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We previously conducted a randomized phase II trial of OCV-501, a WT1 peptide presented by helper T cells, in elderly AML (acute myeloid leukemia) patients in first remission, indicating no difference in 2-year disease-free survival (DSF) between the OCV-501 and placebo groups. Here, we analyzed 5-year outcome and biomarkers. Five-year DFS was 36.0% in the OCV-501 group (N = 52) and 33.7% in the placebo group (N = 53), with no significant difference (p = 0.74). The peripheral WT1 mRNA levels were marginally suppressed in the OCV-501 group compared with the placebo group. Enhanced anti-OCV-501 IgG response by the 25th week was an independent favorable prognostic factor. Anti-OCV-501 IFNγ responses were less frequent than the IgG reactions. These findings suggest that host immunoreactivity has a significant impact on the prognosis of AML and that further improvement of the WT1 peptide vaccine is needed.

Purpose: The Hedgehog signaling pathway is a key regulator of cell growth and differentiation during development. Whereas the Hedgehog pathway is inactive in most normal adult tissues, Hedgehog pathway reactivation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neoplasms including BCR-ABL1–positive leukemia. The clear link between the Hedgehog pathway and BCR-ABL1–positive leukemia led to an effort to identify small molecules to block the pathway.Experimental Design: We investigated the combined effects of vismodegib and ponatinib, a pan-ABL1 kinase inhibitor, in nonobese diabetic/severe-combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) repopulating T315I BCR-ABL1–positive cells in vitro and in vivo.Results: We observed that combination with vismodegib and ponatinib helps to eliminate therapy-resistant NOD/SCID repopulating T315I BCR-ABL1–positive cells. The percentage of CD19-positive leukemia cells in peripheral blood was significantly lower in vismodegib + ponatinib–treated mice than that of the vehicle or ponatinib alone (P < 0.001). Spleen weights were also lower in vismodegib + ponatinib–treated mice than in ponatinib alone (P < 0.05). Overall tumor burden, as assessed by BCR-ABL mRNA from bone marrow cells, was significantly lower in vismodegib + ponatinib–treated mice than in ponatinib alone (P < 0.005). We also found that vismodegib significantly reduced BCR-ABL1–positive leukemia cell self-renewal in vitro as well as during serial transplantation in vivo.Conclusions: The combination with a Smo inhibitor and ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors may help eliminate therapy-resistant T315I BCR-ABL1–positive leukemia cells. Our preclinical results indicate that vismodegib has potential as an important option for controlling minimal residual cells in BCR-ABL1–positive leukemia. Clin Cancer Res; 19(6); 1422–32. ©2012 AACR.

Purpose: We have recently reported EBV+ B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) occurring predominantly in elderly patients, which shared features of EBV+ B-cell neoplasms arising in the immunologically deteriorated patients despite no predisposing immunodeficiency and were named as senile or age-related EBV+ B-cell LPDs. To further characterize this disease, age-related EBV+ B-cell LPDs were compared with EBV-negative diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL).Experimental Design: Among 1,792 large B-cell LPD cases, 96 EBV+ cases with available clinical data set were enrolled for the present study. For the control group, 107 patients aged over 40 years with EBV-negative DLBCL were selected. We compared clinicopathologic data between two groups and determined prognostic factors by univariate and multivariate analysis.Results: Patients with age-related EBV+ B-cell LPDs showed a higher age distribution and aggressive clinical features or parameters than EBV-negative DLBCLs: 44% with performance status >1, 58% with serum lactate dehydrogenase level higher than normal, 49% with B symptoms, and higher involvement of skin and lung. Overall survival was thus significantly inferior in age-related EBV+ group than in DLBCLs. Univariate and multivariate analyses further identified two factors, B symptoms and age older than 70 years, independently predictive for survival. A prognostic model using these two variables well defined three risk groups: low risk (no adverse factors), intermediate risk (one factor), and high risk (two factors).Conclusions: These findings suggest that age-related EBV+ B-cell LPDs constitute a distinct group, and innovative therapeutic strategies such as EBV-targeted T-cell therapy should be developed for this uncommon disease.

PDF file - 47 KB, SK-9 cells were treated with 1 mM of nilotinib or 200 nM of dasatinib or 40 nM of ponatinib for 48 hrs. The cytoplasmic cell lysates and nuclear extracts were immunoblotted with anti-Gli1 Abs or anti-ABL Ab.

Supplementary Data from Age-Related EBV-Associated B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders Constitute a Distinct Clinicopathologic Group: A Study of 96 Patients

CCR Translation for This Article from Combination of Ponatinib with Hedgehog Antagonist Vismodegib for Therapy-Resistant BCR-ABL1–Positive Leukemia

Azacitidine is a mainstay of therapy for MDS-related diseases. The purpose of our study is to elucidate the effect of gene mutations on hematological response and overall survival (OS), particularly focusing on their post-treatment clone size. We enrolled a total of 449 patients with MDS or related myeloid neoplasms. They were analyzed for gene mutations in pre- (n=449) and post- (n=289) treatment bone marrow samples using targeted-capture sequencing to assess the impact of gene mutations and their post-treatment clone size on treatment outcomes. In Cox proportional hazard modeling, multi-hit TP53 mutation (HR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.42-2.91; P

Key Points Dasatinib-based 2-step induction resulted in a 100% CR rate with minimal toxicities and 53% MRD negativity.This protocol treatment increased the number of HSCTs in CR1, thereby improving 3-year EFS., Visual Abstract, The standard treatment for adults with Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Japan is imatinib-based chemotherapy followed by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, ∼40% of patients cannot undergo HSCT in their first complete remission (CR1) because of chemotherapy-related toxicities or relapse before HSCT or older age. In this study, we evaluated dasatinib-based 2-step induction with the primary end point of 3-year event-free survival (EFS). The first induction (IND1) was dasatinib plus prednisolone to achieve CR, and IND2 was dasatinib plus intensive chemotherapy to achieve minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity. For patients who achieved CR and had an appropriate donor, HSCT during a consolidation phase later than the first consolidation, which included high-dose methotrexate, was recommended. Patients with pretransplantation MRD positivity were assigned to receive prophylactic dasatinib after HSCT. All 78 eligible patients achieved CR or incomplete CR after IND1, and 52.6% achieved MRD negativity after IND2. Nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was not reported. T315I mutation was detected in all 4 hematological relapses before HSCT. Fifty-eight patients (74.4%) underwent HSCT in CR1, and 44 (75.9%) had negative pretransplantation MRD. At a median follow-up of 4.0 years, 3-year EFS and overall survival were 66.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 54.4-75.5) and 80.5% (95% CI, 69.7-87.7), respectively. The cumulative incidence of relapse and NRM at 3 years from enrollment were 26.1% and 7.8%, respectively. Dasatinib-based 2-step induction was demonstrated to improve 3-year EFS in Ph+ ALL. This study was registered in the UMIN Clinical Trial Registry as #UMIN000012173.

Background Until recently, no effective targeted therapies for FLT3-mutated (FLT3mut+) relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were available in Japan. The FLT3 inhibitor, gilteritinib, was approved in Japan for patients with FLT3mut+ R/R AML based on the phase 3 ADMIRAL trial, which demonstrated the superiority of gilteritinib over salvage chemotherapy (SC) with respect to overall survival (OS; median OS, 9.3 vs 5.6 months, respectively; hazard ratio, 0.64 [95% confidence interval 0.49, 0.83]; P Methods We evaluated the Japanese subgroup (n = 48) of the ADMIRAL trial, which included 33 patients randomized to 120-mg/day gilteritinib and 15 randomized to SC. Results Median OS was 14.3 months in the gilteritinib arm and 9.6 months in the SC arm. The complete remission/complete remission with partial hematologic recovery rate was higher in the gilteritinib arm (48.5%) than in the SC arm (13.3%). After adjustment for drug exposure, fewer adverse events (AEs) occurred in the gilteritinib arm than in the SC arm. Common grade ≥ 3 AEs related to gilteritinib were febrile neutropenia (36%), decreased platelet count (27%), and anemia (24%). Conclusion Findings in Japanese patients are consistent with those of the overall ADMIRAL study population.

In this phase II multicenter study (JALSG AML209‐FLT3‐SCT), we aimed to prospectively elucidate the role of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT) at first complete remission (CR1) for FLT3‐internal tandem duplication (ITD)‐positive AML. Newly diagnosed de novo AML patients with FLT3‐ITD were enrolled at the achievement of CR1 and received allo‐HSCT as soon as possible after the first consolidation therapy. Mutations of 57 genes in AML cells at diagnosis were also analyzed. Among 48 eligible patients with a median age of 38.5 (17‐49) years, 36 (75%) received allo‐HSCT at a median of 108 days after CR1. The median follow‐up was 1726 days. The primary end‐point, 3‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) based on an intent to treat analysis, was 43.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 30%‐57%), suggesting the efficacy of this treatment because the lower limit of the 95% CI exceeded the threshold response rate of 20%. The 3‐year overall survival, post‐transplant DFS, and non‐relapse mortality rates were 54.2% (95% CI, 39%‐67%), 58.3% (95% CI, 41%‐72%), and 25.0% (95% CI, 12%‐40%), respectively. The median ITD allelic ratio (AR) was 0.344 (0.006‐4.099). Neither FLT3‐ITD AR nor cooccurring genetic alterations was associated with a poor DFS. This prospective study indicated the efficacy and safety of allo‐HSCT for FLT3‐ITD AML patients in CR1. This study was registered at: www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/ as #UMIN000003433., Kaplan‐Meier estimates of disease‐free survival (A) and overall survival (B) in 48 AML patients with FLT3 internal tandem duplication.

Among elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), especially those who are unfit for intensive chemotherapy, a policy of reduced-intensity chemotherapy or conservative observation has been chosen, resulting in unmet medical needs. Clinical trials using anticancer drugs including antimetabolites or drugs targeted to cell cycle-related molecules failed to show superiority over conventional treatments. Recently, drugs targeted to Bcl-2, SMO, FLT3, and IDH1/2 have been shown to prolong overall survival alone or in combination with reduced-intensity chemotherapy. These treatments are likely to reshape the therapeutic landscape of AML, which will be personalized for individual patients based on leukemia genetics.

Treatment results for patients with newly diagnosed FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3)-mutated (FLT3mut+) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) ineligible for intensive chemotherapy are disappointing. This multicenter, open-label, phase 3 trial randomized (2:1) untreated adults with FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for intensive induction chemotherapy to receive gilteritinib (120 mg/d orally) and azacitidine (GIL + AZA) or azacitidine (AZA) alone. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). At the interim analysis (August 26, 2020), a total of 123 patients were randomized to treatment (GIL + AZA, n = 74; AZA, n = 49). Subsequent AML therapy, including FLT3 inhibitors, was received by 20.3% (GIL + AZA) and 44.9% (AZA) of patients. Median OS was 9.82 (GIL + AZA) and 8.87 (AZA) months (hazard ratio, 0.916; 95% CI, 0.529-1.585; P = .753). The study was closed based on the protocol-specified boundary for futility. Median event-free survival was 0.03 month in both arms. Event-free survival defined by using composite complete remission (CRc) was 4.53 months for GIL + AZA and 0.03 month for AZA (hazard ratio, 0.686; 95% CI, 0.433-1.087; P = .156). CRc rates were 58.1% (GIL + AZA) and 26.5% (AZA) (difference, 31.4%; 95% CI, 13.1-49.7; P < .001). Adverse event (AE) rates were similar for GIL + AZA (100%) and AZA (95.7%); grade ≥3 AEs were 95.9% and 89.4%, respectively. Common AEs with GIL + AZA included pyrexia (47.9%) and diarrhea (38.4%). Gilteritinib steady-state trough concentrations did not differ between GIL + AZA and gilteritinib. GIL + AZA resulted in significantly higher CRc rates, although similar OS compared with AZA. Results support the safety/tolerability and clinical activity of upfront therapy with GIL + AZA in older/unfit patients with FLT3mut+ AML. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02752035.

The hypomethylating agent azacitidine (AZA) significantly extends overall survival (OS) in patients with higher risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), when compared with other conventional care regimens, including supportive care and low-dose and intensive chemotherapy. However, the effects of 5- and 7-day treatment schedules of AZA (AZA-5 and AZA-7, respectively) on the OS of MDS patients had not been compared prospectively. We started a phase 3 trial comparing the effects of AZA-7 and AZA-5 on MDS patients with refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB) and RAEB in transformation (RAEB-T). However, this trial was prematurely terminated because of poor recruitment. Using all data, there was no significant difference in the OS of patients between AZA-7 (92 patients) and AZA-5 (95 patients), with the 2-year OS rates of AZA-7 and AZA-5 at 36.4% and 25.8%, respectively (P = 0.293). Adverse event profiles were similar between the two groups. Interestingly, data of the centrally diagnosed RAEB and RAEB-T cases showed that AZA-7 significantly prolonged the time to leukemia transformation compared with AZA-5 (P = 0.022), confirmed by multivariate analysis. Although this trial could not provide definite evidence, the results support the use of AZA-7 for RAEB and RAEB-T. (UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000009633).

A multicenter phase II study was conducted in 44 elderly (≥ 65 years) Japanese patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to evaluate whether azacitidine is also effective and feasible in Japanese AML patients. The 28 patients with AML with poor-risk cytogenetics and/or myelodysplasia-related changes (unfavorable AML) were randomly assigned to receive either azacitidine or conventional care regimens (CCR), and the other 16 patients without unfavorable AML received azacitidine alone. The primary endpoint was overall survival. At the median follow-up of 29 months, among the 26 evaluable patients with unfavorable AML, the median survival time (MST) of patients who received azacitidine (N = 14) was 9.6 months and that of patients who received CCR (N = 12) was 5.3 months (HR 0.73; 95% CI 0.31-1.69; log-rank P = 0.459). The MST of all 29 patients who received azacytidine, including the 15 evaluable patients without unfavorable AML, was 12.4 months. Adverse events of azacitidine were manageable and consistent with its established safety profile. Azacitidine tended to prolong survival in newly diagnosed elderly Japanese patients with AML, and was feasible as a front-line therapy for elderly AML patients.

DSP-7888 is an immunotherapeutic cancer vaccine derived from the Wilms' tumor gene 1 (WT1) protein. This phase 1/2 open-label study evaluated the safety and efficacy of DSP-7888 dosing emulsion in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). DSP-7888 was administered intradermally (3.5 or 10.5 mg) every 2 weeks for 6 months and then every 2-4 weeks until lack of benefit. Twelve patients were treated in phase 1 (3.5 mg, n = 6; 10.5 mg, n = 6), with no dose-limiting toxicities reported. Thus, the 10.5 mg dose was selected as the recommended phase 2 dose, and 35 patients were treated in phase 2. Forty-seven patients received ≥1 dose of the study drug and comprised the safety analysis set. The most common adverse drug reaction (ADR) was injection site reactions (ISR; 91.5%). Grade 3 ISR were common (58.8%) in phase 1 but occurred less frequently in 2 (22.9%) following implementation of risk minimization strategies. Other common ADR were pyrexia (10.6%) and febrile neutropenia (8.5%). In the efficacy analysis set, comprising patients with higher-risk MDS after azacitidine failure in phases 1 and 2 (n = 42), the disease control rate was 19.0%, and the median overall survival (OS) was 8.6 (90% confidence interval [CI], 6.8-10.3) months. Median OS was 10.0 (90% CI, 7.6-11.4) months in patients with a WT1-specific immune response (IR; n = 33) versus 4.1 (90% CI, 2.3-8.1) months in those without a WT1-specific IR (n = 9; P = .0034). The acceptable safety and clinical activity findings observed support the continued development of DSP-7888 dosing emulsion.

Terapia de inducción estándar; Volasertib adyuvante; Leucemia mieloide aguda Standard Induction Therapy; Adjunctive Volasertib; Acute Myeloid Leukemia Teràpia d'inducció estàndard; Volasertib adjuvant; Leucèmia mieloide aguda In this phase 3 trial, older patients with acute myeloid leukemia ineligible for intensive chemotherapy were randomized 2:1 to receive the polo-like kinase inhibitor, volasertib (V; 350 mg intravenous on days 1 and 15 in 4-wk cycles), combined with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC; 20 mg subcutaneous, twice daily, days 1–10; n = 444), or LDAC plus placebo (P; n = 222). Primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR); key secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Primary ORR analysis at recruitment completion included patients randomized ≥5 months beforehand; ORR was 25.2% for V+LDAC and 16.8% for P+LDAC (n = 371; odds ratio 1.66 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.95–2.89]; P = 0.071). At final analysis (≥574 OS events), median OS was 5.6 months for V+LDAC and 6.5 months for P+LDAC (n = 666; hazard ratio 0.97 [95% CI, 0.8–1.2]; P = 0.757). The most common adverse events (AEs) were infections/infestations (grouped term; V+LDAC, 81.3%; P+LDAC, 63.5%) and febrile neutropenia (V+LDAC, 60.4%; P+LDAC, 29.3%). Fatal AEs occurred in 31.2% with V+LDAC versus 18.0% with P+LDAC, most commonly infections/infestations (V+LDAC, 17.1%; P+LDAC, 6.3%). Lack of OS benefit with V+LDAC versus P+LDAC may reflect increased early mortality with V+LDAC from myelosuppression and infections. This study was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim.

Sporadic incidence of veno-occlusive disease (VOD) continues to occur, despite achievement of recommended busulfan (BU) concentrations after real-time BU dose adjustment. To explore the potential influence of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) genotypes on plasma BU concentration, subsequent VOD, and transplant outcome, we assessed the polymorphisms of multiple GST and CYP genes. Fifty-five patients were included (median age 38 years; range 21-67). Of these, 49 received dose-adjusted BU/CY therapy. Twenty-six patients received transplants from human leukocyte antigen-identical siblings, 26 from unrelated donors. The GSTA1*A/*A genotype was significantly associated with lower BU first-dose area under curve (AUC1st). We found that patients with higher AUC1st showed a significantly higher serum total bilirubin during the first month after transplantation, but this was not necessarily associated with subsequent development of VOD. We further analyzed a possible association of GST and CYP polymorphisms and VOD development, and found none of the polymorphisms investigated was associated with VOD incidence. Regarding transplant outcomes, GSTM1-positive patients showed lower relapse rates and better overall survival in multivariate analyses. These results suggest that a GSTM1-positive genotype in patients receiving BU/CY conditioning protects against relapse of hematological malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Zinc-finger protein 384 (ZNF384) fusion (Z-fusion) genes have recently been identified as recurrent fusion genes in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (BCP-ALL) and have been detected in 7-17% of Philadelphia chromosome-negative BCP-ALL cases. We selected SALL4 and ID2 as potential Z-fusion-specific transcriptional targets that might lead to the differentiation disorder of Z-fusion-positive ALL. The introduction of EP300-ZNF384 and SYNRG-ZNF384 induced the expression of these genes. Z-fusion proteins exhibited stronger transcriptional activities on the promoter or enhancer region of these genes than Wild-Z. Furthermore, GST pull-down assay revealed that Z-fusion proteins associated more strongly with EP300 than Wild-Z. Coexpression of EP300 specifically enhanced the transcriptional activities of Z-fusion proteins. We propose the increased EP300 binding of Z-fusion proteins as a mechanism for their increased transcriptional activities.

We report the results of a multicenter observational study using the New TARGET system, in which the effectiveness and safety of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were evaluated in newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. A total of 506 patients were enrolled between April 2010 and March 2013. Median age was 56 (range 18–92) years; 35% of patients were females. As the first-line therapy, 139 (27.9%), 169 (33.9%) and 144 (28.9%) patients were treated with imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib, respectively. Five-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 93.8% and 94.5%, respectively. The OS curve was significantly superior for patients treated with second-generation TKIs than imatinib (P = 0.0068), and an early molecular response (EMR) at 3 months (BCR-ABL1

Given the poor prognosis of patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), better therapy is needed. Fludarabine enhances the efficacy of Ara-C (cytarabine) by increasing intracellular Ara-C-triphosphate. The FLAG (fludarabine, high-dose Ara-C, supported with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) regimen has been tested for use in AML patients by other investigators. In the phase II study reported here, we evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of FLAGM therapy (FLAG with mitoxantrone), further intensified by adding mitoxantrone, based on the results of a phase I study by our group. The major endpoints were complete remission (CR) rate and early death. From June 2004 to February 2008, 41 patients (median age 52 years; range 18-64 years) were enrolled. Thirty (73% 95% CI 58-84%) patients achieved CR, which met the primary endpoint; there was a single case of early death from pneumonia. Two-year overall survival was 39.4% (95% CI 25.2-55.6%). Of those who achieved CR, 27 underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT), and 12 SCT recipients showed long-term survival. Grade 3/4 non-hematological adverse events included infection (59%), nausea/vomiting (15%), diarrhea (7%), and elevated liver enzymes (7%). In conclusion, FLAGM is an effective and safe salvage therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory AML, and facilitated SCT for a large proportion of patients.

Therapy based on targeted inhibition of BCR‐ABL tyrosine kinase has greatly improved the prognosis for patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)‐positive leukemia and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have become standard therapy. However, some patients acquire resistance to TKI that is frequently associated with point mutations in BCR‐ABL. We previously reported that a medium‐chain fatty‐acid derivative AIC‐47 induced transcriptional suppression of BCR‐ABL and perturbation of the Warburg effect, leading to growth inhibition in Ph‐positive leukemia cells. Herein, we showed that AIC‐47 had anti‐leukemic effects in either wild type (WT)‐ or mutated‐BCR‐ABL‐harboring cells. AIC‐47 suppressed transcription of BCR‐ABL gene regardless of the mutation through downregulation of transcriptional activator, c‐Myc. Reprogramming of the metabolic pathway has been reported to be associated with resistance to anti‐cancer drugs; however, we found that a point mutation of BCR‐ABL was independent of the profile of pyruvate kinase muscle (PKM) isoform expression. Even in T315I‐mutated cells, AIC‐47 induced switching of the expression profile of PKM isoforms from PKM2 to PKM1, suggesting that AIC‐47 disrupted the Warburg effect. In a leukemic mouse model, AIC‐47 greatly suppressed the increase in BCR‐ABL mRNA level and improved hepatosplenomegaly regardless of the BCR‐ABL mutation. Notably, the improvement of splenomegaly by AIC‐47 was remarkable and might be equal to or greater than that of TKI. These findings suggest that AIC‐47 might be a promising agent for overcoming the resistance of Ph‐positive leukemia to therapy.

Since the comprehensive recommendations for the management of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) reported in 2009, several studies have provided important insights, particularly regarding the role of arsenic trioxide (ATO) in frontline therapy. Ten years later, a European LeukemiaNet expert panel has reviewed the recent advances in the management of APL in both frontline and relapse settings in order to develop updated evidence- and expert opinion–based recommendations on the management of this disease. Together with providing current indications on genetic diagnosis, modern risk-adapted frontline therapy, and salvage treatment, the review contains specific recommendations for the identification and management of the most important complications such as the bleeding disorder APL differentiation syndrome, QT prolongation, and other all-trans retinoic acid– and ATO-related toxicities, as well as recommendations for molecular assessment of the response to treatment. Finally, the approach to special situations is also discussed, including management of APL in children, elderly patients, and pregnant women. The most important challenges remaining in APL include early death, which still occurs before and during induction therapy, and optimizing treatment in patients with high-risk disease.

Azacitidine is a mainstay of therapy for high-risk MDS and other myeloid neoplasms. A significant correlation between azacitidine response and clinical outcome suggests a potential role of mutational profiling based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) before and after therapy in evaluating response and predicting overall survival (OS), which however has not fully elucidated. Here through NGS-based mutational profiling of large cohorts (n=451) of azacitidine-treated patients with high-risk MDS and other myeloid neoplasms, we show significant roles of multi-hit TP53 and germline DDX41 mutations in pre-treatment samples and post-treatment clone size in the evaluation/prediction of azacitidine response and OS after azacitidine therapy, which outperformed the prediction based only on clinical response and IPSS-R score. Post-treatment clone size strongly correlated with clinical response with exception of large persistent mutations frequently affecting TET2 after achieving complete remission and those with DDX41 mutations, which poorly correlated with clinical response. Our results highlight the importance of evaluating mutations in both pre- and post-treatment samples in the assessment of response and the prediction of OS after azacitidine therapy.

The genetic basis of leukemogenesis in adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is largely unclear, and its clinical outcome remains unsatisfactory. This study aimed to advance the understanding of biological characteristics, improve disease stratification, and identify molecular targets of adult B-ALL. Adolescents and young adults (AYA) (15 to 39 years old, n = 193) and adults (40 to 64 years old, n = 161) with Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph−) B-ALL were included in this study. Integrated transcriptomic and genetic analyses were used to classify the cohort into defined subtypes. Of the 323 cases included in the RNA sequencing analysis, 278 (86.1%) were classified into 18 subtypes. The ZNF384 subtype (22.6%) was the most prevalent, with 2 novel subtypes (CDX2-high and IDH1/2-mut) identified among cases not assigned to the established subtypes. The CDX2-high subtype (3.4%) was characterized by high expression of CDX2 and recurrent gain of chromosome 1q. The IDH1/2-mut subtype (1.9%) was defined by IDH1 R132C or IDH2 R140Q mutations with specific transcriptional and high-methylation profiles. Both subtypes showed poor prognosis and were considered inferior prognostic factors independent of clinical parameters. Comparison with a previously reported pediatric B-ALL cohort (n = 1003) showed that the frequencies of these subtypes were significantly higher in AYA/adults than in children. We delineated the genetic and transcriptomic landscape of adult B-ALL and identified 2 novel subtypes that predict poor disease outcomes. Our findings highlight the age-dependent distribution of subtypes, which partially accounts for the prognostic differences between adult and pediatric B-ALL.

Comorbidities at diagnosis among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML‐CP) may affect their overall survival (OS) rate even in the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) era. However, the prognostic impact of comorbidities in patients with CML‐CP treated with a second‐generation TKI (2GTKI) has not been elucidated. We evaluated the effect of comorbidities on survival using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) in patients with CML‐CP treated with imatinib or a 2GTKI (nilotinib and dasatinib). From April 2010 to March 2013, 506 patients with CML‐CP were registered for the population‐based cohort study, and 452 with a median age of 56 y were assessable. Treatment groups included 139 patients receiving imatinib, 169 receiving nilotinib, and 144 receiving dasatinib. Comorbidities were diagnosed in 99 patients. CCI scores were stratified as follows: 2, 353 patients; 3, 72 patients; and ≥4, 27 patients. Treatment response did not vary relative to CCI scores. However, across the entire cohort, the OS rate was significantly lower among patients with higher CCI scores than in those with a CCI score of 2 (94.4% in score 2, 89.0% in score 3, and 72.8% in score ≥4; P, The prognostic impact of comorbidities in chronic myeloid leukemia in patients with chronic phase CML (CML‐CP) treated with a second‐generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) remains to be elucidated. This study demonstrated that comorbidities at diagnosis were the most important predictive factor for successful treatment, regardless of the TKI type used in CML‐CP.

Background: After long-term analysis of the JALSG-APL204 study we recently reported that maintenance therapy with tamibarotene was more effective than all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) by reducing relapse in APL patients. Here, the clinical significance of other important prognostic factors was evaluated with multivariate analyses. Patients and Methods: Newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients were registered with the study. Induction was composed of ATRA and chemotherapy. Patients who achieved molecular remission after consolidation were randomly assigned to maintenance with tamibarotene or ATRA. Results: Of the 344 eligible patients, 319 (93%) achieved complete remission (CR). After completing consolidation, 269 patients underwent maintenance random assignment&mdash, 135 to ATRA, and 134 to tamibarotene. By multivariate analysis, overexpression of CD56 in blast was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for relapse-free survival (RFS) (p = 0.006) together with more than 10.0 &times, 109/L WBC counts (p = 0.001) and the ATRA arm in maintenance (p = 0.028). Of all phenotypes, CD56 was related most clearly to an unfavorable prognosis. The CR rate, mortality rate during induction and overall survival of CD56+ APL were not significantly different compared with CD56- APL. CD56 is continuously an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for RFS in APL patients treated with ATRA and chemotherapy followed by ATRA or tamibarotene maintenance therapy.

This year, 2018, marks the 60th anniversary of the Asiatic International Society of Hematology founded in 1958 and it seems to be a fitting occasion on which to reflect on our roots of the international cooperation with Asian countries. The Japanese Society of Hematology held the first meeting of the Asiatic International Society of Hematology in 1958 in Nagoya. Hematologists representing at least 10 Asian countries or districts, including Australia, Burma, Ceylon, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand, participated. This meeting was perhaps the first International Congress of any kind in the medical field in Japan after World War II. In 1968, the Asian-Pacific Society of Hematology converged to join the International Society of Hematology (ISH) and became one of the three divisions of ISH (Asian-Pacific Division of ISH). The Annual Reports of the Society were published in Nagoya from 1969 to 1991. The meetings of the Asiatic International Society and the Asian-Pacific Division of ISH, and the distributions of the Annual Report to Asian countries, including China and Korea, seemed to help promote hematology in those countries, particularly in the early days.

Significant advancements have been achieved with regard to the outcomes of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients through the introduction of all-trans retinoic acid; however, early hemorrhagic death and differentiation syndrome remain the major causes of remission induction failure in patients with APL. To investigate early death, serious hemorrhage, and differentiation syndrome during remission induction therapy in terms of incidence, risk factors, influence on outcomes, and prophylactic effects of several new anticoagulants, the results of 344 patients enrolled in the Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia 204 study conducted by the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group were analyzed. Early death was observed in 16 patients (4.7%), of whom 14 had serious hemorrhage and 2 had differentiation syndrome. Serious hemorrhage and differentiation syndrome of grade 2 or higher were observed in 21 and 54 patients, respectively. Patients who achieved complete remission had a 7-year disease-free survival of 84.8% if they did not experience serious hemorrhage and 40.0% if they experienced serious hemorrhage during remission induction therapy (P = 0.001). Risk factor analyses showed that higher white blood cell count was associated with early death, higher white blood cell count and lower platelet count with serious hemorrhage, and leukocytosis during induction therapy and higher body surface area with differentiation syndrome. In conclusion, these results indicate that patients with such high-risk features may benefit from more intensive supportive care. The hemorrhagic risk was not relieved by the introduction of new anticoagulants. Further studies are required to establish the predictive impact of body surface area on differentiation syndrome. This trial is registered with UMIN-CTR as C000000154 on September 13, 2005.

Between April 2004 and December 2010, we conducted a prospective randomized controlled study comparing tamibarotene with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in the maintenance therapy of newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), and here report the final results of this study with a median follow-up of 7.3 years. Of 344 eligible patients who had received ATRA and chemotherapy, 319 (93%) achieved complete remission (CR). After completion of three courses of consolidation chemotherapy, 269 patients in molecular remission underwent maintenance randomization, 135 to ATRA (45 mg/m2 daily), and 134 to tamibarotene (6 mg/m2 daily) for 14 days every 3 months for 2 years. The primary endpoint was relapse-free survival (RFS). The 7-year RFS was 84% in the ATRA arm and 93% in the tamibarotene arm (p = 0.027, HR = 0.44, 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.93). The difference was prominent in high-risk patients with initial leukocytes ≥ 10.0 × 109/L (62% vs. 89%; p = 0.034). Tamibarotene was significantly superior to ATRA by decreasing relapse in high-risk patients. Overall survival after randomization did not differ (96% vs. 97%; p = 0.520). Secondary hematopoietic disorders developed in nine patients, secondary malignancies in 11, and grade 3 or more late cardiac comorbidities in three. These late complications did not differ between the two arms.

DUX4 fusions are novel oncogenes in a subset of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) clinical cases, generally in older children and adolescent patients.[1][1] DUX4 fusion transcripts are generated from insertions of wild-type (WT) DUX4 , mainly into the IGH locus.[1][1]–[4][2] Notably, the

The myeloperoxidase (MPO)-positivity of blasts in bone marrow smears is an important marker for not only the diagnosis, but also the prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). To investigate the relationship between genetic alterations and MPO-positivity, we performed targeted sequencing for 51 genes and 10 chimeric gene transcripts in 164 newly diagnosed de novo AML patients; 107 and 57 patients were classified as AML with >50% MPO-positive blasts (MPO-high group) and ?50% MPO-positive blasts, (MPO-low group), respectively. The univariate analysis revealed that RUNX1-RUNX1T1 (P < 0.001), the KIT mutation (P < 0.001), and CEBPA double mutation (P = 0.001) were more likely to be found in the MPO-high group, while the DNMT3A mutation (P = 0.001), FLT3 tyrosine kinase domain mutation (P = 0.004), and TP53 mutation (P = 0.020) were more likely to be present in the MPO-low group. Mutations in genes related to DNA hypermethylation signatures (IDH1, IDH2, TET2, and WT1 genes) were more frequent in the MPO-high group (P = 0.001) when patients with fusion genes of core-binding factors were excluded from the analysis. Our results suggest that MPO-positivity of blasts was related with the distinct gene mutation patterns among de novo AML patients., Leukemia Research, 65, pp.34-41; 2018

An activating mutation of Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) is the most frequent genetic alteration associated with poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although many FLT3 inhibitors have been clinically developed, no first-generation inhibitors have demonstrated clinical efficacy by monotherapy, due to poor pharmacokinetics or unfavorable safety profiles possibly associated with low selectivity against FLT3 kinase. Recently, a selective FLT3 inhibitor, quizartinib, demonstrated favorable outcomes in clinical studies. However, several resistant mutations emerged during the disease progression. To overcome these problems, we developed a novel FLT3 inhibitor, FF-10101, designed to possess selective and irreversible FLT3 inhibition. The co-crystal structure of FLT3 protein bound to FF-10101 revealed the formation of a covalent bond between FF-10101 and the cysteine residue at 695 of FLT3. The unique binding brought high selectivity and inhibitory activity against FLT3 kinase. FF-10101 showed potent growth inhibitory effects on human AML cell lines harboring FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD), MOLM-13, MOLM-14, and MV4-11, and all tested types of mutant FLT3-expressing 32D cells including quizartinib-resistant mutations at D835, Y842, and F691 residues in the FLT3 kinase domain. In mouse subcutaneous implantation models, orally administered FF-10101 showed significant growth inhibitory effect on FLT3-ITD-D835Y- and FLT3-ITD-F691L-expressing 32D cells. Furthermore, FF-10101 potently inhibited growth of primary AML cells harboring either FLT3-ITD or FLT3-D835 mutation in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that FF-10101 is a promising agent for the treatment of patients with AML with FLT3 mutations, including the activation loop mutations clinically identified as quizartinib-resistant mutations.

Recent studies have described various impacts of obesity and being overweight on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) outcomes in adult patients, but little is known about the impact of being underweight. We compared the outcomes of underweight patients to those of normal weight and overweight patients. Adult patients with AML who registered in the JALSG AML201 study (n = 1057) were classified into three groups: underweight (body mass index [BMI]

Background: Gilteritinib (GIL), a FLT3 inhibitor, shows efficacy/safety in patients (pts) with FLT3mut+ relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML. For pts with newly diagnosed (ND) AML with FLT3 mutations unable to receive intensive induction chemotherapy (IIC), survival is limited, and therapy options are few. In preclinical studies, GIL plus azacitidine (AZA) impeded tumor growth and induced apoptosis/differentiation of FLT3-ITD AML cell lines. Antitumor effects appeared synergistic in xenografted mouse models (data on file). We investigated GIL+AZA vs AZA in adults with ND FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for IIC (NCT02752035). Aim/Objective: To compare efficacy and safety/tolerability of GIL+AZA and AZA in pts with ND FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for IIC. Methods: Pts were initially randomized (1:1:1) to GIL (120 mg/day orally on Days 1-28) plus AZA (75 mg/m 2/day SC/IV on Days 1-7), AZA (same regimen), or GIL (same regimen) during 28-day cycles. The GIL arm was removed due to preferred therapy changes. Pts were then randomized (2:1) to GIL+AZA or AZA alone. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) and key secondary endpoint was event-free survival (EFS). Treatment failure date was randomization date if complete remission (CR) was not achieved after 6 cycles. Subgroup/sensitivity analyses were prespecified. Response rates, safety/tolerability, and pharmacokinetic endpoints were analyzed. Data from long-term follow-up ≤3 yrs were obtained, including subsequent AML therapy. These results are from an interim analysis at 70 deaths (~50% of total deaths). Results: As of August 26, 2020, 123 pts were randomized to GIL+AZA (n=74) and AZA (n=49); 39 (52.7%) and 31 (63.3%) deaths, respectively, occurred. Median age was 78 yrs with GIL+AZA and 76 yrs with AZA; ECOG PS ≥2 was 47.3% and 32.7%, and FLT3-ITD alone was in 78.4% and 81.6% of pts, respectively (TKD alone 18.9% vs 14.3%; ITD with TKD 2.7% vs 4.1%). Median follow-up was 9.76 mo for GIL+AZA and 17.97 mo for AZA. Median exposure duration was 112 days for GIL in the GIL+AZA arm (n=73); AZA exposure was 98 and 99 days in the GIL+AZA and AZA (n=47) arms, respectively. Subsequent AML therapy was received by 20.3% pts on GIL+AZA and 44.9% pts on AZA; median time to first subsequent therapy was 8.2 and 4.5 mo, respectively. In the AZA arm, 22 pts received subsequent AML therapy, including 10 pts on GIL and 4 pts on other FLT3 inhibitors. Median OS was 9.82 mo for GIL+AZA and 8.87 mo for AZA (HR 0.916 [95% CI 0.529, 1.585]; P=.753). Patient subgroups with improved OS with GIL+AZA vs AZA included pts with ECOG PS 0-1 (HR 0.811 [95% CI 0.409, 1.608]) and high FLT3-ITD allelic ratio ≥0.5 (HR 0.580 [95% CI 0.285, 1.182]). Median EFS was 0.03 mo in both arms (HR 1.175 [95% CI 0.764, 1.807]; P=.459). In sensitivity analyses, median EFS with events based on composite CR (CRc; CR+CRi+CRp) was 5.03 mo for GIL+AZA and 3.29 mo for AZA (HR 0.924 [95% CI 0.576, 1.482]; P=.767). Although CR rates for both arms were similar (16.2% vs 14.3%), CRc rates were significantly higher for GIL+AZA vs AZA (58.1 vs 26.5%, difference 31.4% [95% CI 13.1, 49.7]; P No substantial differences in GIL trough concentrations at steady state (C trough) were seen between GIL+AZA and GIL alone (prior to arm removal). However, on Cycle 1 Day 15, median GIL C trough was 579 ng/mL (GIL+AZA and GIL arms) in contrast to C trough of 279 ng/mL observed with GIL monotherapy in the ADMIRAL trial in pts with R/R AML. Reasons for this difference are being evaluated. No apparent relationship was seen between C trough and response rates/grade of thrombocytopenia or neutropenia. Conclusions: In this trial of pts with ND FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for IIC, GIL+AZA led to significantly higher CRc rates but similar OS vs AZA alone. Pts with ECOG PS 0-1 and high FLT3-ITD allelic ratio appeared to have greater benefit with GIL+AZA. No new safety signals were seen. Curiously, C trough values in pts with ND FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for IIC were 2-fold greater than in pts with R/R FLT3mut+ AML. These results support the safety, tolerability, and activity of GIL+AZA vs AZA. Disclosures Wang: GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Mana Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Kite Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Kura Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, steering committee, Speakers Bureau; Stemline Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, Speakers Bureau; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; DAVA Oncology: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Rafael Pharmaceuticals: Other: Data safety monitoring committee; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; PTC Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Genentech: Consultancy; MacroGenics: Consultancy. Montesinos: Stemline/Menarini: Consultancy; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Forma Therapeutics: Consultancy; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Glycomimetics: Consultancy; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Tolero Pharmaceutical: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Teva: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Agios: Consultancy; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Minden: Astellas: Consultancy. Lee: Korean Society of Hematology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; AbbVie: Honoraria, Other: Advisory board. Heuser: Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BergenBio: Research Funding; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Tolremo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bayer Pharma AG: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Jazz: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding. Naoe: Fuji Film: Other: Study funding for JAGSE; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Other: Study funding for JAGSE; Bristol-Myers: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Daichi Sankyo: Other: Study funding for JAGSE; Otsuka Pharma: Honoraria. Chou: Abbvie: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; IQVIA: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Pfizer: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kirin: Honoraria, Research Funding. Laribi: IQONE: Other: Personal Fees; Takeda: Other: Personal Fees, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Other: Personal Fees; BeiGene: Other: Personal Fees; Astellas Phama, Inc.: Other: Personal Fees; Jansen: Research Funding; AbbVie: Other: Personal Fees, Research Funding; Le Mans Hospital: Research Funding; Novartis: Other: Personal Fees, Research Funding. Esteve: Jazz: Consultancy; Novartis: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb/Celgene: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Astellas: Consultancy. Altman: ALZ Oncology: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Biosight: Consultancy, Other: Travel fees, Research Funding; Kartos: Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Syros: Consultancy; BMS: Research Funding; GlycoMimetics: Other: Participation on an advisory board; Aprea: Research Funding; Kura: Research Funding; Kura Oncology: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Theradex: Consultancy, Other: Advisory boards; Fujifilm: Research Funding; Astellas: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Immunogen: Research Funding. Havelange: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Travel fees, Participation on an advisory board; BMS: Other: Travel fees, Participation on an advisory board; Incyte: Other: Advisory board; Abbvie: Other: Advisory board. Watson: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy; Roche, Amgen: Other: Travel support. Patkowska: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Other: Travel fees; Pfizer: Other: Travel fees; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Travel fees; Angelini Pharma: Honoraria, Other: Travel fees; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Travel fees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Other: Travel fees; AMGEN: Honoraria; Servier: Honoraria, Other: Travel fees; KCR US, Inc.: Consultancy. Liu: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Current Employment. Wu: Astellas: Current Employment. Philipose: Astellas Pharma Global Development: Current Employment. Hill: Astellas Pharma Global Development: Current Employment; Ligacept, LLC: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Other: Stockholder. Gill: Astellas Pharma Global Development: Current Employment. Rich: Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Current Employment. Tiu: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Current Employment.

Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) is constantly expressed in leukemic cells of acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). A T-cell receptor (TCR) that specifically reacts with WT1 peptide in the context of HLA-A*24:02 has been identified. We conducted a first-in-human trial of TCR-gene transduced T-cell (TCR-T-cell) transfer in patients with refractory acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) and high-risk MDS to investigate the safety and cell kinetics of the T cells. The WT1-specific TCR-gene was transduced to T cells using a retroviral vector encoding small interfering RNAs for endogenous TCR genes. The T cells were transferred twice with a 4-week interval in a dose-escalating design. After the second transfer, sequential WT1 peptide vaccines were given. Eight patients, divided into 2 dose cohorts, received cell transfer. No adverse events of normal tissue were seen. The TCR-T cells were detected in peripheral blood for 8 weeks at levels proportional to the dose administered, and in 5 patients, they persisted throughout the study period. The persisting cells maintained ex vivo peptide-specific immune reactivity. Two patients showed transient decreases in blast counts in bone marrow, which was associated with recovery of hematopoiesis. Four of 5 patients who had persistent T cells at the end of the study survived more than 12 months. These results suggest WT1-specific TCR-T cells manipulated by ex vivo culture of polyclonal peripheral lymphocytes survived in vivo and retained the capacity to mount an immune reaction to WT1. This trial was registered at www.umin.ac.jp as #UMIN000011519.

High-dose methotrexate (Hd-MTX) therapy has recently been applied to the treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) based on pediatric protocols; however, its effectiveness for adult ALL has not yet been confirmed in a rigorous manner. We herein conducted a randomized phase III trial comparing Hd-MTX therapy with intermediate-dose (Id)-MTX therapy. This study was registered at UMIN-CTR (ID: C000000063). Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative ALL patients aged between 25 and 64 years of age were enrolled. Patients who achieved complete remission (CR) were randomly assigned to receive therapy containing Hd-MTX (3 g/m2) or Id-MTX (0.5 g/m2). A total of 360 patients were enrolled. The CR rate was 86%. A total of 115 and 114 patients were assigned to the Hd-MTX and Id-MTX groups, respectively. The estimated 5-year disease-free survival rate of the Hd-MTX group was 58%, which was significantly better than that of the Id-MTX group at 32% (P=0.0218). The frequencies of severe adverse events were not significantly different. We herein demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of Hd-MTX therapy for adult Ph-negative ALL. Our results provide a strong rationale for protocols containing Hd-MTX therapy being applied to the treatment of adult ALL.

The outcomes of cord blood transplantation with non-irradiated reduced-intensity conditioning for hematological malignancies need to be improved because of graft failure and delayed engraftment. Intrabone infusion of cord blood cells has the potential to resolve the problems. In this phase 2 study, twenty-one adult patients with hematological malignancy received intrabone transplantation of serological HLA-A, B, and DR ≥4/6 matched single cord blood with a median number of cryopreserved total nucleated cells of 2.7 × 107/kg (range, 2.0-4.9 × 107/kg) following non-irradiated fludarabine-based reduced-intensity conditioning. Short-term methotrexate and tacrolimus were given as graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was administered after transplantation. No severe adverse events related to intrabone injection were observed. The cumulative incidences of neutrophils ≥0.5 × 109/L, reticulocytes ≥1%, and platelets ≥20 × 109/L recoveries were 76.2%, 71.4%, and 76.2%, respectively, with median time to recoveries of 17, 28, and 32 days after transplantation, respectively. The probability of survival with neutrophil engraftment on day 60 was 71.4%, and overall survival at 1 year after transplantation was 52.4%. The incidences of grade II-IV and III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease were 44% and 19%, respectively, with no cases of chronic graft-versus-host disease. The present study demonstrated the safety of direct intrabone infusion of cord blood. Further analysis is required to confirm the efficacy of intrabone single cord blood transplantation with non-irradiated reduced-intensity conditioning for adult patients with hematological malignancy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

We performed a nationwide questionnaire-based survey to evaluate the current clinical practices of infectious complications during chemotherapy for acute leukemia in Japan. We e-mailed a questionnaire to member institutions of the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group in September, 2013. The questionnaire consisted of 50 multiple-choice questions covering therapeutic environment, antimicrobial prophylaxis, screening test during neutropenia, empirical therapy for febrile neutropenia, and the use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. The results were compared to those of previous surveys conducted in 2001 and 2007, and also to the recommendations described in the guidelines. Usable responses were received from 141 out of 222 (63.5%) institutions. Chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia was performed in protective environment in 90% of the institutions, which increased compared to previous survey (76%). Fluoroquinolones and fluconazole were the most commonly used antimicrobial agents for antibacterial and antifungal prophylaxis, followed by sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and itraconazole, respectively. In empirical therapy for febrile neutropenia, monotherapy with β-lactum antibiotics was the first-line therapy in most of the institutions. While empirical antifungal therapy was adopted for persistent fever in more than half of the institutions, preemptive/presumptive therapy was also used in approximately 40% of the institutions. Most of the clinicians were reluctant to use granulocyte-colony stimulating factor routinely in chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. This study clarified the current clinical practices of infectious complications during chemotherapy for acute leukemia and would provide important information for the development of a suitable guideline in Japan.