ALBERT

Description: Background: Although molecular complete remission (mCR) in multiple myeloma (MM) can be assessed by allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO)-PCR, this technique requires preparation of clonotype-specific primers for each individual, which is laborious and time-consuming. We utilized the LymphoSIGHTTM platform, which employs consensus primers and next-generation sequencing (NGS) to amplify and sequence all rearranged immunoglobulin gene segments present in a myeloma clone, to assess mCR. This technique has been shown to have 1-2 logs greater sensitivity compared to ASO-PCR and flow cytometry, respectively (Faham et al, Blood 2012). Usage of the sequencing method for minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in MM may provide increased sensitivity and specificity, while overcoming the challenges associated with ASO-PCR. We compared the LymphoSIGHTTM method with ASO-qPCR for MRD detection in autografts and bone marrow (BM) in the autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation (ASCT) setting. Methods: One hundred and nine Japanese patients with newly diagnosed MM who received various induction regimens prior to ASCT were retrospectively analyzed. All patients had achieved a partial response (PR) or better after ASCT. BM slides from 84 MM patients and fresh/frozen BM cells from 25 MM patients at diagnosis, as well as autografts/post-ASCT BM cells from each patient, were obtained for DNA extraction. IGH-based ASO-qPCR was performed as described previously (Methods Mol Biol 2009). Using universal primer sets, we amplified IGH variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments, IGH-DJ, and IGK from genomic DNA. Amplified products were subjected to deep sequencing using NGS. Reads were analyzed using standardized algorithms for clonotype determination. Myeloma-specific clonotypes were identified for each patient based on their high frequency in BM samples. Results : Myeloma clonotypes could be identified in autografts/post-ASCT BM cells in 98 of 109 patients (90%) and by ASO-qPCR in 63 of 101 patients (62%). MRD by NGS was assessed in autografts of 89 patients. 70 of 89 patients (79%) were positive by NGS; 28 of 62 patients (45%) were positive by ASO-qPCR. Although we observed a high correlation between NGS and PCR MRD results at MRD levels of 10-5 or higher, the sensitivity of ASO-PCR was 10-4-10-5, whereas that of NGS was 10-6 or lower when a sufficient amount of DNA was available for analysis. Eight cases where MRD was not detected in the autograft by NGS (MRDNGS(-)) and 38 MRDNGS(+) cases received post-ASCT therapy using novel agents such as bortezomib/lenalidomide/thalidomide, while 11 MRDNGS(-) cases and 32 MRDNGS(+) cases were followed without post-ASCT therapy. The MRDNGS(-) cases without post-ASCT therapy showed significantly better progression-free survival (PFS) than the MRDNGS(+) cases without post-ASCT therapy (P = 0.012) (Figure 1A) although overall survival rates were comparable between these groups. To investigate the value of sensitive detection by NGS, we compared PFS in 11 MRDNGS(-) cases (Group 1) with the 12 MRDNGS(+) cases where MRD was not detected by ASO-qPCR (MRDASO(-)) (Group 2). The patients in both groups did not receive any post-ASCT therapy. Group 1 showed significantly better PFS than Group 2 (P = 0.027) (Figure 1B). Furthermore, 9 MRDNGS(-) in post-ASCT BM cases tended to show a better PFS than 18 MRDNGS(+) in post-ASCT BM cases (P = 0.075) (Figure 1C). In a multivariate analysis, post-ASCT therapy using novel agents (P

Description: Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in conjunction with therapeutic drugs such as bortezomib, thalidomide, and lenalidomide can dramatically improve response rates and the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, most patients with MM are considered to be incurable, and relapse owing to minimal residual disease (MRD) is the main cause of death among these patients. Here we utilized a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach for MRD assessment, which offers at least 1 to 2 logs greater sensitivity (10-6) compared to allele-specific oligonucleotide PCR (ASO-PCR) and flow cytometry, respectively (Faham et al Blood 2012). Previous studies have shown that NGS-based MRD assessment 90 days post-ASCT has prognostic value (Martinez-Lopez et al Blood 2014). In this study, we compared the prognostic value of MRD assessment in autografts and bone marrow (BM) samples from MM patients in the ASCT setting. Methods: One hundred and twenty-three Japanese patients with newly diagnosed MM who received various induction regimens prior to ASCT were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received ASCT and were followed between June 15, 2004 and April 25, 2015. All patients had achieved a partial response (PR) or better after ASCT. Analyzed samples included: (1) BM slides from 96 MM patients at diagnosis, (2) fresh/frozen BM cells from 27 MM patients at diagnosis, (3) autografts and/or (4) post-ASCT BM cells obtained at the time of best response based on serum and urine tests. IGH-based ASO-PCR was performed as described previously (Methods Mol Biol 2009). NGS-based MRD assessment was performed using the immunosequencing platform (Adaptive Biotechnologies, South San Francisco, CA) (Martinez-Lopez et al Blood 2014). Results: We compared MRD results in 51 samples assessed by ASO-PCR and NGS. We observed a high correlation between NGS and ASO-PCR results at MRD levels of 10-5 or higher (r=0.86, P

Description: Background: Most patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are considered to be incurable, and relapse, due to minimal residual disease (MRD), is the main cause of death among these patients. Even though allele-specific oligonucleotide real-time quantitative PCR (ASO-qPCR) of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement has been used to assess the MRD in MM due to its excellent sensitivity and specificity, ASO-qPCR has a major limitation in its relative quantification method because it needs a reference standard curve, which is usually made with dilutions of diagnostic myeloma DNA or from plasmids containing the target IgH rearrangement gene. Recently, droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was developed to perform reliable absolute quantification of target genes. Based on the principle of single target gene detection, the sensitivity can be increased when the larger amount of DNA is analyzed. Here we assessed the prognostic value of MRD assessment in autografts from MM patients in the autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) setting using ASO-qPCR, ddPCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches. Methods: Twenty-three Japanese patients with newly diagnosed MM who received various induction regimens prior to ASCT without any post-ASCT therapy were retrospectively analyzed. Median age 57 (range 39-67); males 11, females 12; ISS 1 (n=7), 2 (n=12), 3 (n=3), not assessed (n=1). 11 patients were analyzed by G-banding and FISH (t(4;14), del17p, t(14;16)) and 4 patients showed high-risk chromosomal abnormalities (t(4;14) (n=2), t(14;16) (n=1), -13 by G-banding (n=1)). All patients had achieved a very good partial response (VGPR) or better after ASCT. Analyzed samples included: (1) BM slides from 20 MM patients at diagnosis, (2) fresh/frozen BM cells from 3 MM patients at diagnosis, and (3) obtained autografts. IGH-based ASO-qPCR was performed as described previously (Methods Mol Biol 2009). ddPCR was performed by the QX200 Droplet Digital PCR system (Bio-RAD Inc.) with a total 6000 ng of genomic DNA combined with the same ASO-primers and TaqMan-probes used in the ASO-qPCR. Droplets were generated by the QX200 droplet generator. End-point PCR (40 cycles) was performed on a C1000 Touch Thermal cycler (Bio-RAD Inc). The PCR product was loaded in the QX200 droplet reader and analyzed by QuantaSoft 1.7.4 (Bio-Rad Inc). NGS-based MRD assessment was performed using the immunosequencing platform (Adaptive Biotechnologies, South San Francisco, CA) (Martinez-Lopez et al Blood 2014). Results: Nineteen patients could be analyzed by ASO-qPCR and ddPCR, while all 23 patients could be analyzed by NGS. We compared MRD results in autografts between ddPCR and NGS. We observed a high correlation between ddPCR and NGS results of MRD (r=0.82, P

Description: Background Azacitidine (AZA) is one of the hypomethylating agents (HMAs) proven to significantly prolong overall survival (OS) for patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (h-MDS) via a prospective phase 3 trial. However, the optimal treatment schedule of AZA for h-MDS has not yet been prospectively determined. As a 7-day treatment schedule includes weekends, a 5-day administration has also been applied with h-MDS, though solid evidence has not been established. Based on this background, we planned to compare AZA treatment on 7-day and 5-day schedules. Patients Patients diagnosed with de novo or treatment-related MDS (FAB-defined RAEB and RAEB-t), aged 16 years or older were eligible for this study, if they showed adequate performance status (ECOG PS 0-2) and no history of HMA treatment or chemotherapy. Candidates for allogeneic stem-cell transplantation were excluded. Study design This was a multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial to compare the efficacy of AZA treatment for 7-days (AZA-7) to 5-days (AZA-5). The primary endpoint was 2-year OS rate (2y OS). AZA was given subcutaneously at 75 mg/m² every 28 days. To test the non-inferiority of AZA-5 to AZA-7, 2y OS of AZA-7 was estimated at 30%, and the delta was defined as 11%, for which 410 patients were needed to complete the trial. However, because of the poor recruitment, this study closed prematurely, and the protocol-planned interim analysis (when 200 patients were registered) was performed. This protocol was approved by the IRB at each trial center. All patients provided written informed consent, and the trial was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The efficacy of AZA was evaluated using IWG2006 criteria, and treatment was continued until study completion, or relapse, unacceptable toxicity, or disease progression was observed. Efficacy was analyzed by intention-to-treat. Secondary endpoints were the hematological response rate, 2-year leukemia-free survival (2y LFS) rate, the cytogenetic response, and occurrence of adverse events. Results Between January 2013 and Jun 2018, 201 patients were randomly assigned to AZA-7 (n=99) or AZA-5 group (n=102). The median age of all patients at the enrollment was 73.5 years old (range, 48 to 91). Between the two groups, there was no significant difference in the baseline characteristics, such as sex, type of MDS (de novo or treatment-related), percent of BM blasts, FAB and WHO classification, and IPSS and IPSS-R risk. After excluding 5 and 6 patients from AZA-7 and AZA-5, respectively (poor data entry, change in diagnosis), at the time of last follow-up, 59 and 67 patients died in AZA-7 and AZA-5, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier estimates of the 2y OS and 2y LFS were 35.1% (95% CI, 23.8 to 46.7) and 27.3% (95% CI, 17.3 to 38.3) for AZA-7, and 22.4% (95% CI, 13.1 to 33.3) and 20.5% (95% CI, 11.6 to 31.2) for AZA-5, respectively. There was no significant difference in the frequency of erythroid, platelet or neutrophil improvement, or hematological response (complete or partial response, or any hematological improvement) between the two groups. The most common non-hematological adverse event of grade 3 to 4 (in ≥20% of the patients in either group) was febrile neutropenia (33.7% for AZA-7, and 30.5% for AZA-5). Conclusion and Discussion Because of the premature termination of this trial, statistical analysis for the primary endpoint (2y OS of 35.1% for AZA-7, and 22.4% for AZA-5) could not provide any solid evidence. However, considering the difference of more than 10% in 2y OS, and no major differences in the safety profiles, we favor AZA-7 to AZA-5 for MDS patients with RAEB and RAEB-t. Figure Disclosures Kiguchi: Tejin Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; SymBio Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Celgene Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Janssen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Novartis Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Astellas Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; MSD CO., Ltd.: Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Bristol-Myeres Squibb Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Sanofi K.K., Ltd.: Research Funding; Celltrion, Inc.: Research Funding. Usuki:Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas Pharma Inc: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Suzuki:kyowa Hakko Kirin: Consultancy, Honoraria; MSD k.k.: Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; takeda: Research Funding; Incyte and Pfizer: Research Funding; astellas: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding; daiichi sankyo: Research Funding; eisai: Research Funding. Tomita:Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin: Research Funding; Taiho Pharma: Research Funding. Handa:Ono: Research Funding. Maeda:Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K..: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.: Honoraria. Iyama:Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma: Honoraria; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria; Allexion Pharma: Honoraria; CSL Behring: Honoraria. Yamauchi:Astellas, AbbVie: Consultancy; Pfizer, Chugai, Teijin, Solasia: Research Funding. Kiyoi:Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd.: Research Funding; Perseus Proteomics Inc.: Research Funding; FUJIFILM Corporation: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Zenyaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Eisai Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding. Miyazaki:Chugai: Research Funding; Otsuka: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Nippon-Shinyaku: Honoraria; Dainippon-Sumitomo: Honoraria; Kyowa-Kirin: Honoraria.

Description: Abstract 4655 Umbilical cord blood from unrelated donors has been successfully used as an alternative hematopoietic stem cell source to treat hematologic malignancies in patients lacking HLA-matched donors. However, umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) is associated with a higher risk of engraftment failure and more delayed immunological recovery than bone marrow transplantation and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). Recently, human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) has been recognized as an important pathogen in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In particular, HHV-6 reactivation often causes limbic encephalitis with a dismal prognosis. We conducted a prospective, multicenter study to assess the safety and efficacy of preemptive therapy with foscarnet sodium (PFA) to prevent HHV-6 encephalitis after HSCT. Materials and methods Eligible patients were aged from 16 to 75 years with hematologic disorders refractory to conventional therapy and considered to require UCBT or HLA 1-haplotype mismatched HSCT (haplo HSCT) due to the unavailability of an HLA-identical relatives or a suitable unrelated donor. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects according to the Declaration of Helsinki, and this study protocol was approved by the institutional ethical committee. The amount of plasma HHV-6 DNA was measured 3 times per week between day 7 and day 36 after UCBT or PBSCT from HLA-haploidentical relative donors. PFA, 90 mg/kg/day, was given when the amount of HHV-6 DNA exceeded 5 ×102 copies/ml. Results Of 20 cases registered between September 2007 and January 2009, 12 of 15 UCBT recipients (80%) became positive for HHV-6 DNAemia, and 7 cases exceeded 5×102 copies/ml, while none of the 5 patients who received haplo HSCT became positive (UCBT vs. haplo HSCT; p

Description: Introduction A clinical indication for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in adult Philadelphia-chromosome negative [Ph (-)] acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients in complete remission 1 (CR1) remains to be clarified. Minimal residual disease (MRD) status has been reported to be a strong prognostic factor in adult ALL patients (Blood. 2006 107:1116, 2009 113:4153)( J Hematol Oncol. 2013 6:14). We prospectively monitored MRD status during induction and consolidation therapy in adult Ph (-) ALL patients to determine a clinical indication for HSCT. Materials & Methods From December 2008 to November 2013, 103 adult ALL patients were enrolled in this study. Eligibility criteria included non-L3 ALL, 16-65 years of age, and adequate organ function. Of these patients, 95 were eligible for this study and 59 were Ph (-). The treatment protocol used in this study was modified CALGB 19802. Treatment consisted of 6 courses given in the order of A-B-C-A-B-C, followed by a maintenance phase. Induction chemotherapy (course A) consisted of cyclophosphamide (1,200 mg/m2), daunorubicin (60 mg/m2 x 3), vincristine (VCR) (1.3 mg/m2 (max 2mg) x 4), L-asparaginase (3,000 U/m2 x 6) and prednisolone. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was started on day 4 and continued until neutrophil recovery. Consolidation B consisted of mitoxantrone (10 mg/m2 x 2), cytarabine (2,000 mg/m2/day x 4) and intrathecal (IT) administration of methotrexate (MTX). Consolidation C consisted of VCR (1.3 mg/m2 (max 2mg) x 3) and MTX (1,500 mg/m2 x 3) with leucovorin rescue and IT MTX. Patients received maintenance chemotherapy on a monthly basis: prednisolone 60 mg/m2 on days 1-5, VCR (1.3mg/m2 (max 2mg) x 3) on day 1, oral MTX 20 mg/m2 weekly, and oral 6-mercaptopurine 60 mg/m2 daily. MRD status was evaluated after induction therapy (first course A) and after second consolidation therapy (first course C). When MRD statuses after the consolidation were positive, patients were supposed to proceed to HSCT whenever possible. Results Among the 59 Ph-negative ALL patients, 51 patients (86%) could be monitored for MRD status, and the remaining 8 patients were not because of no clonal TCR/Ig targets or chimeric mRNA. The MRD status was determined by PCR analysis of major gene rearrangements and/or chimeric mRNAs (18 were positive for TCRγ, 16 for TCRδ, 13 for IgH, 1 for TCRγ and MLL-AF4, 1 for TCRγ and ETV6-RUNX1, 1 for IgH and MLL-AF4, and 1 for IgH and MLL-ENL). MRD quantifications were performed using ASO-primers with a sensitivity of ≤1 × 10−4, and MRD positivity was defined as a lower limit of detection of ≥1 × 10−3. The median follow-up time was 1597 days (range, 16-2870 days). A total of 51 patients included 29 males and 22 females, and their median age was 29 years ranging from 16 to 65. The median white blood cell count at presentation was 8.5 × 103/L (range 1.2-650.4). CR was achieved in 45 patients (88%). One patient died during induction due to intestinal bleeding. There were 29 survivors after the median follow-up period. The probability of 3-year OS and DFS in these patients with Ph-negative ALL was 69% (95%CI 54-80) and 50% (95%CI 36-63, respectively. In terms of CR1 status, MRD-negative patients after induction chemotherapy A in the first course (n = 17) showed a better 3-year DFS (65%) compared with MRD-positive patients (n = 31; 43%), as shown in Figure 1. The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). There was no patient who proceeded to allogeneic HSCT among 17 MRD-negative patients after induction therapy in CR. In contrast, patients who were MRD-positive after induction but became MRD-negative after consolidation chemotherapy C in the first course (n = 11) showed a worse 3-year DFS compared with patients who were MRD-negative after induction chemotherapy A in the first course (45% vs. 65%, p = 0.08). Fourteen patients were MRD-positive after consolidation chemotherapy C in the first course. Among them, 5 patients proceeded to allogeneic HSCT in 1CR, and 9 did not. Three-year DFS with or without allogeneic HSCT were 60% (95%CI 13-88) vs 44% (95%CI 14-72, p=0.52), respectively. Discussion The present study indicates that MRD status after induction and consolidation therapies is a strong prognostic factor. Post-induction MRD-negative patients have been identified to have good-prognosis with chemotherapies, not suitable for up-front allogeneic HSCT. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures Takamatsu: Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; TAIHO Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Research Funding; Chugai Pharma: Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria. Akashi:Celgene: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis pharma: Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Eisai: Research Funding; sanofi: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Chugai Pharma: Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Asahi-kasei: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Taiho Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas Pharma: Research Funding; Eli Lilly Japan: Research Funding.