Jonas Paludo

Pomalidomide, Bortezomib and Dexamethasone (PVD) for Patients with Relapsed, Lenalidomide Refractory Multiple Myeloma

This phase 1/2 trial evaluated the maximum tolerated doses, safety, and efficacy of pomalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (PVD) combination in patients with relapsed lenalidomide-refractory multiple myeloma (MM). In phase 1, dose level 1 consisted of pomalidomide (4 mg by mouth on days 1 to 21), IV or subcutaneous bortezomib (1.0 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, 15, and 22), and dexamethasone (40 mg by mouth on days 1, 8, 15, and 22) given every 28 days. Bortezomib was increased to 1.3 mg/m2 for dose level 2 and adopted in the phase 2 expansion cohort. We describe the results of 50 patients. Objective response rate was 86% (95% confidence interval [CI], 73-94) among all evaluable patients (stringent complete response, 12%; complete response, 10%; very good partial response, 28%; and partial response, 36%) and 100% among high-risk patients. Within a median follow-up of 42 months, 20% remain progression free, 66% are alive, and 4% remain on treatment. Median progression-free survival was 13.7 months (95% CI, 9.6-17.7). The most common toxicities were neutropenia (96%), leukopenia (84%), thrombocytopenia (82%), anemia (74%), and fatigue (72%); however, the majority of these were grade 1 or 2. The most common grade ≥3 toxicities included neutropenia (70%), leukopenia (36%), and lymphopenia (20%). Deep vein thrombosis occurred in 5 patients. In conclusion, PVD is a highly effective combination in lenalidomide-refractory MM patients. Weekly administration of bortezomib enhanced tolerability and convenience. Toxicities are manageable, mostly consisting of mild cytopenias with no significant neuropathy. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01212952.

Waldenström macroglobulinemia: What a hematologist needs to know.

Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a distinct hematologic malignancy characterized by a lymphoplasmacytic bone marrow infiltration and the presence of immunoglobulin (Ig)M monoclonal protein. Patients typically present at an advanced age, and a substantial proportion are asymptomatic at diagnosis. A unifying diagnosis of WM may be missed by an unsuspecting hematologist, as symptomatic patients present with a multitude of non-specific manifestations. Although constitutional and neuropathy-related symptoms predominate, concomitant IgM-induced hyperviscosity-associated features can provide useful diagnostic clues. There are specific indications for initiation of therapy. This review focuses on the most up-to-date management strategies of WM, in addition to highlighting the recent discoveries of MYD88 and CXCR4 mutations that have shed unprecedented light on the complex signaling pathways, and opened avenues for novel therapeutic targeting. Although WM remains incurable, with the rapid emergence and integration of effective novel therapies, its clinical course appears poised to improve in the foreseeable future.

Dexamethasone, rituximab and cyclophosphamide for relapsed and/or refractory and treatment-naïve patients with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia

The management of Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM) relies predominantly on small trials, one of which has demonstrated activity of dexamethasone, rituximab and cyclophosphamide (DRC) in the frontline setting. We report on the efficacy of DRC, focusing on relapsed/refractory (R/R) patients. Ibrutinib, a recently approved agent in WM demonstrated limited activity in patients with MYD88WT genotype. Herein, we additionally report on the activity of DRC based on the MYD88L265P mutation status. Of 100 WM patients evaluated between January 2007 and December 2014 who received DRC, 50 had R/R WM. The overall response rate (ORR) was 87%. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) and time‐to‐next‐therapy (TTNT) were 32 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15–51) and 50 (95% CI: 35–60) months, respectively. In the previously untreated cohort (n = 50), the ORR was 96%, and the median PFS and TTNT were 34 months (95% CI: 23–not reached [NR]) and NR (95% CI: 37–NR), respectively. Twenty‐five (86%) of 29 genotyped patients harbored MYD88L265P. The response rates and outcomes were independent of MYD88 mutation status. Grade ≥3 adverse effects included neutropenia (20%), thrombocytopenia (7%) and infections (3%). Similar to the frontline setting, DRC is an effective and well‐tolerated salvage regimen for WM. In contrast to ibrutinib, DRC offers a less expensive, fixed‐duration option, with preliminary data suggesting efficacy independent of the patients’ MYD88 status.

Ruxolitinib as First-Line Treatment in Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A Single Patient Experience

Marina Jerebtsova, Santosh L. Saraf, Xionghao Lin, Gillian Lee, Elena Afia Adjei, Namita Kumari, Nowah Afangbedji, Rasha Raslan, Charlee McLean, Victor R. Gordeuk, Sergei Nekhai Department of Microbiology, Howard University, Washington, District Columbia Section of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois Center for Sickle Cell Disease, Howard University, Washington, District Columbia Department of Human Genetics, Howard University, Washington, District Columbia Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, District Columbia

Reply to Castillo et al.

REFERENCES [1] Abeykoon JP, Paludo J, King RL, et al. MYD88 mutation status does not impact overall survival in Waldenstr€ om macroglobulinemia. Am J Hematol. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.24955. [Epub ahead of print] [2] Treon SP, Xu L, Yang G, et al. MYD88 L265P somatic mutation in Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. N Engl J Med. 2012;367(9):826– 833. [3] Xu L, Hunter ZR, Yang G, et al. Detection of MYD88 L265P in peripheral blood of patients with Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia and IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Leukemia. 2014;28(8):1698–1704. [4] Poulain S, Roumier C, Decambron A, et al. MYD88 L265P mutation in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Blood. 2013;121(22):4504– 4511. [5] Schmidt J, Federmann B, Schindler N, et al. MYD88 L265P and CXCR4 mutations in lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma identify cases with high disease activity. Br J Haematol. 2015;169(6):795–803. [6] Varettoni M, Arcaini L, Zibellini S, et al. Prevalence and clinical significance of the MYD88 (L265P) somatic mutation in Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia and related lymphoid neoplasms. Blood. 2013; 121(13):2522–2528. [7] Ansell SM, Hodge LS, Secreto FJ, et al. Activation of TAK1 by MYD88 L265P drives malignant B-cell Growth in non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Blood Cancer J. 2014;4(2):e183. [8] Treon SP, Xu L, Hunter Z. MYD88 Mutations and Response to Ibrutinib in Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia. N Engl J Med. 2015;373 (6):584–586. [9] Treon SP, Cao Y, Xu L, Yang G, Liu X, Hunter ZR. Somatic mutations in MYD88 and CXCR4 are determinants of clinical presentation and overall survival in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Blood. 2014;123(18):2791–2796. [10] Treon SP, Gustine J, Xu L, et al. MYD88 wild-type Waldenstrom Macroglobulinaemia: differential diagnosis, risk of histological transformation, and overall survival. Br J Haematol. 2017. https://doi. org/10.1111/bjh.15049. [Epub ahead of print]

Extraskeletal Osteosarcoma: Outcomes and the Role of Chemotherapy

Objectives: Extraskeletal osteosarcoma (EO) is a malignant neoplasm that produces osteoid, bone, and chondroid material without direct attachment to bone or periosteum. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment; the role of chemotherapy is not well defined. Therefore, we evaluated the impact of chemotherapy in the survival of patients with EO. Methods: All EO patients seen at Mayo Clinic between 1990 and 2014 were assessed. Forty-three patients were included after all archived pathology slides were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis of EO. Results: Of 43 patients, 37 patients had localized disease and 6 patients had metastatic disease at diagnosis. Chemotherapy was used in 73% and 75% of patients, respectively. Chemotherapy was predominantly anthracycline based, and included platinum in 22 patients (84%). Median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 50 months (95% confidence interval, 25-99), and 21 months (95% confidence interval, 13-not reached), respectively. There was a trend towards longer OS and PFS in patients who received chemotherapy. Those who received platinum-based therapy had remarkably prolonged OS (median, 182 vs. 18 mo; 5-year, 61% vs. 0%; P=0.01) and PFS (median, not reached vs. 10 mo; 5-year, 56% vs. 0%; P=0.005). Baseline characteristics were similar in the platinum and nonplatinum group. In patients who received chemotherapy, relapse/recurrence rate was lower in the platinum-based group (41%) as opposed to the nonplatinum-based group (100%; P=0.02). In the neoadjuvant setting, the overall response rate of platinum-containing regimens was 27%. Conclusions: Our results suggest a clinical benefit when platinum-based chemotherapy is incorporated in the management of patients with EO. We plan to validate this further with an expanded multicenter analysis.

Non-tender recurrent scrotal cellulitis

A 45-year-old man with a medical history of diabetes mellitus, dilated cardiomyopathy and obstructive sleep apnoea was hospitalised with recurrent scrotal cellulitis. He had been hospitalised twice within the past 3 months with scrotal oedema and cellulitis, which were managed with antibiotics and diuretics. The physical exam on the current admission was notable for an erythematous, non-tender, warm, indurated skin of the scrotum with a ‘peau d’orange’ appearance (figure 1A) and umbilicated skin …

Abstract A27: Diversity in multiple myeloma clinical trials

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) accounts for approximately 1% of all cancers and 10% of hematologic malignancies in the United States (U.S.). MM occurs in all races, but the incidence in African Americans is two to three times higher than in non-Hispanic whites. MM is also slightly more frequent in men than women (1.4:1). Many clinical trials lack appropriate representation of specific patient populations, limiting the generalizability of the evidence obtained. Therefore, we determined the representation of ethnic minorities, the elderly, and women in MM clinical trials. Methods: Enrollment data from all therapeutic trials reported as completed in clinicaltrial.gov from 2000 to 2016 were analyzed. Clinical trials including other hematologic malignancies and with recruitment outside of the U.S. were excluded. Enrollment fraction (EF) was defined as the number of enrollees divided by the 2013 SEER database MM complete prevalence. Chi-square test was used to estimate differences in categorical data. Results: Out of 177 MM clinical trials (CT), 78 (44%) reported ethnicity with a total of 12,055 enrollees. Regarding enrollees9 ethnic composition, 84% were non-Hispanic White (NHW), 8.6% African American (AA), 2.8% Asian, 1.8% Hispanic, and 0.1% Native American/Alaskan Indian. Out of those 78 CT, 52 (66%) were phase II, 15 (19%) phase III, and 11 (14%) phase I. Most of the results were published from 2012 to 2016 (74%). Forty-six (59%) trials were sponsored by industry, 7 (9%) by NCI, and 25 (32%) were investigator initiated. Participation in CT varied significantly across ethnic groups, NHW were more likely to be enrolled in CT (EF of 0.23) than AA (EF of 0.08, p Conclusions: Despite the higher incidence of MM in African Americans and the elderly, the former only represented 8.6% of the study participants and 66% of these were less than 65 years of age; therefore, we are lacking data in the tolerability of these new agents in our aging MM population. We also observed that industry studies were less likely to recruit AA patients. Collaborations between investigators, sponsors, and the community are necessary to increase our minority and elderly patients9 access to clinical trials. Citation Format: Narjust Duma, Miguel Gonzalez Velez, Jesus Vera-Aguilera, Richardo Parrondo, Veronica Mariotti, Jonas Paludo, Yucai Wang, Ronald Go, Alex Adjei. Diversity in multiple myeloma clinical trials [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr A27.

Abstract A26: Representation of minorities, the elderly, and women in over 1000 clinical trials

Background: Despite the importance of diversity while studying new drugs, many cancer clinical trials (CT) lack appropriate representation of specific patient populations, limiting the generalizability of the evidence obtained. Therefore, we determined the representation of ethnic minorities, the elderly, and women in cancer CT. Methods: Enrollment data from all therapeutic trials reported as completed in clinicaltrial.gov from 2003 to 2016 were analyzed. CT in rare cancers ( Results: Out of 1,012 CT, 310 (31%) reported ethnicity with a total of 55,689 enrollees. 46,431 (83%) enrollees were non-Hispanic white, 3,270 (6%) African American, 2,982 (5.3%) Asian, 1,484 (2.6%) Hispanic, and 1,332 (2.4%) were classified as other. Participation in CT varied significantly across ethnic groups; non-Hispanic whites were more likely to be enrolled in CT (EF of 1.2%) than African Americans (EF of 0.7%, p Conclusions: African Americans, Hispanics, and the elderly were less likely to be enrolled in CT. Comparing with historical data, we observed a decrease in minorities9 recruitment over the past 14 years. This change could be attributed to the increased complexity of CT and mandatory molecular testing as many minorities lack access to institutions with genetic-testing capacity. Future trials should take extra measures to recruit participants who adequately represent the U.S. cancer population. Citation Format: Narjust Duma, Jesus Vera-Aguilera, Yucai Wang, Jonas Paludo, Konstantinos Leventakos, Aaron Mansfield, Alex Adjei. Representation of minorities, the elderly, and women in over 1000 clinical trials [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr A26.

Defining Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma: Does MYD88L265P Define a Pathologically Distinct Entity Among Patients With an IgM Paraprotein and Bone Marrow-Based Low-Grade B-Cell Lymphomas With Plasmacytic Differentiation?

Objectives Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) remains a poorly defined entity, even with the discovery of MYD88L265P mutations and association with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). Among bone marrow (BM)-based, low-grade B-cell lymphoma with plasmacytic differentiation (LGBLPD) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) paraproteins, we sought to determine whether MYD88L265P defines a distinct entity and can help refine diagnostic criteria for LPL. Methods BMs diagnosed with LGBLPD or LPL and serum IgM paraprotein were studied (2007-2013). Clinicopathologic features were reviewed and specimens were tested for MYD88L265P. Results In total, 138 (87%) of 159 cases had MYD88L265P, and 158 of 159 were clinically considered WM. MYD88L265P cases had higher disease burden than MYD88WT. Features associated with MYD88L265P include increased mast cells and lymphocyte (not plasma cell)-predominant infiltrate. Hemosiderin, Dutcher bodies, and paratrabecular growth were not associated with MYD88L265P. Conclusions Our data support a clinicopathologic approach to LPL diagnosis and recognition that it may manifest with varying morphologies, phenotypes, and molecular features.