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Introduction: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) have a 40-50% cure rate when treated with cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-etoposide-vincristine-prednisone (CHOEP) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Romidepsin, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, showed promising activity in relapsed or refractory PTCLs. Methods: On these premises, we designed a phase I/II trial (PTCL13 NCT02223208) to evaluate whether the addition of romidepsin to CHOEP improves the outcome of newly diagnosed PTCLs. In the phase Ib part of the study, we defined 14 mg/ms as the maximum tolerated dose of romidepsin when administered in combination with CHOEP (Ro-CHOEP). Thus, in the phase II part of the study we evaluated the efficacy of Ro-CHOEP followed by HSCT in young patients. The primary objective of the study was to demonstrate a 15% increase in 18-months progression-free survival (PFS) for the combination Ro-CHOEP plus HSCT (from 55% to 70%, planned sample size=110), compared to the previous Italian trial (Corradini P et al, Leukemia 2014). Patients aged 18-65 years with stage II-IV PTCL-NOS, angioimmunoblastic/T follicular helper (AITL/THF) and ALK negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma, were eligible. Treatment plan consisted of 6 courses of Ro-CHOEP every 21 days (14 mg/ms Ro day 1 and 8), followed by cisplatin-cytarabine-dexamethasone (DHAP) with stem cell harvest and HSCT. Patients in complete response (CR) after induction proceeded to autoHSCT, while those in partial response (PR), with an available HLA-matched donor, proceeded to alloHSCT upfront. Results: From September 2017 to October 2020, 86 patients were enrolled into the phase II part of the study; median age was 55 years (IQR 49;60); 78 (91%) had stage III-IV and 31 (36%) IPI score >2. Pathological materials were collected at the time of diagnosis, and centrally reviewed by expert hemo-pathologists; subgroups were: 33 PTCL-NOS, 21 ALK negative, 31 AITL/THF, and one case not classified due to inadequate material. According to the statistical plan, an interim analysis was performed on the first 75 patients. At a median follow-up of 26 months, the 18-months PFS was 48% (95% CI: 0.36-0.58) and the OS was 75% (95% CI: 0.64-0.83). The 18-months PFS for PTCL-NOS versus ALK negative vs AITL/THF was 37% (95% CI: 0.20-0.54) vs. 51% (95% CI: 0.28-0.70) vs. 58% (95% CI: 0.36-0.74), p 0.118; the 18-months OS for PTCL-NOS vs. ALK negative vs. AITL/THF was 72% (95% CI: 0.51-0.85) vs. 76% (95% CI: 0.51-0.89) vs. 81% (95% CI: 0.60-0.92), p 0.957. All 86 patients completed the induction phase and were evaluable for response after 6 Ro-CHOEP: the overall response rate (ORR) was 71% (61 patients), with 62% (53 patients) CR. Four patients with ongoing treatment are not evaluable for response at the end of therapy, at the time of the analysis. Only 39 of 82 patients (48%) underwent HSCT and 43 did not: 28 due to progressive disease, 8 for poor mobilization, 7 for adverse events (1 sepsis, 2 cardiological events, 4 others). Among the 82 patients evaluable for response at the end of treatment, the final ORR after HSCT was 40% (33 patients), with 39% CR (32 patents). The most frequent toxicities during Ro-CHOEP treatment were hematological, with grade 3-4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in 33% and 34% of all the 459 cycles, respectively; severe febrile neutropenia was reported in only 4% of Ro-CHOEP courses. Severe non-hematological toxicities were observed in 35 (41%) of patients: cardiological in 5 patients (6%), gastrointestinal in 9 (10%), infections in 10 (12%), others in 11 (13%). Twenty-four deaths were recorded: 22 due to lymphoma progression, 1 due to transplant related mortality for a septic shock after alloSCT, 1 due to secondary malignancy. Conclusions: In the PTCL13 phase I part of the study we demonstrated the feasibility of the combination Ro 14 mg/ms plus CHOEP followed by high-dose chemotherapy and HSCT; in the phase 2 part of the study, the primary objective was not achieved, with a 18-months PFS of 48%. Based on these results, the enrollment of the trial was stopped due to inefficacy of the experimental combination. The benefit of adding romidepsin to chemotherapy was not observed neither in PTCL-NOS nor in AITL/THF. In conclusion, the addition of romidepsin to CHOEP did not ameliorate prognosis in newly diagnosis PTCLs eligible to HSCT. Disclosures Chiappella: Roche: Other: lecture fee, advisory board; Incyte: Other: lecture fee; Takeda: Other: advisory board; Celgene Bristol Myers Squibb: Other: lecture fee, advisory board; Clinigen: Other: lecture fee, advisory board; Novartis: Other: lecture fee; Janssen: Other: lecture fee, advisory board; Gilead Sciences: Other: lecture fee, advisory board; Astrazeneca: Other: lecture fee; Servier: Other: lecture fee. Flenghi: Roche: Other: Travel, Accomodations, Expenses; Janssen: Other: Travel, Accomodations, Expenses. Zilioli: Gentilli: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Other, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Servier: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Consultancy; Italfarmaco: Consultancy. Cavallo: Servier: Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Speakers Bureau; ROCHE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Musuraca: roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Varettoni: janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AstraZeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Corradini: Incyte: Consultancy; Novartis, Janssen, Celgene, BMS, Takeda, Gilead/Kite, Amgen, AbbVie: Other: travel and accomodations; BMS: Other: Travel and accommodation; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis; Gilead; Celgene: Consultancy, Other: Travel and accommodations; Amgen; Takeda; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel and accommodations; KiowaKirin; Incyte; Daiichi Sankyo; Janssen; F. Hoffman-La Roche; Kite; Servier: Consultancy; AbbVie, ADC Theraputics, Amgen, Celgene, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead/Kite, GSK, Incyte, Janssen, KyowaKirin, Nerviano Medical Science, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda: Honoraria; AbbVie, ADC Theraputics, Amgen, Celgene, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead/Kite, GSK, Incyte, Janssen, KyowaKirin, Nerviano Medical Science, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Romidepsin is not registered in first line treatment. Romidepsin was provided free for the clinical trial.

Background: Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that is typically associated with a poor prognosis. Romidepsin is a histone deacetylase inhibitor approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for patients with PTCL who have received at least 1 prior therapy (J Clin Oncol. 2012;30:631). Presented here is the final analysis of a phase III randomized study comparing romidepsin + cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (Ro-CHOP) with CHOP in patients with previously untreated PTCL. Methods: Ro-CHOP (NCT01796002) is a randomized multicenter phase III study in adult patients with previously untreated PTCL (i.e. nodal or extranodal entities including primary cutaneous non epidermotropic TCL, with the exclusion of ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphomas and EBV-positive extranodal NK/T-cell lymphomas). Diagnostic biopsies were centrally reviewed (94%), and patients were randomized based on International Prognostic Index (IPI) score at baseline (< 2 vs ≥ 2), age (≤ 60 vs > 60 y), and histology type (nodal vs extranodal) to receive either Ro-CHOP or CHOP. Two-sided P-value from log-rank test stratified by all 3 stratification factors was used. All patients received CHOP in 3-week cycles for 6 cycles. Romidepsin, 12 mg/m2, was administered intravenously on days 1 and 8 of each 3-week cycle for 6 cycles (Lancet Haematol. 2015;2:e160), with dose reductions to 10 and 8 mg/m2 based on toxicity. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) per Response Adjudication Committee assessment according to International Working Group 1999 criteria. Secondary end points included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), complete response (CR) + CR unconfirmed (CRu), and safety. Results: As of the December 13, 2019 cutoff date, 421 patients were included in the intention-to-treat population (Ro-CHOP, n = 211; and CHOP, n =210). Median age was 65 y (range, 25-81); 76 patients (18%) had ECOG PS of 2-3; 267 (63%) had Ann Arbor stage IV disease; and 342 (81%) had IPI score ≥ 2. At a median follow-up of 27.5 mo, the study did not meet its primary end point because Ro-CHOP did not show a statistically significant PFS improvement vs CHOP alone. Median PFS for Ro-CHOP vs CHOP was 12.0 mo (95% CI, 9.0-25.8) vs 10.2 mo (95% CI, 7.4-13.2), with a hazard ratio of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.63-1.04; P = 0.096). Median OS for Ro-CHOP vs CHOP was 51.8 mo (95% CI, 35.7-72.6) vs 42.9 mo (95% CI, 29.9-not evaluable). ORR of Ro-CHOP vs CHOP was 63% vs 60% with CR + CRu rates of 41% vs 37%. In the safety population (Ro-CHOP, n = 210; CHOP, n = 208), any-grade treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) that occurred ≥ 40% in the Ro-CHOP or CHOP arms, respectively, included anemia (67% vs 38%), nausea (55% vs 31%), thrombocytopenia (52% vs 17%), neutropenia (51% vs 37%), and vomiting (40% vs 10%). Grade 3/4 TEAEs that occurred in ≥ 30% of patients in the Ro-CHOP or CHOP arm, respectively, included thrombocytopenia (50% vs 10%), neutropenia (49% vs 33%), anemia (47% vs 17%), and leukopenia (32% vs 20%). One grade 5 TEAE occurred in the Ro-CHOP arm (E. coli sepsis), and 2 occurred in the CHOP arm (colitis and acute cholecystitis). In the Ro-CHOP vs CHOP arms, TEAEs led to CHOP dose interruption in 75 (36%) vs 42 (20%) patients, reduction in 54 (26%) vs 31 (15%) patients, and discontinuation in 7 (3%) and 6 (3%) patients, respectively. In the Ro-CHOP arm, TEAEs led to romidepsin interruption, reduction, and discontinuation in 132 (63%), 77 (37%), and 17 (8%) patients, respectively. Conclusions: The addition of romidepsin to CHOP did not improve PFS, the primary endpoint of the study, and response rates and OS appeared similar with the combination. The toxicity profile of Ro-CHOP was consistent with its phase Ib/II data, with no unexpected findings. The high rates of TEAEs with the addition of romidepsin hampered the ability to adequately administer 6 cycles of CHOP. Additional exploratory analyses to compare Ro-CHOP outcomes in specific patient subgroups are ongoing. The combination of CHOP plus romidepsin does not represent an advance in the standard of care for patients with previously untreated PTCL. Figure Disclosures Bachy: Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche, Gilead: Consultancy; Amgen: Research Funding; Roche, Celgene, Amgen, Janssen, Gilead, Novartis, Sanofi: Honoraria. Camus:PFIZER: Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); ROCHE: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); JANSSEN: Honoraria; AMGEN: Honoraria. Thieblemont:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Cellectis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Speakers Bureau; Hospira: Research Funding; Incyte: Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support; Bayer: Honoraria. Casasnovas:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; MSD: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel, accomodations, expenses, Research Funding; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria. Ysebaert:Roche: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy. Guidez:BMS: Honoraria; CELGENE: Honoraria; TAKEDA: Honoraria; JANSEN: Honoraria; AMGEN: Honoraria; Service Hématologie et Thérapie cellulaire CHU POITIERS: Current Employment. Kim:JJ: Research Funding; Celltrion: Research Funding; Kyowa Kirn: Research Funding; Donga: Research Funding; Mundipharma: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche: Research Funding. Lim:National Cancer Centre Singapore: Current Employment. André:Amgen: Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Research Funding; Johnson & Johnson: Research Funding; CHU UCL Namur, site Godinne, Yvoir, Belgium: Current Employment; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Gilead: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Karyopharm: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Takeda: Consultancy; Celgene: Other, Research Funding; Roche: Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy. Martin Garcia-Sancho:Celgene, Eusa Pharma, Gilead, iQuone, Kyowa Kirin, Roche, Morphosys: Consultancy; Roche, Celgene, Janssen, Servier, Gilead: Honoraria. Penarrubia Ponce:Novartis: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Roche: Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Servier: Honoraria; HOSPITAL CLINICO UNIVERSITARIO DE VALLADOLID: Current Employment; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Amgen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Incyte: Consultancy. Staber:msd: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astra Zeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene/ BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria. Trotman:BeiGene: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; PCYC: Research Funding. Hüttmann:Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Roche: Other: Travel expenses; University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany: Current Employment; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Lead Discovery Center GmbH: Consultancy; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Gilead: Honoraria. Gaulard:Roche: Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); INNATE PHARMA: Research Funding; TAKEDA: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; CHU Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris: Current Employment. Delfau-Larue:MUNDIPHARMA: Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); ROCHE: Honoraria; GILEAD: Honoraria; AMGEN: Honoraria. De Leval:Lausanne University Hospital & Lausanne University Institute of Pathology: Current Employment; Lunaphore Technologies SA: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria; Roche Diagnostics: Honoraria. Meignan:ROCHE: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company). Li:BMS: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Morschhauser:F. Hoffmann-La Roche: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Epizyme: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genentech, Inc.: Consultancy; Servier: Consultancy. Delarue:Celgene International, a BMS company: Current Employment; BMS: Current equity holder in private company. OffLabel Disclosure: Romidepsin is not approved for patients with previously untreated PTCL.

Background and Aims. Prediction of treatment efficacy is an active and growing field of pharmacology. In the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi (FIL) MCL0208 phase III trial (NCT02354313), a 24 months lenalidomide maintenance (LM, 15 mg days 1-21 every 28 days) after high-dose immuno-chemotherapy followed by autologous transplantation (ASCT) in 300 frontline mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients showed substantial clinical activity in terms of Progression-Free Survival (PFS) vs observation (OBS). However, this benefit seemed not uniform across patient series. To deeper investigate the differential pattern of response to lenalidomide, a wide analysis of the host pharmacogenomics (PG) background was planned, in order to dissect whether specific germline polymorphisms of transmembrane transporters, metabolic enzymes or cell surface receptors (ABCB1, ABCG2, VEGFA, FCGR2A, NCF4, GSTP1, CRBN) might predict the drug efficacy. Actually, several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ABCB1 exert an effect on substrate affinity of lenalidomide for the transmembrane transporter. Moreover, VEGFA is involved in the anti-angiogenic activity of lenalidomide and might eventually upregulate ABCB1 expression, too. Patients and methods. Genotypes for SNPs were obtained through allele-specific (ASO) probes on germline DNA from peripheral blood. Minor allele frequencies (MAFs) were obtained and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was checked. Genotypes were used to infer individual haplotypes by Arlequin and Haploview softwares. Minimal residual disease (MRD) was assessed with ASO primers on either IGH or BCL-1/IGH rearrangements by RQ-PCR in bone marrow samples. TP53 disruption was identified by NGS targeting resequencing and copy number variation analysis. Clinical-biological correlations were screened by automated machine learning methods and validated by both Kaplan-Meier at univariate level and Cox models for multivariate analysis (MV). A logistic regression was implemented to investigate correlations between polymorphisms and MRD kinetics. Results. 278 out of 300 patients (93%) were fully genotyped. The MAF values of the SNPs were very similar to published data and the HWE was confirmed. Most notably, ABCB1 c.2677G>T/A(W) and VEGFA c.2055A>C were significantly associated to outcome and are thus described in this abstract. In the case of ABCB1, the three loci were in strong linkage disequilibrium (p Disclosures Ferrero: Servier: Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; EUSA Pharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Boccomini:SC Ematologia, ASOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, Italy: Current Employment. Maria:Roche: Consultancy, Other: travel, accomodations, expenses; Abbvie: Consultancy, Other: travel, accomodations, expenses; BMS: Consultancy; MSD: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Other: travel, accomodations, expenses; Gilead: Consultancy, Other: travel, accomodations, expenses, Research Funding. Ferreri:Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding; Hutchinson: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding. Palumbo:Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Galimberti:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Honoraria. OffLabel Disclosure: Lenalidomide maintenance in mantle cell lymphoma

Options are limited for patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) for whom the median overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) are less than 6 months. Patients who are candidates for allogeneic stem cell transplantation can be cured should they achieve adequate response to salvage therapy prior to transplant. Patients who relapse after transplant or who are not transplant candidates are often treated with sequential single-agent therapies with non-curative intent. Only four agents are FDA-approved for the treatment of R/R PTCL including pralatrexate, romidepsin and belinostat. The objective response rate to each of these agents is only 25-30% and duration of response (DOR) is limited. For a specific subtype of PTCL, namely systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, single-agent brentuximab vedotin (BV) treatment resulted in an 86% overall response rate (ORR) and a 57% complete response (CR) rate in R/R disease. A phase 2 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of BV in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) and PTCL not otherwise specified reporting an ORR of 41% (Horwitz et al, Blood. 2014). We conducted a phase 2 study to determine the antitumor efficacy of single-agent BV (1.8 mg/kg administered intravenously every 3 weeks for a maximum of 16 cycles) as measured by the ORR in R/R CD30+ PTCL patients (PTCL not otherwise specified, AITL and transformed mycosis fungoides). Secondary objectives were to assess duration of tumor control, including duration of response and progression-free survival, overall survival and the safety and tolerability of BV in this setting. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02497131. From September 2015 and September 2019, 25 patients were enrolled and 23 (population for the final analysis) received at least one BV infusion (median 5, range 2-16). There were 10 females, 18 patients were in stage IV and 16 subjects were refractory to the last therapy. Median number of therapies received prior to BV was 2 (range 1-6). Final ORR was 30.4%, with 4 CR. CR patients were 3 PTCL not otherwise specified and 1 AITL with response duration of 2.8, 3.3, 4.5 and 10.7 months, respectively. Best response was achieved at the III cycle. PFS was 4.3% at 12 months (median reached at 4.4 months), OS at 12 months was 49.8% (median reached at 11.4 months) and median DOR was 3.4 months. No correlation between CD30 expression per central review and response was observed. Twenty-one hematological toxicities occurred, 14 of them were grade ≥3 (10 thrombocytopenia and 4 neutropenia, all resolved or improved during BV therapy). Among extra-hematological toxicities (n=26, 3.5% grade ≥3), 7 were serious adverse events. To note, 6 of them (23.1%) were lung infection/pneumonia. Only one peripheral neuropathy (grade 1) occurred. In terms of response, the ORR and PFS in this trial are comparable to those in similar populations studied with both other recently approved agents, such as pralatrexate and romidepsin, and with the other phase 2 study on BV. The ORR of 30% and the OS of in the present study places BV among the active agents for PTCL. Safety concerns emerged about infections, claiming for a strict monitoring for these toxicities. Disclosures Corradini: Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel and accommodations paid by for; Kite: Consultancy, Honoraria; KiowaKirin: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Incyte: Consultancy; Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other; BMS: Other; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel and accommodations paid by for; F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel and accommodations paid by for; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel and accommodations paid by for; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel and accommodations paid by for. Zinzani:Immune Design: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Portola: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Eusapharma: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sandoz: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; EUSA Pharma: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Kirin Kyowa: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; TG Therapeutics, Inc.: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Kyowa Kirin: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; ADC Therapeutics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celltrion: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Immune Design: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen-Cilag: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Verastem: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau.

To the editor: Primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a rather infrequent aggressive lymphoma, putatively arising from a transformed thymic B cell. It accounts for

The treatment of hairy cell leukemia (HCL) has deeply changed over years. Purine analogs, namely cladribine (2CdA) now represent the treatment of choice. The BRAF V600E mutation is now regarded as the pathogenic event. One hundred and eighty-four patients were followed between 1986 and 2018 and treated according to era-specific guidelines. This is the largest monocentric series reported. Responses were classified by combining Consensus Resolution criteria and marrow immunohistochemistry. Patients were grouped according to the number of treatment lines they received (table). Ten patients treated with frontline 2CdA and in complete response (CR) for at least 5 years were tested for the presence of the BRAF V600E mutation in peripheral blood by droplet digital PCR as a molecular marker for active disease. Patients treated first line responded in 86% of cases, with 44% CR. Response rates remained high throughout the first 4 lines (84%, 81%, 79% for the second line onward, with CR in 38%, 37%, 15% of cases respectively), although decreasing progressively with the number of treatments received. One hundred and twenty-two patients received 2CdA as first line treatment, with a response rate of 86% and a CR rate of 54%. Among the 66 CR patients, 45 (68%) have never received further therapy: 11 patients are in continuous CR between 5 and 10 years after treatment, 14 between 10 and 20 years and 3 patients at more than 20 years. Median time-to-next treatment (TTNT) for patients after receiving 2CdA was 8.2 years: partial responders had a significantly shorter median TTNT than CR patients (5.3 years versus median not reached at 25.8 years, p=0.0001) (figure). Seven patients in CR for more than 5 years after front line 2CdA were BRAF V6500E negative in peripheral blood. One of these displayed disease recurrence and required further treatment roughly 2 years later. Three patients were positive for the BRAF V600E mutation at 6.5, 8.4 and 13.7 years after treatment and developed an overt disease relapse between 4 months and 2 years. Patients with HCL require subsequent lines of therapy in more than 50% of cases. Purine analogs allow significant response rates when applied first line and upon retreatment. Some patients may enjoy long lasting responses after one course of 2CdA and display no evidence of BRAF V600E mutation in peripheral blood. A PCR-based evaluation of the allelic burden in peripheral blood may provide information regarding disease activity over time. Figure Disclosures Cavo: Celgene, Janssen, Amgen, BMS, Abbvie, Takeda: Honoraria; Janssen, Celgene: Other: Travel Accommodations; Janssen, Celgene: Speakers Bureau; Janssen, Celgene, Amgen, Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Zinzani:TG Therapeutics: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Kyowa Kirin: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Immune Design: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sandoz: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Verastem: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Eusapharma: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy; Celltrion: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Portola: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau.

Introduction.The recommended treatment for newly diagnosed nodal Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) patients eligible to high-dose therapy is cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-vincristine plus etoposide (CHOEP) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT) in chemo-sensitive disease. However, 25-30% of patients experienced primary refractoriness or early progression. Romidepsin (Ro), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, showed antitumor activity and a manageable toxicity profile in PTCLs. On these bases, we designed the FIL-PTCL13 phase Ib/II study (NCT02223208), aimed to define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of Ro in addition to CHOEP followed by consolidation with auto or allogeneic-SCT according to clinical response, and to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of this combination as first line in PTCLs. Patients and methods. Inclusion criteria were: untreated PTCL not otherwise specified, angioimmunoblastic, ALK negative anaplastic lymphoma at stage II-IV, aged 18-65. Treatment scheme was: an induction with 6 courses of CHOEP every 21 days combined with Ro at the allocated dose, at day 1 and 8 of each cycle (Ro-CHOEP). Patient in complete (CR) or partial response (PR) without an available donor, received one course of cisplatin, citarabine, desamethasone (DHAP) followed by stem cell harvest and proceeded to auto-SCT; patients in PR and with an available donor, were sent to upfront allogeneic-SCT. Romidepsin dose allocation for sequential cohorts of 3 patients at each dose was defined according to the Continual Reassessment Method (O'Quigley and Zohar, 2006). Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of Ro-CHOEP were: any grade ≥ 3 non-hematologic toxicity (according to the NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0) or a delay >15 days of planned cycle date, observed during the first 2 cycles. The MTD of Ro was defined as the dose that achieved a DLT in 33% of patients. Four dose levels of Ro were tested, namely 8, 10, 12 and 14 mg/ms. Results. From September 2014 to July 2017, 21 patients were enrolled into the phase Ib part of the study. Clinical characteristics were: median age 57 years (IQR 53;61); bone marrow involvement in 6 (29%) patients; stage III-IV in 18 (86%); International Prognostic Index (IPI) risk ≥3 in 8 (38%). The first cohort of 3 patients was treated with Ro at 12 mg/ms, and no DLTs were observed; the subsequent 6 cohorts were treated with Ro at 14 mg/ms. Nine DLTs were reported in 7 patients: 3 events of grade (g)3 mucositis and one event of g3 maculopapular rash, g3 fatigue, g3 fever, g3 respiratory failure, g3 typhlitis and g4 neutropenic fever. The observed toxicity was 35.2% (95%CI: 17.1%-56.5%) and prompted to define 14 mg/ms the recommended dose of Ro in addition to CHOEP. No unexpected toxicities and no toxic deaths were reported. The most frequent toxicities reported during Ro-CHOEP were g3-4 neutropenia in 38% and thrombocytopenia in 45% of all the performed 117 courses. Severe extra-hematological toxicities by patients were: g3 arrhythmia in one (5%), g3 gastrointestinal in 3 (14%) and g3-4 infections in 5 (24%). The addition of Ro during induction did not impact the harvest, with a median of 4.3 × 10⁶ (IQR 3.4-5.71) peripheral blood CD34-positive cells/Kilogram collected. At least 90% of the planned dose of doxorubicine, cyclophosphamide, etoposide and vincristine were administered in: 87%, 86%, 83% and 89% of Ro-CHOEP, respectively. Median interval time between Ro-CHOEP was 21 days (range 19-36). At the end of induction 12/21 (57%) patients obtained CR and underwent auto-SCT, one patient (5%) in PR received auto-SCT due to lack of identical donor; 8 (38%) did not perform SCT due to lymphoma progression in 7 and to toxicity in one. At a median follow-up of 26 months, 12-months Progression Free Survival was 52% (95%CI: 29-71) and 12-months Overall Survival was 76% (95%CI: 52-89). Biomarkers and biological analysis are ongoing. The enrollment of the phase II part of the study is still open. Conclusions.The phase Ib FIL-PTCL13 part of the study defined Romidepsin 14 mg/ms on day 1 and day 8 as the MTD, when administered in combination to CHOEP as induction prior consolidation with up-front SCT, in untreated young PTCLs patients. The addition of Ro to chemotherapy did not impact the feasibility of CHOEP, without unexpected toxicities. The efficacy of this scheme is under investigation in the phase II part of the study. Disclosures Chiappella: Nanostring: Other: lecture fees; Teva: Other: lecture fees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: lecture fees; Amgen: Other: lecture fees; Roche: Other: lecture fees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: lecture fees.

Older age (≥60 years) has consistently been identified as an independent adverse prognostic factor for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survival in population-based studies and clinical trials in the last several decades. Elderly HL patients are significantly underrepresented in clinical trials and have a markedly inferior prognosis compared with younger patients. Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an antibody-drug conjugate linking the microtubule-disrupting agent monomethylauristatin E to an anti-CD30 antibody. BV monotherapy yields an objective response rate (ORR) of 75% in relapsed HL, with a subset of patients having durable remissions at 5 years. In a retrospective analysis of BV activity in patients aged ≥60 years with relapsed HL, ORR was 56%. Although higher rates of adverse events (AEs) such as anemia, fatigue, and neuropathy were seen in older compared with younger patients, BV was tolerable overall, and a significant proportion of older patients had clinical benefit. Based upon this favorable experience, our phase II study evaluated the efficacy and safety of BV as a single agent in elderly patients at first relapse or with primary refractory HL. This was a single-arm, open-label, multicenter, clinical trial. The primary endpoint of this study was the ORR. Main secondary endpoints were: duration of response, complete remission rate, progression free and overall survival at 1 year and type, incidence, severity, seriousness, and relatedness of any adverse events occurring during the study period. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02227433. Twenty patients were enrolled, 2 results in screening failure and 1 patient was treated in protocol violation (more of 1 previous therapy). Eighteen patients were considered for safety analysis, whereas 17 subjects were included in the efficacy analysis. BV (1.8 mg/kg) was administered as a single IV infusion on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle for a maximum of 16 cycles. Three patients interrupted BV treatment before the first scheduled restaging (right after the IV cycle): 2 due to toxicity and 1 due to clinical progression of disease (PD). At first restaging, ORR was 52.9% (4 complete response [CR] and 5 partial response [PR]). Eight patients proceeded till the second restaging (VIII cycle) with and ORR of 17.7% (1 CR and 2 PR). Only 2 patients completed all the 16 scheduled cycles: they achieved finally a CR and a PR, respectively. These two patients are still in response at the latest available follow up. Seven patients had early treatment discontinuation due to toxicity, mainly due to neuropathy grade II-III (3 out of 7). The objective of the study, i.e. at least 13 responses, was not reached and BV doesn't seem to be an effective single agent for elderly HL patients at first relapse. Nevertheless, prolonged disease control (more than 12 months) was registered in two patients, suggesting that some subjects can benefit from this salvage treatment. Disclosures Zinzani: Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; TG Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Verastem: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; PFIZER: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merck: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; MSD: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Astra Zeneca: Speakers Bureau; Celltrion: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; PFIZER: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; TG Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bayer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; SERVIER: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Background. Ara-c based chemo-immunotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the most effective approach in young mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients, though few if any patients are cured. Recent data indicate that subsequent Rituximab maintenance (RM) prolongs PFS and OS (Le Gouill NEJM 2017). Lenalidomide is an oral agent effective in MCL, considered suitable for prolonged maintenance programs, but has never been tested in this setting. The FIL MCL0208 trial (NCT02354313) is a prospective, international randomized, phase III trial, comparing Lenalidomide maintenance (LM) vs observation (OBS) after an intensive Ara-c containing chemo-immunotherapy (R-HDS) program, followed by ASCT in previously untreated MCL patients. Patients and Methods. Adult patients aged 18-65 years, with advanced stage MCL without clinically significant comorbidities were enrolled. Patients received 3 R-CHOP-21, followed by R-HDS i.e. R-high-dose Cyclophosphamide (R-HD-CTX) (4g/m2), 2 cycles of R-high-dose Ara-C (R-HDAC) (2g/m2 q12x3 d). CD34+ cells were collected after the first course of R-HDAC. The conditioning regimen for ASCT was BEAM. After ASCT, responding patients were randomized between LM (15 mg days 1-21 every 28 days) for 24 months or observation. Primary endpoint analysis was scheduled at the occurrence of the 60th PFS event in the randomized population, which occurred on June 20th, 2017 and data were analyzed for the present abstract on March 3rd 2018. Results. Three-hundred three patients were enrolled from May 2008 to August 2015 by 48 Italian and 1 Portuguese Center. Three patients were excluded after central histological review. Median age was 57 years (IQR 51-62), M/F ratio 3.6/1. Ninety-two percent of patients had stage IV, 33% bulky disease (>5 cm), 33% elevated LDH, and 75% BM infiltration. Ki67 ≥30% was observed in 32%, MIPI was low (L) in 54%, intermediate in 31% and high (H) in 15% of patients. MIPI-c was L in 49%, low-intermediate (LI) in 29%, high-intermediate (HI) in 14%, H in 9%. Nine percent had blastoid variant. Fifty-two (17%) patients interrupted treatment before randomization (8 toxic deaths, 1 death for car accident, 24 progressions and 19 toxicity/refusals). On an ITT basis, the R-HDS + ASCT program induced 78% of CR, 7% of PRs, 10% of PD, 3% of toxic deaths (TRM) and 2% NA. Median follow-up (mFU) from inclusion was 51 months. Three years PFS and OS for the enrolled population were 67% and 84%, respectively. Of 248 patients who received ASCT, 205 were randomized either to LM (n=104) or OBS (n=101) and 43 (17%) were not because of: lack of response (8), refusal/PI decision/delay (8), unresolved infections (3) and inadequate hematopoietic recovery (24). Feasibility and efficacy were assessed on an ITT basis while toxicity was analyzed on subjects receiving at least one Lenalidomide dose. In the LM arm, 53 out of 104 patients did not start or complete the planned maintenance because of death (2), AE (26), PD (7), still ongoing (2), other causes (16). In the OBS arm 32 patients did not complete the observation phase because of death (1), AE (1), PD (20), still ongoing (10), other causes (1). Overall 28% of patients received less than 25% of the planned Lenalidomide dose. Despite suboptimal exposure to study drug, with a mFU from randomization of 35 months, 22 PFS events were recorded in the LM cohort vs 38 in the OBS arm, resulting in a 3y-PFS of 80% (95% CI; 70%-87%) in the LM arm vs. 64% in the OBS arm (95% CI; 53%-73%), stratified HR 0.51; 95% CI 0.30-0.87; p=0.013 (Fig 1A). OS was superimposable in the two arms: 93% vs 86%, stratified HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.44-2.11, p= 0.91 (Fig1B). Two deaths were observed in the LM arm due to pneumonia and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and one in the OBS arm due to pneumonia. Grade 3-4 hematological toxicity was seen in 63% of patients in LM vs 11% in the OBS arm with 59% vs 10% of patients experiencing granulocytopenia. Non-hematological grade 3 toxicity was comparable in the two arms except grade 3-4 infections (11% vs. 4%; Fisher's p=0.10). Second cancers occurred in 7 patients in the LM and 3 in the OBS arm (Fisher's p=0.20). Conclusions. Results from the MCL0208 trial indicate that LM has a clinically meaningful anti-lymphoma activity in MCL. However, the applicability of LM has some limitations in the context of patients undergoing intensified chemoimmunotherapy. Overall these data support the use of a maintenance regimen after ASCT in young MCL patients. Disclosures Ladetto: Roche: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Acerta: Honoraria; Jannsen: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria; Sandoz: Honoraria. Di Rocco:Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Rossi:Novartis: Honoraria; Jazz: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Teva: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel expenses; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel expenses; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Travel expenses; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Honoraria; Mundipharma: Honoraria; Sandoz: Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Alexion: Other: Travel expenses. Chiappella:Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: lecture fees; Roche: Other: lecture fees; Teva: Other: lecture fees; Nanostring: Other: lecture fees; Amgen: Other: lecture fees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: lecture fees. Rusconi:Celgene: Research Funding. Gomes da Silva:Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: lecture fees; Janssen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: lecture fees, Institution's payment for consultancy, Travelling support; Celgene: Other: Travelling support; BMS: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: lecture fees; Roche: Other: Institution's payment for consultancy, Travelling support; Gilead Sciences: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: lecture fees, Research Funding. Vitolo:Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Sandoz: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Speakers Bureau. Martelli:Sandoz: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; F. Hoffman-La Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Mundipharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare and aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Although a typical presentation as an indolent lymphoma, without systemic symptoms and with a good performance status, the mantle cell lymphoma is an aggressive one, hardly curable with standard chemo-immunotherapy. Although current approaches to mantle cell lymphoma, including newer agents (such as bortezomib, lenalidomide, temsirolimus and ibrutinib) and autologous stem cell transplantation, have greatly improved the outcomes of affected patients, this disease is still characterized by high relapse rates, with most patients eventually dying of lymphoma progression. Before official approval by EMA, patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma with unsatisfied critical medical urgency were granted ibrutinib early access through a Named Patient Program in Italy (NPP, DM 8 May 2003). This observational, non-interventional, retrospective, multicenter study focuses on collecting information about the effectiveness and safety of ibrutinib as single-agent in patients who received at least one dose of ibrutinib under the NPP in the period between 29/Jul/2014 and 25/Jan/2015 in Italy. Data from patients treated with ibrutinib outside a controlled clinical trial within a NPP could give additional information about the clinical use, treatment duration, efficacy and toxicity of ibrutinib given to relapsed or refractory MCL patients in a real life context. Fifty-three heavily pretreated patients were enrolled. They had received a median of previous therapies of 3, comprising lenalidomide, bortezomib, temsirolimus and autologous stem transplant. Ninety-one percent had measurable disease and 83.0% had and ECOG performance status ≤2. At the end of therapy there were 11 complete responses (20.8%), 7 partial responses, 5 stable diseases and 30 progressions with an overall response rate of 33.9%. Twenty-six patients received ≥3 concomitant medications during ibrutinib therapy. At 20 months overall survival (OS) was 26.8% (median reached at 9 months) and disease free survival (DFS) 75% at 15 months: 10/11 patients are in continuous complete response with a median of 10.5 months. Hematological toxicities were manageable, 6 thrombocytopenia occurred, of which only 2 grade 4 (due to disease bone marrow infiltration) and the other 4 related to ibrutinib. Main extra-hematological toxicities were diarrhea (9.4%) and lung infections (7.5%) which all lead to early drug discontinuation. The observed occurrence of diarrhea by severity was 0 for CTCAE Grade 1, 4 for Grade 2, 2 for Grade 3 and 0 for Grade 4. Lung infection had a lower occurrence: 0, 2, 2 and 0 split by CTCAE Grade 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. There is a boundary zone in the passage from phase III to phase IV trials, i.e. from experimental to marketing and free use phases: in this zone we can find NPP and compassionate and off-label use. Despite the known potential bias of all the observational retrospective studies, reports on the real life experience make an important contribution to medical knowledge prior to widespread utilization: ibrutinib therapy is effective and tolerable also in a clinical setting mimicking the real world. Our results, in fact, are superimposable to those obtained in clinical trials: for safety, thrombocytopenia, diarrhea and lung infections are the relevant adverse events to be clinically focused on; for effectiveness, ibrutinib is confirmed to be a valid option for refractory/relapsed MCL. Disclosures Cascavilla: Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria. Zinzani:Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; MorphoSys: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celegene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Introduction. A monocentric prospective study was designed to evaluate the role of F-18-fluoro-3-deoxy-3-L-fluorothymidine (FLT) PET/CT in lymphoma patients presenting with positive or equivocal F-18-deoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT at end-treatment or follow-up evaluation. Methods. From May 2010 to March 2015, 40 patients were enrolled in the study, all undergoing FLT PET/CT within 3 weeks from a previous positive FDG scan and, when possible, biopsy confirmation as standard of reference to define PET results (true positive-TP; true negative-TN; false positive-FP; false negative-FN). The highest lesion standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was measured with both tracers. Median age was 55 (range 20-76); 24 patients were male and 16 female. Thirty patients had non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 10 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). At diagnosis, 8 patients had stage II, 8 stage III and 24 stage IV. Six patients were evaluated at the end of their treatment and 34 during follow-up. Results. FDG-PET was judged positive in 36 out of 40 cases (SUVmax range 3-31; mean 10.1); 28/36 resulted also FLT positive (SUVmax range 3-16.8; mean 7.8) and 16/28 patients had the most active lesion biopsied, demonstrating 15 TP but 1 FP (cervical node, patient with a history of HL, SUVmax 6.9 and 6.8 for FDG and FLT respectively: reactive follicular hyperplasia). The remaining 12 patients could not be biopsied: however, clinical judgment and subsequent follow-up data confirmed 11 TP cases and 1 FP (reactive node). Eight FLT scans resulted inconclusive because of the low SUVmax values (range: 1.7-11.7; mean 4.8); 5 were judged as TP at biopsy (2 patients) or clinical evaluation (3 patients), whereas 3 represented reactive-inflammatory tissue. Among the 4 FDG-PET considered inconclusive (SUVmax range 4.9-8.8; mean 7.2), 3 out of 4 also resulted FLT inconclusive (SUVmax range 2.6-4.9; mean 4), but the final clinical evaluation excluded lymphoma (1 reactive cervical node, 1 nodal sarcoid-like disease, 1 aspecific pericecal finding). The remaining 1/4 resulted FLT positive (SUVmax 6.9 and 6.5 for FDG and FLT, respectively) and was clinically confirmed to be a TP case. Conclusions. In the particular setting of residual/recurrent lymphoma, our preliminary data suggest that FLT can be complementary to FDG, although the elimination of inconclusive PET findings remains a controversial step. Further lesion-based, semi-quantitative analyses (i.e. target to background/mediastinal blood pool/liver ratio) and correlation with Ki67 proliferation index are ongoing. Disclosures Cavo: Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria. Zinzani:Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; J&J: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Background. Recent studies have described the landscape of recurrently mutated genes in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), including genes involved in DNA damage response/cell cycle (ATM, TP53, CCND1), epigenetic regulation (KMT2D also known as MLL2, WHSC1), and cell signaling (BIRC3, TRAF2, NOTCH1). However, with the exception of TP53 abnormalities, little is known about the clinical relevance of recurrent mutations in MCL. Thus, we performed deep sequencing analysis of a MCL gene panel in the prospective series of patients enrolled in the ongoing FIL-MCL0208 phase III trial (EudraCTNumber: 2009-012807-25). Patients and Methods. The study included untreated, advanced stage 70% of cases. The gene panel was analyzed in tumor DNA from baseline bone marrow CD19+ purified MCL cells and, for comparative purposes to filter out polymorphisms, in the paired normal genomic DNA (available in 55% of cases) using a TruSeq Custom Amplicon target enrichment system followed by deep next generation sequencing (Illumina, median depth of coverage 2356x). Variants represented in >10% of the alleles were called with VarScan2 with the somatic function when the paired germline DNA was available. For patients lacking germline DNA, a bioinformatic pipeline including a number of stringent filters was applied to protect against the misclassification of polymorphisms as somatic variants. Primary endpoint of the analysis was progression free survival (PFS). Results. Out of the enrolled patients, 151 are currently evaluable for mutations and clinical outcome (median age: 57 years, range 35-66; males 75%). Among prognostic factors, the MIPI was intermediate or high-risk in 49% of patients, the Ki67 ≥30% in 39%, and blastoid histology occurred in 8%. At the first planned interim analysis, median follow-up of alive patients was 26 months. At 2-years, 79% of patients were progression free and 91% alive (Cortelazzo et al EHA 2015). Overall, at least one mutation was detected in 106/151 cases (70%), including mutations of ATM in 42% of cases, CCND1 in 14%, WHSC1 in 13%, KMT2D in 12%, TP53 in 7%, NOTCH1 in 6%, BIRC3 in 5% and TRAF2 in 1% (Figure 1A). By univariate analysis, mutations of TP53 (2-years PFS 48% vs 82%; p Conclusions. Though limited by the short follow-up, our data show that: i) the combination of two genetic biomarkers (i.e. TP53 and KMT2D mutations) allows to predict the benefit that young MCL patients can gain from a cytarabine-based high dose sequential chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation; ii) intensive chemotherapy does not overcome the negative prognostic impact of TP53 mutations; and iii) KMT2D mutations may represent a novel genetic biomarker in MCL patients. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures Santoro: Celgene: Research Funding.

Introduction. Relapsed and primary refractory peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) show a dismal outcome, with a 5-year overall survival of only 30%. There is no standard salvage chemotherapy for these patients. Gemcitabine was proved to be an effective monotherapy, yelding 60-70% overall response rates in patients with advanced heavily pre-treated disease. Romidepsin, a histone deacetylase inhibitor recently approved by Food and Drug Administration, has demonstrate an overall response rate (ORR) of 30% and a complete response (CR) rate of 16%. We have recently designed a multicentric trial to investigate the role of the combination of gemcitabine plus romidepsin (GEMRO regimen) in relapsed or refractory PTCL, looking for a potential synergistic effect of the two drugs. Methods. Twenty relapsed/refractory PTCL patients were included in a multicentric, prospective phase II trial which contemplated an induction with romidepsin 12 mg/m2 intravenously (i.v.) on days 1, 8, 15, and gemcitabine, 800 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1 and 15, for 6 cycles, each cycle to be repeated every 28 days. After the induction phase, patient who obtained at least a partial remission (PR) proceeded onto romidepsin maintenance at the dose of 14 mg/m2 i.v. until disease progression. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the efficacy of GEMRO regimen after the induction phase, as assessed by complete response (CR) rate; safety assessment was regarded as a secondary objective. The trial was registered under EudraCT (2012-001404-38). Results. Twenty patients have been recruited for this study. At present time, all patients underwent the induction phase and are evaluable for response and toxicity. The median age of patients was 55 years (range, 24-77). According to histology, 10 patients had PTCL not otherwise specified, 9 had an angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, 1 had a kinase negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma. The median number of prior therapies was 2 (range, 1-4); 7/20 (35%) patients had failed a prior stem cell transplant. Nineteen out of 20 (95%) patients presented with advanced stage. At the end of induction phase, the ORR was 31% including 2 CRs and 3 PRs. One of the 2 CR patients discontinued the treatment after 4 cycles due to cardiac toxicity, however maintaining a continuous CR with a follow up of 2 years. The other CR patient is still on treatment in maintenance phase. Grade ≥3 adverse events were represented by thrombocytopenia (60%), neutropenia (50%), and anemia (20%). Conclusions. To date, data failed to show a superiority of the GEMRO combination regimen over single agent romidepsin as salvage therapy for refractory or relapsed PTCL patients. More mature data and an adequate follow-up will be required to better understand the role of this combination regimen. Disclosures Zinzani: Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; J&J: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau.

Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an antibody drug-conjugate targeting CD30 linked to monomethyl auristatin E. Several studies have shown the efficacy of BV in patients with refractory or relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL). We reviewed our clinical database to evaluate the long-term efficacy of this treatment. From July 2009 to February 2015, 57 patients were treated with BV in our Institute: 43 with a diagnosis of HL and 14 with sALCL. Thirty-six were males and 21 were females, with a median age of 33 years (range 16-77). All of them had been heavily pretreated before BV with a median number of previous therapies of 3 (range 2-10). Thirty-nine had refractory disease and 18 were relapsed. Autologous stem cells transplantation had failed in 30 patients. BV was administered at a dosage of 1.8 mg/mq, every 21 days, for a maximum of 16 cycles. The median number of cycles was 8 (range 2-16); 13 patients completed the entire schedule. The best overall response rate was globally 57,8% (33 of 57 patients), including 25 (43.8%) complete responses (CR): 18 with HL and 7 with sALCL. At present, 20/25 (80%) patients are still in continuous CR (CCR) with a median follow up of 9 months (range 3-41): 10 of them have consolidated the response with a stem cell transplantation (SCT) (4 auto-SCT and 6 allo-SCT) and 10 patients have remained in CR without any other therapy after BV. Among these long-term responders without any consolidation (7 patients with HL and 3 with sALCL), the median follow-up is 12 months (range 3-37); in particular there are 3 patients in CCR after at least 24 months. The global overall survival rate at 68 months is 71% (no patients with sALCL dead) and the median overall survival has not been reached yet. The global progression-free survival rate at 48 months is 30%, the median is achieved at 11,7 months. Toxicity was primarily neurological with peripheral sensory symptoms (30%) and motor neuropathy (5%); the majority was grade 3 in severity (8 patients). This study confirms the safety and the high efficacy of BV that can be considered an effective treatment in patients with relapsed or refractory HL or sALCL. This drug can induce a durable complete response representing a "bridge" to auto-SCT or allo-SCT. However our data show a subset of patients that can be considered "long-term responders", who have remained in CCR without any consolidation after BV. Disclosures Zinzani: Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; J&J: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Cavo:Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria.

Background. Bortezomib, an inhibitor of the proteasome, is effective in relapsed mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and indolent lymphomas and it is synergistic with Rituximab to enhance apoptosis and NFkB depletion. On these basis, the FIL conducted a phase II multicenter study aimed to evaluate safety and efficacy of Bortezomib in association with Rituximab in relapsed/refractory non-follicular Lymphoma (Linfocytic, LL and Marginal Zone Lymphoma, MZL) and MCL, not eligible to high dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation. Patients and methods. The study was a prospective single arm phase II trial, designed on Simon two-stage Optimal Design. Primary end-point was to obtain an Overall Response Rate (ORR) > 40%. The aim of this analysis is to evaluate long term follow-up of Bortezomib and Rituximab combination. A central histological revision was planned in all the patients at the enrollment. Inclusion criteria were: 18-75 years, relapsed/refractory LL, MZL, MCL after 1-4 lines. Treatment schedule was: one course of 1.6 mg/sqm Bortezomib weekly in combination with standard 375 mg/sqm Rituximab on days 1, 8, 15, 22 followed by two courses of four weekly intravenous bolus of Bortezomib alone; patients with complete (CR), partial remission and stable disease at the intermediate evaluation were planned to be given three further courses with the same schedule. Results. From September 2006 to March 2008, 55 patients were enrolled and six were excluded at central histological revision. Clinical characteristics were: median age 68 (50-74); 16 (33%) LL, 8 (16%) MZL, 25 (51%) MCL; 42 (86%) stage III/IV; 33 (67%) bone marrow involvement. Median number of previous treatments was 2 (range 1-7); 34 (69%) were Rituximab pretreated; 21 (43%) had refractory disease. Thirty (61%) patients completed the treatment and 233 courses were delivered (median: 4.7 courses/patient); 19 (39%) patients did not because of no response in 13, adverse events in five, with only one toxic death due to interstitial pneumonia. ORR was 53% (CR 26.5%); no response was seen in 43% and 4% were not evaluable for response. ORRs by clinical subgroup were: LL 37%, MZL 50%, MCL 64%; Rituximab pretreated 62%, Rituximab naïve 33%; relapsed 64% and refractory 38%. With a median follow-up of 85 months, median Overall Survival (OS) was 61.5 months (95%CI: 35.0-81.5), with 5-years OS 51% (95% CI: 36-65) and median Progression Free Survival (PFS) was 8.9 months (95%CI: 5.3-18.3), with 5-years PFS 16% (95% CI: 7-28%). Five-years PFS by histology was: 12% (95% CI: 2-31) for LL, 17% (95% CI: 5-34) for MCL and 19% (95% CI: 11-53) for MZL. PFS rates were not different between Rituximab pretreated versus naïve nor international prognostic index 1-2 versus 3-4-5 nor refractory versus relapsed. By number of previous therapies, 5-years PFS for 1 previous therapy versus 2 versus 3 or more was: 24%, 14% and 13%, respectively, p=0.36. Conclusions. Weekly infusion of Bortezomib in combination with Rituximab is effective in relapsed/refractory indolent and MCL and represents a treatment option in this setting of patients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

The first line treatment for primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBCL) still remains a matter of debate even if the literature confirms that an anthracycline-containing regimen should be the main choice. The European experience shows the superiority of “third-generation” dose-dense regimen like MACOP-B (methotrexate, doxurubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, bleomycin, prednisone) or VACOP-B (same as MACOP-B, with etoposide instead of methotrexate) over CHOP (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine and prednisone) or CHOP-like regimen. The addition of rituximab to third-generation regimen does not seem to cause any advantages in terms of overall survival (OS) and progression free-survival (PFS), while external radiotherapy (RT) has shown a good efficacy as a consolidation strategy at the end of induction chemotherapy, especially in converting partial responses (PR) into complete responses (CR). Between October 1989 and April 2010, 98 (58 females and 40 males) previously untreated PMLBCL patients were diagnosed and subsequently treated at our Institution. All patients were treated with MACOP-B regimen, concurrent rituximab was administered in 57 patients (58.2%) and 67 patients (68.4%) received mediastinal RT. Among 57 patients who received rituximab, 37 (64.9%) underwent RT whereas, among 41 who did not receive rituximab, RT was delivered in 30 (group 4, 73.2%) patients. 11 patients (group 1, 11.2%) received chemotherapy alone and 37 (group 3, 37.8%) received besides immunotherapy and RT (Table 1). All patients were assessed at the diagnosis and after the treatment with computed tomography and positron emission tomography (after 2001) scan. Main aims of our study were the effectiveness of the regimen measured as overall response rate (ORR) and patients survival. Sixty-one (62.2%) out of 98 patients achieved a CR and 27 (27.6%) were in PR after 12 cycles of MACOP-B regimen (with or without rituximab). Twenty-one patients in PR after (immuno)chemotherapy converted the response into CR with mediastinal RT. At the end of the scheduled treatment, 82 patients (83.7%) achieved a CR and 6 a PR (6.1%), yielding an ORR of 89.8%. At a median follow-up of 5.6 years, 9 patients relapsed within the first 2 years of treatment. During the follow-up 15 patients died, of whom 13 as a consequence of disease relapse or progression . The projected OS at 17 years is 72% with a PFS and a disease free survival (DSF) of 86.8% and 88.4% respectively ([Figure 1][1] A-C). The subgroup analysis shows a statistically significant difference in term of OS (p=0.0003) but not in term of PSF and DFS among the four groups of treatment ([Figure 1][1] D-F). All the patients receiving consolidation RT obtained a CR without differences between subgroup 3 and 4. RT seems to have a small consolidative potential in patients who obtained CR after chemo-immunotherapy alone: there are no differences in term of DFS between subgroup 2 and 3. No statistically significant differences in terms of OS, PFS and DSF occurred among patients received rituximab or not, regardless of a subsequent RT. Our monocentric experience spans a period of 20 years and indicates that a third-generation regimen like MACOP-B is feasible and could be a standard of first line treatment for PMLBCL. In agreement with the literature, adding rituximab doesn’t improve the outcome. Mediastinal RT, delivered as a consolidative strategy, impacts on global survival and on CR rates. In particular, RT after third-generation regimen remains a good strategy to convert PR into CR, but it may be avoided in patients obtaining CR after (immuno)chemotherapy. | Group | MACOP-B | Rituximab | Radiotherapy | N (%) | | ----------- | --------- | ---------- | ------------ | ---------- | | 1 | Yes | No | No | 11 (11.2%) | | 2 | Yes | Yes | No | 20 (20.4%) | | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 37 (37.8%) | | 4 | Yes | No | Yes | 30 (30.6%) | | TOTAL N (%) | 98 (100%) | 57 (58.2%) | 67 (68.4%) | 98 (100%) | Table 1 ![Figure 1][2] Figure 1 Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [1]: #F1 [2]: pending:yes

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), is a rare disorder which has a substantially unknown etiology, pathophysiology, and may manifest through a variety of clinical presentations ranging from solitary eosinophilic granuloma to severe multisystem disease. LCH is more common in children, although it can affect any age; the most common sites of involvement are bone, skin, and lung. From a histological point of view LCH derives from accumulation of proliferating cells with surface markers and ultrastructural features similar to cutaneous Langerhans cells, intermixed with inflammatory cells, particularly eosinophils. Below, a retrospective analysis of LCH patients treated at our institution. Between 1997 and 2013 we have treated 11 LCH patients, including 6 females and 5 males with a median age at time of diagnosis of 42.9 years (range 22.2-62.3). All diagnoses were reviewed by our pathologist. With regard to the site at onset, 9 patients had bone involvment, among these, four patients had only bone involvment, the other five patients also lung, oral cavity and lymph nodes. At time of onset 4 patients showed no symptoms, while the remaining 7 showed a variety of symptoms ranging from B symptoms to tinnitus, dizziness, and other neurological symptoms such as diplopia. Among the study group 6 patients had multisystemic involvement. All patients except one had CT scan performed before, during, and at follow-up, the remaining patient was studied and followed through follow-up with PET scan. As first-line therapy 8 patients underwent chemotherapy, 2 patients radiation therapy, 1 patient required only steroid therapy. The most frequently used chemotherapy regimen for these 8 patients was MACOP-B, a third generation, CHOP-like regimen. Responses to first-line therapy were as follows: 7 complete remissions (CR), resulting with chemotherapy (5), radiation therapy and steroid therapy, two partial remissions (both obtained with chemotherapy) and two stable diseases (1 with chemotherapy and 1 with radiation therapy). Two patients relapsed, of whom one has ran several lines of chemotherapy, including autologous stem cell transplantation. Both are alive at the time of the last follow-up. To date all patients are alive but one, who died of pulmonary embolism while he was in stable disease. Six patients are in CR (60%), two in SD (20%) and two in PD (20%). In conclusion, our monocentric experience of 11 LCH patients confirms what reported in the literature in terms of heterogeneity of presentation, age, sites of involvement, symptomatology and treatment demanded. Coming to the the results our retrospective analisys shows that ten of the eleven study population patients (90.9%) are to date still alive after a significant median time of follow-up; six out of these ten patients (60%) are in CR. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

INTRODUCTION. Chemotherapy (CHT)-induced anemia is a consequence of the myelosuppressive effect of CHT, delivered for solid or hematologic malignancies, and tends to worsen over the course of repeated cycles of therapy. Erythropoietic agents have shown their efficacy in correcting CHT-induced anemia in cancer patients, in reducing the need of blood transfusion and in improving patients’ quality of life. Epoetin (EPO) biosimilars have emerged as an alternative to originator products, sharing an equivalent mechanism of action, efficacy and safety, as a result of a rigorously conducted comparability exercise. PATIENTS AND METHODS. This study was aimed at evaluating the response to EPO alpha biosimilar (Binocrit®, Sandoz, 40,000 IU/week subcutaneously) after a 4-weeks (and 8-weeks, when applicable) treatment period, as well as the rate of CHT cycles delays or interruptions due to anemia, in 49 consecutive adult patients, affected by chronic lymphoproliferative disorders, undergoing CHT, either as a first-line induction (35 patients) or second-line or salvage treatment (14 patients), and presenting with CHT-induced anemia. The median age was 69 (range 21-90) years, with 49% of the patients older than 70. Fourteen had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 14 an indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, 6 had chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 5 mantle cell lymphoma, 4 T-cell lymphoma, 2 hairy cell leukemia and 1 had histiocytosis. Response to EPO was defined as an increase in hemoglobin (Hb) levels after 4 (ΔHb4) and 8 weeks (ΔHb8) of treatment of at least +1 g/dL, or as the achievement of Hb > 11 g/dL independently of ΔHb, with a complete transfusion-independence. Hb stability was regarded as a ΔHb comprised between -1 and +1 g/dL. A ΔHb < -1 g/dL or an acquired transfusion dependence was judged as a lack of response. Treatment with EPO was started at the first occurrence of Hb < 10 g/dL during chemotherapy, when anemia was not due to any different concomitant cause (e.g. hemolysis, iron deficiency, malabsorption, etc). Treatment duration was established by the treating physician; however, treatment was stopped when Hb reached at least 11 g/dL, in patients whose chemotherapy programme had reached its completion and in those who became transfusion dependent. RESULTS. Mean Hb (± standard deviation) at presentation was 11.0 ± 1.6 g/dL, with 49% of patients being anemic mostly as a consequence of their disease. Nine patients had grade 2 anemia, while one presented with grade 3 anemia. Twenty-one were treated with a cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) every 21 days or with a weekly CHOP-like regimen; 10 received a fludarabine-based regimen; 6 underwent a bendamustine-based second-line treatment. The remaining 12 patients were treated with various regimens (lenalidomide, rituximab, cladribine, temsirolimus, gemcitabine). Mean Hb level at EPO treatment start was 9.3 ± 0.5 g/dL. After 4 weeks of treatment, the reached mean Hb level was 10.8 ± 1.4 g/dL for patients receiving a first-line CHT, and 11.4 ± 1.6 g/dL for those on a second or later CHT line, with a mean ΔHb4 of 1.4 ± 1.4 g/dL and 2.1 ± 1.6 g/dL for each group of patients, respectively. Sixteen patients had their Hb level measured after 8 weeks of treatment, achieving a mean Hb level of 11.0 ± 1.7 g/dL and 9.8 ± 1.4 g/dL for each treatment subgroup, with a ΔHb8 of 1.7 ± 1.6 g/dL and 0.5 ± 1.3 g/dL, respectively. Overall, 36 patients responded to the treatment, yielding to a 73.4% hematological improvement rate. Eleven patients (22.5%) showed a stable Hb level throughout their treatment course, and 2 (4.1%) were considered non-responders (figure). Among responders, 2 patients required a new biosimilar EPO alpha treatment, again with response; 2 patients showed a late recurrence of anemia, and were managed with blood transfusions. Overall, 22 patients (44.9%; 61.1% of responders) had an Hb increase of at least 2 g/dL. CHT cycles were delayed in 9 cases (18.4%) because of anemia; interruptions of the planned CHT programme occurred in 6 cases (12.2%). No adverse events were documented; in particular, no thromboembolic or pure red-cell aplasia episodes have been demonstrated. CONCLUSION. The treatment of CHT-induced anemia with biosimilar EPO alpha in patient with chronic lymphoproliferative disorders is correlated with a high rate of responses and allows a safe completion of the planned CHT programme in most of the cases, both in induction and salvage treatment settings. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Broccoli: Sandoz: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Zinzani:Sandoz: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Introduction Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a potentially curative treatment option for relapsed Follicular Lymphoma (FL) patients, but to date available data do not support the use of ASCT as first line consolidation, given the lack of overall survival (OS) advantage compared to standard therapy. R-CHOP (Rituximab-Cyclophosphamide, Vincristine, Doxorubicin, Prednisone) and R-FM (Rituximab, Fludarabine, Mitoxantrone), have comparable efficacy and are widely used as first and second line combinations. The best way to sequence the available therapies in FL is still undefined. Here we show the long term results of a phase II trial of sequential chemotherapy alternating CHOP and FM plus Rituximab followed by ASCT in patients with stage III-IV and/or bulky FL either at disease onset or first relapse, conducted in our Institution from 2002 to 2008. Methods Patients at diagnosis or first relapse were treated in sequence with R-CHOP for 4 cycles, Endoxan 7g/m2 followed by hematopoietic stem cell harvest, R-FM for 4 cycles and ASCT. The ASCT conditioning schedule was BEAM (BCNU, ARA-C, Etoposide, Melphalan) in all cases. Results 24 patients were enrolled, 12 pts were male. Median age was 44 years. One patient did not undergo ASCT for insufficient left ventricular ejection fraction and was excluded from the analysis. 13 patients were treated upfront whereas 10 patients at first relapse. After a median follow-up of 10 years, progression free survival (PFS) and OS in the whole study cohort were respectively 65% and 87%, with a complete response (CR) rate after the completion of sequential treatment of 100%. PFS and OS for patients treated at disease relapse were 60 and 70% (4 relapses, 3 deaths). Remarkably PFS and OS for the 13 patients treated upfront was 70% and 100% (4 relapses). To date no secondary malignancies were observed. Conclusions Sequential treatment alternating standard R-CHOP and R-FM followed by ASCT results in impressive long term PFS and OS rates, both in first line and at relapse. These data represent the proof of principle of a sequential therapy containing alternating alkylating agents and purine analogs followed by ASCT in FL. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Due to limited prospective studies, the optimal treatment of primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBCL) is still a matter of debate. Third-generation MACOP-B (adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, bleomycin, methotrexate and prednisone) regimen in combination with mediastinal radiotherapy (RT) seems to improve disease free survival of patients. In addition, the impact of additional treatment with rituximab and the role of PET are still under investigation due to controversial reported results. As per institutional guidelines, MACOP-B plus RT was recommended in all PMLBCL patients until 2002. Aim of this report was evaluate the outcome of PMBCL patients diagnosed and treated with MACOP-B plus rituximab and consolidative mediastinal RT (30-36 Gy) after 2002. PET role was also investigated. Seventy-four patients were deemed eligible for this study (follow up of at least 2 years). Fifty patients had stage II and 24 stage IIE-IV, bulky disease was documented in 93% of patients. Median age was 34 years (range, 17-62) and 59.5% were females. All patients were evaluated by both CT and PET scan. After the final PET evaluation, PET-negative patients were observed while PET-positive patients underwent mediastinal RT. At the end of treatment, 61 (82.4%) patients achieved a complete response (CR); 51 (68.9%) presented a positive final PET and were treated with local RT, while the other 23 (31.1%) had a negative PET. Five patients relapsed within 12 months. At 10 years, estimated overall survival was 82%, progression-free survival was 87.6% and disease-free survival (DFS) for the 61 CR patients was 90.5% (median follow-up 4 years). Regarding the DFS curve (figure 1), no statistically significant differences were observed between patients who underwent also RT (PET-positive, group 1) and patients who remained under observation (PET-negative, group 2): 90.7% (4/51 relapses) vs 90% (1/23 relapse) (p= 0.85), respectively. Comparing these results with our institutional historical series when the front-line for PMLBCL patients included only MACOP-B plus RT without any decision related to PET results (before 2002), the 10-year DFS resulted lower, i.e. 82.8%. Although with the limitations of an observational retrospective study, the present report underlines that the additional treatment with rituximab does not change the final results in terms of CRs and DFS utilizing third-generation regimens. Moreover, the introduction of the PET-guided RT approach after MACOP-B plus rituximab allows a patient tailored strategy which reduces the use of RT and preserves clinical outcomes. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 3019 Background: Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is an effective and manageable treatment option for those patients (pts) affected by follicular B-cell lymphoma (FL) who experience disease relapse. The results of RIT in the setting of first line consolidation are also very promising in terms of progression free and overall survival. On the other hand autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a suitable treatment option for relapsed FL patients. Although major concerns about the widespread use of RIT early in the disease course are the long term hematologic toxicity and the theoretical possible irreparable damage to bone marrow function with impairment of peripheral stem cell harvest, very few data are available about mobilization rates after Zevalin exposure. Methods: The aim of this monocentric study was to analyze the impact of prior Zevalin administration on peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) mobilization and on the outcome of subsequent ASCT. Moreover the impact of different prior treatment regimens [Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, Prednisone plus Rituximab (R-CHOP) or CHOP-like regimens vs Fludarabine, Mitoxantrone plus Rituximab (FM-R) vs Zevalin] and number of previous lines of therapy given earlier in the disease course, was prospectively evaluated in all FL patients (n=100) who underwent stem cell mobilization from January 2005 to March 2012. Results: At the time of mobilization, 68 pts had received R-CHOP or CHOP-like regimens, 20 pts FM-R, 12 pts RIT with Zevalin earlier in the disease course. Characteristics of pts such as age, weight and number of prior therapies, were well balanced in the 3 groups. Sixty one pts had received one prior therapy, 31 pts 2 therapies, 8 pts ≥ 3 lines of therapy. All pts received chemotherapy plus granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) 5 μg/kg (n=94) or G-CSF alone (10 μg/kg) (n=6) as mobilization regimen. Mean CD34+ cells yield was 8.9 × 106/kg in the CHOP group, vs 5.8 × 106 CD34 + cells/kg in the FM-R group, vs 2.7 × 106 CD34 + cells/kg in the Zevalin group (p=0.05 CHOP vs FM-R; p 1000/μL) and platelets recovery (>20000/μL) was 10 and 11 days in all groups respectively. Only one pt in the CHOP group and one in the FM-R group did not undergo ASCT because of insufficient CD34+ harvest. Considering the Zevalin group (n=12), median age was 51 years (range 36–66). Seven pts received Zevalin as first line consolidation, 5 patients at disease relapse. Median number of prior therapies was 2 (range 1–4). Ten pts received chemotherapy plus G-CSF as initial mobilization regimen, 2 pts received G-CSF alone. Median time from RIT to mobilization was 13 months (4–60 months). Five pts (42%) reached the collection yield of > 2.0 × 106 CD34 + cells/kg with the first mobilization attempt. Considering the remaining 7 pts who failed (CD34+ cells below 10/mL before apheresis, or cell harvest below 2.0 × 106 CD34 + cells/kg), a surgical procedure was attempted in 4 pts, G-CSF + Plerixafor (240 μg/kg) in 3 pts. Remarkably the second harvest allowed 5 additional pts (3 pts after surgery, 2 pts after G-CSF + Plerixafor) to undergo ASCT. Finally ASCT was succesfully performed in 9 pts (75%). Median number of reinfused CD34+ cells was 2.3 × 106 CD34 + cells/kg (0.4–4.2). Three pts did not undergo ASCT, one because of disease progression, 2 pts because of insufficient CD34+ harvest. Conclusions: The type of previous therapy may significantly influence the mobilization rate in FL pts. Although mobilization was significantly impaired in pts previously treated with Zevalin compared to other chemotherapy regimens, stem cell harvest after RIT was feasible and the vast majority of patients retained the possibility to undergo ASCT with a second stem cell harvest, with no significant impact on engraftment. The use of Plerixafor seems to be particularly promising for those patients previously exposed to RIT who failed the first mobilization. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 2736 In this retrospective single-center study we aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of fludarabine, mitoxantrone and rituximab (FMR) regimen as first line therapy in untreated patients with follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and indolent non-follicular NHL considering also the role of positron emission tomography (PET) after this chemo-immunotherapy induction as predictor of survival. Between January 2000 and May 2011, 285 patients with stage II-IV untreated indolent follicular (excluding grade IIIb) NHL (n=142) and indolent non-follicular (including marginal zone lymphoma, MZL [n=111] and small lymphocytic lymphoma, SLL [n=31]) NHL (n=143) were diagnosed and treated at our institution in the outpatient clinic. Median age was 63 years (range, 25–83 years) and the median time from diagnosis to study entry was 3 months (range, 1–5 months). 20 patients had stage II, 75 patients had stage III, and 190 had stage IV disease (155 patients had bone marrow involvement). Standard fludarabine (25 mg/m2 iv on days 2, 3 and 4), mitoxantrone (10 mg/m2 iv on day 2) and rituximab (375 mg/m2 iv on day 1) were given every 28 days for six cycles. Globally, after FMR regimen, the overall response rate (ORR) was 83.2%, including a 71.6% complete remission (CR) rate (204 patients) and a 11.6% partial remission (PR) rate (33 patients). According to the histology, in the follicular subset, the ORR was 81.1% with a CR rate of 69.2% while in the indolent non-follicular subset the ORR was 85.2% with a CR rate of 73.9%. In particular, in the indolent non-follicular NHL subgroup the CR rate was 80.2% in MZLs and 51.6% in SLLs, respectively. Toxicities were generally mild and mainly hematologic. Overall 88 (30.8%) patients had grade ≥3 hematologic toxicity, and 26 (9.1%) patients had non-hematologic toxicity with 3 cases of grade ≥3 (1 neurologic toxicity and 2 hepatic toxicity). In terms of secondary malignancies, only 3 (1.0%) hematologic neoplasms were reported (1 myelodisplastic syndrome after 9 months from the end of the treatment and 2 acute lymphoblastic leukemia after 8 and 11 months from the end of the treatment, respectively). Globally with a median follow up of 40 months (range, 12–144 months), at 11 years the overall survival (OS) was 78.8%, the disease-free survival (DFS) was 73.4% (with only 29 relapses), and the progression-free survival (PFS) was 71.9%. Regarding the comparison between the two subsets, follicular vs indolent non-follicular, no statistically significant differences were observed in OS, DFS and PFS curves. Furthermore, a sub-sample of 132 patients (75 follicular NHLs and 57 indolent non-follicular NHLs) had a PET evaluation before the treatment (staging) and 4 to 6 weeks after completion of the sixth cycle of chemo-immunotherapy (restaging, final PET [f-PET]). Post-induction PET-positive patients had a significantly inferior OS at 6 years: 71.4% compared with 98.4% for f-PET-negative patients (p Figure 1a. Figure 1a. Figure 1b. Figure 1b. In conclusion, this study suggests and confirms that FMR is a very active, well tolerated (in terms of acute and long-term side effects) chemo-immunotherapy front-line treatment for follicular NHL and indolent non-follicular NHL. PET status at the end of this chemo-immunotherapy induction is quite controversial as a predictor of survival. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 2721 Role of interim- and final-PET in peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is quite unknown. To determine predictive value of PET on overall survival (OS), we evaluated interim-PET (i-PET) and final-PET (f-PET) in PTCL patients treated in first-line with 6 CHOP-21 courses. From September 2003 to July 2010 we diagnosed and treated in our institution 34 advanced stage PTCL patients (15 females and 19 males). The median age at diagnosis was 46 years (range, 21–81 years); 9 patients were in stage III, and 25 in stage IV. According to the histologic subtype there were 11 PTCL-nos, 6 AILT, 9 ALCL Alk+, 6 ALCL Alk-, and 2 NK/T nasal type patients. Four patients had bulky disease; eight patients had bone marrow involvement, 15 patients had 1 extranodal involvement and 10 had more than 2 extranodal sites. All patients underwent initial staging PET/CT; i-PET was performed after 3 cycles of CHOP-21 and the median time from the end of third course to i-PET was 14 days (range, 7– 18 days). f-PET scans were performed 35 days (range, 30– 45 days) after the end of therapy. The table summarizes the correspondence between i-PET and f-PET results: N=34 f-PET negative, n (%) f-PET positive, n (%) i-PET negative 27 19 (70.4) 8 (29.6) i-PET positive 7 1 (14.2) 6 (85.8) With a median follow-up of 71 months (range, 5.8–120.9 months), 17/19 (89.5%) patients with i-PET negative are in continuous CR (CCR) and only 1/7 (14.2%) patient with i-PET positive is still in CCR. Figures show the overall survival (OS) according to response at i-PET and f-PET. In figure 1a we observe OS plotted according to i-PET results: 78.6% for negative patients (solid line) and 21.4% for positive patients (dashed line) at 88.7 months (p=0.02); in figure 1b we observe OS plotted according to f-PET results: 93.7% for negative patients (solid line) and 21.4% for positive patients (dashed line) (p In conclusion, our results demonstrate that positive i-PET is not predictive of a worse outcome in PTCL. On the contrary, the f-PET seems to represent a significant step forward in the prediction of survival for these patients. Larger and prospective studies and harmonization of PET reading criteria are needed. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 1604 We previously reported the results of a multicenter non-randomized phase II trial of fludarabine and mitoxantrone plus radioimmunotherapy (RIT) [FLUMIZ (Fludarabine, Mitoxantrone, Zevalin) trial], demonstrating that this combination was safe and very effective in untreated patients with follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We are now providing long term efficacy and toxicity results of this combination strategy. Sixty-one patients with stage III and IV untreated follicular lymphoma were enrolled between June 2004 and April 2006, at 13 Italian institutions. Briefly, treatment schedule was the following: oral fludarabine 40 mg/m2 on days 1–3, intravenous mitoxantrone 10 mg/m2 on day 1 every 28 days for six cycles, followed by one course of yttrium-90 (90Y)-labelled ibritumumab tiuxetan (Zevalin), which consisted in two weekly infusions of Rituximab 250 mg/m2 followed by a weight based dose of 90Y-ibritumumab tiuxetan. Primary endpoints at the time of the first analysis were complete response and hematological toxic effects, secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Fifty-seven patients were treated with RIT after the completion of six courses of fludarabine and mitoxantrone (FN) regimen. Four patients were excluded because of disease progression (n=1) and bone marrow infiltration > 25% (n=3) at the end of the FN regimen. Median follow up at the time of the last analysis was 52 months (range 24–75). Five-year PFS was estimated to be 68%, 5-year OS was estimated to be 93.0%. Noteworthy, late hematological side effects such as myelodisplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukemias have not been observed so far. All patients had a complete hematological recovery after the completion of the sequential treatment. 16 patients relapsed during the follow-up period and 4 patients died due to disease progression. 22 patients (38%) are in first complete remission after more than 4 years of follow-up. All relapsed patients underwent second line chemotherapy and high dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue was performed in 4 patients. These results confirm the long term efficacy and safety of 6 cycles of fludarabine and mitoxantrone followed by consolidation with 90Y-ibritumumab tiuxetan: the 5-year PFS and OS compare favourably with the results of chemoimmunotherapy alone in untreated follicular lymphoma, with no increased incidence of secondary hematologic malignancie Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 3965 Introduction. Gene-profiling studies demonstrated a constitutive activation of the NFκB signalling pathway in Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) and Marginal Zone Lymphoma (MZL). Bortezomib, a potent inhibitor of the 26S proteasome, is a good candidate to block this pathway and was tested in relapsed or refractory MCL with encouraging results (objective response up to 45%, with a median PFS of 5–7 months). In vitro, the combination of Bortezomib and Rituximab has been shown synergistic apoptosis and enhanced NFkB depletion in MCL and MZL cells. Aim. On these bases, the IIL conducted a phase II multicenter study to evaluate safety and efficacy of Rituximab and Bortezomib combination in relapsed/refractory indolent non-follicular lymphoma (Linfocytic Lymphoma, LL, or MZL) and MCL not eligible for high-dose chemotherapy. Patients and methods. Inclusion criteria were: age 18–75 years, histological proven relapsed or refractory LL, MZL and MCL after 1–4 lines of therapies. Treatment plan was: one course of four weekly intravenous bolus of 1.6 mg/sqm Bortezomib in combination with four infusion of 375 mg/sqm Rituximab followed by two courses of four weekly bolus of 1.6 mg/sqm Bortezomib. Patients with complete (CR), partial remission (PR) and stable disease at the intermediate evaluation were planned to be given three further courses with the same schedule. Results. From September 2006 to March 2008, 55 patients entered into the study. Central histology revision was performed. Forty-nine patients fulfilled inclusion criteria and were evaluable. Clinical characteristics were: median age 68 (50-74) years; 16 LL, eight MZL, 25 MCL; 42 stage III/IV; 33 bone marrow involvement; 20 at intermediate-high/high International Prognostic Index (IPI) risk. Thirty-eigh patients performed more than two prior lines of chemotherapy; 34 were Rituximab-pretreated; 21 refractory and 28 relapsed disease. Overall Response Rate (ORR) was 53% (CR 26.5%, PR 26.5%); no response 43% and 4% off therapy for other causes. ORR by histology was: 37% in LL, 50% in MZL and 64% in MCL. ORR was not adversely affected by Rituximab pretreatment: Rituximab-pretreated 62% and Rituximab-naïve 33%. ORR was higher in relapsed patients compared with refractory ones: 64% and 38% (p .06). (Table 1). With a median follow-up of 25 months, 2-year Overall Survival (OS) was 80% (95%CI: 66–89) and 2-year PFS was 25% (95%CI: 14–38) (Figure 1A, 1B). Two-year PFS by histology was shown in Figure 1C. A total of 233 courses were delivered with a median of 4.7 courses/patient. Thirty patients completed the treatment plan; 19 did not due to progression disease in 13, adverse events in five (concomitant gastric neoplasia, neurotoxicity grade II, sepsis, pleural effusion and toxic death due to interstitial pneumonia). Grade 3–4 CTC haematological toxicity was rare: neutropenia in 5% of the courses and thrombocytopenia in Table 1. ORR (%) MCL/MZL/LL 64/50/37 Rituximab-pretreated/Rituximab-naive 62/33 N of prior therapies Disclosures: Off Label Use: The use of Bortezomib is off-label in Relapsed/Refractory Indolent Non-Follicular and Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Vitolo:Roche-Italy: Advisory committee; Celgene-Italy: Advisory committee; Janssen-Cilag: Lecture Fee.

Abstract 3890 Introduction: Early stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is highly curable with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Nevertheless a small proportion of patients with localized stage do not respond to therapy and progressed. We want to explore the predictive value on therapy outcome of an early evaluation of treatment response by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan performed after two corses of ABVD in pts with localized Hodgkin's disease. Patients and methods: From 2002, 246 new localized stage cHL pts were consecutively admitted to twelve Italian hematological centers on behalf of Intergruppo Italiano Linfomi. Pts with stage I-IIA according to Ann Arbor stage, independent of presence of bulky disease, were considered for the study. FDG-PET was mandatory at baseline, after two cycles and at the end of therapy. International Harmonization Project (IHP) interpretation criteria were recommended to define PET positivity. We evaluated the progression free survival of pts starting from the time of diagnosis to relapse or progression of disease or last follow-up. No treatment variation based only on PET-2 results was allowed. All bulky-disease pts reports were centrally reviewed. Results: The median age was 33 years (13-78), 133 pts were female, 225 pts were stage II, bulky was reported in 76 pts, 231pts were treated with combined modality and 15 pts were treated with chemotherapy alone. The FDG-PET performed after two cycles (PET2) was positive in 32 pts (13%). Seventeen non-bulky pts were PET2 positive: 10 (59%) progressed or relapsed and 7 remained in CR. By contrast 152/153 (99%) non-bulky pts with a negative PET2 remained in CR. Thus the PPV value of a PET2 in non-bulky pts was 59% and the NPV was 99%, moreover the sensitivity and specificity of PET2 were 91% and 96%, respectively. In bulky disease pts we performed a revision of all reports according to Deauville criteria and 3 cases were converted from PET2 positive to PET2 negative. In revised bulky disease pts 15 were PET2 positive: 6 (40%) progressed or relapsed and 9 remained in CR. In this group of pts the PPV was 40%, the NPV 93% and sensitivity and specificity were 60% and 90% respectively. In univariate analysis negative FDG-PET performed after two cycles (p .0000), absence of bulky disease at diagnosis (.005) were statistically correlated with a better progression free survival. In multivariate analysis only PET2 was independently predictive of relapse/progression probability (p .000). With a median follow-up of 35 months (range 4–87), the 2-yr FFS probability for PET2 negative and for PET2 positive non-bulky patients were 98% and 29% respectively (p: .000) for patients with bulky-disease were 99% and 45% respectively (p: .002). Conclusion: This multicentric study confirms that FDG-PET scan performed after two courses of conventional standard dose chemotherapy was able to predict treatment outcome in early stage non-bulky cHL. In bulky disease we suggest new interpretation criteria to define interim PET results. Disclosures: Vitolo: Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Abstract 3879 Purpose. The use of early (interim) positron emission tomography (PET) restaging during front-line therapy in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) has considerably increased in clinical practice as an early recognition of treatment failure allows patients to be addressed to more intensive treatment regimens. Patients and Methods. Between June 1997 and June 2009, 304 newly-diagnosed Hodgkin's lymphoma patients (147 early-stage and 157 advanced-stage) were treated with the ABVD regimen at two Italian institutions. Patients underwent to a PET staging and restaging at baseline, after 2 cycles of therapy and at the end of the treatment. Results. 53 patients showed a positive interim PET and only 13/53 (24.5%) achieved a complete response (CR), whereas 251 patients showed a negative PET and 231/251 (92%) remained in CR. Comparison between interim PET-positive and interim PET-negative patients indicated a significant association between PET findings and 9-year progression-free survival (p=0.0000) and 9-year overall survival (p=0.0000), with a median follow-up of 31 months. Among the early-stage patients, 19 had a positive interim PET and only 4 (21%) achieved a CR; among the 128 negative interim PET patients, 122 (97.6%) obtained a CR. In the advanced-stage subset, 34 patients showed a persistently positive PET (with only 9/34, 26.4% in CR), whereas 123 showed a negative interim PET, with 109 (88.6%) remaining in CR. Conclusions. Our results confirm the role of early PET as a significant step forward for the management of both early and advanced-stage HL patients, offering the potential for an immediate switch to high-dose treatments, if required. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 2720 Poster Board II-696 Introduction: In 2008 we published a phase II trial abuot the combination of 6 cycles of CHOP plus 90Y-IT for previously untreated elderly patients with DLBCL. The CCR was 95% with OS at 2 years of 95% and PFS at 2 years of 75%. The results of this study support a further evaluation of 90Y-IT in combination of chemotherapy. We conducted a prospective, single-arm, non-randomized, phase II trial with CHOP plus Rituximab followed by 90Y-IT reducing the number of CHOP cycles from 6 to 4 but introducing Rituximab. The rational is to utilize all the therapeutic approaches (chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radioimunotherapy) reducing conventional chemotherapy and probably related toxicity. Patients and Methods: Patient elegibility was represented by: patients older than 60 years with biopsy proven, untreated, bidimensionally mesurable stage II, III or IV DLBCL. Expression the CD-20 antigen; WHO performance status of 0 to 2. patients were treated with standard CHOP chemotherapy plus Rituximab every 21 days for 4 cycles. Patients were restaged 4 to 6 weeks after completion of 4 cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy. Patients achieving CR, PR or SD after chemotherapy were eligible for consolidation with 90Y-IT provided the granulocyte count was greater than 1500/microl, the platelet count exceded 100.000/microl and the bone marrow examination at the completion of chemotherapy demostrated no more than 25% involvement with lymphoma. All patients were to receive a single dose of 90Y-IT 14.8 MBq/kg (0.4 mCi/kg). Fifty-five patients have been enrolled: 26 were male and 29 female; the median age was 70 years (range 60–83); 17 were stage II, 38 were stage III-IV. Results: Fifty-one patients had completed the R-CHOP treatment and the overall response rate was 94.1% including 30 (58.8%) of patients in CR and 17 (35.3%) in PR. Treatment was well tolerated; grade 3–4 AEs are comparable with previous experience and the most common grade 3–4 AEs was neutropenia. At this time 47 patients had just received 90Y-IT and 45 are evaluable. In particular, 9/17 (52.9%) patients converted from PR to CR after treatment with 90Y-IT. Conclusions: These preliminary data indicate that radioimmunotherapy appears highly effective and feasible as “consolidation” after 4 cycles of immunochemotherapy in elderly DLBCL patients, improving quality of response without any cumulative toxicity. Disclosures: Off Label Use: The drug Yttrium 90 (90Y) Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (90Y-IT) (Zevalin) is off-label for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL).

Abstract 1659 Poster Board I-685 Background Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a curable malignancy with a long-term survival of around 80%. FDG-PET is a noninvasive imaging modality widely used in lymphoma patients. Early PET assessment of response to therapy is a routine part of management in HL patients, and an independent, strong predictor of progression-free survival. Patients and Methods 178 patients, with a diagnosis of HL, underwent to an early PET evaluation during their course of chemotherapy and were considered eligible for the study. 85 patients (48%) were male and 93 (52%) female; the median age at diagnosis was 33 (13-78) years. 6 patients (3%) had stage I disease; 106 patients (60%) stage II; 34 (19%) stage III and 32 (18%) stage IV (bone marrow involvement in 5 cases). B-symptoms were detected in 81 patients (46%). A mediastinal bulk was detected in 54 cases (30%). The majority of patients (173, 97%) underwent to ABVD as first line therapy; 5 received BEACOPP chemotherapy (3%). Early PET evaluation was performed after the second course of therapy. Results were classified into complete response (CR), partial response (PR), stable disease (SD) or progressive disease (PD) according to International Workshop standardized response criteria. PET scan was performed again at the end of the first-line treatment. 44 patients have been addressed to a second-line therapy, in presence of PR, PD or relapsing disease; in particular, 39 patients received an autologous stem-cells transplantation (ASCT), and 3 an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). Results At a median follow up of 41,85 (5,23-141,77) months, 152 patients are alive and in CR; 7 in PR; 3 alive with SD and 7 present a PD. 9 patients have died. 150 patients presented with a negative PET after 2 cycles, and 28 with a positive one (26 in PR, 1 with SD and 1 with PD). More specifically, of the 178 initial patients, 150 (84%) had a negative early PET and 28 (16%) a positive early PET. Of those with a negative PET, 135 (90%) experienced a continuous CR, while among those with a positive early PET, none obtained at least a stable CR. Of this unfavourable group of patients, 9 (32%) reached, and still maintain, a CR after ASCT. Conclusions Our experience indeed confirms the highly predictive value of a negative early PET during the therapy for HL. Moreover we may suggest the potential role of ASCT in inducing a CR in around one-third of those unfavorable patients with a positive early interim PET. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 3743 Poster Board III-679 Introduction In 2008 we published a multicenter non-randomized phase II trial of fludarabine and mitoxantrone plus 90Y-IT in untreated patients with FL. By the end of the entire treatment regimen 95% of the patients achieved complete remission (CR). With a median follow-up of 30 months, 3-year PFS was estimated to be 76% and 3-year OS 100%. On the basis of these results we are currently conducting a prospective, multicenter, non-randomized, phase II study of R-FM followed by 90Y-IT in untreated patients with FL in which the number of fludarabine and mitoxantrone cycles has been decreased to four and in which rituximab is administered before each cycle. The rationale of the trial is to use different forms of treatment and to reduce the use of conventional chemotherapy and its related toxic effects. Patients and Methods Patients eligibility is represented by: age more than 18, stage II-IV, FL grade I-II, WHO performance status 0-2. Patients are treated with standard FM chemotherapy plus rituximab every 28 days for 4 cycles. Patients are restaged 4 to 8 weeks after completion of immunochemotherapy and those achieving at least a partial response are eligible for 90Y-IT. All patients receive a single dose of 90Y-IT 14,8 MBq/kg. At the time of the analysis we enrolled 55 patients. 25 patients were male and 30 female; the median age was 56 years (range 26-84); 12 patients were stage II, 13 stage III and 30 stage IV; 11 patients had a bulky disease. 52 patients completed the induction chemotherapy, all except 5 were eligible for the consolidation treatment with 90Y-IT and 44 patients were restaged after the entire treatment regimen. Results After the R-FM chemotherapy, the overall response rate was 92.3% (48/52) including 39 (75%) CR and 9 (17.3%) partial remissions (PR). Time to event analyses, including TTP and duration of response are pending further follow-up. Treatment was well tolerated grade 3-4 haematologic AEs (mostly neutropenia) were seen in 50% of the patients. Among the 44 patients (9 PR and 35 CR) subsequentially treated with 90Y-IT and reassessed for the response, 8/9 (88.9%) PR patients improved their remission status from PR to CR. 90Y-IT toxicity included mostly grade 3-4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia and was comparable to the literature data. Conclusions These preliminary data indicate that radioimmunotherapy appears highly effective and feasible as “consolidation” after short (4 cycles) immunochemotherapy in FL patients, improving quality of response without any cumulative toxicity. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

FDG-PET role in the assessment of lymphoma patients is well established but only few papers evaluated the usefulness of FDG-PET during follow up. Aim: to prospectively investigate the value of serial FDG-PET scans in the follow up of lymphoma patients in complete remission. All lymphoma patients who achieved a complete remission were prospectively enrolled in the study and scheduled for serial FDG-PET scans at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months; further scans were then carried out on annual basis (overall 421 pts, 160 pts with Hodgkin’s Disease (HD) and 261 pts with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) were studied). All patients had a final assessment using other imaging procedures and/or biopsy and/or clinical evolution. FDG-PET findings were reported as positive, indeterminate or negative for relapse; after comparison with all available data, PET results were categorized as true positive (TP), true negative (TN), false positive (FP), indeterminate turned out to be relapse (I+) and indeterminate turned out to be complete remission (I-). Results: PET documented relapse in 42 cases at 6 mo (14 HD (8.8%) and 28 NHL (10.7%); in 31 cases at 12 mo (14 HD (9.5%) and 17 NHL (7.3%); in 27 cases at 18 mo (6 HD (4.5%) and 21 NHL (3.2%); in 9 cases at 24 mo (3 HD (2.4%) and 6 NHL (3.2%); and in 5 cases at > 36 mo (2 HD (2.8%) and 3 NHL (6.5%). Out of 125 scans reported as positive for relapse, 109 turned out to be TP (PPV of 87%); no false negative scan was recorded, and in the great majority of cases PET detected the presence of relapse before clinical evidence. Our results confirm that FDG-PET is a valid tool for lymphoma patients follow-up. The higher incidence of relapse occurred in both HD and NHL quite early after complete remission (at 6 and 12 months for HD and at 6, 12 and 18 months for NHD), thus confirming the usefulness of performing FDG-PET scans at these times in order to identify recurrence. The role of serial PET at later times (after 18 months for HD and 24 months for NHL) was found less relevant.

In the last 20 years, the major improvement over the use of CHOP has been the addition of anti-CD20 immunotherapy (Rituximab). This advancement was first demonstrated in a randomized trial in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Single-agent radioimmunotherapy activity, in particular Yttrium 90 (90Y) Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin®), has been demonstrated in heavily pretreated DLBCL patients. Recently, the preliminary data of a phase II trial have showed that 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan have useful activity in the treatment of relapsed/refractory elderly DLBCL (Morschhauser et al, Blood 2004, 104: 41a), with no unexpected toxicities observed. The results of this study support a further evaluation of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan in combination with chemotherapy earlier in the time course of elderly DLBCL. We conducted a prospective, single-arm, open-label, non-randomized, phase II to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan of a novel new approach combining induction chemotherapy with CHOP followed by consolidation with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan for patients with previously untreated elderly DLBCL. Patient eligibility was represented by: patients older than 60 years with biopsy-proven, untreated, bidimensionally measurable stage II, stage III, or stage IV DLBCL expressing the CD20 antigen; WHO performance status of 0 to 2. All patients signed a written informed consent approved in accordance with institutional guidelines. The study was approved by the institutional review board. Patients were treated with standard CHOP chemotherapy every 21 days for 6 cycles. Patients were restaged 4 to 6 weeks after completion of the sixth cycle of CHOP chemotherapy. Patients achieving at least a partial response after 6 cycles of CHOP chemotherapy were eligible for consolidation with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan provided the granulocyte count was greater than 1500/μL, the platelet count exceeded 100.000/μL, and the bone marrow examination at the completion of CHOP chemotherapy demonstrated no more than 25% involvement with lymphoma. All patients were to receive a single dose of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan 14.8 MBq/kg (0.4 mCi/kg) up to a maximum dose of 1184 MBq (32 mCi). A total of 20 patients have been enrolled: 12 were male and 8 female; the median age was 68 years (range 61–84); 6 were stage II, 14 stage III-IV. After the CHOP treatment the overall response rate was 100%, including 15 (75%) CR and 5 (25%) PR. Treatment was well tolerated; grade ≥ 3 AEs were seen in 13 patients; the most common grade ≥ 3 AEs was neutropenia. After the treatment of all 20 patients with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan, 4/5 (80%) patients improved their remission status from PR to CR. The 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan toxicity included grade ≥ 3 hematologic AEs in 11/20 patients; the most common grade ≥ 3 AEs were neutropenia (11 patients) and thrombocytopenia (7 patients). Transfusions of red cells and/or platelets were given to 2 patients. Time to event analyses, including TTP and duration of response are pending further follow-up. These preliminary data indicate the feasibility, tolerability, and efficacy of the CHOP plus 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan regimen for patients with untreated elderly DLBCL.

We conducted a prospective, single-arm, open-label, non-randomized, multicenter, phase II to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan of a novel new approach combining induction chemotherapy with Fludarabine and Mitoxantrone (FM) followed by consolidation with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan for patients with previously untreated indolent non-follicular lymphoma (indolent non-FL). Patient eligibility was represented by: patients age 18 years or older with biopsy-proven, untreated, bidimensionally measurable stage II, stage III, or stage IV indolent non-FL expressing the CD20 antigen; WHO performance status of 0 to 2. All patients were notified of the investigational nature of this study and signed a written informed consent approved in accordance with institutional guidelines, including the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the institutional review boards. Patients were treated with standard FM chemotherapy every 28 days for 6 cycles. Patients were restaged 4 to 8 weeks after completion of the sixth cycle of FM chemotherapy. Patients achieving at least a partial response after 6 cycles of FM chemotherapy were eligible for consolidation with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan provided the granulocyte count was greater than 1500/μL, the platelet count exceeded 100.000/μL, and the bone marrow examination at the completion of FM chemotherapy demonstrated no more than 25% involvement with lymphoma. All patients were to receive a single dose of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan 14.8 MBq/kg (0.4 mCi/kg) up to a maximum dose of 1184 MBq (32 mCi). At data reporting for this abstract, 29 patients were enrolled and 26 were evaluable for response. Of these 26 patients, all are evaluable for induction chemotherapy FM regimen and 17 of them also are evaluable after 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan treatment. Histologically, 11 had marginal zone lymphoma, 10 had lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, and 5 had small lymphocytic lymphoma; 10 were male and 16 female; the median age was 61 years (range 45–82); 4 were stage III, and 21 stage IV. After the FM treatment the overall response rate was 81%, including 50% CR and 31% PR. Time to event analyses, including TTP and duration of response are pending further follow-up. Treatment was well tolerated; grade ≥ 3 AEs were seen in 13 patients; the most common grade ≥ 3 AEs was neutropenia. Among the actual 17 evaluable patients subsequentially treated with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan, 2/4 (50%) patients improved their remission status from PR to CR. The 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan toxicity included grade ≥ 3 hematologic AEs in 15 patients; the most common grade ≥ 3 AEs were neutropenia (10 patients) and thrombocytopenia (15 patients). Transfusions of red cells and/or platelets were given to 6 patients. These preliminary data indicate the feasibility, tolerability, and efficacy of the FM plus 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan regimen for patients with untreated indolent non-FL. Final efficacy and safety data will be presented.

The mechanisms by which Bortezomib elicits its antitumor activity may vary among tumor types, and the extent to which each affected pathway is critical to the inhibition of tumor growth could also differ. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and toxicity of Bortezomib in previously pretreated patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma unspecified (PTCLU) with only skin involvement and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL). Eligibility criteria included PTCLU or CTCL (according to REAL/WHO classification) with measurable disease; any stage, any IPI, any bone marrow status; second or more relapse or refractory disease; age ≥18; ECOG performance status ≤ 2; Hb ≥10 g/dL, ANC ≥ 1.5x109/L and platelets ≥ 100 × 109/L; normal hepatic, renal and cardiac functions; and voluntary written informed consent. Bortezomib was given at 1.3 mg/m2 IV push on days 1, 4, 8 and 11 every 21 days. Restaging was done every 2 cycles. Patients were treated for up to a total of 6 cycles unless removed from study for failure to respond or toxicity. The response criteria were those recommended by NCI sponsored Working Group. At data reporting for this abstract, 15 patients were enrolled and 12 were evaluable for response. Of these 12 patients, 10 had CTCL and 2 PTCL; 11 were male and 1 female; 6 were aged >60 years (range 48–80). Overall response rate was 67% (2 CR + 6 PR) and the remaining 4 patients had PD. Histologically the responder patients were 7 CTCL and 1 PTCL. Time to event analyses, including TTP and duration of response are pending further follow-up. Treatment was well tolerated; grade ≥ 3 AEs were seen in 5 patients. The most common grade ≥ 3 AEs were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and peripheral neuropathy. These preliminary data indicate that Bortezomib is active as a single agent for patients with relapsed/refractory CTCL and PTCL with skin involvement. Final efficacy and safety data will be presented.

In the last 20 years, the major improvement over the use of CHOP has been the addition of anti-CD20 immunotherapy (Rituximab). This advancement was first demonstrated in a randomized trial in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Single-agent radioimmunotherapy activity, in particular Yttrium 90 (90Y) Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin), has been demonstrated in heavily pretreated DLBCL patients. Recently, the preliminary data of a phase II trial have showed that 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan have useful activity in the treatment of relapsed/refractory elderly DLBCL (Morschhauser et al, Blood 2004, 104: 41a), with no unexpected toxicities observed. The results of this study support a further evaluation of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan in combination with chemotherapy earlier in the time course of elderly DLBCL. We conducted a prospective, single-arm, open-label, non-randomized, phase II to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan of a novel new approach combining induction chemotherapy with CHOP followed by consolidation with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan for patients with previously untreated elderly DLBCL. Patient eligibility was represented by: patients older than 60 years with biopsy-proven, untreated, bidimensionally measurable stage II, stage III, or stage IV DLBCL expressing the CD20 antigen; performance status of 0 to 2, a pretreatment granulocyte cell count of 1500/μL or greater, and a platelet count of 100.000/μL or greater. All patients were notified of the investigational nature of this study and signed a written informed consent approved in accordance with institutional guidelines, including the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the institutional review board. Patients were treated with standard CHOP chemotherapy every 21 days for 6 cycles. Patients were restaged 4 to 8 weeks after completion of the sixth cycle of CHOP chemotherapy. Patients achieving at least a partial response after 6 cycles of CHOP chemotherapy were eligible for consolidation with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan provided the granulocyte count was greater than 1500/μL, the platelet count exceeded 100.000/μL, and the bone marrow examination at the completion of CHOP chemotherapy demonstrated no more than 25% involvement with lymphoma. All patients were to receive a single dose of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan 14.8 MBq/kg (0.4 mCi/kg) up to a maximum dose of 1184 MBq (32 mCi). A total of 20 patients have been enrolled and preliminary results of this trial will be presented.

The 26S proteasome plays a vital role in degrading regulatory proteins such as p53, p21, p27, NF-kB, I-kB, and bcl-2, that govern cell cycle, transcription factors activation, apoptosis and cell trafficking. Thus, the mechanisms by which bortezomib elicits its antitumor activity may vary among tumor types, and the extent to which each affected pathway is critical to the inhibition of tumor growth could also differ. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and toxicity of bortezomib in previously pretreated patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma unspecified (PTCLU) and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL). Each patient had to meet the following inclusion criteria to be enrolled in the study: histologically confirmed PTCLU or CTCL (according to REAL/WHO classification); any stage, any IPI, any bone marrow status; second or more relapse or refractory disease; age ≥ 18; ECOG performance status ≤ 2; Hb ≥ 10 g/dL, ANC ≥ 1.5x109/L and platelets ≥ 100 x 109/L; normal hepatic, renal and cardiac functions; and voluntary written informed consent. Bortezomib was given at 1.3 mg/m2 IV push on days 1, 4, 8 and 11 every 21 days. Restaging was done every 2 cycles. Patients were treated for up to a total of 6 cycles unless removed from study for failure to respond or toxicity. The response criteria were those recommended by NCI sponsored Working Group. A total of 30 patients will be enrolled; so far 10 patients entered and preliminary results of this trial will be presented.

Follicular lymphoma (FL) has been considered as low-grade malignant B-cell lymphoma usually characterized by an indolent course with a continuous pattern of relapse and a median survival of 10 years. The therapeutic approach to FL is particularly controversial. One of the effective strategies is the combination of fludarabine-containing regimens (particularly, Fludarabine and Mitoxantrone) with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. Single-agent radioimmunotherapy activity, in particular Yttrium 90 (90Y) Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin), has been demonstrated in heavily pretreated FL patients. The results of these studies support a further evaluation of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan in combination with chemotherapy earlier in the time course of FL. Recently, some phase II trials showed that the sequential combination of conventional chemotherapy (CHOP) and 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan has useful activity in the treatment of FL patients, with no unexpected toxicities observed. We conducted a prospective, single-arm, open-label, non-randomized, multicenter, phase II to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan of a novel new approach combining induction chemotherapy with oral Fludarabine and Mitoxantrone (FM) followed by consolidation with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan for patients with previously untreated elderly FL. Patient eligibility was represented by: patients age 18 years or older with biopsy-proven, untreated, bidimensionally measurable stage II, stage III, or stage IV FL expressing the CD20 antigen; performance status of 0 to 2, a pretreatment granulocyte cell count of 1500/μL or greater, and a platelet count of 100.000/μL or greater. All patients were notified of the investigational nature of this study and signed a written informed consent approved in accordance with institutional guidelines, including the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the institutional review board. Patients were treated with standard FM chemotherapy (in this case, Fludarabine was administered orally at the dose 40 mg/m2/day for 3 consecutive days) every 21 days for 6 cycles. Patients were restaged 4 to 8 weeks after completion of the sixth cycle of FM chemotherapy. Patients achieving at least a partial response after 6 cycles of FM chemotherapy were eligible for consolidation with 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan provided the granulocyte count was greater than 1500/μL, the platelet count exceeded 100.000/μL, and the bone marrow examination at the completion of CHOP chemotherapy demonstrated no more than 25% involvement with lymphoma. All patients were to receive a single dose of 90Y Ibritumomab Tiuxetan 14.8 MBq/kg (0.4 mCi/kg) up to a maximum dose of 1184 MBq (32 mCi). A total of 60 patients have to be enrolled and preliminary results of this trial will be presented.

To evaluate the efficacy and toxcity of Alemtuzumab, an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody in patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphomas and peripheral T-cell lymphomas. Between 2003 and March 2004, 10 previously treated patients with mycosis fungoides (MF; n=4) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma unspecified (PTCLU) with nodal involvement (n=6) were enrolled onto a phase II trial and treated with Alemtuzumab in our Institute. This monoclonal antibody was given at a dose of 10 mg 3 times a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Of the 10 patients, 2 (20%) achieved complete response (CR), 4 (40%) partial response (PR), and the remaining 4 showed no benefits from the treatment. In the MF subset were observed only PR (3/4, 75%), while in the PTCLU patients there were 2 (33%) CR and 1 (17%) PR, respectively. The durations of CRs were 3 and 8 months. Treatment was well tolerated; hematolgic toxicity was mild. In terms of infectious adverse events, cytomegalovirus reactivation occurred in 1 (10%) patient and none patient had additional suspect or manifest infection. The results of the present phase II study show activity of Alemtuzumab as a single agent in patients with pretreated CTCL and PTCL using a low dose schedule; at the same time, this efficacious reduced dose permitts to avoid treatment-related mortality and to curtail the CMV reactivation rate.