 1.9% (95% CI: 0.7-5.0%), respectively. Although an increased risk of RT after CLL/SLL directed therapy was observed in the pre-novel agent era compared to the novel agent era (HR 2.4, 95%CI: 0.9-6.1, p=0.07; Figure 1), this did not cross the threshold of statistial significance. Among patients diagnosed in the pre-novel agent era who developed RT (n=69), CLL treatment prior to RT included: none, n=19 (28%); chemoimmunotherapy only, n=36 (52%); and novel agent, n=14 (20%; includes 11 treated with prior chemoimmunotherapy also). In contrast, among patients diagnosed in the novel agent era who developed RT (n=13), CLL treatment prior to RT included: none, n=8 (62%); and novel agent, n=5 (38%). CONCLUSIONS Patients who received CLL/SLL directed treatment appear to have a lower risk of RT in the novel agent era. This may be driven by the fact that none of the patients who developed RT in the novel agent era received chemoimmunotherapy. Whether novel agent use for CLL/SLL suppresses the development of RT or avoids the risk associated with cytotoxic chemotherapy-induced clonal evolution requires further study. Although limited by length of follow-up, our findings challenge the notion that RT incidence will increase in parallel with CLL patients living longer with novel agent treatments.
Association of Measurable Residual Disease with Progression-Free Survival in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in the Era of Novel Agents
Introduction: Achieving undetectable measurable residual disease (uMRD) following treatment has shown significant prognostic value in several hematological malignancies. In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), uMRD is associated with improved outcomes in the era of chemoimmunotherapy (CIT). However, the role of measurable residual disease (MRD) in the context of novel agents such as Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) and/or BCL2 inhibitors (e.g. venetoclax) is uncertain. To address this question, we conducted a systematic review of the literature and performed a comprehensive meta-analysis of trials that included novel agents to evaluate the association between MRD status after treatment and PFS in patients with CLL. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science focusing on CLL trials reporting MRD and its association with PFS. Results were independently screened by two reviewers. Inclusion criteria included prospective phase 3 trials involving a novel agent in one of the treatment arms, while studies with incomplete information on MRD status related to PFS, reviews, abstracts, and retrospective analyses were excluded. The initial search identified 185 studies in PubMed and 402 studies in EMBASE. After applying prespecified criteria, a total of 10 phase 3 trials were included in our analysis. We extracted sample size, patient age, follow-up time, time point and tissue of MRD assessment, MRD cut-off and rate, performance status and molecular status when available. We only considered treatment arms with complete MRD information. The comparison involved patients who achieved uMRD with those exhibiting detectable MRD. When available, hazard ratios (HR) and confidence intervals (CI) were used to evaluate the relationship between MRD status and PFS. If not, we used Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves from both uMRD and MRD subgroups and extracted the coordinates points of the curves using DigitizeIt software (version 2.5.10, I. Bormann) and using the number at risk provided we estimated the HRs and CIs. A meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model from the R package metafor (Viechtbauer, W. (2010). Conducting meta-analyses in R with the metafor package. Journal of Statistical Software, 36(3), 1-48). The pooled hazard ratio estimates, and the corresponding 95% CI and prediction intervals (PI) were reported. Funnel and Baujat plots were generated to assess study heterogeneity and bias. All analysis was performed using R version 4.1.2 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). Results: A total of 10 phase 3 trials, encompassing 14 treatment arms and involving 3152 patients, met the stringent inclusion criteria. All but one study used a uMRD cut-off of < 0.01%. Detailed information on the treatment arms and key trial characteristics is presented in Table 1. Notably, ten treatment arms were derived from first-line treatment trials, while the remaining arms pertained to the relapsed/refractory population. Only two trials (4 treatment arms) assessed MRD using next generation sequencing (NGS), while the rest used multicolor flow cytometry (MFC) (9 treatment arms) and allele-specific oligonucleotides polymerase chain reaction (ASO-PCR) (2 treatment arms). All but 3 trials assessed MRD in both bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB). One trial (2 treatment arms) was excluded from the met-analysis due to higher MRD cut-off. All studies included in the meta-analysis measured uMRD (<0.01) versus MRD. The PFS pooled HR estimate for achieving uMRD at 0.01 cut off from the meta-analysis was 0.32 (95% CI [0.22, 0.45]), with minimal bias observed on the Funnel Plot. Conclusions: In this comprehensive meta-analysis, comprising 9 phase 3 trials, achieving uMRD was strongly associated with PFS. These findings further establish the prognostic role of MRD in CLL management and its potential use as a surrogate marker in clinical trials. As the body of evidence on MRD in CLL continues to grow, it becomes imperative to standardize the optimal time point, methodology, and tissue for MRD assessment. Substantial heterogeneity in these aspects underscores the necessity for unified guidelines to ensure the accurate and consistent evaluation of MRD status in clinical practice.
Clinical Outcomes with Venetoclax-Based Treatment Regimens in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
INTRODUCTION We aim to identify factors that impact outcomes of venetoclax for patients with CLL treated in routine practice at a tertiary center. We report on the use of venetoclax in the most frequently encountered disease scenarios: first-line, relapsed/Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi)-naïve, and relapsed/BTKi-exposed. METHODS We identified patients who received venetoclax therapy for CLL (between 4/2012-4/2023) from the Mayo Clinic CLL Database. Undetectable measurable residual disease (uMRD) was defined as <1 CLL cell per 10,000 leukocytes using 8-color flow cytometry on peripheral blood (PB) or bone marrow (BM). Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from venetoclax start until date of death or last known to be alive. Treatment-free survival (TFS) after venetoclax was defined as the time from venetoclax start until the earliest of date of next treatment, or death. Kaplan-Meier was used to display OS and TFS. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate associations of factors with time-to-event outcomes. RESULTS A total of 155 patients received venetoclax: firstline therapy (in combination with obinutuzumab, n=55) and relapsed CLL (n=100; 17 had relapsed/BTKi-naïve CLL, and 83 had previously received BTKi [55 with progression after BTKi], relapsed/BTKi-exposed). The median follow-up for the cohorts of first-line therapy, relapsed/BTKi-naïve, and relapsed/BTKi-exposed was 12.9 months, 37.0 months, and 27.6 months, respectively. Baseline characteristics at the time of venetoclax initiation for all patients are shown in Table 1. The median TFS for the overall cohort was 39.0 months. The median OS was 54.6 months. Among patients treated with venetoclax as first-line therapy (n=55), the 2-year TFS ( Figure 1) and 2-year OS rates were both 91%. MRD testing was performed in 28 patients and was uMRD in 23 (82%) patients (only PB assessed, n=7; only BM assessed, n=2; PB and BM assessed, n=14). Detectable MRD was identified in 3 patients, and 2 patients had discordant results (PB uMRD and BM detectable disease). Among patients treated with venetoclax in the relapsed/BTKi-naïve setting (n=17), the 2-year TFS rate was 73% ( Figure 1) and the 2-year OS rate was 100%. MRD testing was performed in 7 patients and was uMRD in all 7 (100%) (only PB assessed, n=3; only BM assessed, n=2; PB and BM assessed, n=2). The median time to first uMRD result was 14.1 months. Among relapsed/BTKi-exposed venetoclax-treated patients (n=83), the median TFS was 26.9 months ( Figure 1), and the median OS was 39.4 months.In this subgroup, the median TFS for patients with (n=55) and without (n=28) prior disease progression on prior BTKi were 22.3 and 42.3 months, respectively. Median TFS with venetoclax monotherapy (n=30) was 24.0 months, venetoclax in combination with rituximab (n=37) was 26.9 months, and venetoclax in combination with obinutuzumab (n=16) was 39.0 months. BTKi-exposed patients that were chemotherapy-naïve (n=27) and chemotherapy-exposed (n=56) had median TFS of 29.1 and 24.0 months, respectively. MRD testing was performed in 28 patients and was uMRD in 16 (57%) patients (only PB assessed, n=9; only BM assessed, n=2; PB and BM assessed, n=5). Detectable MRD was identified in 11 patients, and 1 had discordant results (PB uMRD and BM detectable disease). The median time to first uMRD result was 11.5 months. TP53 disruption, unmutated IGHV genes, older age, complex karyotype (CK; defined as more than 3 chromosomal aberrations on CpG stimulated karyotype), and disease progression on prior BTKi were associated with shorter TFS in the overall cohort on univariate analysis. TP53 disruption, older age, CK, and disease progression on prior BTKi were associated with shorter OS in the overall cohort on univariate analysis. Multivariable analysis was performed by including only those patients where all variables significant in univariable analysis were available (OS model n=65, TFS model n=53). In these models, only CK was significantly associated with shorter TFS (HR 8.5; 95%CI 2.5-29.1; P<0.001) and shorter OS (HR 4.1; 95%CI 1.2-14; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Patients with BTKi-exposed CLL, particularly those with prior disease progression on BTKi, had worse outcomes. Our study identified CK as one of the most important baseline predictors of adverse TFS and OS in the overall cohort of patients, supporting karyotype assessment for prognostication prior to venetoclax treatment.
PD-1 Expression in Lymphoma Cells Mediates Cellular Proliferation By Engaging Phosphatase SHP-1/SHP-2
Introduction: Despite the improved clinical outcomes with novel therapies in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Richter transformation (RT) of CLL remains a major clinical challenge. Our group showed a selective response (~40%) with the PD-1 blocking antibody pembrolizumab in patients with RT, particularly after prior exposure to ibrutinib (Ding et al, Blood, 2017). It has been established that PD-1 inhibits cytotoxic T-cell functions via the interaction with its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2. However, the role of PD-1 in tumor B-cells is understudied. Here we show the expression and functional implications of the PD-1 signaling axis in B-cell pathobiology. Methods: CLL-involved lymph node (LN) (n=26) and RT (with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma [DLBCL] histology) -involved LN (n=20) samples were tested for PD-1 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) (mouse clone NAT105, Abcam). Then, PD-1 expression was examined in 10 lymphoma cell lines and 1 CLL-like cell line (MEC-1) by both flow cytometry (FC) and Western blot (WB) analysis. PD-1 overexpression using pLEX-lentiviral packaging system (Thermo Scientific) was evaluated for its impact on in vitro cell cycle regulation and in vivo tumor growth. CRISPR/CAS9 mediated PD-1 knockdown evaluated on cell growth in MEC-1 and Mino cells. Role of PD-1 was further examined on the regulation of cell signaling pathways using human phospho kinase array kit (R&D) and WB analysis. Additionally, gene expression signatures were evaluated by RNA-seq using pLEX-lentiviral-PD-1 transfected DLBCL cell lines OCI-LY7 and OCI-LY19. Results: PD-1 expression was significantly increased in RT-LN compared to CLL-LN (mean ± SEM in RT vs. CLL, 30.6% ± 4.7% vs. 11.5% ± 2.8%, p<0.001) as determined by IHC. PD-1 expression was highest in patients with RT where the last prior CLL therapy was ibrutinib. To test the role of PD-1 in tumor B-cells, its expression was assessed in lymphoma and CLL cell lines. The expression of PD-1 was found to be variable by both FC and WB analysis, but at very low-levels in DLBCL cell lines OCI-LY7 and OCI-LY19. Constitutive lentiviral (pLEX-PD-1)-mediated overexpression of PD-1 in OCI-LY7 and OCI-LY19 cells led to increased cell growth (1.4 and 1.9 fold, respectively, compared to original lines after 4 days of culturing of equal number of cells), which was further confirmed by cell cycle analysis which showed an increase in S phase by 20.4% (p<0.05) and 24.5% (p<0.05) in OCI-LY7 and OCI-LY19 cells, respectively. When the luciferase+ PD-1 overexpressing OCI-LY7 cells (1X10 6) were injected intravenously into NSG mice, increased tumor growth (p<0.01) was observed by bioluminescence imaging after 22 days of follow-up. PD-1 knockdown in MEC-1 and Mino cells (high basal PD-1 expression) led to significant inhibition of cell growth (85% and 79.5%, respectively, p<0.05). Using phospho-kinase array, an overall decrease of phosphorylation was detected on multiple sites of p53 (S392, S15, S46) and Chk-2 (T68) in PD-1 overexpressing OCI-LY7 and OCI-LY19 cell lines. This finding was further confirmed by WB analyses. In addition, decreased total p53 and increased phosphorylation on both SHP-1 and SHP-2 were found in PD-1 overexpressing OCI-LY7 and OCI-LY19 cell lines. SHP-1 (TPI-1) and SHP-1+SHP-2 (TPI-1+TNO155) inhibitor treatment promoted OCI-LY19 cell death and led to recovery of phosphorylation on ATM, Chk-2 and p53 in these cells. RNA sequencing data in PD-1 overexpressing OCI-LY7 and OCI-LY19 cells revealed increased expression of genes that promote cell cycle progression and DNA replication. Conclusion: Our data showed robust PD-1 expression in patients with Richter transformation from CLL to DLBCL. PD-1 overexpression in DLBCL lymphoma cell lines enhanced cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Further investigation identified that PD-1 modified the phosphorylation/function of SHP phosphatases and thereby regulated p53 pathways ( Figure 1). These findings indicate that RT with DLBCL cells have the ability to “hijack” the PD-1 pathway which results in downregulation of p53 mediated DNA repair. This novel finding provides for new strategies to further evaluate the interaction of PD-1 signals with DNA repair pathways and suggest potential novel targets for RT.
Outcomes of Patients with Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL) Receiving First Line Treatment
INTRODUCTION Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and SLL represent a single entity in current classifications per the WHO-HAEM5 and ICC. Both are characterized by malignant B cells with an identical immunophenotype, but they are distinguished by the predominant site of disease burden, such as peripheral blood for CLL and nodal compartments for SLL. Most clinical trials and retrospective studies involving CLL/SLL do not separate out SLL patients. In this study, we report reasons for treatment initiation and outcomes in a cohort of SLL patients seen at our institution. METHODS Using the Mayo Clinic CLL Database, we retrospectively identified patients with SLL who received first line therapy between 12/1995 and 2/2023. Patients were classified as having SLL if they met at least one of the following criteria for diagnosis: 1) presence of lymphadenopathy or splenomegaly (either by exam or scans) and an absolute clonal B cell count of < 5 x 109/L; or 2) presence of lymphadenopathy or splenomegaly (either by exam or scans) and an absolute lymphocyte count of < 11 x 109/L (if absolute clonal B cell count was not available). Although the presence of anemia (hemoglobin < 11 g/dL) and thrombocytopenia (platelets < 100 x 109/L) are considered as exclusion criteria for a diagnosis of SLL, patients were included if these cytopenia were due to autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) or immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) with < 50% bone marrow involvement by SLL (bone marrow biopsy confirmed). Patients treated for SLL with extranodal involvement were also included. Indications for SLL treatment were abstracted by chart review and included one of the following: 1) symptomatic or progressive lymphadenopathy and/or splenomegaly, 2) autoimmune cytopenias, 3) extranodal/direct organ infiltration; and 4) other (e.g., cryoglobulinemia, paraneoplastic, non-infiltrative renal disease such as minimal change disease). Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from treatment start until date of death or last known to be alive. Treatment-free survival (TFS) was defined as the time from treatment start until the earliest of date of next treatment, or death. Kaplan-Meier method was used to display OS and TFS. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate associations of factors with time-to-event outcomes. RESULTS We identified 182 patients with SLL who received first line treatment. The median age at treatment start was 66 years, and 132 (73%) were male. Unmutated IGHV was identified in 60/82 (73%) patients and peripheral blood fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assessed pre-treatment start showed del13q in 10%, trisomy 12 in 43%, del11q in 7%, del17p in 8%, and no abnormalities in 33%. TP53 disruption (del17p and/or TP53 mutation) was present in 7/89 (8%) patients prior to first therapy. The median follow-up after diagnosis was 6.9 years. The indications for treatment were grouped as follows: symptomatic or progressive lymphadenopathy/splenomegaly (n=130), extranodal/direct organ infiltration (n=30), AIHA/ITP (n=10), and other (n=12). For the entire cohort, the median TFS was 2.9 years and the median OS was 12.3 years. The median TFS by the treatment indication groups were 3.3, 5.1, 1.6, and 5.3 years, respectively (Figure 1). The median OS by treatment indication groups were 11.1, 10.5, 8.8, and 19.9 years, respectively. Among the 160 patients with symptomatic or progressive lymphadenopathy/splenomegaly or extranodal disease, the treatments administered include: mAb alone (n=35), chemotherapy alone (n=33), chemoimmunotherapy (n=57), targeted agent (n=33; Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor [BTKi] based n=28; venetoclax-based n=3, BTKi + venetoclax n=2), and other (n=2). The median TFS by treatment groups were 2.4, 2.0, 3.8, and 6.0 years (Figure 2), respectively (excluding the small “other” subgroup of 2 patients). The median OS for these groups were 9.5, 9.7, 15.0, and not evaluable, respectively. Only older age at treatment start predicted for shorter TFS (HR 1.02; 95%CI 1.002-1.038; p=0.03) and shorter OS (HR 1.05; 95%CI 1.03-1.07; p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS In this study of patients with SLL who received therapy, the most frequent indications for treatment included symptomatic lymphadenopathy and/or splenomegaly, followed by extranodal disease. Trisomy 12 was the most frequently detected abnormality on peripheral blood FISH testing. Treatment with novel agents achieved durable TFS and OS.
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in adults with dendritic/histiocytic neoplasms