Villasboas, José C.

Abstract Introduction Immunoglobulin M monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (IgM MGUS) is a relatively common pre-malignant condition that may progress to Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), an incurable low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The acquisition of genomic alterations in a multistep process of progression is likely a central mechanism responsible for the progression of IgM MGUS to WM, leading to increased tumor burden and end-organ damage. The exact role of the immune system in this process is still poorly characterized. The modulation of the immune system by malignant cells leading to anti-lymphoma immunity or immune evasion is a well-stablished principle associated with lymphoma survival and progression, respectively. The understanding of the pathobiology of IgM MGUS and WM has grown significantly over the last few years; however, most of the past research has focused on genetics and flow cytometric analysis of malignant cells. The introduction of CyTOF, a novel platform coupling mass spectometry with single-cell flow cytometry using antibody-metal isotope pairs, has allowed a broader single-cell analysis and the study of functional profiles. We here report the use of CyTOF technology to comprehensively profile the immune system of patients with IgM MGUS and WM. Methods Viably-cryopreserved (DMSO 10%) single-cell suspensions containing peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 15 patients (WM n=9 and IgM MGUS n=6) were used in this study. Recovered cells (1-3 x 106 per sample) were stained with a 30-parameter surface protein CyTOF panel designed to characterize multiple cell types and profile the immune system. Nucleated cellular events were identified using a DNA intercalator conjugated to natural abundance iridium (191Ir and 193Ir). Cisplatin (195Pt) was used for dead-live cell discrimination and calibration beads containing natural abundance cerium (140/142Ce), europium (151/153Eu), holmium (165Ho), and lutetium (175/176Lu) were used for normalization of the instrument signal. CyTOF analysis of normalized files was carried out using the Astrolabe Diagnostics platform. Cell clusters were assigned using the FlowSOM package and differential abundance analysis was performed using the edgeR package. Analysis is adjusted for multiple comparisons. Results The median live single-cell count for the entire cohort was 573,300 (range 50,681 to 869,727), representing a median of 81% (range 39% to 87%) of the total event counts [median 820,800 (range 130,452 to 1,000,000]. The cell count and the proportion of event count was similar in patients with WM or IgM MGUS. T cells represented 45.8% of the total events; granulocytes represented 31.3%; NK cells represented 8.6%; monocytes represented 8.1%; B cells represented 2.4% of the total events for the entire cohort. Figure 1 shows a heat map of different immune cell sub-types proportion per patient sample. A difference was noted in the proportion of monocytes (CD14+, CD16+) and B-cells when comparing patients with IgM MGUS and WM (figure 2). Patients with WM had a higher proportion of monocytes compared to IgM MGUS patients (p=0.05). A higher proportion of B-cells was noted in patients with IgM MGUS when compared to WM (4.2% vs 0.6%, p=0.01). When B-cells were sub-classified as naïve, transitional, non-switched memory, switched memory, and plasmablasts, the proportion of non-switched memory B-cells was higher in IgM MGUS compared to WM (p=0.05). While the results of this pilot study suggest important differences between IgM MGUS and WM as regards the immune repertoire, confirmatory studies are in progress in a larger cohort of patients. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study of mass cytometry in patients with WM and IgM MGUS patients. A higher proportion of monocytes and lower proportion of memory B-cells was noted in patients with WM compared to IgM MGUS. CyTOF study of the immune profile in these patients is feasible and can potentially uncover relationships between cell types not typically associated with the disease progression continuum (IgM MGUS to WM). While definitive conclusion cannot be made using this dataset due to the small sample size, CyTOF is a powerful tool in the study of the immune profile of WM patients. Disclosures Gertz: Amgen: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Apellis: Consultancy; annexon: Consultancy; spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria; Teva: Consultancy; Alnylam: Honoraria; Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy; Ionis: Honoraria; janssen: Consultancy; celgene: Consultancy; Prothena: Honoraria; Research to Practice: Consultancy; Medscape: Consultancy. Kapoor:Celgene: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Ailawadhi:Takeda: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding. Reeder:Affimed: Research Funding. Ansell:Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Merck & Co: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Celldex: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding.

Abstract Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is characterized by a rich non-malignant immune infiltrate. T-cells are key components of the antitumoral immune response and studies characterizing subsets in cHL have yielded conflicting results. Initial studies suggested a predominance of TH2-polarized CD4+ T-cells, thought to allow tumor progression due to exhaustion and hypofunctionality. More recent data contest these findings, supporting the theory of tumor progression through evasion from a TH1-rich infiltrate that is potentially functional. The role of tumor evasion in cHL has been highlighted by compelling early clinical data with the use of PD-1 blockade in patients with advanced disease. A similar trial in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) yielded far more modest results. Intrinsic differences in T-cell subpopulations in the tumor microenvironment may correlate to response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. CyTOF or mass cytometry is a platform able to evaluate more than 45 simultaneous parameters on a single-cell level using nonradioactive nonbiological isotopes tagged to monoclonal antibodies. Measurements are made based on mass spectrometry, avoiding the hurdles of interference and spectral overlap experienced with fluorochromes. This constitutes an ideal tool for the study of the tumor microenvironment given its ability to assess a large number of parameters and resolve differences in a heterogeneous population. We hypothesize that the phenotype of intratumoral lymphocytes in cHL identifies T-cells that can effectively eradicate malignant cells. To test this hypothesis, we compared the phenotype of intratumoral T-cells in cHL to that of NHL and nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma (nlpHL). Tonsil and hyperplastic lymph node (LN) tissues were used as normal controls. Single-cell suspensions created from tumor specimens were stained with a metal-tagged antibody panel containing 31 surface markers and acquired on CyTOF. Multiparametric data analysis was performed on Cytobank using spanning-tree progression analysis of density-normalized events (SPADE) and t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (viSNE) algorithms. Inferential statistical analyses were performed with JMP®, Version 10.0.0 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, 1989-2007) using two-tailed tests and a 95% confidence interval. Cell subsets are expressed as percentages of parent population (CD45+CD3+CD19-). A total of 10 samples were studied (4 cHL, 1 nlpHL, 3 NHL, 1 tonsil, 1 LN). The total T-cell population ranged from 30.52 to 67.05% in cHL and 15.36 to 47% in NHL compared to 4.02% and 24.58% in tonsil and LN respectively. The CD4+ T-cell subset ranged from 58.05 to 35.3% in cHL, 50.03 to 82.61% in NHL and corresponded to 82.74% and 87.07% in tonsil and LN respectively. SPADE analysis identified two areas of asymmetric frequency of events amongst samples (figure 1 and 2). The CD4+ Tnaive subset (CD4+CD45RA+CCR7+) ranged from 7.8 to 31.2% of total T-cells in cHL compared to 10.7% in nlpHL, 0.17 to 3.02% in NHL and 6.2 to 6.7% in controls. The pooled mean frequency of CD4+ Tnaive subset was significantly higher in HL (cHL + nlpHL) compared to NHL (14.3% vs. 1.55%; p<0.05; figure 3A). The regulatory T-cell subset (Treg; CD25+CCR4+) ranged from 0.49 to 1.84% of total T-cells in HL compared to 9.3 to 21.04% in NHL, and 4.45 to 8.28% in controls. The pooled mean frequency of the Treg subset was significantly smaller in HL compared to NHL (1.28% vs. 16.23%; p<0.05; figure 3B). Our data supports the use of mass cytometry as a platform to study the tumor microenvironment in B-cell lymphomas. Multiparametric data analysis revealed significant differences in the intratumoral T-cell population between HL and NHL samples, namely in the CD4+ Tnaive and Treg subsets. Further validation in a larger sample is underway and will include panels to evaluate intracellular cytokine production and cell signaling pathways. Correlation between specific intratumoral T-cell phenotypic signatures and clinical outcomes may identify prognostic and predictive characteristics and provide insight to mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract BACKGROUND Monocytes and macrophages (mo/mΦ) are a key part of the composition of peripheral blood (PB) and tissues and increased numbers of mo/mΦ have been associated with patient outcome in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Because CD14 is abundantly expressed on the surface of human mo/mΦ, it is often used to identify or isolate human mo/mΦ, and immunosuppressive CD14+HLA-DRlow monocytes have been shown to be increased in the peripheral blood of NHL patients. However, we have previously shown that CD14 expression on mo/mΦ is substantially lower than CD68 expression suggesting that many CD68+ mo/mΦ are CD14 negative, especially in spleen and lymph node tissues. To characterize both CD14+ and CD14- mo/mΦ in PB and tissues, we isolated all mo/mΦ from B-cell NHL specimens and normal controls and assessed their phenotype and function. METHODS Human mo/mΦ were isolated by negative selection from PB and tissue biopsy specimens (B-cell NHL and normal tissues) using the immunomagnetic isolation (monocyte enrichment kit). Morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics of isolated mo/mΦ were determined by Giemsa stain and flow cytometry. Phagocytosis and migration assays were used to determine the function of isolated mo/mΦ. T cells were co-cultured with mo/mΦ and T cell proliferation was evaluated by CFSE staining and detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS Using a monocyte enrichment kit to isolate all mo/mΦ, the purity of isolated mo/mϕ was 85~99%, which was defined by the percentage of lineage-negative cells (i.e. cells without expression of CD3,CD19, CD20, and CD56). We found that these isolated mo/mΦ constituted 2 populations: a more frequent population of larger cells and a less common population of smaller cells. In contrast to PB, CD14 positive mo/mΦ constituted less than 40% of the tissue mo/mΦ from the isolated population. Furthermore, we found that the cell size from CD14+ mo/mΦ were larger than CD14- mo/mΦ. Using CD14 and SIRP-α, we could identify 3 populations of mo/mΦ: CD14+SIRP-αhigh, CD14-SIRP-αdim and CD14-SIRP-α- cells. CD14+SIRP-αhigh cells and CD14-SIRP-αdim cells typically constituted the population of larger cells, while CD14-SIRP-α- cells constituted the population of smaller cells. CD14-SIRP-α- cells lacked the typical phenotypic markers and had decreased phagocytic and migratory ability compared to CD14+SIRP-αhigh and CD14-SIRP-αdim cells. Furthermore, we found that these 3 populations of mo/mΦ had a differential effect on activated T-cells and that the CD14-SIRP-α- cells appeared increased number in biopsy specimens from NHL when compared to normal tissues. CONCLUSIONS We have identified a unique population of small CD68+ mo/mΦ that lack expression of CD14, SIRP-α, and other FcγR markers. This subset of mo/mΦ is more prevalent in NHL tissues and has limited phagocytic and migratory functions. This CD14-SIRP-α- mo/mΦ subpopulation may play an inhibitory role in anti-cancer and inflammatory responses. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

6594 Background: Given the significant short-term adverse effects of CAR-T cell therapy, it is important to evaluate its impact on QOL of patients in addition to efficacy, compared with established forms of cellular therapy like SCT. Methods: QOL was evaluated prospectively in patients undergoing CAR-T therapy, autoSCT & alloSCT for hematologic malignancies. QOL was assessed with FACT-G at baseline, 2 weeks and monthly for 6 months thereafter. Functional well-being (FWB), physical WB (PWB) emotional WB (EWB) & social WB (SWB) and change over time were compared across groups. Results: 45 patients were recruited (CAR-T: 10; Auto SCT: 22; Allo SCT: 13) with follow up for 2 weeks & 1 month available for 23 &15 patients, respectively (Table). There was no statistically significant difference in baseline total QOL scores (p=0.13), though scores were lower in the alloSCT group (85,84,68). EWB &FWB were numerically higher in the CAR-T group, followed by autoSCT group. At 2 weeks, overall QOL decreased by only 2 points in CAR-T group vs. 22 & 18 points in auto & alloSCT groups (p=0.09). Change in PWB vs. baseline was less pronounced in the CAR-T group (-1, -9, -13, p=0.03). At 1 month, overall QOL was 6 points lower than baseline in CAR-T group vs. 3 and 14 points lower in auto & alloSCT groups, respectively (p=0.34). Importantly, PWB had at least returned to baseline in the CAR-T group. Conclusions: Preliminary data show that patients undergoing CAR-T cell therapy do not experience a more significant decline in QOL compared with auto & allo SCT, and may experience fewer physical side effects in the short-term. Accrual & follow-up are ongoing. [Table: see text]

AbstractIndolent B‐cell lymphomas other than follicular lymphoma account for up to 10% of all B‐cell neoplasms. While they typically follow a slowly progressive course, some patients experience rapid progression and early mortality. Prognostic scoring systems have not been adopted, hindering the ability of clinicians or researchers to predict outcomes, or risk‐stratify patients during clinical trials. To address this, we evaluated the utility of existing prognostic indices and novel, early disease‐related outcomes, to predict subsequent long term survival. Baseline characteristics and outcomes data were generated from a longitudinal cohort study that prospectively enrolled 632 patients newly diagnosed with marginal zone lymphoma, lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas, or B‐cell lymphomas not otherwise specified, beginning in 2002. The International Prognostic Index (IPI), Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI), and MALT International prognostic index (MALT‐IPI) demonstrated c‐statistics that ranged from 0.593‐0.612 for event‐free survival (EFS), and 0.683‐0.714 for overall survival (OS). Patients who attained event‐free survival at 12 months (EFS12) experienced similar mortality to the US general population (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] 1.19; 95% CI 0.95‐1.46). Patients who did not attain EFS12 had subsequent worse morality (SMR 3.14 (95% CI 2.05‐4.59). The MALT‐IPI demonstrated utility in predicting subsequent long‐term outcomes among patients with non‐follicular indolent B‐cell lymphomas. This index should be used by clinicians giving guidance to patients at the time of initial diagnosis, and risk stratification during clinical studies. The divergent long‐term outcomes experienced by patients who do or do not attain EFS12 suggest there exists a subset of patients who harbor high‐risk disease. Future research efforts should focus on methods to identify these patients at the time of diagnosis, in order to enable risk‐tailored therapy.

Key Points Cytokines in the BM microenvironment regulate PD-1 ligand expression and secretion in WM. Secreted PD-1 ligands modulate T-cell function in WM.