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Iron overload (IO) is common in hematologic malignancies and hemoglobinopathies, largely due to red cell transfusion burden. End-organ damage from IO occurs via reactive oxygen species-mediated pathways. The impact of pretransplant IO on hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) morbidity and mortality remains contentious; studies have shown mixed results, possibly due to variability in study population and design, as well as markers of IO. Ferritin has served as a traditional circulating marker of total body IO, but liver iron content by MRI appears to be a better marker of end-organ involvement. Novel surrogate markers including hepcidin, marrow Prussian blue staining, and labile plasma iron levels may prove to be more specific for HCT complications. Posttransplant phlebotomy, chelation, or both in combination remains the mainstays of treatment, though may ultimately be supplanted by pretransplant or peri-transplant use of bone marrow maturation agents or targeted chelation at time of highest IO risk. This review discusses the pathophysiology of IO in hematologic disease, the evidence supporting and refuting its negative impact on HCT outcomes, as well as current and future therapies.

Relapse after stem cell transplantation for Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains a significant challenge. In this systematic review, we compare survival outcomes of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) nilotinib and dasatinib with first-generation TKI imatinib when these agents are used after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in Ph+ ALL. In addition, we review the literature on TKI use to prevent relapse in patients who proceed to allo-HSCT beyond first complete response (>CR1). We performed database searches (inception to January 2018) using PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase. After exclusions, 17 articles were included in this analysis. Imatinib was used post-transplant either prophylactically or preemptively in 12 studies, 7 prospective studies and 5 retrospective studies. Overall survival (OS) for most prospective studies at 1.5 to 3 and 5 years ranged between 62% to 92% and 74.5% to 86.7%. Disease-free survival at 1.5 to 5 years was 60.4% to 92%. Additionally, imatinib failed to show survival benefit in patients who were >CR1 at the time of allo-HSCT. The cumulative OS for most retrospective studies using imatinib at 1 to 2 and 3 to 5 years was 42% to 100% and 33% to 40% respectively. Event-free survival at 1 to 2 and 3 to 5 years was 33.3% to 67% and 20% to 31% respectively. Dasatinib was used as maintenance treatment in 3 retrospective studies (n = 34). The OS for patients with Ph+ ALL using dasatinib as maintenance regimen after allo-HSCT at 1.4 to 3 years was 87% to 100% and disease-free survival at 1.4 to 3 years was 89% to 100%. Ninety-three percent of patients with minimal residual disease (MRD) positive status after allo-HSCT became MRD negative. Three prospective studies used nilotinib. In 2 studies where investigators studied patients with advanced chronic myeloid leukemia and Ph+ ALL, the cumulative OS and event-free survival at 7.5 months to 2 years were 69% to 84% and 56% to 84%, respectively. In the third study (n = 5) in patients with Ph+ ALL, nilotinib use resulted in OS at 5 years of 60%. Our review showed that use of TKIs (all generations) after allo-HSCT for patients in CR1 improved OS when given as a prophylactic or preemptive regimen. Limited data suggest that second-generation TKIs (ie, dasatinib) have a better OS, especially in patients with MRD-positive status. Imatinib did not improve OS in patients who were >CR1 at the time of allo-HSCT; for this population, no data were available with newer generation TKIs. The evaluation of survival benefit with newer generation TKIs and their efficacy in patients in >CR1 needs further study in large randomized clinical trials.

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is primarily a disease of old age with a median age of sixty-nine years at diagnosis. The development of novel therapies for induction and use of autologous stem cell transplantation has resulted in improved clinical outcomes and better quality of life for MM patients. Elderly patients, comprising the majority of MM population, have a higher incidence of age-related comorbidities, frailty and organ dysfunction which complicates the coordination of treatment and limits the selection of therapies. Even in the era of multiple chemotherapeutic options, the clinical heterogeneity of the myeloma patients’ demands personalized treatments which often require dose-adjustments or dose delays. The use of reduced-dose regimens and various comorbidity indices has improved clinical outcome and regimen tolerability in MM patients with renal, neurological and bone abnormalities. We focus on advancements in the treatment of multiple myeloma with the goal to guide clinicians towards patient-specific management.

The standard of care for early hepatobiliary cancers (HBC) includes surgical resection. Liver transplantations or locoregional therapies are beneficial in early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) under certain circumstances. Systemic treatments have some benefit in advanced HBC, though long-term prognosis remains poor. We evaluated the role of oncolytic viruses in the treatment of HBCs through a systematic literature review. The recombinant vaccinia virus JX-594 improved median survival in patients with local/metastatic HCC more strongly at high dose than at low dose (14.1 vs 6.7 months; p = 0.08) in a Phase II study. A Phase III study with JX-594 and sorafenib in advanced HCC is ongoing. No survival benefit in HCC was seen with two other recombinant adenoviruses (Ad-TK and DL1520). Several preclinical trials using oncolytic viruses in HBC showed promising results, warranting clinical studies.

We reviewed emerging immune strategies for multiple myeloma (MM) therapy excluding US FDA approved drugs. In relapsed refractory MM, isatuximab (anti-CD38) monotherapy achieved overall response (OR) of 24%. Other monoclonal antibodies that have shown efficacy in combination therapy include siltuximab (OR: 66%), indatuximab (OR: 78%), isatuximab (OR: 64.5%), pembrolizumab (OR: 60%), bevacizumab (OR: 70%), dacetuzumab (OR: 39%) and lorvotuzumab (OR: 56.4%). No OR was observed with monotherapy using BI-505, siltuximab, bevacizumab, AVE-1642, figitumumab, atacicept, milatuzumab, dacetuzumab, lucatumumab, IPH2101, lorvotuzumab, BT062 and nivolumab. We included seven clinical trials on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. CAR T-cell targets include BCMA, CD19, KLC and CD138. A recent experience of CAR T-cell (B-cell maturation antigen) therapy in advanced MM has shown global response of 100%. The future of monoclonal antibodies and adoptive T cells for MM treatment seems promising.

INTRODUCTION -The prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly population is inherently poor due to multiple factors including: frailty, medical co-morbidities and high treatment related morbidity with traditional induction chemotherapy and presence of adverse risk cytogenetics in 17-20% of patients. For patients who are not candidates for intensive chemotherapy, outcomes in terms of complete response/complete response with incomplete hematologic response (CR/CRi) and median overall survival (mOS) have been evaluated using hypomethylating agents(HMA) including azacytidine (AZA)(CR/CRi=18-27.8%, mOS=10.4-24.5 months) and decitabine (CR/CRi= 18-47%, mOS= 7-7.8 months). Recently, addition of venetoclax to HMA has shown to further improve CR/CRi (75%) and mOS (17.5 m). We conducted a systematic review of literature to identify recent studies that were published between 2015-2020 with an aim is to evaluate newer combination drug regimens (CDR) involving hypomethylating agents (AZA and decitabine) in treating elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML. METHODS- A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. We included phase I/II studies that used CDR with HMA in elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML. RESULTS- Initial database search lead to 1120 studies. After exclusion (duplicates, case reports/series, relapsed/refractory AML) final analysis included 12 studies (n=655). Seven phase I/II with CDR using decitabine (n=500) were included in our review. Drugs used in combination included gemcitabine ozagamicin (n=40, CR/CRi =45%, mOS= 7 m), cladribine and low dose cytarabine (n=118, CR/CRi= 68%, mOS =13.8 m), vadastuximab talirine (n=53, CR/CRi=70%, mOS=11.3 m) and selinexor (n=5, CR/Cri= 80%) . In addition, three studies compared outcomes of CDR involving decitabine with all trans retinoic acid (ATRA)(n=93, ORR=21.9% vs 13.5%, p=0.06; mOS= 8.2 m vs 5.1 m, p=0.006) or talacotuzumab (CR/CRi= 15% vs 11%, p=0.44; mOS= 5.36 m vs 7.26 m, p=0.78) or bortezomib (CR/CRi= 39% vs 38%, p=0.91, mOS=9.3 m vs 8.9,p=0.18) to decitabine alone. In addition, cladribine and low dose cytarabine with decitabine in patients with adverse cytogenetics showed a decent CR/CRi of 50%, mOS= 10.5 months. In TP 53 positive mutations, CR/CRi was 40% and mOS was 5.4 months. Five phase I/II studies using CDR with AZA (n=155) were included in our review. Drugs included midostaurin (n= 88 , CR/CRi=25-29% mOS= 6-8 m) and pracinostat (n= 50, CR/CRi =46% mOS=19.1 m), In addition, two studies compared outcomes using CDR involving AZA with panobinostat (n=22, CR= 22.4 vs 30.8%, OS at 1 year = 60% vs 70%) or entinostat (n=18, ORR= 0% vs 16.6%, mOS=6 m vs 13 m) to AZA alone. None of the two comparative CDR studies using AZA showed superior outcome compared to AZA alone. CONCLUSIONS - Novel drug combinations involving decitabine including cladribine and low dose cytarabine, vadastuximab talarine showed superior CR/CRi and mOS compared to decitabine alone used in historic studies. In addition, CR/CRi were similar to HMA and venetoclax combination. In small number of patients, CDR with selinexor also showed superior CR/CRi compared to decitabine alone. CDR involving decitabine and ATRA showed superior mOS in direct comparison with decitabine alone. In addition, cladribine, low dose cytarabine and decitabine has shown promising outcomes in patients with adverse cytogenetics. Among CDR involving AZA only Proctinostat showed superior CR/CRi and mOS compared to historic studies with AZA alone. A recent phase III study though involving this CDR in comparison with decitabine was terminated early due to lack of efficacy on preliminary analysis. The above listed efficacious CDR involving decitabine in phase I/II studies need to be evaluated in large, randomized trials to assess for definitive benefit. If proven efficacious in larger studies, they could serve as additional first line CDR options in addition to HMA and venetoclax in treating elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Lenalidomide is commonly used as induction or maintenance therapy in multiple myeloma. We report a case of 71-year-old female presenting with tardive dyskinesia-like symptoms one month after starting her lenalidomide maintenance therapy after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell rescue. Her symptoms evolved over days to pronounced uncontrollable limb movements, tongue smacking, lip-smacking, abnormal sounds, and tongue biting. The patient categorically denied any exposure to other drugs which are known to cause symptoms of tardive dyskinesia. The patient underwent a thorough evaluation, stopped the lenalidomide, and received therapy to control her symptoms with a gradual improvement over a six-week period. There is a paucity of literature on the association of lenalidomide with tardive dyskinesia. Common central nervous system-related side effects include peripheral neuropathy, dizziness, dysgeusia, headache, tremor, somnolence, and memory impairment. Very few studies in the existing literature have reported an association of tardive dyskinesia with lenalidomide therapy. Here, we present a case of an elderly female with multiple myeloma who developed severe tardive dyskinesia while she was on lenalidomide maintenance therapy.

The prognosis of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is poor. Intensive chemotherapy with the combination of cytarabine and anthracyclines is typically used as the first-line treatment in the elderly with newly diagnosed AML who are able to tolerate this regimen. Unfortunately, many patients are refractory to this treatment approach. The role of hypomethylating agents in the treatment of elderly patients with refractory AML has not been clearly defined. Therefore, we conducted a focused literature review to assess the role of hypomethylating agents in elderly patients with refractory AML. In addition, we present a case report of a patient with refractory AML, who was subsequently treated with azacytidine and showed an immediate response after one treatment cycle. He then proceeded to undergo nine more cycles. Ten months after the start of treatment with azacytidine, he remains in complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery. Given the positive results noted in multiple retrospective studies and in the presented case report, large-scale, prospective studies are needed to further define the role of hypomethylating agents in the treatment of elderly patients with refractory AML.

We report a case of a patient with relapsed Ewing’s sarcoma (ES). After receiving conventional chemotherapy (CC) and noticing chemosensitivity of the disease, we proceeded to give the patient two separate cycles of HDCT consisting of a melphalan/busulfan regimen in the first cycle and etoposide/melphalan in the second cycle. The patient proceeded to get an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) after each cycle of HDCT. Our patient, despite multiple poor prognostic factors, including advanced age and multiple sites of disease relapse, showed a one-year event-free survival. Relapsed ES is associated with a poor prognosis. No treatment regimen has yet been established as a standard of care in patients with relapsed ES. We conducted a focused literature review to assess the efficacy of high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by ASCT in patients with relapsed ES. Given the improved survival outcome with HDCT followed by ASCT in our patient, we propose that its role in relapsed ES needs further assessment through large prospective, randomized controlled studies.

Background. Relapsed Ewing’s sarcoma (RES) is an aggressive malignancy with poor survival. Although high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) given after conventional chemotherapy (CC) has shown survival benefits, it is not generally used in the United States for RES. We performed a systemic review to evaluate the benefits of HDCT for RES. Methods. Literature search involved Medline, Embase, and Cochrane database. We included studies with RES patients treated with HDCT/ASCT. Results. Twenty-four studies with total of 345 reported RES patients that got HDCT were included in final analysis. Seventeen studies had patients with multiple malignancies including RES, while seven had only RES patients. At 2 and 3–5 years, event-free survival (EFS) in studies with only RES patients ranged 42–47% and 20–61% and overall survival (OS) ranged 50–66% and 33–77%, respectively. In studies with combined patients that reported outcomes of RES separately, the EFS at 1–3 and 4 years was 36–66% and 17–50%, respectively. The OS at 1-2 and 3-4 years was 40–60% and 50–70%. Conclusions. Most studies using HDCT/ASCT as consolidation regimen showed improved survival benefits compared to CC. Randomized controlled studies are needed to determine true clinical benefits of HDCT followed by ASCT in patients with RES.

Background - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly patients (>65 years) is associated with poor prognosis with median overall survival (mOS) of 6 months. Hypomethylating agents (Azacytidine (Aza) and Decitabine) are used in elderly patients who are not candidates for intensive chemotherapy. Aza has resulted in complete remission/complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CR/CRi) of 18-27.8% and mOS of 10.4-24.5 months. Decitabine resulted in CR/CRi of 18-47% and mOS of 7.7-8 months. We conducted a systemic review to assess survival benefit of novel combination drug regimens (CDR) involving hypomethylating agent (HMA) in elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML. Methods - Comprehensive literature search was conducted in Medline, Embase and Cochrane database. We included phase I/II studies only that used CDR involving HMA. Results - Initial database search (since inception) lead to 975 studies. After exclusion (duplicates, case reports, relapsed/refractory AML) final analysis included 17 studies(n=540) Ten phase I/II CDR studies involving Aza (n=334) were included. The various drugs used in combination included valproic acid/all trans retinoic acid (n= 42 ,CR/CRi=26.2% mOS= 18.1 m), thalidomide (n= 14,CR/CRi= 29%, mOS= 13.2 m ), gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) (n= 142,CR/CRi = 35-44%, mOS= 11 m), lenalidomide (n= 45,CR/CRi=28-44% , mOS= 3-8.2 m), panobinostat (n=38,CR/CRi=10-22.4%, mOS= 8 m), midostaurin (n=12,CR/CRi=25%, mOS=6 m) , entinostat (n=18 ,CR/CRi=0% ,mOS= 6 m ), Seven phase I/II CDR studies(n=206) involving decitabine were included. Drugs used in combination included low dose cytarabine and aclarubicin (n= 85 ,CR/CRi = 64.7% , mOS= 10-12 m ), tosedostat (n=17 ,CR/CRi= 59% mOS= 11.5 m ), bexarotene(n= 4 ,CR/CRi= 0% mOS= 9.2 m), valproic acid(n= 62 ,CR/CRi= 9% mOS= 7.4m) , GO (n= 40,CR/CRi= 45% , mOS= 7m ),bortezomib (n= 10,CR/CRi= 50% ), vorinostat(n = 31,CR/CRi= 30%). Seven studies reported outcomes for patients with adverse cytogenetics separately. Of these, Aza with lenalidomide (n= 11) had a mOS of 9.5 months and with panobinostat (n=12) the overall response rate was 25% and mOS of 7 months. Similarly, decitabine with vorinostat (n = 8) and tosedostat(n =12) resulted in CR/CRi of 25% and 43% respectively. Long term outcomes for these CDR with decitabine were not reported. In two additional studies, valproic acid/all trans retinoic acid given with AZA and low dose cytarabine & aclarubicin with decitabine(p=0.023) showed poor outcome through multivariable cox model analysis. Five studies reported response rates for subgroup of patients with secondary AML using HMA. Of these, Aza with lenalidomide (n= 16) had a CR/CRi = 27% with median response duration of 21.3 weeks, a CR/CRi of 0% with entinostat (n= 18) and CR/CRi of 22% with thalidomide(n=9). Decitabine given with tosadostat (n= 10) had CR/CRi of 60% and with bortezomib(n=3) the CR/CRi was 66%. The long term outcomes were not reported for these patients. Conclusion - Novel combinations involving Aza with valproic acid/all trans retinoic acid, thalidomide, or GO showed similar CR/CRi and mOS compared to Aza alone. Tosedostat, low dose cytarabine, and aclarubicin given in combination with decitabine showed best results with superior CR/CRi and mOS compared to decitabine alone. Bexarotene with decitabine also improved mOS over decitabine alone despite lower CR/CRi. In patients with adverse cytogenetics, Aza with lenalidomide or panobinostat showed superior CR/CRi and mOS. Decitabine given with vorinostat and tosedostat also showed superior CR/CRi. In patients with secondary AML, Aza in combination with lenalidomide or thalidomide and decitabine with tosedostat or bortezomib showed superior CR/CRi. These CDR for patients with adverse cytogenetics and secondary AML need further testing in studies designed with this specific patient population in which long term outcomes are also measured. These CDR need to be evaluated in large, randomized, prospective studies to assess definitive benefit. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

e20048Background: Primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL) is rare but aggressive disease with median overall survival (mOS) of less than one year. Our aim is to review its unique biology, efficacy of a...

7050Background: Relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AlloHSCT) for Ph+ve acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) remains the major cause of treatment failure. Use of tyr...

e20016Background: With the emergence of immunotherapy, genomics, and precision medicine, the future of multiple myeloma (MM) treatment is rapidly evolving. We reviewed the efficacy of (non-FDA appr...