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Background: There is limited research on the relationship between side of insertion of central venous catheter (CVAD) and bloodstream infection risk in patients with cancer. Aim: To conduct an exploratory analysis of data from a randomized control trial (RCT) and data from a prospective cohort study to compare infection rates for right- and left-sided insertions. Methods: The study populations were patients aged >14 years with cancer from two tertiary hospitals in Brisbane, Australia. The primary endpoint was catheter-associated bloodstream infection (CABSI) adjudicated by blinded assessors. For the RCT, randomized intention-to-treat comparisons were conducted between left- and right-side allocated insertion for early (≤14 days) and late (>14 days) infection using Cox proportional hazards regression. The RCT data were also combined with cohort study data collected from one of the hospitals prior to the RCT and non-randomized comparisons conducted between left- and right-sided insertions. Findings: In 634 randomly allocated CVADs there were 141 CABSIs. Analysis showed strong evidence of right-side allocated insertions having an increased risk of early infection by 2.5 times (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3–4.7); however, there was no evidence of increased risk for late infection (hazard ratio: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.71–1.59). Results from analysis of the RCT and cohort study data combined (2786 CVADs and 385 CABSIs) were similar. Conclusion: There appears to be an increased risk of CABSI in patients with cancer for CVAD inserted into the right-side for around two weeks after line insertion. The mechanism underpinning the increased risk is unknown.

AL amyloidosis is a systemic amyloidosis and is associated with an underlying plasma cell dyscrasia. High dose intravenous melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation was developed for the treatment of AL amyloidosis in the early 1990s and was prompted by its success in multiple myeloma. This application has evolved significantly over the past three decades. These guidelines provide a comprehensive assessment of eligibility criteria, stem cell collection and mobilisation strategies and regimens, risk-adapted melphalan dosing, role for induction and consolidation therapies, specific supportive care management, long-term outcome with respect to survival, haematologic response and relapse and organ responses following stem cell transplantation. These guidelines are developed by the experts in the field on behalf of the stem cell transplant working group of the International Society of Amyloidosis (ISA) and European Haematology Association (EHA).

Imaging modalities for multiple myeloma (MM) have evolved to enable earlier detection of disease. Furthermore, the diagnosis of MM requiring therapy has recently changed to include disease prior to bone destruction, specifically the detection of focal bone lesions. Focal lesions are early, abnormal areas in the bone marrow, which may signal the development of subsequent lytic lesions that typically occur within the next 18-24 months. Cross-sectional imaging modalities are more sensitive for the detection and monitoring of bone and bone marrow disease and are now included in the International Myeloma Working Group current consensus criteria for initial diagnosis and treatment response assessment. The aim of this consensus practice statement is to review the evidence supporting these modalities. A more detailed Position Statement can be found on the Myeloma Australia website.

Recent data suggest the use of radiotherapy alone (RT) in Early-Stage Follicular Lymphoma is declining. Cost-effectiveness analysis of treatments has not been performed. We constructed a partitioning model (15-year horizon) to compare RT, combined-modality therapy (CMT) and immunochemotherapy with rituximab maintenance (ICT + RM) from a PET-staged cohort from the Australian Lymphoma Alliance. Lifetime direct health care costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated. AUD $75,000 was defined as the willingness-to-pay threshold (WTP). The direct healthcare costs were: RT $12,791, CMT $29,391 and ICT + RM $42,644. Compared with RT, CMT demonstrated minimal improvement in QALYs (+0.01) and an ICER well above the WTP threshold ($1,535,488). Compared with RT, ICT + RM demonstrated an improvement in QALYs (+0.41) with an ICER of $73,319. Modeling a 25% cost reduction with a rituximab biosimilar led to further ICER reductions with ICT + RM ($52,476). ICT + RM is cost-effective in early-stage FL from the Australian taxpayer perspective.

BACKGROUND: Real-world multiple myeloma (MM) data are scarce, with most data originating from clinical trials. The Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) is a prospective clinical-quality registry of newly diagnosed cases of plasma cell disorders established in 2012 and operating at 44 sites in Australia and New Zealand as of April 2020. METHODS: We reviewed all patients enrolled onto the MRDR between June 2012 and April 2020. Baseline characteristics, treatment, and outcome data were reviewed for MM patients with comparisons made by chi-square tests (categorical variables) and rank sum tests (continuous variables). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate progression-free survival and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: As of April 2020, a total of 2405 MM patients were enrolled (median age, 67 years, with 40% aged > 70 years). High-risk features were present in 13% to 31% of patients: fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) ≥ 1 of t(4;14), t(14;16), or del(17p) 18%, International Staging System (ISS)-3 31%, and Revised ISS (R-ISS)-3 13%. Cytogenetic/FISH analyses were performed in 50% and 68% of patients, respectively, with an abnormal karyotype result in 34%. Bortezomib-containing therapy was the most common first-line therapy (79.3%, n = 1706). Patients not receiving bortezomib were older (median age, 76 vs 65 years, P < .001) with inferior performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥ 2, 41% vs 18%, P < .001). Median progression-free survival and OS were 30.8 and 65.8 months, respectively. Younger patients had superior OS (76.3 vs 46.7 months, P < .001, < 70 and ≥ 70 years, respectively). R-ISS score was available in 50.7% (n = 1220) of patients, and higher R-ISS was associated with inferior OS (R-ISS-1 vs R-ISS-2 vs R-ISS-3: not reached vs 68.1 months vs 33.2 months, respectively, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Clinical registries provide a more complete picture of MM diagnosis and treatment, and highlight the challenges of adhering to best practices in a real-world context.

Supported by clinical trial proven survival benefit, clinical guidelines recommend upfront autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for eligible MM patients. However, reported real-world utilisation is lower than expected (40–60%). We reviewed ASCT utilisation, demographics and outcomes for MM patients (≤70 years, ≥12-month follow-up) enroled onto the Australian/New Zealand MRDR from June 2012 to May 2020. In 982 patients (

Background Central venous access devices (CVAD) are commonly employed in the management of cancer patients. While having several benefits they are associated with significant risks.Aim To review the incidence and risk factors for catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) in cancer patients with a CVAD.Methods We performed a prospective observational cohort study of adult patients with cancer requiring a CVAD between 1 January 2004 and 29 June 2016. The rate of, and risk factors for the development of, symptomatic CRT were evaluated.Results A total of 4920 central lines was inserted into 3130 patients. The incidence of CRT was 3.6%. CRT developed a median of 12 days following line insertion. Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) were associated with the highest rates of CRT (hazards ratio (HR) 22.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.9-170.6). Older age groups developed CRT at lower rates (HR 0.57; 95% CI 0.39-0.84 for age 50-61 years, and HR 0.63; 95% CI 0.45-0.89 for age >61 years) compared to age

Systemic immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is characterized by deposition of amyloid fibrils of light chains produced by clonal CD38+ plasma cells. Daratumumab, a human CD38-targeting antibody, may improve outcomes for this disease.We randomly assigned patients with newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis to receive six cycles of bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone either alone (control group) or with subcutaneous daratumumab followed by single-agent daratumumab every 4 weeks for up to 24 cycles (daratumumab group). The primary end point was a hematologic complete response.A total of 388 patients underwent randomization. The median follow-up was 11.4 months. The percentage of patients who had a hematologic complete response was significantly higher in the daratumumab group than in the control group (53.3% vs. 18.1%) (relative risk ratio, 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1 to 4.1; P0.001). Survival free from major organ deterioration or hematologic progression favored the daratumumab group (hazard ratio for major organ deterioration, hematologic progression, or death, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.93; P = 0.02). At 6 months, more cardiac and renal responses occurred in the daratumumab group than in the control group (41.5% vs. 22.2% and 53.0% vs. 23.9%, respectively). The four most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were lymphopenia (13.0% in the daratumumab group and 10.1% in the control group), pneumonia (7.8% and 4.3%, respectively), cardiac failure (6.2% and 4.8%), and diarrhea (5.7% and 3.7%). Systemic administration-related reactions to daratumumab occurred in 7.3% of the patients. A total of 56 patients died (27 in the daratumumab group and 29 in the control group), most due to amyloidosis-related cardiomyopathy.Among patients with newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis, the addition of daratumumab to bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone was associated with higher frequencies of hematologic complete response and survival free from major organ deterioration or hematologic progression. (Funded by Janssen Research and Development; ANDROMEDA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03201965.).

We read with interest the study from Rampotas et al (1) where they evaluated 158 transplant-non-eligible newly diagnosed myeloma patients treated with bortezomib (Velcade), cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (VCD) chemotherapy. They showed that fixed duration VCD led to an overall response rate (ORR) of 72% and was 'reasonably well tolerated'. They concluded that the comparatively poor event free survival (EFS) may be improved "with the use of higher cumulative bortezomib" doses.

Background: Systemic AL amyloidosis is a rare disease characterized by amyloid fibril deposits, most commonly in the heart and kidneys; there are currently no health authority-approved treatments. Therapies for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), including bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (VCd), have been shown to improve outcomes in AL amyloidosis, but more effective therapies are needed to achieve deep and rapid hematologic responses, reverse amyloid-mediated organ dysfunction, and improve overall survival. Daratumumab is an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody approved as monotherapy or in combination with other agents for the treatment of MM. ANDROMEDA (NCT03201965) is a randomized, open-label, active-controlled phase 3 trial of VCd ± daratumumab subcutaneous (DARA SC) in patients with newly-diagnosed AL amyloidosis. After a median follow-up of 11.4 months, the complete hematologic response rate was 53% for DARA SC + VCd (DARA-VCd) and 18% for VCd (odds ratio, 5.1; 95% CI, 3.2-8.2; P Methods: Patients with newly-diagnosed AL amyloidosis with measurable hematologic disease, ≥1 involved organ, cardiac stage (Mayo 2004) I-IIIA, eGFR ≥20 mL/min, and absence of symptomatic MM were randomized 1:1 to DARA-VCd or VCd and treated for six 28-day cycles; thereafter, patients in the DARA-VCd group received DARA SC alone every 4 weeks for up to 24 cycles. PROs were assessed on Day 1 of Cycles 1-6 for both treatment groups and every 8 weeks thereafter in the DARA-VCd group. PRO assessments included the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30-item (EORTC QLQ-C30), the EuroQol 5-dimensional descriptive system (EQ-5D-5L), and Short Form-36 (SF-36). Improvements in EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status (GHS) and fatigue scale scores and SF-36 mental component summary (MCS) score were secondary endpoints. Assessment of physical functioning, symptom improvement, functional improvement, and health utility as measured by the SF-36, EORTC QLQ-C30 with supplemental symptom items, and the EQ-5D-5L were exploratory outcomes. Patients completed PRO questionnaires prior to study assessments or study drug administration. Analyses of PROs were performed on the intent-to-treat analysis set; patients without a baseline or post-baseline assessment were censored at date of randomization. Compliance with PRO assessments was calculated as the number of assessments received divided by the number of assessments expected at each time point. Descriptive statistics are provided for all PRO endpoints at each time point by treatment group. A distribution-based method was used to define worsening/improvement in scores. Time to worsening/improvement, hazard ratios, and associated 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Kaplan Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression. Change from baseline at each time point up to Cycle 6 (Week 24) was calculated using a mixed effects model with repeated measures with patients as a random effect and baseline value, treatment group, time (weeks), treatment-by-time interaction, and stratification factors as fixed effects. Results: A total of 388 patients were randomized (DARA-VCd, n=195; VCd, n=193). Compliance rates for all PRO questionnaires were >90% at baseline and >83% through Cycle 6. Median time to improvement was shorter and median time to worsening was longer in the DARA-VCd group than in the VCd group for EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS and fatigue scales and EQ-5D-5L visual analog scale (VAS) (Table 1). Least squares mean scores for EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS and fatigue, EQ-5D-5L VAS, and SF-36 MCS remained stable in the DARA-VCd group but worsened compared with baseline in the VCd group; between-group differences are shown in Table 2. The greatest between-group differences in PRO score changes from baseline were observed at Week 16 (Cycle 4). After Cycle 6, patients in the DARA-VCd group reported improvements in mean GHS and fatigue scores that continued while on treatment (Figure). Conclusions: Patients with AL amyloidosis treated with DARA-VCd experienced clinical improvements without any decrement in health-related quality of life over 6 cycles. Following Cycle 6, improvements in GHS and fatigue were reported in patients in the DARA-VCd group. These findings further support the value of DARA-VCd in patients with AL amyloidosis. Disclosures Sanchorawala: UpToDate: Patents & Royalties; Abbvie: Other: advisory board; Proclara: Other: advisory board; Caleum: Other: advisory board; Regeneron: Other: advisory board; Oncopeptide: Research Funding; Caelum: Research Funding; Prothena: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Palladini:Celgene: Other: Travel support; Jannsen Cilag: Honoraria, Other. Minnema:Servier: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Other: travel support, Research Funding. Jaccard:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: A.J. has served in a consulting or advisory role for Janssen and has received honoraria from, received research funding from, and had travel, accommodations, or other expenses paid for or reimbursed by Janssen., Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: A.J. has served in a consulting or advisory role for Janssen and has received honoraria from, received research funding from, and had travel, accommodations, or other expenses paid for or reimbursed by Celgene., Research Funding. Lee:Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy; Regeneron: Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding. Gibbs:Janssen, BMS/Celgene, Amgen, Takeda, Pfizer, Caelum, Abbvie and Eidos: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Mollee:Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caelum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Venner:Janssen, BMS/Celgene, Sanofi, Takeda, Amgen: Honoraria; Celgene, Amgen: Research Funding. Schönland:Janssen: Honoraria, Other: travel support to meetings, Research Funding; Prothena: Honoraria, Other: travel support to meetings, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: travel support to meetings, Research Funding. Suzuki:Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene and Amgen: Research Funding; Takeda, Amgen, Janssen and Celgene: Consultancy; Takeda, Celgene, ONO, Amgen, Novartis, Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AbbVie and Janssen: Honoraria. Kim:BMS, Takeda, Amgen, Celgene, Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Cibeira:Janssen, Akcea Therapeutics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen, Celgene, Amgen: Honoraria, Other: Educational lectures. Beksac:Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, 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, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Valent:Celgene: Other: Teaching, Speakers Bureau; Takeda Pharmaceuticals: Other: Teaching, Speakers Bureau; Amgen Inc.: Other: Teaching, Speakers Bureau. Wong:GSK: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Fortis: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Rosenzweig:Janssen: Speakers Bureau. Bumma:Amgen: Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Speakers Bureau. Gries:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Fastenau:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Tran:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Qin:Janssen: Current Employment. Vasey:Janssen Research & Development: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Tromp:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Weiss:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Vermeulen:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Comenzo:Caleum: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Unum: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Research Funding; Prothena: Consultancy, Research Funding. Kastritis:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Genesis Pharma: Consultancy, Honoraria. Wechalekar:Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel; Celgene: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Advisory; Caelum: Other: Advisory.

Summary Background A common complication of central venous access devices (CVADs) is catheter-associated bloodstream infection (CABSI). We previously demonstrated that insertion of CVADs on the right side was associated with increased risk of CABSI, and hypothesized that this related to the predominance of right-handedness in the patient population, resulting in greater movement and bacterial contamination. Aim To perform a prospective randomized, controlled, non-blinded study to determine whether the side of CVAD insertion influenced the incidence of CABSI. Methods Adult cancer patients were randomly allocated to either dominant or non-dominant side CVAD insertion. The primary endpoint of the study was the number of line-days until CABSI, determined in a blinded fashion by two assessors. Findings In all, 640 CVADs were randomized to dominant (N = 322) or non-dominant (N = 318) side of insertion, 60% had haematological malignancies, and 40% solid tumours. CVADs were a peripherally inserted central catheter line (67%), tunnelled CVAD (23%), and non-tunnelled CVAD (10%). Twenty-two percent of CVADs were complicated by CABSI. The rate of CABSI per 1000 line-days was 3.49 vs 3.66 in the non-dominant vs dominant group (hazard ratio (HR): 0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65–1.28). By multivariable analysis, the rate of CABSI was increased by: use of tunnelled CVADs compared to peripherally inserted central venous catheter lines (HR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.45–2.91); having a haematological malignancy compared to non-gastrointestinal solid tumours (5.55; 2.47–12.5); but not dominant compared to non-dominant side of CVAD (0.97; 0.69–1.36). Conclusion CABSI in adult patients with cancer was not impacted by whether CVAD insertion was on the dominant or non-dominant side.

Background The public subsidy in Australia of bortezomib (Velcade®) for untreated non-transplant multiple myeloma patients was based on the VISTA trial. Aim We aimed to ascertain the health outcomes of bortezomib in 'real world' transplant-ineligible elderly patients, compared to trial data. Methods Patient and treatment data were extracted from an oncology information system, laboratory information system, and medical chart audits for three Queensland public hospitals. Outcomes We identified 74 patients: the median age was 75 years. Our cohort comprised 47% patients who were ISS stage III, 45% at stage II, and 8% at stage I. Patients who had comorbidities such as cardiac disease (41%), pulmonary disease (14%), diabetes (22%), peripheral neuropathy (14%), and other comorbidities (41%) at baseline were included. The common regimens prescribed were VMP, CVD, and VD, and most patients (n=73) received bortezomib on a once-weekly or twice-a-week basis. The overall response rate was 81%. Fifty-three per cent of patients did not complete their planned therapy due to toxicity (30%), suboptimal response or disease progression (15%), or death on treatment (8%). Overall survival (OS) was 40.7 months and PFS was 17.7 months. Conclusions Our patients were older, had worse disease characteristics and more comorbidities than patients in the VISTA trial. While response rates were similar, survival outcomes appeared worse. Bortezomib-based treatment in the real world setting still carries a high risk of toxicity in the elderly population. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Antibody therapies are important treatment options for Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Monocyte-derived-macrophages (MDMs) are thought to be a major immune effector that clears leukaemic cells ...

INTRODUCTION: A pandemic coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, causes COVID-19, a potentially life-threatening respiratory disease. Patients with cancer may have compromised immunity due to their malignancy and/or treatment, and may be at elevated risk of severe COVID-19. Community transmission of COVID-19 could overwhelm health care services, compromising delivery of cancer care. This interim consensus guidance provides advice for clinicians managing patients with cancer during the pandemic. MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic: In patients with cancer with fever and/or respiratory symptoms, consider causes in addition to COVID-19, including other infections and therapy-related pneumonitis. For suspected or confirmed COVID-19, discuss temporary cessation of cancer therapy with a relevant specialist. Provide information on COVID-19 for patients and carers. Adopt measures within cancer centres to reduce risk of nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 acquisition; support population-wide social distancing; reduce demand on acute services; ensure adequate staffing; and provide culturally safe care. Measures should be equitable, transparent and proportionate to the COVID-19 threat. Consider the risks and benefits of modifying cancer therapies due to COVID-19. Communicate treatment modifications, and review once health service capacity allows. Consider potential impacts of COVID-19 on the blood supply and availability of stem cell donors. Discuss and document goals of care, and involve palliative care services in contingency planning. CHANGES IN MANAGEMENT AS A RESULT OF THIS STATEMENT: This interim consensus guidance provides a framework for clinicians managing patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. In view of the rapidly changing situation, clinicians must also monitor national, state, local and institutional policies, which will take precedence. ENDORSED BY: Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group; Australasian Lung Cancer Trials Group; Australian and New Zealand Children's Haematology/Oncology Group; Australia and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine; Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases; Bone Marrow Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand; Cancer Council Australia; Cancer Nurses Society of Australia; Cancer Society of New Zealand; Clinical Oncology Society of Australia; Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand; National Centre for Infections in Cancer; New Zealand Cancer Control Agency; New Zealand Society for Oncology; and Palliative Care Australia.

There are limited data on post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in the era of positron emission tomography (PET) and rituximab (R). Furthermore, there is limited data on the risk of graft rejection with modern practices in reduction in immunosuppression (RIS). We studied 91 patients with monomorphic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma PTLD at 11 Australian centers: median age 52 years, diagnosed between 2004 and 2017, median follow-up 4.7 years (range, 0.5–14.5 y). RIS occurred in 88% of patients. For patients initially treated with R-monotherapy, 45% achieved complete remission, rising to 71% with the addition of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone (R-CHOP) for those not in complete remission. For patients initially treated with R-CHOP, the complete remission rate was 76%. There was no difference in overall survival (OS) between R-monotherapy and R-chemotherapy patients. There was no difference in OS for patients with systemic lymphoma (n = 68) versus central nervous system (CNS) involvement (n = 23) (3-y OS 72% versus 73%; P = 0.78). Treatment-related mortality was 7%. End of treatment PET was prognostic for patients with systemic lymphoma with longer OS in the PET negative group (3-y OS 91% versus 57%; P = 0.01). Graft rejection occurred in 9% (n = 4 biopsy-proven; n = 4 suspected) during the entire follow-up period with no cases of graft loss. RIS and R-based treatments are safe and effective with a low likelihood of graft rejection and high cure rate for patients achieving complete remission with CNS or systemic PTLD.

Introduction Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) are aggressive lymphomas which occur in solid organ transplant recipients and cause significant mortality. In the era of positron emission tomography (PET) staging and rituximab (R), there is limited real-world data on treatment outcomes and the incidence of graft rejection after reduction in immunosuppression (RIS) has not been well defined. We report real-world outcomes of monomorphic diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the commonest histological subtype of PTLD in which treatment is most likely to be standardised. Methods We conducted a multicentre retrospective study across 11 Australian tertiary referral centres. Inclusion criteria were: (1) age ≥ 18 years with history of solid organ transplant; (2) a diagnosis of monomorphic DLBCL PTLD between January 2004 and December 2017; (3) staging with PET. We examined responses based on treatment: (1) 'R-primary' was defined as patients receiving initial rituximab monotherapy followed by further rituximab monotherapy for patients in remission or R-CHOP chemotherapy for patients with persistent or progressive disease; (2) 'R-chemotherapy' was defined as patients who received rituximab-based chemotherapy at diagnosis. Response assessment was defined according to current international lymphoma criteria (complete metabolic remission (CMR) = Deauville score 1-3). We examined the incidence of clinical and biopsy-proven graft rejection during and after PTLD diagnosis (early Results 91 DLBCL patients were identified. The median follow-up of living patients was 4.7 years (range 0.5-14.5 years). Baseline characteristics for all patients are shown in Table 1. Management approaches: Reduction in immunosuppression (RIS) was used in 88% of patients and rituximab (R) +/- chemotherapy in almost all patients (98%, n=89). Rituximab monotherapy (R-primary) was the first treatment in 24 patients (35%). Of these, 20 had PET restaging after rituximab and 9 patients (45%) achieved CMR and did not require chemotherapy. CMR rate rose to 71% with the subsequent addition of R-CHOP in R-primary non-responders. For patients initially treated with R-CHOP, the CMR rate was 76%. The incidence of graft rejection was 9% for the entire duration of follow up (n=4 biopsy-proven; n=4 clinically suspected) with 3 cases occurring within one year of PTLD diagnosis (Table 2). Survival and Prognostic Factors For the entire cohort, 3-y OS and PFS were 72% and 69%, respectively. There was no significant difference in OS between patients treated with an R-primary vs R-chemotherapy approach (P=0.13). Treatment-related mortality (TRM) was 7% with no significant difference between R-primary and R-chemotherapy approach (p=0.97). Outcomes for patients without CNS involvement (n=68) were comparable to patients with CNS involvement (n=23): 3-y OS 72.5% non-CNS vs 73.1% CNS; (P=0.78) - Figure 1. In multivariate analysis, elevated LDH (HR=3.58, P=0.025 [95% CI 1.17-10.8]) and ECOG ≥2 (HR=3.46, P=0.006 [95% CI 1.43-8.33]) were identified as predictors of worse OS. End of Treatment (EoT) PET imaging A total of 60 patients (66%) had EoT PET. Reasons for not performing an EoT PET (n=31) were: 7 MRI scans for CNS disease, 2 CT scans without PET, 10 patients without imaging (6 PD, 4 TRM), 12 missing data. Achieving CMR at EoT PET was predictive of OS (3-year OS PET negative 92.9% vs PET positive 51.4%; P=0.035) and only 5% of these patients relapsed (Figure 2). Conclusions In one of the largest real-world assessments of monomorphic DLBCL PTLD in the modern era of rituximab and PET imaging our data demonstrate: (1) similar response rate, OS and TRM compared to the PTLD-1 trial (Trappe et al, 2017); (2) the safety and efficacy of an R-primary approach; (3) similar OS for patients with CNS involvement compared to those with systemic lymphoma; (4) lower incidence of graft rejection than previously reported; and (5) achieving CMR at EOT PET is predictive of OS. This demonstrates that RIS and rituximab-based treatment is safe with a low likelihood of graft rejection and effective with a high cure rate for patients achieving CMR. Disclosures Tobin: Gilead: Research Funding. Hamad:Novartis: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria. Talaulikar:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Cheah:Celgene, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Abbvie, MSD: Research Funding; Celgene, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, MSD, Janssen, Gilead, Ascentage Pharma, Acerta, Loxo Oncology, TG therapeutics: Honoraria. Lee:Celgene/BMS: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy. Strasser:Gilead Sciences: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bayer Healthcare: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Ispen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Eisai: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; MSD: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; CSL Behring: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Mollee:Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caelum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Introduction: CANDOR is a multicenter, phase 3, randomized study of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) previously treated with 1-3 prior lines of therapy (NCT03158688). 466 patients received carfilzomib, dexamethasone, and daratumumab (KdD) or carfilzomib and dexamethasone (Kd) in 2:1 randomization (KdD: 312; Kd: 154). Based on the primary endpoint, KdD demonstrated superior progression-free survival (PFS) vs Kd (hazard ratio [HR], 0.63 [95% CI, 0.46-0.85]; P=0.0014). Deep responses and minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity have been associated with improved PFS for patients with RRMM. Herein, we present an analysis of MRD results from CANDOR. Methods: Details of the dose and schedule were previously reported (Dimopoulos et al., Lancet 2020). The rate of patients with confirmed CR which were MRD negative (MRD[-]CR) in bone marrow aspirate at 12 months (± 4 weeks) measured by next-generation sequencing (NGS; threshold, 1 tumor cell/10-5 white blood cells) was a prespecified key secondary endpoint. Exploratory analyses included MRD[-]CR at increasing sensitivity (10-4, 10-5, 10-6) and best overall response MRD[-] status at any time point. All reported responses were by Independent Review Committee and were analyzed for the Intent-to-Treat population. MRD[-] status is at Results: The best overall MRD[-]CR rate at any time was 13.8% vs 3.2% in the KdD vs Kd arm (Odds ratio [OR], 4.95; P At the 12-month landmark, KdD treatment resulted in a greater proportion of CR rates (26.9% vs 9.7%) and deeper MRD responses than Kd. Among patients in CR, the depth of response as measured by NGS MRD level at the 12-month landmark was deeper for KdD relative to Kd: cutoff of >10-4, 36.9% vs 73.3%; 10-4 to 10-5, 16.7% vs 13.3%; 10-5 to 10-6, 23.8% vs 13.3%; Additional post hoc analyses were conducted within patients randomized to KdD to explore prognostic characteristics for MRD[-]CR. Importantly, prior lenalidomide exposure did not meaningfully impact the MRD[-]CR rate at the 12-month landmark; 13.2% (25/189), 11.4% (14/123), and 13.1% (13/99) for naïve, exposed, and refractory subgroups, respectively. For prior bortezomib, the MRD[-]CR rates were 24% (6/25), 11.5% (33/287), and 6.8% (6/88) for naïve, exposed, and refractory subgroups, respectively. The rates of MRD[-]CR at the 12- month landmark within the KdD arm were consistent across subgroups: patients refractory to the last prior therapy (yes vs no, 10.9% vs 14.3%), number of prior regimens (1-2 vs 3 prior regimens; 13.2% vs 10.1%), prior transplant (yes vs no, 11.8% vs 13.7%), duration of first remission (≤2 vs >2 years, 12.3% vs 13% and ≤1 vs >1 year, 10.7% vs 13.4%), baseline creatinine clearance (≥15 to 75 years, 12.9% vs 8.0%), or dose intensity (< vs ≥ median) for carfilzomib or daratumumab (10.5% vs 14.9% and 9.8% vs 15.6%, respectively). Data on cytogenetics will be included at the time of presentation. Conclusion: At the primary analysis, patients treated with KdD achieved significantly higher MRD[-]CR rates vs Kd at the 12-month landmark. Among patients with an MRD[-]CR, the depth of MRD was deeper with KdD vs Kd. With a median of 6 months follow-up, no patient with an MRD[-]CR has progressed; duration of response will be updated at time of presentation. Within the KdD arm, lenalidomide exposure or refractoriness did not diminish the MRD[-]CR rate. These findings support the efficacy of the KdD regimen as an effective treatment for RRMM, including patients who have become lenalidomide refractory. Disclosures Landgren: Adaptive: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Juno: Consultancy, Honoraria; Cellectis: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Binding Site: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharma: Research Funding; Merck: Other; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Juno: Consultancy, Honoraria; Glenmark: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Cellectis: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Binding Site: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharma: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Glenmark: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Merck: Other. Weisel:Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Adaptive: Consultancy, Honoraria; GlaxoSmithKline: Honoraria; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria. Rosinol Dachs:Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria. Moreau:Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria. Hajek:PharmaMar: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Oncopeptides: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Mollee:Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caelum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kim:Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc.: Honoraria, Research Funding. Zhang:Amgen: Current Employment. Go:Amgen: Current Employment. Morris:Amgen: Current Employment. Usmani:Celgene: Other; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Speaking Fees, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Speaking Fees, Research Funding; SkylineDX: Consultancy, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Array Biopharma: Research Funding; GSK: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy; BMS, Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Speaking Fees, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Speaking Fees, Research Funding.

Background: Systemic AL amyloidosis is characterized by the deposition of insoluble amyloid fibrils produced by light chains synthesized by clonal CD38+ plasma cells. Combining daratumumab (DARA) with bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (VCd) has demonstrated significantly improved outcomes in patients with AL amyloidosis. The classification of hematologic complete response (CR) in this disease is evolving, and the absolute reduction of the involved free light chain (iFLC) and the difference between iFLC and uninvolved free light chain (dFLC) are being recognized as very meaningful endpoints. Here, we present results from the ANDROMEDA study (NCT03201965) to demonstrate the impact of achieving deep reductions of iFLC and dFLC on major organ deterioration progression-free survival (MOD-PFS), a novel, key secondary endpoint in this study. Methods: Key eligibility criteria included newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis with measurable hematologic disease (serum monoclonal protein ≥0.5 g/dL by protein electrophoresis or serum free light chain ≥5.0 mg/dL with an abnormal kappa:lambda ratio or dFLC ≥50 mg/L), ≥1 involved organ, cardiac stage I-IIIA, eGFR ≥20 mL/min, and absence of symptomatic multiple myeloma. Patients were randomized (1:1) to receive DARA-VCd or VCd alone. All patients received bortezomib (1.3 mg/m2 subcutaneous [SC] weekly), cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m2 oral [PO] or intravenous [IV] weekly), and dexamethasone (20-40 mg PO or IV weekly) for six 28-day cycles. DARA SC (1800 mg, co-formulated with recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 in 15 mL) was administered by injection weekly in Cycles 1-2, every other week in Cycles 3-6, and every 4 weeks thereafter for up to 24 cycles. Disease evaluations occurred every 4 weeks (Cycles 1-6) and every 8 weeks (after Cycle 7) until major organ deterioration, death, end of study, or withdrawal. The primary endpoint was overall (ie, at any time) hematologic CR rate, defined here as normalization of FLC levels and ratio (FLCr) and negative serum and urine immunofixation, confirmed at a subsequent visit; normalization of uninvolved FLC level and FLCr were not required if iFLC Results: A total of 388 patients were randomized to receive DARA-VCd (n=195) or VCd alone (n=193). Baseline characteristics were well balanced between treatment groups. The median age was 64 years and 65% of patients had ≥2 organs involved. The proportions of patients with heart and kidney involvement were 71% and 59%, respectively, and the proportions of patients with cardiac stage I, II, and IIIA were 23%, 40%, and 37%, respectively. The median duration of treatment was 9.6 months for DARA-VCd and 5.3 months for VCd. Median follow-up was 11.4 months (range, 0.03-21.3+). The rates of deep hematological responses by all criteria strongly favored the DARA-VCd treatment arm (Table). MOD-PFS was longer in patients achieving deep hematological responses by all criteria (Figure). In addition, the corresponding MOD-PFS was similar regardless of the hematological response criteria used. Conclusions: Regardless of the criteria used, the addition of DARA to VCd increased the rates of deep hematologic responses in patients with newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis, which, in turn, was associated with prolonged MOD-PFS. These results support the benefit of DARA in this patient population. References 1. Comenzo RL, et al. Leukemia. 2012;26(11):2317-25 2. Sidana S, et al. Leukemia. 2019;34(5):1472-75 3. Muchtar E, et al. Leukemia. 2019;33(3):790-94 4. Manwani R, et al. Blood. 2019;134(25):2271-2280 Disclosures Comenzo: Amgen: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Prothena: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Unum: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Caleum: Consultancy. Kastritis:Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Genesis Pharma: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria. Palladini:Celgene: Other: Travel support; Jannsen Cilag: Honoraria, Other. Minnema:Celgene: Other: travel support, Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy; Servier: Consultancy. Wechalekar:Caelum: Other: Advisory; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Advisory; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel; Celgene: Honoraria. Jaccard:Celgene: Honoraria, Other: A.J. has served in a consulting or advisory role for Janssen and has received honoraria from, received research funding from, and had travel, accommodations, or other expenses paid for or reimbursed by Celgene., Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: A.J. has served in a consulting or advisory role for Janssen and has received honoraria from, received research funding from, and had travel, accommodations, or other expenses paid for or reimbursed by Janssen., Research Funding. Sanchorawala:Proclara: Other: advisory board; Abbvie: Other: advisory board; UpToDate: Patents & Royalties; Regeneron: Other: advisory board; Caleum: Other: advisory board; Janssen: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Prothena: Research Funding; Caelum: Research Funding; Oncopeptide: Research Funding. Lee:Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding. Gibbs:Janssen, BMS/Celgene, Amgen, Takeda, Pfizer, Caelum, Abbvie and Eidos: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Mollee:Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caelum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Venner:Celgene, Amgen: Research Funding; Janssen, BMS/Celgene, Sanofi, Takeda, Amgen: Honoraria. Schönland:Janssen, Prothena, Takeda: Honoraria, Other: travel support to meetings, Research Funding. Suzuki:Takeda, Amgen, Janssen and Celgene: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene and Amgen: Research Funding; Takeda, Celgene, ONO, Amgen, Novartis, Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AbbVie and Janssen: Honoraria. Kim:Amgen, BMS, Janssen, Sanofi, Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Cibeira:Janssen, Akcea Therapeutics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen, Celgene, Amgen: Honoraria, Other: Educational lectures. Beksac:Deva: 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; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen&janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Valent:Amgen Inc.: Other: Teaching, Speakers Bureau; Takeda Pharmaceuticals: Other: Teaching, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Other: Teaching, Speakers Bureau. Wong:Fortis: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy; Janssen: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Rosenzweig:Janssen: Speakers Bureau. Bumma:Sanofi: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Speakers Bureau. Dimopoulos:BMS: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Personal fees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Personal fees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Personal fees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Personal fees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Personal fees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Tran:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Qin:Janssen: Current Employment. Vasey:Janssen Research & Development: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Tromp:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Weiss:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Vermeulen:Janssen: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

Relative survival (RS) in myeloma has improved in younger but not older patients (>= 80 years) with treatment advances. Whether place of residence or socioeconomic status (SES) affect RS is unknown. We used the Queensland cancer registry to calculate the five-year RS of myeloma patients diagnosed between 1982 and 2014. This period was divided into three eras: (1) 1982-1995 chemotherapy alone; (2) 1996-2007 autologous stem cell transplantation; (3) 2008-2014 novel agents (proteasome inhibitors and IMIDs). 6025 patients were diagnosed from 1982 to 2014. RS improved across eras: (1) 30% vs. (2) 43% vs. (3) 53% (p = 80 years. Patients with disadvantaged SES (39% vs. affluent 46%; p < .001) and rural patients (40% vs. urban 45%; p < .001) had an inferior RS. RS has improved across all ages with treatment advances.

Management practices in early-stage (I/II) follicular lymphoma (FL) are variable and include radiation (RT), systemic therapy, or combined modality therapy (CMT). There is a paucity of data regarding maintenance rituximab in this cohort. We conducted an international retrospective study of patients with newly diagnosed early-stage FL staged with positron emission tomography (PET)–computed tomography and bone marrow biopsy. Three hundred sixty-five patients (stage I, n = 221), median age 63 years, treated from 2005-2017 were included, with a median follow-up of 45 months. Management included watchful waiting (WW; n = 85) and active treatment (n = 280). The latter consisted of RT alone (n = 171) or systemic therapy (immunochemotherapy [n = 63] or CMT [n = 46]). Forty-nine systemically treated patients received maintenance rituximab; 72.7% of stage I patients received RT alone, compared to 42.6% with stage II (P < .001). Active therapies yielded comparable overall response rates (P = .87). RT alone and systemic therapy without maintenance rituximab yielded similar progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-2.34; P = .96). Maintenance rituximab improved PFS (HR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.095-0.64; P = .017). The incidence of transformation was lower with systemic therapy compared to RT or WW (HR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.070-0.61; P = .034). Overall survival was similar among all practices, including WW (P = .40). In the largest comparative assessment of management practices in the modern era, variable practices each resulted in similar excellent outcomes. Randomized studies are required to determine the optimal treatment in early-stage FL.

PURPOSE Understanding the immunobiology of the 15% to 30% of patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) who experience progression of disease within 24 months (POD24) remains a priority. Solid tumors with low levels of intratumoral immune infiltration have inferior outcomes. It is unknown whether a similar relationship exists between POD24 in FL. PATIENTS AND METHODS Digital gene expression using a custom code set—five immune effector, six immune checkpoint, one macrophage molecules—was applied to a discovery cohort of patients with early- and advanced-stage FL (n = 132). T-cell receptor repertoire analysis, flow cytometry, multispectral immunofluorescence, and next-generation sequencing were performed. The immune infiltration profile was validated in two independent cohorts of patients with advanced-stage FL requiring systemic treatment (n = 138, rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone; n = 45, rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone), with the latter selected to permit comparison of patients experiencing a POD24 event with those having no progression at 5 years or more. RESULTS Immune molecules showed distinct clustering, characterized by either high or low expression regardless of categorization as an immune effector, immune checkpoint, or macrophage molecule. Low programmed death-ligand 2 (PD-L2) was the most sensitive/specific marker to segregate patients with adverse outcomes; therefore, PD-L2 expression was chosen to distinguish immune infiltrationHI (ie, high PD-L2) FL biopsies from immune infiltrationLO (ie, low PD-L2) tumors. Immune infiltrationHI tissues were highly infiltrated with macrophages and expanded populations of T-cell clones. Of note, the immune infiltrationLO subset of patients with FL was enriched for POD24 events (odds ratio [OR], 4.32; c-statistic, 0.81; P = .001), validated in the independent cohorts (rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone: OR, 2.95; c-statistic, 0.75; P = .011; and rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone: OR, 7.09; c-statistic, 0.88; P = .011). Mutations were equally proportioned across tissues, which indicated that degree of immune infiltration is capturing aspects of FL biology distinct from its mutational profile. CONCLUSION Assessment of immune-infiltration by PD-L2 expression is a promising tool with which to help identify patients who are at risk for POD24.

Background Renal impairment (RI) is a common complication of multiple myeloma (MM) and remains a poor prognostic factor despite improved survival with newer therapies. Patients and Methods We evaluated baseline characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of newly diagnosed MM patients with RI at diagnosis in the Australia and New Zealand Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry over 5 years to April 2018; we compared patients with RI (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] Results Overall, 36% of patients with newly diagnosed MM had RI; they were older, had more advanced disease and comorbidities, and worse performance status. Bortezomib-based induction therapy was most commonly used, although administered to fewer RI patients, despite similar response rates. Patients with RI were less likely to receive ASCT; however, recipients had longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Patients with RI had shorter OS and PFS after adjusting for age. In ASCT recipients with RI versus no RI, there was no difference in PFS and OS. Conclusion Our findings in “real world” MM patients with RI confirm that patient-, disease-, and treatment-related factors (such as suboptimal bortezomib and ASCT use), and delays in commencing therapy, might contribute to poorer outcomes, and support the use of ASCT in patients with RI.

The term monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) was introduced by the International Kidney and Monoclonal Gammopathy Research Group (IKMG) in 2012. The IKMG met in April 2017 to refine the definition of MGRS and to update the diagnostic criteria for MGRS-related diseases. Accordingly, in this Expert Consensus Document, the IKMG redefines MGRS as a clonal proliferative disorder that produces a nephrotoxic monoclonal immunoglobulin and does not meet previously defined haematological criteria for treatment of a specific malignancy. The diagnosis of MGRS-related disease is established by kidney biopsy and immunofluorescence studies to identify the monotypic immunoglobulin deposits (although these deposits are minimal in patients with either C3 glomerulopathy or thrombotic microangiopathy). Accordingly, the IKMG recommends a kidney biopsy in patients suspected of having MGRS to maximize the chance of correct diagnosis. Serum and urine protein electrophoresis and immunofixation, as well as analyses of serum free light chains, should also be performed to identify the monoclonal immunoglobulin, which helps to establish the diagnosis of MGRS and might also be useful for assessing responses to treatment. Finally, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy should be conducted to identify the lymphoproliferative clone. Flow cytometry can be helpful in identifying small clones. Additional genetic tests and fluorescent in situ hybridization studies are helpful for clonal identification and for generating treatment recommendations. Treatment of MGRS was not addressed at the 2017 IKMG meeting; consequently, this Expert Consensus Document does not include any recommendations for the treatment of patients with MGRS., This Expert Consensus Document from the International Kidney and Monoclonal Gammopathy Research Group includes an updated definition of monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) and recommendations for the use of kidney biopsy and other modalities for evaluating suspected MGRS

IntroductionPeripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are vital for the delivery of medical therapies, but up to 30% of PICCs are associated with complications such as deep vein thrombosis or infection. The integration of antimicrobial and hydrophobic catheter materials, and pressure-activated valves, into polyurethane PICCs are innovations designed to prevent infective and/or thrombotic complications.Methods and analysisA multicentre, parallel group, superiority randomised controlled trial with two experimental arms ((1) hydrophobic PICC (with pressure-activated valve); (2) chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated PICC (with external clamp)) and one control group ((3) conventional polyurethane PICC (with external clamp)). Recruitment of 1098 adult and paediatric patients will take place over 2 years at three tertiary-referral hospitals in Queensland, Australia. Patients are eligible for inclusion if their PICC is to be inserted for medical treatment, with a vascular size sufficient to support a 4-Fr PICC or larger, and with informed consent. The primary outcome is PICC failure, a composite of thrombotic (venous thrombosis, breakage and occlusion) and infective complications (PICC-associated bloodstream infection and local infection). Secondary outcomes include: all-cause PICC complication; thrombotic complications; infective complications; adverse events (local or systemic reaction); PICC dwell time; patient/parent satisfaction; and healthcare costs. Differences between both intervention groups and the control group will be compared using Cox proportional hazards regression. Effect estimates will be presented as HRs with corresponding 95% CI.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval from Queensland Health (HREC/QCHQ/48682) and Griffith University (Ref. No. 2019/094). Results will be published.Trial registration numberACTRN12619000022167.

Recent data suggests the use of radiotherapy alone (RT) in Early-Stage Follicular Lymphoma is declining. Cost-effectiveness analysis of treatments has not been performed. We constructed a partitioning model (15-year horizon) to compare RT, combined-modality therapy (CMT) and immunochemotherapy with rituximab maintenance (ICT+RM) from a PET-staged cohort from the Australian Lymphoma Alliance. Lifetime direct health care costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated. AUD $75,000 was defined as the willingness-to-pay threshold (WTP). The direct healthcare costs were: RT $12,791, CMT $29,391 and ICT+RM $42,644. Compared with RT, CMT demonstrated minimal improvement in QALYs (+0.01) and an ICER well above the WTP threshold ($1,535,488). Compared with RT, ICT+RM demonstrated an improvement in QALYs (+0.41) with an ICER of $73,319. Modelling a 25% cost reduction with a rituximab biosimilar led to further ICER reductions with ICT+RM ($52,476). ICT+RM is cost-effective in early stage FL from the Australian taxpayer perspective.

Targeted antibody therapies improve outcomes for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. However, resistance often develops. We have previously shown that resistance to therapeutic antibodies, by monocyte derived macrophages (referred to as nurse like cells, NLCs), from CLL patients is characterized by suppression of antibody dependent phagocytosis (ADP). The mechanism(s) contributing to the muted ADP responses remain unresolved. In this regard, an innate immune checkpoint was recently described that uses the CD47:SIRPα axis to suppress phagocytic responses by macrophages. In this study we examine whether the SIRPα axis regulates ADP responses to the anti-CD20 antibody, obinutuzumab, by NLCs. Using siRNA depletion strategies we show that SIRPα is a suppressor of ADP responses. Moreover, we show that this innate immune checkpoint contributes to the resistance phenotype in NLCs derived from CLL patients. Finally, we show that SIRPα suppression is mediated via the phosphatase, Shp1, which in turn suppresses SYK-dependent activation of ADP. Thus, we identify a druggable pathway that could be exploited to enhance sensitivity to existing therapeutic antibodies used in CLL. This is the first study to show that activation of the CD47:SIRPα innate immune checkpoint contributes to ADP resistance in NLCs from CLL patients.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effects of daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (D-Rd) versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in the phase III MAIA study. PATIENTS AND METHODS PROs were assessed on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30-item and the EuroQol 5-dimensional descriptive system at baseline and every 3 months during treatment. By mixed-effects model, changes from baseline are presented as least squares means with 95% CIs. RESULTS A total of 737 transplant-ineligible (TIE) patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma were randomly assigned to D-Rd (n = 368) or Rd (n = 369). Compliance with PRO assessments was high at baseline (> 90%) through month 12 (> 78%) for both groups. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30-item global health status scores improved from baseline in both groups and were consistently greater with D-Rd at all time points. A global health status benefit was achieved with D-Rd, regardless of age (< 75 and ≥ 75 years), baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score, or depth of response. D-Rd treatment resulted in significantly greater reduction in pain scores as early as cycle 3 ( P = .0007 v Rd); the magnitude of change was sustained through cycle 12. Reductions in pain with D-Rd were clinically meaningful in patients regardless of age, ECOG status, or depth of response. Similarly, PRO improvements were observed with D-Rd and Rd on the EuroQol 5-dimensional descriptive system visual analog scale score. CONCLUSION D-Rd compared with Rd was associated with faster and sustained clinically meaningful improvements in PROs, including pain, in transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma regardless of age, baseline ECOG status, or depth of treatment response.

People with multiple myeloma (MM) often experience disease symptoms and treatment toxicities that can be alleviated through physical activity (PA). However, the majority of people with MM are insufficiently active. This study explored PA among people with MM, including differences by treatment stage, symptoms and demographics, and programming preferences. Overall, 126 people with MM (77% response rate) completed the survey. Pre-diagnosis, 25.4% were sufficiently active, with 12.0% remaining active after treatment. Respondents who were physically active pre-diagnosis were 46.7 times (95% confidence intervals CI: 2.03, 1072.1) more likely to meet PA guidelines following an MM diagnosis compared to people not meeting guidelines pre-diagnosis. Experiencing MM symptoms and receiving PA advice from healthcare professionals were not associated with meeting PA guidelines. People with MM were interested in exercise programs (55%) that are low-cost (77%), offered at flexible times (74%), and at locations close to home (69%), both during active treatment and remission (57%), and supervised by an exercise oncology specialist (48%). People with MM, particularly those insufficiently active prior to diagnosis, should be offered convenient, low-cost exercise programs supervised by an exercise oncology specialist to increase PA participation.

PURPOSE Oral melphalan and dexamethasone (MDex) were considered a standard of care in light-chain (AL) amyloidosis. In the past decade, bortezomib has been increasingly used in combination with alkylating agents and dexamethasone. We prospectively compared the efficacy and safety of MDex and MDex with the addition of bortezomib (BMDex). METHODS This was a phase III, multicenter, randomized, open-label trial. Patients were stratified according to cardiac stage. Patients with advanced cardiac stage (stage IIIb) amyloidosis were not eligible. The primary end point was hematologic response rate at 3 months. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01277016 . RESULTS A total of 109 patients, 53 in the BMDex and 56 in the MDex group, received ≥ 1 dose of therapy (from January 2011 to February 2016). Hematologic response rate at 3 months was higher in the BMDex arm (79% v 52%; P = .002). Higher rates of very good partial or complete response rates (64% v 39%; hazard ratio [HR], 2.47; 95% CI, 1.30 to 4.71) and improved overall survival, with a 2-fold decrease in mortality rate (HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.90), were observed in the BMDex arm. Grade 3 and 4 adverse events (the most common being cytopenia, peripheral neuropathy, and heart failure) were more common in the BMDex arm, occurring in 20% versus 10% of cycles performed. CONCLUSION BMDex improved hematologic response rate and overall survival. To our knowledge, this is the first time a controlled study has demonstrated a survival advantage in AL amyloidosis. BMDex should be considered a new standard of care for AL amyloidosis.

Objective: To evaluate relative survival of patients in Queensland with different lymphoma subtypes; to determine whether outcomes have improved with recent changes in treatment; to evaluate relative survival according to place of residence and socio-economic status. Design: Retrospective population-based study; analysis of data from the Oncology Analysis System, an online reporting tool for cancer incidence and outcomes in Queensland. Participants: Patients over 15 years of age diagnosed with lymphoma in Queensland during 1993−2012. Main outcome measures: Relative survival by lymphoma subtype; influence of place of residence and socio-economic status, age group, sex, year of diagnosis (in 5-year bands), and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme funding of rituximab for treating B-cell lymphomas on relative survival. Results: 9509 people (56% men) were diagnosed with lymphoma during 1993−2012. Five-year relative survival improved significantly between 1993−1997 and 2008−2012 for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (47%; 95% CI, 42−51% v 64%; 95% CI, 61−67%) or follicular lymphoma (62%; 95% CI, 57−66% v 88%; 95% CI, 85−90%; each P < 0.001). Rituximab became available for treating these subtypes during 2003−2006. There was no change in relative survival for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (81%; 95% CI, 76−85% v 80%; 95% CI, 75−84%; P = 0.22). The only statistically significant difference according to place of residence or socio-economic status was inferior relative survival for rural residents with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.01−1.28). Conclusion: Relative survival for patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma improved significantly with the introduction of rituximab as first-line therapy in Australia.

In recent years, the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab (Darzalex; Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd) has been shown to be highly efficacious in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, with the final results of treatment in newly diagnosed patients awaited. Despite awareness of the potential interference of daratumumab in pre-transfusion immunohaematology testing during phase I and II clinical studies, there was a degree of unpreparedness in the community upon the introduction of this drug into the clinics, particularly the impact that it has on the operational processes in hospital transfusion laboratories and timely issue of red blood cells (RBCs). Anti-CD38 interference in pre-transfusion immunohaematology tests is a particular problem in patients being treated with daratumumab for multiple myeloma as many will require RBC transfusions during their disease treatment. Panagglutination caused by anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody during the indirect antiglobulin test may mask the presence of a clinically significant RBC alloantibody in the patient's plasma during the antibody screen and identification process, which may be overlooked, particularly in urgent situations, subsequently resulting in a delayed or acute haemolytic transfusion reaction. Here, we summarise daratumumab's effects on pre-transfusion immunohaematology testing and its impact on clinical practice and make practical recommendations based on a consensus from medical and scientific transfusion experts and myeloma specialists on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion and Myeloma Scientific Advisory Group to Myeloma Australia, respectively.

Introduction Serious infection is common in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), and associated with major morbidity and mortality. Immunoglobulin (Ig) replacement is frequently used to reduce frequency and severity of infections, however evidence is based on small trials conducted >20 years ago. Ig utilisation and associated costs in this patient cohort are rising worldwide. In Australia (Aus), Ig for secondary hypogammaglobulinaemia is funded if total IgG is below lower limit of reference range with a history of recurrent or severe bacterial infection, or in severe hypogammaglobulinaemia (IgG < 4 g/L excluding paraprotein). In New Zealand (NZ), patients generally require a history of recurrent infections and trial of oral antibiotics before commencing Ig. This study aims to outline Ig use in the "real-world" MM setting, identify variation in and predictors of use, and describe association of Ig with survival outcomes. Methods Retrospective review of patients registered on the MRDR, a prospective registry established in 2012, currently open at >60 sites across Aus/NZ. Patients with a diagnosis of MM or plasma cell leukaemia with verifiable data regarding Ig use were included in this analysis. Ig use was confirmed using medical/laboratory records, national Aus Ig dispensing tool or the NZ Blood Service portal. Quality of survival outcomes and cause of death data was augmented via linkage with national death registries. Baseline patient/disease characteristics, therapy and survival outcomes were compared between patients who received any Ig within 24 months of MM diagnosis and non-recipients using chi-square tests for categorical variables and rank sum tests for continuous variables. Variation in Ig use across sites were compared. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate time to Ig and duration of use. A time-dependent Cox analysis was used to compare survival for patients whilst on and off Ig therapy. All statistical analysis was completed on STATA/IC statistical software v16.1 (College Station, TX, USA). Results As of July 2021, >4600 patients with plasma cell dyscrasias are registered on the MRDR. Of these, 2025 patients from 13 sites (12 Aus across five states/territories and one NZ) with verifiable data on Ig were included. 242 (12.0%) received Ig during follow-up, with a median time from MM diagnosis to Ig use of 14.2 months, median duration of Ig use of 54.9 months, and median patient follow-up time of 23 months (Figure 1). At 24 months following MM diagnosis, 14.9% (160 of 1075 patients reaching 24-month follow up) received Ig, and a further 7.6% (82 patients) received Ig later, after 24 months. Administration of Ig within 24 months post-MM diagnosis varied widely across Aus states and territories (2.7%-29.6%), and was 2.0% from one NZ site. Patients administered Ig within 24 months post-MM diagnosis had lower baseline IgG (3.7 vs. 5.6 g/L, p Ig use was not associated with an overall survival benefit (HR=0.79, 0.50-1.24, p=0.3). At time of last follow-up, there were 577 deaths (28.5%). Available data on cause of death was available for 175 deaths (30.3%). Of these, 65 deaths (37.1%) had infection listed as primary/secondary cause of death (COD). 64 of 65 infection-related deaths occurred in non-Ig recipients. In patients who received Ig (at any time), 12.5% had infection as primary/secondary COD, compared to 38.5% in non-recipients (p=0.14). Conclusion This Aus/NZ analysis found that 14.9% of MM patients received Ig by 24 months post-MM diagnosis with wide variation in practice. Ig use was associated with lower baseline Ig levels (all subtypes), abnormal FISH and first-line IMiD/anti-CD38 therapy. In this "real-world" cohort, Ig use was not associated with survival, highlighting the need for well-designed contemporary studies to inform evidence-based patient selection, especially with increasing use of Ig and targeted anti-myeloma therapies, and a high burden of infection-related mortality. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Hamad: Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Harrison: Haemalogix: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Roche/Genentech: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene/ Juno/ BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Eusa: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Terumo BCT: Consultancy, Honoraria. Mollee: Janssen, Pfizer: Research Funding; Amgen, BMS, Janssen, Caelum, EUSA, Pfizer, SkylineDx, Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: No personal fees received. Quach: GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Antengene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; CSL: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen/Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Spencer: Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; STA: Honoraria. Wood: Amgen, Celgene, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi, Takeda: Research Funding; Abbvie, Amgen, Antengene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda.: Other: The Australian and New Zealand Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) has received funding from Abbvie, Amgen, Antengene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda. . McQuilten: Amgen, Celgene, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi, Takeda: Research Funding; Abbvie, Amgen, Antengene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda.: Other: The Australian and New Zealand Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) has received funding from Abbvie, Amgen, Antengene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda. .

Background In addition to 4 CRAB criteria, 3 biomarkers were adopted as myeloma-defining events: clonal marrow plasma cell (PC) percentage ≥60%, serum free light chain ratio (SFLCR) ≥100 and >1 MRI focal lesion, known as SLiM (SixtyLightchainMRI), but there has been no analysis of their clinical impact. Methods We compared the characteristics, treatment & outcomes of 1686 pts diagnosed by CRAB and 132 pts by SLiM enrolled in the MRDR from 2013 - 2018, to assess the impact of these criteria on clinical practice and treatment outcomes. Results Patient & Disease characteristics. In 132 SLiM pts, 48 had SFLCR≥100, 58 BMPC>60% and 26 were known to have both, nil had MRI lesions (limited by MRI availability). CRAB pts included a higher proportion with advanced stage ISS-3 (35.6% v 10.7%, p Outcomes OS was longer in SLiM than CRAB (median 76.3 v 65.2 m, p=0.02, HR 1.75), with no difference in PFS (30.8 v 30.2 m, p=0.30, HR 1.17). However PFS2 was superior for SLiM of 48.7 m v 38.2 m for CRAB (HR 1.38, p=0.06). No difference in best response rates (≥PR & ≥VGPR) was seen in SLiM v CRAB. Within SLiM, comparing 3 groups: those who satisfied the criteria of SFLCR>100 only (SFLC group, n=28), PC≥60% only (PC group, n=34) or both (n=20), pts with Discussion We found differences in characteristics between SLiM and CRAB pts – higher BM PC infiltration and SFLCR in SLiM, and a trend for higher incidence of FISH anomalies in CRAB. SLiM pts had a median OS 11.1 m longer than CRAB, but no difference in PFS1 or response rates. The OS difference of -1 yr could reflect the earlier initiation of therapy in SLiM. However the trend for a longer PFS2 for SLiM indicates improved treatment outcome to therapy at first relapse, suggesting the shorter PFS2 of CRAB pts may result from residual or re-emerging drug-resistant clones. Conclusions In a real-life population our findings support the benefit of earlier initiation of therapy by SLiM criteria, with an improved OS and a trend towards improved outcome at first relapse (PFS2). Patients with PC criteria in the SLiM cohort have an increased risk for suboptimal response compared to those who satisfy SFLC criteria alone.

Background The uptake of bone-seeking radiotracers in the amyloid heart is well recognised. 99 m Tc-DPD has been shown to be highly sensitive for cardiac transthyretin (ATTR) amyloid in an overseas population, but is not registered for use in Australia. We explored its utility as a diagnostic tool within our population. Methods Patients diagnosed with AL and ATTR (wild-type and inherited) cardiac amyloidosis were prospectively recruited from the Princess Alexandra Hospital Amyloidosis Centre. Patients underwent injection with 99m Tc-DPD then planar whole body imaging was performed at 5 minutes post-injection (soft tissue phase) and 3 hours (bone phase). A myocardial SPECT and low amperage CT were acquired after the late whole-body scan. Scans were analysed by two nuclear imaging specialists. Intensity of cardiac 99m Tc-DPD uptake was graded as 0 to 3 in accordance with previous criteria, and semiquantitative analysis was performed using a heart to whole body ratio (H:WB) on the 3-hour scan. Patients also underwent electrocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography, and blood samples were taken for troponin I and brain natriuretic peptide levels, to assess for any correlation with DPD uptake. Results Twenty-one patients (8 AL and 13 ATTR) completed the study. Median age was 58 and 70 years for AL and ATTR patients respectively, and 19 (90.5%) were male. 99 m Tc-DPD scintigraphy was positive in 2 (25%) of AL, and 13 (100%) of ATTR patients. Grade of cardiac uptake, and mean H:WB (0.1249 v. 0.0794) was greater in the ATTR cohort (p-value Conclusions 99 m Tc-DPD scintigraphy is highly sensitive for the diagnosis of cardiac ATTR amyloid, but less so for AL amyloid.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a haematological malignancy characterised by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. More than 80% of patients with MM display evidence of myeloma bone disease (MBD), characterised by the formation of osteolytic lesions throughout the axial and appendicular skeleton. MBD significantly increases the risk of skeletal-related events such as pathologic fracture, spinal cord compression and hypercalcaemia. MBD is the result of MM plasma cells-mediated activation of osteoclast activity and suppression of osteoblast activity. Bisphosphonates (BP), pyrophosphate analogues with high bone affinity, are the only pharmacological agents currently recommended for the treatment and prevention of MBD and remain the standard of care. Pamidronate and zoledronic acid are the most commonly used BP to treat MBD. Although generally safe, frequent high doses of BP are associated with adverse events such as renal toxicity and osteonecrosis of the jaw. As such, optimal duration and dosing of BP therapy is required in order to minimise BP-associated adverse events. The following guidelines provide currently available evidence for the adoption of a tailored approach when using BP for the management of MBD.

Waldenstrom macroglobulinaemia (WM) is an indolent B-cell malignancy characterised by the presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) paraprotein and bone marrow infiltration by clonal small B lymphocytes, plasmacytoid lymphocytes and plasma cells. The symptoms of WM are protean, often follow an asymptomatic phase and may include complications related to the paraneoplastic effects of IgM paraprotein. The revised 2016 World Health Organization classification includes the MYD88 L265P mutation, which is seen in >90% of cases, within the diagnostic criteria for WM. While treatment of WM has often been considered together with other indolent B cell lymphomas, there are unique aspects of WM management that require specific care. These include the unreliability of IgM and paraprotein measurements in monitoring patients prior to and after treatment, the lack of correlation between disease burden and symptoms and rituximab-induced IgM flare. Moreover, while bendamustine and rituximab has recently been approved for reimbursed frontline use in WM in Australia, other regimens, including ibrutinib- and bortezomib-based treatments, are not funded, requiring tailoring of treatment to the regional regulatory environment. The Medical and Scientific Advisory Group of the Myeloma Foundation Australia has therefore developed clinical practice guidelines with specific recommendations for the work-up and therapy of WM to assist Australian clinicians in the management of this disease.

Introduction Patients with chronic myelo-monocytic leukaemia (CMML) have been reported to have a relative predominance of classical or MO1 monocytes (CD14+/CD16-) at the expense of MO2 (CD14low/CD16+) and MO3 (CD14-/CD16+) monocytes (Selimoglu-Buet. Blood 2015). These authors suggested that an MO1 percentage cut-off of >94% could predict the diagnosis of CMML with high sensitivity and specificity (both >90%) from other causes of monocytosis. Since then, several independent groups have attempted to reproduce their protocol with variable results. Most recently, the Mayo Clinic (Pophali. Blood Cancer J. 2019) found that an MO1 cut off of > 94% in peripheral blood identified CMML with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 95.4%. These figures were lower than previously reported - calling into question, the utility of flow cytometry to distinguish the aetiology of monocytosis in a real-world setting. Objective Our retrospective audit aimed to establish if monocyte subset repartitioning could be used to reliably diagnose CMML in a real-world sample of patients with monocytosis. Methods In this study, we assessed peripheral blood samples from 35 patients presenting with a monocytosis (absolute monocyte count > 1 x109/L) in a tertiary referral hospital in Brisbane, Australia between June 2015 and Sep 2019. The patients' final clinical diagnosis was extracted from the medical record by two clinicians (AM, PM) blinded to the results of the flow cytometry. Peripheral blood samples were subjected to MFC at a median of Monocyte subsets were identified using Kaluza software (Beckman Coulter, USA). A CD45/ side scatter gate was set to locate the monocyte population and specific antibody combinations were used to identify and exclude other lineages; these were - CD24 to exclude granulocytes and B cells, CD16 to exclude neutrophils, CD2 to exclude T cells and CD56 to exclude NK cells. Based on the CD14 and CD16 expression, the monocytes were then divided into: MO1 (CD14+/CD16-), MO2 (CD14low/CD16+) and MO3 (CD14-/CD16+). Results are reported descriptively and Fishers Exact Test (IBM® SPSS® Statistics Version 26) was used to establish if there was any correlation between the percentage of classical monocytes and the diagnosis of CMML. Results Of the 35 patients included, 13 patients had CMML and four patients were diagnosed with another underlying myeloid neoplasm: one patient with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS-RCMD), one patient with myeloproliferative neoplasm - not otherwise specified (MPN-NOS), one patient with multiple myeloma and one patient with acute myeloid leukaemia with myelodysplasia related changes (AML-MRC). Eighteen cases had non-clonal monocytosis. Six patients had a reactive monocytosis in the setting of autoimmune disease including: granulomatosis with polyangiitis (n=2), rheumatoid arthritis (n=1), IgG4 disease (n=1), mixed connective tissue disease (n=1) and polyarticular gout (n=1). Twelve cases of reactive monocytosis were due to infective and inflammatory causes. Among our 13 patients with CMML, seven cases (53.85%) had an MO1 percentage > 94%. In comparison, only four (18.18%) among the 22 cases of non-CMML were identified to have an MO1 percentage > 94%. There was no correlation between an MO1 percentage cut off of > 94% and a diagnosis of CMML (p = 0.057). Our study also examined the utility of an MO3 percentage cut off of < 1.13%, established by Hudson et al (Am J Clin Pathol 2018). Among our 13 cases of CMML, six patients (46.15%) were noted to have an MO3 percentage < 1.13%. Meanwhile, only eight, out of 22 non-CMML patients (36.36%) had MO3 percentage < 1.13%. There was no association between MO3 percentage and the diagnosis of CMML (p = 0.724). Conclusion Using the MO1 and MO3 percentage cut offs previously established, we were unable to reliably diagnose CMML. Given these findings, we suggest that more research with larger sample sizes is required before monocyte subset analysis can be applied in the clinical laboratory to discriminate reactive monocytosis from CMML. Disclosures Mollee: Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caelum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) has been considered the standard of care for front-line management for early-stage follicular lymphoma. Recent data suggests the use of RT is declining with more than half the patients receiving immunochemotherapy (ICT) with or without rituximab maintenance (RM). Cost-effectiveness analysis of these treatments has not been performed. Methods: We constructed a four-state partitioned survival model over a 15-year time horizon to compare RT alone, ICT and ICT+RM. The model was based on a real-world cohort of early-stage FL patients, staged using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography,from the Australasian Lymphoma Alliance. Lifetime direct health care costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated from an Australian tax-payer perspective. A pre-specified value of AUD $75,000 was defined as the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold reflecting recent approvals for therapeutics for indolent lymphoproliferative diseases in Australia. Results: Assuming 5% annual discounting the direct healthcare costs were: RT $14,480, ICT $22,171, ICT+RM $42,830 (Table 1). Compared with RT, ICT demonstrated an improvement in QALYs (+0.17) and an ICER of $44,879. Compared with RT, ICT+RM demonstrated a larger improvement in QALYs (+0.53) with an ICER of $53,062. Modelling a 25% cost reduction with a rituximab biosimilar led to further ICER reductions: ICT ($29,078); ICT+RM ($37,810). Conclusion: Although the initial healthcare-associated costs were higher than RT, over a 15-year horizon ICT and ICT+RM are cost-effective treatments in early stage FL from the Australian tax-payer perspective. Although the costs may differ internationally, the results remain broadly generalisable given the costs incurred related to time in the failure-free state. Table 1:Comparison of healthcare costs, quality-adjusted life-years and cost-effectiveness between front-line therapies in early stage FL Table 1 Disclosures Tobin: Gilead: Research Funding. Gandhi:Gilead Sciences: Honoraria; Mater Research: Current Employment; Janssen-Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Other: Travel, accommodation, expenses ; Genentech: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Merck Sharp & Dohme: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Mollee:Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caelum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

INTRODUCTION Testicular lymphoma accounts for METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of all patients diagnosed with primary testicular lymphoma (PTL) between 2003 and 2019 at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Human Research Ethics Approval: LNR/2019/QMS/56644). RESULTS During this period, 18 patients were diagnosed with PTL; all patients had DLBCL histology. The median follow-up period for living patients was 6.5 years (range 1.3-13.4 years). The median age was 61.3 years (interquartile range: 58.3 - 71.1 years). All patients were HIV negative. The majority of patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score of zero (n = 13; 72.2%) with no B symptoms (n = 14; 77.7%) and a normal LDH (n = 11; 61.1%). 50% of patients had Stage IV disease (Table 1). 17 patients (94.4%) underwent an orchidectomy (unilateral: 16, bilateral: 1) at diagnosis. Following on, as first-line systemic therapy, 14 patients (77.7%) received R-CHOP chemotherapy. Other regimens used were CHOP (n=1), modified HyperCVAD (n=1), R-HyperCVAD (n=1) and R-CVP (n=1). 17 patients (94.4%) received CNS prophylaxis with intrathecal chemotherapy; one patient declined intrathecal therapy and was given high dose intravenous methotrexate instead. 15 (83.3%) patients received loco-regional radiation therapy. Outcomes to first-line treatment were: 13 patients (72.2%) achieved complete remission (CR); one patient (5.5%) achieved partial remission (PR) (Deauville score 4 on interim PET assessment, prompting escalation to salvage therapy); three patients (16.6%) had progressive disease (and were subsequently managed with salvage chemotherapy) and one patient elected for palliation after a single cycle of R-CVP. Among the four patients who received salvage therapy, two patients (50%) achieved CR and two patients had progressive disease and were palliated. Among the 15 patients who achieved CR (n=13 R-CHOP; n=2 salvage chemotherapy), two patients relapsed, and both had CNS involvement (n=1 CNS only relapse; n=1 CNS and systemic relapse). Despite intrathecal prophylaxis, the CNS relapse rate was 12% (n=2/17). Of note, the patient who did not receive intrathecal chemotherapy remained in CR at the date of last follow-up. In total, there were seven deaths. The causes of death were: lymphoma (n=4), treatment-related mortality (n=2) and other (n=1; due to aspiration pneumonia after stroke). The 2-year and 5-year progression free survival (PFS) rates were 77.8% and 52.4%, respectively (Figure 1A). The 2-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 83.3% and 56.8%, respectively (Figure 1B). CONCLUSION With the practice of R-CHOP, intrathecal prophylaxis for CNS disease and loco-regional radiation therapy, our outcomes are comparable to the literature (5y OS ~50%). Despite intrathecal prophylaxis, our CNS relapse rate was 12%. Better strategies are required to improve the control of systemic disease and reduce the incidence of CNS relapse in patients with testicular lymphoma. Disclosures Mollee: Janssen:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding;BMS/Celgene:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Amgen:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Takeda:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Pfizer:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Caelum:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

BackgroundMultiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by the clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells. Though durable remissions are possible, MM is considered incurable, with relapse occurring in almost all patients. There has been limited data reported on the lipid metabolism changes in plasma cells during MM progression. Here, we evaluated the feasibility of concurrent lipidomics and proteomics analyses from patient plasma cells, and report these data on a limited number of patient samples, demonstrating the feasibility of the method, and establishing hypotheses to be evaluated in the future.MethodsPlasma cells were purified from fresh bone marrow aspirates using CD138 microbeads. Proteins and lipids were extracted using a bi-phasic solvent system with methanol, methyl tert-butyl ether, and water. Untargeted proteomics, untargeted and targeted lipidomics were performed on 7 patient samples using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Two comparisons were conducted: high versus low risk; relapse versus newly diagnosed. Proteins and pathways enriched in the relapsed group was compared to a public transcriptomic dataset from Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium reference collection (n=222) at gene and pathways level.ResultsFrom one million purified plasma cells, we were able to extract material and complete untargeted (∼6000 and ∼3600 features in positive and negative mode respectively) and targeted lipidomics (313 lipids), as well as untargeted proteomics analysis (∼4100 reviewed proteins). Comparative analyses revealed limited differences between high and low risk groups (according to the standard clinical criteria), hence we focused on drawing comparisons between the relapsed and newly diagnosed patients. Untargeted and targeted lipidomics indicated significant down-regulation of phosphatidylcholines (PCs) in relapsed MM. Although there was limited overlap of the differential proteins/transcripts, 76 significantly enriched pathways in relapsed MM were common between proteomics and transcriptomics data. Further evaluation of transcriptomics data for lipid metabolism network revealed enriched correlation of PC, ceramide, cardiolipin, arachidonic acid and cholesterol metabolism pathways to be exclusively correlated among relapsed but not in newly-diagnosed patients.ConclusionsThis study establishes the feasibility and workflow to conduct integrated lipidomics and proteomics analyses on patient-derived plasma cells. Potential lipid metabolism changes associated with MM relapse warrant further investigation.

Waldenstrom macroglobulinaemia (WM) is an indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma which usually presents with symptoms related to infiltration of bone marrow or other tissues like lymph nodes, liver or spleen and has certain unusual clinical manifestations, e.g., renal and central nervous system (CNS) involvement. It also has an array of laboratory features including hypersecretion of IgM, cryoglobulinaemia, increased plasma viscosity and identification of mutated MYD88L265P in more than 90% of cases. In this review, we aim to provide a guide to the laboratory investigations recommended for WM at initial diagnosis and at follow-up. A discussion on the nuances of diagnosis and differential diagnoses is followed by bone marrow (BM) assessment, measurement of paraprotein and other ancillary investigations. Recommendations are provided on laboratory work-up at diagnosis, in the asymptomatic follow-up phase, and during and post-treatment. Finally, we briefly discuss the implications of laboratory diagnosis in regard to recruitment and monitoring on clinical trials.

There are no data on the epidemiology of amyloidosis in Australia. Most international epidemiological studies are based on death certificate data [1–4]. This study aims to describe the incidence an...

Prognosis of CLL patients has historically been determined by categorization into Rai or Binet risk groups based on physical examination and blood counts, however given heterogeneity within Rai or ...

Objectives: We aimed to externally validate Lilleness' et al. Boston University (BU) prognostic score that replaced NT-proBNP with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), which will allow centres without access to NT-proBNP to accurately stage and prognosticate AL amyloidosis. Patients/methods: Forty-four were identified that had BNP, NTpro-BNP and TnI taken simultaneously, with a mean follow up of 7.3 years. Median age of the 44 patients was 67 years and 27% were female, with 61% having cardiac involvement, and 61% having renal involvement. Results: Using the BU BNP-based staging system, we identified 12/44 (27%) of patients as stage I, 18/44 (41%) of patients as stage II and 14/44 (31%) of patients as stage III. This correlated closely with stratification via the Mayo score, with only one patient miscategorised (97.7% agreement, k = 0.98). Median overall survival for our BU stage I was not reached, stage II was 40 months and stage III was 5 months (long rank p = .0012). Mayo 2004 median overall survival was identical for stages I, II and III. Conclusion: We have provided external validation of the BU staging system, a novel prognostic scoring system incorporating BNP, instead of NT-proBNP, for AL amyloidosis.

Published studies on the epidemiology of amyloidosis have relied on death certificate data for case ascertainment. We estimated the incidence and mortality burden of amyloidosis among residents of the Australian state, Queensland, aged ≥20 years for the years 1999-2013 based on case ascertainment from histopathology reports. Information systems for participating laboratories were scrutinised to identify histopathology reports that documented a diagnosis of amyloidosis. Case mortality status was determined via linkage to the National Death Index. A total of 447 cases of amyloidosis were identified, with a median age at diagnosis of 66 years. A plasma cell dyscrasia was identified in 72% of patients who had paraprotein studies performed. The estimated incidence for Queenslanders aged ≥20 years was 12·1 cases per million person years. The median survival was 2·45 years. Age at diagnosis, presence of a paraprotein, earlier year of diagnosis, and inner regional location of residence (compared with residence in a major city) were independently associated with reduced survival. Our data confirms previously reported incidence data for amyloidosis of approximately 10 cases per million patient years and indicates that survival for Queensland patients with amyloidosis is improving, though it remains poor for the elderly and patients with AL amyloidosis.