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Background The FLAIR trial in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia has a randomised, controlled, open-label, confirmatory, platform design. FLAIR was successfully amended to include an emerging promising experimental therapy to expedite its assessment, greatly reducing the time to reach the primary outcome compared to running a separate trial and without compromising the validity of the research or the ability to recruit to the trial and report the outcomes. The methodological and practical issues are presented, describing how they were addressed to ensure the amendment was a success. Methods FLAIR was designed as a two-arm trial requiring 754 patients. In stage 2, two new arms were added: a new experimental arm and a second control arm to protect the trial in case of a change in practice. In stage 3, the original experimental arm was closed as its planned recruitment target was reached. In total, 1516 participants will be randomised to the trial. Results The changes to the protocol and randomisation to add and stop arms were made seamlessly without pausing recruitment. The statistical considerations to ensure the results for the original and new hypotheses are unbiased were approved following peer review by oversight committees, Cancer Research UK, ethical and regulatory committees and pharmaceutical partners. These included the use of concurrent comparators in case of any stage effect, appropriate control of the type I error rate and consideration of analysis methods across trial stages. The operational aspects of successfully implementing the amendments are described, including gaining approvals and additional funding, data management requirements and implementation at centres. Conclusions FLAIR is an exemplar of how an emerging experimental therapy can be assessed within an existing trial structure without compromising the conduct, reporting or validity of the trial. This strategy offered considerable resource savings and allowed the new experimental therapy to be assessed within a confirmatory trial in the UK years earlier than would have otherwise been possible. Despite the clear efficiencies, treatment arms are rarely added to ongoing trials in practice. This paper demonstrates how this strategy is acceptable, feasible and beneficial to patients and the wider research community. Trial registration ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN01844152. Registered on August 08, 2014

Autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) remains the standard of care for consolidation after induction therapy for eligible patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. In recent clinical trials comparing ASCT to delayed ASCT, patients aged over 65 were excluded. In real-world practice stem cell transplants are not restricted to those aged under 65 and clinicians decide on transplant eligibility based on a patient’s fitness rather than a strict age cut-off. Data from the UK NCRI Myeloma XI trial, a large phase III randomized controlled trial with pathways for transplant-eligible and -ineligible patients, were used in an exploratory analysis to examine the efficacy and toxicity of ASCT in older patients including an analysis using an age-matched population to compare outcomes for patients receiving similar induction therapy with or without ASCT. Older patients within the transplant-eligible pathway were less likely to undergo stem cell harvest at the end of induction than younger patients and of those patients undergoing ASCT there was a reduction in progression-free survival associated with increasing age. ASCT in older patients was well tolerated with no difference in morbidity or mortality between patients aged

Background The most common cause of severe renal impairment in myeloma (MM) is the direct effect of a high concentration of nephrotoxic monoclonal free light chains (LC) leading to MM cast nephropathy. Decreasing LC and therefore improving renal function is important for long term outcome. In the UK NCRI Myeloma XI trial the addition of the second generation PI carfilzomib (K) to the immunomodulatory agent (IMiD) lenalidomide, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (Rdc) improved progression-free survival (PFS) in newly diagnosed MM patients (NDMM) eligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) (median PFS KRdc not reached (NR) v Rdc 36 months HR 0.66 (95% CI 0.52, 0.83, P=0.0004). This exploratory subgroup analysis compares PFS and renal recovery between patients receiving KRdc and Rdc within renal function subgroups. Methods Myeloma XI is a phase III, randomized controlled trial with an adaptive design for symptomatic NDMM patients of all ages. This renal analysis is of the transplant eligible (TE) pathway and compares induction treatment with the quadruplet KRdc to triplet Rdc. Patients were randomized contemporaneously 2:1. All patients were randomized to post-ASCT R maintenance or observation. For further exploratory analysis patients randomized earlier in the study to Rdc were also included. Relevant exclusion criteria were acute renal failure non-responsive to 72 hours rehydration (creatinine >500umol/L, urine output =60 ml/min/1.73m2, moderately impaired 30-59 or severely impaired =500mg/L between the involved and uninvolved (dFLC). Renal recovery was defined as an improvement in eGFR of ≥25% at the end of induction therapy. Results 1547 patients were randomized to KRdc n=526 or Rdc n=1021 (265 contemporaneous, 756 not). In the contemporaneous group baseline renal function was normal in 609/791 (77.0%), moderately impaired in 141/791 (17.8%) and severely impaired in 40/791 (5.1%) (data n/a in 1 patient). Patients with moderately or severely impaired renal function had shorter PFS compared to those with normal renal function. Subgroup analysis showed consistent outcomes for KRdc compared to Rdc across all renal subgroups with no evidence of significant heterogeneity (Figure 1, Phet=0.9354). Further exploratory analysis combined patients with moderate or severe renal impairment into one group. Difference in PFS and renal recovery between patients with normal or impaired renal function and high (>=500) or low ( Within the group of patients with normal renal function at baseline those with high dFLC had shorter PFS than those with low dFLC. KRdc was associated with improved PFS irrespective of LC level: high dFLC KRdc median PFS NR (95% CI 39, NR) v Rdc 34 months (30, 39) and low dFLC KRdc NR (44, NR) v Rdc 41 (37, 47). In the group of patients with renal impairment at baseline KRdc was also associated with an improved PFS irrespective of LC level: high dFLC KRdc median PFS NR (95% CI 29, NR) v Rdc 32 months (28, 42) and low dFLC KRdc 37 (25, NR) v Rdc 27 (24, 33). In contrast to those with normal renal function, however, patients with renal impairment and high dFLC had a longer PFS than those with low dFLC. This observation was apparent whether patients received KRdc or Rdc and suggests that patients with high dFLC may have had reversible renal impairment, improving their ultimate outcomes. Supporting this hypothesis, measurable renal recovery in the renal impaired group at the end of induction was more common in patients with high dFLC (dFLC>=500 68.6% v dFLC Conclusions KRdc was associated with improved PFS compared to Rdc in NDMM patients across all renal subgroups. Irrespective of treatment, renal function is more likely to improve if attributable to nephrotoxic LC. Disclosures Pawlyn: Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses; Amgen: Consultancy, Other: Travel expenses; Takeda: Consultancy, Other: Travel expenses. Menzies:Celgene, Amgen, Merck: Research Funding. Davies:Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive Biotech: Honoraria; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Cook:Celgene, Janssen, Takeda: Research Funding; Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen, Takeda, Roche, Sanofi: Honoraria; Karyopharm: Honoraria. Gregory:Celgene, Amgen, Merck: Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy. Jenner:Amgen, Janssen, Celgene, Takeda, Novartis, Sanofi, GSK: Consultancy; Janssen, Takeda, Amgen, Celgene, Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen, Celgene: Research Funding; Janssen, Takeda, Amgen: Other: Travel expenses. Jones:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding. Kaiser:Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene, Janssen, Karyopharm: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai, Janssen, Amgen, Takeda, Celgene, AbbVie, Karyopharm, GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy; Janssen, Amgen, Celgene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Takeda: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Takeda: Other: Travel expenses. Owen:Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses; Janssen: Consultancy, Other: Travel expenses; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Morgan:Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Research Funding; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Jackson:Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Gsk: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Cairns:Celgene, Amgen, Merck: Research Funding; Celgene: Other: Travel Support. OffLabel Disclosure: Carfilzomib, lenalidomide, dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide combination induction therapy for newly diagnosed myeloma

Newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients treated with immunomodulatory drugs are at high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), but data are lacking from large prospective cohorts. We present thrombosis outcome data from Myeloma IX (n = 1936) and Myeloma XI (n = 4358) phase 3 randomized controlled trials for NDMM that treated transplant-eligible and transplant-ineligible patients before and after publication of thrombosis prevention guidelines. In Myeloma IX, transplant-eligible patients randomly assigned to cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (CVAD) induction had higher risk of VTE compared with patients treated with cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (CTD) (22.5% [n = 121 of 538] vs 16.1% [n = 89 of 554]; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR],1.46; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.11-1.93). For transplant-ineligible patients, those randomly assigned to attenuated CTD (CTDa) induction had a higher risk of VTE compared with those treated with melphalan and prednisolone (MP) (16.0% [n = 68 of 425] vs 4.1% [n = 17 of 419]; aHR, 4.25; 95% CI, 2.50-7.20). In Myeloma XI, there was no difference in risk of VTE (12.2% [n = 124 of 1014] vs 13.2% [n = 133 of 1008]; aHR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.72-1.18) or arterial thrombosis (1.2% [n = 12 of 1014] vs 1.5% [n = 15 of 1008]; aHR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.37-1.70) between transplant-eligible pathways for patients treated with cyclophosphamide, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (CRD) or CTD. For transplant-ineligible patients, there was no difference in VTEs between attenuated CRD (CRDa) and CTDa (10.4% [n = 95 of 916] vs 10.7% [n = 97 of 910]; aHR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.73-1.29). However, arterial risk was higher with CRDa than with CTDa (3.1% [n = 28 of 916] vs 1.6% [n = 15 of 910]; aHR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.02-3.57). Thrombotic events occurred almost entirely within 6 months of treatment initiation. Thrombosis was not associated with inferior progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS), apart from inferior OS for patients with arterial events (aHR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.12-2.08) in Myeloma XI. The Myeloma XI trial protocol incorporated International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) thrombosis prevention recommendations and compared with Myeloma IX, more patients received thromboprophylaxis (80.5% vs 22.3%) with lower rates of VTE for identical regimens (CTD, 13.2% vs 16.1%; CTDa, 10.7% vs 16.0%). However, thrombosis remained frequent in spite of IMWG-guided thromboprophylaxis, suggesting that new approaches are needed.

Structural chromosomal changes including copy number aberrations (CNAs) are a major feature of multiple myeloma (MM), however their evolution in context of modern biological therapy is not well characterized. To investigate acquisition of CNAs and their prognostic relevance in context of first-line therapy, we profiled tumor diagnosis–relapse pairs from 178 NCRI Myeloma XI (ISRCTN49407852) trial patients using digital multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. CNA profiles acquired at relapse differed substantially between MM subtypes: hyperdiploid (HRD) tumors evolved predominantly in branching pattern vs. linear pattern in t(4;14) vs. stable pattern in t(11;14). CNA acquisition also differed between subtypes based on CCND expression, with a marked enrichment of acquired del(17p) in CCND2 over CCND1 tumors. Acquired CNAs were not influenced by high-dose melphalan or lenalidomide maintenance randomization. A branching evolution pattern was significantly associated with inferior overall survival (OS; hazard ratio (HR) 2.61, P = 0.0048). As an individual lesion, acquisition of gain(1q) at relapse was associated with shorter OS, independent of other risk markers or time of relapse (HR = 2.00; P = 0.021). There is an increasing need for rational therapy sequencing in MM. Our data supports the value of repeat molecular profiling to characterize disease evolution and inform management of MM relapse.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by loss of anti-tumor T cell immunity. Despite moderate success of treatment with anti-PD1 antibodies, effective treatment is still challenged by poor T cell-mediated control of MM. To better enable identification of shortcomings in T-cell immunity that relate to overall survival (OS), we interrogated transcriptomic data of bone marrow samples from eight clinical trials (n = 1654) and one trial-independent patient cohort (n = 718) for multivariate analysis. Gene expression of V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) was observed to correlate to OS [hazard ratio (HR): 0.72, 95% CI: 0.61–0.83, p = 0.005]. Upon imaging the immune contexture of MM bone marrow tissues (n = 22) via multiplex in situ stainings, we demonstrated that VISTA was expressed predominantly by CD11b+ myeloid cells. The combination of abundance of VISTA+, CD11b+ cells in the tumor but not stromal tissue together with low presence of CD8+ T cells in the same tissue compartment, termed a high VISTA-associated T cell exclusion score, was significantly associated with short OS [HR: 16.6, 95% CI: 4.54–62.50, p &lt, 0.0001]. Taken together, the prognostic value of a combined score of VISTA+, CD11b+ and CD8+ cells in the tumor compartment could potentially be utilized to guide stratification of MM patients for immune therapies.

Background: Meta-analysis of clinical trials has shown that adjuvant bisphosphonates reduce bone metastases and improve survival in postmenopausal (PM) breast cancer and are now recommended for routine clinical use by international guidelines1. However, evaluation of menopause is imprecise and the biological rationale for lack of benefit in premenopausal women unclear. To address this, the biomarker, transcription factor MAF on 16q23 was tested retrospectively in the prospective randomized AZURE trial of standard adjuvant therapy +/- zoledronic acid (ZOL). Initial evaluation indicated that women with MAF negative tumors treated with ZOL had a lower rate of disease relapse irrespective of menopausal status.2 Here we present the long-term findings of this predictive biomarker on 10 year overall survival. Materials and methods: The biomarker analysis was completed on TMAs from primary tumors. Quadruplicate cores of breast tumor tissue were arrayed across replicate TMAs. MAF+ was detected using a validated (MAF/D16Z3) FISH test (Inbiomotion SL, Spain). A central laboratory (Targos, Germany) validated the assay for analytic and diagnostic performance, established acceptance criteria, included appropriate quality controls for each assay, and performed the analyses in a blinded fashion. A copy number cut-off ≥2.5 was preset for MAF+ for both prognostic and predictive testing. Interactions between MAF+ and effects of ZOL on Invasive disease free (IDFS), overall (OS) survival and time to bone metastases by menopausal status were evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: 1769 of the 3360 AZURE pts donated primary tumor samples. Median follow-up was 117 (interquartile range 70.4-120) months. 865 pts (49%) had 2 FISH evaluable cores and were included in the analysis. These pts had similar disease and treatment characteristics to the overall study population as well as similar IDFS and OS at 10 years. 184 (21%) had MAF+ tumors and these tumors were more likely to be of higher grade, ER-ve and HER2+. In 680 pts with MAF- tumors, ZOL was associated with improved IDFS (HR=0.75; 95%CI:0.58-0.97, [P=0.02]), reduced relapse in bone (HR=0.65; 95%CI:0.45-0.94, [P=0.022] and, most importantly, better OS (HR=0.69; 95%CI:0.50-0.94, [P=0.019]). In the 185 patients with MAF+ tumors, there was a suggestion of worse outcome (IDFS HR=1.54; 95%CI:0.96-2.47 and OS HR 1.40; 95%CI:0.83-2.33), with a strong interaction between treatment effects and menopausal status. Outcomes in ZOL treated MAF+ pts who were non-PM appeared to be much worse (IDFS HR=2.31; 95%CI:1.18-4.42] and OS HR=2.28; 95%CI:1.07-4.82) due predominantly to an excess of extra-skeletal metastases in ZOL treated patients (HR=4.47; 95%CI:1.66-12.57). Conclusions: Adjuvant ZOL significantly improved disease outcomes in 79% of patients with MAF negative tumors, irrespective of menopausal status and other clinico-pathologic features. Conversely, more extra-skeletal metastases and breast cancer deaths were seen in women with MAF+ tumors who were not PM at the start of treatment. If validated in ongoing studies, the MAF FISH test could provide a clinically useful biomarker for selection of patients for adjuvant bisphosphonate treatment. 1EBCTCG, Lancet 2015; 2Coleman RE et al, Lancet Oncol 2017 Citation Format: Coleman R, Gregory W, Jean-Mairet J, Tercero JC, Torres-Martin J, Gomis R. Long term survival benefits of adjuvant zoledronic acid associated with maf status of primary tumor [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-17-01.

Background: Breast cancer bone metastases are incurable and new therapeutic targets needed. After homing and colonising bone, cancer cells remain dormant, until signals from the microenvironment stimulate their proliferation to form overt metastases. We have recently identified interleukin-1B (IL-1B) as a potential marker for predicting breast cancer patients at increased risk of skeletal relapse and established a role for IL-1 signalling in tumour dormancy in bone. Here we present novel data to support that tumour cell-derived IL-1B plays major roles in breast cancer metastasis and growth in bone. Methods: Tumour/stromal IL-B and IL-1R1 expression was assessed in samples from the AZURE study following immunohistochemical staining. A humanised mouse model of MDA-MB-231 bone metastasis was used to assess effects of the IL-1R antagonist, Anakinra, on tumour growth and spontaneous metastasis. Effects of tumour cell-derived IL-1B on parameters associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition and metastasis were measured by ELISA, QPCR, Western blot, transwell and scratch assays in MDA-MB-231, MCF7 and T47D cells transfected with IL-1B/control. Homing of breast cancer cells to bone was monitored in BALB/c nude mice intra venously injected with IL-1B overexpressing/control cells. To assess anti-tumour effects of IL-1 inhibition combined with standard of care, BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice were injected with 4T1 or E0771 cells (intra cardiac or intra ductal) 7-days prior to administration of Anakinra, doxorubicin, zoledronic acid (ZA) or placebo, alone or in combination for 14 days. Results: In tissue samples from >1300 patients with stage II/III breast cancer, active IL-1B in tumour cells correlated with relapse in bone (hazard ratio 1.85; 95% CI 1.05-3.26; P=0.02) and other sites (hazard ratio 2.09; 95% CI 1.26-3.48; P=0.0016). In a model of spontaneous human breast cancer metastasis to human bone, Anakinra significantly reduced metastasis to bone (from 80% in control animals to, 20% in Anakinra treated mice) and reduced the number of tumour cells shed into the circulation. Genetic manipulation of breast cancer cells to overexpress IL-1B demonstrated that exogenous production of IL-1B promoted EMT (decreased E-Cadherin, N-Cadherin and G-Catenin), invasion, migration and organ-specific homing in ER-ve (MDA-MB-231) and ER+ve (T47D and MCF7) cells in vitro and in vivo. Contact between tumour cells and osteoblasts or bone marrow cells increased IL-1B secretion from all three cell types. Exposure of tumour cells to IL-1B in the absence of bone cells did not stimulate tumour cell proliferation. Instead, elevated concentrations of IL-1B caused expansion of the bone metastatic niche (increased osteoblasts and blood vessels) that in turn stimulated tumour proliferation. Adding Anakinra to chemotherapy and ZA to mice injected with E0771 cells completely prevented bone metastasis formation and reduced extra-skeletal metastasis by 33%. In mice injected with 4T1 cells, the triple combination therapy reduced bone metastasis by 50% and extra-skeletal metastases by 65%. Conclusion: Our novel data demonstrate that IL-1B/IL-1R1 signalling plays an important role in breast cancer metastasis to bone. Pharmacological inhibition of IL-1B has potential as a novel treatment. Citation Format: Ottewell PD, Lefley DV, Freeman K, Gregory WM, Hanby AM, Spicer-Hadlington AR, Liu X, Bradbury SM, Hambley L, Allocca G, Cookson V, Kruithof de-Julio M, Coleman RE, Brown JE, Holen I, Tulotta C. Breast cancer cell-derived IL-1B drives metastasis and colonisation of the bone microenvironment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-05-01.

Background Sex differences in the incidence and outcomes of several cancers are well established. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant plasma cell dyscrasia accounting for 2% of all new cancer cases in the UK. There is a clear sex disparity in MM incidence, with 57% of cases in males and 43% in females. The mechanisms behind this are not well understood and the impact of sex on patient outcomes has not been thoroughly explored. Patients and Methods We investigated the association of sex with baseline disease characteristics and outcome in 3894 patients recruited to the phase III UK NCRI Myeloma XI trial, in which treatment exposure to lenalidomide predominated. Results Females were significantly more likely to have the molecular lesions t(14;16) and del(17p) and were more likely to meet the cytogenetic classification of high-risk (HiR) or ultra-high-risk disease (UHiR). There was no difference in progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) between the sexes in the overall population. Conclusion Our data suggest that the genetic lesions involved in the initiation and progression of MM may be different between the sexes. Although females were more likely to have the poor prognosis lesions t(14;16) and del(17p), and were more likely to be assessed as having HiR or UHiR disease, this was not associated with reduced PFS or OS. In female patients the trial treatment may have been able to overcome some of the adverse effects of high-risk cytogenetic lesions. MicroAbstract Multiple myeloma (MM) is more common in males compared to females but the reasons behind this are not well understood and the impact of sex on patient outcomes is unclear. This study demonstrates fundamental differences in genetic lesions underlying the biology of MM between males and females. However, we found that progression-free survival and overall survival were the same in both sexes.

ObjectivesStereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a well-established treatment for medically inoperable peripheral stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previous nonrandomised evidence supports SABR as an alternative to surgery, but high-quality randomised controlled trial (RCT) evidence is lacking. The SABRTooth study aimed to establish whether a UK phase III RCT was feasible.Design and methodsSABRTooth was a UK multicentre randomised controlled feasibility study targeting patients with peripheral stage I NSCLC considered to be at higher risk of surgical complications. 54 patients were planned to be randomised 1:1 to SABR or surgery. The primary outcome was monthly average recruitment rates.ResultsBetween July 2015 and January 2017, 318 patients were considered for the study and 205 (64.5%) were deemed ineligible. Out of 106 (33.3%) assessed as eligible, 24 (22.6%) patients were randomised to SABR (n=14) or surgery (n=10). A key theme for nonparticipation was treatment preference, with 43 (41%) preferring nonsurgical treatment and 19 (18%) preferring surgery. The average monthly recruitment rate was 1.7 patients against a target of three. 15 patients underwent their allocated treatment: SABR n=12, surgery n=3.ConclusionsWe conclude that a phase III RCT randomising higher risk patients between SABR and surgery is not feasible in the National Health Service. Patients have pre-existing treatment preferences, which was a barrier to recruitment. A significant proportion of patients randomised to the surgical group declined and chose SABR. SABR remains an alternative to surgery and novel study approaches are needed to define which patients benefit from a nonsurgical approach.

Second-generation immunomodulatory agents, such as lenalidomide, have a more favourable side-effect profile than the first-generation thalidomide, but their optimum combination and duration for patients with newly diagnosed transplant-ineligible myeloma (ND-TNE-MM) has not been defined. The most appropriate delivery and dosing regimens of these therapies for patients at advanced age and frailty status is also unclear. The Myeloma XI study compared cyclophosphamide, thalidomide and dexamethasone (CTDa) to cyclophosphamide, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (CRDa) as induction therapy, followed by a maintenance randomisation between ongoing therapy with lenalidomide or observation for patients with ND-TNE-MM. CRDa deepened response but did not improve progression-free (PFS) or overall survival (OS) compared to CTDa. However, analysis by age group highlighted significant differences in tolerability in older, frailer patients that may have limited treatment delivery and impacted outcome. Deeper responses and PFS and OS benefits with CRDa over CTDs were seen in patients aged ≤70 years, with an increase in toxicity and discontinuation observed in older patients. Our results highlight the importance of considering age and frailty in the approach to therapy for patients with ND-TNE-MM, highlighting the need for prospective validation of frailty adapted therapy approaches, which may improve outcomes by tailoring treatment to the individual.

Predicting patient outcome in multiple myeloma remains challenging despite the availability of standard prognostic biomarkers. We investigated outcome for patients relapsing early from intensive therapy on NCRI Myeloma XI. Relapse within 12 months of autologous stem cell transplant was associated with markedly worse median progression-free survival 2 (PFS2) of 18 months and overall survival (OS) of 26 months, compared to median PFS2 of 85 months and OS of 91 months for later relapsing patients despite equal access to and use of subsequent therapies, highlighting the urgent need for improved outcome prediction and early intervention strategies for myeloma patients.

The optimal way to use immunomodulatory drugs as components of induction and maintenance therapy for multiple myeloma is unresolved. We addressed this question in a large phase III randomized trial, Myeloma XI. Patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (n = 2042) were randomized to induction therapy with cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (CTD) or cyclophosphamide, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (CRD). Additional intensification therapy with cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (CVD) was administered before ASCT to patients with a suboptimal response to induction therapy using a response-adapted approach. After receiving high-dose melphalan with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), eligible patients were further randomized to receive either lenalidomide alone or observation alone. Co-primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The CRD regimen was associated with significantly longer PFS (median: 36 vs. 33 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-0.96; P = 0.0116) and OS (3-year OS: 82.9% vs. 77.0%; HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.63-0.93; P = 0.0072) compared with CTD. The PFS and OS results favored CRD over CTD across all subgroups, including patients with International Staging System stage III disease (HR for PFS, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.58-0.93; HR for OS, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.56-1.09), high-risk cytogenetics (HR for PFS, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.43-0.84; HR for OS, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.42-1.15) and ultra high-risk cytogenetics (HR for PFS, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.41-1.11; HR for OS, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.34-1.25). Among patients randomized to lenalidomide maintenance (n = 451) or observation (n = 377), maintenance therapy improved PFS (median: 50 vs. 28 months; HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.37-0.60; P < 0.0001). Optimal results for PFS and OS were achieved in the patients who received CRD induction and lenalidomide maintenance. The trial was registered with the EU Clinical Trials Register (EudraCT 2009-010956-93) and ISRCTN49407852.

The presence of disseminated tumor cells in breast cancer patient bone marrow aspirates predicts decreased recurrence-free survival. Although it is appreciated that physiologic, pathologic, and therapeutic conditions impact hematopoiesis, it remains unclear whether targeting hematopoiesis presents opportunities for limiting bone metastasis. Using preclinical breast cancer models, we discovered that marrow from mice treated with the bisphosphonate zoledronic acid (ZA) are metastasis-suppressive. Specifically, ZA modulated hematopoietic myeloid/osteoclast progenitor cell (M/OCP) lineage potential to activate metastasis-suppressive activity. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) promoted ZA resistance by redirecting M/OCP differentiation. We identified M/OCP and bone marrow transcriptional programs associated with metastasis suppression and ZA resistance. Analysis of patient blood samples taken at randomization revealed that women with high-plasma G-CSF experienced significantly worse outcome with adjuvant ZA than those with lower G-CSF levels. Our findings support discovery of therapeutic strategies to direct M/OCP lineage potential and biomarkers that stratify responses in patients at risk of recurrence. Significance: Bone marrow myeloid/osteoclast progenitor cell lineage potential has a profound impact on breast cancer bone metastasis and can be modulated by G-CSF and bone-targeting agents. Cancer Res; 78(18); 5300–14. ©2018 AACR.

Summary In the Medical Research Council (MRC) Myeloma IX trial (ISRCTN684564111) patients were randomised to sodium clodronate or zoledronic acid and induction treatment: cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin and dexamethasone (CVAD) or cyclophosphamide, thalidomide and dexamethasone (CTD) followed by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in the intensive pathway; attenuated CTD or melphalan and prednisolone (MP) in the non‐intensive pathway. Subsequent randomisation allocated patients to either thalidomide or observation. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life (QoL) questionnaires, QLQ‐C30 and QLQ‐MY24, were administered at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months and annually thereafter, enabling the effect of sequential treatment on patient‐reported health‐related QoL (HR‐QoL) to be investigated. The protocol specified four subscales of interest: Pain, Fatigue, Global Health Status/Quality of Life and Physical Functioning at 3, 6 and 12 months that were compared using linear models. The intensive pathway showed significant differences in favour of CTD for Fatigue at 3 months and Physical Functioning at 12 months. The non‐intensive pathway and maintenance phase reported significant differences at 3 months; Pain (improved with attenuated CTD) and Global Health status/Quality of Life (improved with observation). The improved outcomes in MRC Myeloma IX were accompanied by some beneficial and few detrimental effects on HR‐QoL.

Introduction In traditional analysis of cancer clinical trials, key endpoints such as progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) are often analysed separately. Using multistate models (MSMs) we can model these events simultaneously to holistically analyse the disease-treatment pathway. This provides meaningful estimates for the probability of disease progression and death at any point in the disease course, incorporating treatment and prognostic factors of interest. MSMs are also a useful tool to assess the relationship between how the time spent in one state affects the risk of transitioning to future states. In the context of myeloma (MM), this can be used to determine patient prognosis based on the time for which they remain in 1 st remission after initial treatment. Methods In the largest randomised trial of MM patients undertaken to date (NCRI Myeloma XI), newly diagnosed MM patients eligible for ASCT (NDMM TE) were randomised to induction, intensification and maintenance treatments. Maintenance randomisation, at ASCT+3 months, was to lenalidomide (R), lenalidomide plus vorinostat (RZ) or observation. Co-primary endpoints were PFS and OS analysed by Cox regression. An MSM was used for exploratory analysis of 1074 TE patients randomised to maintenance. Patients transitioned irreversibly between 4 states: 1 st remission, alive and in remission after 1 st progressive disease (PD1), alive and in remission after 2 nd PD (PD2) and dead (Figure 1). Time in 1 st remission was included as a covariate to assess the effect of early disease progression on subsequent state transitions ( Results The median follow-up from randomisation was 57m (interquartile range: 43-72m). MSM analysis found that a 1 st remission of At a snapshot at 5 years post-randomisation, those with a 1 st remission ≥18m had a 24.9% chance of being in the PD1 state, compared to just 6.4% and 1.1% in those with 1 st remissions of 12-18m and MSM analysis also found R and RZ were associated with a reduced risk of transition from 1 st remission to PD1 vs. observation (R HR 0.51, 95%CI 0.42-0.60; RZ HR 0.68, 95%CI 0.55-0.88), reflecting the results of the primary trial analysis of PFS. Primary trial analysis of OS found that R was associated with significantly longer OS than observation. However, MSM analysis found R was associated with an increased risk of death following both PD1 (HR 1.60, 95%CI 1.06-2.41) and PD2 (HR 1.46, 95%CI 1.03-2.07) vs. observation. This suggests that the OS benefit of R is gained by extending the time in 1 st remission. RZ was associated with increased risk of death without PD (HR 3.07, 95%CI 1.05-9.03) and death following PD2 (HR 1.49, 95%CI 0.99-2.26) vs. observation. The MSM also found that the expected duration in 1 st remission was longest for R and shortest for observation (R 56.7m, RZ 47.7m and obs. 38.6m). However, in the PD1 state (R 12.8m, RZ 15.7m and obs. 21.9m) and PD2 state (R 5.4m, RZ 7.3m and obs. 11.0m) this order was reversed, although the difference between the groups was reduced for later states. Discussion MSMs are a powerful tool for exploring the myeloma disease pathway, identifying associations between states and providing transition probabilities which can be easily interpreted to gain further insights to those obtained via traditional methods. MSMs are an effective method to visualise data, clearly demonstrating the association between early relapse post-ASCT and poor prognosis in NDMM. This work has expanded on the primary analysis of the maintenance randomised treatments in Myeloma XI, corroborating results previously observed and highlighting the potential effects of maintenance treatment on each stage of the disease pathway. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Craig: Celgene: Research Funding; Merck Sharpe & Dohme: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Pawlyn: Amgen: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene / BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kaiser: AbbVie: Consultancy; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Other: Educational support, Research Funding; GSK: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Other: Educational support; Pfizer: Consultancy; Amgen: Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy. Olivier: Celgene / BMS: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Merck Sharpe and Dohme: Research Funding. Jones: Janssen: Honoraria; BMS/Celgene: Other: Conference fees. Drayson: Abingdon Health: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company. Jenner: Takeda: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Cook: Amgen: Consultancy; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy. Davies: BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Morgan: BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Jansen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Jackson: J and J: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; celgene BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; oncopeptides: Consultancy; Sanofi: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Cairns: Celgene / BMS: Other: travel support, Research Funding; Merck Sharpe and Dohme: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding.

Highlights • Contemporary information on the pattern of disease recurrence in breast cancer provides useful information for planning clinical trials of novel adjuvant strategies. • Bone metastases remain the most frequent site for metastasis from stage II-III breast cancer. • The annual rates of disease recurrence and bone metastasis specifically are about 3% and 1% respectively in this intermediate to high-risk population. • Zoledronate reduces bone metastasis but has adverse effects on extra-skeletal recurrences in women who have not passed through menopause and/or have adverse histological features., Aim The prognosis for women with breast cancer has improved markedly over recent decades. However, mortality from breast cancer remains high and, for those developing metastatic disease, curative therapy is not possible. Here, we report the frequency and distribution of disease recurrence(s) in a large population of women with AJCC stage II/III breast cancer and evaluate the impact of adjuvant treatment with the bisphosphonate zoledronate on clinical outcomes. Patients and methods In the context of the AZURE study (ISRCTN7981382), 3359 patients with histologically confirmed stage II/III breast cancer were randomised to receive standard adjuvant treatment ± zoledronate for five years. Patients were followed up for 10 years and all patients with recurrent disease in that time identified. The site of first recurrence, the first distant recurrence site(s) and bone metastasis at any time were recorded and outcomes in the control and zoledronate treatment groups compared. Survival after recurrence was also evaluated. Results In the study population as a whole, disease recurrence at a median follow-up of 117 months occurred in 1010/3359 (30%) women with a relatively constant rate of disease relapse of around 3% per year. 727 (72%) first recurrences were at distant sites, 178 locoregional (18%) and 105 (10%) both locoregional and distant relapses occurred synchronously. Bone was the most frequent first recurrence site occurring in 463 (14%) of all patients and was the only distant metastatic site in 265 (7.9%). 69% of the control group who developed recurrent disease had bone metastases identified. Bone metastases were more frequent in those with oestrogen receptor (ER) positive disease and recurrences overall, especially at visceral sites, were more likely with ER negative disease. Zoledronate reduced bone metastases in both ER subgroups but increased the proportion with extra-skeletal metastases, particularly in women who were not definitely postmenopausal at study entry. Adjuvant zoledronate also reduced bone metastases after recurrence at an extra-skeletal site. Conclusions This analysis provides contemporary information on the frequency and pattern of recurrences after treatment for stage II/III breast cancer that may be of value in planning future adjuvant trials. It confirms the ongoing importance of bone metastases and describes in detail for the first time the effects of adjuvant zoledronate on the pattern of metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Myeloma is consistently preceded by premalignant monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). In >5% of MGUS patients there is a second MGUS clone (biclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance; BGUS), yet, at myeloma diagnosis, presentation of biclonal gammopathy myeloma (BGMy) is considered less frequent, implying that myeloma eradicates coexisting MGUS.METHODS: In the largest study of its kind, we assessed BGMy frequency amongst 6399 newly diagnosed myeloma patients enrolled in recent UK clinical trials.RESULTS: Compared to expected prevalence (i.e., >5% of MGUS have BGUS), only 58 of 6399 (0.91%) newly diagnosed myeloma patients had BGMy, indicating myeloma typically eliminates coexistent MGUS. In these 58 BGMy cases, the MGUS plasma cell clone was greatly suppressed in size compared to typical levels observed in conventional MGUS; contrarily, the MGUS clone did not inhibit the myeloma plasma cell clone in BGMy.CONCLUSION: Myeloma eliminates the majority of competing MGUS, and when it does not, the MGUS clone is substantially reduced in size.British Journal of Cancer advance online publication, 20 July 2017; doi:10.1038/bjc.2017.229 www.bjcancer.com.

This study aims to guide the integration of serum free light chain (sFLC) tests into clinical practice, including a new rapid test (Seralite(®) ). Blood and urine analysis from 5573 newly diagnosed myeloma patients identified 576 light chain only (LCO) and 60 non-secretory (NS) cases. Serum was tested by Freelite(®) and Seralite(®) at diagnosis, maximum response and relapse. 20% of LCO patients had urine FLC levels below that recommended for measuring response but >97% of these had adequate sFLC levels (oligosecretory). The recommended Freelite(®) sFLC ≥100 mg/l for measuring response was confirmed and the equivalent Seralite(®) FLC difference (dFLC) >20 mg/l identified. By both methods, ≥38% of NS patients had measurable disease (oligosecretory). Higher sFLC levels were observed on Freelite(®) at all time points. However, good clinical concordance was observed at diagnosis and in response to therapy. Achieving at least a very good partial response according to either sFLC method was associated with better patient survival. Relapse was identified using a Freelite(®) sFLC increase >200 mg/l and found 100% concordance with a corresponding Seralite(®) dFLC increase >30 mg/l. Both Freelite(®) and Seralite(®) sensitively diagnose and monitor LCO/oligosecretory myeloma. Rapid testing by Seralite(®) could fast-track FLC screening and monitoring. Response by sFLC assessment was prognostic for survival and demonstrates the clinical value of routine sFLC testing.

This abstract was not presented at the symposium.

Purpose: Breast cancer bone metastases are incurable, highlighting the need for new therapeutic targets. After colonizing bone, breast cancer cells remain dormant, until signals from the microenvironment stimulate outgrowth into overt metastases. Here we show that endogenous production of IL1B by tumor cells drives metastasis and growth in bone. Experimental Design: Tumor/stromal IL1B and IL1 receptor 1 (IL1R1) expression was assessed in patient samples and effects of the IL1R antagonist, Anakinra, or the IL1B antibody canakinumab on tumor growth and spontaneous metastasis were measured in a humanized mouse model of breast cancer bone metastasis. Effects of tumor cell–derived IL1B on bone colonization and parameters associated with metastasis were measured in MDA-MB-231, MCF7, and T47D cells transfected with IL1B/control. Results: In tissue samples from >1,300 patients with stage II/III breast cancer, IL1B in tumor cells correlated with relapse in bone (HR = 1.85; 95% CI, 1.05–3.26; P = 0.02) and other sites (HR = 2.09; 95% CI, 1.26–3.48; P = 0.0016). In a humanized model of spontaneous breast cancer metastasis to bone, Anakinra or canakinumab reduced metastasis and reduced the number of tumor cells shed into the circulation. Production of IL1B by tumor cells promoted epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (altered E-Cadherin, N-Cadherin, and G-Catenin), invasion, migration, and bone colonization. Contact between tumor and osteoblasts or bone marrow cells increased IL1B secretion from all three cell types. IL1B alone did not stimulate tumor cell proliferation. Instead, IL1B caused expansion of the bone metastatic niche leading to tumor proliferation. Conclusions: Pharmacologic inhibition of IL1B has potential as a novel treatment for breast cancer metastasis.

Adjuvant bisphosphonates improve disease outcomes in postmenopausal early breast cancer (EBC) but the long-term effects are poorly described. The AZURE trial (ISRCTN79831382) was designed to determine whether adjuvant zoledronic acid (ZOL) improves disease outcomes in EBC. Previous analyses showed no effect on overall outcomes but identified benefits in postmenopausal women. Here we present the long-term risks and benefits of adjuvant ZOL with 10-years follow-up. Patients and methods: 3360 patients with stage II/III breast cancer were included in an academic, international, phase III, randomized, open label trial. Patients were followed up on a regular schedule until 10 years. Patients were randomized on a 1:1 basis to standard adjuvant systemic therapy +/− intravenous ZOL 4 mg every 3–4 weeks x6, and then at reduced frequency to complete 5 years treatment. The primary outcome was disease free survival (DFS). Secondary outcomes included invasive DFS (IDFS), overall survival (OS), sites of recurrence, skeletal morbidity and treatment outcomes according to primary tumor amplification of the transcription factor, MAF. Pre-planned subgroup analyses focused on interactions between menopausal status and treatment effects. Results: With a median follow up of 117 months [IQR 70.4–120.4), DFS and IDFS were similar in both arms (HRDFS = 0.94, 95%CI = 0.84–1.06, p = 0.340; HRIDFS = 0.91, 95%CI = 0.82–1.02, p = 0.116). However, outcomes remain improved with ZOL in postmenopausal women (HRDFS = 0.82, 95%CI = 0.67–1.00; HRIDFS = 0.78, 95%CI = 0.64–0.94). In the 79% of tested women with a MAF FISH negative tumor, ZOL improved IDFS (HRIDFS = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.58–0.97) and OS HROS = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.50–0.94), irrespective of menopause. ZOL did not improve disease outcomes in MAF FISH + tumors. Bone metastases as a first DFS recurrence (BDFS) were reduced with ZOL (HRB-DFS = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.63–0.92, p = 0.005). ZOL reduced skeletal morbidity with fewer fractures and skeletal events after disease recurrence. 30 cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw in the ZOL arm (1.8%) have occurred. Conclusions: Disease benefits with adjuvant ZOL in postmenopausal early breast cancer persist at 10 years of follow-up. The biomarker MAF identified a patient subgroup that derived benefit from ZOL irrespective of menopausal status.

Background Carfilzomib is a second-generation irreversible proteasome inhibitor that is efficacious in the treatment of myeloma and carries less risk of peripheral neuropathy than first-generation proteasome inhibitors, making it more amenable to combination therapy. Methods and findings The Myeloma XI+ trial recruited patients from 88 sites across the UK between 5 December 2013 and 20 April 2016. Patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma eligible for transplantation were randomly assigned to receive the combination carfilzomib, lenalidomide, dexamethasone, and cyclophosphamide (KRdc) or a triplet of lenalidomide, dexamethasone, and cyclophosphamide (Rdc) or thalidomide, dexamethasone, and cyclophosphamide (Tdc). All patients were planned to receive an autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) prior to a randomisation between lenalidomide maintenance and observation. Eligible patients were aged over 18 years and had symptomatic myeloma. The co-primary endpoints for the study were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for KRdc versus the Tdc/Rdc control group by intention to treat. PFS, response, and safety outcomes are reported following a planned interim analysis. The trial is registered (ISRCTN49407852) and has completed recruitment. In total, 1,056 patients (median age 61 years, range 33 to 75, 39.1% female) underwent induction randomisation to KRdc (n = 526) or control (Tdc/Rdc, n = 530). After a median follow-up of 34.5 months, KRdc was associated with a significantly longer PFS than the triplet control group (hazard ratio 0.63, 95% CI 0.51–0.76). The median PFS for patients receiving KRdc is not yet estimable, versus 36.2 months for the triplet control group (p < 0.001). Improved PFS was consistent across subgroups of patients including those with genetically high-risk disease. At the end of induction, the percentage of patients achieving at least a very good partial response was 82.3% in the KRdc group versus 58.9% in the control group (odds ratio 4.35, 95% CI 3.19–5.94, p < 0.001). Minimal residual disease negativity (cutoff 4 × 10−5 bone marrow leucocytes) was achieved in 55% of patients tested in the KRdc group at the end of induction, increasing to 75% of those tested after ASCT. The most common adverse events were haematological, with a low incidence of cardiac events. The trial continues to follow up patients to the co-primary endpoint of OS and for planned long-term follow-up analysis. Limitations of the study include a lack of blinding to treatment regimen and that the triplet control regimen did not include a proteasome inhibitor for all patients, which would be considered a current standard of care in many parts of the world. Conclusions The KRdc combination was well tolerated and was associated with both an increased percentage of patients achieving at least a very good partial response and a significant PFS benefit compared to immunomodulatory-agent-based triplet therapy. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ISRCTN49407852., Graham Jackson and co-workers study a combination induction treatment including carfilzomib for patients with transplant-eligible myeloma., Author summary Why was this study done? Although outcomes for myeloma patients have improved over recent decades, many patients will eventually relapse, and finding new treatment regimens that keep patients in first remission for longer is imperative. Treatment combinations aim to target myeloma using different mechanisms of action. This aims to prevent resistant cells remaining and leading to relapse. Carfilzomib has been shown to be effective in the treatment of relapsed myeloma when given in combination with lenalidomide. We performed this study to compare the outcomes of newly diagnosed myeloma patients treated with the combination carfilzomib, lenalidomide, dexamethasone, and cyclophosphamide (KRdc) to those of patients treated with immunomodulatory-agent-based triplet control combinations. What did the researchers do and find? A total of 1,056 patients with newly diagnosed myeloma were randomised between KRdc and control. Patients receiving the quadruplet KRdc combination were more likely to achieve at least a very good partial response and had longer progression-free survival than patients receiving control treatments. Side effects were not significantly increased with the quadruplet combination compared to control. What do the findings mean? The results suggest that KRdc can elicit deep responses and long periods of progression-free survival with tolerable side effects in newly diagnosed myeloma patients. Further studies are needed to compare KRdc to combinations of other new agents for the treatment of newly diagnosed myeloma patients.

Introduction: Immunoparesis, or suppression of polyclonal immunoglobulins, is a common issue in multiple myeloma (MM). Prior studies have shown that the degree of IgM immunoparesis is prognostic for survival, as patients with the most severe IgM immunoparesis at diagnosis have the poorest survival outcomes. Little is known regarding the cause of this immunoparesis, with many assuming it is due to tumor bulk alone. More recent data has suggested that MM can be divided into subgroups with distinct biologies and outcomes based on etiological cytogenetic abnormalities. These include hyperdiploidy and translocation t(11;14), t(4;14), t(14;16), or t(14;20), with the latter three groups being associated with high-risk disease. We hypothesized that the different etiological cytogenetic abnormalities drive bone marrow microenvironmental changes, resulting in different degrees of immunoparesis and subgroup-dependent effects on clinical outcomes. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of newly diagnosed MM patients enrolled in the MRC Myeloma IX and Cancer Research UK Myeloma XI trials. Patients with hyperdiploidy, t(11;14), t(4;14), t(14;16), or t(14;20) were included in the analysis. Polyclonal IgG, IgA, and IgM levels were measured at diagnosis, and the normal range was established by the 5th - 95th percentiles of adults over age 45 years in the UK: IgG 6 - 16 g/L, IgA 0.8 - 4 g/L, and IgM 0.5 - 2 g/L. Cytogenetic abnormalities were determined by FISH, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), or next generation sequencing (NGS). Overall survival (OS) was defined as time from date of trial entry to date of death, or censored at date last known to be alive. Progression-free survival (PFS) was defined as time from date of trial entry to progression or death, or censored at date last known to be alive and progression-free. Results: The study included 985 patients, of whom 47% were at least age 65 years and 61.1% were male. The most common MM subtype was IgG (63.4%), followed by IgA (24.5%), light chain only (8.4%), IgD (1.9%), oligosecretory (1.0%), IgM (0.5%), and non-secretory (0.3%). Hyperdiploidy represented 58.9% of cases, with t(11;14) seen in 18.2%, and t(4;14), t(14;16), or t(14;20) seen in 22.9%. The MM subtype was not distributed evenly amongst the different etiological cytogenetic abnormalities with IgG overrepresented in the hyperdiploid subgroup (69.4%), compared to 11% in t(11;14) and 19.5% in high-risk cases. IgA was overrepresented in high-risk cases (45.2%), compared to 41.1% in hyperdiploidy and 13.7% in t(11;14). The high-risk subgroup had more immunoparesis compared to the hyperdiploid and t(11;14) subgroups (median polyclonal IgG 3.0 vs. 3.8 vs. 3.9 g/L, IgA 0.2 vs. 0.4 vs. 0.2 g/L, IgM 0.1 vs. 0.2 vs. 0.2 g/L, respectively). There were also significantly more patients in the high-risk subgroup with polyclonal immunoglobulin levels below the normal range compared to the hyperdiploid and t(11;14) subgroups (IgG 96.9% vs. 86.0% vs. 88.2%, p = 0.0045; IgA 89.9% vs. 77.1% vs. 92.4%, p < 0.0001; IgM 94.0% vs. 88.9% vs. 92.7%, p < 0.0001). With median follow up of 77 months, the overall median PFS and OS were 19 months and 53 months, respectively. As expected, patients in the high-risk subgroup had significantly lower PFS and OS (14 and 35 months, respectively, p < 0.001), compared to the hyperdiploid (21 and 60 months) and t(11;14) subgroups (22 and 53 months). The effect of the degree of immunoparesis on PFS depended on the cytogenetic subgroup. Using polyclonal IgM as a continuous variable, Cox regression analysis demonstrated a significant effect on PFS in patients with hyperdiploidy (HR 0.482, 95% CI 0.325 - 0.717, p = 0.0003). No difference was seen in the t(11;14) (HR 0.610, 95% CI 0.262 - 1.418, p = 0.2507) or high-risk subgroups (HR 1.087, 95% CI 0.505 - 2.341, p = 0.8304). Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the etiological cytogenetic subgroup influences the degree and clinical impact of immunoparesis in newly diagnosed MM patients. A significant proportion of patients with t(4;14), t(14;16), or t(14;20) have IgG, IgA, and IgM levels below the normal range compared to patients with hyperdiploidy and t(11;14). This suggests that the underlying genetic abnormality (i.e., NSD2, C-MAF, and MAF-B, respectively) drives changes in the bone marrow microenvironment remodeling the plasma cell niche, resulting in suppression of normal plasma cell function and immunoglobulin levels. Disclosures Cairns: Celgene: Other: Travel Support; Celgene, Amgen, Merck: Research Funding. Menzies:Celgene, Amgen, Merck: Research Funding. Pawlyn:Takeda: Consultancy, Other: Travel expenses; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses; Amgen: Consultancy, Other: Travel expenses. Morgan:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria. Cook:Karyopharm: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; IQVIA: Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy. Kaiser:Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai, Janssen, Amgen, Takeda, Celgene, AbbVie, Karyopharm, GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy; Janssen, Amgen, Celgene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Takeda: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene, Janssen, Karyopharm: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Takeda: Other: Travel expenses. Owen:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses; Janssen: Consultancy, Other: Travel expenses. Jackson:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Gsk: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Davies:Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Adaptive Biotech: Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

We designed a mathematical model to describe and quantify the mechanisms and dynamics of tumor growth, cell-kill and resistance as they affect durations of benefit after cancer treatment. Our aim was to explore how treatment efficacy may be related to primary tumor characteristics, with the potential to guide future trial design and appropriate selection of therapy. Assuming a log-normal distribution of both resistant disease and tumor doubling times generates disease-free survival (DFS) or invasive DFS curves with specific shapes. Using a multivariate mathematical model, both treatment and tumor characteristics are related to quantified resistant disease and tumor regrowth rates by allowing different mean values for the influence of different treatments or clinical subtypes on these two log-normal distributions. Application of the model to the CALGB 9741 adjuvant breast cancer trial showed that dose-dense therapy was estimated to achieve an extra 3/4 log of cell-kill compared to standard therapy, but only in patients with more rapidly growing ER-negative tumors. Application of the model to the AZURE trial of adjuvant bisphosphonate treatment suggested that the 5-year duration of zoledronic acid was adequate for ER-negative tumors, but may not be so for ER-positive cases, with increased recurrences after ceasing the intervention. Mathematical models can identify different effects of treatment by subgroup and may aid in treatment design, trial analysis, and appropriate selection of therapy. They may provide a more appropriate and insightful tool than the conventional Cox model for the statistical analysis of response durations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10549-016-3684-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The emergence of treatment resistant sub-clones is a key feature of relapse in multiple myeloma. Therapeutic attempts to extend remission and prevent relapse include maximizing response and the use of maintenance therapy. We used whole exome sequencing to study the genetics of paired samples taken at presentation and at relapse from 56 newly diagnosed patients, following induction therapy, randomized to receive either lenalidomide maintenance or observation as part of the Myeloma XI trial. Patients included were considered high risk, relapsing within 30 months of maintenance randomization. Patients achieving a complete response had predominantly branching evolutionary patterns leading to relapse, characterized by a greater mutational burden, an altered mutational profile, bi-allelic inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, and acquired structural aberrations. Conversely, in patients achieving a partial response, the evolutionary features were predominantly stable with a similar mutational and structural profile seen at both time points. There were no significant differences between patients relapsing after lenalidomide maintenance versus observation. This study shows that the depth of response is a key determinant of the evolutionary patterns seen at relapse. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov identifier: 01554852.

Background Early trials of long-term lenalidomide (len) use reported an increased incidence of second primary malignancy (SPM), particularly AML and MDS. Later, meta-analysis suggested the link to be secondary to len in combination with melphalan. Myeloma XI is a large phase III randomised trial in-which len is used as an induction and maintenance therapy. We have previously reported on early SPM incidence in the context of this trial and shown that haematological SPM (hSPM) incidence was not increased in association with len (Cumulative incidence 0.7% at 3 years). We have also published data showing that maintenance len is associated with improved survival in post-transplant patients. Here we present for the first time, a long-term analysis of SPM incidence in 4358 patients who have received maintenance therapy versus observation in the context of the Myeloma XI trial. Methods Myeloma XI is a phase III, randomised, multi-centre, parallel group design, open-label trial comparing thalidomide, len, carfilzomib and bortezomib combinations and len as maintenance treatment in NDMM patients. The trial includes transplant eligible (TE) and transplant non-eligible (TNE) pathways. TE patients received high dose melphalan supported by autologous stem cell transplantation if they achieve a very good partial response or better. Patients in both pathways were randomised to maintenance with len (+/- vorinostat) or active observation. Since May 2010, 4358 patients have been treated and assigned to induction. Median follow up is now 68 months (IQ range 49-83), with over 1100 patients enrolled for more than 5 years. A total of 1971 patients have entered maintenance with 1137 randomised to len and 834 observation (median 24 cycles (range 1-97)). Results The median time to SPM development from induction is 41.6 months (range 1.4 - 97.1). Cumulative incidence of all SPMs is 4.1% (95% CI 3.5, 4.7), 7.4% (6.6, 8.3) and 10.8% (9.5, 12.1) at three, five and seven years respectively (figure 1). 378 SPMs have been reported in 318 patients, 180 (57%) treated in the TNE pathway (IR 9.9%) and 138 (43%) in the TE pathway (IR 5.5%). The average age at the time of SPM is 78 and 68 for the TNE and TE pathways, respectively. Of the patients who developed an SPM 195 (61%) did so following maintenance randomisation. The incidence was highest in those receiving len based maintenance (n=145, IR 10.8%). In the observation arm 50 patients developed an SPM (IR 5.6%). The median time to SPM development from maintenance randomisation was 43 months in those receiving len and 40 months in the observation only group. One hundred and ten of the patients who developed an SPM following maintenance randomisation were in the TNE pathway with 77 patients receiving len. The overall incidence of SPM development in TNE patients receiving len maintenance is 15.4% and 9.9% for observation. Within the TE arm 85 SPM cases developed following maintenance randomisation with 68 patients receiving len. The overall incidence of SPM development in the TE patients treated with len maintenance is 7.7% and 3.1% for observation. Of the remaining patients 98, (31%) developed an SPM during induction and twenty five (8%) following induction but prior to maintenance. Forty eight patients developed a hSPM (IR 1.1%), MDS (n=20), AML (n=13), BLCBL (n=6), B-ALL (n=4), CML (n=1), mixed phenotype leukaemia (n=1), T-ALL (n=1), Burkitt lymphoma (n=1) and Hodgkin's Lymphoma (n=1). Of these cases, 35 patients were TE pathway treated, with 25 receiving lenlidomide maintenance (IR 2.8%). The median time to hSPM development in the TE patients was 51.8 months. The remaining 13 cases occurred in the TNE treated patients with 7 receiving lenalidomide maintenance (IR 1.4%). The median time to hSPM development in the TNE patients was 42.3 months. Of the remaining cases, 107 patients developed non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) (TE n34, IR 1.3% / TNE n73, IR 4.0%) and 181 patients developed solid tumours (TE n78, IR 3.1% / TNE n103, IR 5.6%). Forty one patients developed >1 SPM. Outcome analysis is underway and will be presented at the meeting. Conclusions The overall incidence of SPM is highest in TNE patients receiving lenalidomide maintenance but hSPM rates remain low. This suggests that advanced age is a considerable risk factor for the development of second cancers, particularly NMSC. Second haematological cancers were low in all groups, irrespective of maintenance allocation. Disclosures Jones: Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding. Cairns:Celgene, Amgen, Merck, Takeda: Other: Research Funding to Institution. Pawlyn:Amgen, Celgene, Takeda: Consultancy; Amgen, Celgene, Janssen, Oncopeptides: Honoraria; Amgen, Janssen, Celgene, Takeda: Other: Travel expenses. Davies:Amgen, Celgene, Janssen, Oncopeptides, Roche, Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Consultant/Advisor; Janssen, Celgene: Other: Research Grant, Research Funding. Jenner:Abbvie, Amgen, Celgene, Novartis, Janssen, Sanofi Genzyme, Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Kaiser:Takeda, Janssen, Celgene, Amgen: Honoraria, Other: Travel Expenses; Celgene, Janssen: Research Funding; Abbvie, Celgene, Takeda, Janssen, Amgen, Abbvie, Karyopharm: Consultancy. Mottram:Celgene, Amgen, Merck, Takeda: Other: Research Funding to Institution. Drayson:Abingdon Health: Consultancy, Equity Ownership. Cook:Celgene, Janssen-Cilag, Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squib, GlycoMimetics, Seattle Genetics, Sanofi: Honoraria; Janssen, Takeda, Sanofi, Karyopharm, Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Gregory:Amgen, Merck: Research Funding; Abbvie, Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding. Owen:Celgene, Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene, Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Research Funding; Janssen: Other: Travel expenses. Boyd:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Jackson:Celgene, Amgen, Roche, Janssen, Sanofi: Honoraria. Morgan:Celgene Corporation, Janssen: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen, Janssen, Takeda, Celgene Corporation: Other: Travel expenses.

Background: Immunomodulatory (IMiD) compounds are effective therapies for multiple myeloma (MM) acting via modulation of the CUL4 E3-ubiquitin ligase cereblon. Based on their structure individual IMiD compounds have different substrate specificities altering both their efficacy and side effect profile. These mechanistic differences impact the optimum sequencing of these agents as induction and maintenance. Within the UK NCRI Myeloma XI trial we compared triplet induction regimens containing Lenalidomide (Len) or Thalidomide (Thal) and maintenance treatment with Len or observation. With extensive long term follow up data we have explored the interaction of the induction and maintenance use of Thal and Len before and after ASCT. Methods: Myeloma XI is a multicenter, randomized controlled trial for newly diagnosed MM, with pathways for transplant eligible (TE) and non-eligible patients. TE patients were randomized between Len or Thal plus cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (CRD vs CTD) continued for a minimum of 4 cycles and to max. response. For patients with a suboptimal response there was a subsequent randomization to intensification with a proteasome inhibitor containing triplet or no further therapy prior to ASCT. A maintenance randomization at 3 months post ASCT compared Len till disease progression vs observation (Obs). Analyses by molecular risk strata were pre-specified in the protocol. Adverse cytogenetic abnormalities were defined as gain(1q), t(4;14), t(14;16), t(14;20), or del(17p): standard risk (SR, no adverse cytogenetic abnormalities), high risk (HiR, one adverse cytogenetic abnormality), or ultra-high risk (UHiR, two or more adverse cytogenetic abnormalities). Results: 2042 TE patients were randomized to CRD n=1021 and CTD n=1021. After a median follow up of 68 months (interquartile range 49-83) for the induction randomization, 1378 PFS and 728 OS primary endpoint events had occurred. Patients received a median (range) of 5 (1-18) cycles of CRD and 5 (1-13) cycles of CTD induction therapy. There were higher rates of haematological toxicity with CRD and peripheral neuropathy with CTD. CRD induction was associated with a significantly improved median PFS (hazard ratio (HR) 0.86, 95%CI 0.77, 0.96, CRD 36 months vs CTD 33 months, P=0.005, Figure 1A) and median OS (HR 0.81, 95%CI 0.70, 0.93, CRD 96 months vs CTD 85 months, P=0.004, Figure 1B). Responses were deeper with CRD (>=VGPR 65.3%, PR 24.5%) than CTD (>=VGPR 52.8%, PR 33.2%) and depth of response was associated with outcome. Significant heterogeneity in PFS outcome was identified between molecular risk groups with HiR and UHiR benefiting most from induction with CRD rather than CTD (SR HR 0.99 [95%CI 0.79, 1.24], HiR HR 0.58 [0.44, 0.78], UHiR HR 0.60 [0.38, 0.94], P.het 0.01). 897 TE patients were randomized to Len (n=496) and Obs (n=401). After a median follow up of 68 months (interquartile range 51-84) for the maintenance randomization, 527 PFS primary endpoint events had occurred. Lenalidomide was associated with a significant improvement in PFS compared to observation (median PFS Len 64 [54,76] vs Obs 32 [28,36], HR 0.52 [0.45,0.61], P Optimum outcomes were seen in those receiving Len as both induction and maintenance therapy (Figure 1C). Patients receiving CRD induction followed by Len maintenance (CRD-R) had a median PFS of 77 months [56, 86] compared to CTD-R 64 [49, 74], CRD-Obs 37 [33, 42] and CTD-Obs 44 [38, 51]. Conclusions: In this study the use of Len as both induction and maintenance was associated with the best outcomes irrespective of cytogenetic risk group. With long term follow up CRD induction for newly diagnosed transplant eligible myeloma patients was associated with both a PFS and OS benefit compared to CTD and was better tolerated. The PFS impact of CRD was particularly notable in patients with high and ultra-high risk disease. Lenalidomide maintenance was associated with significantly longer PFS than observation across all risk groups. on behalf of the NCRI Haematological Oncology Clinical Studies Group Disclosures Jackson: Celgene, Amgen, Roche, Janssen, Sanofi: Honoraria. Pawlyn:Amgen, Celgene, Janssen, Oncopeptides: Honoraria; Amgen, Celgene, Takeda: Consultancy; Amgen, Janssen, Celgene, Takeda: Other: Travel expenses. Cairns:Celgene, Amgen, Merck, Takeda: Other: Research Funding to Institution. Jones:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding. Kishore:Celgene, Takeda, Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene, Jazz, Takeda: Other: Travel expenses. Garg:Janssen, Takeda, Novartis: Other: Travel expenses; Janssen: Honoraria; Novartis, Janssen: Research Funding. Lindsay:Celgene: Other: personal fees and non-financial support ; Takeda: Other: personal fees and non-financial support ; Amgen: Other: non-financial support. Russell:Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer Inc: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; DSI: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Jenner:Abbvie, Amgen, Celgene, Novartis, Janssen, Sanofi Genzyme, Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Cook:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Drayson:Abingdon Health: Consultancy, Equity Ownership. Owen:Janssen: Other: Travel expenses; Celgene, Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene, Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Research Funding. Gregory:Abbvie, Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen, Merck: Research Funding. Kaiser:Takeda, Janssen, Celgene, Amgen: Honoraria, Other: Travel Expenses; Celgene, Janssen: Research Funding; Abbvie, Celgene, Takeda, Janssen, Amgen, Abbvie, Karyopharm: Consultancy. Davies:Amgen, Celgene, Janssen, Oncopeptides, Roche, Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Consultant/Advisor; Janssen, Celgene: Other: Research Grant, Research Funding. Morgan:Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen, Janssen, Takeda, Celgene Corporation: Other: Travel expenses; Celgene Corporation, Janssen: Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: CTD/CRD induction therapy and Lenalidomide maintenance 10mg 21/28 days

BackgroundProtein biomarkers with associations with the activity and outcomes of diseases are being identified by modern proteomic technologies. They may be simple, accessible, cheap and safe tests that can inform diagnosis, prognosis, treatment selection, monitoring of disease activity and therapy and may substitute for complex, invasive and expensive tests. However, their potential is not yet being realised.Design and methodsThe study consisted of three workstreams to create a framework for research: workstream 1, methodology – to define current practice and explore methodology innovations for biomarkers for monitoring disease; workstream 2, clinical translation – to create a framework of research practice, high-quality samples and related clinical data to evaluate the validity and clinical utility of protein biomarkers; and workstream 3, the ELF to Uncover Cirrhosis as an Indication for Diagnosis and Action for Treatable Event (ELUCIDATE) randomised controlled trial (RCT) – an exemplar RCT of an established test, the ADVIA Centaur® Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) test (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Ltd, Camberley, UK) [consisting of a panel of three markers – (1) serum hyaluronic acid, (2) amino-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen and (3) tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1], for liver cirrhosis to determine its impact on diagnostic timing and the management of cirrhosis and the process of care and improving outcomes.ResultsThe methodology workstream evaluated the quality of recommendations for using prostate-specific antigen to monitor patients, systematically reviewed RCTs of monitoring strategies and reviewed the monitoring biomarker literature and how monitoring can have an impact on outcomes. Simulation studies were conducted to evaluate monitoring and improve the merits of health care. The monitoring biomarker literature is modest and robust conclusions are infrequent. We recommend improvements in research practice. Patients strongly endorsed the need for robust and conclusive research in this area. The clinical translation workstream focused on analytical and clinical validity. Cohorts were established for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and renal transplantation (RT), with samples and patient data from multiple centres, as a rapid-access resource to evaluate the validity of biomarkers. Candidate biomarkers for RCC and RT were identified from the literature and their quality was evaluated and selected biomarkers were prioritised. The duration of follow-up was a limitation but biomarkers were identified that may be taken forward for clinical utility. In the third workstream, the ELUCIDATE trial registered 1303 patients and randomised 878 patients out of a target of 1000. The trial started late and recruited slowly initially but ultimately recruited with good statistical power to answer the key questions. ELF monitoring altered the patient process of care and may show benefits from the early introduction of interventions with further follow-up. The ELUCIDATE trial was an ‘exemplar’ trial that has demonstrated the challenges of evaluating biomarker strategies in ‘end-to-end’ RCTs and will inform future study designs.ConclusionsThe limitations in the programme were principally that, during the collection and curation of the cohorts of patients with RCC and RT, the pace of discovery of new biomarkers in commercial and non-commercial research was slower than anticipated and so conclusive evaluations using the cohorts are few; however, access to the cohorts will be sustained for future new biomarkers. The ELUCIDATE trial was slow to start and recruit to, with a late surge of recruitment, and so final conclusions about the impact of the ELF test on long-term outcomes await further follow-up. The findings from the three workstreams were used to synthesise a strategy and framework for future biomarker evaluations incorporating innovations in study design, health economics and health informatics.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN74815110, UKCRN ID 9954 and UKCRN ID 11930.FundingThis project was funded by the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research programme and will be published in full inProgramme Grants for Applied Research; Vol. 6, No. 3. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Summary Background Multiple myeloma is consistently preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which is usually only treated by a form of anti-multiple myeloma therapy if it is causing substantial disease through deposition of secreted M proteins. However, studies comparing how MGUS and multiple myeloma plasma cell clones respond to these therapies are scarce. Biclonal gammopathy multiple myeloma is characterised by the coexistence of an active multiple myeloma clone and a benign MGUS clone, and thus provides a unique model to assess the responses of separate clones to the same anti-multiple myeloma therapy, in the same patient, at the same time. We aimed to identify how MGUS and multiple myeloma plasma cell clones responded to anti-multiple myeloma therapy in patients newly diagnosed with biclonal gammopathy multiple myeloma. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we identified patients with biclonal gammopathy multiple myeloma by central laboratory analysis of 6399 newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma enrolled in three UK clinical trials (Myeloma IX, Myeloma XI, and TEAMM) between July 7, 2004, and June 2, 2015. In addition to the inclusion criteria of these trials, our study necessitated at trial entry the presence of two distinct M proteins in immunofixation electrophoresis. The primary endpoint was difference in response achieved with anti-multiple myeloma therapy on MGUS (which we defined as M2) and multiple myeloma (M1) clones—overall, within patients, and between therapy types—with international therapy response criteria assessed with χ 2 analyses. We analysed by intention to treat. Findings 44 patients with biclonal gammopathy multiple myeloma with IgG or IgA MGUS clones were subsequently identified from the three trials and then longitudinally monitored. 41 (93%) of M1 clones had a response to therapy (either complete response, very good partial response, partial response, or minor response) compared with only 28 (64%) of M2 clones (p=0·0010). For the 20 patients who received intensive therapy, there was no difference between the proportion of responding clones in M1 (19 [95%]) and M2 (15 [75%], p=0·13). However, for the 17 patients who received non-intensive therapy, 16 (94%) of M1 clones had a response compared with ten [59%] of M2 clones (p=0·031). When examining clones within the same patient, 30 (68%) of 44 individual patients had different levels of responses within the M1 and M2 clones. One patient exhibited M2 progression to myeloma and subsequently died. Interpretation These results show that, in patients with biclonal gammopathy multiple myeloma, anti-multiple myeloma therapies exert a greater depth of response against multiple myeloma plasma cell clones than MGUS plasma cell clones. Although some MGUS clones exhibited a complete response, many did not respond, which suggests that the underlying features that render multiple myeloma plasma cells susceptible to therapy are present in only some MGUS plasma cell clones. To determine MGUS clone susceptibly to therapy, future studies might seek to identify, with biclonal gammopathy multiple myeloma as an investigative model, the genetic and epigenetic alterations that affect whether MGUS plasma cell clones are responsive to anti-multiple myeloma therapy. Funding National Institute of Health Research, Medical Research Council, and Cancer Research UK.

We measured immunosuppression at myeloma diagnosis and assessed the impact on survival in 5826 UK myeloma trial patients. Polyclonal immunoglobulin levels were below normal in 85% of patients and above normal in only 0.4% of cases for IgA, 0.2% for IgM and no cases for IgG. Immunoparesis had a greater impact in recent trials: median overall survival (OS) was up to 3 years longer for patients without immunoparesis compared to the old trials, less than 1 year longer. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 39%, 36% and 57% longer for patients with normal IgG, IgA and IgM levels, respectively. The depth of IgM suppression, but not the depth of IgG or IgA suppression, was prognostic for survival: the most severely suppressed IgM tertile of patients OS was 0.9 years shorter than those in the top tertile, and 2.6 years shorter than OS of those with normal IgM levels (p = .007). The degree of suppression of polyclonal IgM levels below normal was associated with worse PFS (p = .0002). Infection does not appear to be the main mechanism through which immunoparesis affects survival. We hypothesise that IgM immunoparesis impacts through a combination of being associated with more aggressive disease and reduced immune surveillance against relapse.

There is a significant unmet need in effective therapy for relapsed myeloma patients once they become refractory to bortezomib and lenalidomide. While data from the front line setting suggest bendamustine is superior to melphalan, there is no information defining optimal bendamustine dose in multiply-treated patients. We report a multi-centre randomized two-stage phase 2 trial simultaneously assessing deliverability and activity of two doses of bendamustine (60 mg/m2 vs. 100 mg/m2) days 1 and 8, thalidomide (100 mg) days 1-21 and low dose dexamethasone (20 mg) days 1, 8, 15 and 22 of a 28-d cycle. Ninety-four relapsing patients were treated on trial, with a median three prior treatment lines. A pre-planned interim deliverability and activity assessment led to closure of the 100 mg/m2 arm due to excess cytopenias, and led to amendment of entry criteria for cytopenias. Non-haematological toxicities including thromboembolism and neurotoxicity were infrequent. In the 60 mg/m2 arm, treatment was deliverable in 61.1% subjects and the partial response rate was 46.3% in the study eligible population, with 7.5 months progression-free survival. This study demonstrates bendamustine at 60 mg/m2 twice per month with thalidomide and dexamethasone is deliverable for repeated cycles in heavily pre-treated myeloma patients and has substantial clinical activity.

Background: Early phase trials are essential in drug development, determining appropriate dose levels and assessing preliminary activity. These trials are undertaken by industry and academia, with increasing collaborations between the two. There is pressure to perform these trials quickly, safely, and robustly. However, there are inherent differences between developing and managing early phase, compared to late phase, drug trials. This article describes an approach to establishing an academically led early phase trial portfolio, highlighting lessons learned and sharing experiences. Methods: In 2009, the University of Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit became the Clinical Trials Coordinating Office for Myeloma UK’s phase I and II trials. We embarked on a transition from working extensively in phase III to early phase trials development and conduct. This involved evaluating and revising our well-established standard operating procedures, visiting other academic early phase units, and developing essential new documentation and processes. Results: A core team of trial and data managers and statisticians was established to facilitate expertise and knowledge retention. A detailed training plan was implemented focussing on essential standard practices for early phase. These included pharmacovigilance, recruitment, trial design and set-up, data and site monitoring, and oversight committees. Training in statistical methods for early phase trials was incorporated. Conclusion: Initial scoping of early phase trial management and conduct was essential in establishing this early phase portfolio. Many of the processes developed were successful. However, regular review and evaluation were implemented to enable changes and ensure efficiencies. It is recommended that others embarking on this venture build on the experiences described in this article.

BackgroundThe conventional frontline therapy for fit patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab (FCR). Rituximab (Mabthera®, Roche Products Ltd) targets the CD20 antigen, which is expressed at low levels in CLL. The standard dose of rituximab in CLL (375 mg/m2in cycle 1 and 500 mg/m2in cycles 2–6) was selected based on toxicity data only. Small doses of rituximab (as low as 20 mg) have biological activity in CLL, with an immediate reduction in circulating CLL cells and down-regulation of CD20. Phase II trials had suggested improved efficacy with the addition of mitoxantrone to FCR. The key assumption for the Attenuated dose Rituximab with ChemoTherapy In CLL (ARCTIC) trial was that the addition of mitoxantrone to fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and low-dose rituximab would be more effective than conventional FCR.ObjectivesTo assess whether fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone and low-dose rituximab (FCM-miniR) (100 mg of rituximab per cycle) was non-inferior to FCR in frontline CLL. Complete response (CR) rate was the primary end point, with the secondary end points being progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate, eradication of minimal residual disease (MRD), safety and cost-effectiveness.DesignARCTIC was a UK multicentre, randomised, controlled, open, Phase IIB non-inferiority trial in previously untreated CLL. A total of 206 patients with previously untreated CLL who required treatment, according to the International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia criteria, were to be randomised to FCR or FCM-miniR. There was an independent Data Monitoring and Ethics Committee (DMEC) with a pre-planned interim efficacy assessment on 103 participants.ResultsThe DMEC’s interim analysis led to early trial closure. Although the response rates in both arms were higher than anticipated, FCM-miniR had a lower CR rate than FCR. This was partly attributable to the higher toxicity associated with mitoxantrone. A total of 100 participants completed FCR, 79 completed FCM-miniR and 21 commenced FCM-miniR but switched to FCR following DMEC recommendations. The CR rate for participants receiving FCR was 76%, compared with 55% for FCM-miniR (adjusted odds ratio 0.37; 95% confidence interval 0.19 to 0.73). Key secondary end points also showed that FCR was superior, with more participants achieving MRD negativity (57% for FCR vs. 46% for FCM-miniR). More participants experienced a serious adverse reaction with FCM-miniR compared with FCR (50% vs. 41%). At a median of 37.3 months’ follow-up, the PFS and OS rates are good compared with previous studies, with no significant difference between the treatment arms. The economic analysis indicates that because FCM-miniR is less effective than FCR, FCM-miniR is not expected to be cost-effective over a lifetime horizon, producing a mean cost-saving of –£7723, a quality-adjusted life-year loss of –0.73 and a resulting incremental net monetary loss of –£6780.ConclusionsFCM-miniR is less well tolerated, with poorer response rates, than FCR, partly owing to the additional toxicity associated with mitoxantrone. In view of this, FCM-miniR will not be taken forward into a larger definitive Phase III trial. The trial demonstrated that oral FCR yields extremely high response rates compared with historical series with intravenous chemotherapy.Future workWe shall compare the results of ARCTIC with those of the ADMIRE (Does the ADdition of Mitoxantrone Improve Response to FCR chemotherapy in patients with CLL?) trial, which compared FCR with FCM-R to assess the efficacy of low- versus standard-dose rituximab, allowing for the toxicity associated with mitoxantrone.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN16544962.FundingThis project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full inHealth Technology Assessment; Vol. 21, No. 28. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Summary Background Adjuvant use of bisphosphonates can reduce the incidence of bone metastases in early breast cancer. Recurrence and survival seem to be improved only in postmenopausal patients, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated whether MAF amplification (a biomarker for bone metastasis) in primary tumours could predict the treatment outcomes of adjuvant zoledronic acid. Methods The study population included patients enrolled in the international, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 AZURE trial at eligible UK sites who had stage II or III breast cancer and who gave consent for use of their primary tumour samples. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive standard adjuvant systemic therapy alone (control group) or with zoledronic acid every 3–4 weeks for six doses, then every 3–6 months until the end of 5 years. Minimisation took into account the number of involved axillary lymph nodes, clinical tumour stage, oestrogen-receptor status, type and timing of systemic therapy, menopausal status, statin use, and treating centre. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival; the secondary endpoint, invasive-disease-free survival, was the primary disease endpoint for the analysis in this report. MAF amplification was assessed by fluorescence in-situ hybridisation of two cores of breast tumour tissue in a microarray, done in a central laboratory by technicians unaware of treatment assignment. We used multivariate analyses to assess disease outcomes by intention to treat. We also assessed interactions between MAF -positive status and menopausal status on efficacy of zoledronic acid. The AZURE trial is registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Registry, number ISRCTN79831382. Findings 1739 AZURE patients contributed primary tumour samples, of whom 865 (50%) had two assessable cores (445 in the control groups and 420 in the zoledronic acid group). 184 (21%) tumours were MAF positive (85 in the control groups and 99 in the zoledronic acid group) and the remaining tumours were MAF negative. At a median follow-up of 84·6 months (IQR 72·0–95·8), MAF status was not prognostic for invasive-disease-free survival in the control group ( MAF -positive vs MAF -negative: hazard ratio [HR] 0·92, 95% CI 0·59–1·41), but was in the zoledronic acid group (0·52, 0·36–0·75). In patients with MAF -negative tumours, zoledronic acid was associated with higher invasive-disease-free survival than was control treatment (HR 0·74, 95% CI 0·56–0·98), but not in patients who had MAF -positive tumours. Additionally, among 121 patients not postmenopausal at randomisation with MAF -positive tumours, zoledronic acid was associated with lower invasive-disease-free survival (HR 2·47, 95% CI 1·23–4·97) and overall survival (2·27, 95% CI 1·04–4·93) than control treatment. Interpretation MAF status can predict likelihood of benefit from adjuvant zoledronic acid and merits further investigation as a potential companion diagnostic. Funding Novartis Global and Inbiomotion.

Bisphosphonates are recommended in patients with osteolytic lesions secondary to multiple myeloma. We report on the safety of bisphosphonate therapy with long-term follow-up in the Medical Research Council Myeloma IX study. Patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma were randomised to zoledronic acid (ZOL; 4 mg intravenously every 21-28 d) or clodronate (CLO; 1600 mg/d orally) plus chemotherapy. Among 1960 patients (5.9-year median follow-up), both bisphosphonates were well tolerated. Acute renal failure events were similar between groups (ZOL 5.2% vs. CLO 5.8% at 2 years; incidence plateaued thereafter). The overall incidence of confirmed osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) was low, but higher with ZOL (ZOL 3.7% vs. CLO 0.5%; P < 0.0001). ONJ events were generally low grade and most occurred between 8 and 30 months (median time to ONJ, 23.7 months). Among 10 patients with ONJ recovery data, four patients in the ZOL group completely recovered, two patients improved, and three patients experienced no improvement; one CLO patient experienced no improvement. Dental surgery or trauma preceded ONJ in six ZOL patients. The incidence of renal adverse events was similar for ZOL and CLO. ONJ incidence remained low and was lower with CLO compared to ZOL. We have seen no further ONJ cases to date.

INTRODUCTION Features of high risk myeloma (MM) have been studied in detail but patients with longer term responses to first-line therapy are less well characterised. Identification of common features of this group may support optimised management. Here we analysed clinical and genetic characteristics of long-term responders of 4,249 trial patients from the UK MRC Myeloma IX (M-IX) and NCRI Myeloma XI (M-XI) trials. PATIENTS AND METHODS In M-IX patients were randomised between alkylating therapy (CVAD or MP) and thalidomide-based induction therapy (CTD). M-XI patients were randomised between thalidomide and lenalidomide based induction (CTD vs CRD) and a response-based bortezomib (CVD) intensification. Fitter patients received HD-Mel+ASCT consolidation. Patients were then randomised to thalidomide (M-IX) or lenalidomide (M-XI) maintenance or observation. Trials included symptomatic, newly diagnosed patients based on CRAB criteria. This analysis included 1,921 My-IX and 2,328 My-XI patients with median follow-up of 73 and 61 months (m), respectively. Genetic profiling was available for 1,866 patients. Patients with a long-term response post induction (PFS≥48m) were identified and their baseline characteristics, responses and treatment compared to those with PFS RESULTS In M-IX, 283 (25.8%) of transplant-eligible (TE) patients had PFS ≥48m whereas 58 (7%) of transplant non-eligible (TNE) patients reached PFS≥48m. In M-XI 410 (34.2%) patients had PFS≥48m for TE and 116 (10.2%) for TNE. Extended progression free survival translated to overall survival (OS) benefit with a median post progression OS of 36.9m for PFS≥48m vs 16.7m for PFS Clinical factors including ISS I (P The proportion of patients with a high risk lesion (Adverse translocation, Gain(1q) or Del(17p)) were lower in the PFS≥48m group than The majority of patients with PFS ≥48m showed ≥VGPR after induction +/- consolidation: 211 (76.4%) and 340 (84%) of PFS ≥48m patients in the TE arms and 26 (49.1%) and 87 (76.3%) in the TNE arms of M-IX and M-XI, respectively. 86.7% of patients who achieved a ≥VGPR had a PFS ≥48m in the absence of high risk lesions compared to 72.8% with any high risk lesion present (P=0.004). Some patients with PFS≥48m had only reached PR after induction; 56 (20.3%) and 57 (14.1%) of PFS ≥48m patients in the TE arm and 15 (28.3%) and 24 (21.1%) in the TNE arms of M-IX and M-XI, respectively. Baseline factors that were associated with still being able to achieve PFS≥48m from induction after only achieving a PR included the lack of high risk genetic lesions (P CONCLUSIONS Response assessment after induction+/-HD-Mel consolidation with baseline factors can define a patient group with superior outcomes in both TE and TNE patients and may influence future treatment strategies of MM patients undergoing first line therapy. Further analyses including modelling of predictors of response duration are ongoing and will be presented at the conference. Disclosures Shah: Celgene: Other: Travel, Accommodation expenses; Sanofi: Other: Travel and Accommodation expenses. Striha:Janssen: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding. Hockaday:Celgene: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; Millenium: Research Funding. Pawlyn:Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Takeda Oncology: Consultancy, Other: Travel support. Jenner:Takeda: Honoraria, 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, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Drayson:Abingdon Health: Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Owen:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel Support; Janssen: Consultancy, Other: Travel Support. Gregory:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Merck Sharp and Dohme: Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Amgen: Research Funding. Morgan:Janssen: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Davies:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria. Cook:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria; Glycomimetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Cairns:Celgene: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Merck Sharp and Dohme: Research Funding. Jackson:Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Merck Sharp and Dohme: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Kaiser:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Other: travel support; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Chugai: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Other: travel support; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

Background Darwinian evolution drives multiple myeloma (MM) and leads to diversity both within and between patients. This suggests the need for combinations of agents with different mechanisms of action targeting sub-clonal populations to maximize the depth of response and improve outcomes. Approaches to maximize response pre-transplant include the use of sequential pre-transplant consolidation with a different agent in sub-optimal responders or intensifying upfront combinations whilst aiming to minimize additional toxicities. Carfilzomib is a novel irreversible inhibitor of the proteasome that has been suggested to have greater activity than bortezomib, with deeper responses and improved outcomes. The Myeloma XI phase III randomized trial for newly diagnosed MM patients compared intensified induction with the quadruplet KCRD vs a response adapted approach of sequential triplet therapies for transplant-eligible MM patients. Methods KCRD was given in 28 day cycles (carfilzomib (K) 36mg/m2 IV d1-2, 8-9,15-16 (20mg/m2 #1d1-2), cyclophosphamide (C) 500mg PO d1,8, lenalidomide (R) 25mg PO d1-21, dexamethasone (D) 40mg PO d1-4,8-9,15-16), CRD in 28 day cycles (C 500mg PO d1,8, R 25mg PO d1-21, D 40mg PO d1-4, 12-15) or CTD in 21 day cycles (C 500mg PO d1,8,15 thalidomide (T) 100-200mg PO daily, D 40mg PO d1-4,12-15). All induction regimens were continued for a minimum of 4 cycles and to maximum response. Suboptimal responders (MR/PR) to CTD/CRD were randomized between pre-transplant intensification with a proteasome inhibitor (bortezomib, CVD) containing triplet or no further therapy prior to ASCT, patients with refractory disease (SD/PD) all received CVD. For all patients a maintenance randomization 3 months post ASCT compared lenalidomide given to disease progression to observation. Cytogenetic data, centrally analyzed, was available for a representative subset of patients. High-risk was classified as presence of t(4;14), t(14;16), t(14;20), del(17p) or gain(1q) and ultra-high risk the presence of more than one lesion. 1056 patients underwent induction randomization between December 2013 and April 2016 and were allocated to CTD n=265, CRD n=265, KCRD n=526. The groups were well matched across baseline variables with median age 61 (range 33-75). The median follow up for this analysis is 34.5 months. The independent data monitoring and ethics committee recommended immediate release of the data following an interim analysis. Results Intention to treat analysis of the initial induction regimens found that KCRD was associated with a significantly longer PFS than triplet therapy (HR 0.63, 95%CI 0.51, 0.76, median PFS KCRD NR vs CTD/CRD 36.2 months, p All regimens were well tolerated with no significant additional toxicity due to the quadruplet regimen. KCRD was administered for a median of 4 cycles, CRD 5 cycles and CTD 6 cycles. Grade 3+ neutropenia occurred in 16.4% KCRD, 22.3% CRD and 12.8% CTD patients and thrombocytopenia in 8.4% KCRD, 2.3% CRD and 1.2% CTD patients. A higher proportion of patients receiving KCRD induction were able to undergo ASCT than those who received response-adapted induction. In an analysis restricted to those who had completed ASCT, KCRD induction was still associated with a significantly longer PFS. An exploratory analysis compared the patients receiving KCRD to patients in the CTD/CRD arm who had received the optimum response-adapted approach (i.e. excluding those randomized to no CVD following MR/PR). The quadruplet was associated with significantly longer PFS than using a response adapted sequential triplet approach (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.52, 0.78, p Conclusions This large randomized study of a carfilzomib containing quadruplet combination, KCRD, demonstrates that it is well tolerated and associated with deep responses both pre- and post-transplant and has a significant PFS and PFS2 benefit compared to triplet therapy. The benefit of upfront intensification of treatment persisted even compared to triplets administered sequentially and including exposure to both lenalidomide and bortezomib. On behalf of the NCRI Haem-oncology CSG Disclosures Jackson: Merck Sharp and Dohme: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Davies:Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Consultancy; ASH: Honoraria; MMRF: Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; TRM Oncology: Honoraria. Pawlyn:Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support; Takeda Oncology: Consultancy, Other: Travel support. Cairns:Merck Sharp and Dohme: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Striha:Amgen: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding. Hockaday:MSD: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Millenium: Research Funding. Collett:Amgen: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Merck Sharp and Dohme: Research Funding. Jones:Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Travel support, Research Funding. Kishore:Takeda: Honoraria, Other: travel support; Celgene: Honoraria. Garg:Novartis: Other: travel support, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Other: Travel Support; Janssen: Honoraria; Takeda: Other: Travel Grant. Williams:Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: travel support, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: travel support, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: travel support, Speakers Bureau. Karunanithi:Janssen: Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Celgene: Other: Travel support, Research Funding. Lindsay:Takeda: Other: Travel support; BMS: Consultancy, Other: Travel support; Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Novartis: Other: Travel support. Jenner:Celgene: Honoraria, 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, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Cook:Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Glycomimetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Russell:Jazz Pharma: Speakers Bureau; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Kaiser:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Other: travel support; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Other: travel support; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Chugai: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Drayson:Abingdon Health: Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Owen:Janssen: Consultancy, Other: Travel support; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel Support. Gregory:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Amgen: Research Funding; Merck Sharp and Dohme: Research Funding. Morgan:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

Introduction The introduction of novel drugs has resulted in better outcome in Multiple Myeloma (MM). Disease progression, however, remains a major problem in the majority of patients. Recently, checkpoint inhibitor therapies have been applied, but T cell-mediated control is still poorly understood in MM. Parameters that control local anti-tumour immunity include, among others: presence of immune effector and suppressor cells; immune and metabolic checkpoints; and antigen presentation. These parameters are defined by unique immune markers, and recent technical advances have boosted typing of tumours according to these markers. We set out to evaluate whether overall survival in a large cohort of MM patients is associated with different categories of T cell evasion using transcriptomic analysis. Methods In the current study, we have analyzed gene expression data from 8 large MM trials, with a total number of 1654 patients. The HOVON65/GMMG-HD4, UAMS-TT2, MRC-IX non-intensive, and APEX trials represented a discovery set (1045 patients), whereas the HOVON87/NMSG18, MRC-IX intensive, UAMS-TT3, and UAMS-TT6 trials represented a validation set (609 patients). We defined gene sets for 7 categories of T cell evasion, including: presence of immune suppressor cells, immune checkpoints (and their ligands), metabolic checkpoints, stromal cells and their products, compromised antigen presentation, tumor cell death, and occurrence of oncogenic pathways. Gene expression analysis from pre-treatment bone marrow samples, purified for plasma cells followed 2 stages: first, we obtained ridge regression Cox models for overall survival (OS) for sets of genes that represent T cell evasion in the discovery set which were applied to the validation set; second, we tested each individual gene per gene set versus OS in Cox regression analysis. Bonferroni-Holm multiple testing adjustments were applied. For multivariate analyses age and ISS were included, which were available for all sets, except the TT6 trial. Results Gene models were trained for each gene set in the discovery set. Six models (all except antigen presentation) reached a significant association when applied to the validation set and were used for downstream analyses. The adjusted p values in the multivariate models are: immune checkpoints (and ligands) p= 6.5x10-6, cell death p = 1.9x10-5, oncogenic signaling p = 3.3x10-5, stromal cells and their products p = 3.8x10-5, metabolic checkpoints p = 0. 011, and immune suppressor cells p = 0.020. Analysing individual genes resulted in 34 genes that showed a significant association with OS in the discovery cohort and a remaining 7 genes in the validation cohort. These genes predominantly belonged to the family of immune checkpoint ligands. These genes were VISTA (HR 0.71; CI 0.62-0.82), CD40 (HR 0.75; CI 0.63-0.88), HVEM (HR 0.81; CI 0.71-0.92) and PDL1 (HR 0.78; CI 0.69-0.92). Notably, in a multivariate model, VISTA came out as an independent prognostic marker with a hazard ratio (HR): 0.72 [CI: 0.61-0.83]. Conclusion Immune transcriptomic analysis in a large cohort of patients reveals that OS in MM patients is related to expression of T cell co-signaling ligands, such as VISTA, CD40, HVEM, and PDL1. The expression of the checkpoint molecule VISTA remained independently associated with OS. In addition, another 5 categories of T cell evasion were shown to be significantly related to OS in both a discovery and validation set of patients. Collectively, these results stress the important role of T cell-mediated control of tumor cells in MM patients, and urge for a more detailed analysis in subgroups and individual patients in order to select the most effective (combination) therapies. Disclosures Zweegman: Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene Corp.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Gregory:Merck Sharp and Dohme: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria. Sonneveld:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding.

Significant benefits for zoledronic acid (ZOL) over clodronate acid (CLO) were seen in the Medical Research Council Myeloma IX randomized trial. ZOL significantly reduced skeletal-related events (SREs), and improved progression-free survival and overall survival (OS), making it the bisphosphonate of choice for newly diagnosed myeloma patients. In this analysis of Myeloma IX data, we have investigated the impact of response on bone disease in 1111 transplant-eligible patients. At posttransplant day 100, complete response (CR) was seen in 48% of patients, very good partial response (VGPR) in 20%, and partial response (PR) in 23%. For patients in VGPR or less, ZOL was superior to CLO in reducing SREs (P = .048), whereas for patients in CR, both agents were equivalent (P = .83). For OS, ZOL was associated with a significant benefit in patients in PR (P = .0091). No difference in OS was seen with patients in CR (P = .91) or VGPR (P = .74). These findings indicate that response category posttransplant may influence the impact of bisphosphonate therapy.

Objectives To evaluate our clinical experience with percutaneous image-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of 200 renal tumours in a large tertiary referral university institution. Patients and Methods Image-guided RFA (ultrasonography or computed tomography [CT]) of 200 renal tumours in 165 patients from June 2004 to 2012 was prospectively evaluated. Institutional Review Board approval was granted. The treatment response and technical success were defined by absence of contrast enhancement within the tumour on contrast enhanced CT or magnetic resonance imaging. Both major and minor complications, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) before and after RFA, the management and outcomes of the complications, as well as oncological outcome were prospectively documented. Multivariate analysis was used to determine variables associated with major complications and also the percentage GFR change after RFA. The overall (OS), 5-year cancer-specific (CSS), local recurrence-free (LRFS) and metastasis-free survival (MFS) rates are presented using the Kaplan–Meier curves. Results In all, 200 tumours were RF ablated with a mean (range) tumour size of 2.9 (1–5.6) cm and the mean (range) patient age was 67.7 (21–88.6) years with a mean follow-up period of 46.1 months. The primary technical and overall technical success rate was 95.5% and 98.5%, respectively. Two independent predictors of successful RFA in a single sitting were tumour size (25% decreased in GFR. In all, 161 (98%) patients of the 165 patients have preservation of renal function. Any change in renal function after RFA was not influenced by tumour factors or solitary kidney status. In our clinical series, this yielded a 5-year OS, CSS, LRFS and MFS rates of 75.8%, 97.9%, 93.5% and 87.7% respectively. Conclusions Image-guided RFA is a safe, nephron sparing and effective treatment for small renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumours with a low rate of recurrence and has good 5-year CSS and MFS rates.

Metastasis to bone, and indeed potentially to other sites, results from the numerous interactions between cancer cells, haematopoietic stem cells and normal bone cells within the bone marrow microenvironment. These interactions are in turn influenced by multiple endocrine, paracrine and physical factors. Bone-targeted treatments may modify the course of the disease via both direct and indirect inhibitory effects on this "vicious cycle" of growth factor and cytokine signalling between tumour and bone cells. Improvements in both disease free (DFS) and overall survival in women with early breast cancer have been demonstrated in several large randomised adjuvant trials of oral clodronate and intravenous zoledronic acid. The evidence for a beneficial impact on disease outcome is particularly strong in patients with low levels of reproductive hormones, including pre-menopausal women receiving ovarian suppression therapy and those who have passed through menopause at the time of diagnosis. A recent meta-analysis of postmenopausal women treated with adjuvant bisphosphonates showed an 18% improvement in DFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.82; 95%CI 0.74-0.92, 2P =

Purpose We investigated whether microRNA expression data from glioblastoma could be used to produce a profile that defines a bevacizumab responsive group of patients. Patients and methods TCGA microRNA expression data from tumors resected at first diagnosis of glioblastoma in patients treated with bevacizumab at any time during the course of their disease were randomly separated into training (n = 50) and test (n = 37) groups for model generation. MicroRNA-seq data for 51 patients whose treatment included bevacizumab in the BELOB trial were used as an independent validation cohort. Results Using penalized regression we identified 8 microRNAs as potential predictors of overall survival in the training set. We dichotomized the response score based on the most prognostic minimum of a density plot of the response scores (log-rank HR = 0.16, p = 1.2e−5) and validated the profile in the test cohort (one-sided log-rank HR = 0.34, p = 0.026). Analysis of the profile using all samples in the TCGA glioblastoma dataset, regardless of treatment received, (n = 473) showed that the prediction of patient benefit was not significant (HR = 0.84, p = 0.083) suggesting the profile is specific to bevacizumab. Further independent validation of our microRNA profile in RNA-seq data from patients treated with bevacizumab (alone or in combination with CCNU) at glioblastoma recurrence in the BELOB trial confirmed that our microRNA profile predicted patient benefit from bevacizumab (HR = 0.59, p = 0.043). Conclusion We have identified and validated an 8-microRNA profile that predicts overall survival in patients with glioblastoma treated with bevacizumab. This may be useful for identifying patients who are likely to benefit from this agent.

Purpose/Objective(s) Randomized controlled trials for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anus have been successfully performed, despite the rarity of the disease. The RTOG 9811 and ACT2 trials demonstrated no improvement in cancer outcomes when neoadjuvant or adjuvant cisplatin 5FU chemotherapy was used. To capture as many anal cancer patients as possible in future clinical trials, we developed an umbrella of trials testing efficacy and acceptable morbidity across different loco-regional risk strata. Materials/Methods We formed a network of UK and international multi-disciplinary trialists and identified the following priorities:- i] the need for national consensus guidance for the introduction of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) based on the successful principles and fractionation used in the ACT2 protocol prior to future trials; ii] to evaluate a strategy using selective chemoradiation therapy (CRT) after local excision of anal margin tumors; iii] to evaluate reduced dose CRT to the primary tumor in order to limit late effects whilst maintaining elective nodal irradiation in early stage disease; iv] to evaluate dose escalated CRT in locally advanced T3/4 and N+ stage disease. Results The PLATO (personalizing radiotherapy dose in anal cancer) umbrella trial comprising of the ACT3, 4 and 5 trials is funded by Cancer Research UK and is due to commence recruitment in Q3 2016.The ACT 3 trial (n = 90) is a non-randomized phase II study that will evaluate a strategy of local excision for T1N0 anal margin tumors with selective postoperative involved field CRT using 41.4 Gy in 23 fractions (F) and concurrent capecitabine reserved for patients with margins