Citations

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe self‐expanding, supra‐annular Evolut valve is an established platform for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI). Evolut PRO introduced an outer sealing wrap to mitigate paravalvular leakage. We evaluated the 3‐year clinical outcomes and valve performance of the Evolut PRO in standard clinical practice for severe aortic stenosis (AS) patients at intermediate or higher risk for surgery.MethodsThe FORWARD PRO prospective, single‐arm, multicentre, post‐market clinical study enrolled 638 patients with native aortic valve stenosis or failed surgical bioprosthetic aortic valve undergoing TAVI, at intermediate or high risk, with the Evolut PRO valve. Clinical and serial echocardiographic outcomes were followed‐up for 3 years.ResultsTAVI using Evolut PRO was attempted in 629 AS patients (implanted in 97%) (mean age 81.7 years; STS PROM score, 4.7%). At 3 years all‐cause mortality was 25.0%, disabling stroke 6.5% (all‐cause mortality or disabling stroke, 28.5%) and rate of new permanent pacemaker implantation 24.7%. Excellent valve haemodynamics were maintained (mean gradient 8.8 ± 4.7 mm Hg; mean effective orifice area 2.0 ± 0.5 cm2) at 3 years. In a paired analysis of patients with ≥ mild paravalvular leakage (PVL) at discharge, more than two‐thirds demonstrated improved PVL at 3 years. Patients with ≥ mild PVL at discharge had higher median total calcium volume than those with no/trace PVL (p < 0.001).ConclusionsIn clinical practice TAVI with the Evolut PRO valve is associated with favorable clinical outcomes and excellent haemodynamic performance out to 3 years. The observation of improvements in PVL over time warrants further research.

OBJECTIVE The floor of the third ventricle and the interpeduncular and prepontine regions represent challenging surgical targets. The expanded endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) with pituitary gland (PG) transposition has been proposed to provide direct access to these anatomical regions. Through the years, different endoscopic PG transposition techniques have been studied and presented. The goal of this study was to compare the techniques, relevant anatomy, and surgical exposure of extradural, intradural, and interdural PG transposition techniques. METHODS Six formalin-fixed, latex-injected cadaveric head specimens were used to perform the EEA with extradural, unilateral interdural, and unilateral intradural PG transpositions. The interpeduncular and prepontine regions and the neurovascular structures located within these cisterns were carefully exposed and analyzed. The maximal cranial, caudal, and lateral accessible points within the surgical field were identified for each approach. Consequently, the relative craniocaudal and horizontal surgical axes were measured to quantify the extent of accessibility of each approach. RESULTS The extradural PG transposition technique provided the largest horizontal extensions and bilateral access to structures within the interpeduncular and prepontine regions; the mean horizontal axis was 17.9 (range 13.9–20.4) mm. The unilateral interdural PG transposition provided wider vertical exposure, with a mean craniocaudal axis of 16.2 (range 13.0–20.9) mm. In this approach, the surgical field was extended cranially above the ipsilateral mammillary body (MB). The unilateral intradural PG transposition provided a similar surgical exposure to the interdural approach, with a mean craniocaudal axis of 14.7 (range 12.9–15.8) mm. The approach required significant manipulation of the PG after opening both periosteal and meningeal dura layers. CONCLUSIONS The extradural PG transposition is indicated for lesions of the upper clivus region that extend bilaterally and do not have a cranial extension beyond the MBs. The inter- and intradural PG transpositions are beneficial for unilateral lesions that extend cranially to the MBs. Both techniques require coagulation of the ipsilateral inferior hypophyseal artery. The intradural technique requires more manipulation of the PG, while the interdural technique requires opening and access to the cavernous sinus. If needed, the intra- and interdural techniques can also be performed bilaterally.

Abstract Purpose: NFE2L2/KEAP1/CUL3 mutations have been validated for radioresistance in cell-based assays and animal models. However, clinical validation of these biomarkers has been challenging because of multimodality treatment regimens. This study aims to investigate the association between NFE2L2/KEAP1/CUL3 mutations and patient outcomes, including local failure, locoregional failure, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival, using samples from a phase III trial in which patients were treated with radiation monotherapy at two controlled doses. Patients and Methods: We investigated NFE2L2/KEAP1/CUL3 mutations in 250 randomized patients with T2N0 glottic squamous cell carcinoma receiving definitive radiotherapy in the NRG/RTOG 9512 trial. A total of 119 patients had available biospecimens that were subjected to amplicon-based next-generation sequencing to assess for the presence of NFE2L2/KEAP1/CUL3 mutations without regard to outcomes. Mutations in NFE2L2/KEAP1/CUL3 were assessed blinded to clinical outcomes. Cox models (two-sided α = 0.05) were used to evaluate the association with clinical outcomes, performed by an independent statistical team. Results: Nineteen of 119 patients (16.0%) had NFE2L2/KEAP1/CUL3 mutations. Patient, treatment, and tumor characteristics were similar between those with and without mutations. Patients with mutation compared with those without had significantly more local failure [HR = 3.50; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.56–7.89; P = 0.0025] and locoregional failure (HR = 3.80; 95% CI, 1.80–8.03; P = 0.0005). DFS was significantly worse for the mutated compared with the nonmutated group in the first 2 years (HR = 2.88; 95% CI, 1.46–5.66; P = 0.0022). The median DFS was shorter in the mutation group (10.3 months) versus those with intact NFE2L2/KEAP1/CUL3 (4.2 years). Conclusions: NFE2L2/KEAP1/CUL3 mutations may predict radiation treatment failure in T2N0 glottic cancer. See related commentary by Rao, p. 1563

Abstract INTRODUCTION The U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER) is evaluating lifestyle interventions in older adults at risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Here we characterize the baseline data set of the POINTER Imaging ancillary study. METHODS Participants underwent health and cognitive assessments and neuroimaging with multimodal positron emission tomography (PET) (beta‐amyloid [Aβ] and tau) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Framingham risk score (FRS) was used to quantify cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. RESULTS A total of 1052 participants (31% from underrepresented ethnoracial groups) were enrolled. Compared to Aβ−, Aβ+ (29%) participants were older, had higher apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) ε4 carriage rate and white matter hyperintensity volume, and greater temporal tau. FRS was related to MRI measures, but not AD biomarkers. FRS and tau had independent effects on cognition. DISCUSSION In this heterogenous, at‐risk cohort, CVD risk was related to more abnormal brain structure and poorer cognition, representing a putative non‐AD (Alzheimer's disease) pathway to brain injury and cognitive decline. Highlights The U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER) cohort is enriched for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and poor lifestyle POINTER Imaging collected multimodal neuroimaging data in this unique, at‐risk cohort Amyloid burden was related to age, apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) ε4 carriage, and measures of disease progression Associations between amyloid and tau, and tau and cognition, were relatively weak CVD risk and tau pathology were independently related to memory

Background: Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare disease characterized by neoplastic mast cell (MC) infiltration of extracutaneous tissues. Nonadvanced SM (NonAdvSM) is associated with debilitating symptoms which may significantly reduce health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In up to 95% of patients (pts), SM is driven by the somatic KIT c.2447 A&gt;T (p.D816V) missense mutation. Bezuclastinib (bezu; CGT9486) is an oral, potent, small molecule, selective type 1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with activity against KIT D816V. Results from Part 1 of the 3-part Summit trial demonstrated that bezu is well-tolerated and is associated with encouraging clinical activity, including both reduced MC burden and improvement in symptoms over a 12-week (wk) period vs placebo (PBO). Based on safety, PK, biomarker, and efficacy results, a dose of 100mg QD bezu (optimized formulation) was selected for Summit Part 2. Trial Design and Methods: Summit (NCT05186753) is a multi-center, Phase 2, double-blind, PBO-controlled RCT of bezu in pts with NonAdvSM who have inadequate control of symptoms despite treatment with best supportive care (BSC). A novel pt-reported outcome measure, the Mastocytosis Symptom Severity Daily Diary (MS2D2), was designed to assess disease-specific symptom severity in NonAdvSM pts. Eleven symptoms are included in the MS2D2 Total Symptom Score (TSS). Summit Part 1a randomized pts 1:1:1 to PBO, 100mg, or 200mg, original formulation while Part 1b randomized 1:1:1 to PBO, 100mg, or 150mg, optimized formulation. Pts completing Part 1 of the Summit trial were allowed to receive bezu in the open-label extension (OLE) Part 3 of the trial. Results: As Part 2 will evaluate safety and efficacy of 100 mg bezu at 24 wks, this abstract reports on pts treated with both bezu formulations at 100mg in Parts 1a or 1b, which had similar PK exposures. The presentation will focus on 24-wk outcomes in pts receiving the selected 100 mg bezu dose and participating in the OLE. In Summit Part 1, 19 pts received PBO and 18 received 100 mg bezu for 12 wks. At baseline (BL), the symptoms identified as most severe were within the skin and fatigue domains. At BL, pts were managing their symptoms of NonAdvSM with 2 (43%), 3 (24%), or ≥4 (32%) BSC medications. At the 12-wk assessment in Part 1 (datacut 18Dec2023), the safety and tolerability profile was encouraging, with the majority of TEAEs low grade and reversible without dose modification. The most common TEAEs (&gt;10% in 100 mg bezu) included hair color changes, nausea, diarrhea, peripheral edema, GERD, taste disorder, and neutropenia. There were no reported bleeding or cognitive impairment events. Of 37 pts randomized to PBO or 100 mg QD bezu, 36 (97%) received bezu in the OLE; one pt randomized to the 100 mg original formulation dose reduced and subsequently discontinued due to TEAE of ALT increase. All 19 PBO pts (100%) crossed over to receive bezu in the OLE; of these, 9 were randomized to the 100mg QD bezu dose. Reduction in MC burden was robust among those treated with 100mg bezu - 94.4%, 100%, and 92.3% of pts had at least a 50% reduction in basal serum tryptase, KIT p.D816V variant allele frequency, and bone marrow MCs, respectively. Pts treated with 100 mg bezu had reduction in MS2D2 TSS by 49.1% vs 21.1% with PBO. On a 0-10 scale, the most severe MS2D2 symptom mean change from BL was -3.03 from a BL mean of 7.6 with bezu vs -1.04 from a BL mean of 7.7 with PBO. Individual symptoms of the MS2D2 TSS, as well as others not in the TSS including diarrhea and brain fog, improved more with bezu than with PBO; mean change from BL ranged from -1.66 to -2.69 with bezu vs. a range of -0.52 to -1.58 with PBO. LS mean change from BL in quality of life (Mastocytosis (MC)-QoL, a disease-specific measure) was -22.05 in pts treated with 100mg bezu versus -10.71 in pts treated with PBO. Objective measurements of skin lesions, including centrally adjudicated longitudinal assessments of skin photography, also significantly reduced on bezu. Conclusions: In Part 1 (12 wk assessment), treatment with 100mg bezu resulted in favorable safety and tolerability, significant and deep reductions across all markers of MC burden, and clinically meaningful reduction in all individual MS2D2 TSS symptoms and across domains. The presentation will report on durability and safety/tolerability data beyond 12 wks for those pts randomized to 100 mg in Part 1 and pts who crossed over from PBO in Part 1 to 100mg in Part 3. Summit Part 2 is actively enrolling.

Background: Positron emission tomography (PET) scan is the imaging modality of choice for initial staging and response assessment of follicular lymphoma (FL). Quantitative parameters such as standardized uptake value (SUV) have been investigated as putative prognosticators in FL, with high baseline SUVmax predicting aggressive disease. To date, there is no data to guide treatment choices in patients (pts) with high SUVmax but with no documented evidence of histologic transformation (HT). Specifically, it remains unclear whether anthracycline-containing regimens, such as R-CHOP, are more beneficial than R-Bendamustine (BR) in these pts. Therefore, we aimed to compare the efficacy of frontline R-CHOP and BR in newly diagnosed FL pts based on the SUVmax at baseline PET (bPET). Patients and Methods: Pts with newly diagnosed, biopsy-proven FL1-2 and FL3A who had a bPET scan and who received either first-line R-CHOP or BR within 6 months of diagnosis between 2002 and 2022 were evaluated. Analysis was restricted to pts with age &lt; 70 years to reduce confounding of age with treatment selection. Cohorts included were the FOLL12 (n=562, Luminari et al JCO 2022) and the R-chemotherapy arm of the RELEVANCE (n=216, Morschhauser et al NEJM 2018) clinical trials, the prospectively enrolled Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER) and the Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes (LEO) cohorts (n=288) and a retrospective cohort from 13 Australian centers (n=219). Choice of chemotherapy regimen was per treating physician. Maintenance was per protocol (FOLL12/RELEVANCE) or per treating physician (MER/LEO/Australia). Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were defined as time from treatment initiation to progression, relapse, retreatment or death; both were censored at 72 months due to varying follow-up across cohorts. SUVmax was grouped by tertile within each cohort to account for potential differences in SUVmax distributions and patient populations across cohorts. Kaplan Meier curves and multivariable Cox models cohort-stratified and adjusted for clinical factors (FLIPI, ECOG PS, age, grade 3A) were used to evaluate outcomes. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 57 years (IQR 49-64). 651 (51%) pts were treated with R-CHOP and 634 (49%) with BR. Within the study cohorts, there was a prevalence of cases receiving BR compared to R-CHOP in the Australian (90% vs 10%) and MER/LEO (68% vs 32%) cohorts, while the opposite was observed in the RELEVANCE (16% vs 84%) and FOLL12 (37% vs 63; p&lt;0.001) trials. Pts receiving R-CHOP were slightly younger (median 56 vs 58 years, p=0.005), more frequently had grade 3A (17% vs 7%, p&lt;0.001), elevated LDH (27% vs 22%, p=0.029), bulky disease &gt; 7 cm (44% vs 37%, p=0.019), lower ECOG PS (PS &gt;1 7% vs 13%, p&lt;0.001), and higher rate of high risk FLIPI (37% vs 30%, p=0.005). Baseline SUVmax was slightly lower in R-CHOP (median 10.7, IQR 7.9-14.9) vs BR (median 11.0, IQR 8.2-14.2) treated pts (p=0.0045). At a median follow-up of 56 months (range, 1-72 months), 415 pts (32%) had an event and 103 (8%) died. Higher SUVmax was not associated with EFS (middle tertile HR=0.96, 95% CI 0.76-1.22; upper tertile HR=0.86, 95% CI 0.68-1.09; p=0.45) or OS (middle tertile HR=1.28, 95% CI 0.80-2.05; upper tertile HR=0.97, 95% CI 0.59-1.59; p=0.44) in multivariable models stratified on cohort and adjusted for treatment and clinical factors. We then compared outcomes by treatment within tertiles of SUVmax. In multivariable models, R-CHOP had modestly inferior EFS to BR in low (HR=1.27, 95% CI 0.84-1.93) and middle tertiles (HR=1.49, 95% CI 0.99-2.25), and modestly superior OS to BR in low (HR=0.59, 95% CI 0.23-1.47) and middle (HR=0.79, 95% CI 0.37-1.71) tertiles. Both EFS (HR=1.06, 95% CI 0.71-1.58) and OS (HR=1.02, 95% CI 0.45-2.30) for R-CHOP were similar to BR in the highest tertile. No comparisons identified a statistically significant benefit for either therapy in multivariable models when evaluating SUVmax tertile subsets. Conclusions: In this large multicenter study of newly diagnosed FL pts with bPET who received frontline immunochemotherapy, higher baseline SUVmax was not associated with inferior outcomes after adjusting for treatment and clinical factors. Within the caveats of retrospective studies and confounding of treatment selection, these data provide no clear insights for SUVmax-based therapy selection in first-line follicular lymphoma pts treated with immunochemotherapy.

Background: Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is a rare indolent disease with a median overall survival (OS) of more than 10 years, although a proportion of patients may develop aggressive histology transformation. In a previous report from this large, international dataset, the 10-year cumulative incidence of transformation was 17% (95% 13-21) and in another study of 186 patients, the 10-year cumulative incidence was 14%Click or tap here to enter text.. In this report, we focus on risk factors for transformation as well as clinical characteristics and outcomes of transformed SMZL (tSMZL). Patients and methods: Adults diagnosed with SMZL in 2000-2018 were identified through regional or nationwide population-based registries or from hospital registries. Only patients likely to have SMZL as defined by Matutes et al. were included. Those with discordant lymphoma and/or transformation at diagnosis were excluded. Medical records were reviewed by local clinicians with experience in hematology/oncology, and detailed information on clinical characteristics, treatment lines, and outcomes was collected. Only histologically confirmed high-grade transformations (HT) were included. OS was defined as the time from transformation to death or censoring at last follow-up. Additional analyses stratified by treatment exposure prior to HT and treatment of HT were conducted. Multivariable Cox analyses were performed to determine clinicopathological features associated with transformation and OS. Results: Out of 940 patients with SMZL, 111 developed HT during a median follow-up of 9.1 years. The median time from diagnosis to HT was 3.4 years with an interquartile range of 1.6-7.4 years. Median age at HT was 71 years. Patients with HT shared similar baseline characteristics to those without in terms of age at diagnosis (66.4 vs 67.6), f:m ratio (1.5 vs 1.1) and ECOG ³2 (7.2% vs 7.4%). The 5-yr OS from the time of HT was 42% (CI 95%, 32-54). Of the 111 patients with tSMZL, a complete treatment history from SMZL diagnosis until HT was available for 88 included in the following analyses. By the time of HT, 46 had not received any prior systemic therapy (37 only splenectomy, 9 no therapy), 6 patients had received rituximab alone or combined with splenectomy, and 36 patients had received chemotherapy alone or as part of combined modality treatment. In a uni- and multivariable models for HT, we assessed age, treatment at diagnosis, sex, extra-hilar lymphadenopathy, and extranodal involvement. In both the uni- and multivariable model, age &gt;70 (HR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1-3.4), immediate treatment including splenectomy (HR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.05-3.6), and extra-hilar lymphadenopathy (HR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1-3.3) were associated with higher HT hazard, while extranodal involvement (HR 0.23, 95% CI: 0.06-0.84) was associated with a lower HT hazard. At the time of first-line treatment, multivariable analysis revealed similar results and with no association between risk of transformation and treatment strategy (i.e splenectomy alone, rituximab monotherapy or chemotherapy with /without rituximab or splenectomy, and other). At the time of HT, patients who had been previously treated with chemotherapy had an inferior 5-year OS of 24% (95%CI: 13-44%) versus 54% (95%CI: 41-71%) for those who had not received chemotherapy prior to HT. In contrast, there was no difference in the survival of patients that transformed less than or more than 24 months from diagnosis with 5-year OS after HT of 35% (95%CI 20-60%) and 45% (95%CI, 33-61%) respectively. In a multivariable Cox regression analyses of age at time of HT, sex, time since last treatment &lt;24 months, chemo-exposure in previous treatment lines and anthracycline-containing therapy (+/-R) at the time of HT, only prior chemo-exposure was borderline associated with poorer OS (HR 1.8, 95%CI: 0.9-3.5). Conclusion: Patients with SMZL face a notable risk of developing tSMZL over time. Patients in need of immediate treatment at first SMZL diagnosis, age &gt;70 and extrahilar lymphadenopathy had a higher risk of tSMZL and outcomes at the time of HT were poor if patients had been exposed to prior chemotherapy after adjustment for age, sex, and time since last treatment.

Background: Overall survival rates now exceed 90% for children, adolescents, and young adults with cHL, but patients with slow early response (SER) to front-line chemotherapy are at an increased risk of relapse. The approaches used historically to treat patients with SER included dose intensification and radiotherapy (RT), which can be associated with long-term toxicity. The open-label, phase 2 KEYNOTE-667study (NCT03407144) is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of consolidation with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy with or without RT followed by pembrolizumab maintenance in patients with cHL and SER to front-line chemotherapy. The study includes 2 groups: patients with low-risk cHL (stage IA, IB, or IIA without bulky disease) and patients with high-risk cHL (stage IIEB-IVB). Prior analysis of the high-risk group showed that consolidation with pembrolizumab plus cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone/prednisolone, and dacarbazine (COPDAC-28) followed by pembrolizumab maintenance had manageable safety and promising activity in patients with high-risk cHL and SER to front-line vincristine, etoposide, prednisone/prednisolone, and doxorubicin (OEPA). Here, we present updated results for patients with high-risk cHL and SER to OEPA. Methods: Patients eligible for the high-risk group were aged 3-25 years and had newly diagnosed stage IIEB, IIIEA, IIIEB, IIIB, IVA, or IVB cHL; measurable disease; and a Lansky Play-Performance Scale (aged &lt;16 years) or a Karnofsky Performance Status (aged ≥16 years) score of ≥50. All patients in the high-risk group received 2 cycles of OEPA followed by early response assessment (PET and CT/MRI). Patients with a rapid early response (ie, Deauville score [DS] 1-3) received nonstudy therapy. Patients with a SER (ie, DS 4 or 5) received consolidation therapy with pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg up to 200 mg (aged 3-17 years) or 200 mg (aged 18-25 years) IV Q3W plus COPDAC-28 for 4 cycles. Patients then underwent late-response assessment (LRA; PET and CT/MRI). Patients with PET-positive disease at LRA (ie, DS 4 or 5) received RT (28.8 Gy) to late PET-positive residua. Patients with PET-negative disease (ie, DS 1-3) received no RT. All patients received maintenance pembrolizumab for up to 17 cycles. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) by blinded independent central review (BICR) per Cheson 2007 IWG criteria. Secondary end points included the rate of PET negativity after consolidation and safety. Results: 84 patients with high-risk cHL and SER to front-line OEPA received consolidation with pembrolizumab plus COPDAC-28. Median time from treatment allocation to data cutoff (Feb 29, 2024) was 24.3 months (range, 5.7-48.4). As of the data cutoff, 55 patients had completed consolidation and maintenance therapy, 20 were ongoing, and 9 had discontinued treatment (due to adverse events [AE], n = 3; progressive disease, n = 2; withdrawal by patient, n = 2; complete response [CR], n = 1; physician decision, n = 1). Patients received a median of 17 doses of pembrolizumab (range, 2-17) and the median time on pembrolizumab was 11.1 months (range, 0.5-11.8). The median age of patients was 14 years (range, 4-22), 78 (93%) were aged 3-17 years, 45 (54%) were male, 44 (52%) had bulky disease, and 53 (63%) had Ann Arbor stage IV disease. Of 84 patients who received consolidation, 80 (95%) had an LRA. The ORR among these patients was 99% (95% CI, 93-100; 57 CR and 22 partial response). 56 patients (70%) with a LRA were PET negative by BICR; 55 (69%) were PET negative by investigator review and did not receive RT. Treatment-related AEs were reported in 61 patients (73%); grade 3 or 4 treatment-related AEs occurred in 16 patients (19%). Three patients (4%) discontinued treatment due to treatment-related AEs. No patients died due to treatment-related AEs. Immune-mediated AEs occurred in 10 patients (12%). Conclusion: After additional follow up, consolidation with pembrolizumab plus COPDAC-28 with or without RT followed by pembrolizumab maintenance continued to demonstrate promising activity and manageable safety in patients with high-risk cHL and SER to front-line OEPA. Among the 80 patients with an LRA, 70% were PET negative by BICR and 69% were PET negative by investigator review and were spared RT. These results continue to support pembrolizumab plus COPDAC-28 consolidation as a treatment option that may augment response in patients with high-risk CHL and SER to front-line OEPA.