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Vemurafenib, an oral BRAF inhibitor, has demonstrated high response rates in relapsed/refractory (R/R) hairy cell leukemia (HCL). However, little is known about long-term outcomes and response to retreatment. Herein, we report the results of 36 patients with R/R HCL treated with vemurafenib from the United States arm of the phase 2 clinical trial (NCT01711632). The best overall response rate was 86%, including 33% complete response (CR) and 53% partial response (PR). After a median follow-up of 40 months, 21 of 31 responders (68%) experienced relapse with a median relapse-free survival (RFS) of 19 months (range, 12.5-53.9 months). There was no significant difference in the RFS for patients with CR vs PR. Fourteen of 21 (67%) relapsed patients were retreated with vemurafenib, with 86% achieving complete hematologic response. Two patients acquired resistance to vemurafenib with the emergence of new KRAS and CDKN2A mutations, respectively. Six of 12 (50%) responders to vemurafenib retreatment experienced another relapse with a median RFS of 12.7 months. Overall survival (OS) was 82% at 4 years, with a significantly shorter OS in patients who relapsed within 1 year of initial treatment with vemurafenib. Higher cumulative doses or a longer duration of treatment did not lengthen the durability of response. All adverse events in the retreatment cohort were grade 1/2 except for 1 case of a grade 3 rash and 1 grade 3 fever/pneumonia. Our data suggest that vemurafenib retreatment is a safe and effective option for patients with R/R HCL., (© 2022 by The American Society of Hematology.)

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare B-cell malignancy, and there is a need for novel treatments for patients who do not benefit from purine analogs. Ibrutinib, an oral agent targeting Bruton tyrosine kinase in the B-cell receptor signaling pathway, is highly effective in several malignancies. Its activity in HCL was unknown, so we conducted a multisite phase 2 study of oral ibrutinib in patients with either relapsed classic or variant hairy cell leukemia. The primary outcome measure was the overall response rate (ORR) at 32 weeks, and we also assessed response at 48 weeks and best response during treatment. Key secondary objectives were characterization of toxicity and determination of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Thirty-seven patients were enrolled at 2 different doses (24 at 420 mg, 13 at 840 mg). The median duration of follow-up was 3.5 years (range, 0-5.9 years). The ORR at 32 weeks was 24%, which increased to 36% at 48 weeks. The best ORR was 54%. The estimated 36-month PFS was 73% and OS was 85%. The most frequent adverse events were diarrhea (59%), fatigue (54%), myalgia (54%), and nausea (51%). Hematologic adverse events were common: anemia (43%), thrombocytopenia (41%), and neutropenia (35%). Ibrutinib can be safely administered to patients with HCL with objective responses and results in prolonged disease control. Although the initial primary outcome objective of the study was not met, the observation of objective responses in heavily pretreated patients coupled with a favorable PFS suggests that ibrutinib may be beneficial in these patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01841723.

Hairy cell leukemia is an uncommon hematologic malignancy characterized by pancytopenia and marked susceptibility to infection. Tremendous progress in the management of patients with this disease has resulted in high response rates and improved survival, yet relapse and an appropriate approach to re-treatment present continuing areas for research. The disease and its effective treatment are associated with immunosuppression. Because more patients are being treated with alternative programs, comparison of results will require general agreement on definitions of response, relapse, and methods of determining minimal residual disease. The development of internationally accepted, reproducible criteria is of paramount importance in evaluating and comparing clinical trials to provide optimal care. Despite the success achieved in managing these patients, continued participation in available clinical trials in the first-line and particularly in the relapse setting is highly recommended. The Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation convened an international conference to provide common definitions and structure to guide current management. There is substantial opportunity for continued research in this disease. In addition to the importance of optimizing the prevention and management of the serious risk of infection, organized evaluations of minimal residual disease and treatment at relapse offer ample opportunities for clinical research. Finally, a scholarly evaluation of quality of life in the increasing number of survivors of this now manageable chronic illness merits further study. The development of consensus guidelines for this disease offers a framework for continued enhancement of the outcome for patients.

Since its discovery in 1923 and further characterization in 1958, hairy cell leukemia (HCL) has undergone enormous advances in the understanding of the biology and treatment of the disease. Initially a uniformly fatal disease, new therapies in rapid succession transformed HCL into a chronic disease with a normal life expectancy in many cases. More recently, the identification of BRAFV600E mutations in the majority of patients with classic HCL have enabled targeted therapies as a therapeutic option. Additional discoveries into the biology of the disease have identified new subtypes of HCL. Modern approaches to the evaluation and treatment of HCL include detailed molecular analysis which informs therapeutic options, which may consist of traditional therapies such as purine nucleoside analogs, or targeted therapies with antibodies, BTK inhibitors, or BRAF inhibitors, or combination therapy. Because HCL is a rare disease, continued progress depends on patients being enrolled on clinical trials whenever possible., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: BRAF V600E is the genetic lesion underlying hairy-cell leukemia. We assessed the safety and activity of the oral BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib in patients with hairy-cell leukemia that had relapsed after treatment with a purine analogue or who had disease that was refractory to purine analogues., Methods: We conducted two phase 2, single-group, multicenter studies of vemurafenib (at a dose of 960 mg twice daily)--one in Italy and one in the United States. The therapy was administered for a median of 16 weeks in the Italian study and 18 weeks in the U.S. study. Primary end points were the complete response rate (in the Italian trial) and the overall response rate (in the U.S. trial). Enrollment was completed (28 patients) in the Italian trial in April 2013 and is still open (26 of 36 planned patients) in the U.S. trial., Results: The overall response rates were 96% (25 of 26 patients who could be evaluated) after a median of 8 weeks in the Italian study and 100% (24 of 24) after a median of 12 weeks in the U.S. study. The rates of complete response were 35% (9 of 26 patients) and 42% (10 of 24) in the two trials, respectively. In the Italian trial, after a median follow-up of 23 months, the median relapse-free survival was 19 months among patients with a complete response and 6 months among those with a partial response; the median treatment-free survival was 25 months and 18 months, respectively. In the U.S. trial, at 1 year, the progression-free survival rate was 73% and the overall survival rate was 91%. Drug-related adverse events were usually of grade 1 or 2, and the events most frequently leading to dose reductions were rash and arthralgia or arthritis. Secondary cutaneous tumors (treated with simple excision) developed in 7 of 50 patients. The frequent persistence of phosphorylated ERK-positive leukemic cells in bone marrow at the end of treatment suggests bypass reactivation of MEK and ERK as a resistance mechanism., Conclusions: A short oral course of vemurafenib was highly effective in patients with relapsed or refractory hairy-cell leukemia. (Funded by the Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro and others; EudraCT number, 2011-005487-13; ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01711632.).

The activating BRAF mutation p.V600E has been identified in many cancers, including colon and lung adenocarcinomas, papillary thyroid cancer, malignant melanoma, and hairy cell leukemia (HCL). Malignant melanoma and HCL are of particular interest because of both the high proportion of cases harboring the mutation and the dramatic responses to BRAF inhibitor therapy reported in the literature. This report presents a patient with HCL and malignant melanoma with the BRAF p.V600E mutation, and discusses the successful treatment of both cancers with the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib., (Copyright © 2015 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.)

Hairy cell leukemia was initially described as a clinicopathologic entity more than 50 years ago. We have subsequently discovered that HCL is really at least two diseases: classical HCL and the hairy cell leukemia variant. The former is among a small group of cancers exceptional for being (nearly) unified by a single genetic lesion, the BRAF V600E mutation. Over the past three decades, tremendous progress in both diagnostic and prognostic clarification has been accompanied by therapeutic advances in classical HCL. Consequently, this once uniformly fatal disease has been converted in most cases into a chronic illness enabling patients to live long and productive lives. In response to standard therapy, patients have high complete remission rates. Unfortunately, the long-term survival curves have not plateaued, revealing that this disease is controlled but not cured. Though rare and representing only about 10% of an already rare disease, those patients with the variant fare exceptionally poorly with standard therapy: complete response rates to purine nucleoside analogs are reported to be less than 50%, whereas the complete response rates in classical HCL are up to 90%. Novel small molecules targeting BRAF and the B-cell receptor signaling complex, and biologic agents like antibodies and immunotoxin conjugates are being explored for those patients who have relapsed. Substantial opportunities for continued research remain. This complex and multi-faceted disease incorporates challenges from altered immunity associated with the underlying disease and its treatments. Considering the rarity of this malignancy, optimization of patient management requires multi-institutional collaboration. The Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation (www.hairycellleukemia.org) was formed to coordinate these efforts., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In this issue of Blood, Rosenberg et al provide a detailed retrospective description of the long-term outcome of young patients with a diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia treated with cladribine.

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) was once considered an untreatable form of chronic lymphoid malignancy. Based upon the recognition of the importance of adenosine deaminase to the normal B cell survival and proliferation, a hypothesis was developed that temporary inhibition of this enzyme might be therapeutically successful in treating chronic B cell leukemias. Pentostatin was initially explored in patients with refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Both pentostatin and cladribine, purine nucleoside analogs, have been utilized to successfully treat HCL. The high degree of complete and durable remission observed with either agent resulted in many believing that the treatment of this rare disease had been fully optimized. However, a considerable number of patients will relapse. While tremendous progress has been made in initial management, the issues related to optimal therapy, timing of initiation of treatment, and discovery of novel agents that may be effective in those who have relapsed are important. Investigational agents currently being explored in chronic lymphocytic leukemia may also have benefit for those patients who have relapsed or are resistant to therapy of hairy cell leukemia. Many important questions remain (e.g. importance of minimal residual disease) and will require international collaboration to fully address these unanswered questions. The Hairy Cell Leukemia Consortium was established to address these unanswered questions.

Enormous progress in the treatment of hairy cell leukemia over the last five decades has emerged as a result of organized clinical investigations. Although interferon represented one of the initial major therapeutic advances in the management of this disease in 1984, the subsequent introduction of purine nucleoside analogs (pentostatin and cladribine) changed the natural history of this rare disease by achieving a high rate of complete and durable remissions. The disease-free survival after effective therapy has not reached a plateau, suggesting control but not cure of the disease. Identification of minimal residual disease in patients achieving a complete hematologic remission provides insight into the potential source for predicting eventual relapse. Modern strategies of targeted therapies directed against immunophenotypic markers on the leukemic cells provide hope that improved long-term control of the disease is possible. Combined chemoimmunotherapy may hold the highest promise for disease eradication, but the optimal strategy for using this approach is under active investigation. Despite the perception by hematologists that this disease has already been conquered, there are critically important unanswered questions that remain. Investigation of the bone marrow microenvironment and its impact on minimal residual disease may ultimately prevent relapse. Consideration of the median age of patients at diagnosis combined with a substantial relapse rate mandates continued pursuit of improved therapy. The ultimate goal will be to achieve cure rather than simple control of the disease.

The description of hairy cell leukemia as a specific clinical entity was published 50 years ago. The clinical outcome for patients was hampered by ineffective chemotherapy, and splenectomy was the major therapeutic approach to improve peripheral blood counts. The median survival after diagnosis was 4 years. With the introduction of alpha-interferon in 1984, marked improvements in patient responses were observed. Shortly thereafter, the introduction of the purine nucleoside analogs transformed this disease into a highly treatable form of leukemia, and patients with the classic form of this rare leukemia now have a near-normal life expectancy. However, other clinical entities mimicking this disease do not respond; thus, accurate diagnosis is important. Immunophenotypic features in classic hairy cell leukemia show that the leukemic cells express CD11c, CD25, CD103, and CD123 and display bright CD20. Despite the high percentage of durable complete remissions with modern therapy, the long-term disease-free survival curves have not reached a plateau. Many patients who achieve a complete remission by morphologic criteria have minimal residual disease demonstrable by either flow cytometry or immunohistochemical staining, and this population may be at higher risk for earlier relapse. Continued clinical research is essential to optimize therapy for this disease.

Enormous progress has been made in the management of patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) over the past 50 years since this disease was initially described in 1958. The introduction of the two commonly used purine nucleoside analogs (pentostatin and cladribine, respectively) has independently changed the natural history of this rare malignancy. Both agents are equivalent in terms of response and long-term results. Advances in therapy are being further pursued with inclusion of monoclonal antibodies (e.g. rituximab) and other immunotherapeutic approaches. Patients with this disease now can live a near normal life expectancy, but the disease has not yet been cured. Clinical trials must continue to address the remaining unanswered questions.

Major advances in the management of patients who have hairy cell leukemia have been made following the use of purine nucleoside analogs. Pentostatin and cladribine are equally effective, and have impressive long-term effectiveness. Although the degree of myelosuppression may be less with the use of pentostatin, this may reflect differences in the schedule and dose of drug administration between these agents. The gradual, but relentless, improvement in the peripheral blood counts enables out-patient management with pentostatin in most patients. Cladribine affords the convenience of a single course of administration. A direct comparative study with these two agents is unlikely to yield the optimal management of patients who have minimal residual disease following the administration of either agent is warranted in the context of a clinical trial. Patients do relapse, and the overall survival curves have not reached a plateau, which indicates that cure has not been secured. The satisfaction of having improved the outcome for patients who have this previously untreatable leukemia should not give way to complacency for further improvement in the management of this disease. Future studies should be directed to optimizing the therapy for minimal residual disease as well as clearer definition of supportive care.

Pentostatin (2'-deoxycoformycin; Nipent), a potent inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, is a purine nucleoside analogue that is highly effective in the treatment of hairy-cell leukemia. This agent is capable of inducing durable complete remissions in the majority of patients, and is capable of re-inducing a complete remission in many of the patients who have relapsed. Pentostatin appears to have changed the natural history of this disease. Long-term follow-up studies suggest that patients with hairy-cell leukemia who are induced into complete remission have a projected survival comparable to age-matched controls. While purine nucleoside analogues induce profound T-cell dysfunction and longstanding immunosuppression, the incidence of secondary malignancies is apparently not increased. Infections still pose a threat to these patients, and effective strategies for treating this disease that do not further compromise the immune system are needed. Patients with this disease should be encouraged to participate in ongoing clinical trials to better define the optimal treatment regimen. New studies should explore the combination of pentostatin and rituxan in treating the typical form of hairy-cell leukemia, and the incorporation of new agents for those with the rare variant form of this disease.