Search

Summary Background In 2011 we reported a rituximab plus miniCHOP (reduced-dose cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) combination for patients older than 80 years with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The 2-year overall survival was 59% (95% CI 49–67) with an excess of early toxicity. To improve those results we tested the same chemotherapy protocol in combination with ofatumumab and a pre-phase treatment. Methods For this open-label, multicentre, single-group, phase 2 trial, we recruited patients older than 80 years with untreated histologically-proven CD20-positive DLBCL, Ann Arbor stage I to IV, from 41 academic and hospital centres in France and Belgium. Patients received a pre-phase with oral vincristine (1 mg total dose 1 week before cycle 1 [day −7]) and oral prednisone (60 mg total dose starting 1 week before cycle 1, for 4 days [day −7 to day −4]) before the first cycle of the ofatumumab plus miniCHOP regimen. The regimen consisted of 1000 mg total dose of intravenous ofatumumab, 25 mg/m 2 of intravenous doxorubicin, 400 mg/m 2 of intravenous cyclophosphamide, and 1 mg of intravenous vincristine, on day 1 of each cycle; and 40 mg/m 2 of oral prednisone on days 1–5. Ofatumumab was administered with 1000 mg of paracetamol and 50 mg of diphenhydramine. The primary endpoint was overall survival in the intention-to-treat population. The statistical analysis has been done on an intention-to-treat principle. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01195714. Findings Between June 2, 2010, and Nov 4, 2011, we enrolled 120 patients. Age-adjusted International Prognostic Index was 2–3 in 68 (57%) of them. The median follow-up time was 26·8 months (IQR 24·5–30·1). The 2-year overall survival was 64·7% (95% CI 55·3–72·7) and median overall survival was not reached (95% CI 30·2–not reached). 45 patients died during the treatment, of whom 28 (62%) died due to lymphoma. The most common side-effect was haematological toxicity. Among the 120 patients, grade 3–4 neutropenia was reported in 24 (21%) patients and thrombocytopenia in two (2%), during the treatment period. Grade 3–4 anaemia was reported in six (5%) patients; seven (6%) patients had one episode of febrile neutropenia. 17 (15%) of 115 patients in the modified intention-to-treat population had red blood cell transfusions and three (3%) had platelet transfusions. Interpretation Our result suggest that, in patients older than 80 years with DLBCL, ofatumumab and pre-phase treatment seem to improve overall survival compared with the previously reported data. The combination of pre-phase treatment, a monoclonal antibody against CD20, and miniCHOP can be considered a new treatment platform for use in randomised clinical trial design for DLBCL treatment in patients older than 80 years. Funding The Lymphoma Study Association, GlaxoSmithKline.

Purpose To determine the efficacy and safety of bendamustine as a single agent in refractory or relapsed T-cell lymphomas. Patients and Methods Patients with histologically confirmed peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) or cutaneous T-cell lymphoma who progressed after one or more lines of prior chemotherapy received bendamustine at 120 mg/m2 per day on days 1 through 2 every 3 weeks for six cycles. The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary end points were duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results Of the 60 patients included, 27 (45%) were refractory to their last prior chemotherapy, and the median duration of the best previous response was 6.6 months. Histology was predominantly angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy and PTCL not otherwise specified. The disease was disseminated in the majority of patients (87%). The median number of previous lines of chemotherapy was one (range, one to three). Twenty patients (33%) received fewer than three cycles of bendamustine, mostly because of disease progression. In the intent-to-treat population, the ORR was 50%, including complete response in 17 patients (28%) and partial response in 13 patients (22%). Bendamustine showed consistent efficacy independent of major disease characteristics. The median values for DoR, PFS, and OS were 3.5, 3.6, and 6.2 months, respectively. The most frequent grade 3 to 4 adverse events were neutropenia (30%), thrombocytopenia (24%), and infections (20%). Conclusion Bendamustine showed an encouraging high response rate across the two major PTCL subtypes, independent of age and prior treatment, with acceptable toxicity in refractory or relapsed T-cell lymphoma.

Although the combination of an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and chemotherapy has widely improved survival of patients with B-cell lymphoma, the disease still relapses. A better understanding of the biology of lymphomas has highlighted the role of the cell of origin in response to treatment and outcome. Lenalidomide represents an attractive therapeutic option due to its original mechanism of action.In this review, the authors describe the pharmacological properties of lenalidomide, and the rational for its use in B-cell lymphomas; focusing on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). They discuss the mechanism of action of the drug and its current and future clinical development. They also review the current data in relapsed/refractory situations as well as in first-line treatment.Lenalidomide is an oral non-chemotherapy immunomodulatory agent with an acceptable toxicity profile and manageable side-effects. Efficacy has widely been demonstrated, especially in MCL, FL and non-Germinal Center DLBCL patients. Further studies are now warranted to better define the strategy for the use of lenalidomide in B-NHL patients, and clarify which subgroup of patients will really benefit of lenalidomide as part of first-line treatment or in a relapsed/refractory setting.

Myeloma relapse is the main cause of death after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The aim of our observational study was to evaluate the anti-myeloma effect of lenalidomide followed by donor-lymphocyte infusion (DLI) as post-transplantation adoptive immunotherapy. Twelve patients with refractory myeloma were analyzed. The median age at transplantation was 56 years (range, 46-64 years). All patients received reduced-intensity conditioning. Patients were included if progressive or residual disease was observed at day +100 and if no signs of graft-vs-host disease were evident. DLIs were administered after two cycles of lenalidomide. Median dose of lenalidomide was 15 mg (range, 10-25 mg). Patients received a median of six cycles (range, 1-10 cycles). Nine patients (60%) received an escalating dose of DLI. The 1 and 2-year probability of progression-free survival was 75% and 50%, and overall survival was 83% and 69%, respectively. Median overall survival was not reached and median progression-free survival was 23 months. Lenalidomide is well tolerated after allogeneic stem cell transplantation; the combination with DLI did not cause a higher risk of graft-vs-host disease; an immunological synergistic effect was probably present with this strategy. This combination should be evaluated further in a larger cohort of patients.

The purpose of this study was to assess the results of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) after reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) from matched related donors (MRD) and unrelated donors (URD) in 40 patients with high-risk multiple myeloma (MM) in a single centre. Seventeen (43%) (Group 1) and 23 patients (57%) (Group 2) had URD and MRD, respectively. Thirty-nine patients (98%) received one or more autologous transplantation. The median follow-up was 22 months (1-49). None of our patient experienced a graft rejection. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD was higher (47%) for the URD vs. (17%) for the MRD (P = 0.092). The cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was no different between the two groups (24% vs. 30%, respectively). At 2 yr, the TRM probabilities were lower in the unrelated group 12% vs. 22% in the related group (P = 0.4). Also at 2 yrs, for patients receiving unrelated transplantation overall and progression-free survivals, 59% and 42%, respectively compared to patients with related donor transplantation, 66% and 44% (P = 0.241). In conclusion, these results suggest that URD in MM is feasible. The small number of patients with URD emphasizes the need to delineate indications and perform prospective protocols.

Background High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation is the standard treatment for relapsed and/or refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma although half of patients relapse after transplantation. Predictive factors, such as relapse within 12 months, Ann-Arbor stage at relapse, and relapse in previously irradiated fields are classically used to identify patients with poor outcome. Recently, 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography has emerged as a new method for providing information to predict outcome. The aim of this study was to confirm the predictive value of positron emission tomography status after salvage therapy and to compare single versus tandem autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with relapsed and/or refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Design and Methods We report a series of 111 consecutive patients with treatment-sensitive relapsed and/or treatment-refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma who achieved complete (positron emission tomography-negative group) or partial remission (positron emission tomography-positive group) at positron emission tomography evaluation after salvage chemotherapy and who underwent single or tandem autologous stem cell transplantation. Results Five-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 81% and 64%, respectively. There were significant differences in 5-year progression-free survival (79% versus 23%; P

Background: BIA-ALCL has recently been recognized as a distinct entity among T cell lymphomas. In the French Lymphopath network which has registered almost 60 000 lymphomas since 2010, 50 cases of BIA-ALCL were identified so far. Little is known about the causes, and prognostic factors of this disease. Methods: since 2016, a WebEx national multidisciplinary meeting has been implemented by the French Cancer Agency in order to better define therapeutic strategies for newly diagnosed cases after histologic confirmation. In the same time, BIA-ALCL registry was funded by LYSA in order to collect ambispectively patient clinical data including reasons for breast implantation (breast augmentation, reconstruction), implant manufacturer, treatments and outcome. Results: Thirty nine BIA-ALCL have been analyzed so far. Median age was 61 years (range 29-82) at diagnosis. In 20 out of 39 patients (pts) (51.3%) the first implant followed a mastectomy for breast cancer. Twelve pts were implanted twice (33%) and thirteen pts (36%) 3 times or more. The median delay between first implant and BIA-ALCL diagnosis was 11.9 years (range 4-37), and median delay from last implant to diagnosis was 3.6 years (range 0-26). The two clinical presentations i.e. seroma (n = 26 - 67%) and breast tumor mass with or without seroma (n = 9 - 23%) were most often correlated with the two distinct histological subtypes (in situ or infiltrative). The majority of pts (76.9%) were stage IE (n=30; 77%), and nine (23%) pts were stage IV. One hundred and thirty five implants have been used for these 39 patients. Considering available informations regarding the type of implants, almost all patients had at least one silicone-filled (n=35) and at least one textured implant (n=31). No patient had only smooth implant. Implant removal with total capsulectomy was performed in 33 patients and 13 underwent chemotherapy based mostly on CHOP or CHOP-like chemotherapy regimens (n=11; 85%). After 24 months of median follow-up, 33 pts are alive and free of evolutive disease. Two patients have not been evaluated. Four pts have died, either from lymphoma progression alone (n=2), or associated with concomitant breast cancer (n=2). All had an infiltrative histology, 3 were stage IV and one had a localized bulky disease. All but one received systemic chemotherapy and one received palliative care only due to concomitant breast cancer. One of these patients early relapsed after a first complete remission. Conclusions: In situ BIA-ALCLs have an indolent clinical course and remain in complete remission mainly after implant removal. Infiltrative BIA-ALCLs have a more aggressive clinical course. It is therefore critical to perform a rigorous staging using multi-imaging modality including TEP at baseline. Multiple implants could favor the occurrence of BIA-ALCL. New insights into the biology of BIA-ALCL might translate into more targeted and effective therapies in refractory or relapsed patients. The modalities of breast monitoring and reconstruction remain open questions for those patients. Disclosures Le Bras: Amgen: Consultancy. Bachy:Roche: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; Amgen: Honoraria; Takeda: Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Gilead Sciences: Honoraria; Sandoz: Consultancy. Fornecker:Servier: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria. Traverse-Glehen:Takeda: Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Other: Travel. Tilly:Astra-Zeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Honoraria; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Xerri:Janssen: Other: Travel. Gaulard:Celgene: Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Haioun:Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead Sciences: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sciences: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria.

7554Background: BIA-ALCL is recognized as a distinct entity. In the French Lymphopath network with 59,356 lymphomas registered since 2010, 55 peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) out of 526 breast ly...

Background Bortezomib is a first-in-class proteasome inhibitor with remarkable antitumor activity that is approved for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma. Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a frequent adverse event reported with bortezomib use. Patients and Methods The aim of this retrospective, single-center study was to determine the characteristics of bortezomib-associated PN in 100 patients with advanced myeloma. Peripheral neuropathy was evaluated by investigator's assessment. Results With a median follow-up of 8 months (range, 0.1–32 months) from bortezomib initiation, bortezomib-associated PN was observed in 38 patients (38%; 95% CI, 28%–47%), with grade 3 and 4 PN occurring in 5 patients and 1 patient, respectively. Median time to onset of bortezomib-associated PN was 53 days (range, 11–182 days). Of the 38 patients with bortezomib-associated PN, resolution or improvement occurred in 20 patients (53%) at a median of 3 months (range, 1–8 months). In multivariate analysis, the total number of cycles of bortezomib ( 4 cycles; P = .03; odds ratio [OR], 2.6; 95% CI, 1.1–6.1) and a previous history of thalidomide therapy ( P = .02; OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.2–12.6) were significantly associated with an increased incidence of bortezomib-associated PN. Conclusion We conclude that, though relatively frequent, bortezomib-associated PN is reversible in a majority of patients. However, bortezomib-associated PN seems to be dependent on previous therapy with thalidomide, suggesting that bortezomib followed by thalidomide could be an optimal sequence of administration of these drugs in the salvage setting.

Resume Introduction La leucemie lymphoide chronique (LLC) represente la leucemie la plus frequente dans le monde occidental. Sa prise en charge a ete profondement transformee ces dix dernieres annees par les avancees dans la comprehension de la physiopathologie de la maladie et par l’introduction de nouveaux outils therapeutiques. Les objectifs de cette mise au point sont de presenter, d’une part, les principaux resultats dans ce domaine, d’autre part, les grandes lignes d’une prise en charge diagnostique et therapeutique pratique et moderne. Actualites et points forts Les recents progres realises dans le domaine de la LLC s’appliquent principalement a la caracterisation pronostique de la maladie et a sa prise en charge therapeutique. Nous presenterons les differents aspects du bilan pronostique biologique d’une leucemie lymphoide chronique, puis nous aborderons les outils therapeutiques disponibles aujourd’hui, dans les domaines de la chimiotherapie et de l’immunotherapie (anticorps monoclonaux, greffe allogenique) et leur place respective. Perspectives et projets Les progres dans la caracterisation biologique (phenotypique et genetique) de la LLC vont permettre l’identification de sous-groupes pronostiques de patients. L’une des principales perspectives de ce champ d’exploration est une prise en charge therapeutique « ciblee », adaptee au risque. Nous presenterons les premiers resultats et les etudes en cours dans ce domaine.

La fatigue et l’anemie sont les symptomes les plus frequemment rapportes par les patients en cours de chimiotherapie. Les traitements curatifs sont souvent d’une efficacite retardee et insuffisante, et ont un cout non negligeable. Notre strategie a ete de proposer un traitement precoce de l’anemie pour tout patient en cours de chimiotherapie en utilisant des doses reduites et avec un schema simplifie. Tout patient âge de plus de 18 ans traite pour une tumeur solide ou lymphome ayant une hemoglobine inferieure ou egale a 12 g/dL recoit un traitement par erythropoietine (EPO). Le traitement est de rH-EPO 20 000 UI SC une fois par semaine. Les patients âges de plus de 70 ans recevaient de facon arbitraire darbepoietine 150 U SC une fois tous les 15 jours. L’evaluation portait sur le nombre de patients traites, transfuses, le cout global des prescriptions d’EPO. L’etude porte sur 12 mois d’octobre 2002 a octobre 2003. Le nombre de patients traites chaque mois est de 363 [317-415], soit trois fois plus qu’en 2001. Le nombre de patients transfuses a significativement baisse et est de 13 %, ce qui represente une reduction de 30 % des transfusions sur les 6 premiers mois de l’annee 2003. Le cout global des prescriptions par EPO est reste stable malgre l’augmentation du nombre de patients traites. Le traitement precocede l’anemie avec des posologies reduites et des schemas simplifies des patients traites par chimiotherapie permet de traiter un plus grand nombre de patients, de reduire les transfusions sans augmenter le cout global des traitements pour la societe.

BACKGROUND Optimal treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has yet to be defined, because chemotherapy could exacerbate immunodeficiency, with subsequent adverse effects for patients. METHODS The authors investigated the feasibility of an intensive chemotherapy regimen for HIV-associated NHL. Thirty-eight patients were treated with a first course of cyclophosphamide (Cy), vincristine, and prednisone; followed by 3 courses of high-dose Cy (2000 mg/m2), doxorubicin (Doxo; 50 mg/m2), vincristine, and prednisone (modified high-dose CHOP); 1 course of high-dose methotrexate (MTX; 8000 mg/m2); and 1 course of high-dose cytarabine (8000 mg/m2). Radiotherapy was added to the treatment regimen for patients with bulky disease or residual tumor. Chemotherapy was administered in conjunction with granulocyte–colony-stimulating factor and antiretroviral therapy. RESULTS Patients received 91.5%, 93%, 66%, and 63% of the scheduled doses of Cy, Doxo, MTX, and cytarabine, respectively. The complete response rate was 60.5%, with a total response rate of 79%. The 40-month overall survival rate was 43%, the disease-free survival rate was 65%, and the recurrence-free survival rate was 39%. Both an International Prognostic Index score of 0 or 1 and Burkitt-type histology had positive effects on survival, whereas CD4-positive lymphocyte counts, viral burden, and previous highly active antiretroviral therapy did not. CD4-positive T lymphocyte levels decreased from 0.197 ± 0.156 ×109/L before treatment to 0.152 ± 0.1 ×109/L at 6 months after the end of treatment. A decrease in viral load, from 380,000 ± 785,000 copies/mL before treatment to 25,000 ± 43,000 copies/mL at 6 months after the end of treatment, also was observed. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study indicate that intensive chemotherapy is effective and tolerable for patients with HIV-associated NHL. Cancer 2004;100:667–76. © 2004 American Cancer Society.

INTRODUCTION: Relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) remains a major therapeutic challenge: outcome is very poor, without curative option in most cases. Second alloHSCT may be considered in few selected patients because of anticipated limitations: 1) donor availability; 2) high toxicity due to previous treatments; 3) low efficacy considering the very advanced disease situation. We hypothesized that the use of post transplantation Cyclophosphamide (pCY) haplo-SCT may be an interesting alternative to overcome these limitations. In particular, the presence of full haplotype HLA mismatch could provide a decisive antileukemic effect relative to alloreactivity. In absence of large series in this setting, we report here the outcome after HaploSCT for patients who relapse after a first alloHSCT. METHODS: We retrospectively studied adult patients, who received a second pCy Haplo-SCT for hematological malignancies. Patients were treated between 2009 and 2016. The objective was to assess both the feasibility and the efficacy of HaploSCT in this setting. RESULTS: Twenty seven patients were included: median time between first alloHSCT and relapse was 11 months (range: 1-82). Median age at second transplantation was 49 years old (range: 21-61). Most of patients had acute myeloid leukemia (n=12, 44%) or Hodgkin lymphoma (n=6 patients, 22%). Fifteen patients (55%) were in complete remission at the time of pCY Haplo-SCT. Hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index was ≥ 3 in 20 patients (74%). Thirteen patients (48 %) received non-myeloablative conditioning regimen (as Baltimore schema, Luznik et al. BBMT 2008) prior to HaploSCT while remaining patients received busulfan-based regimen. Day+100 cumulative incidence of grade 2 to 4 and 3 to 4 acute GVHD was 15% and 7%. 2-year cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 12%. The cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality and relapse at 2 years were 38% and 27%, respectively. With a median follow up of 25 months (range: 4-63), 2-year progression-free and overall survivals were 36% and 39%, respectively. Disease status at the time of HaploSCT was a major determinant for outcome. Indeed, 2-year NRM and OS were 58% and 25% in patients transplanted with active disease, respectively, while corresponding values in patients transplanted in CR were 21% (p=0.036) and 49% (p=0.041), respectively (Figure 1A and 1B). CONCLUSION: We can conclude that in selected patients who could be candidate for second transplantation, HaploSCT is feasible and may represent a curative option. The overall incidence of relapse of 27% is promising in this situation for which no alternative for cure is available, with relatively good survival in patients transplanted in CR. However, the very high NRM (58%) in refractory patients should make us consider second transplant with caution in this setting. For these patients, specific developments are needed to avoid procedure-related toxicity. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

This study examines the long-term outcomes of a cohort of patients with myeloma who were treated with reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens after a minimum follow-up of 5 years at our centre. A total of 53 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (Allo-SCT) between January 2000 and January 2007 were identified. The median follow-up of living patients was 84 months (51-141). The median age of the MM patients was 50 (28-70) years. Fifty-one patients (96%) received a transplant from a sibling donor. The median time between diagnosis and Allo-SCT was 34 months (6-161), and the median time between auto-SCT and Allo-SCT was 10 months (1-89). Fifty-one patients (96%) received at least one auto-SCT; 24 patients (45%) received a tandem auto-Allo-SCT. At last follow-up, 21 patients (40%) are alive > 5 years post RIC Allo-SCT. At last follow-up, 14 (26%) are in first complete remission (CR), and four patients (8%) in second CR after donor lymphocyte infusion or re-induction with one of the new anti-myeloma drugs (bortezomib or lenalidomide) after Allo-SCT. Eight patients (38%) among these long survivors received one of these new drugs as induction or relapse treatment before Allo-SCT. Disease status and occurrence of cGvHD were significantly associated with progression-free survival (PFS); hazard ratio (HR) = 0.62 (0.30-1.29, P = 0.20). Acute GvHD was correlated with higher transplant-related mortality; HR = 4.19 (1.05-16.77, P = 0.04). No variables were associated with overall survival (OS). In conclusion, we observe that long-term disease control can be expected in a subset of MM patients undergoing RIC Allo-SCT. After 10 years, the OS and PFS were 32% and 24%, respectively. The PFS curve after Allo-SCT stabilizes in time with a plateau after 6 years post Allo-SCT.

The purpose of this study was to assess the results of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) after reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) from matched related donors (MRD) and unrelated donors (URD) in 40 patients with high-risk multiple myeloma (MM) in a single centre. Seventeen (43%) (Group 1) and 23 patients (57%) (Group 2) had URD and MRD, respectively. Thirty-nine patients (98%) received one or more autologous transplantation. The median follow-up was 22 months (1-49). None of our patient experienced a graft rejection. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD was higher (47%) for the URD vs. (17%) for the MRD (P = 0.092). The cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was no different between the two groups (24% vs. 30%, respectively). At 2 yr, the TRM probabilities were lower in the unrelated group 12% vs. 22% in the related group (P = 0.4). Also at 2 yrs, for patients receiving unrelated transplantation overall and progression-free survivals, 59% and 42%, respectively compared to patients with related donor transplantation, 66% and 44% (P = 0.241). In conclusion, these results suggest that URD in MM is feasible. The small number of patients with URD emphasizes the need to delineate indications and perform prospective protocols.

Survival of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has improved over the last decade since the introduction of the novel agents, lenalidomide and bortezomib, which are highly effective for both newly ...

Mature dendritic cells (DC) are efficient, antigen-presenting cells required for the stimulation of naive T lymphocytes. Many members of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor family are involved in DC maturation, such as Fas, CD40, OX40L, LIGHT (homologous to lymphotoxins, exhibits inducible expression, and competes with HSV glycoprotein D for herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM), a receptor expressed by T lymphocytes) or RANK (receptor activator of NFkappaB), with different, but often overlapping effects. We focused our attention on RANK DC stimulation, since RANK ligand (RL) is expressed on activated T lymphocytes with different kinetic and expression patterns from the other members of TNF family previously cited. After culture with RL-transfected cells, a significant percentage of immature DC generated from monocytes (Mo-DC) acquired a typical, mature DC morphology and phenotype characterised by up-regulation of CD83, DC-LAMP (lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein), HLA class I, CD86 and CD54. The functional RL-mediated maturation was demonstrated by a decrease in DC macropinocytosis and acquisition of the capacity to stimulate allogenic T-cells. Among the various cytokines tested, we detected only a weak up-regulation of IL-12p40. Our results show that ligation of RANK on DC cell surfaces is not only a survival stimulus, but also induces a partial and specific mature DC phenotype, the physiological significance of which is under investigation.

International audience; BACKGROUND: Adverse events (AEs) after hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) infusion are rare but might be life-threatening. These reactions have traditionally been associated with the amount of infused cryoprotectant, but persistence of such events after dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) depletion has questioned this assumption. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The incidence of AEs on a cohort of 460 patients (490 HPC infusions) undergoing autologous DMSO-reduced HPC transplantation was prospectively evaluated. HPCs were collected from adult patients with various hematologic or solid malignancies. After quality control (QC) on fresh apheresis products and subsequent cryopreservation, HPC grafts were thawed and washed at the cell therapy facility. QC was performed on each graft after washing, and clinical data were collected for each infusion. RESULTS: AEs were reported in 66 cases (13.5%) and were graded according to the NCI-CTC scale from 1 to 4. Although none of the factors associated with patient characteristics or infusion procedure were different between the two groups (no AE vs. occurrence of AE), it was found that the absolute number of granulocytes measured before freezing was considerably higher in the AE group. Furthermore, within this group, there was a strong correlation between the amount of granulocytes and the grading of the reaction. CONCLUSION: This survey demonstrates that AEs occurring in the setting of DMSO-reduced HPC grafts are directly related to the amount of granulocytes and thus emphasizes the need for high-quality apheresis products so as to improve the safety of HPC infusion.

Background: High dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remain standard of care in patients with relapsed non Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL). This regimen is also proposed as consolidation therapy in patients with poor prognosis aggressive NHL and mantle cell lymphoma in first complete remission (CR). BEAM (BCNU, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan) is the standard protocol chemotherapy used as conditioning regimen. A few previous studies with Bendamustine replacing BCNU have been reported with promising results. BendaEAM seems to show less toxicity and might improve results in relapsed Hodgkin/non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (R-HL/NHL) patients. Method: From January 2014 to July 2014, patients with NHL and HL were enrolled in this study. Previous therapy consisted in Rituximab (R)-CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicine, vincristine, prednisone) for all NHL patients transplanted in first CR. Patients with relapsed NHL and HL received high-dose cytarabine based salvage regimen. No patient presented significative comorbidity. Functional pulmonary test and cardiac evaluation were performed for all patients. with the conditioning regimen consisted in Bendamustine on day -7 and -6 (200 mg/m²/d), cytarabine daily from day -5 to day -2 (200 mg/m²/d), etoposide daily from day -5 to day -2 (200 mg/m²/d) and melphalan on day -1 (140 mg/m²). Autologous stem cells were infused on day 0. Prophylactic use of colony-stimulating factors was not allowed except for patients with less than 2x106 in the apheresis product. Patients received antimicrobial prophylaxis with oral fungizone. Red cells and platelets transfusions were administered to maintain hemoglobin level >8g/dl and a platelet count (PLT) >10x109/l. Broad spectrum antibiotics were delivered when fever developed. Results: There were 25 patients: 10 patients with diffuse large-B cell lymphoma and high international prognostic score (IPI) score in first CR, 5 patients with relapsed NHL or HL, 4 patients with mantle cell lymphoma in first CR, 5 patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma, and 1 patient with peripheral T cell lymphoma. A median number of 4,1x106 (range: 1.5-8.1) CD34 cells/kg was infused. All patients fully engrafted after a median time of 19.5 days (range: 14-24). Median times to PLT>20x109/l and PLT>50x109/l were 20 days (range: 16-52) and 22 days (range: 18-52) respectively. All patients experienced grade 3-4 fever with a documented infection in 9 cases Five patients were admitted in intensive care unit for septic shock and one patient died. One patient presented a total resolutive grade 4 renal failure. Three patients (12%) developed grade 3 cardiotoxicity (atrial fibrillation). No pulmonary toxicity was observed. Median time to hospital discharge was 23 days (range: 18-77). With a median follow-up of 2 months (range: 1-6) 24 patients are alive in CR. Conclusion: BendaEAM as conditioning regimen followed by ASCT is feasible in patients with NHL and HL. Toxicity of this chemotherapy is acceptable and seems comparable to that observed with the standard BEAM regimen (data will be presented). While the follow-up remains short, results are encouraging in patients with NHL or HL, as well as in first CR or subsequent CR. Thus, the use of bendamustine in lymphoma conditioning regimen can be recommended on the basis of its high anti-lymphoma activity, but also according to the safety of the drug with a lower pulmonary toxicity. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction: R-miniCHOP is the standard chemotherapy for patients over 80 years (y) with DLBCL. In the LNH 03-7B trial, the 2-year overall survival was 58.9% [95% CI: 49.3-67.2%]. Grade III/IV toxicity and deaths occurred during the two first cycles mainly (Lancet Oncol. 2011 May;12(5):460-8). In order to improve overall survival (OS) rituximab (R) was replaced by Ofatumumab (OFA), a humanised anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. In vitro data suggest that OFA induces more potent complement-mediated cytotoxicity than rituximab, and clinical data demonstrate activity of OF in rituximab-refractory lymphomas). In addition, to reduce early toxicity a pre-phase (PP) with vincristine and prednisone (P) was tested. Patients and methods: Patients older than 80 y with untreated CD20+ DLBCL, Ann Arbor stage I to IV, left ventricular ejection fraction > 50%, and a performance status (PS) of 0 to 4 were eligible. Patients received a PP with vincristine (1 mg TD D-7) and P (60 mg TD D-7 to D-4) before the first cycle of OF-miniCHOP. PP was followed by miniCHOP chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide: 400 mg/m² D1; doxorubicine: 25 mg/m² D1; vincristine: 1 mg total dose D1 and prednisolone 40 mg/m² by oral route from D1 to D5) plus OFA (1000 mg TD) every 21 days for 6 cycles. GCSF was optional. The primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of PP OF-mini-CHOP as measured by the OS. Secondary endpoints were response rate (RR), progression free survival (PFS), event-free survival (EFS), disease-free survival (DFS) for complete responders and toxicities. Survival results are presented for all included patients on an intend-to-treat basis (n=120). Response to treatment was evaluated according to 1999 Cheson criteria. Results: From June 2010 to November 2011, One-hundred-twenty-patients (male, female) were included in 41 centers of the LYSA. The median age was 83 years (range 89-95). Seventy-seven percent of patients had a stage III/IV. LDH level was elevated in 58% of patients. Age-adjusted (aa) IPI was 2-3 in 57% of patients. One-hundred-twenty patients completed the PP, 107 the first three cycles and 89 received the whole regimen. For patients who started the first cycle, the mean relative Dose-Intensity during trial was 98%, 97% and 96 % for OFA, doxorubicine and cyclophosphamide respectively. Seventy-eight percent of patient received at least one injection of GCSF. The overall RR was 67.5%, including 35.8% of complete response and 20 % of unconfirmed complete response. At the time of this analysis, in September 2013, the median follow-up time was 26.6 months. The 2-year overall survival was 64.7% [95% CI: 55.3-72.7%]. The two-year PFS, EFS and DFS were 57.2% [95% CI: 47.7-65.6%], 53.1% [95% CI: 43.7-61.6%] and 66.6% [95% CI: 54.0-76.5%] respectively. Haematological toxicity was the most common side effect. Grade 3-4 neutropenia was observed in 20.8% of the patients and grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia in 1.7%. Seven patients (5.8%) experienced at least one episode of febrile neutropenia. Infusion reaction related to OFA was reported in 12.5% of patients. Prolonged hospitalization (> or = 10 days) was observed in 17 cases (14.1%) and mainly occurred during cycle 1 to cycle 3. Forty-five patients died during the treatment evenly distributed between lymphoma (62.2%), intercurrent and other causes (22.2%), and concurrent illness (15.6 %). No toxic death was reported. Six patients died during treatment (1 during PP, 4 during cycle 1 to cycle 3, 1 during cycle 4 to cycle 6) Thirty-nine patients died during follow-up. In univariate analysis, low aaIPI (0 /1) is the unique statistically significant prognostic factor of prolonged OS (OR 3.083, [1.458-6.517] CI95%). Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) score equal to 4 is associated with a longer PFS. By contrast, low Albuminemia level, undernutrition according to buzby index and high Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) were not predictive of survival. Conclusion: In DLCBL patients over 80 y, immunochemotherapy with PP OFA-mini-CHOP appears to be safe and effective, confirming that a substantial proportion of very old patients can be cured. The use of a PP seems to reduce the early death risk. OFA and PP seems to improve OS comparing with the previous reported data. The combination of a PP, monoclonal antibody against CD20 and miniCHOP can be the new standard regimen for DLBCL patients over 80 y. Disclosures Off Label Use: Use of ofatumumab in high grade lymphoma..

7039 Background: In patients lacking HLA identical (HLA-id) donors, haploidentical (Haplo) donors is increasingly considered as a valid alternative stem cell source.The introduction of post-infusion Cyclophosphamide (Cy) as prophylaxis for immunological complications using T-cell replete graft is one of the most usual strategy. However, efficacy is still a matter of debate. Here we reviewed the outcome of 28 consecutives Haplo-HSCT patients with advanced NHL that we compared to an historical control cohort of patients transplanted from HLA-id donors. Methods: 28 Haplo-HSCT were performed between 04/06/2010 and 27/09/2013. Diagnoses were aggressive NHL in 22 patients and low-grade NHL in 6. Median age was 48 years (19-67). At transplant, 64% were in complete remission, 29% in partial remission and 7% in stable disease. These 28 patients were fully matched to 61 HLA-id patients. Conditioning regimen varied according to donor source. Haplo-HSCT patients received a NMAC associating of Fludarabine (150mg/m² to...

The TNF receptor (TNFR) family plays a central role in the development of the immune response. Here we describe the reciprocal regulation of the recently identified TNFR superfamily member herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) (TR2) and its ligand LIGHT (TL4) on T cells following activation and the mechanism of this process. T cell activation resulted in down-regulation of HVEM and up-regulation of LIGHT, which were both more pronounced in CD8+ than CD4+ T lymphocytes. The analysis of HVEM and LIGHT mRNA showed an increase in the steady state level of both mRNAs following stimulation. LIGHT, which was present in cytoplasm of resting T cells, was induced both in cytoplasm and at the cell surface. For HVEM, activation resulted in cellular redistribution, with its disappearance from cell surface. HVEM down-regulation did not rely on de novo protein synthesis, in contrast to the partial dependence of LIGHT induction. Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors did not modify HVEM expression, but did enhance LIGHT accumulation at the cell surface. However, HVEM down-regulation was partially blocked by a neutralizing mAb to LIGHT or an HVEM-Fc fusion protein during activation. As a model, we propose that following stimulation, membrane or secreted LIGHT binds to HVEM and induces receptor down-regulation. Degradation or release of LIGHT by matrix metalloproteinases then contributes to the return to baseline levels for both LIGHT and HVEM. These results reveal a self-regulating ligand/receptor system that contributes to T cell activation through the interaction of T cells with each other and probably with other cells of the immune system.

We treated at our institution six patients with kidney transplantation and lymphoma. After the end of chemotherapy, re-introduction of therapeutic immune suppression was not necessary since, with a significant follow-up (median follow-up of 26 months, range 12–36), no patient had severe renal function deterioration. These preliminary data suggest that, after lymphoma treatment, immune suppression can be withhold at least for 2 years. Restoration of a functional immune system may contribute to decrease the rate of lymphoma recurrence, in line with the absence of lymphoma relapse in our six patients, who are all still alive and in complete remission.

Abstract 3695 Despite recent immunochemotherapy advances approximately 50% of DLBCL patients relapse. Data emerging from initial clinical trials demonstrated that Lenalidomide has a significant activity against different subtypes of relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell lymphoma. Clinical responses are histology subtype-dependent and most prominent in mantle cell lymphoma. The results in DLBCL were less encouraging with ORR of 26%, CR of 9%, PFS of 2.7 mo. Concurrently targeting the tumor cell itself with monoclonal antibody and targeting the immune response and microenvironment with Lenalidomide may be a promising therapeutic strategy. Encouraging by our initial results of Lenalidomide-Rituximab (LR) combination in patient with refractory (R/R) DLBCL (Ivanov V. et al., 2010), Institutional Multidisciplinary Meeting proposed this combination for 17 patients with R/R DLBCL. All pts were refractory to three or more (range: 2–5) previous lines of conventional immuno-chemotherapy. All eligible pts, except 4 primary-refractory, were previously autografted. Median age for the whole group was 62,5 years, (range: 43–79), 5 pts are female. 65% of patients were younger than 65 y. Patients received combination of Rituximab 375 mg/m2 on day 1 or day 7; Lenalidomide (Revlimid), 15 mg/d for the first pt and 25 mg/d for other 16 pts, for 21/28 days. Dexamethasone 40mg, day 1–4 was given for first 7 pts. Initial decision on adding Dexamethasone was based on the extrapolation from the recommended regimen used in multiple myeloma, but it was abandoned in last 10 pts. Initially the treatment duration was established for 6 months, but it was prolonged to 7–11 months for patients in CR. Of 17 pts enrolled on study, 3 patients stopped the treatment during the first course: 1 pt because of grade 3 toxicity and 2 pts because of explosive disease progression. Both patients were switched to palliative care. In 14 pts, received more than 1 course of treatment, 7 (50 %) responded to LR combination, including 6 pts (43%) with CR and 1 (7%) patient with PR. One pt with clinical and PET-FDG scan improvement after 3 courses of LR was included into “auto-allo” tandem program and actually in CR at +12 months after PBSCT. Six pts progressed on LR treatment and were switched to palliative regimens. In intention to treat analysis the CR rate for the whole group was 35%. As regards the follow-up, all 7 pts in PR and CR are evaluable for evaluation. The patient in PR progressed after 5 courses of LR. Six patients in CR group received an average of 8 (range: 7–11) courses of LR treatment. Two patients relapsed after 5 and 26 months of CR and other 4 patients are actually in CR at +7, +17, +18 and +24 months. Adverse events were manageable and the most common toxicity included thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. In relapsed/refractory DLBCL modest initial results of Lenalidomide monotherapy emerge the use of new effective combinations. Recently the combination Lenalidomide-Rituximab (LR) was shown to be highly efficacious in phase 2 study in elderly (>65 y.o.) patients with DLBCL (Zinzani et al., 2011). Into the group of 23 pts the ORR rate at the end of 6-months induction phase was 35%. Our data confirm results of Bologna group in the younger group of patients. Given the poor prognosis of refractory DLBCL, enrolment in already running prospective clinical trials with Lenalidomide are underway and the investigation of the combination of Lenalidomide and Rituximab is further warranted. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

8026 Background: T-cell lymphomas have a poor prognosis with few options of effective treatment. This study determined the efficacy and safety of bendamustine as a single agent in the treatment of refractory or relapsed T-cell lymphomas. Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) or cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), who had previously received at least one line of chemotherapy were selected. Bendamustine was administered IV at the dosage of 120 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2 every 3 weeks, for 6 cycles. Treatment response was assessed using the IWC for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary end points were duration of response (DoR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS), NCT00959686. Results: Twenty two female and 38 male were included. The median age was 66 years with more 1/4 of them > 75. Histology was predominantly angio-immunoblastic lymphadenopathy (n=32) and PTCL-nos (n=23). The median previous line of chemotherapy was 1 (1-3). Nearly one half (45%) of the patients was refractory to the last previous chemotherapy and the median duration of the best previous response was 6.6 (1.5-67) months. The disease was disseminated in the majority of case (87%) and the international prognostic index (IPI) was high (3–5) in 68% of the patients. Twenty patients (33%) received less than 3 cycles of bendamustine. The major reason for early discontinuation was disease progression. In the Intent-To-Treat (ITT) population, the best ORR was 50%, including complete response (CR) in 28% and partial response (PR) in 22 %. Bendamustine showed a consistency in the efficacy as a function of major disease characteristics. The median values for DoR, PFS and OS were 3.5, 4 and 6 months respectively. The most frequent grade 3/4 AEs were neutropenia (30%), thrombocytopenia (24%) and infections (20%). Conclusions: Bendamustine is active in high risk refractory and relapsed T-cell lymphoma with manageable toxicity.

Abstract 2693 Introduction: Treatment of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (B-DLCL) is not well coded in the elderly patients. They may receive full dose immunochemotherapy, low dose chemotherapy or palliative treatment regarding co morbidities, Performans Status (PS), psychological, social or mental state. The lack of age-adapted prognosis factors including geriatric scales induce a subjective choice for the treatment. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the outcome of all the patients treated in a single institute for a B-DLCL, with comparison of age of diagnosis and treatment received. Methods: All patients with B-DLCL, age≥70 years, treated in the Paoli-Calmettes institute between 1995 and 2008 were included, excepted patients with intra-ocular and cerebral localizations or with a “Burkitt-like” histology. Were also excluded patients with incomplete data. Treatments were simplified for statistic analysis in three types: CHOP Like (CH-L): three chemotherapies with anthracyclin (or etoposide in place if cardiac impossibility) with conventional doses, mini-CHOP-Like (mCH-L): with reduce doses of anthracyclin and cyclophosphamide, or COP Like (C-L): two agents without anthracyclin. Factors studied in the different items are systematically Age (70–79 vs olders), PS (0–1 vs 2–4), LDH, Ann Arbor stage (AA:1–2 vs 3–4) and type of chemotherapy. Results: From 1995 to 2008, 212 patients with B-DLCL were admitted in the Paoli-Calmettes institute for a B-DLCL. The median age was 76 years [range 70–90], 70% of the patients had a PS=0–1 and 30% a PS=2–4, LDH was increased in 55% of patients, AA was 3–4 in 58% of cases. The repartition of chemotherapy was 56% for CH-L, 33% for mCH-L and 11% for C-L. In the 70–79 age subgroup, CH-L is predominant (67% vs 25% for the older patients, p Conclusion: Survival of our elderly population of patients with B-DLCL is comparable to the literature. With non-selected patients, repartition of factors from the IPI score is not different in the two age subgroups, but the more intensive chemotherapy is given in the less older patients. Moreover, OS is increased in this CH-L protocol, in contrast with the same incidence of relapse. Furthermore, the use of rituximab, a major treatment of B-DLCL in the elderly, do not influence OS in this non-selected population of patients. These data confirm the requirement of a more discriminant prognosis model than the IPI score for the daily practice, including relevant geriatric factors. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 335 The cure of relapsed or refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) still remains a challenge. High dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the standard of care but almost half of patients relapse after ASCT and have poor outcome. Predictive factors including an interval from end of first line therapy to relapse shorter than 12 months, an Ann-Arbor stage III or IV at relapse, and relapse in previously irradiated field are currently used to identify patients with poor outcome. Development of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) assessment improves evaluation of response both in first line and salvage treatments. The aim of our study is first to confirm the predictive value of PET status before ASCT and then to compare ASCT strategy (single versus tandem) in patients with relapsed and/or refractory HL. We here report a series of 111 consecutive patients with relapsed and/or refractory HL who achieved at least partial remission (PR) at PET evaluation after one line of salvage chemotherapy and who underwent single or tandem ASCT. PET response assessment showed 85 (77%) patients in CR (PET- group) and 26 (23%) in PR (PET+ group). Five-year overall (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were 81% and 64% respectively. There were significant differences in 5-year PFS (79% versus 23%, p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 4310 Purpose: Relapse remains the main issue after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (Allo-SCT) in high risk Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients. The aim of this study is to assess the anti-myeloma effect of lenalidomide followed by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) as adoptive immunotherapy after transplantation. Patients and methods: Twelve patients with refractory and high risk myeloma were analyzed. Median age at transplantation was 56 years (46–64); 6 patients (50%) received lenalidomide before Allo-SCT. All patients received a RIC including Fludarabine 30 mg/m2 5 days, ATG 2,5 mg/kg for 2 days and Busilvex 3.2 mg/kg/day (3 days in 6 patients and 2 days in 6 patients). All but one received peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC). Donor was HLA id in 6 patients and matched unrelated in 6 patients. It is our standard long term practice to consider post-transplant DLI in patients with progressive or persistent disease after day 100 if no GVHD signs were evident. In 2010, we introduced the use of lenalidomide after day 100 in patients with MM presenting the same characteristics. Doses ranged from 10 to 25 mg/day. Lenalodomide treatment could be completed with DLI, administered afterward, at least after 2 cycles. Results: The median time between Allo-SCT and lenalidomide was 10 months (3–38). The median initial dose of lenalidomide was 15 mg (10–25). Patients received a median of 6 cycles (1–10). Nine patients (60%) received an escalating dose of DLI; 1 × 107/Kg of CD3+cells for the first DLI and 1 × 108/Kg of CD3+cells for the second DLI. One patient with GVHD (after tapering of the cyclosporine A and only after 10 days of lenalidomide) and two patients with progressive disease after lenalidomide did not receive DLI. The toxicity related to lenalidomide was mainly haematological (grade II in 4 patients (33%) and grade I in 3 patients (25%); 7 patients (58%) had moderate asthenia. One patient developed a reversible renal insufficiency after 10 cycles of lenalidomide, none of our patients developed thrombo-embolism under treatment. At the last follow up, 9 patients are alive and all of them are under ongoing treatment. Four patients achieved complete remission (CR) and five patients partial remission at last evaluation. The 1 and 2 years probability of the progression-free survival (PFS) was 75% and 50% and overall survival (OS) was 83 % and 69% respectively. The median OS was not reached and the median PFS was 23 months. Conclusions: These data show that lenalidomide has an acceptable toxicity. Combination with DLI should be further evaluated in a larger cohort of patients. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 4513 Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess the results of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (Allo-SCT) after reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) from an unrelated donor in patients with high-risk multiple myeloma (MM) in a single centre. From January 2007 to January 2011 we consecutively transplanted 40 patients with MM. Patients and methods: Seventeen (43%) (Group 1) and 23 patients (57%) (Group 2) had unrelated and related donor respectively. The median age was 48 years (39–63) in the first group and 56 years (40–67) in the second group (P=0.0769). Thirty nine patients (98%) received one or more autologous transplantation. Ten patients (Group 1: N=5 (29%); Group 2: N=5 (22%)) were transplanted within whereas 30 patients were treated beyond (Group 1: N=12 (71%); Group 2: N=18 (78%) the first line treatment strategy. The disease status at transplantation was Complete Remission (CR) or VGPR in (35%) vs (43%), Partial remission (PR) in (59%) vs (52%) and Progression or Refractory Disease in (6%) vs (4%) (PD/RD) in the first and second group respectively (p=0.1770). Graft was peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) in all patients in the related donor group and in 14 patients (82%) in the second group, the other 3 patients (18%) receiving marrow. Thirty-three patients (Group 1: N=14 (82%); Group 2: N=19 (83%) were treated with a RIC based on Fludarabine (30mg/m2/d × 5); Busulfan (4 mg/kg/d p.o. or 3.2 mg/kg/d IV over 2 to 3 days) and rabbit ATG (2.5 mg/kg/d × 2). Seven patients received Fludarabine (25mg/kg/d for 3 days) and 2 Gys total body irradiation (TBI). Post-graft immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporine (CSA) alone in 26 patients (65%), CSA and mycophenolate mofetil in 14 patients (35%). Result: The median follow-up was 22 months (1–49). None of our patient experienced a graft rejection. The cumulative incidence of grade II-III acute graft versus-host disease (GVHD) tended to be higher after unrelated donor graft (41% vs 17%) (p= 0.12). The cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was no different between the first and second group (24% vs 30% respectively). At last follow up 24 patients (group 1: N=11 (65%); Group 2:N=14 (61%) were still alive of whom 17 are in CR (group 1: N=9 (53%); Group 2:N=8 (35%), 5 in PR (group 1: N=1 (6%); Group 2:N=4 (17%)and 2 in progressive disease (group 1: N=1; Group 2:N=1). The estimated probability of non relapse mortality (NRM) at day 100 was 0% in the two groups and not statically different at 2 years. (12% vs. 22% (P=0.4)) Also 2 year overall and progression-free survivals were not statiscally different after unrelated and related donor transplants (59% vs. 66% (P=0.110) and 42% vs. 44% (p=0.241)). The incidence of acute GVHD, OS, PFS and NRM were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: Our experience, although limited, supports that high risk MM patients can benefit from a RIC Allo-SCT with unrelated donor when a HLA matched sibling donor is not available conducting to acceptable and comparable outcomes. This deserves further analysis in larger populations. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 4989 Data emerging from initial clinical trials demonstrated that Lenalidomide has a significant activity against different subtypes of aggressive B-cell lymphoma. Clinical responses are histologic subtype-dependent and most prominent in mantle cell lymphoma. The results in DLBCL were less encouraging with ORR of 26%, CR of 9%, PFS of 2.7 mo. Concurrently targeting the tumor cell itself with monoclonal antibody and targeting the immune response and microenvironment with Lenalidomide may be a promising therapeutic strategy. By modulating the immune system through dendritic cells and NK cells, by changing the cytokine milieu, and by their anti-angiogenic effects, IMiDs in combination with rituximab resulted in augmented in vitro and vivo antitumor effects against B-cell lymphoma. Recently the combination Lenalidomide-Rituximab (LR) was shown to be highly efficacious in follicular NHL. Encouraging by our initial results of LR combination in patient with refractory (R/R) DLBCL (Leuk Lymphoma 2010), Institutional Multidisciplinary Meeting proposed this combination for other 8 patients with R/R DLBCL. All patients were refractory to three or more previous lines of conventional immuno-chemotherapy. All except 3 primary-refractory pts were previously autografted. Patients received combination of Rituximab 375 mg/m2, day 1 or day 7; Lenalidomide (Revlimid), 15 mg/d for the first pt and 25 mg/d for other 8 pts, for 21 days. Dexamethasone 40mg, day 1–4 was given for first 6 pts. Initial decision on adding Dexamethasone was based on the extrapolation from the recommended regimen used in multiple myeloma, but it was abandoned in last 3 pts. Of 9 pts enrolled on study, 8 received > 2 cycles of LR and all of them were evaluable for response. Median age for evaluable pts was 52 (range: 19–73), 3 pts are female. Of 8 evaluable pts, 5 (63%) responded to LR, including 3 pts (38%) with CR and 2 (25%) patients with PR. These two PR pts were primary refractory to chemotherapy before LR and both were grafted (1 auto and 1 allo) after three courses of LR. One pt with clinical and PET-FDG scan improvement after 3 courses of LR was included into “auto-allo” tandem program and actually in CR after PBSCT. Two pts progressed on LR treatment and were switched to palliative regimens. As regards the follow-up, 3 pts in CR are evaluable for evaluation. Two pts received 6 and one pt 8 courses of RL treatment. One patient relapsed after 24 mo of CR and other 2 patients are in CR at +11 and +6 months. In relapsed/refractory DLBCL modest initial results of lenalidomide monotherapy emerge the use of new effective combinations. Recently several phase II studies of LR efficacy in indolent NHL were proposed. For instance, there is no published data of long-term safety and efficacy of this combination in DLBCL. Given the poor prognosis of refractory DLBCL, enrolment in already running prospective clinical trials with lenalidomide are underway and the investigation of the combination of Lenalidomide and Rituximab is further warranted. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 4456 The increasing use of the novel agents, lenalinomide and bortezomib, in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) has contributed to higher complete remission (CR) rates and longer overall (OS) and event free survival (EFS). We assessed the impact of these drugs on the outcome of high-risk MM patients treated with allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (allo-SCT) after reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) over the last 10 years in our program. This retrospective study compared 45 patients (group1) transplanted in our centre between January 1999 and January 2006 and who had not received either novel agent prior to transplant (as induction or relapse therapy) with 34 patients (group 2) transplanted between January 2006 and June 2010 who received either one or both drugs before allo-SCT. The median time between diagnosis and Allo-SCT was 37 months (6–161) and 41 months (9–145) in the two groups respectively (p=NS). The median time between auto-SCT and allo-SCT was 9 months (2–89) and 27 months (2–49) respectively (p Groups differ in several aspects: In recent years allogeneic transplant was considered rather as salvage therapy in patients relapsing after auto-SCT than in a tandem auto-allo strategy, patients with cytogenetic aberrations (p The median follow-up after transplant was 45 (2–127) and 16 (3–39) months in the first and second group respectively (p The estimated probability of TRM at day 100 was 12% in the first group vs. 0 % in the second group (p=0.077) and did not differ between groups at 2 years. (18% vs. 23% (p =0.537)). The overall survival (OS) at two years was 60% vs 70% in the first and second group respectively (p=0.1784). The progression-free survival (PFS) tended to be different at 2 years (45% vs. 65% (p=0.056)). The median of PFS is 22 months for patients transplanted prior 2006 and is not reached in the second group (p=0.1811). In our study there was no significant difference in OS or TRM between the 2 groups in multivariate analysis; only the number of previous auto-SCT with more than two high dose chemotherapies has a negative impact on the OS. There was a significant difference in the incidence of relapse between the 2 groups in the multivariate analysis. Although we cannot carry out the impact of other changes related to our practice in the same period, these data suggests an impact in transplant outcomes of novel drugs introduced in the therapy of MM (lower TRM, GVHD and higher disease control). This piece of information, if confirmed, should be taken into considerations for present and future approaches. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 5190 Limited data is available concerning feasibility and efficacy of high dose therapy (HDT) supported by autologous PBSCT in elderly patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). In young patients with poor prognostic features intensification supported by PBSCT as a part of first-line treatment suggests survival benefit. It is not clear if the same strategy is applicable to the older patients. The Institute Paoli-Calmettes database was reviewed for all DLBCL patients who received BEAM followed by PBSCT in patients >=60 years old between January 1998 and January 2010 (13 years). All patients were HIV-negative and received BEAM intensification as a part of front-line treatment. All of them were in a complete response after CHOP or R-CHOP induction prior to autograft. Thirty six auto-transplanted patients were identified (median age 63 y, range 60–68). This cohort was compared with closely matched group of 43 patients of same age range, who received first-line CHOP or R-CHOP regimen without intensification in the same 13-year interval. Only patients in a complete response after first line were included. As frontline autoPBSCT was performed in high-risk patients, the group without HDT was naturally privileged in the terms of Ann-Arbor stage and aaIPI index. There was significant difference in the localised vs disseminated disease (stage I-II: 53,4% in no-HDT vs 14% in HDT group, p=0,00025) and aaIPI (0-1: 72% in no-HDT vs 28% in HDT, p=0,000086) between the two groups. Factors evaluated included treatment-related mortality (TRM), overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS). There were no transplant-related deaths in the HDT group. The estimated 5-year OS was 81,3% (95% CI 62,5-91,9 %) and 10-year OS was 65% (95%CI 34,2-86,9%) for HDT group compared to 91,5% (95% CI 77,5-97,1%) and 58,4% (95% CI 20–88,8%) in the no-HDT group (p=NS). There were 8 events (6 relapses and 2 secondary malignancy deaths) in the HDT group and 11 events (9 relapses and 2 secondary malignancy deaths) in no-HDT (5-year EFS 77,6% (95% CI 60,3-88,8%) vs 78,3% (95%CI 62,3-88,8%), p=NS)). We conclude that front-line autologous PBSCT with BEAM conditioning can be safely performed in patients aged 60 years or above with DLBCL after CHOP of R-CHOP induction. There was no difference in OS and EFS between cohorts with and without intensification even if the auto-transplantation procedure was reserved for the high risk patients only. The first-line HDT with autologous PBSCT in older patients with high-risk IPI score might improve survival in this group and produce results similar to those in the low-risk group. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Limited data is available concerning feasibility and efficacy of high dose therapy (HDT) supported by autologous PBSCT in elderly patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). In young patients with poor prognostic features intensification supported by PBSCT as a part of first-line treatment suggests survival benefit. It is not clear if the same strategy is applicable to the older patients. The Institute Paoli-Calmettes database was reviewed for all DLBCL patients who received BEAM followed by PBSCT in patients >=60 years old between January 1998 and December 2006 (9 years). All patients were HIV-negative and received BEAM intensification as a part of front-line treatment. All of them were in a complete or partial response after CHOP or R-CHOP induction prior to autograft. Twenty seven auto-transplanted patients were identified (median age 63 y, range 60–68). This cohort was compared with closely matched group of 37 patients of same age range, who received first-line CHOP or R-CHOP regimen without intensification in the same 9-years interval. Only patients in a complete response after first line were included. As frontline autoPBSCT was performed in high-risk patients, the group without HDT was naturally privileged in the terms of Ann-Arbor stage and aaIPI index. There was significant difference in the localised vs disseminated disease (stage I–II: 54% in no-HDT vs 26% in HDT group, p=0.03)) and aaIPI (0–1: 66% in no-HDT vs 37% in HDT, p=0.046) between the two groups. Factors evaluated included treatment-related mortality (TRM), overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS). TRM in the HDT group (1/27 pts (3,7%)) was comparable with previously published data. The estimated 5-year OS was 75,5% (95%CI 52–90 %) for HDT group compared to 79,9% (95%CI 58–92%) in the no-HDT group (p=0,75). There were 8 events (1 TRM and 7 relapses) in the HDT group and 11events (all relapses) in no-HDT (5-year EFS 49,4% vs 64,2%, p=0.45). We conclude that frontline autologous PBSCT with BEAM conditioning can be safely performed in patients aged 60 years or above with DLBCL after CHOP of R-CHOP induction. There was no difference in OS and EFS between cohorts with and without intensification even if the auto-transplantation procedure was reserved for the high risk patients. We conclude that first-line HDT with autologous PBSCT in older patients with high-risk IPI score might improve survival in this group and produce results similar to those in the low-risk group.

Bortezomib is a first-in-class proteasome inhibitor approved for the treatment of MM patients who have received at least one prior therapy. Classically, patients receive bortezomib 1.3 or 1.0 mg/m2 by IV bolus on days 1, 4, 8, and 11 of a 21-day cycle, associated or not to dexamethasone, for a total number of 8 cycles. Such administration schema is associated with a remarkable anti-tumor activity and response. However, a significant number of patients who are initially responders to bortezomib, will progress after drug discontinuation, raising the question of long term or maintenance treatment with bortezomib. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the tolerance and safety profiles of long term treatment with bortezomib in a cohort of 16 patients with relapsed and/or refractory MM treated in a single institution. Eligible patients for this analysis are those who had relapsed MM, and who continued to receive bortezomib (1.3 or 1.0 mg/m2) as a long term therapy beyond the classical 8 cycles. All medical charts were uniformly reviewed in detail for assessment of toxicity, safety and response. The median age was 53 (range, 27–74) years. The majority of patients had already received at least one prior autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (n=12; 75%). Also, 12 patients (75%) had received prior treatment with thalidomide at a median dose of 200 mg/day, for a median duration of 7 months. Before treatment with bortezomib, 7 patients (44%) already had some form of peripheral neuropathy (PN). With a median follow-up of 16 months from bortezomib initiation, patients from this series received a median of 10 (range, 9–16) cycles of bortezomib administered over a median period of 11 (range, 7–35) months. Overall, 6 patients had evidence of bortezomib-associated PN (38%; 4 grade 1, 1 grade 2 and 1 grade 3; sensory symptoms in all cases). Other bortezomib-related toxicities included thromobopenia (n=8; 50%; 1 grade 1, 5 grade 2, and 2 grade 3–4). General fatigue was also common and was encountered in 5 (31%) patients. Overall, bortezomib-associated toxicities led to dose reduction or increase of treatment cycle duration in 9 patients (56%), but none of the patients had to definitively discontinue treatment because of unacceptable toxicity. At last follow-up, 6 patients are still receiving bortezomib, 4 patients died from disease progression, no patient died from treatment-related causes, and the remaining 12 patients are still alive. Long term treatment with bortezomib was associated with an objective disease response rate in 87% (95%CI, 60–98%) of patients (n=14; 3 CR, 8 VGPR, 3 PR). The Kaplan-Meier estimate for overall survival is shown in the figure below. Though relatively small, results from this series suggest that long term treatment with bortezomib is feasible. Toxicity, tolerance and safety profiles of long term treatment are comparable to those observed with the standard schedule and manageable after dose reduction. Therefore, prospective studies aiming to optimize bortezomib administration schedule and duration (beyond the classical 8 cycles) are warranted, since such long term treatment can yield major objective disease response. Download : Download high-res image (61KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure

We have reported that RBCT needs inversely correlated to the conditioning intensity (Transfusion, 2004). Moreover, Hb level prior to RIC ASCT significantly influenced Hb recovery and RBCT needs (BMT, 2005). These findings invited us to test the hypothesis that post RIC allo SCT might represent an attractive setting for rHuEPO use. Here we analysed RBCT needs in the first 60 days after transplantation in 125 consecutive RIC allo geno-identical sibling PBSC ASCTs treated for lymphoid malignancies (LM) and solid tumours (ST) performed in our institution from 01/2001: age: 48 (23–68) ; M/F: 63/62 ; LM/ST: 96/39; RIC: FBA (Fludarabine (FLU)+ Busulfan (BU) + Thymoglobulin (ATG))(74), FBTLI (FLU + BU + 1 Gy TLI) (23), FLU+ 2 Gy TBI (26), FLU + Endoxan (2). 45 pts were treated with rHuEPO started on day 1 (EPO+ group). First 10 pts received epoetine-beta (Neorecormon, Roche) (10.000 IU × 3/week). The remaining 35 pts received Darbopoietine alpha (Aranesp, Amgen), (150 mkg/week: 10 pts; 500 mkg/3 weeks: 25 pts). Trt was continued until Hb level reached 12 g/dL or day +60. 80 pts did not receive EPO stimulation (EPO- group). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of patient and graft characteristics. AGVHD grade II–IV appeared before day +60 in both groups in 36% of cases. The 4 year survival probability estimates did not differ between the 2 groups (EPO+: 49.7% (32–67); EPO-: 44.7% (32–60)). Potential risk factors for RBCT needs were assessed in a univariate analysis: patient and donor age (NS), patient and donor gender (NS), donor/recipient gender compatibility (NS), ABO compatibility (NS), diagnosis (lymphoid malignancies vs solid tumours (NS)), conditioning regiments (ATG-based vs no ATG (NS) and BU-containing vs. no BU (NS)), CD34+ cell dose ( Figure Figure