Litzow, Mark R.

AbstractPurpose: Absolute lymphocyte count recovery at day 15 (ALC-15) post-autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a powerful prognostic indicator for survival for multiple hematologic malignancies and metastatic breast cancer. The relationship of ALC-15 with clinical outcomes in primary systemic amyloidosis is unknown.Experimental Design: We evaluated 145 consecutive patients with primary systemic amyloidosis who underwent ASCT at the Mayo Clinic from 1996 to 2003. The ALC-15 threshold was set at 500 cells/μL based on our previous observations.Results: The median patient follow-up was 22 months (range, 3-87 months). Higher hematologic complete response was observed in patients with an ALC-15 ≥ 500 cells/μL compared with patients with an ALC-15 < 500 cells/μL (41% versus 21%, P < 0.0008, respectively). The median overall survival and progression-free survival times were significantly better for the 59 patients that achieved an ALC-15 ≥ 500 cells/μL compared with 86 patients with ALC-15 < 500 cells/μL (not reached versus 53 months, P < 0.0003 and not reached versus 27 months, P < 0.0001, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed ALC-15 to be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival and progression-free survival.Conclusions: ALC-15 ≥ 500 cells/μL is associated with significantly improved clinical outcomes following ASCT in patients with primary systemic amyloidosis.

e19014 Background: Stromal Antigen 2 ( STAG2), located on Xq25, is the most mutated (m) cohesin-complex gene in myeloid neoplasm (MN) patients (pts). mSTAG2 is present in around 5% of MN and has been linked to secondary AML and potential poor impact on outcome. Methods: We retrospectively screened MN pts who had next-generation sequencing (NGS) (OncoHeme) performed at Mayo Clinic between 2018-2021. m STAG2 pts were included at the date of NGS. Charts were reviewed for clinical information after obtaining IRB approval. BlueSky Software V7.40 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Characteristics: 70 pts with mSTAG2 MN were identified, their median age was 72 years (range 25-91); with 55 pts (79%) being males. Complete blood counts showed median white blood cell count of 2.8 x109/L, hemoglobin of 8.9 gm/dL and platelets of 89 x109/L. The diagnosis was MDS in 38 pts (54%), AML in 20 (29%), MDS/MPN in 9 (13%), MPN in 2 (3%), and CCUS in 1 (1%). 11 cases (16%) were defined as therapy-related MN (tMN). Cytogenetics were normal in 45 pts (64%) and abnormal in 22 (31%). 10/50 non-AML pts progressed to AML (after median time of 9.8 months). Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) was done in 20 pts (29%). mSTAG2: median VAF (mVAF) was 50% (range, 5%-100%). Males had higher mVAF compared to females (64% vs. 27%, p= .001), and tMN pts had higher mVAF compared to de novo (dn) MN pts (66% vs. 43%, p= .03). mVAF had no correlation with disease classification (50% in AML, 52% in MDS, 41% in MDS/MPN, 36% in MPN and 5% in CCUS, p= .5). STAG2 mutations were nonsense, frameshift, and splice site in 50%, 37%, and 13%, respectively. Co-mutations : median number of co-mutations was 3 (range, 0-6). Most common co-mutations were ASXL1 (66%), SRSF2 (37%), TET2 (36%), RUNX1 (29%), IDH2 (21%), BCOR (20%) and U2AF1 (16%) while least common were TP53, SETBP and ZRSR2 (1% each). Neither number (p= .08) nor type of co-mutation correlated with MN classification. There was no difference in the co-mutational pattern between tMN and dnMN pts. Survival : median overall survival (mOS) was 16.3 months with a median follow up time of 24.5 months. Pts who received HCT had better OS compared to non-HCT pts (mOS not reached vs. 14.9 months, p= .003). Pts with an isolated m STAG2 had better OS than co-mutated pts (p= .04), while the type of STAG2 mutation did not affect OS (p= .3). Pts with tMN had worse OS than dnMN pts (9.9 vs. 20.4 months, p= .02). VAF ≥75% had a negative impact on OS (20.5 vs 8.1 months, p= .008). mOS did not differ based on MN diagnosis. On multivariate analysis, only HCT (HR 0.3, p= .01) and VAF ≥75% (HR 2.3, p= .02) had impact on OS. Conclusions: mSTAG2 was more common in elderly males and MDS diagnosis. mSTAG2 was uncommon as an isolated mutation, indicating a possible role in disease progression with preferred certain co-mutations ( ASXL1/SRSF2/RUNX1/IDH2). mOS was poor regardless of MN diagnosis indicating a molecularly driven significance of an aggressive disease. The study needs to be validated by larger studies.

e19010 Background: Mutated DEAD-box helicase 41 (m DDX41), and mutated GATA2 are germline mutations associated with familial predisposition syndromes. In this study, we compare the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes (OS) of m DDX41 and m GATA2 MN patients (pts). Methods: We retrospectively screened pts who had next-generation sequencing (NGS) (OncoHeme panel) performed at Mayo Clinic. 4,524 consecutive pts (2018-2021) were screened for DDX41 mutations and 3,872 for GATA2 mutations (2015-2020) and included 36 MN pts with m DDX41 genetic alterations, and 55 m GATA2 MN pts. m GATA2 cases were included at NGS date while m DDX41 were included at diagnosis date. Germline workup was not done in all cases. JMP 16.2.0 Software was used for statistical analysis. Results: Patient characteristics: The most common diagnosis was MDS (N = 22, 61% in m DDX41 N = 17, 31% in m GATA2 group; p = .0044). MDS/MPN overlap was seen in m GATA2 group only; (29% vs. 0%; p = .0004). Majority of pts were males with median age of 68 and 67 years for m DDX41 and m GATA2 pts; respectively (p = .7). m DDX41 pts had higher hemoglobin, platelets, and MCV (< .0001, 0.005, < .0001; respectively) and significantly lower white blood cells (WBC) count compared to m GATA2 pts (< .0001). All m DDX41-AML pts were (ELN) intermediate-risk, and 64% of m DDX41 MDS were intermediate risk (IPSS-R). In contrast, of m GATA2 pts 62% of AML were adverse risk and 44% of MDS very high risk. Majority of m DDX41 pts had normal karyotype (N = 32; 91% vs. N = 19, 37%; p < .0001), had isolated mutations (N = 23; 64%) and the most common co-mutations were DNMT3A (38%), ASXL1 (30%), JAK2 (23%). The majority of m GATA2 pts were co-mutated (96%) with a different co-mutation pattern ASXL1 (60%), SRSF2 (34%), RUNX1 (19%). Germline data: One m GATA2 pts had proven germline mutation, and 10/11 (91%) m DDX41 pts were confirmed Survival and progression in MDS/AML: After median follow-up of 30 months in MDS/AML, 7 (21%) m DDX41 and 23 (77%) m GATA2 pts died with superior OS in m DDX41 compared to m GATA2 pts with median OS of (136.7 vs. 6.8 months, p < .0001). Seven (31%) of 22 m DDX41 and 6 (35%) m GATA2 MDS pts progressed into AML with a median time to progression of (11.2 vs. 5.2 months, p = .045). The leukemia free survival (LFS) for m DDX41 MDS pts was significantly longer than LFS of m GATA2 MDS pts (24.4 vs. 6 months, p < .0001). Conclusions: We compare the outcomes of two unique mutations associated with germline predisposition. We found m DDX41 pts had fewer cytogenetic aberrations, no MDS/MPN overlap, and lower WBC count. Majority of m DDX41 MDS/AML pts were intermediate risk category, compared to predominance of adverse risk disease in m GATA2 pts, translating into better OS and LFS. This study is limited by the small size, lack of germline workup in all cases, and retrospective nature. However, it supports the favorable prognosis and indolent course of m DDX41 pts recently described.

e19007 Background: While clinical outcomes of patients (pts) with TP53 mutated (m) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are dismal, subsets of pts with eligibility to curative intent therapies can do better. As racial disparities are known to impact outcome in hematological malignancies, we sought to explore disparities in TP53m AML. Methods: We conducted a multicenter study of 304 TP53m AML pts, divided into 2 groups, White (n= 240) and Black/Hispanic (n=64), to compare difference in disease characteristics and clinical outcome. We grouped Black and Hispanic together as the number of pts were small in each group and our aim was to evaluate outcome in under-represented races/ethnicities. Results: Baseline characteristics are summarized in Table. The median age of the pts was comparable between White and Black/Hispanic (p= 0.97). A significantly higher proportion of Black/Hispanic pts (23%) had diabetes mellitus when compared with White (14%) pts (p= 0.02). A higher proportion of Black/Hispanic pts had therapy-related AML (33% vs. 20%, p= 0.03), complex cytogenetics (98% vs. 87%, p= 0.003) and co-mutations (70% vs. 57%, p= 0.02). The proportion of pts who received hypomethylating agent + venetoclax (29% vs 20%, p= 0.20) or CPX-351 (22% vs 20%, p= 0.13) were comparable between White and Black/Hispanic, respectively. A higher proportion of Black/Hispanic pts received supportive care (17% vs. 4%, p= 0.002). White pts had higher rates of complete remission with or without count recovery (25% vs. 19%, p= 0.07). Only 6% of Black/Hispanic pts received allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) compared to 16% for White pts (p= 0.01). The median event free survival was 2 months (mo) (95% CI;1.52-2.41) and 2.5 mo (95% CI:1.62-3.31) in White and Black/Hispanic pts, respectively (p= 0.71). The median overall OS was shorter for Black/Hispanic (6.37 mo [95% CI:2.88-9.85]) than for White (6.90 mo [95% CI:5.55-8.24] [p= 0.009]). Conclusions: Our study demonstrates poorer OS in Black/Hispanic pts with TP53m AML. Potential drivers of this disparity include lower alloHCT rates, higher rates of pts receiving supportive care, and higher-risk disease in Black/Hispanic pts.[Table: see text]

TPS7080 Background: Myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) are classified as a distinct category under the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of myeloid neoplasms. MDS/MPN with RS and thrombocytosis (MDS/MPN-RS-T) and MDS/MPN, unclassifiable with > 15% bone marrow ring sideroblasts (MDS/MPN-U-RS) have similar clinical and pathological characteristics with symptomatic or transfusion-dependent anemia as the predominant morbidity. Luspatercept has been approved in myelodysplastic syndromes with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS) and MDS/MPN overlap syndromes, based on the phase 3 MEDALIST clinical trial which primarily included MDS-RS patients with an objective erythroid response rate of approximately 40 per cent. In this trial, some MDS-RS patients also experienced an increase in neutrophil and platelet counts. This raises a safety concern for MDS/MPN patients with elevated platelet or WBC counts such as MDS/MPN-RS-T and MDS/MPN-U-RS. Previous studies have shown clinical and biological differences between MDS-RS and MDS/MPN-RS-T, with the latter group at a significantly elevated risk for thrombotic events. Additionally, several MDS/MPN-RS-T patients are on hydroxyurea which may blunt the erythroid response of luspatercept. Therefore, it is imperative to establish the safety and efficacy of luspatercept in this patient group. Methods: This is an investigator-initiated, prospective, phase II study of luspatercept in MDS/MPN overlap neoplasms with ring sideroblasts and thrombocytosis or unclassifiable with ring sideroblasts with 2 arms; hydroxyurea-independent (cohort A) and hydroxyurea-dependent (cohort B). Hydroxyurea and/or aspirin use is allowed as per investigator discretion. The primary goal is to study the efficacy and safety of luspatercept in MDS/MPN-RS-T or MDS/MPN-U-RS with symptomatic anemia. The primary endpoint is to assess erythroid response rate as per the 2015 International Working Group MDS/MPN response criteria. Secondary endpoints include response duration, time to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformation, thrombosis rate, AML-free and overall survival. Inclusion criteria include newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory adult patients with WHO-defined diagnosis of MDS/MPN-RS-T or MDS/MPN-U-RS with symptomatic or transfusion-dependent anemia and unlikely to respond (EPO level > 200 IU/L) or intolerant to erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA) therapy. Prior therapy with lenalidomide, hypomethylating agents or immunosuppressive therapy is allowed. The overall plan is to enroll 54 patients across the three Mayo Clinic sites, Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. Enrollment to the trial began in January 2022 with 1 patient enrolled at the time of abstract submission. Clinical trial information: NCT05005182.

7006 Background: Measurable residual disease (MRD) prior to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) is associated with increased relapse and death in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in cytomorphological complete remission (CR). We recently demonstrated AML MRD detected in pre-alloHCT blood by DNA-sequencing was associated with increased relapse and decreased overall survival in patients randomized to reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) versus myeloablative conditioning (MAC). The clinical utility of such ultra-deep next-generation sequencing (NGS-MRD) had not yet been reported in a large multi-center cohort. Methods: Patients aged 18 or older who underwent first alloHCT between 2013-2017 for AML in first CR (CR1), reported to be FLT3, NPM1, IDH1, IDH2 and/or Kit mutated at diagnosis, with a pre-conditioning remission blood sample available in the CIBMTR biobank were eligible for this study. Ultra-deep anchored multiplex PCR-based NGS-MRD for the above mutations was performed on 500ng gDNA with error-corrected variant calling as previously described. The pre-specified statistical analysis plan was registered on OSF. Results: Of 457 patients with a sample available, 448 had sufficient clinical annotation and DNA for analysis. 147 of these 448 patients (33%) experienced relapse at a median of 5.6 months post-alloHCT. NGS-MRD was positive in 129 pre-alloHCT patient samples (29%), averaging 1.35 mutation(s)/patient (range: 1-4). 173 mutations were detected with a median VAF of 0.18% (range: 0.0054-62%), most frequently FLT3-ITD (n = 43 patients), NPM1 (n = 48), and IDH2 (n = 46). Testing positive by NGS-MRD prior to alloHCT was associated with a 3yr RFS of 36% (95% CI: 28-45%) compared with 56% (51-62%) in those testing negative (p < 0.001). Detection of NPM1 and/or FLT3-ITD mutations prior to alloHCT was associated with a 3yr relapse probability of 55% (43-67%) and RFS of 26% (16-37%). NGS-MRD impact was modified by conditioning intensity: positive patients receiving RIC/NMA had the highest relapse of 57% at 3yr, testing negative followed by RIC/NMA had the same relapse rate at 3yr (35%) as those who tested positive but received MAC (p < 0.001). At three years, those positive for FLT3-ITD and/or NPM1 mutations prior to RIC/NMA alloHCT had a relapse probability of 67% (50-83%) with a RFS of 19% (8-33%). HR for relapse if NGS-MRD positive pre-alloHCT in CR1 was 2.3 (p < 0.001, 95% CI 1.6-3.1) when adjusting for conditioning intensity and age group. Conclusions: In this largest cohort of NGS-MRD testing prior to alloHCT for AML reported to date, we confirm the ability to identify patients in CR1 but at high-risk of subsequent relapse. This evidence provides the foundation for future precision medicine approaches to reduce post-transplant AML relapse.

Abstract The reduced-intensity conditioning regimen, fludarabine and melphalan, is frequently used in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Melphalan and the active metabolite of fludarabine, F-ara-A, are excreted via the kidneys. Existing methods to assess clearance in this setting are based on serum creatinine, which has known limitations for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation in patients with malignancy. Measured GFR (mGFR) may better predict drug dosing to mitigate toxicity and increase the chances of successful engraftment. The primary objective of this study was to assess the association between mGFR and risk for nonrelapse mortality (NRM) in patients who have undergone allogeneic HSCT receiving conditioning with fludarabine and melphalan. In the 109 included patients, mGFR &lt;65 mL/min/1.73 m2 predicted a significantly higher rate of overall NRM (hazard ratio [HR], 2.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-4.35; P = 04) and 1-year incidence of infection (HR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.54-4.55; P &lt; .001) in addition to a significantly lower 2-year survival (P = .019). Kidney function estimated via estimated GFR (eGFR) and estimated creatinine clearance did not correlate with posttransplant outcomes. These results suggest that mGFR is a promising approach for assessing clearance in patients who have undergone allogeneic HSCT and may be preferred to standard creatinine-based eGFR strategies.

PURPOSE Most cases of pediatric acute leukemia occur in low- and middle-income countries, where health centers lack the tools required for accurate diagnosis and disease classification. Recent research shows the robustness of using unbiased short-read RNA sequencing to classify genomic subtypes of acute leukemia. Compared with short-read sequencing, nanopore sequencing has low capital and consumable costs, making it suitable for use in locations with limited health infrastructure. MATERIALS AND METHODS We show the feasibility of nanopore mRNA sequencing on 134 cryopreserved acute leukemia specimens (26 acute myeloid leukemia [AML], 73 B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia [B-ALL], 34 T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and one acute undifferentiated leukemia). Using multiple library preparation approaches, we generated long-read transcripts for each sample. We developed a novel composite classification approach to predict acute leukemia lineage and major B-ALL and AML molecular subtypes directly from gene expression profiles. RESULTS We demonstrate accurate classification of acute leukemia samples into AML, B-ALL, or T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (96.2% of cases are classifiable with a probability of > 0.8, with 100% accuracy) and further classification into clinically actionable genomic subtypes using shallow RNA nanopore sequencing, with 96.2% accuracy for major AML subtypes and 94.1% accuracy for major B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia subtypes. CONCLUSION Transcriptional profiling of acute leukemia samples using nanopore technology for diagnostic classification is feasible and accurate, which has the potential to improve the accuracy of cancer diagnosis in low-resource settings.

Abstract Herein, we present the long-term follow-up of the randomized E1912 trial comparing the long-term efficacy of ibrutinib–rituximab (IR) therapy to fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) and describe the tolerability of continuous ibrutinib. The E1912 trial enrolled 529 treatment-naïve patients aged ≤70 years with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patients were randomly assigned (2:1 ratio) to receive IR or 6 cycles of FCR. With a median follow-up of 5.8 years, median progression-free survival (PFS) is superior for IR (hazard ratio [HR], 0.37; P &lt; .001). IR improved PFS relative to FCR in patients with both immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IGHV) gene mutated CLL (HR: 0.27; P &lt; .001) and IGHV unmutated CLL (HR: 0.27; P &lt; .001). Among the 354 patients randomized to IR, 214 (60.5%) currently remain on ibrutinib. Among the 138 IR-treated patients who discontinued treatment, 37 (10.5% of patients who started IR) discontinued therapy due to disease progression or death, 77 (21.9% of patients who started IR) discontinued therapy for adverse events (AEs)/complications, and 24 (6.8% of patients who started IR) withdrew for other reasons. Progression was uncommon among patients able to remain on ibrutinib. The median time from ibrutinib discontinuation to disease progression or death among those who discontinued treatment for a reason other than progression was 25 months. Sustained improvement in overall survival (OS) was observed for patients in the IR arm (HR, 0.47; P = .018). In conclusion, IR therapy offers superior PFS relative to FCR in patients with IGHV mutated or unmutated CLL, as well as superior OS. Continuous ibrutinib therapy is tolerated beyond 5 years in the majority of CLL patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02048813.