Maurer, Matthew J.

Abstract Background: Recent literature suggests that statins may have anticancer potential. This effect is thought to be mediated through 2 primary mechanisms - impairment of protein prenylation and interference with the formation of cholesterol-rich lipid microdomains, or “lipid rafts” within the cell membrane. Both of these processes are critical for signaling activity of numerous proteins important for lymphomagenesis and tumor survival. Recent data, however, suggest that statin use may directly inhibit rituximab binding to CD20 and therefore rituximab efficacy. These findings raised significant concerns about statin use during rituximab treatment. Here we report on statin use and clinical outcome in a cohort of FL and DLBCL treated patients, most of whom were treated with rituximab containing regimens. Methods: 293 newly diagnosed FL patients and 228 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients were prospectively enrolled in our Lymphoma SPORE registry from 9/2002 through 6/2007. Pathology was centrally reviewed. All patients were followed for retreatment, progression-free and overall survival. Statin use at the time of diagnosis and time of initial treatment was abstracted from the medical record. An event was defined by disease progression, retreatment, or death due to any cause. Results: 19% of FL patients and 22% of DLBCL patients were on statins at diagnosis; 16% and 19% were on statins during treatment, respectively. Initial therapy for the FL patients was observation (40%), R-CHOP (19%), R-CVP (12%), rituximab alone (8%), CVP (7%), RT (6%), and other (8%). All DLBCL patients received rituximab with CHOP or a CHOP-like regimen. At a median follow-up of 36 months (range 3–73), 109 (37%) and 65 (29%) of FL and DLBCL patients had an event; 19 (6%) and 46 (20%) of FL and DLBCL patients died, respectively. After adjusting for FLIPI, grade, and initial therapy type, statin use at diagnosis was associated with better event-free survival (HR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34–0.95, p=0.03) in FL patients. Statin use during treatment in FL patients was also associated with better event-free survival, though not statistically significant (HR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.39–1.16, p=0.15). The improvement in EFS for FL patients was consistent across initial therapies, including observation. Statin use was not associated with IPI-adjusted overall survival or event-free survival in DLBCL (all p > 0.50). Conclusions: Statin therapy does not appear to be associated with inferior clinical outcome in DLBCL treated with rituximab and CHOP or CHOP-like therapy. Therefore direct inhibition of rituximab binding to CD20 may have limited clinical significance or/and may be overcome by inhibitory impact of statins on cell signaling. The latter possibility is supported by our observation that statin use is associated with improved event-free survival in follicular lymphoma. Figure Figure Figure Figure

Abstract Background: A significant percentage of DLBCL patients present with a composite histology, often seen as a node containing both follicular lymphoma and DLBCL or DLBCL in the node and discordant indolent lymphoma in the bone marrow. Literature from the pre-rituximab era suggests DLBCL patients with transformed lymphoma or composite histology have worse outcome than de novo DLBCL. Here we report on early events in a cohort of R-CHOP treated patients. Goal: To determine whether patients with composite lymphoma have an inferior event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma when treated with R-CHOP. Methods: Newly diagnosed patients treated with an R-CHOP containing regimen were prospectively enrolled in our Lymphoma SPORE registry from 9/2002 through 6/2007. Pathology was centrally reviewed. All patients were followed for retreatment, disease progression, and death. Results: 401 DLBCL patients were enrolled; 14% (57/401) had a composite histology. 33 patients had DLBCL and another histology, predominantly follicular lymphoma (n=29), in the same node. 20 patients had a non-DLBCL histology in a distinct location from the DLBCL; this was primarily indolent lymphoma in the bone marrow (n=15). 4 patients had both. 19% (75/401) of patients died during follow-up and 30% (121/401) had an event (death due to any cause, progression, or retreatment). Median follow-up for living patients was 34 months (range, 5–73). Composite DLBCL patients had higher event-free (3 year EFS = 79%) and overall (3 year OS = 93%) survival then de novo DLBCL (3 year OS = 66%, 3 year EFS 79%), p=0.05 and p=0.005 respectively. These differences remained statistically significant after adjusting for the International Prognostic Index (IPI): EFS HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.29–0.97, p=0.02; OS HR=0.28, 95% CI: 0.10–0.76, p=0.002. OS and EFS for composite DLBCL more closely resembled R-CHOP treated grade III follicular lymphoma (A,B) from the same cohort (3 year EFS = 81%, 3 year OS = 93%). Improved outcome for composite DLBCL was consistent whether the additional histology was in the same node or distinct from the DLBCL. Conclusions: R-CHOP treated DLBCL patients with indolent discordant bone marrow involvement or other composite histology have improved early OS and EFS compared to de novo DLBCL. Further follow-up is needed to assess the long-term prognosis of composite DLBCL in the rituximab era. Histology N Age > 60 Stage III/IV LDH > ULN PS > 1 >2 EN Sites 3 YR EFS 3 YR OS * Denotes statistically significant difference at p=0.05 de novo DLBCL 344 58% 56% 56% 17% 22% 66% 78% Composite DLBCL 57 65% 77%* 34%* 18% 32% 79%* 93%* Figure Figure

Abstract Background: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable non-Hodgkin lymphoma. MCL is characterized by the chromosomal translocation t(11;14) leading to overexpression of cyclin D1 (CCND1), a regulator of the cell cycle. NF-κB plays a central role in key cellular processes, including cell cycle regulation and apoptosis, and it has been shown to be constitutively activated in MCL cell lines and in patient biopsy samples and to play a key role in the growth and survival of MCL cells. In an exploratory study, we evaluated the hypothesis that germline variation in candidate genes from the cell cycle and NF-κB pathways predict overall survival in MCL. Methods: We genotyped 235 SNPs from 29 cell cycle genes and 447 SNPs from 55 NF-κB genes in 39 MCL patients aged 38–64 years who participated in a population-based study conducted from 1998–2000 through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries in Detroit, Seattle, Iowa, and Los Angeles county. Tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected from HapMap. Stage, presence of B-symptoms, first course of therapy, date of last follow-up, and vital status were derived from linkage to registry databases at each study site. To assess the statistical significance of a gene, we first used principal components analysis to capture the genetic variation of the SNPs within a gene. Cox proportional hazards analysis was then used to assess the association between the top principal components from a gene with overall survival. Results: Through early 2005, there were 22 deaths in 39 patients (56%). The median follow-up of the 17 surviving patients was 56 months (range 36–70). Eleven of the 55 genes (TNFSF14 p=0.0007, NF-κBIA p=0.003, IL1R2 p=0.01, TNFRSF25 p=0.02, TNFSF13B p=0.02, FAS p=0.03, TLR2 p=0.04, TNFSF10D p=0.04, TNFSF10 p=0.06, MAP3K2 p=0.06) in the NF-κB pathway were associated with overall survival. In the cell cycle pathway, only 3 of the 29 genes (CASP5 p=0.06, CASP9 p=0.09, BCL2 p=0.09) were associated with overall survival, and a previously reported SNP in CCND1 (rs603965) showed no association (p=0.5). Permutation p-values for observing at least this number of associated tests in each pathway due to chance (from multiple testing) was p=0.8 for the cell cycle pathway and p=0.03 for NF-κB pathway. The small sample size precluded multi-gene modeling. Conclusion: In a population series of MCL patients, we found suggestive evidence that host genetic variation in candidate NF-κB pathway genes affects overall survival. These results complement tumor expression data implicating this pathway in the pathogenesis of MCL. In addition, such findings further support the value of developing therapeutic targets from this pathway.

Abstract Background. Intracellular one-carbon transfer reactions are essential for nucleotide synthesis and methylation of biologic compounds including DNA. Previous studies have linked genetic variants in one-carbon metabolism genes with risk of developing NHL, but little is known regarding the impact of these variants on disease outcome. We evaluated the hypothesis that inherited genetic variation in genes involved in one-carbon metabolism is associated with overall survival in DLBCL. Methods. We genotyped 30 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 18 candidate one-carbon metabolism genes in 215 DLBCL patients who participated in a population-based case-control study conducted from 1998–2000 using the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) cancer registries in the Detroit, Iowa, Los Angeles and Seattle. Stage, B-symptoms, first course of therapy, date of last follow-up and vital status through early 2005 were obtained from cancer registry files. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals for the association between individual SNPs and overall survival, adjusting for age, demographic and clinical factors. We also used parallel modeling strategies to identify the best summary multi-SNP risk score to predict survival. Results. The median age at diagnosis was 57 years (range, 20–74), and 50 (23%) of the patients died during follow-up, with a median follow-up of 57 months (range, 31–78 months) for surviving patients. After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, SNPs in SHMT1 (rs1979276; HRCT/TT=2.47, 1.31–4.67), BHMT (rs585800; HRAT/TT=2.02, 1.16–3.54), and TCN1 (rs526934; HRTT=1.86, 1.04–3.33) were the strongest and most robust predictors of survival. A summary score of the number of deleterious genotypes (0–3) from these three genes was strongly associated with survival (p=7.9 x 10−5) after accounting for demographic and clinical variables (HR=2.58 per deleterious genotype, 95% CI 1.75–3.80). A risk score combining the three SNPs with clinical and demographic variables (score of 0 to 5) was even more strongly associated with survival (p=1.4 x 10−13); the Kaplan Meier survival curves are shown in the Figure. In a time-dependent ROC analysis, the combined risk score had a concordance index of 0.75 at 5 years of follow-up (95% CI 0.69–0.81). Conclusion: Host genetic variation in the one-carbon metabolism genes SHMT1, BHMT, and TCN1, individually and particularly in combination, was associated with overall DLBCL survival after accounting for clinical and demographic factors, supporting a role for this pathway in disease progression. Future work should evaluate interactions of genes from this pathway with dietary nutrients and therapeutic agents in DLBCL prognosis. Figure Figure

AbstractImmunochemotherapy followed by autologous transplant (ASCT) in CALGB/Alliance 59909 achieved a median progression‐free survival (PFS) in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) of 5 years, but late recurrences occurred. We evaluated tolerability and efficacy of adding post‐transplant bortezomib consolidation (BC) or maintenance (BM) to this regimen in CALGB/Alliance 50403, a randomized phase II trial. Following augmented‐dose R‐CHOP/ methotrexate, high‐dose cytarabine‐based stem cell mobilization, cyclophosphamide/carmustine/etoposide (CBV) autotransplant, and rituximab, patients were randomized to BC (1.3 mg/m2 IV days 1, 4, 8, 11 of a 3‐week cycle for four cycles) or BM (1.6 mg/m2 IV once weekly × 4 every 8 weeks for 18 months) beginning day 90. The primary endpoint was PFS, measured from randomization for each arm. Proliferation signature, Ki67, and postinduction minimal residual disease (MRD) in bone marrow were assessed. Of 151 patients enrolled; 118 (80%) underwent ASCT, and 102 (68%) were randomized. Both arms met the primary endpoint, with median PFS significantly greater than 4 years (P < .001). The 8‐year PFS estimates in the BC and BM arms were 54.1% (95% CI 40.9%‐71.5%) and 64.4% (95% 51.8%‐79.0%), respectively. Progression‐free survival was significantly longer for transplanted patients on 50403 compared with those on 59909. Both the PFS and OS were significantly better for those who were MRD‐negative post‐induction. The high risk proliferation signature was associated with adverse outcome. Both BM and BC were efficacious and tolerable, although toxicity was significant. The comparison between studies 50403 and 59909 with long‐term follow up suggests a PFS benefit from the addition of BC or BM post‐ transplant.

7554 Background: Predicting early clinical failure in patients with untreated FL is important but difficult. Lymphoma involvement of EN sites is better detected by FDG-PET/CT than CT alone, but PET parameters are not part of the usual predictive indices. We aimed to determine the incidence and patterns of spleen and EN disease using PET/CT, and learn if they are useful in predicting early clinical failure. Methods: PET/CT images from 613 cases of newly diagnosed FL between 2003 – 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. The location, pattern, and number of EN sites, as well as splenic involvement, were recorded. Associations with outcomes were assessed using event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: 49% (301/613) of patients had PET/CT-detected EN involvement, and 28% (171/613) had spleen involvement. Presence of ≥2 EN sites, spleen, bone, or soft tissue involvement, as well as a multifocal on diffuse pattern of bone involvement by imaging, were univariate predictors of EFS; presence of ≥2 EN sites and bone involvement pattern were also predictive of OS. In a multivariate analysis with FLIPI-2 factors, spleen involvement, pattern of bone involvement, and soft tissue involvement independently predicted a lower EFS (Table). When the multivariate analysis was performed using PRIMA-PI factors, the presence of ≥2 EN sites was an adverse independent prognostic factor for OS (HR 2.28; 95% CI 1.01-5.18; p=0.05). Conclusions: Baseline PET/CT identifies EN and spleen sites of disease that can predict early clinical failure of FL. These results may be useful to better identify high-risk patients and guide appropriate therapy. [Table: see text]

7536 Background: While most patients (pts) with follicular lymphoma (FL) achieve an initial response to treatment, the majority relapse. Recently, Goldman et al. reported that surveillance imaging (SI) in FL is not associated with improved post-relapse outcomes and is frequently associated with false positive scans (ASH 2017). The goal of this study was to validate these findings. Methods: Pts were enrolled in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER), a prospective cohort of newly diagnosed lymphoma pts. All pts were followed for events including relapse, re-treatment, and death, with events verified by medical records. Pts eligible for this study had biopsy proven FL grade 1, 2, or 3a who had achieved a response after induction therapy and later relapsed. Initial and post-treatment management was per treating physician. Medical records were re-reviewed in pts with events for clinical details at relapse in relationship to planned follow-up visits and SI. Relapse detection was categorized either by clinical suspicion (CS) via history, exam, and/or labs; or by SI in an asymptomatic pt. Univariate survival analysis was conducted for each variable. The hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval based on Cox Proportional Hazard models was presented along with the log rank test p-value. Kaplan-Meier plots were produced to evaluate the difference in overall survival (OS) between groups. Results: 1121 FL pts were enrolled in MER from 2002-2015, of which 117 were eligible. Median age at diagnosis was 60 years (range 35-83), and 61% were men. Median time to relapse of the 117 pts was 26 months (range 9-125). At a median follow-up from relapse of 69 months (range 0.23-179), 26 pts died. Pts completed a median of 3 imaging studies (range 0-15) during post-induction surveillance. 63 relapses (56%) were detected based on CS; 50 (44%) were detected by SI; and 4 were unknown. There was no difference in OS from relapse for those with relapse detected via CS vs. SI (HR = 0.98 [0.45,2.12], p = 0.96). Conclusions: Routine SI does not appear to improve survival outcomes in FL after achieving first remission, and its common practice should be questioned. Further investigation of prognostic markers to identify high-risk FL pts who may benefit from SI is needed.

8504 Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive lymphoma. The optimal follow-up strategy for patients (pts) in remission is not clear. The goal of this study is to determine the utility of surveillance scans in a large, prospective, multi-institutional cohort of DLBCL pts. Methods: Patients were enrolled in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER), a prospective cohort of newly diagnosed lymphoma pts. All pts were followed for events including relapse, re-treatment, and death with events verified by medical records. Patients eligible for this study had biopsy proven DLBCL and were treated with anthracycline based immunochemotherapy (IC). Initial and post-treatment management was per treating physician. Medical records were re-reviewed in pts with events for clinical details at relapse and relationship to planned follow-up visits and surveillance scans. Results: 644 pts with DLBCL treated with IC were enrolled in MER from 2002-2009. Median age was 63 years (range 18-92), 54% were men, and median f/u was 59 months (range 8-116). 537 pts entered post-treatment observation; 109 (20%) of the 537 pts relapsed and 41 died from other causes. 42% of relapses were in the first 12 months following diagnosis, 27% between 12-24 months, and 31% >24 months. In the 109 who relapsed, 62% of pts (62/100, 9 unknown) presented to their physician earlier than a planned follow-up visit due to symptoms. At the time of relapse, 68% were symptomatic, 42% of pts had abnormal physical exam, and 55% had elevated LDH; 87% of pts had ≥1 of these features. Of the 38 pts with relapse detected at a planned visit, 26 had clinical features of relapse and 12 pts had relapse detected solely by planned surveillance scan; 4 pts had relapse of low-grade or other subtype and 8 had DLBCL relapse (4 of whom had equivocal/positive PET at the end of IC). Thus, surveillance scanning detected DLBCL relapse prior to clinical manifestations in only 8/537 pts (1.5%) observed post DLBCL therapy. Conclusions: The vast majority of DLBCL relapses occur outside of planned follow-up visits and are accompanied by symptoms, physical exam, or laboratory abnormalities. Routine surveillance scans post-therapy add little to detection of DLBCL relapse.

5546 Background: CHFR, an E3 ubiquitin ligase that regulates Aurora A and Pololike Kinase 1, plays a critical role in the cellular response to mitotic stress. In particular, cells containing CHFR arrest in G2 when microtubule dynamics are disrupted. Conversely, low CHFR expression is associated with hypersensitivity to mitotic spindle poisons in breast cancer cell lines. Despite the extensive use of taxanes in front line treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), little is known about CHFR expression in this disease. We examined CHFR expression and its relationship with clinical characteristics and outcome in women with EOC. Methods: Pretreatment EOC samples from women enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Biospecimen Resource for Ovarian Cancer Research who underwent initial surgical debulking between 1999-2009 were stained in triplicate with anti-CHFR antibodies. Samples were scored in a blinded fashion for CHFR expression. Associations between CHFR staining and histology, grade, and stage were assessed using chi-squared tests; associations between CHFR and overall survival (OS) or time to disease recurrence (TTR) were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Samples from 354 women were stained; median age at diagnosis was 60.5 (range 21-93). At a median follow-up of 67 months, 221 women (62%) had died. Across all patients, moderate/strong CHFR staining was associated with poor OS (HR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.07-1.81, p = 0.015). Moreover, moderate/strong CHFR expression was strongly associated with serous histology (p < 0.0001), high grade (p < 0.0001) and advanced stage (p = 0.0002). To assess whether the association between CHFR expression and OS was related to taxane sensitivity, a subgroup analysis was performed in the subset of patients (N=131) with high-grade serous EOC who received initial platinum/taxane chemotherapy. Moderate/strong CHFR expression failed to correlate with OS (HR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.57-1.45, p = 0.68) or TTR from the start of chemotherapy (HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.55-1.31, p = 0.55) in this subset. Conclusions: CHFR expression is associated with poor OS and adverse clinical characteristics in patients with EOC but does not appear to be related to taxane sensitivity in high-grade serous tumors.

9057 Background: The incidence of CAM use among patients with cancer is higher when compared to the general population. However, there are few studies examining CAM use in NHL survivors, and limited data are available regarding beliefs in CAM. This study was conducted to examine the prevalence of CAM use in NHL, define CAM beliefs among NHL survivors, and explore differences between patients with indolent and aggressive lymphoma. Methods: Newly diagnosed lymphoma patients were prospectively enrolled within 9 months of diagnosis in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource from 2002-2008. NHL patients who completed the 3-year post diagnosis questionnaire, which includes questions regarding CAM use and beliefs, were included in this study. Chi-squared tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to assess the association of CAM use with prognostic and demographic factors. Results: 719 patients were included with a median age of 63 years (range 22-92). 53% were male. Overall, 636 (89%) reported ever using CAM. 78% of patients used vitamins and 54% alternative therapies (chiropractic (36%) and massage therapy (24%)). Among CAM users, 141 (22%) believe CAM can assist the body to heal, 123 (19%) believe CAM can relieve cancer symptoms, 115 (18%) believe CAM use gives a feeling of control, 106 (17%) believe CAM can boost immunity, 24 (4%) believe CAM can cure cancer, and 35 (6%) believe CAM can prevent the spread of cancer. Female gender was associated with increased overall CAM use (p<0.0001) as well as use of vitamins (p<0.0001), herbal supplements (p=0.006) and alternative therapy (p=0.0002) specifically for cancer. Older age was also associated with increased vitamin use (p=0.005) and decreased herbal supplements use (p=0.008). There was no significant difference in overall CAM use between those with follicular lymphoma grades I-II (n=195, 91%) and non-relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n=151, 87%), although massage therapy was utilized more often by FL survivors (29% versus 18%, p=0.005). Conclusions: CAM modalities are used by the majority of NHL survivors (89%). The assessment of CAM use and education regarding potential harms is imperative for the NHL survivor.