ALBERT

Description: No validated biomarkers exist for acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We screened plasma with antibody microarrays for 120 proteins in a discovery set of 42 patients who underwent transplantation that revealed 8 potential biomarkers for diagnostic of GVHD. We then measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) the levels of these biomarkers in samples from 424 patients who underwent transplantation randomly divided into training (n = 282) and validation (n = 142) sets. Logistic regression analysis of these 8 proteins determined a composite biomarker panel of 4 proteins (interleukin-2-receptor-alpha, tumor-necrosis-factor-receptor-1, interleukin-8, and hepatocyte growth factor) that optimally discriminated patients with and without GVHD. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve distinguishing these 2 groups in the training set was 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.87–0.94) and 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.79–0.92) in the validation set. In patients with GVHD, Cox regression analysis revealed that the biomarker panel predicted survival independently of GVHD severity. A panel of 4 biomarkers can confirm the diagnosis of GVHD in patients at onset of clinical symptoms of GVHD and provide prognostic information independent of GVHD severity.

Description: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a principal cause of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). Standard therapy for GVHD, high dose steroids, results in complete responses in only 35% of patients. Because tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) is an important effector of GVHD in animal models we treated 61 pts with new onset GVHD with methlyprednisolone 2 mg/kg/d plus etanercept, a TNFα inhibitor. All pts continued their GVHD prophylaxis agent, usually tacrolimus, at therapeutic dosing. Etanercept was given subcutaneously twice weekly for 8 wks at a dose of 0.4 mg/kg/dose (maximum dose 25 mg). The outcomes in these 61 pts were compared to those of 99 contemporaneous pts with GVHD whose initial therapy was steroids alone. Both groups of pts were similar with respect to age, transplant conditioning intensity, donor type and degree of HLA-match, and severity of GVHD at onset. Pts treated with etanercept plus steroids were significantly more likely to achieve a complete response 4 wks later than were pts treated with steroids alone [69% (95% CI: 57%, 81%) vs 33% (95% CI: 24%, 42%), p

Description: Although interaction between programmed death-1 (PD-1) and the ligand PD-L1 has been shown to mediate CD8 cell exhaustion in the setting of chronic infection or the absence of CD4 help, a role for this pathway in attenuating early alloreactive CD8 cell responses has not been identified. We demonstrate that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is needed to rapidly tolerize alloreactive CD8 cells in a model that requires CD4 cells and culminates in CD8 cell deletion. This protocol involves allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) following conditioning with low-dose total body irradiation and anti-CD154 antibody. Tolerized donor-reactive T-cell receptor transgenic CD8 cells are shown to be in an abortive activation state prior to their deletion, showing early and prolonged expression of activation markers (compared with rejecting CD8 cells) while being functionally silenced by day 4 after transplantation. Although both tolerized and rejecting alloreactive CD8 cells up-regulate PD-1, CD8 cell tolerance is dependent on the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. In contrast, CD4 cells are tolerized independently of this pathway following BMT with anti-CD154. These studies demonstrate a dichotomy between the requirements for CD4 and CD8 tolerance and identify a role for PD-1 in the rapid tolerization of an alloreactive T-cell population via a deletional mechanism.

Description: Pulmonary complications are common following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The role of fiberoptic bronchoscopy with broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) in recipients of reduced-intensity (RI) and full intensity (FI) transplants is now reported. Between January 2001-May 2008, 803 allogeneic transplants (212 RI, 591 FI) were performed on 784 patients at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Pulmonary complications, defined as either hypoxia 〉 24 hours, or clinical/radiographic features of pneumonitis, were identified in 313 (39.9%) patients post-transplant. Bronchoscopy was performed on 265 (84.7%) patients with pulmonary complications, including 69 patients undergoing RI transplants (median age 56 yrs, 10–68 yrs) and 196 patients undergoing FI transplants (median age 41 yrs, 1–64 yrs). The time to BAL was similar for recipients of RI when compared to recipients of FI transplant [median: 89 days (0–1854 days) vs. 104 days (7–1533 days)]. Pathogenic organisms were identified in 31.8% (RI) and 25.2% (FI) of BAL procedures. Invasive fungi were the most commonly identified organisms, identified on 48.1% (RI) and 45.2% (FI) of BALs in which pathogens were noted. The incidence of bacterial, viral (including CMV), and mycobacterial pulmonary infections were similar in recipients of RI and FI transplants. The frequency with which pathogens were identified varied with the timing of the bronchoscopy (see Table), with non-infectious pulmonary complications twice as likely to occur in the first 100 days post-transplant in FI than RI transplant recipients (p 〈 0.05). The BAL led to a change in medical management in 54.1% (RI) and 59.3% (FI) of cases respectively, with modifications in antimicrobial therapy in 38.8% (RI) and 42.1% (FI). The bronchoscopy led to modifications in immunosuppressive therapy in 27.1% (RI) and 27.6% (FI) of cases. BAL procedural related complications were rare in both groups, with pulmonary hemorrhage and transient hypoxemia occurring in 〈 2.5% of all patients undergoing a BAL. Conclusion: The incidence of pulmonary complications, as evaluated by bronchoscopy post HSCT, was similar for recipients of RI and FI conditioning regimen. Within the first 100 days post-transplant, non-infectious etiologies for pulmonary dysfunction were significantly more common in FI than RI patients. There were no other significant differences in the timing of pulmonary complications or the type of pathogenic organisms identified following a FI or RI transplant. Broncho-alveolar lavage is a safe procedure in patients following allogeneic transplants, altering medical management in over 50% of cases. Time post-transplant and % BAL with a pathogenic organism identified Day 0–100 * Day 〉 100 Total RI 32.4% 31.3% 31.8% FI 15.8% 31.8% 25.2%

Description: Background: Vorinostat is a histone deacetylase inhibitor that has demonstrated antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity alone and in combination with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib in preclinical multiple myeloma (MM) models. In a Phase I study, vorinostat also demonstrated modest single agent activity in patients (pts) with relapsed or refractory MM. Patients and Methods: We conducted a Phase I trial of oral vorinostat (200 mg bid or 400 mg daily × 14 days (d1–14) in combination with bortezomib 0.7 or 0.9 mg/m2 i.v. on d 4, 8, 11 and 15 or 0.9, 1.1, or 1.3 mg/m2 i.v. on d 1, 4, 8 and 11. Cycles were repeated every 21 d for a maximum of 8 cycles until progressive disease (PD) or intolerable toxicity. Pts with active relapsed or refractory MM who had not received bortezomib in the preceding 3 months and with adequate hematologic, hepatic, and renal function, and ECOG performance status of 0–2 were eligible. The primary objective was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Activity (utilizing EBMT criteria) and safety of the combination regimen were also assessed. Results: Twenty pts have been enrolled: median age, 61 years (range 52–76), median number prior systemic therapies, 3 (range 1–14), prior therapy with bortezomib (4 pts). Eighteen pts have received ≥ 1 dose and were evaluable for safety as of 7/1/07. One pt (cohort 3) experienced a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT, Table). The MTD has not been reached. The most common drug-related toxicities of any grade were nausea (56%), thrombocytopenia (50%), diarrhea (39%), vomiting (39%), fatigue (39%), and anemia (22%). Grade ≥ 3 drug-related adverse events were thrombocytopenia (33%, none associated with bleeding), peripheral neuropathy (11%), neutropenia (11%, none associated with fever), diarrhea (6%), diverticulitis (6%), fatigue (6%), increased AST (6%), memory changes (6%), nausea (6%), vomiting (6%), and upper respiratory infection (6%). Eight pts discontinued treatment, 3 due to PD and 5 due to adverse experiences [fatigue (2), nausea (2), diverticulitis (1)]. Of 17 evaluable pts for efficacy, all had measurable response or stable disease; 4 had a partial response, 2 had a minimal response, and 11 stable disease. Among 3 evaluable pts previously treated with bortezomib, 1 achieved a partial response and 1, minimal response. Pts at the highest dose level were not yet evaluable for response. Conclusion: Although accrual continues to determine the MTD, the combination of vorinostat and bortezomib is well tolerated and effective in this group of heavily pretreated pts with refractory/relapsed MM. Table Cohort Vorinostat Dose (mg) Bortezomib Dose (mg/m2) N # of Cycles DLTs Best Response MR = minimal response; NE = not evaluable; PR = partial response; SD = stable disease. *Days 4, 8, 11 and 15. †Days 1, 4, 8 and 11. ‡Treatment cycle in progress. 1 200 0.7* 3 3, 3, 14 - SD (2), PR 2 200 0.9* 3 4, 5, 6 - SD (2), PR 3 400 0.9† 6 2, 3, 5, 6, 6, 6 Transient AST elevation SD (3), MR, PR (2) 4 400 1.1† 5 3, 3, 4, 5, 11 - SD (4), MR 5 400 1.3† 3 1‡, 1‡, 2 - NE (3)

Description: Abstract 2230 Poster Board II-207 Background: Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is a well established therapy for patients with advanced hematological malignancies who are not suitable candidates for fully myeloablative conditioning. The use of alemtuzumab as part of RIC has been associated with decrease in incidence and severity of graft versus host disease (GVHD), particularly in unrelated donor transplants. Methods: This is a single center, prospective study. Patients with relapsed or refractory hematological malignancies who were not candidates for fully myeloablative conditioning regimens received an non-alemtuzumab (nA) containing RIC regimen or an alemtuzumab-containing regimen (A) based on the use of a matched sibling or an allele-matched unrelated donor, respectively. Patients in the nA group were conditioned with either Fludarabine 30mg/m2/day for 5 days and total body irradiation 200cG or Fludarabine 25mg/m2/day for 5 days and Melphalan 70mg/m2/day for 2 days. Patients in the A group received alemtuzumab 20 mg/m2/day for 2 days, Fludarabine 30mg/m2/day for 5 days and Melphalan 70mg/m2/day for 2 days. All patients received peripheral blood HSC grafts. Prophylaxis against graft versus host disease with cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil as well as infectious disease prophylaxis and supportive care guidelines were standard across both groups. Results: From January 2003 to March 2009, 56 patients were enrolled in the study and 50 patients who actually received a HSCT are the subject of this analysis. Twenty nine patients were in group nA and 21 in group A. Median age of the patients in the entire cohort was 55 years (range 14-65). Eighteen patients had AML, 12 NHL, 8 MDS, 6 CML, 3 CLL and 3 MM. Twenty-three patients were considered to be at high-risk for post transplant relapse (45% of group nA vs. 47% of group A, P= 0.84). All patients in group nA had hematological engraftment while 2 patients in A (9.5%) failed to engraft. Despite the fact that all patients in group A received a transplant from an unrelated donor, the incidence of severe (grades C or D) acute GVHD was significantly higher in group nA (20.7% vs. 0%, P=0.03). Day 100 mortality was similar between the 2 groups (20.7% for nA vs 33.1% for A, P=0.31). Cumulative incidence of progression did not differ between the two groups (P=0.7) while the cumulative incidence of treatment related mortality was higher in group A (P=0.02, Figure 1). Both median overall survival (OS) (44.1 vs. 5.3 months; P=0.01, figure 2) and progression-free survival (PFS) (8.7 vs 5.3 months, P= 0.02) were superior in group nA. Cox regression analysis including conditioning regimen, age and risk of post-transplant relapse showed that conditioning with alemtuzumab was the only variable significantly associated with inferior OS (RR 2.8, P=0.009) and PFS (RR 2.42, P= 0.01). Group A had a higher incidence of late (after Day 100) infectious complications resulting in death (43% vs.10%, p=0.01). Conclusion: Even though alemtuzumab-based RIC in unrelated HSCT has a protective effect against acute GVHD and risk of D+100 TRM comparable with non-alemtuzumab containing RIC regimens in related donor transplant, its beneficial effect is overcome by excessive late infectious complications. Disclosures: Fouts: Genzime: Consultancy.

Description: Abstract 1856 Poster Board I-882 Background: Lenalidomide is an analog of thalidomide that has shown significant clinical activity in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM), both as a single agent and in combination with dexamethasone. Bendamustine is a bifunctional alkylating agent that is approved for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that has progressed during or relapsed within 6 months following a rituximab-containing regimen. Bendamustine combined with lenalidomide may be an effective treatment option for MM patients, particularly those with preexisting or bortezomib-induced neuropathy. Our primary objective was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and safety profile of bendamustine and lenalidomide when administered with dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or refractory MM. Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with confirmed, measurable stage 2 or 3 MM that was refractory to or progressed after 1 or more prior therapies, including lenalidomide, received bendamustine by intravenous infusion on days 1 and 2, oral lenalidomide on days 1–21, and oral dexamethasone on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of each 28-day cycle. Treatment was continued until a plateau of best response, as determined by the IBMTR/ABMTR, was reached. Study drug doses were escalated through 4 levels (Table), with 3–6 patients enrolled at each level depending on the rate of dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). After determining the MTD, up to an additional 12 patients will be enrolled in an MTD expansion arm to better evaluate toxicity and clinical activity. Secondary endpoints included preliminary efficacy, as evidenced by objective response, time to disease progression, and overall survival. Results: To date, 11 patients have been enrolled, with a median age of 63 years (range, 38–75 years). The MTD of bendamustine and lenalidomide has not been identified at this point; currently, patients are enrolling on dose level 3 with 100 mg/m2 bendamustine and 10 mg lenalidomide. Thus far, DLT included 1 grade 4 neutropenia at dose level 2. Nine of 11 patients are currently eligible for response assessment. A partial response was observed in 67% of patients, including 1 very good partial response and 5 partial responses (PR). Two patients experienced stable disease and 1 exhibited progressive disease. Grade 3/4 adverse events included grade 3 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, hyperglycemia, and prolonged QTC, and 1 grade 4 neutropenia. Conclusions: Bendamustine, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone form a well-tolerated and highly active regimen even in heavily pretreated MM patients, with a PR rate of 67%. Additional updates on response and MTD will be available at the time of presentation. Disclosures: Lentzsch: Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Cephalon: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Off Label Use: Bendamustine is not FDA approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma in the USA. Burt:Millennium: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria. Mapara:Resolvyx: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genzyme: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gentium: Equity Ownership; Celgene: Spouse is consultant , has received research funding, and participates on advisory board; Cephalon: Spouse has received funding for clinical trial and participates on advisory board. Redner:Biogen: Equity Ownership; Wyeth: Equity Ownership; Glaxo-Smith-Kline: Equity Ownership; Pfizer: Equity Ownership; Genzyme: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Roodman:Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy; Acceleron: Consultancy. Zonder:Amgen: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Cephalon: Consultancy; Millennium: Consultancy, Speaking (CME only); no promotional talks.

Description: The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of hematopoietic malignancies. We have used Affymetrix microarray technology to determine the gene expression profiles in CD34+ cells of 84 MDS patients (25 RA, 28 RARS and 31 RAEB) and 16 healthy controls. Twenty-five of 84 patients had a del(5q). CD34+ cells were isolated from bone marrow samples using MACS magnetic columns. Extracted total RNA was amplified using the Two-Cycle Target Labelling kit (Affymetrix) and samples were hybridized to Affymetrix U133 Plus2.0 chips (representing 39,000 human genes). Cell intensity calculation and scaling was performed using GeneChip Operating Software and data analysis using GeneSpring 7.3. The expression profiles of MDS CD34+ cells showed many similarities to reported interferon-γ induced gene expression in normal CD34+ cells. Indeed the two most up-regulated genes, IFIT1 and IFITM1, are interferon-stimulated genes. IFIT1 and IFITM1 were up-regulated by 〉2-fold in 58/84 and 53/84 MDS patients respectively. Genes down-regulated by 〉2-fold in the majority of MDS patients include the putative tumor suppressor gene Gravin/AKAP12, ARPP-21, CD24 and MME. The association of distinct gene expression profiles with specific FAB and cytogenetic groups was determined using data from 55 MDS patients as a training set. Hierarchical clustering performed using 457 significantly different genes between different FAB subtypes showed that MDS patients with RARS constitute a homogeneous group, while MDS patients with RA and RAEB show more overlap. CD34+ cells from patients with RARS showed up-regulation of mitochondrial-related genes, and in particular of those of heme synthesis (e.g. ALAS2). Statistical analysis showed that 889 probe-sets could discriminate MDS patients with a del(5q) from those without a del(5q). MDS patients with the del(5q) showed distinctive down-regulation of genes mapping to chromosome 5q, and up-regulation of the histone HIST1 gene cluster at chromosome 6p21 and of genes related to the actin cytoskeleton. In order to identify genes differentially expressed between early and advanced MDS, a comparison was made between the 18 patients with RA and the nine MDS patients with RAEBII. 762 significantly different probe sets were identified that could group together MDS patients with RAEBII. The most significant genes identified include CASP3 and FLT3, and represent potential prognostic markers or markers of disease progression. The remaining 29 MDS patients were used as a test set for class prediction using support vector machines. The FAB subtype was correctly predicted for 83% of the test samples. The presence or absence of a del(5q) was predicted correctly for 93% of the test samples. Finally, 94% of the test samples were predicted correctly as RA or RAEBII. This study provides important and new insights into the pathophysiology of MDS.

Description: Myelodysplasia (MDS) is a heterogeneous group of clonal disorders of hematopoietic stem cells characterised by ineffective hematopoiesis and a variable risk of transformation to acute myelogenous leukaemia. We have used Comparative Genomic Hybridisation (CGH) microarray analysis, a technology that represents a significant improvement in resolution over conventional cytogenetic analysis, to screen genomic DNA from MDS patients for the identification of genome-wide Copy-Number Changes (CNCs). We have studied genomic DNA obtained from the neutrophil population of 48 MDS patients and 40 normal controls. Of the 48 MDS patients 10 had the 5q- syndrome, 32 were assigned normal karyotype and 6 had complex karyotypes. Comparative Genomic Hybridisation (CGH) microarray analysis was performed using microarrays containing 3500 BAC clones at 1Mb intervals over the whole human genome. Furthermore we used a whole genome tiling-path (27 000 overlapping BAC clones) array to profile 9 5q-syndrome patients and for 3 of those patients the T-cell DNA were also profiled to act as constitutional control. The patient DNA and a pool of normal reference DNA was labelled with different fluorochromes and cohybridised to the microarray. The normalised ratio of signal intensities was calculated and log2 ratios between −0.4 and 0.4 were considered normal. Ratios below or above the normal range were interpreted as loss or gain of genetic material, respectively. The deletions on chromosome 5q were precisely mapped by array-CGH in the patients with the 5q- syndrome but no additional CNCs were detected. One of the 5q deletions, however, displayed a discontiguous pattern with the tiling resolution array. Copy-number changes (CNCs) that escaped conventional cytogenetic detection were identified in the MDS patients originally reported with normal bone marrow karyotypes. 8 out of those 32 patients displayed CNCs that were not detected in the 40 normal controls and as such were considered as disease-related changes (non-polymorphic). Many of those CNCs were single-clone abberrations that were validated by dye-swap experiments and some were confirmed by quantitative PCR. Microarray CGH data confirmed all abnormalities reported by conventional cytogenetic analysis in the MDS patients with complex karyotypes and previously undetected abnormalities were uncovered. Several genes involved in either the initiation or progression of hematological malignancies are known to map within the cryptic abnormalities identified in the patients studied. For example, one patient with an apparently normal karyotype showed a small deletion at 17q11 which encompasses the NF1 gene. Further work will determine whether particular abnormalities detected by microarray CGH are recurrent and the nature of the genes involved. However, the promise of microarray CGH in the diagnostic work up of MDS particularly in those patients with normal karyotypes is clear.

Description: Background: Despite improving outcomes, 25–50% of children and young adults with acute leukemia still relapse and most salvage rates are discouraging. Additional prognostic factors, particularly those that represent host factors, may further stratify patients and decrease relapse rates. Purpose: To determine if absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC) during induction chemotherapy can improve current risk stratification and predict relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods: We analyzed 160 consecutive cases of de novo ALL and AML patients 1–21 years of age, treated at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1995–2005. Age at diagnosis, initial WBC, bone marrow blast % on days 0 and 7, were analyzed with ALC on days 0, 15, 21 and 28 of induction therapy. Results: ALC during induction therapy is a significant independent predictor of RFS and OS in young adults and children with either ALL or AML. Specifically, an ALC