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The DHAP regimen (high-dose cytarabine in combination with dexamethasone and cisplatin) with or without rituximab (DHAP+/-R) is one of the most common regimens in daily practice. It is considered the standard treatment for relapse or refractory Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Cisplatin nephrotoxicity is a major concern, and other platinum compounds are being tried. We performed a monocentric retrospective analysis to evaluate the use of carboplatin, so-called DHAC+/-R regimen. The purpose was to assess the toxicity of the DHAC+/-R regimen in real-life. The Dexamethasone, Cytarabine, Carboplatin (DHAC) regimen consisted of carboplatin AUC = 5 mg/ml/min (targeted area under the curve with Calvert's formula) on day 1, cytarabine 2 g/m2 twice a day on day 2 and IV dexamethasone 40 mg from days 1 to 4. Rituximab was administrated at 375 mg/m2 on day 1 for CD20+ NHL. The interval between courses was 21 days. During the period considered, 199 patients received DHAC+/-R. For the entire cohort, median follow-up is 24 months (range, 2-82), median OS is not reached (NR), estimated 2-year OS is 75% (95% CI, 69-83) and median progression-free survival (PFS) is 46 months (95% CI, 22-NA). Of 144 patients scheduled for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), 102 (71%, NA = 2) were in response after DHAC+/-R and all except 4 underwent ASCT. Grade ≥ 3 haematological toxicities were mainly thrombocytopenia (n = 101) and anaemia (n = 95). Grade ≥ 3 neutropenia occurred in 10 patients. No grade ≥ 3 renal and one grade 3 neurological toxicity were reported. DHAC+/-R is feasible in daily practice, provides good response rates and jeopardises neither stem cell collection nor ASCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tafasitamab plus lenalidomide (TAFA-LEN) treatment relevance pre- or post-anti-CD19 CAR T-cell is currently debated. We analyzed large B-cell lymphoma patients in the DESCAR-T registry treated with axi-cel or tisa-cel in ≥3rd line (L3+) and TAFA-LEN before (n=15, 'TL-pre-CAR-T' set) or directly after (n=52, 'TL-post-CAR-T' set) CAR T-cell. We compared TAFA-LEN v. other treatments using inverse probability weighting in the TL-post-CAR-T set. In the TL-post-CAR-T' set, the median follow-up duration (mFUD) was 7 months, and the median progression-free survival, overall survival and duration of response since the 1st treatment for progression (mPFS2/mOS2/mDOR2) were 3, 4.7 and 8.1 months, respectively. The best overall response rate (bORR) and best complete response rate (bCRR) after TAFA-LEN were 13.5% and 7.7%, respectively. Outcomes were better for patients who relapsed >6 months after CAR T-cell (mPFS2: 5.6 vs. 2 months, p=0.0138; mOS2: not reached vs. 3.8 months, p=0.0034). bORR and bCRR between TAFA-LEN and other treatments were 20.6% vs. 24.9% and 11.6% vs. 15.6%, respectively. Outcomes were similar between TAFA-LEN and other treatments (mPFS2: 2.9 [2-2.6] vs. 2.4 [1.5-4.2] months, p=0.91; mOS2: 3.3 [1.8-6.4] vs. 5.5 [4.4-6.3] months, p=0.06). In an exploratory analysis of the TL-pre-CAR-T set (mFUD since CAR T-cell: 2.8 months), the median TAFA-LEN treatment duration prior to CAR-T was 3.7 months and no patients were reported to become CD19 negative. The bORR, bCRR, 6-month PFS and OS rates after CAR T-cell infusion were 45.5%, 36.4%, 20.1% and 58.2%, respectively. Neither TAFA-LEN nor comparative salvage treatments improved outcomes of patients who relapsed after CAR T-cell., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Hematology.)

The IELSG38 trial was conducted to investigate the effects of subcutaneous (SC) rituximab on the complete remission (CR) rate and the benefits of SC rituximab maintenance in patients with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) who received front-line treatment with chlorambucil plus rituximab. Study treatment was an induction phase with oral chlorambucil 6 mg/m2/day on weeks 1-6, 9-10, 13-14, 17-18, and 21-22, and intravenous rituximab 375 mg/m2 on day 1 of weeks 1-4, and 1,400 mg SC on weeks 9, 13, 17, and 21. Then, a maintenance phase followed with rituximab administered at 1,400 mg SC every two months for two years. Of the 112 patients enrolled, 109 were evaluated for efficacy. The CR rates increased from 52% at the end of the induction phase to 70% upon completion of the maintenance phase. With a median follow-up of 5.8 years, the 5-year event-free, progression-free, and overall survival rates were 87% (95% CI: 78-92), 84% (95% CI: 75-89), and 93% (95% CI: 86-96), respectively. The most common grade ≥3 toxicities were neutropenia (33%) and lymphocytopenia (16%). Six patients experienced treatment-related serious adverse events, including fever of unknown origin, sepsis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, severe cerebellar ataxia, and fatal acute myeloid leukemia. The trial showed that SC rituximab did not improve the CR rate at the conclusion of the induction phase, which was the main endpoint. Nevertheless, SC rituximab maintenance might have facilitated long-term disease control, potentially contributing to enhanced event-free and progression-free survival.

Innovative therapeutic strategies have emerged over the past decade to improve outcomes for most lymphoma patients. Nevertheless, the aggressive presentation seen in high-risk mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients remains an unmet medical need. The highly proliferative cells that characterize these tumors depend on nucleotide synthesis to ensure high DNA replication and RNA synthesis. To take advantage of this vulnerability, STP-B, a clinically available small molecule selectively targeting CTP synthase 1 (CTPS1) has been recently developed. CTPS1 is a key enzyme of the pyrimidine synthesis pathway mediated through its unique ability to provide enough CTP in highly proliferating cells. Herein, we demonstrated that CTPS1 was expressed in all MCL cells, and that its high expression was associated with unfavorable outcomes for patients treated with chemotherapy. Using aggressive MCL models characterized by blastoid morphology, TP53 mutation or polyresistance to targeted therapies, we showed that STP-B was highly effective at nanomolar concentrations in vitro and in vivo, irrespective of these high-risk features. Inhibition of CTPS1 rapidly leads to cell cycle arrest in early S-phase accompanied by inhibition of translation, including of the anti-apoptotic protein MCL1. Consequently, CTPS1 inhibition induced synergistic cell death in combination with the selective BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax, both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our study identified CTPS1 as a promising target for MCL patients and provided a mechanism-based combination with the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax for the design of future chemotherapy-free treatment regimens to overcome resistance.

Abstract: Obinutuzumab (O) and rituximab (R) are 2 CD antibodies that have never been compared in a prospective randomized trial of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Herein, we report the long-term outcome of the LyMa-101 trial, in which newly diagnosed patients with MCL were treated with chemotherapy plus O before transplantation, followed by O maintenance (O group). We then compared these patients with those treated with the same treatment design with R instead of O (R group). A propensity score matching (PSM) was used to compare the 2 populations (O vs R groups) in terms of measurable residual disease (MRD) at the end of induction (EOI), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). In LyMa-101, the estimated 5-year PFS and OS after inclusion (n = 85) were 83.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 73.5-89.8) and 86.9% (95% CI, 77.6-92.5), respectively. At EOI, patients treated in the O group had more frequent bone marrow MRD negativity than those treated in the R group (83.1% vs 63.4%; χ2, P = .007). PSM resulted in 2 sets of 82 patients with comparable characteristics at inclusion. From treatment initiation, the O group had a longer estimated 5-year PFS (P = .029; 82.8% vs 66.6%; hazard ratio [HR], 1.99; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05-3.76) and OS (P = .039; 86.4% vs 71.4%; HR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.01-4.16) compared with the R group. Causes of death were comparable in the 2 groups, the most common cause being lymphoma. O before transplantation and in maintenance provides better disease control and enhances PFS and OS compared with R in transplant-eligible patients with MCL. These trials were registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00921414 and NCT02896582., (© 2024 American Society of Hematology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Competing Interests: Financial/Nonfinancial Disclosures The authors have reported to CHEST the following: B. G. reports receipt of nonfinancial support from Gilead Sciences, MSD, and Pfizer outside the submitted work. F. R. reports receipt of personal fees from AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Gilead Sciences, Janssen, Merck, Roche, and ViiV Healthcare outside the submitted work. E. C. reports personal fees from GILEAD, SANOFI-GENZYME, and BAXTER outside the submitted work. B. T. reports receipt of nonfinancial support from Gilead Sciences and personal fees from AbbVie, Gilead Sciences, Lilly Oncology, and Incyte outside the submitted work. None declared (R. Lécuyer, N. I., F. C., R. Lavergne, F. G., F. M., D. B., A. C., M. G., Y. C., A. N.).

Background: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PcP) remains associated with high rates of mortality, and the impact of immunocompromising underlying disease on the clinical presentation, severity, and mortality of PcP has not been adequately evaluated., Research Question: Does the underlying disease and immunosuppression causing PcP impact the outcome and clinical presentation of the disease?, Study Design and Methods: In this multicenter retrospective observational study, conducted from January 2011 to December 2021, all consecutive patients admitted with a proven or probable diagnosis of PcP according to the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer consensus definitions were included to assess the epidemiology and impact of underlying immunosuppressive diseases on overall and 90-day mortality., Results: Overall, 481 patients were included in the study; 180 (37.4%) were defined as proven PcP and 301 (62.6%) were defined as probable PcP. Patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) or solid tumors had a statistically poorer prognosis than other patients with PcP at day 90. In multivariate analysis, among the HIV-negative population, solid tumor underlying disease (OR, 5.47; 95% CI, 2.16-14.1; P < .001), IMIDs (OR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.05-4.60; P = .037), long-term corticosteroid exposure (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.03-4.31; P = .045), cysts in sputum/BAL smears (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.02-3.62; P = .043), and SOFA score at admission (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.39-1.82; P < .001) were independently associated with 90-day mortality. Prior corticotherapy was the only immunosuppressant associated with 90-day mortality (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.03-2.71; P = .035), especially for a prednisone daily dose ≥ 10 mg (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.14-2.85; P = .010)., Interpretation: Among patients who were HIV-negative, long-term corticosteroid prior to PcP diagnosis was independently associated with increased 90-day mortality, specifically in patients with IMIDs. These results highlight both the needs for PcP prophylaxis in patients with IMIDs and to early consider PcP curative treatment in severe pneumonia among patients with IMIDs., Competing Interests: Financial/Nonfinancial Disclosures The authors have reported to CHEST the following: B. G. reports receipt of nonfinancial support from Gilead Sciences, MSD, and Pfizer, outside the submitted work. F. R. reports receipt of personal fees from Abbvie, Astra Zeneca, Gilead Sciences, Janssen, Merck, Roche, and ViiV Healthcare, outside the submitted work. E. C. reports personal fees from Gilead, Sanofi-Genzyme, and Baxter, outside the submitted work. None declared (R. L., N. I., F. C., R.-a. L., F. G., F. M., D. B., A. C., M. G., Y. C., A. N., B. T.)., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Late relapse, beyond 2 years following alloHSCT for AML, is rare. Among the 376 patients allografted for AML in our center between 1990 and 2016, 142 (38%) relapsed. The majority (68%) of relapses occurred during the first year following transplantation. Beyond 2 years after alloHSCT, relapse was observed in 26 patients, representing 6.9% of the whole transplanted cohort and 18.3% of the relapsing patients. Cytogenetics at relapse was available in 21 patients and remained for 15 of them concordant to that at diagnosis. The majority (85.7%) of the patients were in CR prior to transplant. Thirteen patients had grade 1-2 acute GvHD, while 13 other patients had grade 3-4 acute GvHD. None of these patients subsequently developed chronic GvHD. In multivariate analyses, a predictive factor of the absence of relapse 2 years after transplantation was the development of extensive chronic GVHD. Salvage therapy achieved new CR in 77% of these patients. We conclude that late relapse can affect a significant minority of patients allografted for AML, and the intensity of the conditioning regimen does not seem to have an impact on these relapses. Moreover, we were able to show that those patients can receive effective salvage therapy.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare (5-7%), aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with well-defined hallmarks (e.g. Cyclin D1, SOX11), and whose expansion is highly dependent on the tumor microenvironment (TME). Parallel drastic progresses in the understanding of the lymphomagenesis and improved treatments led to paradigm shift in this B-cell malignancy with now prolonged disease-free survival after intensive chemotherapy and anti-CD20 based maintenance. However, this toxic strategy is not applicable in frail or elderly patients and a small but significant part of the cases will present a refractory disease representing unmet medical needs. Importantly, the field has recently seen the rapid emergence of targeted and immune-based strategies with effective combinations relying on biological rationales to overcome malignant plasticity and intratumor heterogeneity. In this review, we expose how unraveling the biology of MCL allows to better understand the therapeutic resistances and to identify neo-vulnerabilities of tumors, which are essential to offer efficient novel strategies for high-risk patients. We first highlight the tumor intrinsic resistance mechanisms, and associated Achilles heels within various pathways such as NFkB, mitochondrial apoptosis, DNA repair or epigenetic regulators. We then place the tumor in its complex ecosystem to decipher the dialog with the multiple TME components and show how the resulting protumoral signals could be disrupted with innovative therapeutics strategies. Finally, we discuss how these progresses could be integrated in a personalized approach in MCL., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Hematology.)

Abstract: To establish a strict p53-dependent gene-expression profile, TP53-/- clones were derived from TP53+/+ and TP53-/mut t(4;14) human myeloma cell lines (HMCLs) using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. From the 17 dysregulated genes shared between the TP53-/- clones from TP53+/+ HMCLs, we established a functional p53 score, involving 13 genes specifically downregulated upon p53 silencing. This functional score segregated clones and myeloma cell lines as well as other cancer cell lines according to their TP53 status. The score efficiently identified samples from patients with myeloma with biallelic TP53 inactivation and was predictive of overall survival in Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation-coMMpass and CASSIOPEA cohorts. At the functional level, we showed that among the 13 genes, p53-regulated BAX expression correlated with and directly affected the MCL1 BH3 mimetic S63845 sensitivity of myeloma cells by decreasing MCL1-BAX complexes. However, resistance to S63845 was overcome by combining MCL1 and BCL2 BH3 mimetics, which displayed synergistic efficacy. The combination of BH3 mimetics was effective in 97% of patient samples with or without del17p. Nevertheless, single-cell RNA sequencing analysis showed that myeloma cells surviving the combination had lower p53 score, showing that myeloma cells with higher p53 score were more sensitive to BH3 mimetics. Taken together, we established a functional p53 score that identifies myeloma cells with biallelic TP53 invalidation, demonstrated that p53-regulated BAX is critical for optimal cell response to BH3 mimetics, and showed that MCL1 and BCL2 BH3 mimetics in combination may be of greater effectiveness for patients with biallelic TP53 invalidation, for whom there is still an unmet medical need., (© 2024 American Society of Hematology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Clinical trials frequently include multiple end points that mature at different times. The initial report, typically based on the primary end point, may be published when key planned coprimary or secondary analyses are not yet available. Clinical trial updates provide an opportunity to disseminate additional results from studies, published in JCO or elsewhere, for which the primary end point has already been reported. The LYMA trial demonstrated the benefit of rituximab maintenance (RM) in first-line young patients with mantle-cell lymphoma. In this prolonged follow-up of 7.5 years (95% CI, 7.4 to 7.7) from inclusion, the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for the full population were not reached (NR) with a 7-year PFS of 55.5% (95% CI, 49.5 to 61) and OS of 69.5% (95% CI, 63.8 to 74.5). The EFS remained statistically superior in favor of RM (median NR v 5.8 years, P < .0001; HR, 0.39 [95% CI, 0.52 to 0.6] and 7-year estimate, 76.2% versus 46% for RM and observation, respectively). Similarly, RM prolonged PFS (estimated PFS at 7 years, 78.5% v 47.4% and HR, 0.36 [95% CI, 0.23 to 0.56] for RM and observation, respectively, P < .0001). The 7-year OS estimate was 83.2% versus 72.2%, respectively ( P = .088, HR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.37 to 1.08]). Cause of death was not significantly distinct between the two groups, with lymphoma being the leading cause with a very low rate of infection-related death. Overall, the PFS benefit of RM after autologous stem cell transplantation remains after 7-year follow-up, and RM was not associated with an increase in infection-related mortality, making this strategy a safe standard of care with long-term follow-up.

The presence of donor Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplant (h-HSCT) has been associated with improved disease-free survival. These cells kill tumor cells in a non-MHC restricted manner, do not induce graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and can be generated by stimulation with zoledronic acid (ZA) in combination with interleukin-2 (IL-2). This monocentric phase I, open-label, dose-escalating study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03862833) aimed at evaluating the safety and possibility to generate Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells early after h-HSCT. It applied a standard 3 + 3 protocol to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of increasing low-doses of IL-2 (5 days [d] per week, 4 weeks) in combination with a single dose of ZA, starting both the first Monday after d + 15 posttransplant. Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell monitoring was performed by multiparameter flow cytometry on blood samples and compared with a control cohort of h-HSCT recipients. Twenty-six patients were included between April 2019 and September 2022, 16 of whom being ultimately treated and seven being controls who received h-HSCT only. At the three dose levels tested, 1, 0, and 1 dose-limiting toxicities were observed. MTD was not reached. A significantly higher number of Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells was observed during IL-2 treatment compared with controls. In conclusion, early in vivo generation of Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells is feasible after h-HSCT by using a combination of ZA and repeated IL-2 infusions. This study paves the way to a future phase 2 study, with the hope to document lesser posttransplant relapse with this particular adaptive immunotherapy., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Abstract: Real-world data (RWD) are essential to complement clinical trial (CT) data, but major challenges remain, such as data quality. REal world dAta in LYmphoma and Survival in Adults (REALYSA) is a prospective noninterventional multicentric cohort started in 2018 that included patients newly diagnosed with lymphoma in France. Herein is a proof-of-concept analysis on patients with first-line diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) to (1) evaluate the capacity of the cohort to provide robust data through a multistep validation process; (2) assess the consistency of the results; and (3) conduct an exploratory transportability assessment of 2 recent phase 3 CTs (POLARIX and SENIOR). The analysis population comprised 645 patients with DLBCL included before 31 March 2021 who received immunochemotherapy and for whom 3589 queries were generated, resulting in high data completeness (<4% missing data). Median age was 66 years, with mostly advanced-stage disease and high international prognostic index (IPI) score. Treatments were mostly rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP 75%) and reduced dose R-CHOP (13%). Estimated 1-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival rates were 77.9% and 90.0%, respectively (median follow-up, 9.9 months). Regarding transportability, when applying the CT's main inclusion criteria (age, performance status, and IPI), outcomes seemed comparable between patients in REALYSA and standard arms of POLARIX (1-year progression-free survival 79.8% vs 79.8%) and SENIOR (1-year EFS, 64.5% vs 60.0%). With its rigorous data validation process, REALYSA provides high-quality RWD, thus constituting a platform for numerous scientific purposes. The REALYSA study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03869619., (© 2024 by The American Society of Hematology. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), permitting only noncommercial, nonderivative use with attribution. All other rights reserved.)

Very scarce data exist about outcomes of relapsed multiple myeloma patients who have failed proteasome inhibitor, immunomodulatory drug, anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody and therapies targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) (Quad-class exposed [QCE]). In this retrospective single-centre study, we determined progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from anti-BCMA failure in 45 QCE patients. Seven (16%) patients received antibody-drug conjugate, 20 (44%) bispecific antibodies and 18 (40%) CAR-T cell. Thirty patients (67%) received ≥1 subsequent line of treatment. PFS was 4.4 months (95% CI = 2.4-12.5) and OS 6.3 months (95% CI = 3.9-14.4). Having an adverse prognosis, QCE myeloma patients remain an unmet medical need., (© 2023 British Society for Haematology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

A strategy combining targeted therapies is effective in B-cell lymphomas (BCL), such as mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), but acquired resistances remain a recurrent issue. In this study, we performed integrative longitudinal genomic and single-cell RNA-sequencing analyses of patients with MCL who were treated with targeted therapies against CD20, BCL2, and Bruton tyrosine kinase (OAsIs trial). We revealed the emergence of subclones with a selective advantage against OAsIs combination in vivo and showed that resistant cells were characterized by B-cell receptor (BCR)-independent overexpression of NF-κB1 target genes, especially owing to CARD11 mutations. Functional studies demonstrated that CARD11 gain of function not only resulted in BCR independence but also directly increased the transcription of the antiapoptotic BCL2A1, leading to resistance against venetoclax and OAsIs combination. Based on the transcriptional profile of OAsIs-resistant subclones, we designed a 16-gene resistance signature that was also predictive for patients with MCL who were treated with conventional chemotherapy, underlying a common escape mechanism. Among druggable strategies to inhibit CARD11-dependent NF-κB1 transduction, we evaluated the selective inhibition of its essential partner MALT1. We demonstrated that MALT1 protease inhibition led to a reduction in the expression of genes involved in OAsIs resistance, including BCL2A1. Consequently, MALT1 inhibition induced synergistic cell death in combination with BCL2 inhibition, irrespective of CARD11 mutational status, both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our study identified mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies and provided a novel strategy to overcome resistance in aggressive BCL. The OAsIs trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov #NCT02558816., (© 2023 by The American Society of Hematology.)

Purpose: Pirtobrutinib is a highly selective, noncovalent (reversible) Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi). We report the safety and efficacy of pirtobrutinib in patients with covalent Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (cBTKi) pretreated mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL), a population with poor prognosis., Methods: Patients with cBTKi pretreated relapsed/refractory (R/R) MCL received pirtobrutinib monotherapy in a multicenter phase I/II trial (BRUIN; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03740529). Efficacy was assessed in the first 90 consecutively enrolled patients who met criteria for inclusion in the primary efficacy cohort. The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary end points included duration of response (DOR) and safety., Results: The median patient age was 70 years (range, 46-87), the median prior lines of therapy was 3 (range, 1-8), 82.2% had discontinued a prior cBTKi because of disease progression, and 77.8% had intermediate- or high-risk simplified MCL International Prognostic Index score. The ORR was 57.8% (95% CI, 46.9 to 68.1), including 20.0% complete responses (n = 18). At a median follow-up of 12 months, the median DOR was 21.6 months (95% CI, 7.5 to not reached). The 6- and 12-month estimated DOR rates were 73.6% and 57.1%, respectively. In the MCL safety cohort (n = 164), the most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were fatigue (29.9%), diarrhea (21.3%), and dyspnea (16.5%). Grade ≥3 TEAEs of hemorrhage (3.7%) and atrial fibrillation/flutter (1.2%) were less common. Only 3% of patients discontinued pirtobrutinib because of a treatment-related adverse event., Conclusion: Pirtobrutinib is a first-in-class novel noncovalent (reversible) BTKi and the first BTKi of any kind to demonstrate durable efficacy after prior cBTKi therapy in heavily pretreated R/R MCL. Pirtobrutinib was well tolerated with low rates of treatment discontinuation because of toxicity.

Molecular monitoring of tumor-derived alterations has an established role in the surveillance of leukemias, and emerging nucleic acid sequencing technologies are likely to similarly transform the clinical management of lymphomas. Lymphomas are well suited for molecular surveillance due to relatively high cell-free DNA and circulating tumor DNA concentrations, high somatic mutational burden, and the existence of stereotyped variants enabling focused interrogation of recurrently altered regions. Here, we review the clinical scenarios and key technologies applicable for the molecular monitoring of lymphomas, summarizing current evidence in the literature regarding molecular subtyping and classification, evaluation of treatment response, the surveillance of active cellular therapies, and emerging clinical trial strategies.

Aggressive B-cell malignancies, such as mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), are microenvironment-dependent tumors and a better understanding of the dialogs occurring in lymphoma-protective ecosystems will provide new perspectives to increase treatment efficiency. To identify novel molecular regulations, we performed a transcriptomic analysis based on the comparison of circulating MCL cells (n=77) versus MCL lymph nodes (n=107) together with RNA sequencing of malignant (n=8) versus normal B-cell (n=6) samples. This integrated analysis led to the discovery of microenvironment-dependent and tumor-specific secretion of interleukin-32 beta (IL32β), whose expression was confirmed in situ within MCL lymph nodes by multiplex immunohistochemistry. Using ex vivo models of primary MCL cells (n=23), we demonstrated that, through the secretion of IL32β, the tumor was able to polarize monocytes into specific MCL-associated macrophages, which in turn favor tumor survival. We highlighted that while IL32β-stimulated macrophages secreted several protumoral factors, they supported tumor survival through a soluble dialog, mostly driven by BAFF. Finally, we demonstrated the efficacy of selective NIK/alternative-NFkB inhibition to counteract microenvironment-dependent induction of IL32β and BAFF-dependent survival of MCL cells. These data uncovered the IL32β/BAFF axis as a previously undescribed pathway involved in lymphoma-associated macrophage polarization and tumor survival, which could be counteracted through selective NIK inhibition.

Rituximab maintenance (RM) after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is standard-of-care for young patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). RM may enhance post-transplantation immune depression and risk of infections. We compared infection incidence and immune consequences of RM versus observation in transplanted MCL patients. All randomized patients included in the LyMa trial were eligible. The following parameters were collected prospectively: occurrence of fever, infection, hospitalization, neutropenia, hypogammaglobulinemia, CD4 lymphopenia and γ globulin (Ig) substitution. The post-ASCT period was divided into four periods in order to assess the possible effects of RM or ASCT on immune status. Each arm included 120 patients. Concerning infection incidence and all biological parameters, there was no difference between the two arms during the first year post ASCT. After this period, RM patients were more exposed to fever (P=0.03), infections (P=0.001), hypogammaglobulinemia (P=0.0001) and Ig substitution (P<0.0001). Incidences of hospitalization, neutropenia and CD4 lymphopenia were not different between the two arms. The number of rituximab injections was correlated with infections and hypogammaglobulinemia, P<0.0001 and P=0.001; but was not correlated with neutropenia and CD4 lymphopenia. Ig substitution did not modify infection incidence. Patients who presented hypogammaglobulinemia <6 g/L or <4 g/L had longer 3-years progression-free survival (PFS), this applies to RM patients (P=0.012 and P=0.03) and to the global cohort (P=0.008 and P=0.003). Hypogammaglobulinemia did not influence overall survival. Occurrence of infectious event, neutropenia and CD4 lymphopenia did neither influence PFS nor overall survival. Post-ASCT RM in MCL patients causes sustained hypogammaglobulinemia, which is independently correlated with improved PFS.

Background: Early antibiotic discontinuation according to the Fourth European Conference on Infections in Leukaemia (ECIL-4) recommendations is not systematically applied in high-risk neutropenic patients with haematological malignancies., Methods: A retrospective multicentre observational study was conducted over 2 years to evaluate the safety of early antibiotic discontinuation for fever of unknown origin (FUO) during neutropenia after induction chemotherapy or HSCT, in comparison with a historical cohort. We used Cox proportional hazards models, censored on neutropenia resolution, to analyse factors associated with febrile recurrence., Results: Among 147 included patients in the ECIL-4 cohort, mainly diagnosed with acute leukaemia (n = 104, 71%), antibiotics were discontinued during 170 post-chemotherapy neutropenic episodes. In comparison with the historical cohort of 178 episodes of neutropenia without antibiotic discontinuation, no significant differences were observed regarding febrile recurrences [71.2% (121/170) versus 71.3% (127/178), P = 0.97], admission in ICUs [6.5% (11/170) versus 11.2% (20/178), P = 0.17], septic shock [0.6% (1/170) versus 3.9% (7/178), P = 0.07] and 30 day mortality [1.4% (2/147) versus 2.7% (4/150), P = 0.084]. In the ECIL-4 cohort, the rate of bacteraemia in case of febrile recurrence was higher [27.1% (46/170) versus 11.8% (21/178), P < 0.01] and antibiotic consumption was significantly lower (15.5 versus 19.9 days, P < 0.001). After early antibiotic discontinuation according to ECIL-4 recommendations, enterocolitis was associated with febrile recurrence [HR = 2.31 (95% CI = 1.4-3.8), P < 0.001] and stage III-IV oral mucositis with bacteraemia [HR = 2.26 (95% CI = 1.22-4.2), P = 0.01]., Conclusions: After an FUO episode in high-risk neutropenia, compliance with ECIL-4 recommendations for early antibiotic discontinuation appears to be safe and mucosal damage was associated with febrile recurrence and bacteraemia. Prospective interventional studies are warranted to assess this strategy in high-risk neutropenic patients., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)