e19530 Background: Intensive chemotherapy (IC) regimens are rarely used in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) for many reasons including advanced age at diagnosis, the frailty of these patients, the presence of several comorbidities and potentially increased mortality when such regimens are used. Additionally, very little literature exists on its safety and long-term benefit in this population. Aim: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of IC regimens in patients with MDS. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and Cochrane databases from each database's inception from 1990 to January 27th, 2020. Keywords include: “MDS”, “induction chemotherapy” and “remission induction”. Studies evaluating different IC regimens with MDS were included. IC studies for patients with relapsed/ refractory MDS were excluded. Studies that combined acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and MDS outcomes were excluded. The random-effects model was used to pool relative risks and incidence rates. Main endpoints were overall remission rates (ORR), 30- and 60-days mortality, 1-year, 2-year and 5-year overall survival (OS). Results: Characteristics: From 2001 records, we included 13 studies [1,164 patients, median age 60.1 years (range, 17-88), males 58.9%, 58.4% patients had abnormal cytogenetics, median bone marrow blasts 17.8% (range 4 -29%), 4 studies were randomized]. Induction outcome: IC regimes included “7+3, FLAG, s-HAM, and few other regimens. Response: ORR was 55%, including 52% CR rate. Safety: 30- and 60-days mortality were 7%, 15%, respectively. Survival outcome: median survival was 11.6 months, 1-year, 2-year and 5-year OS were 48%, 21% and 5%, respectively. Randomized studies comparison: adding growth factors to IC did not show statistically significant effects on outcomes regarding induction mortality, ORR and OS (p-value > .05). Conclusions: IC is rarely used in MDS patients and its use is associated with high mortality rates and low long-term survival. Limitations to our studies include the long span of this review over 3 decades and the difficulty of using published studies that combines MDS and AML patients’ outcome. More studies are needed in this population of interest in the future.
The differential diagnosis of basophilia in patients undergoing BCR‐ABL testing
American Journal of Hematology | April 21, 2020 | Volume: 95 | Issue: 9 | Pages: No page available
e18549 Background: Many vitamin deficiencies can cause anemia. It is prudent prior to diagnosing a myeloid neoplasm, to check for vitamin deficiencies and correct them. Myelodysplastic syndromes with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS) are associated with anemia. Pyridoxine (Vit B6) replacement may improve anemia found in sideroblastic anemia. The study was to determine how frequently Vit B6 was assessed, replaced and impact replacement had on outcomes in MDS-RS. Methods: Study subjects were from the Mayo Clinic Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) database which contains 1315 patients (pts). Appropriate IRB approval was obtained. Diagnosis of MDS and its sub-classification was done according to World Health Organization 2016 criteria. A response was any improvement in hemoglobin. Overall survival (OS) estimates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves and univariate and multivariate analysis was done using JMP software version 13. Results: Among 1315 pts with MDS, 161 pts had a diagnosis of MDS-RS. Median age was 73, and 55 (34%) pts were females. Thirty-nine (36%) pts had very low, 53 (50%) low, 9 (8%) intermediate, 3 (3%) high, and 2 (1%) had very high revised international prognostic score. The median white blood cell count was 5.4 x109, platelet count was 255 x109, and hemoglobin was 9.9 gm/dL. Five pts (3%) had a Vit B6 levels done; out of whom, 4 (80%) were not Vit B6 deficient. Among 42 (26%) pts who had Vit B6 replacement, 21 (50%) had no response, 4 (10%) had a response and 17 (40%) had unknown response. 103 (64%) of the pts were transfusion independent (TI). Overall survival in pts who are transfusion dependent was 68 months compared to 85 in pts who are TI (Wilcoxon P =.03). There was an improvement in OS in the group that had Vit B6 replacement compared to the group with no Vit B6 replacement (92 months vs 68 months, Wilcoxon P =.07). Response to Vit B6 replacement did not show OS benefit. Acute Leukemia transformation in Vit B6 replacement was 2% and 6% in pts. who did not have Vit B6 replacement (P= .4). Conclusions: Vit B6 was not checked often in MDS-RS pts. There was a borderline improvement in OS in Vit B6 replacement group (p= .07). Response did not affect OS. A larger prospective study is needed to study Vit B6 role in MDS-RS.
Discrepancy of blast percentage between the bone marrow aspirate and biopsy and its impact on survival outcomes in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes excess blast (MDS-EB).
Journal of Clinical Oncology | March 12, 2020 | Volume: 37 | Issue: 15_suppl | Pages: 7053-7053
7053 Background: The revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) aids in prognosticating MDS. The percentage (%) of blasts in the bone marrow is one of the major determinants of the scoring system. The aspirate blast % is utilized as the standard of care, but there could be discrepancies in the blast % reported by the aspirate and the biopsy. We aim to study the possible use of bone marrow biopsy blasts in MDS-EB in calculating IPSS-R. Methods: The MDS database was reviewed for cases of MDS-EB after due IRB approval. We calculated IPSS-R scores based on the aspirate blast % (IPSS-RAsp) and biopsy blast % (IPSS-RBx). The biopsy blast % was reported morphologically or by the CD34 stain. Whenever a range was reported the highest value was utilized as the blast %. Suboptimal aspirates were excluded from the study. The overall survival (OS) was determined by IPSS-RAsp, IPSS-RBx and IPSS-R highest blast (IPSS-RHi). OS estimates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank testing using JMP v.13. Uno’s concordance statistic was used to compare all 3 risk scoring systems. Results: Of 1322 patients, 431 (33%) cases were identified with MDS-EB; out of which 173 cases had both blasts reported in the biopsy and the aspirate. Out of 173 cases, 35 (20%) had MDS-EB1, and 61 (35%) had MDS EB-2 based on both biopsy and aspirate (concordant cases). Seventy seven (45%) patients changed from EB-1 to EB2 or vice versa based on the biopsy blast (44/77 (57%) cases were upstaged). The OS outcomes based on the IPSS-RBx biopsy showed a clear and meaningful separation with median OS decreasing with increased risk but IPSS-RAsp and IPSS-RHi did not (Table). We compared the 3 models for observed OS differences using the Uno model and there was no statistically significant difference. Conclusions: IPSS-RBx (but not IPSS-RAsp and IPSS-RHi) identified prognostic groups for OS with median OS decreasing with increased risk. The small sample size may have led to an insignificant effect on model power by Uno model. This finding needs to be validated by other centers. [Table: see text]
Clinical features, molecular aberrations, treatments, and outcomes in histiocytic sarcoma.
Journal of Clinical Oncology | March 12, 2020 | Volume: 37 | Issue: 15_suppl | Pages: 7020-7020
7020 Background: Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is a rare and aggressive malignancy of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. There is a paucity of data on treatments and outcomes in HS. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of HS from 2000-2018. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests were used to perform overall survival (OS) analyses. Hazard ratios (HR) with confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Cox-proportional hazards. Results: There were 27 patients in the study (median age 59; range 3-83) and 63% were males. Nine had unifocal involvement and 18 had multifocal disease. Common sites involved were lymph node (50%), soft tissue (40%), bone (36%), and bone marrow (22%). Two of 8 patients had the BRAF-V600E mutation. Next-generation sequencing was performed on 8 patients and showed ≥1 oncogenic alterations (DNMT3A, FLT4, KRAS, NRAS, NUP98, PTCH1, PTPN11, TP53, TSC1, PDGFR, or BRAF genes) as well as a CLIP2-BRAF fusion. The median OS for the cohort was 12 months. Factors associated with worse OS included multifocal disease (OS 10 vs. 125 months, p = 0.03; HR 5.0, CI 1.1-21.8) and marrow involvement (OS 3 vs. 43 months, p = 0.003; HR 8.9, CI 1.7-45.0). Twelve (44%) had surgery with median OS of 42 months (range 1-125). Fifteen had chemotherapy with median OS of 12 months (range 2-67; Table). Conclusions: HS is an aggressive neoplasm, with multifocal disease and bone marrow involvement portending worse outcomes. Most patients have somatic oncogenic alterations involving the MAPK-ERK pathway and other genes. Chemotherapeutic regimens have variable response rates but are not durable. More studies on targeted kinase inhibitors in HS are needed to improve outcomes. [Table: see text]
Adult Langerhans cell histiocytosis: A contemporary single-institution series of 186 patients.
Journal of Clinical Oncology | March 12, 2020 | Volume: 37 | Issue: 15_suppl | Pages: 7018-7018
7018 Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare histiocytic neoplasm driven by MAPK-ERK mutations in majority of patients. Contemporary data on treatments and outcomes in adult LCH are lacking. Hence, we undertook this study to analyze a large cohort of adult LCH patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study of adult (≥18 years) LCH patients seen at our institution between 1998 and 2018. Results: We included 186 patients with adult LCH (median age 43; 19-88), and 54% were females. 70% of patients were diagnosed after 2007. Common presenting symptoms were cough/dyspnea (30%), rash (17%), pain/swelling in head (17%), and diabetes insipidus (10%). 70 (38%) patients had multisystem LCH, 62 (33%) had isolated pulmonary LCH, and 35 (19%) had unifocal LCH. Common sites of involvement included lung (59%), bone (37%), skin (21%), and nervous system (16%). 121 (65%) were smokers; 48% of these had lung disease, while 52% had multisystem disease. 18 of 31 tested (58%) patients had BRAF-V600E mutation. Most common first-line treatment was smoking cessation in 24 patients, and led to an overall response rate (ORR) of 83% in pulmonary lesions. Radiation therapy was used in 11 patients, and led to an ORR 82%. Surgical resection of lesion was done in 23 patients, with relapses in 24%. Systemic therapies were used in 78 (42%) patients (Table). Most common first-line systemic therapy was cladribine with ORR of 78%. Vemurafenib was used in 3 patients with BRAF-V600E, leading to an ORR of 67% . After a median follow-up of 23 months (0-261), 21 patients had died. Of these, 10 died of progressive LCH. Median OS was not reached, and mean OS was 196 months. Conclusions: This is the largest contemporary series of adult LCH. It shows that diverse clinical spectrum, ranging from benign course to a progressive multisystem disease. Although smoking cessation was an effective treatment for pulmonary LCH, a large subset required systemic chemotherapy. [Table: see text]
Clinical outcomes of adults with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis treated with the HLH-04 protocol: a retrospective analysis
Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is currently the only potentially curative therapy in eligible patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens that have been developed to extend HSCT to older patients resulted in encouraging outcomes. However, several retrospective studies have raised concerns about disease control when RIC is used in MDS and the ideal conditioning regimen has not yet been found. In this study, we aimed to compare two most commonly used RIC regimens; intravenous use of fludarabine with busulfan (FluBu) and fludarabine with melphalan (FluMel). Study population: Through the CIBMTR, after excluding patients with ex-vivo T cell depletion, we identified 1045 MDS patients aged ≥ 60 years and underwent first HSCT with matched related or matched (8/8) unrelated donor (MRD and MUD) using RIC between 2007-2016. RIC was defined via CIBMTR criteria as a regimen that incorporated an IV busulfan (BU) total dose ≤ 7.2 mg/kg or low-dose melphalan (MEL) total dose ≤ 150 mg/m2. By that, we identified 697 MDS patients who received FluBu (BU 6.4 mg/kg: 87%, BU 3.2 mg/kg: 13%) and 448 receiving FluMel (MEL 140 mg/m2: 80%, MEL 100 mg/m2: 20%). Results: The two groups, FluBu and FluMel, were comparable for disease and transplant related characteristics except the more frequent use of ATG or Campath in FluBu group (39% vs. 31%). The median age was 67 in both groups, and 26% and 19% of FluBu and FluMel groups were aged ³70, respectively. Hematopoietic comorbidity index (HCT-CI) was ³3 in 61% and 59% of FluBu and FluMel groups and MDS risk score by CIBMTR at HCT was high/very high in 34% in both groups. FluMel was associated with a reduced relapse incidence (RI) after HSCT compared with FluBu as presented in Table 1 and Table 2. Adjusted RI at 1-year was 43% with FluBu and 25% with FluMel (p=<0.0001). On the other hand, transplant related mortality (TRM) was higher with FluMel compared with FluBu (27% vs. 15%, p=<0.0001). The difference persisted at 2- and 3-years after HSCT as presented in the figure. Since the magnitude of improvement in RI was greater with FluMel than the improvement in TRM with FluBu, disease-free survival (DFS) was improved at 1-year and beyond with FluMel compared with FluBu (48% vs. 41% at 1-year, p=0.030, and 38% vs 28% at 3-years, p=0.0030). These outcome differences remained significant when sensitivity analyses were performed excluding patients who received RIC with either BU 3.2 mg/kg or Mel 100 mg/m2. FluMel, did not lead to higher incidence of severe grade 3-4 aGvHD (HR=1.2, 95%CI, 0.9-1.6, p=0.3) or chronic GvHD (HR=0.9, 95%CI=0.7-1.06, p=0.2). However, grade 2-4 aGVHD was observed more often with FluMel than FluBu (HR=1.3, 95%CI, 1.1-1.6, p=0.006). This led to inferior outcomes of GRFS within the first 2 months with FluMel (HR=1.9, HR=1.4-2.6, p<0.001) but superior outcomes of GRFS beyond 2 months with FluMel compared with FluBu (HR=0.7, 95%CI=0.6-0.8, p<0.001). Conclusion: Our results suggest that between the two most commonly used RIC regimens in older MDS patients, FluMel was associated with superior DFS and overall survival compared with FluBu due to reduced RI despite higher TRM. Disclosures Oran: AROG pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Astex pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Nakamura:Kirin Kyowa: Other: support for an academic seminar in a university in Japan; Alexion: Other: support to a lecture at a Japan Society of Transfusion/Cellular Therapy meeting ; Celgene: Other: support for an academic seminar in a university in Japan; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Scott:Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Alexion: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Research Funding; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Agios: Speakers Bureau. Popat:Jazz: Consultancy; Incyte: Research Funding; Bayer: Research Funding.
Clinical utility of fluorescence in situ hybridization‐based diagnosis of BCR‐ABL1 like (Philadelphia chromosome like) B‐acute lymphoblastic leukemia
American Journal of Hematology | January 10, 2020 | Volume: 95 | Issue: 3 | Pages: No page available