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Background: Iron overload is frequently found in transfused patients with chronic anemia and congenital hemochromatosis. Iron toxicity adversely affects organs, including the heart, liver, and endocrine glands. Iron chelation helps patients with transfusion-related iron overload improve organ dysfunction and prolong survival.Current Concepts: Iron overload is classified into primary and secondary causes. Acquired causes of secondary iron overload include ineffective erythropoiesis, chronic transfusion, and chronic liver diseases. The effectiveness of iron chelation therapy in reducing or maintaining body iron has been demonstrated in many studies of patients with transfusion-induced anemias. Deferasirox, a once-daily oral iron chelator for adult and pediatric patients with transfusion-induced iron overload, is available in Korea. The initial daily dose of deferasirox recommended by Korean guidelines is 20 mg/kg body weight, taken on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes before meals. Serum ferritin levels should be maintained below 1,000 ng/mL.Discussion and Conclusion: Iron chelation therapy should be considered when a patient has undergone large red blood cell transfusions, and there is evidence of organ iron overload to improve organ dysfunction and survival.

Gaucher disease (GD) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by excessive accumulation of glucosylceramide in multiple organs. This study was performed to determine the detection rate of GD in a selected patient population with unexplained splenomegaly in Korea.This was a multicenter, observational study conducted at 18 sites in Korea between December 2016 and February 2020. Adult patients with unexplained splenomegaly were enrolled and tested for β-glucosidase enzyme activity on dried blood spots (DBS) and in peripheral blood leukocytes. Mutation analysis was performed if the test was positive or indeterminate for the enzyme assay. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with GD in patients with unexplained splenomegaly.A total of 352 patients were enrolled in this study (male patients, 199; mean age, 48.42 yr). Amongst them, 14.77% of patients had concomitant hepatomegaly. The most common sign related to GD was splenomegaly (100%), followed by thrombocytopenia (44.32%) and, anemia (40.91%). The β-glucosidase activity assay on DBS and peripheral leukocytes showed abnormal results in sixteen and six patients, respectively. Eight patients were tested for the mutation, seven of whom were negative and one patient showed a positive mutation analysis result. One female patient who presented with splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia was diagnosed with type 1 GD. The detection rate of GD was 0.2841% (exact 95% CI, 0.0072‒1.5726).The detection rate of GD in probable high-risk patients in Korea was lower than expected. However, the role of hemato-oncologists is still important in the diagnosis of GD.

Nilotinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for frontline and 2nd line treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML). This study aimed to confirm the safety and efficacy of nilotinib in routine clinical practice within South Korea.An open-label, multicenter, single-arm, 12-week observational post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study was conducted on 669 Korean adult patients with Ph+ CML from December 24, 2010, to December 23, 2016. The patients received nilotinib treatment in routine clinical practice settings. Safety was evaluated by all types of adverse events (AEs) during the study period, and efficacy was evaluated by the complete hematological response (CHR) and cytogenetic response.During the study period, AEs occurred in 61.3% (410 patients, 973 events), adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in 40.5% (271/669 patients, 559 events), serious AEs in 4.5% (30 patients, 37 events), and serious ADRs in 0.7% (5 patients, 8 events). Furthermore, unexpected AEs occurred at a rate of 6.9% (46 patients, 55 events) and unexpected ADRs at 1.2% (8 patients, 8 events). As for the efficacy results, CHR was achieved in 89.5% (442/494 patients), and minor cytogenetic response or major cytogenetic response was achieved in 85.8% (139/162 patients).This PMS study shows consistent results in terms of safety and efficacy compared with previous studies. Nilotinib was well tolerated and efficacious in adult Korean patients with Ph+ CML in routine clinical practice settings.

Supplementary Methods, Supplementary Figure Legends, Supplementary Table

Kaplan-Meier estimated progression-free survival (PFS) in the intention-to-treat population

Major molecular response by 12 months, by Sokal risk group. bid, twice daily; MMR, major molecular response (defined as BCR-ABL1 transcript level {less than or equal to}0.1% [MR3.0]); qd, daily.

Purpose: Radotinib is a second-generation BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) approved in Korea for chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP) in patients newly diagnosed or with insufficient response to other TKIs. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of radotinib as first-line therapy for CML-CP.Experimental Design: This multinational, open-label study assigned patients (1:1:1) to one of two twice-daily radotinib doses, or imatinib daily. The primary endpoint was major molecular response (MMR) by 12 months.Results: Two hundred forty-one patients were randomized to receive radotinib 300 mg (n = 79) or 400 mg twice-daily (n = 81), or imatinib 400 mg daily (n = 81). MMR rates by 12 months were higher in patients receiving radotinib 300 mg (52%) or radotinib 400 mg twice-daily (46%) versus imatinib (30%; P = 0.0044 and P = 0.0342, respectively). Complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) rates by 12 months were higher for radotinib 300 mg (91%) versus imatinib (77%; P = 0.0120). Early molecular response at 3 months occurred in 86% and 87% of patients receiving radotinib 300 mg and radotinib 400 mg, respectively, and 71% of those receiving imatinib. By 12 months, no patients had progression to accelerated phase or blast crisis. Most adverse events were manageable with dose reduction.Conclusions: Radotinib demonstrated superiority over imatinib in CCyR and MMR in patients newly diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome–positive CML-CP. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01511289. Clin Cancer Res; 23(23); 7180–8. ©2017 AACR.

Achievement of MMR by 12 months according to 3-month EMR (< 10% of BCR-ABL1IS). (c) Radotinib 300 mg bid (n = 79 patients with evaluable molecular data at 3 months).

Background The global TARGET survey examined real-world management of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) compared with international guideline recommendations. This report focused on the responses of physicians from South Korea compared with those of physicians from the rest of the world (ROW). Methods The self-administered, online survey, comprising 23 questions and clinical case scenarios, was completed between April and August 2017. It was designed to gather information on practicing physicians and local practices for CML diagnosis, disease monitoring, treatment, and adverse event (AE) management. Results While there were similarities in the mutation analysis and treatment efficacy between Korea and the ROW, there were also differences in CML management. Initial diagnostic testing was more comprehensive in Korea than in the ROW, and there was significantly better access to standardized polymerase chain reaction testing. Assessment of BCR-ABL levels during the first 12 months of treatment was excellent in Korea, and there was greater frontline use of second-generation BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Korean physicians were significantly less likely to switch therapy for hematologic AEs. Treatment-free remission was not an important goal of therapy among Korean or ROW physicians. Conclusion This study identified some differences in the current CML management between Korea and the ROW; CML management in Korean patients was generally in line with the current guidelines.

Summary In the phase 3 study RERISE, patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukaemia in chronic phase demonstrated significantly faster and higher rates of major molecular response (MMR) with twice‐daily radotinib 300 mg (n = 79) or 400 mg (n = 81) than with once‐daily imatinib 400 mg (n = 81) after 12 months. With ≥48 months’ follow‐up, MMR was higher with radotinib 300 mg (86%) or 400 mg (83%) than with imatinib (75%). Among patients with BCR‐ABL1 ≤ 10% at three months, MMR and molecular response 4·5 (MR4·5) were achieved within 48 months by more radotinib‐treated patients (300 mg: 84% and 52%, respectively; 400 mg: 74% and 44%, respectively) than imatinib‐treated patients (71% and 44%, respectively). Estimated overall and progression‐free survival rates at 48 months were not significantly different between imatinib (94% and 94%, respectively) and radotinib 300 mg (99% and 97%, respectively) or 400 mg (95% and 93%, respectively). The treatment failure rate was significantly higher with imatinib (19%) than with radotinib 300 mg (6%; P = 0·0197) or 400 mg (5%; P = 0·0072). Safety profiles were consistent with previous reports; most adverse events occurred within 12 months. Radotinib continues to demonstrate robust, deep molecular responses, suggesting that treatment‐free remission may be attainable.

Genetic differences may be associated with the response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In this study, we identified genetic alterations between rapid and slow responders (BCR/ABL1 International Scale at 6 months: ≤0.1 % vs. 0.1 %) of TKI treatment in chronic phase CML patients. Our analyses involved single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), a Genome Wide Association Study and a Network-wide Association Study (NetWAS). Seventy-two patients from 16 institutions were enrolled and treated with a TKI, nilotinib. Gene Set Analysis identified genetic alterations in pathways related to the differentiation, proliferation, and activity of various innate immune cells. The NetWAS analysis found that genes associated with natural killer (NK) cells (PTPRCAP, BLNK, HCK, ARHGEF11, GPR183, TRPV2, SHKBP1, CD2) showed significant differences between rapid and slow responders of nilotinib. However, we found no significantly different genetic alterations according to the response in the SNP analysis. In conclusion, we found that rapidity of response to TKI was associated with pathway-associated genetic alterations in immune cells, particularly with respect to NK cell activity. These results suggested that the innate immune system at initial diagnosis had an important role in treatment response in patients with CML.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effect of stem cell source and dose on the survival of various donor subgroups, such as matched sibling donor (MSDs) and alternative donors (ADs), upon bone marrow (BM) or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) infusion in aplastic anemia (AA). Methods: We retrospectively investigated the effects of stem cell source and dose on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) in AA. Results: A total of 267 patients were included in this analysis. The BM-treated group showed an association with low incidence of any-grade acute graft versus host disease (GvHD) (p < 0.001). A higher stem cell dose was related with a low incidence of extensive chronic GvHD in MSDs (p = 0.025). Multivariate analysis for overall survival (OS) revealed that only age at alloHSCT p = 0.010) and prior platelet transfusion p = 0.046) in MSDs and higher stem cell dose (hazard ratio = 2.596, p = 0.045) in ADs were favorable prognostic factors. Conclusion: PBSCs could be preferred in AD because high stem cell dose may be easily achieved to improve the OS at the expense of acute GvHD. However, BM stem cells are preferred in MSDs.

Background/Aims This study evaluated the role of hypomethylating agents (HMA) compared to best supportive care (BSC) for patients with high or very-high (H/VH) risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) according to the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System. Methods A total of 279 H/VH risk MDS patients registered in the Korean MDS Working Party database were retrospectively analyzed. Results HMA therapy was administered to 205 patients (73.5%), including 31 patients (11.1%) who then received allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), while 74 patients (26.5%) received BSC or allo-HCT without HMA. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were 53.1% ± 10.7% for allo-HCT with HMA, 75% ± 21.7% for allo-HCT without HMA, 17.3% ± 3.6% for HMA, and 20.8% ± 6.9% for BSC groups (p < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, only allo-HCT was related with favorable OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.356; p = 0.002), while very poor cytogenetic risk (HR, 5.696; p = 0.042), age ≥ 65 years (HR, 1.578; p = 0.022), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) 2 to 4 (HR, 2.837; p < 0.001), and transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (HR, 1.901; p = 0.001) all had an adverse effect on OS. Conclusions For the H/VH risk group, very poor cytogenetic risk, age ≥ 65 years, ECOG PS 2 to 4, and AML transformation were poor prognostic factors. HMA showed no benefit in terms of OS when compared to BSC. Allo-HCT was the only factor predicting a favorable long-term outcome. The use of HMA therapy did not seem to have an adverse effect on the transplantation outcomes. However, the conclusion of this study should be carefully interpreted and proven by large scale research in the future.

Introduction BCR-ABL1 mutations require consideration during second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor selection for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The present retrospective analysis compared the frequency of BCR-ABL1 mutations in Asian and white patients in whom imatinib therapy had failed. Patients and Methods A nonstudy cohort (76 Asian patients from community clinical practices) and 2 study cohorts (29 Asian and 352 white patients from dasatinib phase II and III clinical trials) were identified. Results In the nonstudy cohort, 80 mutations were identified; the most frequent was T315I (15%), followed by phosphate-binding loop mutations E255K (11%), G250E (10%), and Y253H (10%). Asian patients had a greater proportion of T315I and phosphate-binding loop mutations compared with the white patients. The nonstudy cohort was less likely to have multiple mutations compared with either study cohort. Single mutations highly resistant to dasatinib, nilotinib, and bosutinib were more frequent in the Asian than in the white cohorts. Conclusion These results suggest that mutational analysis findings will be invaluable for choosing an appropriate second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor in Asia.

Core-binding factor (CBF)-acute myeloid leukemia (AML) generally have a favorable prognosis. However, approximately 50% of patients experience disease relapse during or after post-remission therapy. Retrospective studies on autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) have shown improved survival with decreased relapse rate in CBF-AML. In this prospective study, we evaluate the outcomes of AHCT following high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation in patients with CBF-AML in first complete remission (CR). Adult patients with CBF-AML achieving first CR after induction chemotherapy were eligible for the study. High-dose chemotherapy before AHCT included intravenous busulfan (3.2 mg/kg/day, days − 7 to − 5) and etoposide (400 mg/m2/day, days − 3 to − 2). Twenty-nine patients, 17 with t(8;21) and 12 with inv(16), underwent AHCT following 2 or 3 courses of HiDAC consolidation. The estimated 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates were between 89.0% and 82.5%, respectively. The cumulative incidences of relapse and non-relapse mortality were between 17.5% and 0%, respectively. Presence of measurable residual disease (MRD) before AHCT and KIT mutation were significantly associated with relapse after transplantation. In conclusion, the post-remission strategy of AHCT following HiDAC consolidation in CBF-AML was feasible and efficacious. Assays for MRD and KIT mutation may guide selection of patients who will benefit from AHCT in CBF-AML in first CR.

Ultra-deep sequencing detects low-frequency genetic mutations with high sensitivity. We used this approach to prospectively examine mutations in the BCR/ABL1 tyrosine kinase from patients with newly diagnosed, chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib. Between May 2013 and November 2014, 50 patients from 18 institutions were enrolled in the study. We screened 103 somatic mutations and found that mutations in the P-loop domain were the most frequent (173/454 mutations in the P-loop) and noted the presence of the V299 L mutation (dasatinib-resistant/nilotinib-sensitive) in 98 % of patients (49/50). No patients had Y253H, E255 V, or F359 V/C/I mutations, which would recommend dasatinib rather than nilotinib treatment. The S417Y mutation was associated with lower achievement of a major molecular response (MMR) at 6 months, and the V371A mutation was associated with reduced MMR and MR4.5 durations (MMR for 2 years: 100 % for no mutation vs. 75 % for mutation, P=0.039; MR4.5 for 15 months: 94.1 % vs. 25 %, P=0.002). Patients with known nilotinib-resistant mutations had lower rates of MR4.5 achievement. In conclusion, ultra-deep sequencing is a sensitive method for genetic-based treatment decisions. Based on the results of these mutational analyses, nilotinib treatment is a promising option for Korean patients with CML.

Objective The clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are influenced by patients’ age. We evaluated the impact of age on remission induction therapy for AML. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 3,011 adult AML patients identified from a nationwide database between January 2007 and December 2011. Results Three hundred twenty-nine (10.9%) acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and 2,682 (89.1%) non-APL patients were analyzed. The median age was 51 years and 55% of patients were male. Six hundred twenty-three patients (21%) were at favorable risk, 1522 (51%) were at intermediate risk, and 743 (25%) were at poor risk. As the age increased, the proportion of those at favorable risk and who received induction chemotherapy decreased. After induction therapy, complete response (CR) was achieved in 81.5% (243/298) of APL and 62.4% (1,409/2,258) of non-APL patients; these rates decreased as the age increased, with an obvious decrement in those older than 60 years. The median overall survival of non-APL patients was 18.7 months, while that of APL patients was not reached, with a 75% five-year survival rate. Conclusions Age impacts both the biology and clinical outcomes of AML patients. Further studies should confirm the role of induction remission chemotherapy by age group.

Although nilotinib has improved efficacy compared to imatinib, suboptimal response and intolerable adverse events (AEs) limit its effectiveness in many patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML‐CP). We investigated the 2‐year efficacy and safety of nilotinib and their relationships with plasma nilotinib concentrations (PNCs). In this open‐label, multi‐institutional phase 4 study, 110 Philadelphia chromosome‐positive CML‐CP patients were treated with nilotinib at a starting dose of 300 mg twice daily. Molecular responses (MRs) and AEs were monitored for up to 24 months. The 24‐month cumulative MR 4.5 rate was evaluated as the primary endpoint. Plasma samples were collected from 94 patients to determine PNCs, and the per‐patient mean was used to categorize them into four mean PNC (MPNC) groups. Cumulative MR rates and safety were compared between groups. With a median follow‐up of 22.2 months, the 24‐month cumulative MR 4.5 rate was 56.2% (95% confidence interval, 44.0%–8.3%), and the median time to MR 4.5 was 23.3 months. There were no significant differences in the cumulative rates of major molecular response, MR 4, and MR 4.5 between MPNC groups. One patient died due to acute viral hepatitis, and two developed hematological or cytogenetic relapse, while no progression to accelerated or blast phase was observed. Safety results were consistent with previous studies with no new safety signal identified. Across the MPNC groups, there was no significant linear trend in the frequency of AEs. Nilotinib is highly effective for the treatment of CML‐CP with manageable AEs. The measurement of PNC has no predictive value for patient outcomes and is thus not found to be clinically useful. This study is registered with clinicaltrials.gov, Number NCT03332511.

Background: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an independent prognostic marker in solid and hematological cancers. While the derived NLR (dNLR) was shown to be non-inferior to the NLR in large cohorts of patients with different cancer types, it has not been validated as a prognostic marker for multiple myeloma (MM) to date. Methods: Between May 22, 2011 and May 29, 2014, 176 patients with MM from 38 centers who were ineligible for autologous stem cell transplantation were analyzed. The dNLR was calculated using complete blood count differential data. The optimal dNLR cut-off value according to receiver operating characteristic analysis of overall survival (OS) was 1.51. All patients were treated with melphalan and prednisone combined with bortezomib. Results: The complete response rate was lower in the high dNLR group compared to the low dNLR group (7 vs. 26.1%, respectively; p = 0.0148); the corresponding 2-year OS rates were 72.2 and 84.7%, respectively (p = 0.0354). A high dNLR was an independent poor prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio 2.217, 95% CI 1.015–4.842; p = 0.0458). Conclusion: The dNLR is a readily available and cheaply obtained parameter in clinical studies, and shows considerable potential as a new prognostic marker for transplantation-ineligible patients with MM.

Purpose: Radotinib is a second-generation BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) approved in Korea for chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP) in patients newly diagnosed or with insufficient response to other TKIs. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of radotinib as first-line therapy for CML-CP. Experimental Design: This multinational, open-label study assigned patients (1:1:1) to one of two twice-daily radotinib doses, or imatinib daily. The primary endpoint was major molecular response (MMR) by 12 months. Results: Two hundred forty-one patients were randomized to receive radotinib 300 mg (n = 79) or 400 mg twice-daily (n = 81), or imatinib 400 mg daily (n = 81). MMR rates by 12 months were higher in patients receiving radotinib 300 mg (52%) or radotinib 400 mg twice-daily (46%) versus imatinib (30%; P = 0.0044 and P = 0.0342, respectively). Complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) rates by 12 months were higher for radotinib 300 mg (91%) versus imatinib (77%; P = 0.0120). Early molecular response at 3 months occurred in 86% and 87% of patients receiving radotinib 300 mg and radotinib 400 mg, respectively, and 71% of those receiving imatinib. By 12 months, no patients had progression to accelerated phase or blast crisis. Most adverse events were manageable with dose reduction. Conclusions: Radotinib demonstrated superiority over imatinib in CCyR and MMR in patients newly diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome–positive CML-CP. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01511289. Clin Cancer Res; 23(23); 7180–8. ©2017 AACR.

Background Molecular response (MR) 4.0 or 4.3 remains an indicator of treatment-free remission (TFR) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in countries that accept it as the criterion of undetectable minimal residual disease (UMRD) in clinical practice. We retrospectively analyzed the TFR outcomes to identify the clinical efficacy of MR4.0/4.3 as the UMRD criterion. Patients and methods CML patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) between March 2001 and May 2015 for >3 years and treatment cessation for over 6 months were included. TFR was analyzed using MR3.0 loss and UMRD loss as criteria. TFR failure-free survival was defined as the time from cessation of TKI therapy to MR loss or restarting TKI, and overall survival as the time from TKI cessation to death. The probability of regaining the MR was evaluated. Results In the 93 participants, the median duration of follow-up and TKI therapy were 17.3 (3.9–92.0) months and 7.4 (3.1–16.9) years, respectively. TFR at 5 years was 47.9 % and 44.4 %, for MR3.0 loss and UMRD loss, respectively. Among the 42 patients who restarted TKI, 41 regained MR3.0 (97.6 %). In multivariate analysis, the time to UMRD was ≤12 months, and the absence of prior TKI treatment (P = 0.018 and 0.044 in UMRD loss, respectively) was significantly correlated with TFR failure-free survival. Conclusion Clinical outcomes were comparable to those of clinical trials. Our results suggest that the detection limit of MR4.3 can be used in clinical practice for TKI treatment cessation for TFR in CML patients.

We retrospectively analyzed the results of hypomethylating therapy in 586 patients (azacitidine in 423 and decitabine in 163) with International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The patients were reclassified with newer scoring systems (revised IPSS [R-IPSS], revised WHO classification-based Prognostic Scoring System [R-WPSS], and Lower Risk Prognostic Scoring System [LR-PSS]), and 21.8-38.4% of patients had high or very high risk features by the newer scoring systems. Median overall survival (OS) was 27.3 months and newer scoring systems well stratified the patients in terms of OS (R-IPSS, P=0.001; R-WPSS, P

To investigate the role of antithymocyte globulin (ATG)-containing reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from unrelated (UD) or haploidentical family donors (HFD), we conducted a phase 2 trial of 237 patients (age range, 16 to 69 years) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in remission. Patients undergoing UD-HCT (n = 93) or HFD-HCT (n = 59) received RIC comprising busulfan, fludarabine, and ATG, 9 mg/kg, whereas those undergoing HCT from matched sibling donors (MSD, n = 85) received myeloablative busulfan and cyclophosphamide conditioning or aforementioned RIC with ATG, 4.5 mg/kg. For graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, cyclosporine and methotrexate were administered. The median follow-up period was 44.7 months after HCT for 161 survivors. For UD-HCT versus HFD-HCT, there were no significant differences in leukemia recurrence, nonrelapse mortality, relapse-free survival, grades 2 to 4 acute GVHD, and moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD. Furthermore, when the outcomes of UD-HCT and HFD-HCT were combined and compared with those of MSD-HCT, there were no significant differences in leukemia recurrence (3-year cumulative incidence, 30% versus 29%), nonrelapse mortality (3-year cumulative incidence, 7% versus 8%), relapse-free survival (3-year estimate, 63% versus 63%), and grades 2 to 4 acute GVHD (120-day cumulative incidence, 16% versus 13%). Moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD, however, occurred less frequently in UD/HFD-HCT (2-year cumulative incidence, 22% versus 40%; P = .006). The addition of ATG to conditioning regimen was a significant predictor for less chronic GVHD (subdistribution hazard ratio, .59). In AML in remission, UD/HFD-HCT after ATG-containing RIC achieved leukemia control equivalent to that of MSD-HCT. Despite HLA disparity in UD/HFD-HCT, chronic GVHD occurred less frequently after ATG-containing RIC, suggesting a strong GVHD-modulating effect of ATG.

Purpose We compared two induction regimens, idarubicin (12 mg/m2/d for 3 days) versus high-dose daunorubicin (90 mg/m2/d for 3 days), in young adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients and Methods A total of 299 patients (149 randomly assigned to cytarabine plus idarubicin [AI] and 150 assigned to cytarabine plus high-dose daunorubicin [AD]) were analyzed. All patients received cytarabine (200 mg/m2/d for 7 days). Results Complete remission (CR) was induced in 232 patients (77.6%), with no difference in CR rates between the AI and AD arms (80.5% v 74.7%, respectively; P = .224). At a median follow-up time of 34.9 months, survival and relapse rates did not differ between the AI and AD arms (4-year overall survival, 51.1% v 54.7%, respectively; P = .756; cumulative incidence of relapse, 35.2% v 25.1%, respectively; P = .194; event-free survival, 45.5% v 50.8%, respectively; P = .772). Toxicity profiles were also similar in the two arms. Interestingly, overall and event-free survival times of patients with FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutation were significantly different (AI v AD: median overall survival, 15.5 months v not reached, respectively; P = .030; event-free survival, 11.9 months v not reached, respectively; P = .028). Conclusion This phase III trial comparing idarubicin with high-dose daunorubicin did not find significant differences in CR rates, relapse, and survival. Significant interaction between the treatment arm and the FLT3-ITD mutation was found, and high-dose daunorubicin was more effective than idarubicin in patients with FLT3-ITD mutation.

Previously, we reported that radotinib, a BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor, induced cytotoxicity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. However, the effects of radotinib in the subpopulation of c-KIT-positive AML cells were unclear. We observed that low-concentration radotinib had more potent cytotoxicity in c-KIT-positive cells than c-KIT-negative cells from AML patients. To address this issue, cell lines with high c-KIT expression, HEL92.1.7, and moderate c-KIT expression, H209, were selected. HEL92.1.7 cells were grouped into intermediate and high c-KIT expression populations. The cytotoxicity of radotinib against the HEL92.1.7 cell population with intermediate c-KIT expression was not different from that of the population with high c-KIT expression. When H209 cells were grouped into c-KIT expression-negative and c-KIT expression-positive populations, radotinib induced cytotoxicity in the c-KIT-positive population, but not the c-KIT-negative population. Thus, radotinib induces cytotoxicity in c-KIT-positive cells, regardless of the c-KIT expression intensity. Therefore, radotinib induces significant cytotoxicity in c-KIT-positive AML cells, suggesting that radotinib is a potential target agent for the treatment of c-KIT-positive malignancies including AML.

// Da Jung Kim 1 , Ho Sup Lee 1 , Joon-Ho Moon 2 , Sang Kyun Sohn 2 , Hyeoung Joon Kim 3 , June-Won Cheong 4 , Deog-Yeon Jo 5 , Hawk Kim 6 , Hyewon Lee 7 , Soo-Mee Bang 8 , Won Sik Lee 9 , Yong Park 10 , Mark Hong Lee 11 , Jae Hoon Lee 12 , Sung Hwa Bae 13 , Min Kyoung Kim 14 and The Korean Society of Hematology AML/MDS Working Party 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Kosin University College of Medicine, Kosin University Gospel Hospital, Busan, South Korea 2 Department of Hematology/Oncology, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, South Korea 3 Department of Hematology-Oncology, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Jeollanamdo, South Korea 4 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea 5 Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea 6 Division of Hematology and Cellular Therapy, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, South Korea 7 Department of Hematology-Oncology, Center for Hematologic Malignancy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, South Korea 8 Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, South Korea 9 Department of Internal Medicine, Busan Paik Hospital, Busan, South Korea 10 Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea 11 Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University Medical Center, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea 12 Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, South Korea 13 Department of Internal Medicine, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Daegu, South Korea 14 Department of Hematology-Oncology, Yeungnam University Medical Center, Yeungnam University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea Correspondence to: Ho Sup Lee, email: hs52silver@gmail.com Keywords: myelodysplastic syndrome, discontinuation, survival, decitabine, azacitidine Received: March 17, 2017 Accepted: April 28, 2017 Published: May 29, 2017 ABSTRACT It is often difficult to continue treatment with hypomethylating agent(HMA) in clinical practice because of problems such as toxicities, poor economics, etc. We compared clinical outcomes of those patients who continued HMA and those who discontinued HMA because of other causes, and evaluated factors associated with survival in those patients who discontinued HMA. Patients were divided into two groups: treatment failure, those who stopped treatment due to disease progression; and discontinuation, those who discontinued treatment because of other causes. The median progression free survival(PFS) was 9.2 months (range 7.7 – 10.7 months) vs 28.9 months (range 22.6 – 35.2) in the treatment failure and discontinuation groups, respectively ( P < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, a lower risk by WPSS was an independent predictive factor for a longer PFS, and a lower risk by WPSS and median number of HMA cycles greater than seven were independent predictive factors for longer overall survival(OS) only in the discontinuation group. Patients who discontinued HMA without disease progression showed a prolonged survival than those who failed HMA treatment. Especially, a lower risk by WPSS and longer duration of HMA treatment may be predictive factors for a longer PFS and OS in patients who discontinued HMA.

Bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone (VMP) showed superior efficacy versus MP as first-line treatment for transplantation-ineligible multiple myeloma (MM). This study investigated the efficacy of VMP for Korean patients with MM. Overall, 177 MM patients received 9 cycles of VMP in this prospective, multicenter, observational study. The primary endpoint was 2-year progression-free survival (PFS). Thirty-nine (22%) patients were aged ≥ 75 years and 83 (47.4%) patients had International Staging System stage III. A median of 5 cycles were delivered. Overall response rate (ORR) was 72.9%, and complete response (CR) rate was 20.3%. With a median follow-up of 11.9 months, median PFS was 17 months. The 2-year PFS and overall survival (OS) rates were 29.2% and 80.0%, respectively. Median OS was not reached. PFS was significantly different depending on performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group < 2 vs. ≥ 2; p = 0.0002), β2-microglobulin level (< 5.5 vs. ≥ 5.5 mg/L; p = 0.0481), and cumulative dose of bortezomib (< 35.1 vs. ≥ 35.1 mg/m2; p < 0001). The common adverse events (AEs) were in line with the well-known toxicity profiles associated with VMP. In conclusion, VMP is a feasible and effective front-line treatment for transplant-ineligible older patients with MM in Korea. Continuing therapy with prompt adjustment of treatment according to AEs may be important to improve outcomes of elderly patients.

A 16-channel transceiver radiofrequency (RF) array using Helmholtz coils was designed to improve the RF transmission |B 1 + |-field homogeneity for human brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7 T. A numerical simulation of the proposed Helmholtz transceiver array was performed using the finite-difference time-domain method—the subset of the finite-element method simulation. The simulation results of proposed 16-channel Helmholtz transceiver array were compared with the generally used rectangular transceiver array in term of their |B 1 + |-field and specific absorption rate (SAR). The simulation of each single element in 16-channel Helmholtz and rectangular transceiver arrays was compared using water phantom in term of their magnetic flux |B 1| homogeneity for the full width at half maximum. From the simulation results, the proposed 16-channel Helmholtz transceiver array configuration offers superior |B 1 + |-field homogeneity and low SAR at 7 T. These modifications to the coil geometries of the transceiver array coil could be applied to a 7-T MRI, and also extended to increase the homogenous coverage on |B 1 + |field with low SAR.

Our previous study showed that a less toxic regimen comprising reduced cyclophosphamide (Cy), fludarabine and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) (Cy-Flu-ATG), was less toxic for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) compared with standard Cy-ATG in patients with adult severe aplastic anemia (AA). We postulated that replacing Cy with Flu (Flu-ATG) would be more beneficial. Therefore, we performed a randomized phase III study to compare the regimen-related toxicities (RRTs) of two different conditioning regimens: Cy-ATG vs. Flu-ATG. Pre-defined RRTs were defined as pulmonary complications, hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), hemorrhagic cystitis and death of any causes. We present the final analysis. Patients in the Cy-ATG arm received Cy at 200 mg/kg. Those in the Flu-ATG arm received fludarabine (Flu) at 180 mg/m2. Bone marrow (BM) as allowed when the donor was matched sibling donor and otherwise stem cell source was mobilized peripheral blood (PB). Regimen for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) was cyclosporine and short-course methotrexate. A total of 63 patients (31 patients in Cy-ATG and 32 patients in Flu-ATG) were enrolled. The basic patients'characteristics were similar between both arms in terms of gender, age, prior immune suppression therapy history, stem cell source, stem cell dose, donor type and HLA-matching. There were 36 unrelated donors in each arm (p=1.000). All predefined RRTs were similar between Cy-ATG and Flu-ATG (33.3% vs. 21.9%; p=0.691). There was no difference between Cy-ATG and Flu-ATG in terms of pulmonary complications (12.9% vs. 3.1%; p=1.000), SOS (0% vs. 3.1%; p=1.000), hemorrhagic cystitis (6.5% vs. 3.1%; p=0.607) and death of any causes (23.3% vs. 15.6%; p=0.443). Primary engraftment failure was not found in Flu-ATG arm but 2 patients in Cy-ATG (p = 0.230), one of which died of treatment-related hepatic toxicity before engraftment. However, there was higher secondary engraftment failure inFlu-ATG arms compared with Cy-ATG (2nd GF; 21.9% vs. 6.9%; p=0.098). Therefore, any engraftment failure was not different between Cy-ATG vs. Flu-ATG (13.3% vs. 21.9%; p=0.379). The incidence of all grades acute GvHD was significantly higher in Cy-ATG arm (35.7% vs. 9.4%; p=0.013). The incidence of chronic GvHD was lower in Cy-ATG arm but was not statistically significant (11.5% vs. 23.1%; p=0.271). Any significant treatment-related toxicities including RRTs were similar between Cy-ATG and Flu-ATG arms (43.3% vs. 43.8%; p=0.974). The 3-year survival rate did not differ between Cy-ATG and Flu-ATG (72.9% vs. 79.3%; p=0.329). In conclusion, Flu-ATG can be comparable with Cy-ATG in terms of RRT and survival.