Cerhan, James R.

Abstract The anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (R) is widely used to treat B-cell malignancies including follicular lymphoma (FL). A better understanding of activity and resistance mechanisms is necessary for improving treatment outcomes. We previously reported that genetic variants in the complement pathway are associated with event-free survival of FL patients following R therapy. This correlation was particularly high for SNP rs3766404, located in intron 6 of Complement Factor H (CFH). Subjects with the minor allele of this SNP experienced inferior event-free survival. Five CFH related proteins (CFHR1-5) share a similar and sometimes overlapping function with CFH, including suppression of complement activation. Genetic variations within the CFH family locus are linked to a variety of complement-mediated disorders such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. Interestingly, AMD patients with the minor allele of rs3766404 frequently have deletion of CFHR3 and CFHR1, suggesting that loss of these proteins functionally impacts complement regulation. The current studies were designed to better understand the relationship between R therapy of FL and CFH family proteins. CFH and CFHR1 protein levels were quantified in serum samples from both normal subjects (n=59) and FL (n=108) subjects from the Iowa/Mayo Lymphoma SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource. No correlation was observed between the quantity of CFH in serum and SNP genotype in either cohort. However, in both cohorts, individuals homozygous for the minor allele in SNP rs3766404 lacked detectable expression of CFHR1. Homozygotes for the major allele expressed the highest levels of CFHR1, and heterozygotes expressed intermediate levels. Among FL subjects treated with R as a component of initial therapy, increased levels of CFHR1 were associated with improved event-free survival (hazard ratio 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.28-0.82, p=0.0051). In contrast, CFHR1 levels had no impact on outcome among the FL subjects who did not receive R as a component of initial therapy. This subset of FL subjects included those observed off therapy. The effect of CFHR1 levels on outcome for those subjects treated with R versus those not treated with R was statistically different (p=0.0023 based on a Cox proportional hazard model). There was no correlation between CFH levels and outcome in any population. CFHR1 binds the complement component C3b, inhibiting downstream complement activation. We previously demonstrated that complement can inhibit R activity in vitro. Specifically, C3b deposition can have a negative impact on antibody–mediated tumor cell killing by interfering with R-induced NK cell activation and antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Our current finding that higher CFHR1 correlates with improved outcome following R therapy provides further evidence that the effect of complement on therapeutic monoclonal antibodies is complex. These findings may have implications for predicting response to, and optimization of, anti-CD20 and other antibody therapies. Ongoing studies are exploring this possibility in additional patient cohorts, the potential role of other CFH family members, and the underlying biology associated with these observations. Disclosures: Link: Genentech: Consultancy; Millenium: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy; Spectrum: Consultancy; Genentech: Research Funding; Millenium: Research Funding; Pharacyclics: Research Funding.

Abstract Background. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is curable for the majority of patients treated with anthracycline based immunochemotherapy (IC). While most patients achieve response to initial therapy, a subset of patients are refractory to initial IC or become refractory to subsequent salvage therapies. Prognosis in this setting is very poor. Here we determine the incidence of refractory disease from a large cohort of DLBCL prospectively followed from diagnosis in the IC era and assess outcomes in these patients. Methods. Patients were prospectively enrolled in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER) within 9 months of diagnosis. Patients were followed for relapse, retreatment, and death; all events were validated by medical record. This analysis includes patients with DLBCL or primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) who received initial treatment of anthracycline based immunochemotherapy; patients with primary CNS lymphoma or post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders were excluded. Response to therapy was retrospectively classified per 2007 Revised Response Criteria for Malignant Lymphoma from available clinical and radiology records. Refractory disease was defined as having a best response to any systemic therapy of stable disease (SD), progressive disease (PD), or relapse within 12 months of autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT). We also examined patients with transient response to IC as defined by achieving an interim response (CR or PR) but having progressive disease at or prior to the end of the planned number of cycles of IC. Results. 1039 patients with DLBCL or PMBCL lymphoma were enrolled in the MER from 2002-2012 and treated with R-CHOP or comparable IC. Median age at diagnosis was 62 years (range 18-91) and 577 (56%) were male. At a median FU of 60 months (range 1-148), 136 patients developed refractory disease. The median age at diagnosis of patients with refractory disease was 62 years (range 19-87). The cumulative incidence of refractory DLBCL was 11.3% at 2 years (95%: CI: 9.5-13.4) and 13.1% at 5 years (95% CI: 11.2-15.4). The median overall survival after becoming refractory was 4.7 months (95% CI: 4.1-5.5) with a 1 year survival rate of 21% (95% CI: 15%-30%). The median number of therapies before becoming refractory was 2 with 35 patients becoming refractory following their first therapy (i.e. IC), 83 patients becoming refractory after their 2nd therapy, and 23 patients becoming refractory after their 3rd or later therapy; 27 patients had received stem cell transplant prior to becoming refractory. Outcomes were poor regardless of when patients became refractory (figure). Patients received a median (range) of 2 (0-8) treatments after becoming refractory with 40% (N=54) attempting subsequent platinum based salvage therapy and 14% (N=9) proceeding to ASCT, of which only 6 remain alive in long-term remission. 41 patients (30%) were treated on clinical trials after becoming refractory. Response rate for the first therapy after becoming refractory was 21%, while 29% of patients had a response to any subsequent therapy. Once patients became refractory, there was no difference in survival based on response at end of initial IC (p=0.33), cell of origin at diagnosis (p=0.64), IPI at diagnosis (p=0.33), or age when refractory (p=0.66). Outcomes in patients with transient response to IC (n=58) were poor, with the majority (N=37, 63%) becoming refractory to subsequent therapy. Median OS after first relapse was 6.7 months in patients with transient response to IC, which was equivalent to patients refractory to IC (p=0.99). The majority of patients with transient response to IC (69%) were next treated with platinum based salvage therapy which had a response rate of 40%. Ultimately 15 of the 58 patients (26%) proceeded to transplant, of which only 5 (9%) achieved long-term remission. Conclusions. Approximately 13% of patients with DLBCL become refractory to treatment in their disease course. Outcomes once patients become refractory are extremely poor regardless of when patients become refractory. Standard prognostic factors are no longer predictive of outcome and stem cell transplant had limited benefit in this group of patients. Patients with transient response to initial immunochemotherapy should be included when classifying patients as refractory. New therapy strategies are needed in the refractory setting. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures Maurer: Kite Pharma: Research Funding. Thompson:Kite Pharma: Research Funding. Farooq:Kite Pharma: Research Funding. Cerhan:Kite Pharma: Research Funding. Ansell:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Celldex: Research Funding. Link:Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kite Pharma: Research Funding.

Abstract Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a genetically heterogeneous disease characterized by multiple low-frequency alterations including somatic mutations, copy number alterations (CNAs) and chromosomal rearrangements. We sought to identify previously unrecognized low-frequency genetic events, integrate recurrent alterations into comprehensive signatures and associate these signatures with clinical parameters. For these reasons, our multi-institutional international group assembled a cohort of 304 primary DLBCLs from newly diagnosed patients, 87% of whom were uniformly treated with state-of-the-art therapy (rituximab-containing CHOP regimen) and had long term followup. Tumors were subjected to whole exome sequencing with an extended bait set that included custom probes designed to capture recurrent chromosomal rearrangements. In this cohort, 47% of samples had available transcriptional profiling and assignment to associated disease subtypes. Analytical pipelines developed at the Broad Institute were used to detect mutations (MuTect), CNAs (Recapseq+Allelic Capseq) and chromosomal rearrangements (dRanger+Breakpointer) and assess clonality (Absolute). To analyze formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumors without paired normals we developed a method which utilized 8334 unrelated normal samples to stringently filter recurrent germline events and artifacts. Significant mutational drivers were identified using the MutSig2CV algorithm and recurrent CNAs were assessed with GISTIC2.0. In addition, we utilized a recently developed algorithm, CLUMPS2, to prioritize somatic mutations which cluster in 3-dimensional protein structure. With this approach, we identified > 90 recurrently mutated genes, 34 focal amplifications and 41 focal deletions, 20 arm-level events and > 200 chromosomal rearrangements in the DLBCL series. Of note, 33% of the mutational drivers were also perturbed by chromosomal rearrangements or CNAs, underscoring the importance of a comprehensive genetic analysis. In the large DLBCL series, we identified several previously unrecognized but potentially targetable alterations including mutations in NOTCH2 (8%) and TET2 (5%). The majority of identified chromosomal rearrangements involved translocations of potent regulatory regions to intact gene coding sequences. The most frequently rearrangements involved Ig regulatory elements which were translocated to BCL2, MYC, BCL6 and several additional genes with known roles in germinal center B-cell biology. After identifying recurrent somatic mutations, CNAs and chromosomal rearrangements, we performed hierarchical clustering and identified subsets of DLBCLs with comprehensive signatures comprised of specific alterations. A large subset of tumors shared recurrent alterations previously associated with follicular lymphoma including mutations of chromatin modifiers such as CREBBP, MLL2, and EZH2 in association with alterations of TNFRSF14 and GNA13 and translocations of BCL2. This cluster was enriched in GCB-type DLBCLs and contained a subset with select genetic alterations associated with an unfavorable outcome. An additional cohort of tumors was characterized by alterations perturbing B-cell differentiation including recurrent BCL6 translocations or alterations of PRDM1. A subset of these DLBCLs had alterations of NOTCH2 and additional pathway components or mutations of MYD88 in association with TNFAIP3, CD70 and EBF1, a master regulator of B-cell differentiation. An additional group of DLBCLs exhibited frequent MYD88 mutations in association with alterations of CD79B, PIM1, TBL1XR1 and ETV6 and BCL2 copy gain; these tumors were highly enriched for ABC-type DLBCLs. This coordinate signature and additional alterations of p53 pathway components were associated with outcome. We explored bases for the identified genetic alterations in DLBCL by performing an in silico mutational signature analysis. The most frequent mutational signatures were those of spontaneous deamination (aging) and AID with rare cases of microsatellite instability. We also assessed the clonality of identified genetic features to define cancer cell fraction and establish the timing of specific genetic events. The comprehensive genetic signatures of clinically annotated DLBCLs provide new insights regarding approaches to targeted therapy. Disclosures Link: Kite Pharma: Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding. Rodig:Perkin Elmer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Research Funding. Pfreundschuh:Boehringer Ingelheim, Celegene, Roche, Spectrum: Other: Advisory board; Roche: Honoraria; Amgen, Roche, Spectrum: Research Funding. Shipp:Gilead: Consultancy; Sanofi: Research Funding; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bayer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Abstract Blood cytokine elevations have been associated with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) such as follicular lymphoma (FL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Although other types of NHL have been studied, to our knowledge, cytokine deregulation in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) has not been comprehensively studied. In this study, we studied cytokine levels in untreated and relapsed MCL patients using a multiplex assay to determine the role of dysregulated cytokines in these patients and study any prognostic relevance that could be drawn from their effect on relapse and survival. Samples from two data sets of MCL patients were used for this study. The first dataset was pre-treatment serum samples from newly-diagnosed patients with MCL (n=88) from the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource. The second dataset included pre-treatment plasma samples from relapsed MCL patients (n=20) treated on the MC0048G clinical trial studying the effect of everolimus in lymphoma patients. In addition, unrelated controls from a case-control study of lymphoma were included (n=15 serum, n=24 plasma). Thirty cytokines were assessed using a multiplex ELISA. Differences between cytokines in cases and controls were assessed using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests; associations between cytokines and event-free survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models. In the newly diagnosed MCL patients, IL-10 (p<0.0001), IL-1RA (p=0.001), IL-6 (p= 0.04), sIL-2Rα (p=0.005), and MIG (p=0.002) were elevated compared to normal controls. The only significantly elevated cytokine in the recurrent MCL cases compared to controls was sIL-2Rα (p= 0.0006). High levels (above median) of sIL-2Rα levels were associated with inferior event-free-survival (EFS) in both newly diagnosed (HR=2.61 (95% CI: 1.41-4.81, p= 0.0022) and relapsed MCL (HR=2.90, 95% CI: 1.08-7.80, p=0.035) patients; this remained significant after adjusting for MIPI (p=0.01 and 0.03, respectively). Moreover, in the relapsed MCL group eotaxin (p< 0.0001), IL-12 (p< 0.0001), and MCP-1 (p= 0.0002) were suppressed compared to normal controls. We hypothesized that STAT3 (pSTAT3) in MCL cells might be the possible cause behind IL-12 suppression. Indeed, 12/13 MCL samples from IL-12-suppressed relapsed MCL patients were pSTAT3+. When studying the association between cytokine levels and clinical characteristics in both untreated and relapsed MCL groups, sIL-2R was significantly associated with the MIPI score in both untreated (p<0.0001) and relapsed (p=0.007) MCL groups; and with performance status (p=0.005), lymphoma stage (p=0.004), and B symptoms (p=0.006) in the newly diagnosed MCL group.Figure 1Event-free survival of patients with untreated and relapsed MCL by sIL-2R levels.Figure 1. Event-free survival of patients with untreated and relapsed MCL by sIL-2R levels. Our study shows that cytokines are deregulated in both untreated and relapsed MCL patients. It emphasizes on the importance of sIL-2R in its association with negative clinical parameters and worse prognosis in MCL. These findings gives the rational for using sIL-2R along with MIPI and other parameters in predicting prognosis and further to monitor response in MCL. Furthermore, we showed that IL-12 is suppressed in relapsed MCL group and that pSTAT3 expression is a possible mechanism behind this suppression. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of drugs that suppress pSTAT3 expression in IL-12 suppressed MCLs and disease progression in relapsed MCL patients. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Background. A recent meta-analysis of 9 case-control and 5 cohort studies reported a positive association of transfusion history with risk of NHL (RR=1.20; 95% CI 1.07-1.35), which was only evident in cohort (RR=1.25) and not case-control (RR=1.05) studies (Castillo et al., Blood 2010;116:2897-2907). Risk was similar in men and women, and for transfusions before or after 1992. In subset analyses, elevated risk was only apparent for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and not diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or follicular lymphoma, but power was low. To further investigate these findings, particularly from studies conducted after 1990, better assess confounding, and address heterogeneity by NHL subtypes, we conducted an individual-level, pooled analysis of 13 case-control studies in the InterLymph Consortium (including 11 studies conducted after 1990; 8 studies were not included in the published meta-analysis). Methods. There were a total of 10,805 cases and 14,026 controls with transfusion data from 13 studies conducted in Europe, North America, and Australia. Transfusion history and other risk factors were self-reported in interviewer-administered or self-administered questionnaires. All risk factor data were harmonized centrally, and cases were grouped into NHL subtypes according to the WHO classification using guidelines from the InterLymph Pathology Working Group. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, and study center. Results. The median age at diagnosis was 60 years for cases (range, 18-97) and 59 years for controls (range, 16-97). The overall prevalence of a history of any transfusion in controls was 15.5%, was higher in women (18.6%) than men (13.0%), and increased with age, but was not associated with race/ethnicity (Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, other) or geographic region after adjusting for age and sex. Among whites, history of any transfusion was inversely associated with NHL risk among men (OR=0.74; 95% CI 0.65-0.83) but not women (OR=0.92; 95% CI 0.83-1.03); there were no significant results for other race/ethnicity groups, and ORs were highly variable and imprecise due to small sample sizes. Thus analyses were restricted to white men, where there was no trend with the number of transfusions, time since first transfusion, age at first transfusion, or decade of first transfusion. Further adjustment for socioeconomic status, body mass index, smoking, alcohol use or hepatitis C virus (HCV) seropositivity did not alter these results. The associations were stronger in hospital-based (OR=0.56; 95% CI 0.45-0.70) than population-based (OR=0.84; 95% CI 0.72-0.98) studies, and were stronger in studies from Southern Europe (OR=0.53; 95% CI 0.36-0.79) than northern Europe (OR=0.67; 95% CI 0.53-0.83) or North America (OR=0.82; 95% CI 0.70-0.98). For NHL subtypes, statistically significant inverse associations were observed for follicular lymphoma (OR=0.70; 95% CI 0.56-0.88), DLBCL (OR=0.72; 95% CI 0.59-0.87), and CLL/SLL (OR=0.67; 95% CI 0.52-0.87), whereas weaker and non-statistically significant associations were observed for mantle cell (OR=0.81; 95% CI 0.54-1.23), marginal zone (OR=0.78; 95% CI 0.54-1.15), lymphoplasmacytic (OR=0.82; 95% CI 0.47-1.42) and peripheral T-cell (OR=0.83; 95% CI 0.49-1.40) lymphomas. Conclusion. Contrary to earlier results, transfusion history was inversely associated with risk of NHL and the common subtypes of follicular lymphoma, DLBCL and CLL/SLL among white men, whereas associations were null among white women and other racial/ethnic groups. These results were not explained by confounding by lifestyle factors or HCV seropositivity, era of first transfusion, hospital versus population-based study design, or geographic location. Despite dramatic changes in transfusion practice over the past 40 years, results were similar for decade of first transfusion, suggesting secular trends are a less likely explanation. Our results are unexpected and bias cannot be ruled out. Further studies, particularly cohort studies, are needed to clarify the role of transfusion history in NHL risk. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Introduction: Several B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma (MM), are known to have a familial component to disease risk. Although several common inherited genetic variants have been found to be associated with risk of these malignancies, a large proportion of the heritability remains unexplained. Here we set out to identify rare high-penetrance susceptibility variants for CLL and MM using the established Mayo Clinic family study of B-cell malignancies. Methods: We performed exome sequencing on germ line DNA of 106 families with either two or more members with CLL (n=93 families) or two or more members with MM or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) (n=13 families) using Aglient capture kits. All samples were sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq2000. Bioinformatics analyses leveraged the following software packages: Novoalign, Picard, The Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK), and the Biological Reference Repository (bioR). Quality control filters were implemented; subjects with mis-specified relationships were removed as were variants with <95% call rate or <20x coverage, and those variants identified as sequencing artifacts. To identify potentially functional single nucleotide variants, the following was required a) uncommon in public databases, b) cosegregating variants in multiple families, c) variants to be highly conserved and in coding regions, and d) functional prediction status of deleterious (SIFT score), damaging (PolyPhen score), and a moderate, or high variant impact (SNPEffect). The association of these variants with risk was then evaluated in large samples of cases and controls in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Results: In the CLL familial cohort, there were 443 individuals (160 with CLL, 73 with monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL), and 210 relatives without CLL or MBL) sequenced; and in the MM cohort, there were 39 individuals (13 with MM, 13 with MGUS and 13 without MM or MGUS) sequenced. A total of 61,992 single nucleotide variants passed quality control filters in the CLL cohort and 39,456 single nucleotide variants in the MM cohort. From these, we identified 32 variants in the CLL cohort and 39 variants in the MM cohort that were cosegregating in multiple CLL or MM families, respectively, and were predicted to affect protein structure or function. Of these, one CLL variant was within 1 Mb of a known GWAS-discovered locus. Moreover, there were seven CLL and four MM variants that were within 1 Mb of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that had statistical significance between p<10-4 and p<10-6 in GWAS. Finally, there were 3 variants found to be common between CLL and MM families (see Table). Conclusions: Through whole exome sequencing, we identified a number of rare, highly penetrant predisposition variants for CLL and MM. Several of these variants were common to both B-cell malignancies providing evidence of shared genetic components; one variant may be a functional driver of the GWAS-discovered loci. These identified variants provide a list for future validation studies. Table: Exome variants common in both Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Multiple Myeloma SNP ID rs41314099 rs61754114 rs143025033 Chromosome 17 6 7 Gene WSCD1 BACH2 TNS3 Penetrance (CLL) 0.70 0.75 0.80 Penetrance (MM) 1.00 0.80 0.75 Allele Frequency (CLL) 0.015 0.025 0.017 Allele Frequency (MM) 0.077 0.077 0.058 1000 Genome Frequency (European) 0.010 0.020 0.010 SIFT Term Deleterious Deleterious Deleterious PolyPhen Term Probably Damaging Probably Damaging Probably Damaging SNP: Single Nucleotide Polymorphism; CLL: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia; MM: Multiple Myeloma; Penetrance is defined as proportion of individuals carrying the alternate allele that are also affected; SIFT: Sorting Intolerant From Tolerant, predicts whether an amino acid substitution affects protein function; PolyPhen: Polymorphism Phenotyping, predicts possible impact of an amino acid substitution on the structure of a human protein Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Background: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent lymphoma generally considered incurable with current standard therapies. Recent advances have resulted in prolongation of overall survival (OS) for patients with FL such that death from competing causes may now limit the mortality impact of FL in some patient groups. Identification of patients for whom FL related mortality is expected to be minimal, or conversely those at high risk of disease related mortality, is highly clinically relevant. We recently reported (Maurer et al, JCO 2014;32:1066-73) that event-free survival (EFS) at 24 months from diagnosis is a robust endpoint for disease related outcome in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Here we use the same approach to assess if landmark timepoints of EFS can stratify subsequent OS in FL. Methods: All newly diagnosed grade 1-3a FL patients enrolled on the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER) from 2002-2011 were eligible. Patients with grade 3b FL, transformation, or presence of DLBCL at diagnosis were excluded. EFS was defined as time from diagnosis to progression, relapse, re-treatment, or death due to any cause. EFS12 was defined based on EFS status 12 months after date of diagnosis; we also assessed EFS at 24 months. OS was defined as time from a specific timepoint (diagnosis, event, or EFS12) until death due to any cause. OS was compared to age and sex matched survival in the general US population using an expected survival approach and standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Outcomes were examined in all patients as well as selected subsets defined by initial treatment. Replication was performed using a Lyon, France hospital registry of newly diagnosed grade 1-3a FL patients enrolled from 2002-2010 with survival compared to French population data. Results: 936 patients with grade 1-3a FL were eligible from the MER. The median age at diagnosis was 60 years (range 19-91) and 53% were male. 86% had grade 1-2 disease and 14% grade 3a disease. 23% had high-risk disease (FLIPI score ≥3). 347 (37%) were initially treated with alkylator or anthracyline based immunochemotherapy (IC), 113 (12%) rituximab monotherapy (RM), and 318 (34%) were initially observed; the remaining patients received radiation for limited stage disease (8%), chemotherapy without rituximab (4%), or other therapy (5%). At a median follow-up of 59 months (range 1-131), 403 patients (43%) had an event and 120 patients (13%) had died; 155 patients (17%) failed to achieve EFS12. From diagnosis, patients with FL had inferior OS compared to the general population (SMR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.03-1.48, p=0.018); results were similar for patients with grade 1-2 (SMR=1.23) and grade 3a (SMR=1.29) disease. The survival deficit was eliminated in patients who achieved EFS12 (SMR=0.85, 95% CI: 0.66-1.09, p=0.20, Fig 1a), and so we did not pursue modeling EFS24. In contrast, patients with a non-death event (relapse, retreatment, or progression) within 12 months of diagnosis had inferior subsequent OS (SMR=3.90, 95% CI: 2.89-5.25, p=4.8x10-19, Fig 1b). These results were replicated in 153 FL patients from the Lyon registry: patients who achieved EFS12 had equivalent subsequent OS to the general French population (SMR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.39-1.72, p=0.60, Fig 1c), while patients who failed to achieve EFS12 had poor subsequent OS (SMR=4.16, 95% CI: 1.34-12.91, p=0.013, Fig 1d). In subset analysis of the MER, patients achieving EFS12 initially treated with IC (SMR=0.98, 95% CI: 0.63-1.54, p=0.93), RM (SMR=0.66, 95% CI: 0.31-1.38, p=0.27), or observation (SMR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.47-1.15, p=0.18) had equivalent OS to the population. In contrast, for patients not achieving EFS12, OS after event was inferior for those treated with IC (SMR=15.0, 95% CI: 10.22-22.05, p=2.0x10-43) or RM (SMR=4.96, 95% CI: 1.24-19.84, p=0.023), while trending towards inferior for those initially observed (SMR=1.55, 95% CI: 0.81-2.99, p=0.19). Summary: Events within the first 12 months of diagnosis are associated with poor OS in FL, especially in patients treated with IC, while patients achieving EFS12 have excellent subsequent survival, overall and in the main treatment subsets. Prognosis for FL patients should be recalibrated at 12 months from diagnosis. EFS12 will be useful in counseling and should be considered as an endpoint in studies of newly diagnosed FL. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether quality of life (QOL) scores at diagnosis predict survival among patients with aggressive lymphoma, controlling for clinical variables and histological subtype. Patients and Methods: Newly diagnosed lymphoma patients were prospectively enrolled within 9 months of diagnosis in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource. Eligibility criteria included age ≥18 years; exclusion criteria included HIV-positive, non-US residency, and inability to participate in an interview conducted in the English language. All pathology was reviewed by a lymphoma hematopathologist. For purposes of this analysis, we considered “aggressive lymphoma” to include the histological subtypes diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL) grade III, mantle cell lymphoma, T-cell lymphoma excluding mycosis fungoides and cutaneous types, and other (Burkitt lymphoma, high grade B-cell lymphoma NOS, grey zone, etc). Baseline QOL was measured at time of registry enrollment with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment-General scale (FACT-G), which measures 4 QOL domains: physical, social/family, emotional, and functional well-being (WB); a single item Linear Analogue Self Assessment (LASA) for measuring overall QOL; and a LASA measuring spiritual WB. Patients who did not complete ≥80% of FACT-G QOL questions were excluded. Clinical data were abstracted and patients were systematically followed for event-free and overall survival (EFS, OS). QOL scores were transformed to a 0-100 scale for modeling. Generalized additive models were used to account for timing of QOL assessment in relation to treatment and diagnosis; residuals from these models were then used to assess association between QOL measures and outcome via univariate and multivariable (adjusted for IPI and subtype) Cox proportional hazards models. Results: From September 2002 to December 2009, 701 patients with aggressive lymphoma who completed baseline QOL questionnaires were enrolled and eligible for this analysis. ; Subtype was 60% DLBCL, 14% mantle cell, 11% FL grade III, 13% T-cell, and 1% other subtypes. The median age was 62 years (range 18-92), and 58% were male. At a median follow-up of 71 months (range 6-128), 316 patients (45%) had an event and 228 patients (33%) died. Patient-reported QOL was prior to therapy in 330 patients (47%) and after initiation of therapy in 371 (53%). The median overall FACT-G total score was 83 (IQR 70-93), and the median scores on the functional WB, physical WB, emotional WB, and social/family WB were 18 (13-23), 22 (17-26), 18 (16-21), and 25 (22-27), respectively. 42 patients (6%) reported a clinically deficient QOL score on the FACT-G (score ≤50 on 0-100 scale). When comparing QOL scores between those who were on active therapy versus those who were not yet treated, physical WB (p<0.0001) functional WB (p=0.00014), and total FACT-G (p=0.0013) were lower in those on active treatment. All QOL measures but emotional WB were significantly associated with OS (all p<0.04), and all but LASA spiritual WB remained significant after adjusting for IPI and NHL subtype. Associations were stronger for OS than EFS. For OS, the strongest associations were with total FACT-G (adjusted HR=0.86, 95% CI: 0.79-0.94, p=0.00062) and functional WB (adjusted HR=0.88, 95% CI: 0.83-0.93, p<0.0001). The one-question QOL LASA was also associated with OS (adjusted HR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.87-0.97, p=0.0041). The strongest association with EFS was with functional WB (adjusted HR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.88-0.97, p=0.0015). Patients with a clinically deficient QOL (baseline overall QOL ≤50) had a median OS of 59 months compared to 121 months for patients with baseline QOL >50, p=0.0002, figure 1. In a sensitivity analysis, raw QOL was modeled for OS and EFS in the subset of patients with QOL assessed prior to treatment; hazard ratios were consistent with the adjusted QOL HR in all patients. Conclusions: In this large sample of patients with aggressive lymphoma, baseline QOL is predictive of OS and EFS, even after adjustment for known factors related to survival (IPI and histological subtype). This provides evidence that patient-reported outcomes are as important as other more objective previously confirmed IPI measures. QOL should be assessed at diagnosis as a prognostic factor in patients with aggressive lymphoma. Figure 1 Association of QOL with overall survival. Figure 1. Association of QOL with overall survival. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Abstract 3708 Background: There are few prospective studies on disease characteristics, patterns of care, response, and outcomes in elderly FL patients (pts) in the US. The NLCS is a Genentech-sponsored prospective multicenter registry study that collects this information without study-specific treatment. We utilized the NLCS database to better understand the impact of age on FL outcome. Patients and Methods: All evaluable pts with FL histology in the NLCS were included except pts with FL plus other lymphoma histology or pts who progressed before first treatment or before being assigned to watchful waiting (WW). Using Pearson Chi-Square tests, associations of age groups (≤60, 61–70, >70) with disease characteristics and overall response (ORR) were examined. Median PFS and OS by treatment regimen were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods for each age group. Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for baseline factors (grade, number of nodal sites, LDH, Hgb, stage, performance status (PS), bone marrow (BM) involvement, race, and treatment center type) were used to assess treatment differences in PFS and OS and the significance of age by treatment interactions. Results: Of 2,647 pts, 47% (n=1,254) were ≤60 yrs, 25% (n=666) were 61–70 yrs, and 27% (n=727) were >70 yrs (min age of 22; max of 97). Compared with pts ≤60 yrs, pts 61–70 and >70 were more likely to be white (93% >70, 92% 61–70, and 88% ≤60, P=.02 and .02 respectively), have stage I/II disease (37% >70, 36% 61–70, and 29% ≤60, P=.0008 and .0003), have <5 nodal sites (73% >70, 69% 61–70, and 61% ≤60, P=.001 and <.0001), and have poor-risk FLIPI (53% >70, 51% 61–70, and 15% ≤60, P<.0001 and <.0001). Compared with pts ≤60, elderly pts (>70) were more likely to have FL grade 3 (24% vs 18%, P=.01). While there were no differences in geographic distribution by age, elderly pts were more likely to receive therapy at community practices (86%) versus academic institutions than pts ≤60 (77%, P<.0001) or 61–70 (81%, P=.004). Treatments varied significantly by age (P<.0001). More elderly pts were observed compared to pts ≤60 (23% vs19%). When treated, elderly pts (22%) were more likely to receive rituximab (R) monotherapy compared with patients aged 61–70 (12%) or ≤60 (10%). When chemotherapy alone or plus R was given, elderly pts were less likely to receive anthracyclines (45% vs 65% (61–70) and 68% (≤60)). Among all variables, only grade 3 histology predicted anthracycline use in all age groups. Lack of BM involvement predicted anthracycline use for younger pts (≤60 and 61–70). Of those ≤60, white pts were more likely to receive anthracyclines, and of those 61–70, those with ≥5 nodal sites were more likely to receive anthracyclines. ORRs were similar across age groups receiving similar regimens with R plus chemo providing the highest ORR. Adjusting for baseline factors, treatment (WW, R, R-Chemo, or other) benefit varied for each age group in terms of PFS (P=.02), with treatment outcomes being most differentiated among younger pts (Table). PFS appeared shorter in elderly pts regardless of the treatment received. No significant interaction between age and efficacy of anthracycline in terms of PFS or OS was observed (P-values >.65), but the overall effect of anthracycline for all pts was beneficial for PFS (HR=0.80, P=.02) and OS (HR=0.67, P=.003). Median OS was 8 years for elderly and not reached for others. After adjusting for baseline factors, no significant differences in treatment impact by age on OS were seen. Elevated LDH, reduced Hgb, stage III/IV, PS ≥1, and BM involvement were all significantly associated with shortened OS. These factors were also significantly associated with treatment choice, as worse-prognosis elderly pts were more likely to receive either R or R+chemo than WW or other treatment. Conclusions: FL pts >70 yrs more commonly received R alone and less commonly received anthracyclines when treated with chemotherapy. The impact of anthracyclines on PFS did not vary by age, but differences in PFS for other treatment regimens showed a stronger association among younger pts Disclosures: Nabhan: Genentech: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Byrtek:Genentech, Inc., a member of the Riche Group: Employment, Equity Ownership. Dawson:Genentech, Inc., a member of the Riche Group: Employment, Equity Ownership. Link:Genentech, Inc., a member of the Riche Group: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Spectrum: Consultancy. Friedberg:Genentech: Consultancy. Cerhan:Genentech: National LymphoCare Scientific Advisory Board Other. Flowers:Celgene: Consultancy; Prescription Solutions: Consultancy; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy; Millennium: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy; GIlead: Research Funding; Spectrum: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Lymphoma Research Foundation: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Abstract To date, whole genome and exome sequencing studies of follicular lymphoma (FL) have primarily focused on identification of small site mutations that are recurrent in FL tumorigenesis or involved in tumor clonal evolution. A comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic survey of various mutation types including large structural variants (SVs) in FL cases with detailed clinical annotations and long-term follow-up has not been accomplished. To gain insight into genetic biomarkers that may predict clinical features, we performed exome and whole genome mate-pair sequencing of fresh frozen tumor and paired peripheral blood DNAs, and transcriptome sequencing of tumor RNAs, from 8 FL patients. The patients we selected were either below the median age of FL onset (n=7, median 54.5 yrs) or had a family history of lymphoma (n=1). These patients were clinically diverse, and included patients who had Grade 1 or 2 disease (n=4), classified as “indolent”; and patients with Grade 3a disease (n=2) or who subsequently had pathologic transformation (n=2), classified as “aggressive”. The coding regions of the genome (exome) were captured using Agilent SureSelect Target Capture Kit V2.0, and sequenced at 100-bp paired-end. The single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and small insertions and deletions (INDELs) were called using The Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK), and the exon level copy number variants (CNVs) we identified using patternCNV. The whole-genome mate-pair libraries of both normal and tumor DNAs with 3kb insert sizes were sequenced paired end at 50-bp. The large SVs of CNVs, large INDELs, translocations, and inversions were identified using the SnowShoes-SV algorithm. The RNA sequencing libraries of 8 FL tumors were constructed using Illumina TruSeq protocol, and sequenced at 50-bp paired end. The RNA-Seq data were analyzed using TopHat and the fusion transcripts were identified using SnowShoes-FTD. Our analysis of SNVs and INDELs revealed mutations in previously reported genes including MLL2, CREBBP, TNFRSF14, and histone cluster genes (HIST1H2AM, HIST1H2BD). In addition, we identified novel recurrent mutations in cysteine-rich PAK1 inhibitor (CRIPAK) in 25% of the tumors. In a secondary analysis performed by Sanger sequencing or re-analysis of publically available RNA sequencing data, we identified CRIPAK mutations in 44% of FL (n=32) and 28% of DLBCL tumors (n=102). Bioinformatics analysis shows that the coding region of CRIPAK is highly enriched with the protein functional domain, post-SET, which is usually found in histone lysine methyltransferases (HMTase) genes including MLL2 and EZH2 that are known to be important in lymphomagenesis. Interestingly, CRIPAK is part of the same regulatory network consisted of previously identified lymphoma genes including MLL2, EZH2, CREBBP, and EP300, according to the shortest path algorithm by MetaCore (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Recurrent SVs identified in the FL tumors included the well-known IGH-BCL2 translocation, or t(14;18), in 6 out of 8 cases (75%) and the chr1q amplifications in 4 out of 8 (50%) tumors. Other non-recurrent large CNVs involving entire chromosomes or chromosome arms, as well as other inter- and intra-chromosomal structural variants were detected in individual tumors. In addition, we identified and validated 6 fusion transcripts from the transcriptome sequencing data in 3 out of 8 cases (38%). While our sample size is small, we found that SNVs and INDELs in MLL2, CREBBP, TNFRSF14, CRIPAK, and histone cluster genes, as well as t(14;18), did not distinguish indolent or aggressive tumors. However, all aggressive (4/4, 100%) and none of the indolent tumors had gains in chr1q; and the presence of RNA fusion transcripts were observed in aggressive tumors only (3/4, 75%). Additionally, we found that aggressive tumors had higher numbers of genes with point mutations (SNVs and short INDELs) (40 ± 7.6 vs. 26 ± 2.6; aggressive vs. indolent), higher numbers of genes impacted by copy number aberrations (1060 ± 263.7 vs. 233 ± 133.9), and higher numbers of large SVs (24 ± 10 vs. 6 ± 1.6). Taken together, our comprehensive analysis of 8 FL tumors reveals genetic diversity among newly diagnosed FL patients, identifies novel and recurrent mutations in CRIPAK, and finds that high tumor complexity and DNA instability may be indicators of aggressive disease. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.