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B-cell activating factor belonging to the TNF family (BAFF), also known as B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS), plays a crucial role in B-cell development. It has multiple receptors, including BCMA, TACI, and BAFF-R, with diverse roles in different cell types. BAFF induces B-cell proliferation and immunoglobulin secretion, and acts as a survival factor for immature, naive, and activated B cells. Consequently, BAFF-deficient mice often show suppressed humoral responses, while BAFF-overexpressing mice show the higher number of mature B cells and may develop autoimmune-like manifestations and B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases. Elevated BAFF levels are also associated with various hematological malignancies, and its expression correlates with disease progression in some cases. Therefore, BAFF-targeted therapies, such as belimumab, atacicept, and tabalumab, are being explored in clinical trials for conditions like chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma. Belimumab, an anti-BAFF monoclonal antibody, is being investigated in combination with rituximab/venetoclax for CLL. Atacicept, a decoy receptor for BAFF and APRIL, showed tolerability in a phase 1b trial for CLL. Tabalumab, another monoclonal antibody targeting BAFF, did not demonstrate significant efficacy in a phase 2 study for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. BAFF ligand-based CAR-T cells are designed to target BAFF receptors and show promise in preclinical studies, particularly for B-cell malignancies. The review emphasizes the importance of understanding the roles of BAFF and its receptors in the microenvironment of hematologic malignancies. Targeting BAFF and its receptors presents potential therapeutic avenues, and ongoing clinical trials provide valuable insights., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The SCRUM-Japan MONSTAR-SCREEN consortium is a nationwide molecular profiling project employing artificial intelligence-driven multiomics analyses for patients with advanced malignancies, aiming to develop novel therapeutics and diagnostics and deliver effective drugs to patients. Concurrently, studies assessing molecular residual disease-based precision medicine for resectable solid tumors, including CIRCULATE-Japan, are ongoing. The substantial data generated by these platforms are stored within a state-of-the-art supercomputing infrastructure, VAPOR CONE. Since 2015, our project has registered over 24,000 patients as of December 2023. Among 16,144 patients with advanced solid tumors enrolled in MONSTAR-SCREEN projects, 5.0% have participated in matched clinical trials, demonstrating a 29.2% objective response rate and 14.8-month median survival (95% CI, 13.4-16.3) for patients treated in the matched clinical trials. Notably, patients who received matched therapy demonstrated significantly prolonged overall survival compared with those who did not (hazard ratio 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.83). Significance: Our nationwide molecular profiling initiative played pivotal roles in facilitating the enrollment of patients with advanced solid tumors into matched clinical trials and highlighted the substantial survival benefits of patients treated with matched therapy. We aim to facilitate an industry-academia data-sharing infrastructure ecosystem, fostering new drug discovery paradigms and precision medicine., (©2024 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)

Background: Few treatment options exist for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and outcomes remain poor for relapsed or refractory disease. We evaluated the safety and preliminary clinical activity of valemetostat, a novel inhibitor of EZH2 and EZH1, in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphomas., Methods: This first-in-human, multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 1, dose-escalation and dose-expansion trial was done in 19 hospitals across Japan and the USA. Patients were included if they were aged 18 years or older in the USA or 20 years or older in Japan with a primary diagnosis of relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. In the dose-escalation part, patients received oral valemetostat at doses of 150 mg per day, 200 mg per day, 250 mg per day, and 300 mg per day continuously in 28-day cycles until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicities. All patients received 200 mg per day in the dose-expansion part. The primary endpoints were safety, pharmacokinetics, and the recommended phase 2 dose; the secondary endpoints were the maximum tolerated dose and the antitumour activity of valemetostat. Responses were assessed in patients who received at least one dose, with measurable lesions at baseline according to the International Working Group 2007 revised criteria for malignant lymphoma (peripheral T-cell lymphoma and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma) and the modified 2009 criteria for adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02732275, and is currently active, but not recruiting., Findings: Between April 7, 2016, and June 10, 2021, 90 patients (53 [59%] males and 37 [41%] females; 49 [54%] Asian, 33 [37%] White, and eight [9%] Black) were enrolled and treated with valemetostat and included in the safety analysis set. 57 (63%) patients had peripheral T-cell lymphoma, 14 (16%) had adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma, and 19 (21%) had B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Seven (8%) patients received valemetostat 150 mg per day, 74 (82%) received 200 mg per day, seven received 250 mg per day, and two received 300 mg per day. Median follow-up was 7·4 months (IQR 3·4-17·6). All patients had at least one treatment-emergent adverse event; the most common treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade were decreased platelet count (52 [58%] of 90 patients), dysgeusia (45 [50%]), and anaemia (38 [42%]). The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were decreased neutrophil count (21 [23%]), decreased platelet count (18 [20%]), and decreased lymphocyte count (17 [19%]). The most common serious adverse event of any grade was Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (four [4%]). No treatment-related deaths occurred. The overall response rate was 54·5% (48 of 88; 95% CI 43·6-65·2) for patients in the efficacy analysis set. The maximum tolerated dose was not reached; the recommended phase 2 dose of 200 mg per day was determined. Valemetostat exposure was variable between patients and was overlapped over the dose range of 150-250 mg per day., Interpretation: The safety profile of valemetostat monotherapy was acceptable in these patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Favourable clinical activity was observed. These findings support a new indication for valemetostat in this setting., Funding: Daiichi Sankyo., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests DM reports research funding from Ono, Janssen, Eisai, Chugai, Kyowa Kirin, MSD, Zenyaku, Sanofi, SymBio Pharmaceuticals, Takeda, AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), Genmab, Novartis, Otsuka, Taiho, Pfizer, and Astellas; honoraria from Ono, Nippon Shinyaku, Janssen, Mundipharma, Eisai, Chugai, Kyowa Kirin, MSD, Zenyaku, Sanofi, SymBio Pharmaceuticals, Takeda, AbbVie, AstraZeneca, BMS, Genmab, and Novartis; and advisory board participation for Janssen, AstraZeneca, Chugai, AbbVie, Genmab, Sanofi, BMS, and Pfizer. EJ reports research funding from Celgene, Merck, Pharmacyclics, and F Hoffman-La Roche, unrelated to this work; honoraria from Merck, Daiichi, BMS, and Bayer, unrelated to this work; and planned patents, issued or pending with UpToDate, unrelated to this work. PP reports research funding from Ono; consulting fees from Dren Bio, Lilly-LOXO, Ono, Kiowa, and Daiichi Sankyo; honoraria from Viracta, Innate Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Kiowa, and Dren Bio; travel support from Dren Bio; participation in data and safety monitoring boards or advisory boards for Viracta, Innate Pharma, BeiGene, Kiowa, ADCT, Ono, and Lilly-LOXO. PA reports support from Daiichi Sankyo for the current work, and participation on an advisory board for Daiichi Sankyo. KIs reports manuscript support from Daiichi Sankyo, related to this work; research funding from Ono and Kyowa Kirin to their institutions, unrelated to this work; honoraria from Kyowa Kirin, Takeda, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Celgene, BMS, Daiichi Sankyo, Ono, Astellas, Eisai, Pfizer, Otsuka, Sanofi, CSL Behring, AbbVie, Yakult, Janssen, and Nippon Shinyaku, unrelated to this work; participation on data safety monitoring boards or advisory boards for Meiji Seika Pharma and Daiichi Sankyo, unrelated to this work; and items of value from Ono to their institution, unrelated to this work. SK has received support from Daiichi Sankyo, related to this work; research funding from Chugai, Kyowa Kirin, and Janssen, unrelated to this work; and honoraria from Daiichi Sankyo, Chugai, Kyowa Kirin, and Janssen, unrelated to this work. TN reports support from Daiichi Sankyo for the current work and institutional research support from Daiichi Sankyo. KTo reports consulting fees and honoraria from HUYA Bioscience, Daiichi Sankyo, and SymBio Pharmaceuticals. FF reports honoraria from Seagen, Acrotech, and Kyowa; participation on data safety monitoring boards and advisory boards for ASTX; and leadership or fiduciary roles on the US Cutaneous Lymphoma Consortium executive committee. KTs reports institutional support from Daiichi Sankyo for the current work; grants or contracts given to their institution from Kyowa Kirin, Meiji Seika Pharma, BMS, Bayer, Daiichi Sankyo, and HUYABIO; consulting fees from Meiji Seika Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, HUYABIO, Ono, Solasia Pharma, and Yakuruto; honoraria from Chugai Pharma, Eisai, Takeda, Meiji Seika Pharma, and Sekisui Medical. TF reports research funding from ADCT, AstraZeneca, BMS, Corvus, Daiichi Sankyo, Genmab, Kymera, Merck, Seagen, Tessa, Trillium, Alexion, and Portola; consulting fees from ADCT, AstraZeneca, BMS, Epizyme, Genmab, Seagen, Phamacyclics, and Celgene; honoraria from Takeda, Seagen, Genmab, Epizyme, ADCT, AstraZeneca, BMS, Pharmacyclics, AbbVie, and Pfizer; and stock in OMI and Genomic Testing Cooperative. YI reports support for travel from Chugai, Meiji Seika Pharma, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, BMS, SymBio Pharmaceuticals, and Kyowa Kirin. KIz has received manuscript support from Daiichi Sankyo to their institution, related to this work; research funding from Chugai, BMS, Incyte, Genmab, LOXO Oncology, Daiichi Sankyo, Beigene, AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Regeneron, Yakult, Chugai, Otsuka, Novartis, Pfizer, MSD, Bayer, Kyowa Kirin, Eisai, Janssen, Ono, Gilead, Astellas, and Amgen to their institution, unrelated to this work; consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Ono, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Eisai, Chugai, BMS, AbbVie, Takeda, Zenyaku, Genmab, Kyowa Kirin, MSD, Carna Biosciences, Novartis, Yakult, Nihon Shinyaku, Novartis, and Beigene, unrelated to this work; and honoraria from AstraZeneca, Ono, Eisai, Chugai, Janssen, SymBio Pharmaceuticals, BMS, Daiichi Sankyo, Otsuka, AbbVie, Takeda, Eli Lilly, Genmab, Kyowa Kirin, MSD, Astellas, Pfizer, Meiji Seika Pharma, Novartis, Nihon Kayaku, and Gilead, unrelated to this work. JR reports clinical trial support from Daiichi Sankyo, related to the current work. KN reports honoraria from Meiji Seika, Chugai, BMS, Kyowa Kirin, AbbVie, Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, and Ohara. AU reports consulting fees from JIMRO and Otsuka Medical Devices, and honoraria from Meiji Seika Pharma, Kyowa Kirin, and BMS. JZ reports grand or contracts from Secura Bio, Astex, CRISPR, Myeloid, and Daiichi Sankyo; consulting fees from Seattle Genetics, Secura Bio, Kiyowa Kirin, and Myeloid; and honoraria from Kiowa Kirin. YK, HY, NB, and AI report employment with Daiichi Sankyo. MT and YH report employment with Daiichi Sankyo and stock options with Daiichi Sankyo. SMH received research funding from US National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA008748); research funding from ADC Therapeutics, Affimed, Aileron, Celgene, Crispr Therapeutics, Daiichi Sankyo, Forty Seven, Kyowa Kirin, Takeda, Seattle Genetics, Trillium Therapeutics, and SecuraBio; and honoraria from Abcuro, Autolus, Auxilius Pharma, Corvus, Cimeio Therapeutics, Daiichi Sankyo, DrenBio, Kyowa Kirin, March, Bio, Ono, SecuraBio, Shoreline, Biosciences, Takeda, Tubulis, and Yingli Pharma. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Background: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a rare form of lymphoma in Japan. This study aimed to explore hematologists' motivations and considerations in making treatment decisions for CLL., Methods: Responses from hematologists treating CLL, obtained through an online survey, were descriptively analyzed. Subgroup analyses by preferred first-line (1L) treatment, years of clinical experience, and level of interest in CLL were conducted., Results: Out of 107 hematologists surveyed, 82.2% identified Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) as their primary choice for 1L treatment; the reasons included established clinical evidence (61.4%) and oral administration convenience (56.8%). Key factors influencing 1L treatment selection among those favoring BTKi included the presence of 17p deletion, TP53 mutation, and patient's fitness status. BTKi was favored by 92.6% of hematologists with < 10 years of clinical experience and by 78.8% with more experience. The main reasons for choosing BTKi included safety (50.0%) and tolerance (46.7%) among hematologists who stated they had a specific interest in CLL and the oral administration route (62.1%) among hematologists with lower interest. When BTKi was used as 1L therapy, venetoclax-based regimens were preferred for second-line treatment. The most common concern about BTKi was substantial out-of-pocket costs., Conclusion: Although many Japanese hematologists select their treatment based on clinical evidence, variations exist in treatment strategies, possibly associated with hematologists' experience and interest in CLL. These findings underscore the importance of further promoting evidence-based treatments to ensure that all physicians can make informed decisions. Future research should explore additional factors that influence CLL treatment decisions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: ABBV-184, a novel survivin peptide-targeting T-cell receptor (TCR)/anti-CD3 bispecific protein, demonstrated preclinical T-cell activation and cytotoxicity toward HLA-A2:01-positive tumor lines. This first-in-human trial evaluated ABBV-184 monotherapy in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Research Design and Methods: This phase 1 multicenter, open-label, dose escalation trial (NCT04272203) enrolled adult patients with relapsed/refractory AML or NSCLC with an HLA-A2:01 restricted genotype. Patients received ABBV-184 at 0.07 ug/kg initially, with 2- to 3-fold dose increases. The primary objective was determining the ABBV-184 recommended phase 2 dose. Secondary objectives included safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity assessments., Results: Fifteen patients enrolled in the dose escalation (8 AML and 7 NSCLC). ABBV-184 doses ranged from 0.07 mg/kg-0.7 µg/kg, with a half-life of approximately 13-29 hours. Transient cytokine increases were observed at all dose levels, and in patients with NSCLC, transient peripheral blood lymphocyte decreases were observed. The most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were anemia, diarrhea, and headache. Grade 1-2 infusion-related reaction (IRR) and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) TEAEs were reported., Conclusions: ABBV-184 was well tolerated and demonstrated preliminary evidence of CD3 engagement with transient cytokine increases and peripheral lymphocyte decreases., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04272203.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is the fraction of cell-free DNA in patient blood that originates from a tumor. Advances in DNA sequencing technologies and our understanding of the molecular biology of tumors have increased interest in exploiting ctDNA to facilitate detection of molecular residual disease (MRD). Analysis of ctDNA as a promising MRD biomarker of solid malignancies has a central role in precision medicine initiatives exemplified by our CIRCULATE-Japan project involving patients with resectable colorectal cancer. Notably, the project underscores the prognostic significance of the ctDNA status at 4 weeks post-surgery and its correlation to adjuvant therapy efficacy at interim analysis. This substantiates the hypothesis that MRD is a critical prognostic indicator of relapse in patients with colorectal cancer. Despite remarkable advancements, challenges endure, primarily attributable to the exceedingly low ctDNA concentration in peripheral blood, particularly in scenarios involving low tumor shedding and the intrinsic error rates of current sequencing technologies. These complications necessitate more sensitive and sophisticated assays to verify the clinical utility of MRD across all solid tumors. Whole genome sequencing (WGS)-based tumor-informed MRD assays have recently demonstrated the ability to detect ctDNA in the parts-per-million range. This review delineates the current landscape of MRD assays, highlighting WGS-based approaches as the forefront technique in ctDNA analysis. Additionally, it introduces our upcoming endeavor, WGS-based pan-cancer MRD detection via ctDNA, in our forthcoming project, SCRUM-Japan MONSTAR-SCREEN-3., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Patients with triple-class refractory multiple myeloma once had a poor prognosis, but recently developed bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), G protein-coupled receptor 5D (GPRC5D), and Fc receptor-homolog 5 (FcRH5) have shown significant clinical activity in these patients. However, responses to bsAbs are not universal, and resistance often develops during therapy. Mechanisms that mediate resistance may be tumor-intrinsic or immune-dependent. Tumor-intrinsic factors include antigen loss (biallelic or functional) due to deletion or mutation of target genes, increased soluble BCMA (for BCMA targeting bsAbs), high tumor burden, and extramedullary disease. Immune-mediated resistance highly depends on T cell fitness and the resistant immune environment. This article describes bispecific antibodies against multiple myeloma that are currently being developed.

Epcoritamab is a subcutaneously administered CD3xCD20 bispecific Ab that showed deep, durable responses with a manageable safety profile in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the global multicenter pivotal phase II trial EPCORE NHL-1. Here, we present results from the similar EPCORE NHL-3 phase I/II trial evaluating epcoritamab monotherapy in Japanese patients with R/R CD20 + B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma previously treated with two or more lines of therapy. Epcoritamab was dosed subcutaneously in 28-day cycles; once weekly during cycles 1-3, every 2 weeks during cycles 4-9, and every 4 weeks from cycle 10 until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Step-up dosing and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) prophylaxis were used during treatment cycle 1. As of January 31, 2022, 36 patients received treatment with 48 mg epcoritamab monotherapy. At a median follow-up of 8.4 months, overall response and complete response rates by independent review committee were 55.6% and 44.4%, respectively. The median duration of response, duration of complete response, and overall survival were not reached at the time of data cut-off. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade were CRS (83.3%), injection-site reactions (69.4%), infections (44.4%), neutropenia (38.9%), hypokalemia (27.8%), and decreased lymphocyte count (25.0%). Cytokine release syndrome occurrence was predictable; events were primarily low grade (grade 1-2), all resolved, and none led to treatment discontinuation. These encouraging results are consistent with previous findings and support the ongoing clinical evaluation of epcoritamab for the treatment of R/R DLBCL, including in earlier treatment lines., (© 2023 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

Background: MCL-1 is a prosurvival B-cell lymphoma 2 family protein that plays a critical role in tumor maintenance and survival and can act as a resistance factor to multiple anticancer therapies. Herein, we describe the generation and characterization of the highly potent and selective MCL-1 inhibitor ABBV-467 and present findings from a first-in-human trial that included patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (NCT04178902)., Methods: Binding of ABBV-467 to human MCL-1 was assessed in multiple cell lines. The ability of ABBV-467 to induce tumor growth inhibition was investigated in xenograft models of human multiple myeloma and acute myelogenous leukemia. The first-in-human study was a multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation study assessing safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of ABBV-467 monotherapy., Results: Here we show that administration of ABBV-467 to MCL-1-dependent tumor cell lines triggers rapid and mechanism-based apoptosis. In vivo, intermittent dosing of ABBV-467 as monotherapy or in combination with venetoclax inhibits the growth of xenografts from human hematologic cancers. Results from a clinical trial evaluating ABBV-467 in patients with multiple myeloma based on these preclinical data indicate that treatment with ABBV-467 can result in disease control (seen in 1 patient), but may also cause increases in cardiac troponin levels in the plasma in some patients (seen in 4 of 8 patients), without other corresponding cardiac findings., Conclusions: The selectivity of ABBV-467 suggests that treatment-induced troponin release is a consequence of MCL-1 inhibition and therefore may represent a class effect of MCL-1 inhibitors in human patients., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Next-generation sequencing of AML has identified specific genetic mutations in AML patients. Hematologic Malignancies (HM)-SCREEN-Japan 01 is a multicenter study to detect actionable mutations using paraffin-embedded bone marrow (BM) clot specimens rather than BM fluid in AML patients for whom standard treatment has not been established. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the presence of potentially therapeutic target gene mutations in patients with newly diagnosed unfit AML and relapsed/refractory AML (R/R-AML) using BM clot specimens. In this study, 188 patients were enrolled and targeted sequencing was undertaken on DNA from 437 genes and RNA from 265 genes. High-quality DNA and RNA were obtained using BM clot specimens, with genetic alterations successfully detected in 177 patients (97.3%), and fusion transcripts in 41 patients (23.2%). The median turnaround time was 13 days. In the detection of fusion genes, not only common fusion products such as RUNX1-RUX1T1 and KMT2A rearrangements, but also NUP98 rearrangements and rare fusion genes were observed. Among 177 patients (72 with unfit AML, 105 with R/R-AML), mutations in KIT and WT1 were independent factors for overall survival (hazard ratio = 12.6 and 8.88, respectively), and patients with high variant allele frequency (≥40%) of TP53 mutations had a poor prognosis. As for the detection of actionable mutations, 38% (n = 69) of patients had useful genetic mutation (FLT3-ITD/TKD, IDH1/2, and DNMT3A R822 ) for treatment selection. Comprehensive genomic profiling using paraffin-embedded BM clot specimens successfully identified leukemic-associated genes that can be used as therapeutic targets., (© 2023 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

Activation of apoptosis in malignant cells is an established strategy for controlling cancer and is potentially curative. To assess the impact of concurrently inducing the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis-signaling pathways in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we evaluated activity of the TRAIL receptor agonistic fusion protein eftozanermin alfa (eftoza; ABBV-621) in combination with the B-cell lymphoma protein-2 selective inhibitor venetoclax in preclinical models and human patients. Simultaneously stimulating intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis-signaling pathways with venetoclax and eftoza, respectively, enhanced their activities in AML cell lines and patient-derived ex vivo/in vivo models. Eftoza activity alone or plus venetoclax required death receptor 4/5 (DR4/DR5) expression on the plasma membrane but was independent of TP53 or FLT3-ITD status. The safety/tolerability of eftoza as monotherapy and in combination with venetoclax was demonstrated in patients with relapsed/refractory AML in a phase 1 clinical trial. Treatment-related adverse events were reported in 2 of 4 (50%) patients treated with eftoza monotherapy and 18 of 23 (78%) treated with eftoza plus venetoclax. An overall response rate of 30% (7/23; 4 complete responses [CRs], 2 CRs with incomplete hematologic recovery, and 1 morphologic leukemia-free state) was reported in patients who received treatment with eftoza plus venetoclax and 67% (4/6) in patients with myoblasts positive for DR4/DR5 expression; no tumor responses were observed with eftoza monotherapy. These data indicate that combination therapy with eftoza plus venetoclax to simultaneously activate the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis-signaling pathways may improve clinical benefit compared with venetoclax monotherapy in relapsed/refractory AML with an acceptable toxicity profile. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03082209., (© 2023 by The American Society of Hematology. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), permitting only noncommercial, nonderivative use with attribution. All other rights reserved.)

Asciminib, a first-in-class, allosteric inhibitor of BCR-ABL1 that acts by STAMP (Specifically Targeting the ABL Myristoyl Pocket), is a novel therapeutic option for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In the global, phase 3, open-label ASCEMBL study in patients with CML in chronic phase (CML-CP) pretreated with ≥2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (NCT03106779), asciminib (40 mg twice-daily) demonstrated significant superiority over the ATP-competitive TKI bosutinib (500 mg once daily) for the primary endpoint of major molecular response (MMR; BCR::ABL1 transcript levels on the international scale [BCR::ABL1 IS ] ≤0.1%) at week 24. Here, we report results from a descriptive subgroup analysis of Japanese patients enrolled in ASCEMBL study (data cut-off: May 25, 2020). Overall, 16 Japanese patients were randomized (asciminib, n = 13; bosutinib, n = 3). At week 24, the MMR rate with asciminib was 30.8% (4/13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.09-61.43). BCR::ABL1 IS ≤1% and complete cytogenic response (CCyR) at week 24 were 61.5% (8/13 patients) and 50.0% (4/8 patients), respectively. In the bosutinib group, no patient achieved MMR, CCyR, or BCR::ABL1 IS ≤1%, but results were limited by the low number of patients. The safety profile of asciminib was comparable to that previously observed in the overall study population. Findings from this Japanese subgroup analysis of the ASCEMBL study support the use of asciminib for the treatment of Japanese patients with CML-CP previously treated with ≥2 TKIs. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03106779., (© 2022 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Regulatory T (T reg ) cells suppress effective antitumor immunity in tumor-bearing hosts, thereby becoming promising targets in cancer immunotherapy. Despite the importance of T reg cells in tumor immunity, little is known about their differentiation process and epigenetic profiles in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we showed that T reg cells in the TME of human lung cancers harbored a completely different open chromatin profile compared with CD8 + T cells, conventional CD4 + T cells in the TME, and peripheral T reg cells. The integrative sequencing analyses including ATAC, single-cell RNA, and single-cell ATAC sequencing revealed that BATF, IRF4, NF-κB, and NR4A were important transcription factors for T reg cell differentiation in the TME. In particular, BATF was identified as a key regulator, which leveraged T reg cell differentiation through epigenetically controlling activation-associated gene expression, resulting in the robustness of T reg cells in the TME. The single-cell sequencing approaches also revealed that tissue-resident and tumor-infiltrating T reg cells followed a common pathway for differentiation and activation in a BATF-dependent manner heading toward T reg cells with the most differentiated and activated phenotypes in tissues and tumors. BATF deficiency in T reg cells remarkably inhibited tumor growth, and high BATF expression was associated with poor prognosis in lung cancer, kidney cancer, and melanoma. These findings indicate one of the specific chromatin remodeling and differentiation programs of T reg cells in the TME, which can be applied in the development of T reg cell-targeted therapies.

The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) criteria define the adverse genetic factors of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML with adverse genetic factors uniformly shows resistance to standard chemotherapy and is associated with poor prognosis. Here, we focus on the biological background and real-world etiology of these adverse genetic factors and then describe a strategy to overcome the clinical disadvantages in terms of targeting pivotal molecular mechanisms. Different adverse genetic factors often rely on common pathways. KMT2A rearrangement, DEK-NUP214 fusion, and NPM1 mutation are associated with the upregulation of HOX genes. The dominant tyrosine kinase activity of the mutant FLT3 or BCR-ABL1 fusion proteins is transduced by the AKT-mTOR, MAPK-ERK, and STAT5 pathways. Concurrent mutations of ASXL1 and RUNX1 are associated with activated AKT. Both TP53 mutation and mis-expressed MECOM are related to impaired apoptosis. Clinical data suggest that adverse genetic factors can be found in at least one in eight AML patients and appear to accumulate in relapsed/refractory cases. TP53 mutation is associated with particularly poor prognosis. Molecular-targeted therapies focusing on specific genomic abnormalities, such as FLT3 , KMT2A , and TP53 , have been developed and have demonstrated promising results.

Post-transplant cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease can be almost completely avoided by current infection control procedures. However, CMV reactivation occurs in more than half of patients, and some patients can develop clinically resistant CMV infections. Whether resistance is due to the host's immune status or a viral resistance mutation is challenging to confirm. Therefore, a prospective observational analysis of refractory CMV infection was conducted in 199 consecutive patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at a single institution. Among them, 143 (72%) patients received anti-CMV drugs due to CMV reactivation, and only 17 (8.5%) exhibited refractory CMV infection. These patients had clinically refractory infection. However, viral genome analysis revealed that only one patient exhibited a mutation associated with the anti-CMV drug resistance. Clinical resistance was mainly correlated with host immune factors, and the incidence of resistance caused by gene mutations was low at the early stage after a transplantation., (© 2021. Japanese Society of Hematology.)

Deep sequence analysis for BCR-ABL revealed that native BCR-ABL decreased slowly after an exponential decrease within three months of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. BCR-ABL Ins35bp was present at diagnosis and increased to account for 15-30% of total BCR-ABL when IS BCR-ABL was reduced to 1%. Native BCR-ABL and BCR-ABL Ins35bp correspond to early relapse and fluctuating minimal residue disease, respectively, in the STOP-TKI trial. These findings highlight the clinical significance of quantifying BCR-ABL Ins35bp . We discovered pseudosplice sites at both ends of 35 bp within ABL intron 8, and TKI off-target effect inhibited RNAPII S2P and reduced native BCR-ABL expression but induced BCR-ABL Ins35bp mis-splicing.

Gray zone lymphoma (GZL) is a rare type of B-cell lymphoma characterized by features of both diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). The prognosis of GZL is poorer than that of cHL and mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma. However, an optimal treatment strategy for relapsed/refractory (R/R) GZL has not been established in the clinical setting. The current study reported an excellent clinical response in a patient with R/R CD30-positive GZL who received brentuximab vedotin (BV) maintenance after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Although the patient was resistant to prior treatments, BV maintenance after ASCT achieved long-term remission. Hence, BV was determined to be a safe and effective therapeutic option for CD30-positive R/R GZL., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Terao et al.)

Background: The outcomes of Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) can improve with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) during the first complete remission after treatment with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) combined with chemotherapy. However, frail patients who are not eligible for allogeneic HSCT or those with TKI-resistant mutations within the BCR-ABL kinase domain have a poor clinical course. Blinatumomab (BLIN) is a bispecific T-cell engager antibody construct that directs cytotoxic T cells to CD19-expressing B-ALL cells. To date, only a few studies have shown the safety and efficacy of Blinatumomab (BLIN) + TKI combination therapy for relapsed/refractory (R/R) Ph+ ALL. Here we report the case of two patients with R/R Ph+ ALL who were treated with BLIN + TKI with durable molecular response., Case Presentation: Patient 1: A 69-year-old Japanese male with R/R Ph+ ALL was treated with conventional chemotherapy and dasatinib in April 2016. In May 2018, he developed molecular relapse due to the acquisition of T315I during dasatinib maintenance therapy. Thereafter, he achieved molecular complete remission (mCR) after switching from dasatinib to ponatinib. However, he developed a second relapse after the emergence of triple compound mutations (G250E/D276G/T315I) in November 2018. He subsequently received a total of nine cycles of BLIN and ponatinib combination therapy, which resulted in sustained mCR without any adverse events. Patient 2: A 69-year-old Japanese female with R/R Ph+ ALL was treated with chemotherapy and imatinib in April 2008. She developed molecular relapse due to the emergence of the T315I mutation in October 2017. She achieved mCR after switching from imatinib to ponatinib. However, she developed a second relapse after acquiring ABL exon4 skipping in addition to T315I. She subsequently received a total of seven cycles of BLIN and ponatinib combination therapy, which resulted in sustained mCR., Conclusion: In our two cases, BLIN + ponatinib combination therapy was highly effective for R/R Ph+ ALL without any incidence of severe adverse events. Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted to validate the safety and efficacy of this potent combination therapy.

Several immune checkpoint molecules and immune targets in leukemic cells have been investigated. Recent studies have suggested the potential clinical benefits of immuno-oncology (IO) therapy against acute myeloid leukemia (AML), especially targeting CD33, CD123, and CLL-1, as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., anti-PD (programmed cell death)-1 and anti-CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4) antibodies) with or without conventional chemotherapy. Early-phase clinical trials of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T or natural killer (NK) cells for relapsed/refractory AML showed complete remission (CR) or marked reduction of marrow blasts in a few enrolled patients. Bi-/tri-specific antibodies (e.g., bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) and dual-affinity retargeting (DART)) exhibited 11-67% CR rates with 13-78% risk of cytokine-releasing syndrome (CRS). Conventional chemotherapy in combination with anti-PD-1/anti-CTLA4 antibody for relapsed/refractory AML showed 10-36% CR rates with 7-24 month-long median survival. The current advantages of IO therapy in the field of AML are summarized herein. However, although cancer vaccination should be included in the concept of IO therapy, it is not mentioned in this review because of the paucity of relevant evidence.

An 80 year old male who had received immunosuppressive therapy for myelodysplastic syndrome presented with fever, fatigue, and elevated serum Aspergillus antigen. Computed tomography revealed infiltrative shadows in the left lower lung and subcutaneous nodules. A polymerase chain reaction assay from lung and subcutaneous nodule samples identified the presence Aspergillus udagawae. A. udagawae is a cryptic species that shares similar morphological characteristics with A. fumigatus but genetically differs from the latter in its susceptibility to antifungal drugs. When immunosuppressed patients with hematological malignancies develop disseminated aspergillosis, biopsy and fungal tests are crucial to identify the causative fungus, including cryptic species, for deciding the appropriate therapeutic intervention.

A 72-year-old man with leukocytosis, anemia, and lymphadenopathy was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in August 2017 and was carefully monitored in a "watch-and-wait" manner until it became an "active disease." Ibrutinib (IBR) was initiated orally in July 2018 at a dose of 420 mg/day after disease progression due to chromosome 17p deletion (del 17p). The patient showed partial response after transient lymphocytosis while on IBR treatment. IBR induces paronychia and skin disorder due to the disruption of disulfide bonds between cysteine and inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor due to the off-target effect. This results in reduced quality of life. In February 2019, paronychia (grade 1) developed in the patient's right foot's first toe; hence, topical gentamicin and taping therapy were performed. However, the symptoms persisted without any improvements. In July 2019, paronychia/granulation (grade 2) was aggravated and successfully treated with silver nitrate chemical cauterization and taping therapy. The patient was continuously treated with 420 mg/day IBR without dose reduction or discontinuation, resulting in successful disease control of CLL with del 17p.

Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) responds markedly to PD-1 blockade therapy, and the clinical responses are reportedly dependent on expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II). This dependence is different from other solid tumors, in which the MHC class I (MHC-I)/CD8+ T-cell axis plays a critical role. In this study, we investigated the role of the MHC-II/CD4+ T-cell axis in the antitumor effect of PD-1 blockade on cHL. In cHL, MHC-I expression was frequently lost, but MHC-II expression was maintained. CD4+ T cells highly infiltrated the tumor microenvironment of MHC-II-expressing cHL, regardless of MHC-I expression status. Consequently, CD4+ T-cell, but not CD8+ T-cell, infiltration was a good prognostic factor in cHL, and PD-1 blockade showed antitumor efficacy against MHC-II-expressing cHL associated with CD4+ T-cell infiltration. Murine lymphoma and solid tumor models revealed the critical role of antitumor effects mediated by CD4+ T cells: an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody exerted antitumor effects on MHC-I-MHC-II+ tumors but not on MHC-I-MHC-II- tumors, in a cytotoxic CD4+ T-cell-dependent manner. Furthermore, LAG-3, which reportedly binds to MHC-II, was highly expressed by tumor-infiltrating CD4+ T cells in MHC-II-expressing tumors. Therefore, the combination of LAG-3 blockade with PD-1 blockade showed a far stronger antitumor immunity compared with either treatment alone. We propose that PD-1 blockade therapies have antitumor effects on MHC-II-expressing tumors such as cHL that are mediated by cytotoxic CD4+ T cells and that LAG-3 could be a candidate for combination therapy with PD-1 blockade., (© 2020 by The American Society of Hematology.)

To elucidate dynamic changes in native BCR-ABL and alternatively spliced tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-resistant but function-dead BCR-ABL Ins35bp variant, following commencement or discontinuation of TKI therapy, each transcript was serially quantified in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) by deep sequencing. Because both transcripts were amplified together using conventional PCR system for measuring International Scale (IS), deep sequencing method was used for quantifying such BCR-ABL variants. At the initial diagnosis, 7 of 9 patients presented a small fraction of cells possessing BCR-ABL Ins35bp , accounting for 0.8% of the total IS BCR-ABL, corresponding to actual BCR-ABL Ins35bp value of 1.1539% IS. TKI rapidly decreased native BCR-ABL but not BCR-ABL Ins35bp , leading to the initial increase in the proportion of BCR-ABL Ins35bp . Thereafter, both native BCR-ABL and BCR-ABL Ins35bp gradually decreased in the course of TKI treatment, whereas small populations positive for TKI-resistant BCR-ABL Ins35bp continued fluctuating at low levels, possibly underestimating the molecular response (MR). Following TKI discontinuation, sequencing analysis of 54 patients revealed a rapid relapse, apparently derived from native BCR-ABL + clones. However, IS fluctuating at low levels around MR4.0 marked a predominant persistence of cells expressing function-dead BCR-ABL Ins35bp , suggesting that TKI resumption was unnecessary. We clarified the possible mechanism underlying mis-splicing BCR-ABL Ins35bp , occurring at the particular pseudo-splice site within intron8, which can be augmented by TKI treatment through inhibition of RNA polymerase II phosphorylation. No mutations were found in spliceosomal genes. Therefore, monitoring IS functional BCR-ABL extracting BCR-ABL Ins35bp would lead us to a correct evaluation of MR status, thus determining the adequate therapeutic intervention., (© 2020 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

Classic hairy cell leukemia (classic HCL) is a rare disease associated with indolent mature B-cell lymphoma. A 50-year-old man presented with pancytopenia for 3 years and was diagnosed with classic HCL because his lymphoid cells showed a hairy morphology with oval nuclei and indistinct nucleoli both in the peripheral blood and bone marrow (BM) smears. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that these cells expressed CD11c, CD25, and CD103, and the Sanger sequence method detected BRAF V600E mutation. Cladribine (0.09 mg/kg/day) was initiated for 7 days via continuous intravenous injection. On day 13, the patient died from bloodstream infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. Autopsy findings revealed BM necrosis without residual leukemia cells caused by classic HCL, severe infection, and agents, such as cladribine and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor; however, its cause remained undetermined. Both early diagnosis and immediate clinical intervention are required to improve the clinical outcomes in classic HCL. The cause of hematopoiesis disturbance should also be identified using BM biopsy or magnetic resonance imaging before initiating treatment in classic HCL with severe pancytopenia.

Ponatinib (PON) is a key drug for patients with second tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-resistant/intolerant Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemia (Ph+ leukemia); however, the occurrence of vascular adverse events (VAEs) in patients treated with PON should be carefully monitored. A retrospective analysis involving seven patients treated with PON was conducted to elucidate the incidence rate and risk factor for the development of VAEs. In the present study, risk assessment and monitoring of VAEs were performed using SCORE Risk Chart and Suita Score (10-year risk for fatal cardiovascular event), respectively. Despite the prophylactic use of aspirin, cerebral infarction and unstable angina occurred in two patients. By contrast, deep vein thrombosis did not improve in a patient treated with edoxaban. Our data suggest that patients with Ph+ leukemia possessing risk factors, medical history of lifestyle diseases, and administration of long-term second TKI treatment require careful monitoring of VAEs and therapeutic intervention to lifestyle diseases.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is effectively treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) targeted against BCR-ABL. We previously reported the investigation of residual CML diseases during TKI treatment using FACS-sorting and quantitative RT-PCR of BCR-ABL among each population; total mononuclear cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and myeloid progenitors. The observations also implied that the second-generation of ABL-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (2nd TKIs), dasatinib or nilotinib therapy can be more promising approach for efficient reduction of the CML stem cells. Moreover, we need to develop the evaluation method of the residual CML diseases to establish rational therapy-cessation strategies in CML.

Treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) may sequentially induce TKI-resistant BCR-ABL mutants in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Conventional PCR monitoring of BCR-ABL is an important indicator to determine therapeutic intervention for preventing disease progression. However, PCR cannot separately quantify amounts of BCR-ABL and its mutants, including alternatively spliced BCR-ABL with an insertion of 35 intronic nucleotides (BCR-ABL I ns35bp ) between ABL exons 8 and 9, which introduces the premature termination and loss of kinase activity. To assess the clinical impact of BCR-ABL mutants, we performed deep sequencing analysis of BCR-ABL transcripts of 409 samples from 37 patients with suboptimal response to frontline imatinib who were switched to nilotinib. At baseline, TKI-resistant mutations were documented in 3 patients, whereas BCR-ABL I ns35bp was detected in all patients. After switching to nilotinib, both BCR-ABL and BCR-ABL I ns35bp became undetectable in 3 patients who attained complete molecular response (CMR), whereas in the remaining all 34 patients, BCR-ABL I ns35bp was persistently detected, and minimal residual disease (MRD) fluctuated at low but detectable levels. PCR monitoring underestimated molecular response in 5 patients whose BCR-ABL I ns35bp was persisted, although BCR-ABL I ns35bp does not definitively mark TKI resistance. Therefore, quantification of BCR-ABL I ns35bp is useful for evaluating "functional" MRD and determining the effectiveness of TKI with accuracy., (© 2017 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

Signaling mechanisms underlying self-renewal of leukemic stem cells (LSCs) are poorly understood, and identifying pathways specifically active in LSCs could provide opportunities for therapeutic intervention. T-cell immunoglobin mucin-3 (TIM-3) is expressed on the surface of LSCs in many types of human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but not on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Here, we show that TIM-3 and its ligand, galectin-9 (Gal-9), constitute an autocrine loop critical for LSC self-renewal and development of human AML. Serum Gal-9 levels were significantly elevated in AML patients and in mice xenografted with primary human AML samples, and neutralization of Gal-9 inhibited xenogeneic reconstitution of human AML. Gal-9-mediated stimulation of TIM-3 co-activated NF-κB and β-catenin signaling, pathways known to promote LSC self-renewal. These changes were further associated with leukemic transformation of a variety of pre-leukemic disorders and together highlight that targeting the TIM-3/Gal-9 autocrine loop could be a useful strategy for treating myeloid leukemias., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The cellular properties of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) are achieved at least through Class I and Class II mutations that generate signals for enhanced proliferation and impaired differentiation, respectively. Here we show that in t(8;21) acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) transform into LSCs via definitively-ordered acquisition of Class II (AML1/ETO) and then Class I (c-KIT mutant) abnormalities. Six t(8;21) AML patients with c-KIT mutants maintaining > 3 years of complete remission were analyzed. At diagnosis, all single LSCs had both AML1/ETO and c-KIT mutations. However, in remission, 16 out of 1,728 CD34(+)CD38(-) HSCs and 89 out of 7,187 single HSC-derived myeloerythroid colonies from these patients had AML1/ETO, whose breakpoints were identical to those found in LSCs. These cells had wild-type c-KIT, which expressed AML1/ETO at a low level, and could differentiate into mature blood cells, suggesting that they may be the persistent preleukemic stem cells. Microarray analysis suggested that mutated c-KIT signaling provides LSCs with enhanced survival and proliferation. Thus, in t(8;21) AML, the acquisition of AML1/ETO is not sufficient, and the subsequent upregulation of AML1/ETO and the additional c-KIT mutant signaling are critical steps for transformation into LSCs., (Copyright © 2014 ISEH - International Society for Experimental Hematology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Zygomycosis is a lethal and invasive mold infection that is often associated with hematological malignancies. The keys for successful treatment include making a rapid diagnosis and appropriately administering antifungal agents. We herein report the early diagnosis of a case of zygomycosis in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia using a deoxyribonucleic acid sequence analysis. We successfully performed allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with the use of high-dose liposomal amphotericin B and granulocyte transfusion.

We report a 67-year-old woman who was diagnosed with hepatic portal venous gas associated with severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) of the gastrointestinal tract. The patient received allogenic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation from a haploidentical son against Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphocytic leukemia. The patient developed grade 3 intestinal GVHD on day 90 from the transplantation. On day 149, she presented septic shock and computed tomography (CT) scan revealed hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG); an ileocecal resection was performed immediately. The damage of gastrointestinal mucosa by GVHD resulted in the invasion of gas-producing bacteria. Although HPVG-associated gastrointestinal GVHD is extremely rare, we should pay special attention to this pathogenesis.

We report the case of a 68-year-old man who was diagnosed with Fournier's gangrene (FG), which developed during immunosuppresive treatment for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The patient was administered steroids for ITP but on the 36th day, he developed FG and septic shock. We initiated antibiotic treatment and drained a periproctal abscess immediately. On day 53, extensive drainage to progressive FG and a splenectomy was performed, following which both FG and thrombocytopenia improved. This is the first case of FG has developing in a ITP patient. It appears that high-dose immunoglobulin therapy and splenectomy should be considered earlier especially for a patient complicated with FG.