Search

Anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies have consistently shown increased efficacy when added to standard of care for patients with multiple myeloma. We aimed to assess the efficacy of isatuximab in addition to lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone in patients with newly diagnosed transplantation-eligible multiple myeloma.This open-label, multicentre, randomised, active-controlled, phase 3 trial was done at 67 academic and oncology practice centres in Germany. This study is ongoing and divided into two parts; herein, we report results from part 1. Eligible patients were aged 18-70 years; had a confirmed diagnosis of untreated multiple myeloma requiring systemic treatment and a WHO performance status of 0-2; and were eligible for induction therapy, high-dose melphalan and autologous haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, and maintenance treatment. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive three 42-day cycles of induction therapy either with isatuximab plus lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (isatuximab group) or lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone alone (control group) using a web-based system and permuted blocks. Patients in both groups received lenalidomide (25 mg orally on days 1-14 and 22-35), bortezomib (1·3 mg/mBetween Oct 23, 2018, and Sep 22, 2020, 660 patients were included in the ITT analysis (331 in the isatuximab group and 329 in the control group). 654 (99%) patients were White, two were African, one was Arabic, and three were Asian. 250 (38%) were women and 410 (62%) were men. The median age was 59 years (IQR 54-64). MRD negativity after induction therapy was reached in 166 (50%) patients in the isatuximab group versus 117 (36%) in the control group (OR 1·82 [95% CI 1·33-2·48]; p=0·00017). Median follow-up time from start to end of induction therapy was 125 days (IQR 125-131) versus 125 days (125-132). At least one grade 3 or 4 adverse event occurred in 208 (63%) of 330 patients versus 199 (61%) of 328 patients. Neutropenia of grade 3 or 4 occurred in 77 (23%) versus 23 (7%) patients and infections of grade 3 or 4 occurred in 40 (12%) versus 32 (10%) patients. Among 12 deaths during induction therapy, one death due to septic shock in the isatuximab group and four deaths (one cardiac decompensation, one hepatic and renal failure, one cardiac arrest, and one drug-induced enteritis) in the control group were considered treatment-related.Addition of isatuximab to lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone for induction therapy improved rates of MRD negativity with no new safety signals in patients with newly diagnosed transplantation-eligible multiple myeloma.Sanofi and Bristol Myers Squibb (Celgene).

CANDOR (NCT03158688) is a phase 3, randomized, open-label trial comparing carfilzomib, daratumumab, and dexamethasone (KdD) versus carfilzomib and dexamethasone (Kd) in adults with relapsed/refectory multiple myeloma (RRMM) with 1-3 prior therapies. The CANDOR study met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) in the primary analysis. Here we report the final analysis of the study, including secondary endpoints and subgroup analyses thereof. Median follow-up was 50 months. Patients treated with KdD had higher minimal residual disease-negative (MRD-) achievement rates (28% vs 9%; odds ratio [OR], 4.22 [95% CI, 2.28-7.83]) and MRD- complete response rates (22% vs 8%; OR, 3.55 [1.83-6.88]) than those treated with Kd. Median PFS was 28.4 months for KdD versus 15.2 months for Kd (hazard ratio [HR], 0.64 [95% CI, 0.49-0.83]). Median overall survival (OS) was 50.8 months versus 43.6 months, respectively (HR, 0.78 [0.60-1.03]; P=0.042). Trends toward improved OS occurred in predefined subgroups, including patients refractory to lenalidomide (KdD, not reached; Kd, 38.2 months; HR, 0.69 [0.43-1.11]) and refractory to proteasome inhibitor (KdD, 43.2 months; Kd, 30.0 months; HR, 0.70 [0.45-1.09]), and there was significant improvement in patients with high-risk cytogenetics (KdD, 34.3 months; Kd: 17.1 months; HR, 0.52 [0.29-0.94]). No new safety signals were identified. In summary, the final analysis of CANDOR confirmed the PFS benefit and showed a trend in OS benefit with KdD versus Kd. These findings reinforce KdD as a standard of care for RRMM, especially in clinically relevant patient subgroups.

Bei der Impfung handelt es sich um eine der erfolgreichsten medizinischen Maßnahmen, die bereits Millionen von Menschen das Leben gerettet hat. Die Impfung ist besonders wichtig bei Patienten mit einem Multiplen Myelom, deren Infektionsrisiko aufgrund der krankheitsinhärenten Immunsuppression sowie der immunsuppressiven Wirkung der Therapie erhöht ist. Daher sollten alle geeigneten Maßnahmen ergriffen werden, um eine wirksame Immunantwort gegen weitverbreitete Krankheitserreger wie Influenza, Pneumokokken, das Varicella-Zoster-Virus sowie gegen Bakterien und Viren (Haemophilus influenzae, Meningokokken und Hepatitis), die häufig ein erhebliches Risiko für Patienten mit einem Multiplen Myelom darstellen, anzuregen. Patienten nach autologer und insbesondere nach allogener Transplantation haben stark reduzierte Antikörpertiter und benötigen daher ein breiteres Impfspektrum. Die Impfreaktion ist bei Myelom-Patienten oft weniger stark ausgeprägt als in der Allgemeinbevölkerung, sodass entweder die Messung der Antikörpertiter nach der Impfung und/oder eine Wiederholungsimpfung erforderlich ist. In dieser Arbeit stellen wir die Daten zusammen, die zur Impfung von Patienten mit Multiplem Myelom existieren, und geben Empfehlungen für die klinische Praxis.

Activating BRAF mutations are found in a small subset of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma but prevalence increases in late stage, refractory disease, and are associated with adverse outcome. This prospective single-arm, open-label, multicenter phase II trial assessed the efficacy and safety of combined BRAF/MEK inhibition, using encorafenib and binimetinib, in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) carrying a BRAFV600E mutation (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02834364). Patients received 450 mg encorafenib once daily and binimetinib 45 mg twice daily. The primary end point was the overall response rate achieved within the first year after start of treatment according to IMWG criteria. Twelve RRMM patients with a median of 5 prior lines of therapy were enrolled. The overall response rate was 83.3% with 10 patients achieving at least a partial response. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.6 months and overall survival was 55% at 24 months. Emerging resistance to therapy was driven by RAS mutations and structural variants involving the BRAF locus. This is the first prospective clinical trial to demonstrate that combined BRAF/MEK inhibition is highly effective in patients with BRAFV600E mutated RRMM and represents a successful targeted precision medicine approach in this disease.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a promising tool for monitoring monoclonal protein in plasma cell dyscrasias. We included 480 transplant-eligible newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients from the GMMG-MM5 trial (EudraCT No. 2010-019173-16) and performed a retrospective MS analysis at baseline (480 patients) and at the pre-defined, consecutive time points after induction (444 patients), prior to maintenance (305 patients) and after one year of maintenance (227 patients). We found that MS negativity was significantly associated with improved progression-free survival (PFS) even in patients with complete response (CR) at all investigated follow-up time points. The prognostic impact was independent of established risk factors, such as the revised International Staging System. Combining MS and baseline cytogenetics improved the prediction of outcome: MS-positive patients with high-risk cytogenetics had a dismal PFS of 1.9 years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6–2.3 years) from the start of maintenance. Testing the value of sequential MS prior to and after one year of maintenance, patients converting from MS positivity to negativity had an excellent PFS (median not reached) while patients converting from MS negativity to positivity progressed early (median 0.6 years, 95% CI: 0.3-not reached). Among patients with sustained MS positivity, the baseline high-risk cytogenetic status had a significant impact and defined a group with poor PFS. Combining minimal residual disease (MRD) in the bone marrow and MS allowed the identification of double negative patients with a favorable PFS (median 3.33 years, 95% CI: 3.08-not reached) and no overall survival events. Our study provides strong evidence that MS is superior to conventional response monitoring, highlighting the potential of MS to become a new standard. Our data indicate that MS should be performed sequentially and combined with baseline disease features and MRD to improve its clinical value.Clinical Trials Register: EudraCT No. 2010-019173-16

Background: High-risk (HR) multiple myeloma (MM) has an impaired prognostic outcome. Addition of anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies to standard-of-care regimens improved response rates and depth of response. Here, we report a prespecified interim analysis (IA) following induction therapy with the quadruplet regimen isatuximab, carfilzomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Isa-KRd) in newly diagnosed (ND) HR MM patients (pts) in the phase II multicentric GMMG-CONCEPT trial (NCT03104842). Methods: 153 pts with HR NDMM were enrolled into the trial, the IA reports on the first 50 pts evaluable for IA. Pts receive Isa-KRd in induction, consolidation and Isa-KR maintenance. Transplant eligible pts undergo high-dose therapy. This IA reports on overall response rates (ORR) during induction. Findings: 50 pts were included in the IA population for ORR. HR MM was defined by del17p in 52%, t(4;14) in 38%, t(14;16) in 12% and > 3 copies 1q21 in 42% and ISS stage 2/3 disease. 46/50 pts completed induction treatment. ORR was 100%, with 5 pts (10·0%) showing partial response (PR), 22 (44·0%; including 4 in arm B) very good partial response (VGPR) and 23 (46·0%) complete response (CR). Hematologic grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events (≥ 10%) were neutropenia (34·0%), leukopenia (26·0%) and thrombocytopenia (14·0%). Main non-hematologic toxicities grade 3/4 were hypertension (12·0%) and infection (8·0%). Interpretation: We report for the first time on a trial investigating Isa-KRd quadruplet treatment in solely HR NDMM. Isa-KRd induction induces rapid and deep responses. The overall safety profile is consistent with previous reports. Trial Registration: The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03104842). Funding Statement: Study drug and financial support by Amgen, Celgene-BMS and Sanofi. Declaration of Interests: Dr. Leypoldt reports grants and non-financial support from Celgene-BMS, grants and non-financial support from Sanofi, grants and non-financial support from Amgen, during the conduct of the study; non-financial support from GSK, non-financial support from Abbvie, outside the submitted work; Dr. Asemissen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Besemer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hanel reports personal fees from Celgene, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Takeda, personal fees from Amgen, during the conduct of the study; Dr. Blau has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gorner has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ko has nothing to disclose. Dr. Reinhardt reports personal fees from Abbvie, grants from Gilead, personal fees from Merck, other from CDL Therapeutics GmbH, outside the submitted work; Dr. Staib reports grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Abbvie, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Amgen, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Celgene, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Janssen-Cilag, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Novartis, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Gilead, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Pfizer, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Roche, outside the submitted work; Dr. Mann has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lutz has nothing to disclose. Dr. Munder reports personal fees and non-financial support from Janssen, personal fees and non-financial support from Amgen, grants from Incyte, personal fees and non-financial support from BMS, personal fees from Abbvie, personal fees from Sanofi, personal fees from GSK, personal fees from Takeda, outside the submitted work; Dr. Graeven reports personal fees from Amgen, personal fees and non-financial support from Boehringer Ingelheim, personal fees from Daichi Sankyo, personal fees from Servier, personal fees from Celgene, personal fees from Astra Zeneca, personal fees from Johnson Johnson, non-financial support from Merck, personal fees from MSD, personal fees from BMS, during the conduct of the study; Dr. Peceny reports grants and personal fees from Sanofi Genzyme, grants from Novartis, grants from DRK Blutspendedienst NSTOB, grants from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG, grants from Celgene, outside the submitted work; Dr. Salwender reports personal fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene, personal fees from Janssen Cilag, personal fees from Glaxo Smith Kline, personal fees from Oncopeptides, personal fees from Takeda, personal fees from Sanofi, personal fees from AbbVie, personal fees from Amgen, outside the submitted work; Dr. Jauch has nothing to disclose. Dr. Zago has nothing to disclose. Axel Benner has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tichy has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bokemeyer reports personal fees from Sanofi Aventis, personal fees from Merck KgA, personal fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb, personal fees from Merck Sharp & Dohme, personal fees from Lilly Imclone, personal fees from Bayer Healthcare, personal fees from GSO Contract research, personal fees from AOK-Rheinland-Hamburg, personal fees from Novartis, outside the submitted work; Dr. Goldschmidt reports grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Amgen, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from BMS, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Celgene, grants, personal fees, and other from Chugai, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Janssen, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Sanofi, other from Incyte, other from Molecular Partners, other from Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD), other from Mundipharma, grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Takeda, personal fees and other from Novartis, personal fees from Adaptive Biotechnology, personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), outside the submitted work. Dr. Weisel reports grants from AMGEN, grants from Celgene, grants from Sanofi, during the conduct of the study; grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Amgen, personal fees and non-financial support from BMS, grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Celgene, personal fees from Adaptive Biotech, grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Janssen, personal fees and non-financial support from GSK, personal fees from Karyopharm, grants, personal fees and non-financial support from Sanofi, personal fees and non-financial support from Takeda, personal fees from Oncopeptides, personal fees from Roche, outside the submitted work. Ethics Approval Statement: All patients provided written informed consent. The trial was approved by the competent authorities and the Tuebingen University Ethics Committee.

In order to meet the challenges in data evaluation and comparability between studies in multiple myeloma (MM) minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment, the goal of the current study was to provide a step-by-step evaluation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and multicolor flow cytometry (MFC) data. Bone marrow (BM) sample pairs from 125 MM patients were analyzed by NGS and MFC MM MRD methods. Tumor load (TL) and limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were calculated. The best-fit MRD cut-off was chosen as 1 × 10−5, resulting in an overall 9.6% (n overall = 12 (NGS n = 2, MFC n = 10)) nonassessable cases. The overall concordance rate between NGS and MFC was 68.0% (n = 85), discordant results were found in 22.4% (11.2% (n = 14) of cases in each direction. Overall, 55.1% (n = 60/109) and 49.5% (n = 54/109) of patients with a serological response ≥ very good partial response (VGPR) showed BM MRD negativity by NGS and MFC, respectively. A good correlation in the TL assessed by both techniques was found (correlation coefficient = 0.8, n = 40, p &lt, 0.001). Overall, our study shows good concordance between MM BM MRD status and TL when comparing NGS and MFC at a threshold of 10–5. However, a sufficient number of analyzed events and calculation of MRD key metrics are essential for the comparison of methods and evaluability of data at a specific MRD cut-off.

We investigated the prognostic impact of time-dependent serum free light chain ratio (FLCr) normalization in 590 patients with secretory multiple myeloma (MM) during first-line treatment within the German-Speaking Myeloma Multicenter Group MM5 trial. Serum free light chains (sFLC) were assessed by the Freelite test at baseline, after induction, mobilization, autologous blood stem cell transplantation, consolidation and every three months during maintenance or follow up within two years after the start of maintenance. The proportion of patients with a normal or normalized FLCr increased from 3.6% at baseline to 23.2% after induction and 64.7% after consolidation. The achievement of FLCr normalization at any one time before the start of maintenance was associated with significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) (p &lt, 0.01, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.61, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.47–0.79) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.02, HR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.48–0.93) in multivariable time-dependent Cox regression analyses. Furthermore, reaching immune reconstitution, defined as the normalization of uninvolved immunoglobulins, before maintenance was associated with superior PFS (p = 0.04, HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.60–0.99) and OS (p = 0.01, HR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.41–0.86). We conclude that FLCr normalization during therapy is an important favorable prognostic factor in MM. Therefore, we recommend serial measurements of sFLC during therapy until achieving FLCr normalization, even in patients with secretory MM.

Die Zulassung von zwei monoklonalen Antikorpern fur die Behandlung des multiplen Myeloms (MM) im Jahr 2016 durch die europaische Arzneimittel-Agentur (EMA) hat eine neue Ara in der zielgerichteten Immuntherapie des MM eingeleitet. Mittlerweile stehen verschiedene neue Ansatze in der Immuntherapie des MM zur Verfugung, die auf unterschiedlichen Therapiestrategien basieren.

Die Autoren haben den Artikel „Immuntherapie des multiplen Myeloms“ [Weisel K, Kanz L. InFo Onkologie. 2017;20(Suppl 1):49-53] zuruckgezogen, weil dieser in wesentlichen Teilen auf dem englischsprachigen Review „Immunologic approaches for the treatment of multiple myeloma“ von Leo Rasche, Niels Weinhold, Gareth J. Morgan, Frits van Rhee und Faith E. Davies [Rasche L et al. Cancer Treat Rev. 2017;55:190-9] basiert. Diese Retraction ersetzt das fruhere Erratum [Weisel K, Kanz L. InFo Onkologie. 2018;21(2):54]. Beide Autoren haben dieser Retraction zugestimmt.

Objective The hematopoietic system is nurtured by a supportive stroma environment allowing maintenance and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). However, only a limited number of these stromal cell clones support hematopoiesis in the absence of cytokine supplementation. So far, only two bone marrow–derived stromal cell lines (OP9 and S17) are capable of inducing hematopoietic differentiation of totipotent murine and human embryonic stem cells (ESC). Here, the potential of more than 100 stromal cell lines developed from the aorta-gonado-mesonephros (AGM) region was investigated in supporting adult and embryonic hematopoiesis. In addition, extensive phenotypic analysis should elucidate possible mechanisms involved in maintenance of hematopoietic stem cell function. Methods More than 100 stromal cell clones derived from the AGM region of E10.5 mouse embryos were isolated. Hematopoietic stem cell support was tested for adult murine and human cord blood hematopoietic stem cells and hematopoietic cells derived from murine ESC. Genotypic and phenotypic characterization was performed including gene array analysis. Results It was demonstrated that multiple clones showed high efficiency in supporting maintenance and expansion of primitive murine and human hematopoietic progenitors. In addition, we demonstrated for the first time that AGM stromal cell lines are also potent inducers of hematopoietic differentiation of murine ESC. Microarray analysis of AGM lines revealed a characteristic genotype with expression of genes involved in regulating hematopoiesis as well as mesodermal and early B cell development. Conclusion These AGM stromal cell lines may be of value in elucidating molecular mechanisms regulating early stem cell development and hematopoietic differentiation from ES-derived mesoderm.

Background: CD38 is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein that is expressed at high levels on multiple myeloma cells. MOR202 is a HuCAL-derived, human, IgG1 anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody showing effective antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis (ADCP), and high activity in preclinical models of multiple myeloma. Patients and Methods: Here we reportinterimsafety and preliminary efficacy data from this ongoing, multicenter, MOR202 dose-escalation, phase I/IIa study in patients with relapsed or refractory disease who had failed ≥2 prior therapies for multiple myeloma, including an immunomodulatory drug and a proteasome inhibitor. The objectives are to evaluate the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD)/recommended dose and preliminary efficacy of MOR202 when administered as monotherapy or in combination with dexamethasone (DEX); pomalidomide (POM) + DEX; and lenalidomide (LEN) + DEX. Patients received MOR202 as a 2-hour intravenous infusion every 2 weeks (q2w; dose levels 0.01-16 mg/kg), 4 mg/kg weekly (q1w) and 4, 8 and 16 mg/kg q1w + DEX. The combination cohorts receiving MOR202 8 mg/kg with LEN + DEX and POM + DEX have been opened, and the 16 mg/kg q1w with LEN + DEX or POM + DEX, as well as confirmation cohorts, are planned. Results: As of 26 June 2015, 44 patients have been treated; 31 and 13 patients in the q2w and q1w dose levels, respectively. Median age was 69 years (range 44-80); median number of prior therapy lines was 4 (2-11). The MTD has not been reached. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) at any grade were anemia (15 patients, 34%), fatigue (14 patients, 32%), infusion-related reactions (IRRs) and leukopenia (13 patients, 30% each), lymphopenia and nausea (11 patients, 25% each). Grade ≥3 TEAEs were reported for 28 patients (64%); the most common included lymphopenia (8 patients, 18%), leukopenia (5 patients, 11%) and hypertension (4 patients, 9%). IRRs arose mainly during the first infusion; all were grade 1-2 except for one patient (grade 3); no IRRs occurred in patients receiving MOR202 in combination with DEX. Infections were commonly reported (26 patients, 59%) but in the majority of the cases were not considered to be treatment-related. There have been no treatment-related deaths. Pharmacokinetic (PK) data demonstrated a significant target-mediated drug disposition effect for most patients treated q2w. By contrast, patients treated q1w (4 or 8 mg/kg) showed constant or slightly accumulating MOR202 trough levels, suggesting the potential for full target occupancy at 16 mg/kg. Long-lasting tumor control has already been observed in early monotherapy cohorts, including one partial response and one very good partial response in the weekly cohorts; efficacy analyses are ongoing. First data from the dose escalation of the weekly cohorts with DEX and the combination cohorts with LEN + DEX and POM + DEX will be presented. Conclusions: At doses up to 16 mg/kg,MOR202 was safe and well tolerated. Encouraging preliminary activity of MOR202 was observed, especially with the weekly regimen. PK data show the potential for full target occupancy in patients receiving MOR202 16 mg/kg q1w. This dosing schedule of MOR202 is currently being tested in combination with DEX, LEN + DEX, and POM + DEX. Disclosures Raab: MorphoSys: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy. Goldschmidt:Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Onyx: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Millenium: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen-Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Einsele:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen/Onyx: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Ferstl:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Other: Advisory board; Novartis: Other: Case report presentation. Weisel:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support; Novartis: Other: Travel Support; Janssen Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support; Onyx: Consultancy, Honoraria; Noxxon: Consultancy. Klöpfer:MorphoSys: Employment. Weinelt:MorphoSys: Employment. Härtle:MorphoSys: Employment.

Background: RI occurs in ≈ 20%-30% of newly diagnosed MM pts and is associated with poor prognosis (Knudsen et al. Eur J Haematol. 2000; Kyle et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 2003). Data from 2 pivotal trials (MM-002, MM-003) suggested comparable efficacy and tolerability of POM + LoDEX in pts with or without moderate RI (Siegel ASH 2012; Weisel ASCO 2013). However, these trials excluded pts with severe RI. MM-013 (NCT02045017) is a European multicenter, open-label phase 2 study designed to assess the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of POM + LoDEX in RRMM pts with moderate or severe RI, including those on dialysis. Methods: The trial is enrolling RRMM pts (N = 80) across 3 cohorts: cohort A (moderate RI, estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≥ 30 to < 45 mL/min/1.73 m2, n = 33), cohort B (severe RI without dialysis, eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2, n = 33), and cohort C (severe RI requiring dialysis, n = 14). Pts must have MM-related RI and have received ≥ 1 prior Tx (including lenalidomide). POM 4 mg is administered on days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle and LoDEX 40 mg/day (20 mg for pts aged > 75 yrs) on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 until progressive disease (PD) or unacceptable toxicity. At the time of submission of this abstract, 17 pts terminated Tx; this abstract focuses on tolerability in these pts. Results: This trial is still recruiting; at the time of data cutoff for this abstract, 39 pts were enrolled. Data are included for 17 pts who discontinued Tx. Of all 39 pts, 12 were assigned to cohort A, 18 to cohort B, and 9 to cohort C. The median age of the total population was 72 yrs (range, 52-86 yrs), with 67.7% being male. The median number of prior lines of therapy was 4.0 (3.5 in cohort A, 5.0 in cohort B, and 3.0 in cohort C). This distribution was similar in the 17 pts who discontinued Tx so far (4, 7, and 6 in cohorts A, B, and C, respectively), with a median age of 72 yrs and 58.8% being male. Reasons for discontinuation of Tx were PD (7 pts), adverse events (AEs; 3 pts), death (5 pts: 2 pts due to PD, 2 pts due to infections, 1 pt due to hyperkalemia), and other reasons (2 pts: 1 pt aged 86 yrs with general health problems, 1 pt with increasing RI). Median Tx duration in these pts was 6.9 weeks in cohort A, 12.6 weeks in cohort B, and 12.9 weeks in cohort C. The dosage of POM was reduced to 3 mg in 3 pts (1 patient in each cohort), in all cases due to an AE (thrombocytopenia in 2 pts, pneumonia in 1 pt). However, no further Tx reductions occurred. The most frequent toxicity of any grade in the pts who discontinued was hematologic (82.4% [14 pts]), notably neutropenia in 58.8% (50% in cohort A, 42.9% in cohort B, 83.3% in cohort C), anemia in 52.9% (50% in cohort A, 28.6% in cohort B, 83.3% in cohort C), and thrombocytopenia in 52.9% (75% in cohort A, 14.3% in cohort B, 83.3% in cohort C). Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 47.1%; grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia occurred in 35.3%. Notably, febrile neutropenia was reported in only 1 pt in cohort A. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was used in 52.9% of pts. Non-hematologic AEs were less frequent. Infections occurred in 7 pts (41.2%), all of which were pulmonary infections, with the exception of 1 case of nasopharyngitis. Asthenia (23.5%) and fatigue (23.5%) occurred predominantly in cohort C. No thromboembolic events or secondary primary malignancies have been reported to date. Conclusions: These data suggest that the combination of POM and LoDEX can be safely administered in pts with RI. A starting dose of POM 4 mg can be used throughout all stages of RI, and the side effects seen in this population have been previously reported with POM use (ie, mainly hematologic events and infections). Rates of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia are similar to reports in a non-RI population. Dose modifications should be considered in pts who develop neutropenia and thrombocytopenia; in pts showing signs of infections, dose interruptions may be considered. Disclosures Off Label Use: Pomalidomide in MM patients with renal insufficiency.. Dimopoulos:Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria; Genesis: Honoraria; Onyx: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria. van de Donk:Janssen Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Gamberi:Celgene Corporation: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Mundipharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kueenburg:Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Honoraria. Rosettani:Celgene Corporation: Employment. Collins:Celgene Corporation: Employment. Lersch:Celgene Corporation: Employment. Bacon:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Weisel:Noxxon: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support; Novartis: Other: Travel Support; Janssen Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support, Research Funding; Onyx: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support. Sonneveld:Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; SkylineDx: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding.

Long-term cytokine-supplemented or stromal cocultures of human CD34+ cells, particularly from cord blood (CB), show expansion of hematopoietic progenitors and stem cells. Ultimately, however cultures decline and terminally differentiate. Despite upregulation of telomerase activity in proliferating primitive hematopoietic cells, telomere shortening has generally been reported in long-term cultures of CB, bone marrow or G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood CD34+ cells. In earlier reports, we described a long-term culture of hematopoietic stem cells on a murine OP9 bone marrow stroma cell line transfected with an adenovector expressing thrombopoietin, which allowed an extensive proliferation and self-renewal of CB CD34+ cells for 4–5 months with sustained elevation of telomerase activity and without concomitant significant telomere shortening (Blood, 2004). Here, we evaluated adult healthy donor peripheral blood (PB) CD34+ cells in the same OP9/Tpo coculture system. To determine progenitor and stem cell production, standard CFC and 2ndry cobblestone area-forming cell assays (CAFC assayed at 5 weeks on MS5 stroma) were undertaken weekly with suspension cells. In addition telomere length was measured by telomere restriction fragment (TRF) assay, and telomerase activity by TRAP assay on input CD34+ cells, and weekly on culture suspension cells. Maximum total cell, CFC and CAFC production was seen in the first 4 weeks with up to 80-fold expansion in cell count, up to 4-fold expansion in CFC and up to 13-fold expansion in CAFC. Thereafter a continuous decrease in production of cells, CFC 2ndry CAFC was observed and cultures terminated at week 8. Mean telomere length of input PB CD34+ cells was 9,5 ± 0,5 kbp. After 4 weeks in culture, telomere length remained stable (9,6 ± 0,5 kbp). In 3/6 cultures terminated, cultures showed only a slightly decrease of telomere length compared to the input population (0,55 ± 0,1 kbp loss). However, in 2/6 cultures we could demonstrate an elevation of telomeres (+ 0,3 kbp) independent of a rapid loss of telomerase activity in all cultures during the culture period. Furthermore, the elevation of telomeres did not correlate with an enhanced stem/progenitor cell activity. These data confirm earlier results of granulocyte telomere change in myeloma patients following chemotherapy and tandem transplantation, where 154/193 patients showed an expected loss of telomeres during the treatment period, whereas 39/193 patients had an unexpected elevation of telomeres. We could now show in healthy donors that this phenomenon is independent of bone marrow stress due to chemotherapeutic treatment. In conclusion, we could show that the stromal coculture system with OP9/Tpo is highly effective in stem/progenitor cell expansion not only in CB but also in PB CD34+ cells. It is the first culture system, which allows expansion of hematpoietic cells without significant telomere erosion. We furthermore describe for the first time an age-independent healthy donor population which shows telomerase-independent, significant telomere elevation. Further studies have to demonstrate, if this phenomenon is potentially linked to a higher susceptibility for cancer disease.