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Patients ≥55 years-old with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) fare poorly with conventional chemotherapy with 5-year overall survival of ∼20%. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors and novel B-cell targeted therapies improve outcomes, but rates of relapse and death in remission remain high. Allogeneic blood or marrow transplantation (AlloBMT) provides an alternative consolidation strategy, and post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) facilitates HLA-mismatched transplants with low rates of non-relapse mortality (NRM) and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).The transplant database at Johns Hopkins was queried for patients ≥ 55 years old who received alloBMT for ALL using PTCy.The database included 77 such patients. Most received reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) (88.3%), were in first remission (CR1) (85.7%), and had B-lineage disease (90.9%). For the entire cohort, 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were 46% (95% CI 34-57) and 49% (95% CI 37-60). Grade 3-4 acute GVHD occurred in only 3% of patients and chronic GVHD in 13%. In multivariable analysis, myeloablative conditioning led to worse RFS (HR 4.65, p=0.001); while transplant in CR1 (HR 0.30, p=0.004), and transplant for Ph+ ALL vs. T ALL (HR 0.29, p=0.03) improved RFS. Of the 54 patients who received RIC alloBMT in CR1 for B ALL, 5-year RFS and OS were 62% (95% CI 47-74) and 65% (95% CI 51-77), respectively, with a 5-year relapse incidence of 16% (95% CI 7-27) and NRM of 24% (95% CI 13-36).RIC AlloBMT with PTCy in CR1 represents a promising consolidation strategy for B ALL patients ≥ 55 years old.NIH grants P01 CA225618 and P30 CA06973.

Prevalence estimates for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) are based on predominantly White study populations screened by serum protein electrophoresis supplemented with immunofixation electrophoresis. A prevalence of 3% is reported for MGUS in the general population of European ancestry aged 50 years or older. MGUS prevalence is two times higher in individuals of African descent or with a family history of conditions related to multiple myeloma. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and clinical implications of monoclonal gammopathies in a high-risk US population screened by quantitative mass spectrometry.We used quantitative matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and EXENT-iQ software to screen for and quantify monoclonal gammopathies in serum from 7622 individuals who consented to the PROMISE screening study between Feb 26, 2019, and Nov 4, 2021, and the Mass General Brigham Biobank (MGBB) between July 28, 2010, and July 1, 2021. M-protein concentrations at the monoclonal gammopathy of indeterminate potential (MGIP) level were confirmed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry testing. 6305 (83%; 2211 from PROMISE, 4094 from MGBB) of 7622 participants in the cohorts were at high risk for developing a monoclonal gammopathy on the basis of Black race or a family history of haematological malignancies and fell within the eligible high-risk age range (30 years or older for PROMISE cohort and 18 years or older for MGBB cohort); those over 18 years were also eligible if they had two or more family members with a blood cancer (PROMISE cohort). Participants with a plasma cell malignancy diagnosed before screening were excluded. Longitudinal clinical data were available for MGBB participants with a median follow-up time from serum sample screening of 4·5 years (IQR 2·4-6·7). The PROMISE study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03689595.The median age at time of screening was 56·0 years (IQR 46·8-64·1). 5013 (66%) of 7622 participants were female, 2570 (34%) male, and 39 (1%) unknown. 2439 (32%) self-identified as Black, 4986 (65%) as White, 119 (2%) as other, and 78 (1%) unknown. Using serum protein electrophoresis with immunofixation electrophoresis, the MGUS prevalence was 6% (101 of 1714) in high-risk individuals aged 50 years or older. Using mass spectrometry, we observed a total prevalence of monoclonal gammopathies of 43% (1788 of 4207) in this group. We termed monoclonal gammopathies below the clinical immunofixation electrophoresis detection level (0·2 g/L) MGIPs, to differentiate them from those with higher concentrations, termed mass-spectrometry MGUS, which had a 13% (592 of 4207) prevalence by mass spectrometry in high-risk individuals aged 50 years or older. MGIP was predominantly of immunoglobulin M isotype, and its prevalence increased with age (19% [488 of 2564] for individuals aged50 years, 29% [1464 of 5058] for those aged ≥50 years, and 37% [347 of 946] for those aged ≥70 years). Mass-spectrometry MGUS prevalence increased with age (5% [127 of 2564] for individuals aged50 years, 13% [678 of 5058] for those aged ≥50 years, and 18% [173 of 946] for those aged ≥70 years) and was higher in men (314 [12%] of 2570) compared with women (485 [10%] 5013; p=0·0002), whereas MGIP prevalence did not differ significantly by gender. In those aged 50 years or older, the prevalence of mass spectrometry was significantly higher in Black participants (224 [17%] of 1356) compared with the controls (p=0·0012) but not in those with family history (368 [13%] of 2851) compared with the controls (p=0·1008). Screen-detected monoclonal gammopathies correlated with increased all-cause mortality in MGBB participants (hazard ratio 1·55, 95% CI 1·16-2·08; p=0·0035). All monoclonal gammopathies were associated with an increased likelihood of comorbidities, including myocardial infarction (odds ratio 1·60, 95% CI 1·26-2·02; p=0·00016 for MGIP-high and 1·39, 1·07-1·80; p=0·015 for mass-spectrometry MGUS).We detected a high prevalence of monoclonal gammopathies, including age-associated MGIP, and made more precise estimates of mass-spectrometry MGUS compared with conventional gel-based methods. The use of mass spectrometry also highlighted the potential hidden clinical significance of MGIP. Our study suggests the association of monoclonal gammopathies with a variety of clinical phenotypes and decreased overall survival.Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and National Institutes of Health.

Background: The advent of immunotherapy renewed the interest in immune monitoring to identify determinants of treatment response. Flow cytometry is widely adopted in immunotherapy-based clinical trials, but manual analysis of multiparameter files poses a challenge to capture full cellular diversity and to provide unbiased reporting in large datasets. Methods: Here, we developed a semi-automated pipeline named "FlowCT" which, starting from compensated data obtained with standardized protocols, allows simultaneous analyses of multiple files and automated cell clustering. FlowCT starts with quality control and data normalization followed by an analytical stage with clustering algorithms, dimensional reduction techniques and cluster identification based on antigen expression. Statistical tools are included for immediate analysis of results. Results: As proof-of-concept, we used FlowCT in three different datasets. First, we applied FlowCT to bone marrow (BM) samples from three multiple myeloma (MM) patients stained with 17-color flow cytometry, to determine the increment in the complexity of analyzing 8 and 17 markers, chosen to characterize T cells. Of note, a single combination of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD45RA, CD56, CCR7, PD1 and TIGIT, allowed the identification of 31 lymphocyte subsets using FlowCT, which increased to 39 different clusters with 17 markers and unveiled a novel population of CD3- CD56- CD8+ CD16+ lymphoid cells in the MM immune microenvironment. Secondly, we applied FlowCT to matched peripheral blood (PB) and BM samples from 10 patients with smoldering MM, to objectively assess if PB represents a good surrogate of T-cell distribution in the BM. Using an 8-color combination to characterize CD4 T cells, up to 26 different subsets were identified, including several CD4 T helper (Th) type subsets. Of note, their distribution within PB CD4 T cells was similar to that found in BM, except for CD4 T CXCR3+CCR4+ effector memory and Th17 central memory subsets that decreased in the BM tumor immune microenvironment. Thirdly, we analyzed 30 BM samples from 10 MM patients studied every year during maintenance therapy, monitored with CD4, CD8, CD25, CD45RA, CD127, CCR7, PD1, and TCRγδ to characterize T cells. FlowCT identified 29 different T-cell populations, including 9 CD4 subsets, 14 CD8 subsets, 4 Tγδ cell subsets and 2 distinct Treg subsets. Longitudinal, semi-automated and unbiased analysis unveiled a significant fluctuation of CD4 naïve and transitional memory cells during maintenance, as well as a significant decrease of CD8 CD127- effector memory and transitional effectors cells after 2 years of maintenance. Conclusions: Here, we presented FlowCT, a pipeline optimized for the analysis of large flow cytometry datasets that could be easily implemented by research laboratories to unveil full cellular diversity, singular patterns of antigen expression, and to provide unbiased reporting in large studies, like clinical trials. Disclosures Puig: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; The Binding Site: Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria. Borrello:WindMIL Therapeutics: Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Aduro: Patents & Royalties: intellectual property on allogeneic MM GVAX; BMS: Consultancy; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Rosinol Dachs:Janssen, Celgene, Amgen and Takeda: Honoraria. Mateos:Janssen, Celgene, Takeda, Amgen, GSK, Abbvie, EDO, Pharmar: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen, Celgene, Takeda, Amgen, Adaptive: Honoraria; Amgen Inc, Janssen Biotech Inc: Other: Data and Monitoring Committee; Amgen Inc, Celgene Corporation, Janssen Biotech Inc, Takeda Oncology.: Speakers Bureau; AbbVie Inc, Amgen Inc, Celgene Corporation, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Biotech Inc, Mundipharma EDO, PharmaMar, Roche Laboratories Inc, Takeda Oncology: Other: Advisory Committee. Lahuerta:Takeda, Amgen, Celgene and Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Bladé:Jansen, Celgene, Takeda, Amgen and Oncopeptides: Honoraria. San-Miguel:Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, and Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria. Paiva:Celgene, Janssen, Sanofi and Takeda: Consultancy; Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Roche and Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

The immune system has two complementary arms: one is older and seemingly more primitive, called the innate immune system, found in both plants and animals. The second (already many millions of years old!) is the adaptive or antigen-specific immune system, limited to vertebrate animals. The human innate immune system has many cellular elements that include granulocytes, monocytes, macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, mast cells, eosinophils, and basophils. Receptors for these cells are non-clonal, fixed in the genome, requiring no rearrangement, and recognize conserved molecular patterns that are specific to pathogens. The adaptive immune system (B cells and T cells) have receptors with great variation, able to recognize an almost an unlimited number of highly specific pathogens through rearrangement of receptor gene segments, and can also provide immunological memory so critical for vaccination. As the immune system has evolved to recognize non-self, malignant transformation of self can likely escape immune surveillance with relative ease. Contributors to this chapter are utilizing distinct components of either the innate or adaptive immune system that recognize non-self, in combination with what we know about differences between malignant and normal self, in an effort to develop novel and effective immunologic approaches against hematologic malignancies.In Section I, Dr. Andrea Velardi reviews the benefits of NK cell alloreactivity in mismatched hematopoietic transplantation, provides updates on current clinical trials, and discusses further therapeutic perspectives emerging from murine bone marrow transplant models.In Section II, Dr. David Scheinberg reviews novel leukemic antigens being targeted by humanized monoclonal antibodies as well as mechanisms by which antibody-mediated cytotoxicity occurs in vivo.In Section III, Dr. Ivan Borrello reviews vaccine and adoptive T cell immunotherapy in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Specifically, he discusses the various vaccine approaches used as well as strategies aimed at augmenting the tumor specificity of T cell therapies.

A better understanding of how solid malignancies arise in an immunocompetent host, avoid immune recognition, and ultimately progress to widely disseminated cancer is essential to effectively harness the immune system against solid tumors. Because of their extra-lymphatic localization, it has been proposed that solid malignancies are just ignored by the immune system, thereby allowing their uncontrolled growth and dissemination. Alternatively, as most of the solid tumors are unable to express costimulatory molecules, the "signal one without signal two" model of tolerance induction has been frequently evoked to account for the failure of the immune system to reject antigenic tumors in vivo. In this study, we showed, however, that the extra-lymphatic growth of solid tumors is not immunologically ignored by the lymphoid compartment, resulting instead in the early induction of antigen-specific CD4(+) T-cell tolerance. Furthermore, analysis of parent-into-F1 bone marrow (BM) chimeras demonstrates that presentation of tumor antigens by BM-derived antigen-presenting cells represents the dominant mechanism in solid tumor-induced CD4(+) T-cell tolerance. Our findings of early development of antigen-specific T-cell unresponsiveness mediated by BM-derived antigen-presenting cells, not only provides a plausible explanation for the failure of the immune system to reject antigenic solid tumors in vivo, but more importantly, they have identified a barrier that, if appropriately manipulated, may lead to approaches to effectively harness the immune system against solid malignancies.

Background The combination of clarithromycin (biaxin), lenalidomide and dexamethasone (BiRd) has been previously shown by Niesvizky, R., et al as a very effective regimen in newly diagnosed myeloma (MM) with an overall response rate of 90.3% and a very good partial response (VGPR) rate of 73.6%. Long term follow up has shown a median progression free survival of 49 months. In a case control comparison, Gay, F., et al showed that BiRd has superior outcomes compared to lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd). Clarithromycin appears to optimize the pharmacologic effect of glucocorticoids by increasing the area under the curve and the maximum concentration levels of certain corticosteroids. Clarithromycin has immunomodulatory properties, partially mediated by the suppression of interleukin-6 and other inflammatory cytokines and may also have direct antineoplastic effects. Although the efficacy of BiRd in the frontline treatment of MM is well established, the effect of BiRd in patients who are refractory to Rd is unknown. Methods As part of an IRB-approved study we performed a retrospective analysis on all patients with MM in whom clarithromycin was added to Rd at the time of progression on Rd between January 2007 and March 2013. High risk MM was defined as having any one of the following: del(13q) by cytogenetics or t(4;14), t(14;16), t(14;20), -17p ,+1q21 on FISH/cytogenetics. International Staging System (ISS) stage was based on beta2 microglobulin and albumin at diagnosis of symptomatic myeloma. These data were available for 18 patients (75%). The definitions of progression, stable disease and response were as per the International Myeloma Working Group criteria. Event time distributions for overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated with the method of Kaplan and Meier, and compared using the log-rank statistic, or the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Factors associated with BiRd response were selected based on cross tabulations and logistic regression modeling. Results 24 patients with MM who had disease progression on Rd had clarithromycin added to their regimen at the time of progression on Rd. Median age was 61 years (range: 41-80 years), 10 (41.6%) female, 11 (45.8%) had high risk features on cytogenetics or FISH, 6 (25%) had a prior stem cell transplant. All patients had shown evidence of disease progression on Rd prior to addition of clarithromycin. Median duration on Rd immediately prior to addition of clarithromycin was 5.2 months (range: 1.6-37.8 months). The regimen was well tolerated and only 2 patients needed a clarithromycin dose reduction. One patient developed dyspepsia, metallic taste, nausea and diarrhea. A second patient experienced grade 3 transaminitis. 10 patients, 41.6% (95% CI: 22.1, 63.4), achieved ≥PR. The clinical benefit rate (CR+VGPR+PR+MR) was 45.8% (95% CI: 25.6, 67.2). The median time to response was 4.4 months (range: 1-13.6 months) and the median duration of response was 17.3 months (range: 7.4-130.5 months). Median overall survival was 25 months with a median follow-up of 27.5 months. The median progression free survival (PFS) was 4 months. Age and prior therapy were significant risk factors for PFS. Patients over the age of 60 had a higher hazard of progression or death than patients under the age of 60 (HR 3.48 95% CI 1.09-11.09, p=0.04). The hazard of progression or death was increased by a factor of 1.59 for each additional prior therapy HR= 1.59 (95% CI: 1.19, 2.11), p=0.002. Patients initially responding to Rd (n=10) were more likely to respond to BiRd (n=6), 60% (95% CI: 26.2, 87.8) compared to patients that did not have an initial response to Rd (n=14) in whom the response to BiRD (n=4) was 28.6% (95% CI: 8.4, 58.1), OR=3.75, p=0.13. High risk genetics, prior stem cell transplant, and prior response to Rd did not correlate with PFS or response to BiRd, although the numbers are small. Conclusion Addition of clarithromycin to lenalidomide and dexamethasone (BiRd) can overcome resistance to lenalidomide and dexamethasone in a subset of patients and lead to clinical durable responses. This retrospective data may serve the basis for prospective evaluation of this effect. Disclosures: Off Label Use: Addition of clarithromycin to overcome resistance to lenalidomide and dexamethasone.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is an accepted therapy for many hematological malignancies. High dose chemo-radiation reduces tumor burden but also ablates lymphohematopoiesis. Subsequent infusion of cellular grafts containing HSC and mature lymphocytes “rescues” the host from this otherwise lethal ablation, and initiates immune reconstitution. In many systems, tumor-specific T cells are functionally tolerant in the presence of established tumor. Paradoxically, however, the infusion of these lymphocytes into irradiated tumor-bearing syngeneic recipients unmasks effector function manifested as prolonged progression-free survival when compared to recipients treated with lymphocytes from non-tumor bearing donors. We have recently demonstrated that this tolerant tumor-specific T cell population from mice with established tumor is in fact a heterogeneous mixture of naive, effector, and regulatory T cells (Tregs), which as a whole are rendered functionally unresponsive through dominant suppression. The apparent reversal of tolerance in the post-transplant setting prompted a more detailed examination of the fate of these individual components during immune reconstitution. Here, we show that CD4+ T cells specific for a model tumor antigen are hyporesponsive to antigen when isolated from mice harboring an established systemic B cell lymphoma. Upon transfer into irradiated lymphoma-bearing mice, however, these cells undergo robust antigen-driven clonal expansion, and their ability to produce interferon gamma (IFNγ) is restored. Notably, in spite of the presence of tumor in the transplant recipients, tolerance to tumor antigen was not established in the early post-transplant period, even for mice receiving naive T cells in the graft. Tumor-specific CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs isolated from the donors were found to undergo a modest tumor-antigen-driven expansion in transplant recipients. When isolated from recipients, such cells maintained expression of Foxp3 and their capacity to suppress naive T cells when cultured in vitro. However, the presence of tumor-specific Tregs failed to significantly inhibit the expansion of naive or effector T cells specific for tumor in vivo, when examined 2 weeks post BMT. Indeed, the expansion of tumor-specific effector T cells significantly exceeded the expansion of Tregs, resulting in a nearly five-fold increase in the effector:Treg ratio. At the ratios present during this phase of immune reconstitution, the frequency of Tregs was insufficient to suppress effector cell function (proliferation and IFNγ production) when studied in vitro. This accounts for the reversal of tolerance identified in the population as a whole and its capacity to mediate tumor rejection.