Begna, Kebede H.

AbstractWe retrospectively examined our experience with midostaurin therapy in 33 consecutive patients (median age 68 years; 58% females) with advanced systemic mastocytosis (adv‐SM): aggressive SM (ASM; n = 17), SM associated with another hematologic neoplasm (SM‐AHN; n = 14) and mast cell leukemia (MCL; n = 2). KITD816V mutation was detected in 84% of the patients and C findings in 91%. Eleven (33%) patients were previously treated with other cytoreductive drugs, including cladribine (n = 4) and imatinib (n = 3). Median time from diagnosis to initiation of midostaurin therapy was 2.2 months (range 0.3–41). Using modified valent criteria, overall response was 42% (53% ASM, 29% SM‐AHN, 50% MCL; p = .22), all classified as being major. Responses included ≥50% reduction in bone marrow mast cells in 40% and normalization of serum tryptase in 29%, of evaluated cases. After a median follow‐up of 14.6 months from initiation of midostaurin therapy, 7 (21%) deaths, 1 (3%) leukemic progression, and 18 (55%) treatment discontinuations were documented; median duration of midostaurin treatment was 7.9 months (range 0.5–123) and response duration 21.5 months (range 2.9–123). Most frequent side effect was gastrointestinal (51%) while grade 3/4 neutropenia or thrombocytopenia occurred in 12% of patients. Response to treatment was not predicted by KIT mutation (p = .67) or exposure to prior cytoreductive therapy (p = .44). Median survival was longer in midostaurin responders but not significantly (median 26.5 vs. 16 months; p = .15). Findings from the current study are broadly consistent with previously published clinical trial observations.

Abstract Background: Venetoclax, a small-molecule inhibitor of B cell leukemia/lymphoma-2, in combination with hypomethylating agents (HMA) has shown improved efficacy and survival benefit compared to HMA alone (DiNardo et al, 2020) in elderly/unfit patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Since FDA-approval of this regimen for elderly/unfit AML patients, it is frequently utilized both in the upfront and relapsed/refractory setting. Cardiac events with venetoclax are not well described. In the VIALE-E trial, which included patients ineligible for standard induction chemotherapy due to congestive heart failure or stable angina, 15% of patients receiving azacitidine plus venetoclax experienced atrial fibrillation as a serious adverse event, vs. 1% in the azacitidine plus placebo group (DiNardo et al, 2020). Our objective was to provide an estimate of the prevalence of and a description of all cardiac events that occurred in AML patients undergoing treatment with venetoclax + HMA. Methods: 170 consecutive patients with AML who received venetoclax +HMA (azacitidine or decitabine) outside the context of a clinical trial between 1/2017-11/2020 at the Mayo Clinic were included. Patients received venetoclax + HMA either as upfront treatment or for relapsed/refractory disease. Patients with relapse following allogeneic stem cell transplant were excluded. We evaluated all cardiac events that occurred while treatment with venetoclax + HMA was ongoing. Baseline patient and treatment characteristics were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test and the Fisher's exact test. All statistics were computed using EZR (Version 1.53). Results: 1. Patient characteristics A total of 170 patients who received venetoclax + HMA (median age 69 years [range 17-91], 63% males) were included. ELN risk category was either adverse risk (48%, 82/170) or intermediate risk (48%, 82/170) in the majority of patients. 64% (109/170) of patients received venetoclax + HMA as upfront treatment. Characteristics including age, ELN cytogenetic risk, cardiovascular risk factors, and upfront vs relapsed therapy were similar among patients with or without cardiac events. The only exception was a higher incidence of CEBPA mutation amongst those with cardiac events (12% vs 2%, p=0.03). The majority (83%, 141/170) of patients underwent an echocardiogram prior to initiation of therapy. 2. Cardiac events Of 170 patients treated with venetoclax + HMA during the study period, 34 (20%) patients experienced a total of 48 cardiac events. Of patients experiencing cardiac events, 32% (11/34) had no pre-existing cardiac disease and 12% (4/34) had no cardiovascular risk factors (Table 1). The majority of events occurred early in treatment course: 41% during cycle 1, 26% during cycle 2 and 15% during cycle 3 (Table 1). The most frequently occurring cardiac event (21%, 10/48 events) was a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction on echocardiography, which was associated with symptoms in all ten patients. Second most frequent was atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response at 17% (8/48 events), followed by troponin elevation without electrocardiogram changes at 15% (7/46 events). Of patients with troponin elevation, 57% (4/7 events) occurred in the setting of another inciting factor such as severe anemia, while 43% represented a troponin elevation without explanation (Table 1). Other cardiac events included heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (n=4), other symptomatic arrhythmia (n=4), and symptomatic pericardial effusion or pericarditis (n=3). In addition, 2 of 34 (6%) patients experienced fatal cardiopulmonary arrest. The majority (88%) of cardiac events required either inpatient admission (62%, 21/34 patients) or intensive care unit (ICU) care (26%, 9/34 patients). 77% of patients required new cardiac medications or procedural intervention (n=4). In 27% of cases (9/34 patients), the cardiac event directly contributed to death (Table 1). Conclusions: Cardiac complications were observed in one-fifth (20%) of AML patients treated with venetoclax + HMA, despite the absence of preexisting cardiac disease in a third of cases; moreover 27% of events were fatal. Further comparative studies are required to identify salient clinical features predictive of cardiac complications in these patients. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Al-Kali: Novartis: Research Funding; Astex: Other: Research support to institution. Litzow: Astellas: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Omeros: Other: Advisory Board; AbbVie: Research Funding; Actinium: Research Funding; Pluristem: Research Funding; Jazz: Other: Advisory Board; Biosight: Other: Data monitoring committee. Patnaik: Kura Oncology: Research Funding; StemLine: Research Funding.

Abstract Background: Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a well-described entity and known to carry a worse prognosis, compared to de novo AML. In the current study, we sought to describe the presenting features and outcome of patients with AML, in the setting of previous history of cancer with or without exposure to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Methods: A Mayo Clinic database of patients with AML was queried to identify patients with a previous history of cancer, both hematologic and solid tumors. A comparative analysis of presenting features, treatment details and survival were performed between patients with therapy-related AML (Group A) and those with AML and a history of cancer that had been managed with surgery alone (Group B). Results: A total of 250 patients (median age 68 years, range 19-90; 60% males) with AML and a previous history of cancer (both hematologic and solid) were identified; 182 (73%) cases were determined to be therapy-related AML (Group A) while the remaining 68 (27%) did not receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy for their antecedent cancer (Group B) (Table). Among group A patients 106 (58%) were exposed to chemotherapy, 37 (20%) to radiotherapy and 39 (22%) to combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy for their cancer. At the time of AML diagnosis, adverse karyotype was noted in 91 (51%) group A and 12 (19%) group B patients (p<0.0001); the incidence of adverse karyotype in patients exposed to chemotherapy vs radiotherapy alone vs combined chemoradiotherapy was 54% (57/106), 30% (11/37), and 59% (23/39) respectively (p=0.04). Group A patients, compared to those in group B, included more females (46% vs 24%; p=0.001), and more preceding hematologic malignancies (p=<0.0001). Next generation sequencing was performed in 74 patients and the results showed no significant difference between groups A and B (Table). Treatment and outcome in Groups A and B: Intensive and less intensive AML-directed chemotherapy were given to 100 (55%) and 44 (24%) patients in group A and 38 (56%) and 14 (21%) patients in group B (P=0.8). 79 (65%) remissions (complete remission (CR) 42 (29%) and CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi) 37 (26%) were documented in Group A and 37 (71%) remissions (CR: 21 (40%) and CRi=16 (31%) in Group B (P=0.2). After a median follow-up of 8.4 months (range: 0.9-217), 184 deaths were documented: 132 (72.5%) in Group A and 52 (76.5%) in Group B (P=0.5). 52 (36%) patients from Group A and 25 (48%) from Group B relapsed (P=0.1). The median (range) overall survival (OS) rates of patients from Group A was 13 (9-17) months and that of Group B was 14 (10-35) months (P=0.6). The 1-, 3- and 5-year OS rates were 52%, 28%, and 24% in Group A; and 62%, 33%, and 24% in Group B patients (Fig 1). Multivariable analysis identified relapse (HR 2.8, 95% CI 1.7-4.7) and failure to achieve CR/CRi (HR 2.8 95% CI 1.9-4.7) as risk factors for inferior survival (Fig 2a and 2b). The median (range) relapse free survival of patients in Group A was 28 (17 -81) and that of Group B was 27 (14 - 76) months (P=0.9) (Fig 2c). 28 patients underwent allogenic stem-cell transplant (25 in CR1 and 3 in CR2), 23 in Group A and 5 in Group B; the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS of patients who underwent allogenic stem cell transplant were 88%, 72%, and 72% regardless of the group (Fig 2d). Conclusion: The current study did not find significant differences between AML patients with previous history of cancer with or without exposure to chemo/radiotherapy, in terms of either response to AML-directed therapy or overall or relapse-free survival, despite a higher prevalence of adverse karyotype in therapy-related AML. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Patnaik: Kura Oncology: Research Funding; Stemline Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Stemline Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Al-Kali: Astex: Other: Research support to institution; Novartis: Research Funding. Litzow: Pluristem: Research Funding; Actinium: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Jazz: Other: Advisory Board; Omeros: Other: Advisory Board; Biosight: Other: Data monitoring committee.