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The role of salvage high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (sHDCT/ASCT) for relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in the era of continuous novel agent treatment has not been defined. This randomized, open-label, phase III, multicenter trial randomized patients with 1st–3rd relapse of multiple myeloma (MM) to a transplant arm (n= 139) consisting of 3 Rd (lenalidomide 25 mg, day 1–21; dexamethasone 40 mg, day 1, 8, 15, and 22; 4-week cycles) reinduction cycles, sHDCT (melphalan 200 mg/m2), ASCT, and lenalidomide maintenance (10 mg/day) or to a control arm (n= 138) of continuous Rd. Median PFS was 20.7 months in the transplant and 18.8 months in the control arm (HR 0.87; 95% CI 0.65–1.16; p= 0.34). Median OS was not reached in the transplant and 62.7 months in the control arm (HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.52–1.28; p= 0.37). Forty-one patients (29%) did not receive the assigned sHDCT/ASCT mainly due to early disease progression, adverse events, and withdrawal of consent. Multivariate landmark analyses from the time of sHDCT showed superior PFS and OS (p= 0.0087/0.0057) in patients who received sHDCT/ASCT. Incorporation of sHDCT/ASCT into relapse treatment with Rd was feasible in 71% of patients and did not significantly prolong PFS and OS on ITT analysis while patients who received sHDCT/ASCT may have benefitted.

Antigen-specific T cells traffic to, are influenced by, and create unique cellular microenvironments. Here we characterize these microenvironments over time with multiplexed imaging in a melanoma model of adoptive T cell therapy and human patients with melanoma treated with checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Multicellular neighborhood analysis reveals dynamic immune cell infiltration and inflamed tumor cell neighborhoods associated with CD8+T cells. T cell-focused analysis indicates T cells are found along a continuum of neighborhoods that reflect the progressive steps coordinating the anti-tumor immune response. More effective anti-tumor immune responses are characterized by inflamed tumor-T cell neighborhoods, flanked by dense immune infiltration neighborhoods. Conversely, ineffective T cell therapies express anti-inflammatory cytokines, resulting in regulatory neighborhoods, spatially disrupting productive T cell-immune and -tumor interactions. Our study provides in situmechanistic insights into temporal tumor microenvironment changes, cell interactions critical for response, and spatial correlates of immunotherapy outcomes, informing cellular therapy evaluation and engineering.

IntroductionThe randomized, controlled, multicenter, phase III GMMG ReLApsE trial compared lenalidomide/dexamethasone (Rd) re-induction, salvage high dose chemotherapy, autologous stem cell transplantation (HDCT/ASCT) and lenalidomide (R) maintenance with standard continuous Rd. We have previously reported the absence of a significant survival benefit in the primary analysis. However, landmark analyses from salvage HDCT performed due to the fact that ~30% of patients in the HDCT arm did not receive salvage HDCT/ASCT suggested a survival benefit in patients undergoing salvage HDCT/ASCT. Here we report long term follow up results from the GMMG ReLApsE trial.

Introduction

Introduction:The German-Speaking Myeloma Multicenter Group (GMMG) has initiated a randomized multicenter phase III trial on the effect of elotuzumab in VRD (bortezomib, lenalidomide, dexamethasone) induction/consolidation and lenalidomide maintenance in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (GMMG-HD6 trial, NCT02495922). The study compares four cycles induction therapy with VRD vs. VRD + elotuzumab, followed by standard intensification (i.e. mobilization and stem cell transplantation), two cycles consolidation with VRD/VRD + elotuzumab and lenalidomide maintenance +/- elotuzumab. The primary endpoint is determination of the best of four treatment strategies regarding progression-free survival. Here we present a first analysis of stem cell mobilization within this study.

Wuchter: Sanofi-Aventis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Hexal: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Bertsch:Janssen: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Chugai: Research Funding. Munder:Janssen: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria. Fenk:Jansen: Honoraria, Other: travel support; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: travel support, Research Funding. Hillengass:Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Novartis: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding. Raab:Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Ho:Sanofi-Aventis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Scheid:Medac: Other: Travel, accomodations or expenses; Baxalta: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel, accomodations or expenses; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Other: Travel, accomodations or expenses; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria. Weisel:Onyx: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria. Goldschmidt:Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Chugai: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Millennium: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Onyx: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.