Search

DDX41 mutations are associated with hematologic malignancies including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but the incidence in idiopathic cytopenia of undetermined significance (ICUS) is unknown. We investigated the incidence, genetic characteristics, and clinical features of DDX41 mutations in Korean patients with ICUS, MDS, or AML. We performed targeted deep sequencing of 61 genes including DDX41 in 457 patients with ICUS (n=75), MDS (n=210), or AML (n=172). Germline DDX41 mutations with causality were identified in 28 (6.1%) patients, of whom 27 (96.4%) had somatic mutations in the other position of DDX41. Germline origins of the DDX41 mutations were confirmed in all of the 11 patients in whom germline-based testing was performed. Of the germline DDX41 mutations, p.V152G (n=10) was most common, followed by p.Y259C (n=8), p.A500fs (n=6), and p.E7* (n=3). Compared with non-mutated patients, patients with a DDX41 mutation were more frequently male, older, had a normal karyotype, low leukocyte count, and hypocellular marrow at diagnosis. Three of the four ICUS patients with germline DDX41 mutations progressed to MDS. The incidence of DDX41 mutations in Korean patients was high and there was a distinct mutation pattern, in that p.V152G was a unique germline variant. ICUS harboring germline DDX41 mutations may be regarded as a hereditary myeloid neoplasm. Germline DDX41 mutations are not uncommon and should be explored when treating patients with myeloid malignancies.

OBJECTIVES We evaluated the prognostic impact of MK on postremission outcomes of AML patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in the first complete remission (CR1). METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 465 adult patients with AML who had received HSCT in the first CR between 2000 and 2016. RESULTS In MK + AML, the median leukocyte count was significantly lower (P

CWP232291 (CWP291) is a small-molecule inhibitor of Wnt signaling that causes degradation of β-catenin via apoptosis induction through endoplasmic reticulum stress activation. This first-in-human, open-label, dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and preliminary efficacy of CWP291 enrolled 69 patients with hematologic malignancies (acute myeloid leukemia [AML], n = 64; myelodysplastic syndrome, n = 5) in 15 dose-escalation cohorts of 4 to 334 mg/m2 using a modified 3+3 design and 1 dose-expansion cohort. CWP291 was administered IV daily for 7 days every 21 days. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were nausea (n = 44, 64%), vomiting (n = 32, 46%), diarrhea (n = 25, 36%), and infusion-related reactions (n = 20, 29%). Grade ≥3 TEAEs in >3 patients (5%) were pneumonia (n = 8, 12%); hypophosphatemia (n = 6, 8%); leukocytosis, nausea, cellulitis, sepsis, and hypokalemia (n = 5 each, 7% each); and hypertension (n = 4, 6%). Dose-limiting toxicities included nausea (n = 3) and abdominal pain, anaphylactic reaction, myalgia, and rash (n = 1, each); the MTD was defined at 257 mg/m2. CWP232204, the active metabolite of CWP291, showed pharmacokinetic linearity on both days 1 and 7, and a terminal half-life of ∼12 hours. Among 54 response-evaluable AML patients, there was one complete response at a dose of 153 mg/m2 and one partial response at 198 mg/m2; bone marrow blast percentage reduced from a median of 58.3% to 3.5% and 15.0% to 4.2%, respectively. Future studies will explore CWP291, with a mechanism of action aimed at eradication of earlier progenitors via Wnt pathway blockade, as combination therapy. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01398462.

Parainfluenza virus (PIV) infection is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in hematologic malignancy patients including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) recipients. However, limited information is available for risk stratification in PIV-infected patients with hematologic malignancy with or without HCT. Patients with hematologic malignancy diagnosed with PIV from January 2009 to December 2018 were retrospectively included in a tertiary care hospital in Seoul, South Korea. Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was defined as the detection of PIV in a nasopharyngeal sample with URTI symptoms without new pulmonary infiltrates. Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) was defined as detection of PIV in either upper or lower respiratory tract samples with new pulmonary infiltrates, with or without hypoxia. PIV-associated mortality was defined as death with respiratory failure and persistent LRTI within 90 days after diagnosis. The study included 143 adult patients. Of these, 55 (38%) progressed to or initially presented with LRTI. Among these, 22 (40%) died from PIV-associated mortality. An immunodeficiency risk score was developed from associated risk factors using a multivariable Cox regression model. Patients were stratified into low (0–2), moderate (3–5), and high risk (6–8) groups with PIV-associated mortalities of 0%, 9%, and 67%, respectively (p

Terapia de inducción estándar; Volasertib adyuvante; Leucemia mieloide aguda Standard Induction Therapy; Adjunctive Volasertib; Acute Myeloid Leukemia Teràpia d'inducció estàndard; Volasertib adjuvant; Leucèmia mieloide aguda In this phase 3 trial, older patients with acute myeloid leukemia ineligible for intensive chemotherapy were randomized 2:1 to receive the polo-like kinase inhibitor, volasertib (V; 350 mg intravenous on days 1 and 15 in 4-wk cycles), combined with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC; 20 mg subcutaneous, twice daily, days 1–10; n = 444), or LDAC plus placebo (P; n = 222). Primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR); key secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Primary ORR analysis at recruitment completion included patients randomized ≥5 months beforehand; ORR was 25.2% for V+LDAC and 16.8% for P+LDAC (n = 371; odds ratio 1.66 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.95–2.89]; P = 0.071). At final analysis (≥574 OS events), median OS was 5.6 months for V+LDAC and 6.5 months for P+LDAC (n = 666; hazard ratio 0.97 [95% CI, 0.8–1.2]; P = 0.757). The most common adverse events (AEs) were infections/infestations (grouped term; V+LDAC, 81.3%; P+LDAC, 63.5%) and febrile neutropenia (V+LDAC, 60.4%; P+LDAC, 29.3%). Fatal AEs occurred in 31.2% with V+LDAC versus 18.0% with P+LDAC, most commonly infections/infestations (V+LDAC, 17.1%; P+LDAC, 6.3%). Lack of OS benefit with V+LDAC versus P+LDAC may reflect increased early mortality with V+LDAC from myelosuppression and infections. This study was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim.

Our previous research indicated that a reduced-intensity conditioning regimen (fludarabine and melphalan at 100 mg/m2) was useful in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with lymphoma. This retrospective study evaluated the reduced-intensity conditioning regimen in allogeneic HCT for adult patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Sixteen patients with HLH were evaluated, including 6 patients who were enrolled in a prospective clinical trial (NCT00772811) and 10 patients who received the same conditioning regimen (fludarabine at 30 mg/m2/day on days –6 to –2 and melphalan at 100 mg/m2 on day –2). The median age was 42 years (range, 18 to 64), and 12 patients had Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated HLH. Donors were an HLA matched sibling for 10 patients, an unrelated matched volunteer for 4 patients, and a mismatched family member for 2 patients. After excluding 3 patients who died soon after HCT, 12 patients achieved an engraftment (neutrophil median, day 12; platelet median, day 16). Five patients experienced acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), including 1 case of grade II and 4 cases of grades III to IV. Chronic GVHD occurred in 3 patients (moderate, 1 case; severe, 2 cases). After a median follow-up of 33.8 months 1 patient progressed, 3 patients relapsed, and 9 patients died. Five deaths were unrelated to relapse or progression and were caused by infection (n = 3), bleeding (n = 1), and GVHD (n = 1). No deaths or relapses were observed at >124 days post-transplant. The overall survival rate was 48.6%, and significant differences were observed according to pretransplant ferritin level (P = .007) and cytopenia lineage (P = .021). Before allogeneic HCT 10 of 12 patients still tested positive for EBV DNA: 6 patients tested negative for EBV DNA after HCT, 2 patients had persistent EBV DNA, and 2 patients were unassessable because of early death. Conditioning therapy using a lower dose of melphalan combined with fludarabine appears to be promising in allogeneic HCT for adults with HLH. However, strategies are needed to reduce the risk of early death.

Methods for distinguishing catheter-related candidemia (CRC) from non-CRC before catheter removal remain limited. We thus evaluated the diagnostic performance of differential time to positivity (DTP) to diagnose CRC in neutropenic cancer patients with suspected CRC. Of the 35 patients enrolled, 15 (43%) with CRC (six definite and nine probable) and 17 (49%) with non-CRC were finally analyzed. Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve, the optimal cutoff value of DTP for diagnosing CRC was ≥1.45 hours with the sensitivity 80% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51–95) and specificity 100% (95% CI, 80–100), respectively.

Background/aims Various alterations of microRNA (miRNA) expression have been reported in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). We aimed to investigate the unique patterns and prognostic significance of miRNA expression in Korean patients with MDS. Methods Bone marrow mononuclear cells were collected from eight healthy controls and 26 patients with MDS, and miRNAs were isolated and assessed via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for selected miRNAs, including miR-21, miR-124a, miR-126, miR-146b-5p, miR-155, miR-182, miR-200c, miR-342-5p, miR-708, and Let-7a. Results MiR-124a, miR-155, miR-182, miR-200c, miR-342-5p, and Let-7a were significantly underexpressed in patients with MDS, compared to healthy controls. MiR-21, miR-126, 146b-5p, and miR-155 transcript levels were significantly lower in international prognostic scoring system lower (low and intermediate-1) risk MDS than in higher (intermediate-2 and high) risk MDS. Higher expression levels of miR-126 and miR-155 correlated with significantly shorter overall survival and leukemia-free survival. Higher miR-124a expression also tended to be related to shorter survivals. Conclusion Although our study was limited by the relatively small number of patients included, we identified several miRNAs associated with pathogenesis, leukemic transformation, and prognosis in MDS.

Traditional severity criteria of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome/veno-occlusive disease (SOS/VOD) were determined retrospectively but found inappropriate for therapeutic decisions. Data of 203 patients with SOS/VOD were collected according to the modified Seattle diagnostic criteria and were analyzed for validation of the revised severity criteria recently proposed from European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT). According to the traditional severity criteria, none of the patients were mild grade, while 63.1% were moderate and 36.9% were severe grade. However, according to the revised EBMT criteria, the majority of patients (63.1%) were very severe, 18.2% were severe, 12.8% were moderate, and 5.9% were mild grade. The 100-day overall survival (OS) of mild, moderate, severe and very severe groups was 83.3, 84.3, 94.6, and 58.6%, respectively. Very severe SOS/VOD showed a significantly lower OS than the others (58.6 vs. 89.3%, p

Background/aims Rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) is usually incorporated in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to reduce the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). This study aimed to find optimal ATG doses in patients undergoing human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mismatched allogeneic HSCT. Methods We retrospectively collected medical records from 352 consecutive patients with acute myeloid leukemia (n = 214), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 62), or myelodysplastic syndrome (n = 76) in eight centers of Korea between 2005 and 2015. All patients received busulfan-based conditioning without total body irradiation (TBI) and received stem cells from HLA-mismatched donors. Results In the current study, 5-year overall survival rates of patients receiving low to medium doses of ATG (2.5 to 7.5 mg/kg) were higher than those receiving other doses of ATG (hazard ratio [HR], 0.528; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.311 to 0.897; p = 0.018). The incidence rates of extensive chronic GVHD (ecGVHD) after administration of low to medium doses of ATG were lower than those after other doses of ATG (HR, 0.447; 95% CI, 0.224 ton 0.889; p = 0.022). Conclusion The low to medium doses of ATG may be associated with improving survival outcomes and reducing incidence of ecGVHD without enhancing the chances of relapse in patients with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome undergoing non-TBI-based HLA-mismatched allogeneic HSCT.

Introduction Acquired haemophilia A (AHA) treatment involves the haemostatic treatment for acute haemorrhage and immunosuppressive therapy (IST) to eradicate FVIII inhibitory antibodies. Aim We assessed the clinical features of AHA and analysed treatment outcomes in Korea. We further identified prognostic factors affecting treatment outcomes. Methods Medical records of 55 patients with AHA from 18 institutions were reviewed retrospectively. Logistic and Cox regression analyses were performed to elucidate clinical factors affecting the achievement of complete remission (CR). The primary endpoint was time to CR after IST, and secondary endpoints were time to haemostasis, the achievement of CR, and overall survival (OS). Results Among the 55 patients, 50 (91%) had bleeding symptoms. Bleeding was severe in 74% of patients. Thirty-six (72%) patients received haemostatic therapy. Of the 42 patients who received IST, 23 (52%) received steroid alone, with a 52% response rate, and 10 (25%) received a combination of steroid and cyclophosphamide, with an 83% response rate. Five (16%) patients relapsed after a median duration of 220 days. There were eight deaths. In the Cox regression analysis, the FVIII inhibitor titre ≥ 20 BU/mL was the only significant prognostic factor affecting time to CR and haemostasis. No significant difference was observed in OS based on the inhibitor titre. Conclusion The present study demonstrated the demographic data of AHA in Korea and showed that FVIII inhibitory antibody titre was a predictor of time to achieve CR after IST.

Background This study presents outcomes of management in graft failure (GF) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) and provides prognostic information including rare cases of autologous reconstitution (AR). Methods We analyzed risk factors and outcomes of primary and secondary GF, and occurrence of AR in 1,630 HCT recipients transplanted over period of 18 years (January 2000–September 2017) at our center. Results Primary and secondary GF occurred in 13 (0.80%), and 69 patients (10-year cumulative incidence, 4.5%) respectively. No peri-transplant variables predicted primary GF, whereas reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimen (relative risk [RR], 0.97–28.0, P < 0.001) and lower CD34+ cell dose (RR, 2.44–2.84, P = 0.002) were associated with higher risk of secondary GF in multivariate analysis. Primary GF demonstrated 100% mortality, in the secondary GF group, the 5-year Kaplan-Meier survival rate was 28.8%, relapse ensued in 18.8%, and AR was observed in 11.6% (n = 8). In survival analysis, diagnosis of aplastic anemia (AA), chronic myeloid leukemia and use of RIC had a positive impact. There were 8 patients who experienced AR, which was rarely reported after transplantation for acute leukemia. Patient shared common characteristics such as young age (median 25 years), use of RIC regimen, absence of profound neutropenia, and had advantageous survival rate of 100% during follow period without relapse. Conclusion Primary GF exhibited high mortality rate. Secondary GF had 4.5% 10-year cumulative incidence, median onset of 3 months after HCT, and showed 5-year Kaplan-Meier survival of 28.8%. Diagnosis of severe AA and use of RIC was both associated with higher incidence and better survival rate in secondary GF group. AR occurred in 11.6% in secondary GF, exhibited excellent prognosis., Graphical Abstract

Background and objectives There are limited data in real clinical practice on the diagnostic value of a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid galactomannan (GM) assay in patients with suspected invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) who had negative serum GM results. Thus, we investigated the diagnostic performance of a BAL GM assay in patients with negative serum GM assay results who were suspected to have IPA. Methods This retrospective study was performed between May 2008 and April 2019 at a tertiary care hospital in Seoul, South Korea. All patients with suspected IPA whose serum GM assays revealed negative results who sequentially underwent BAL were enrolled in this study. Results A total of 341 patients with suspected IPA including 4 cases of proven IPA, 38 case of probable IPA, 107 cases of possible IPA, and 192 patients without IPA were enrolled. Of these 341 patients, 107 (31%) with possible IPA were excluded from the final analysis. Of 42 patients with proven and probable IPA who had initial negative serum GM results, 24 (57%) had positive BAL GM results (n = 24) or BAL fungal culture results (n = 8). In addition, BAL revealed evidence of other opportunistic infections including Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (14% [26/190]), cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonia (5% [9/188]), and respiratory viral pneumonia (6% [12/193]). Conclusion Sequential BAL in patients with suspected IPA who had initial negative serum GM results provided additional diagnostic yield in approximately half of patients with evidence of another co-infection.

Core-binding factor (CBF)-acute myeloid leukemia (AML) generally have a favorable prognosis. However, approximately 50% of patients experience disease relapse during or after post-remission therapy. Retrospective studies on autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) have shown improved survival with decreased relapse rate in CBF-AML. In this prospective study, we evaluate the outcomes of AHCT following high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation in patients with CBF-AML in first complete remission (CR). Adult patients with CBF-AML achieving first CR after induction chemotherapy were eligible for the study. High-dose chemotherapy before AHCT included intravenous busulfan (3.2 mg/kg/day, days − 7 to − 5) and etoposide (400 mg/m2/day, days − 3 to − 2). Twenty-nine patients, 17 with t(8;21) and 12 with inv(16), underwent AHCT following 2 or 3 courses of HiDAC consolidation. The estimated 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates were between 89.0% and 82.5%, respectively. The cumulative incidences of relapse and non-relapse mortality were between 17.5% and 0%, respectively. Presence of measurable residual disease (MRD) before AHCT and KIT mutation were significantly associated with relapse after transplantation. In conclusion, the post-remission strategy of AHCT following HiDAC consolidation in CBF-AML was feasible and efficacious. Assays for MRD and KIT mutation may guide selection of patients who will benefit from AHCT in CBF-AML in first CR.

Objective The clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are influenced by patients’ age. We evaluated the impact of age on remission induction therapy for AML. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 3,011 adult AML patients identified from a nationwide database between January 2007 and December 2011. Results Three hundred twenty-nine (10.9%) acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and 2,682 (89.1%) non-APL patients were analyzed. The median age was 51 years and 55% of patients were male. Six hundred twenty-three patients (21%) were at favorable risk, 1522 (51%) were at intermediate risk, and 743 (25%) were at poor risk. As the age increased, the proportion of those at favorable risk and who received induction chemotherapy decreased. After induction therapy, complete response (CR) was achieved in 81.5% (243/298) of APL and 62.4% (1,409/2,258) of non-APL patients; these rates decreased as the age increased, with an obvious decrement in those older than 60 years. The median overall survival of non-APL patients was 18.7 months, while that of APL patients was not reached, with a 75% five-year survival rate. Conclusions Age impacts both the biology and clinical outcomes of AML patients. Further studies should confirm the role of induction remission chemotherapy by age group.

The prognosis of patients with acute leukemia relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is dismal. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes and prognostic factors of the second HSCT (HSCT2) in acute leukemia patients relapsed after the first HSCT (HSCT1). We analyzed 80 patients who received HSCT2 for relapsed acute leukemia in two Korean institutes. All but four patients received HSCT2 from a donor other than matched sibling donor: an unrelated donor (URD) in 30 and a familial haploidentical donor (FHD) in 46. Forty-four patients (55.0%) were in complete remission (CR) or CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi) at HSCT2, and the median time from HSCT1 to relapse was nine months. The two-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were 21.0% and 17.5%, respectively. The outcomes were similar between URD and FHD. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that disease status (active disease vs. CR/CRi) at HSCT2 and remission duration after HSCT1 were independent prognostic factors for OS and EFS after HSCT2. HSCT2 from URD or FHD was feasible in patients with acute leukemia relapsed after allogeneic HSCT. Also, our study confirmed two critical prognostic factors; disease status at HSCT2 and remission duration after HSCT1.

The prognosis remains poor for patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) acute myeloid leukemia; thus, novel therapies are needed. We evaluated idasanutlin-a new, potent murine double minute 2 antagonist-alone or with cytarabine in patients with r/r acute myeloid leukemia, de novo untreated acute myeloid leukemia unsuitable for standard treatment or with adverse features, or secondary acute myeloid leukemia in a multicenter, open-label, phase 1/1b trial. Primary objectives were to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose for expansion (RDE) and characterize the safety profile of idasanutlin monotherapy and combination therapy. Clinical activity and pharmacokinetics were secondary objectives. Two idasanutlin formulations were investigated: a microprecipitate bulk powder (MBP) and optimized spray-dried powder (SDP). Following dose escalation, patients (N = 122) received idasanutlin at the RDE in the extension cohorts. No formal MTD was identified. Idasanutlin was tolerable alone and in combination with cytarabine. The RDE was determined as 600 mg twice a day for the MBP formulation and 300 mg twice a day for the SDP formulation. Adverse events were mostly grade 1/2 (76.2 %). The most common any-grade adverse events were gastrointestinal (including diarrhea [90.2 %]). The early death rate across all patients was 14.8 %. Plasma idasanutlin exposure was dose related. In TP53 wild-type patients, composite complete remission rates were 18.9 % with monotherapy and 35.6 % with combination therapy. Based on these results, idasanutlin development continued with further investigation in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01773408.

Cord blood transplantation (CBT) is a valuable alternative to bone marrow transplantation in adults without readily available donors. We conducted this study to investigate the feasibility of CBT for adult patients with acute leukemia with regards to impact of different conditioning and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis regimens on clinical outcomes. From 16 centers in Korea, 41 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 29 ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) patients undergoing CBT were enrolled. For AML patients, the neutrophil engraftment was observed in 87.5% of reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) and 72.0% of myeloablative conditioning (MAC) (p = 0.242). The median RFS was 5 months and OS 7 months. Conditioning regimen did not affect relapse free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS). GVHD prophylaxis using calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) plus methotrexate was associated with better RFS compared to CNI plus ATG (p = 0.032). For ALL patients, neutrophil engraftment was observed in 55.6% of RIC and 90.0% of MAC (p = 0.034). The median RFS was 5 months and OS 19 months. MAC regimens, especially total body irradiation (TBI)-based regimen, were associated with both longer RFS and OS compared to other conditioning regimens. In conclusion, individualized conditioning regimens will add value in terms of enhancing safety and efficacy of CBT.

Given the unsatisfactory survival in patients who received high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs), we conducted a prospective trial of busulfan (Bu), etoposide (E), cytarabine (A), and melphalan (M) (BuEAM), including IV Bu instead of carmustine (BCNU) as in standard BEAM, as a high-dose regimen in such patients. This study evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of BuEAM as a high-dose regimen for ASCT in patients with T-cell lymphomas. The high-dose chemotherapy at seven centers in Korea included Bu (3.2 mg/kg IV qd from day 6 to day 5), E (200 mg/m2 IV bid on day 4 and day 3), A (1 g/m2 IV qd on day 4 and day 3), and M (140 mg/m2 IV qd on day 2). Eighty-one patients were enrolled in this study. The main subtypes were peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not other specified (n = 32, 39.5%), NK/T-cell lymphoma (n = 22, 27.5%), and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (n = 12, 14.8%). Upfront and salvage ASCTs were performed in 65 (80.2%) and 16 (19.8%) patients, respectively. The disease status of the patients before ASCT was 54 patients (66.7%) with complete response and 27 patients (33.3%) with partial response. The common grade-III toxicities were anorexia (8.6%), diarrhea (7.4%), and stomatitis (4.9%). No veno-occlusive disorder was noted. Fifty-six (69.1%) and seven (8.6%) patients achieved complete and partial response, respectively, after ASCT, although 17 patients (21.0%) showed progressive disease. At a median follow-up duration of 49.3 months, the estimated 3-year progression-free survival and overall survival were 55.2% and 68.2% in all patients. The BuEAM high-dose regimen for ASCT was well tolerated and seemed to be effective in patients with T-cell lymphomas.

The hypocellular variant of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is defined as bone marrow cellularity of

This retrospective analysis compared anthracyclines (as part of an induction regimen) in 128 newly diagnosed FLT3-ITD-mutated AML patients. Induction regimens comprised high-dose daunorubicin (HD-DN; 90 mg/m2/d × 3d; n = 44), standard-dose daunorubicin (SD-DN; 45 mg/m2/d × 3d; n = 51), or idarubicin (IDA; 12 mg/m2/d × 3d; n = 33) in combination with cytarabine (100–200 mg/m2/d × 7d). Fifty-three patients showing persistent leukemia on interim bone marrow examination received a second course of induction chemotherapy comprising 2 days of daunorubicin (45 mg/m2/d) or IDA (8 or 12 mg/m2/d) in addition to 5 days of cytarabine. Complete remission (CR) rates were 77.3%, 56.9%, and 69.7% for HD-DN, SD-DN, and IDA, respectively (P = 0.101; HD-DN vs. SD-DN, P = 0.036; HD-DN vs. IDA, P = 0.453; IDA vs. SD-DN, P = 0.237). The HD-DN showed higher overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) than SD-DN and IDA: the differences between HD-DN and SD-DN (P = 0.009 for OS and P = 0.010 for EFS) were statistically significant. Results of in vitro studies using FLT3-ITD-mutated cell lines supported these findings. In conclusion, HD-DN improved the CR rate, OS, and EFS of FLT3-ITD-mutated AML patients. HD-DN also tended to yield better outcomes than IDA, though the difference was not significant. The superiority of HD-DN over IDA should be confirmed in future studies.

The prognosis of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia is much worse than that of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia, even when patients achieve complete remission. Early response to treatment can be an important alternative indicator of treatment outcomes. The purpose of our current study was to identify the prognostic value of the blast percentage of the induction interim bone marrow, which might predict relapse-free survival and overall survival in patients with adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A retrospective analysis was performed on 80 adult patients diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia from 1994 to 2011. Complete remission was observed in 75 (93.8%) patients after induction chemotherapy. On multivariate analysis, a reduction of blasts to a level of 5% or less in the induction interim bone marrow and CD20 positivity were significant prognostic predictors of relapse-free survival (hazard ratio, HR = 2.88, p = 0.006, and HR = 2.67, p = 0.010) and overall survival (HR = 2.10, p = 0.033, and HR = 2.39, p = 0.013). The blast percentage of the induction interim bone marrow may be a useful prognostic factor to predict outcome.

Introduction: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is an only potentially curative option for patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Owing to the advances in treatment strategies including reduced intensity conditioning, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prevention and supportive care, more elderly patients or those with comorbidities can proceed to allogeneic HCT. However, the long-term survival rate following allogeneic HCT is reported to be less than 50%, and non-relapse mortality (NRM) rate is still high reaching upto 30%. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) as a GVHD prophylaxis in allogeneic HCT for higher-risk MDS patients. We also compared the post-transplantation outcomes of PTCy group and those of historical control who received HCT using anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG). Methods: Patients with higher-risk MDS or MDS/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) with bone marrow blast ≥ 5% were included in this study. Higher-risk MDS was defined by MDS with International Prognostic Scoring System >1.0 or bone marrow blast ≥ 5% at any time points before HCT. Conditioning regimen consists of busulfan (4-days for patients aged Results: Ninety-two and 144 patients received allogeneic HCT using PTCy and ATG, respectively. The median overall survival were 47.9 and 44.0 months, respectively (P=.383). Cumulative incidence of total and grade II-IV acute GVHD in PTCy and ATG group were 19.6% vs. 37.5% (P=.002), and 2.6% vs. 21.7% (P Conclusion: Allogeneic HCT using PTCy as GVHD prophylaxis in higher-risk MDS seems feasible in terms of low rate of acute GVHD and relapse incidence. Disclosures Choi: Ingenium Therapeutics, Daejeon, Korea: Consultancy, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company. Lee: Ingenium Therapeutics, Daejeon, Korea: Consultancy, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company. Lee: Korean Society of Hematology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; AbbVie: Honoraria, Other: Advisory board.

Background: Gilteritinib (GIL), a FLT3 inhibitor, shows efficacy/safety in patients (pts) with FLT3mut+ relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML. For pts with newly diagnosed (ND) AML with FLT3 mutations unable to receive intensive induction chemotherapy (IIC), survival is limited, and therapy options are few. In preclinical studies, GIL plus azacitidine (AZA) impeded tumor growth and induced apoptosis/differentiation of FLT3-ITD AML cell lines. Antitumor effects appeared synergistic in xenografted mouse models (data on file). We investigated GIL+AZA vs AZA in adults with ND FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for IIC (NCT02752035). Aim/Objective: To compare efficacy and safety/tolerability of GIL+AZA and AZA in pts with ND FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for IIC. Methods: Pts were initially randomized (1:1:1) to GIL (120 mg/day orally on Days 1-28) plus AZA (75 mg/m 2/day SC/IV on Days 1-7), AZA (same regimen), or GIL (same regimen) during 28-day cycles. The GIL arm was removed due to preferred therapy changes. Pts were then randomized (2:1) to GIL+AZA or AZA alone. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) and key secondary endpoint was event-free survival (EFS). Treatment failure date was randomization date if complete remission (CR) was not achieved after 6 cycles. Subgroup/sensitivity analyses were prespecified. Response rates, safety/tolerability, and pharmacokinetic endpoints were analyzed. Data from long-term follow-up ≤3 yrs were obtained, including subsequent AML therapy. These results are from an interim analysis at 70 deaths (~50% of total deaths). Results: As of August 26, 2020, 123 pts were randomized to GIL+AZA (n=74) and AZA (n=49); 39 (52.7%) and 31 (63.3%) deaths, respectively, occurred. Median age was 78 yrs with GIL+AZA and 76 yrs with AZA; ECOG PS ≥2 was 47.3% and 32.7%, and FLT3-ITD alone was in 78.4% and 81.6% of pts, respectively (TKD alone 18.9% vs 14.3%; ITD with TKD 2.7% vs 4.1%). Median follow-up was 9.76 mo for GIL+AZA and 17.97 mo for AZA. Median exposure duration was 112 days for GIL in the GIL+AZA arm (n=73); AZA exposure was 98 and 99 days in the GIL+AZA and AZA (n=47) arms, respectively. Subsequent AML therapy was received by 20.3% pts on GIL+AZA and 44.9% pts on AZA; median time to first subsequent therapy was 8.2 and 4.5 mo, respectively. In the AZA arm, 22 pts received subsequent AML therapy, including 10 pts on GIL and 4 pts on other FLT3 inhibitors. Median OS was 9.82 mo for GIL+AZA and 8.87 mo for AZA (HR 0.916 [95% CI 0.529, 1.585]; P=.753). Patient subgroups with improved OS with GIL+AZA vs AZA included pts with ECOG PS 0-1 (HR 0.811 [95% CI 0.409, 1.608]) and high FLT3-ITD allelic ratio ≥0.5 (HR 0.580 [95% CI 0.285, 1.182]). Median EFS was 0.03 mo in both arms (HR 1.175 [95% CI 0.764, 1.807]; P=.459). In sensitivity analyses, median EFS with events based on composite CR (CRc; CR+CRi+CRp) was 5.03 mo for GIL+AZA and 3.29 mo for AZA (HR 0.924 [95% CI 0.576, 1.482]; P=.767). Although CR rates for both arms were similar (16.2% vs 14.3%), CRc rates were significantly higher for GIL+AZA vs AZA (58.1 vs 26.5%, difference 31.4% [95% CI 13.1, 49.7]; P No substantial differences in GIL trough concentrations at steady state (C trough) were seen between GIL+AZA and GIL alone (prior to arm removal). However, on Cycle 1 Day 15, median GIL C trough was 579 ng/mL (GIL+AZA and GIL arms) in contrast to C trough of 279 ng/mL observed with GIL monotherapy in the ADMIRAL trial in pts with R/R AML. Reasons for this difference are being evaluated. No apparent relationship was seen between C trough and response rates/grade of thrombocytopenia or neutropenia. Conclusions: In this trial of pts with ND FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for IIC, GIL+AZA led to significantly higher CRc rates but similar OS vs AZA alone. Pts with ECOG PS 0-1 and high FLT3-ITD allelic ratio appeared to have greater benefit with GIL+AZA. No new safety signals were seen. Curiously, C trough values in pts with ND FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for IIC were 2-fold greater than in pts with R/R FLT3mut+ AML. These results support the safety, tolerability, and activity of GIL+AZA vs AZA. Disclosures Wang: GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Mana Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Kite Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Kura Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, steering committee, Speakers Bureau; Stemline Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, Speakers Bureau; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; DAVA Oncology: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Rafael Pharmaceuticals: Other: Data safety monitoring committee; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; PTC Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Genentech: Consultancy; MacroGenics: Consultancy. Montesinos: Stemline/Menarini: Consultancy; Sanofi: 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, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Forma Therapeutics: Consultancy; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Glycomimetics: Consultancy; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Tolero Pharmaceutical: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Teva: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Agios: Consultancy; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Minden: Astellas: Consultancy. Lee: Korean Society of Hematology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; AbbVie: Honoraria, Other: Advisory board. Heuser: Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BergenBio: Research Funding; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Tolremo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bayer Pharma AG: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Jazz: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding. Naoe: Fuji Film: Other: Study funding for JAGSE; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Other: Study funding for JAGSE; Bristol-Myers: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Daichi Sankyo: Other: Study funding for JAGSE; Otsuka Pharma: Honoraria. Chou: Abbvie: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; IQVIA: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Pfizer: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kirin: Honoraria, Research Funding. Laribi: IQONE: Other: Personal Fees; Takeda: Other: Personal Fees, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Other: Personal Fees; BeiGene: Other: Personal Fees; Astellas Phama, Inc.: Other: Personal Fees; Jansen: Research Funding; AbbVie: Other: Personal Fees, Research Funding; Le Mans Hospital: Research Funding; Novartis: Other: Personal Fees, Research Funding. Esteve: Jazz: Consultancy; Novartis: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb/Celgene: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Astellas: Consultancy. Altman: ALZ Oncology: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Biosight: Consultancy, Other: Travel fees, Research Funding; Kartos: Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Syros: Consultancy; BMS: Research Funding; GlycoMimetics: Other: Participation on an advisory board; Aprea: Research Funding; Kura: Research Funding; Kura Oncology: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Theradex: Consultancy, Other: Advisory boards; Fujifilm: Research Funding; Astellas: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Immunogen: Research Funding. Havelange: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Travel fees, Participation on an advisory board; BMS: Other: Travel fees, Participation on an advisory board; Incyte: Other: Advisory board; Abbvie: Other: Advisory board. Watson: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy; Roche, Amgen: Other: Travel support. Patkowska: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Other: Travel fees; Pfizer: Other: Travel fees; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Travel fees; Angelini Pharma: Honoraria, Other: Travel fees; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Travel fees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Other: Travel fees; AMGEN: Honoraria; Servier: Honoraria, Other: Travel fees; KCR US, Inc.: Consultancy. Liu: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Current Employment. Wu: Astellas: Current Employment. Philipose: Astellas Pharma Global Development: Current Employment. Hill: Astellas Pharma Global Development: Current Employment; Ligacept, LLC: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Other: Stockholder. Gill: Astellas Pharma Global Development: Current Employment. Rich: Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Current Employment. Tiu: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Current Employment.

Background Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), where T- and B-cells derived from the graft attack host, is still a vital hurdle to overcome for successful allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). In particular, chronic GVHD (cGVHD) occurs approximately 30-70% of the patients and it is the most relevant cause of non-relapse morbidity (NRM) after allo-SCT. This multicenter, phase II study evaluated the safety and efficacy of imatinib mesylate in patients with steroid-resistant cGVHD. In addition, we scored the quality of life of the enrolled patients using Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). Patients and methods A total of 36 patients who diagnosed with steroid-refractory cGVHD participated in this study and treated with imatinib from March 2013 to February 2019. Enrolled patients received 100mg of imatinib daily for 2 weeks. Every 2 weeks, imatinib dosage was increased up to 400 mg/day if the patients did not have any grade 3-4 adverse event. Patients who showed stable disease (SD), partial remission (PR) and complete remission (CR) in the 3-month response evaluation continued the imatinib up to 6 months. Treatment response was evaluated every 2 weeks for 6 months according to the NIH global scoring system. Survival outcomes of the enrolled patients were followed up to 2 years. Quality of life was also evaluated using SF-36 at 1, 3, and 6 months after starting imatinib treatment. Response of cGVHD was evaluated based on the NIH response criteria by scoring each involved organ sites with four-point scale (0-3). CR was defined as resolution of all reversible manifestations related to cGVHD. Partial response (PR) of cGVHD was defined clinical score reduction of at least one point in one or more affected organs. Disease progression or treatment failure was defined as increased score at least one point in one or more organs or occurrence of any new symptoms or signs of c GVHD. Failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated from the day of starting imatinib. Result Median age was 47.5 years (23-63). Majority of the patients were diagnosed with acute leukemia (75%) and myelodysplastic syndrome (16.9%), and underwent allo-SCT in CR disease status (69.5%). Twenty-five (69.4%) patients experienced acute GVHD. Most of the patients presented overlap symptoms. Skin GVHD was identified in 23 (63.9%) patients. Lung, mouth, and eye involvement were found in 16 (44.4%), 14 (38.9%), and 14 (38.9%) patients, respectively. All of the enrolled patients had been treated with steroid due to moderate (55.6%), and severe (44.4%) grade cGVHD. Overall, median duration of imatinib therapy was 5.4 months and no severe adverse effect over grade 3 was reported. The last therapeutic mean dosage of imatinib was 305.6 mg/day. Three patients (8.3%) achieved CR, and 18 (50%) and 12 patients (33.3%) were reported as PR and SD. Treatment failure was identified in three patients (8.3%). Overall response rate (ORR) of imatinib was 58.3% and 25 patients (69.4%) could reduce the steroid. According to the each involved organ site, ORR of the gastrointestinal (GI) and liver cGHVD were 70.5% and 66.7%, while skin and lung were 34.8% and 25.0%, respectively. The efficacy of imatinib was better in GI, liver, and mouth than skin and lung in the current clinical study. With the median follow-up duration of 28.5 months, two-year FFS and OS rate were 76% and 88.5%. Responders to the imatinib therapy showed a superior tendency in OS than non-responders (p = 0.066). In the patients-reported QOL evaluation with SF-36, both physical and mental component score were improved. Particularly, a factor representing emotional well-being was significantly improved (p = 0.002). Conclusion This multicenter clinical study showed that imatinib is an effective option not only for skin GVHD but also for GI and liver involvement. Moreover, QOL of the patients tended to improve during imatinib treatment with steroid dose reduction. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Lee: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; AbbVie: Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Korean Society of Hematology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Background Idiopathic cytopenia of undetermined significance (ICUS) is characterized by a persistent and clinically significant cytopenias which does not meet the diagnostic criteria for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In some patients with ICUS, disease evolution to MDS or acute myeloid leukemia after variable periods of time was observed in several studies. However, the incidence and predictive factors of progression as well as management guidelines for ICUS patients are not well established. We aimed to identify the clinical and genetic characteristics of ICUS in comparison with lower-risk MDS for understanding the pathophysiologic features and providing guidance for treating physicians. Methods We performed targeted deep sequencing including 61 myeloid neoplasm-related genes with a MiSeqDx sequencer (Illumina) using bone marrow (BM) samples obtained from the patients with ICUS (n=139) and MDS (n=226) between May 2009 and December 2019. The cut-off level of variant allele frequency (VAF) was set to 2.0% of mutant allele reads. Cloncal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) was defined as ICUS with ≥ 2% VAF of mutations and lower-risk MDS was defined as MDS with revised international prognostic scoring system ≤3.5. Results When we compared the overall survival (OS) of the patients according to the disease subtypes, OS of CCUS (77.0% at 5-year) was significantly better than that of higher-risk MDS (41.0%, P Conclusion In our study, CCUS and lower-risk MDS showed similar OS which was significantly better than higher-risk MDS and worse than non-clonal ICUS. The clinical and mutational characteristics were also similar except for the degree of anemia and the SF3B1 and STAT3 mutation. Our findings suggest that the patients with CCUS may be regarded and treated as the lower-risk MDS despite a lack of significant dysplasia or MDS-associated definitive chromosomal abnormality. Disclosures Choi: Ingenium Therapeutics, Daejeon, Korea: Consultancy, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company. Lee: Ingenium Therapeutics, Daejeon, Korea: Consultancy, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company. Lee: Korean Society of Hematology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board.

We retrospectively analyzed the results of hypomethylating therapy in 586 patients (azacitidine in 423 and decitabine in 163) with International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The patients were reclassified with newer scoring systems (revised IPSS [R-IPSS], revised WHO classification-based Prognostic Scoring System [R-WPSS], and Lower Risk Prognostic Scoring System [LR-PSS]), and 21.8-38.4% of patients had high or very high risk features by the newer scoring systems. Median overall survival (OS) was 27.3 months and newer scoring systems well stratified the patients in terms of OS (R-IPSS, P=0.001; R-WPSS, P

To investigate the role of antithymocyte globulin (ATG)-containing reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from unrelated (UD) or haploidentical family donors (HFD), we conducted a phase 2 trial of 237 patients (age range, 16 to 69 years) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in remission. Patients undergoing UD-HCT (n = 93) or HFD-HCT (n = 59) received RIC comprising busulfan, fludarabine, and ATG, 9 mg/kg, whereas those undergoing HCT from matched sibling donors (MSD, n = 85) received myeloablative busulfan and cyclophosphamide conditioning or aforementioned RIC with ATG, 4.5 mg/kg. For graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, cyclosporine and methotrexate were administered. The median follow-up period was 44.7 months after HCT for 161 survivors. For UD-HCT versus HFD-HCT, there were no significant differences in leukemia recurrence, nonrelapse mortality, relapse-free survival, grades 2 to 4 acute GVHD, and moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD. Furthermore, when the outcomes of UD-HCT and HFD-HCT were combined and compared with those of MSD-HCT, there were no significant differences in leukemia recurrence (3-year cumulative incidence, 30% versus 29%), nonrelapse mortality (3-year cumulative incidence, 7% versus 8%), relapse-free survival (3-year estimate, 63% versus 63%), and grades 2 to 4 acute GVHD (120-day cumulative incidence, 16% versus 13%). Moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD, however, occurred less frequently in UD/HFD-HCT (2-year cumulative incidence, 22% versus 40%; P = .006). The addition of ATG to conditioning regimen was a significant predictor for less chronic GVHD (subdistribution hazard ratio, .59). In AML in remission, UD/HFD-HCT after ATG-containing RIC achieved leukemia control equivalent to that of MSD-HCT. Despite HLA disparity in UD/HFD-HCT, chronic GVHD occurred less frequently after ATG-containing RIC, suggesting a strong GVHD-modulating effect of ATG.

Purpose We compared two induction regimens, idarubicin (12 mg/m2/d for 3 days) versus high-dose daunorubicin (90 mg/m2/d for 3 days), in young adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients and Methods A total of 299 patients (149 randomly assigned to cytarabine plus idarubicin [AI] and 150 assigned to cytarabine plus high-dose daunorubicin [AD]) were analyzed. All patients received cytarabine (200 mg/m2/d for 7 days). Results Complete remission (CR) was induced in 232 patients (77.6%), with no difference in CR rates between the AI and AD arms (80.5% v 74.7%, respectively; P = .224). At a median follow-up time of 34.9 months, survival and relapse rates did not differ between the AI and AD arms (4-year overall survival, 51.1% v 54.7%, respectively; P = .756; cumulative incidence of relapse, 35.2% v 25.1%, respectively; P = .194; event-free survival, 45.5% v 50.8%, respectively; P = .772). Toxicity profiles were also similar in the two arms. Interestingly, overall and event-free survival times of patients with FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutation were significantly different (AI v AD: median overall survival, 15.5 months v not reached, respectively; P = .030; event-free survival, 11.9 months v not reached, respectively; P = .028). Conclusion This phase III trial comparing idarubicin with high-dose daunorubicin did not find significant differences in CR rates, relapse, and survival. Significant interaction between the treatment arm and the FLT3-ITD mutation was found, and high-dose daunorubicin was more effective than idarubicin in patients with FLT3-ITD mutation.

Treatment with azacitidine (AZA), a demethylating agent, prolonged overall survival (OS) vs conventional care in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). As median survival with monotherapy is

Our previous study showed that a less toxic regimen comprising reduced cyclophosphamide (Cy), fludarabine and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) (Cy-Flu-ATG), was less toxic for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) compared with standard Cy-ATG in patients with adult severe aplastic anemia (AA). We postulated that replacing Cy with Flu (Flu-ATG) would be more beneficial. Therefore, we performed a randomized phase III study to compare the regimen-related toxicities (RRTs) of two different conditioning regimens: Cy-ATG vs. Flu-ATG. Pre-defined RRTs were defined as pulmonary complications, hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), hemorrhagic cystitis and death of any causes. We present the final analysis. Patients in the Cy-ATG arm received Cy at 200 mg/kg. Those in the Flu-ATG arm received fludarabine (Flu) at 180 mg/m2. Bone marrow (BM) as allowed when the donor was matched sibling donor and otherwise stem cell source was mobilized peripheral blood (PB). Regimen for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) was cyclosporine and short-course methotrexate. A total of 63 patients (31 patients in Cy-ATG and 32 patients in Flu-ATG) were enrolled. The basic patients'characteristics were similar between both arms in terms of gender, age, prior immune suppression therapy history, stem cell source, stem cell dose, donor type and HLA-matching. There were 36 unrelated donors in each arm (p=1.000). All predefined RRTs were similar between Cy-ATG and Flu-ATG (33.3% vs. 21.9%; p=0.691). There was no difference between Cy-ATG and Flu-ATG in terms of pulmonary complications (12.9% vs. 3.1%; p=1.000), SOS (0% vs. 3.1%; p=1.000), hemorrhagic cystitis (6.5% vs. 3.1%; p=0.607) and death of any causes (23.3% vs. 15.6%; p=0.443). Primary engraftment failure was not found in Flu-ATG arm but 2 patients in Cy-ATG (p = 0.230), one of which died of treatment-related hepatic toxicity before engraftment. However, there was higher secondary engraftment failure inFlu-ATG arms compared with Cy-ATG (2nd GF; 21.9% vs. 6.9%; p=0.098). Therefore, any engraftment failure was not different between Cy-ATG vs. Flu-ATG (13.3% vs. 21.9%; p=0.379). The incidence of all grades acute GvHD was significantly higher in Cy-ATG arm (35.7% vs. 9.4%; p=0.013). The incidence of chronic GvHD was lower in Cy-ATG arm but was not statistically significant (11.5% vs. 23.1%; p=0.271). Any significant treatment-related toxicities including RRTs were similar between Cy-ATG and Flu-ATG arms (43.3% vs. 43.8%; p=0.974). The 3-year survival rate did not differ between Cy-ATG and Flu-ATG (72.9% vs. 79.3%; p=0.329). In conclusion, Flu-ATG can be comparable with Cy-ATG in terms of RRT and survival.

Background Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) is an exact method of measurement in cancer research. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate minimal residual disease (MRD) using ddPCR in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We also evaluated treatment outcome depending on BCR/ABL1 transcript level using ddPCR. Methods Between May 2013 and November 2014, CML patients treated with nilotinib as the first-line therapy were enrolled. BCR/ABL1 transcripts levels were evaluated using ddPCR at the first time of complete molecular response (CMR). CMR was verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results We enrolled 15 patients from 7 institutions. The treatment period and median follow-up period were 45 months (range, 37–55 months) and 47 months (range, 39–61 months), respectively. The median value of BCR/ABL1 measured by ddPCR was 3.6 copies/20 μl (range, 1.2–6.8 copies/20 μl). Patients with a high level of BCR/ABL1 transcript had a greater tendency to lose the CMR during the follow-up period (0/10 (0%) for low levels vs. 2/5 (40%) for high levels, P = 0.095). In addition, patients with a low level of BCR/ABL1 transcript showed a longer duration of CMR than those with a high level (rate of sustained CMR at 2 years: 100% for low levels vs. 37.5% for high levels, P = 0.032). Conclusions We found that ddPCR is a sensitive method for detecting MRD and that MRD could affect the duration of the treatment response. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Introduction Decitabine has shown clinical benefits in patients with intermediate (INT)-2 or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), determined according to the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS), but the benefits have not been well demonstrated in patients with lower-risk (IPSS low or INT-1) disease. Recently, it was proposed that the prognosis for patients with IPSS lower-risk disease is heterogeneous, with a substantial proportion of these patients having poor survival. Patients and Methods This study included patients with IPSS lower-risk MDS from the DRAMA (An Observational Study for Dacogen Long-Term Treatment in Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome; NCT01400633 ) and DIVA (A Study for Dacogen Treatment in Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome; NCT01041846 ) studies, which were prospective observational studies on the efficacy and safety of decitabine treatment in patients with MDS. Using the Lower-Risk Prognostic Scoring System [LR-PSS], we classified IPSS lower-risk MDS. Patients in each LR-PSS category were divided according to overall response (OR) to decitabine treatment, and survival outcomes were compared. Results One hundred sixteen patients were enrolled: LR-PSS category 1 (n = 12; 10.3%), category 2 (n = 56; 48.3%), and category 3 (n = 48; 41.4%). Survival outcomes differed among the 3 categories (P = .046). The overall survival according to OR showed a significant difference in total patients (P = .008) and category 3 patients (P = .003). We analyzed predictive factors for OR, but no variable was found to significantly affect OR. Conclusion Decitabine treatment showed a survival benefit in the higher-risk group of IPSS lower-risk MDS patients who responded to treatment, and classification using the LR-PSS category was helpful for this subgroup, indicating that decitabine treatment might alter the natural course of disease in these patients.

Posaconazole prophylaxis is effective in decreasing the incidence of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the use of antifungal prophylaxis varies in real-life practice, and only a small number of studies have compared the incidence of IFDs between those receiving posaconazole prophylaxis and those without prophylaxis. We compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes of IFDs between patients with AML who received posaconazole prophylaxis and those without antifungal prophylaxis.We reviewed the medical records of adult AML patients who underwent induction chemotherapy between June 2016 and October 2019 at Asan Medical Center (Seoul, South Korea), where posaconazole prophylaxis is not administered in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms that may hinder sufficient absorption of oral prophylactic agents, and in patients with abnormal liver functions considering the possible exacerbation of adverse events. Patients who received posaconazole prophylaxis for ≥7 days were included in the prophylaxis group. Clinical characteristics and outcomes including the incidence of IFDs were compared between the 2 groups.Of the 247 patients with AML who underwent induction chemotherapy, 162 (66%) received posaconazole prophylaxis and 85 (34%) did not receive any prophylaxis. The incidence of proven/probable IFD was significantly higher in the no prophylaxis group than in the prophylaxis group (9.4% [8/85] vs 2.5% [4/162], P = .03). Of the 8 cases of IFDs in the no prophylaxis group, 7 were mold infections and 1 was invasive candidiasis. Of the 4 cases of IFDs in the prophylaxis group, 3 were mold infections and 1 was invasive candidiasis. Patients with posaconazole prophylaxis less frequently received therapeutic antifungal therapy (2.5% vs 9.4%, P = .03) and had a longer median, duration from chemotherapy to antifungal therapy compared with the no prophylaxis group (18 vs 11 days, P .99).Patients with AML who received posaconazole prophylaxis had a lower incidence of breakthrough IFDs compared with those who did not receive any prophylaxis. Invasive mold infection was the most common IFD regardless of antifungal prophylaxis.

Background: Recent advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies allow the simultaneous identification of targeted copy number alterations (CNAs) as well as somatic mutations using the same panel-based NGS data. We investigated whether CNAs detected by the targeted NGS data provided additional clinical implications, over somatic mutations, in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Methods: Targeted deep sequencing of 28 well-known MDS-related genes was performed for 266 patients with MDS. Results: Overall, 215 (80.8%) patients were found to have at least one somatic mutation; 67 (25.2%) had at least one CNA; 227 (85.3%) had either a somatic mutation or CNA; 160 had somatic mutations without CNA; and 12 had CNA without somatic mutations. Considering the clinical variables and somatic mutations alone, multivariate analysis demonstrated that sex, revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) and NRAS and TP53 mutations were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. For AML-free survival, these factors were sex, IPSS-R, and mutations in NRAS, DNMT3A, and complex karyotype/TP53 mutations. When we consider clinical variables along with somatic mutations and CNAs, genetic alterations in TET2, LAMB4, U2AF1, and CBL showed additional significant impact on the survivals. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the concurrent detection of somatic mutations and targeted CNAs may provide clinically useful information for the prognosis of MDS patients.

// Eun-Hye Hur 1, * , Seung-Hyun Jung 2, 3, * , Bon-Kwan Goo 1 , Juhyun Moon 1 , Yunsuk Choi 4 , Dae Ro Choi 5 , Yeun-Jun Chung 3, 6 , Je-Hwan Lee 1 1 Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea 2 Cancer Evolution Research Center, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea 3 Integrated Research Center for Genome Polymorphism, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea 4 Division of Hematology and Hematological Malignancies, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea 5 Division of Hemato-Oncology, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea 6 Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Je-Hwan Lee, email: jhlee3@amc.seoul.kr Yeun-Jun Chung, email: yejun@catholic.ac.kr Keywords: azacitidine, decitabine, MOLM-13, resistance, cytogenetics Received: June 16, 2016 Accepted: December 05, 2016 Published: December 28, 2016 ABSTRACT Two hypomethylating agents (HMAs), azacitidine and decitabine, have demonstrated clinical activities in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML); however, potential problems include development of acquired resistance. HMA-resistant patients have very poor prognosis and this cohort of patients constitutes an important area of research. To understand the mechanisms underlying HMA-resistance and to overcome it, we established an azacitidine-resistant cell line, MOLM/AZA-1 and a decitabine-resistant cell line, MOLM/DEC-5 using MOLM-13. For cytogenetic characterization, we performed microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH), which identified a total of 15 copy number alterations (CNAs). Among these CNAs, eight regions in HMA-resistant cell lines showed CNA patterns distinct from the parental MOLM-13 genome. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray was also performed to obtain a more reliable interpretation of the identified CNAs, and all HMA-resistance-specific CNAs except one detected by array-CGH were successfully validated. In addition to CNAs, copy neutral loss of heterozygosity and mosaic loss events were identified in HMA-resistant cell lines. In our resistant cell lines, MDR-1 was not overexpressed, while DNMT3b was upregulated. Azacitidine and decitabine did not inhibit DNMT1, DNMT3a, or DNMT3b in both HMA-resistant cell lines, while they inhibited the enzymes in parental MOLM-13. We also developed mouse xenograft models using MOLM/AZA-1 and MOLM/DEC-5. Our in vitro and in vivo models of HMA-resistant cell lines will provide clues for the elucidation of molecular mechanisms related to the development of resistance to HMA and tools for the application of novel therapeutics for AML and MDS.

Although hypomethylating therapy (HMT) is the first line therapy in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), predicting response to HMT remains an unresolved issue. We aimed to identify mutations associated with response to HMT and survival in MDS. A total of 107 Korean patients with MDS who underwent HMT (57 responders and 50 non-responders) were enrolled. Targeted deep sequencing (median depth of coverage 1,623X) was performed for 26 candidate MDS genes. In multivariate analysis, no mutation was significantly associated with response to HMT, but a lower hemoglobin level (

Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens can cause decreased non-relapse mortality (NRM) but lead to higher relapse rates in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). However, relapse is not the main problem after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in lower-risk MDS, and post-transplant outcomes may therefore improve with less intense non-myeloablative conditioning (NMC) regimens. We here report the results of a single-center feasibility study of NMC with cyclophosphamide-fludarabine-antithymocyte globulin (CyFluATG) in MDS patients with bone marrow blasts5 %. We compared post-transplant outcomes between CyFluATG and a RIC regimen, busulfan-fludarabine-antithymocyte globulin (BuFluATG). Fifteen MDS patients received allogeneic HCT after CyFluATG conditioning comprising cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg), fludarabine (150 mg/m(2)), and ATG, and 30 MDS historical control patients received BuFluATG conditioning which contained busulfan (8 [oral] or 6.4 [i.v.] mg/kg), fludarabine, and ATG. The 4-year overall survival (OS) and NRM rates were 80.0 and 20.0 % for CyFluATG and 73.3 and 20.0 % for BuFluATG, respectively. Neutrophil and platelet engraftment was significantly faster with CyFluATG than BuFluATG (median 12 vs. 14 days, P = 0.005 for neutrophils; median 15 vs. 21 days, P = 0.032 for platelets). CyFluATG produced a faster immune reconstitution of T-cells at 1 month after HCT than BuFluATG. Fertility was maintained after HCT with CyFluATG. In conclusion, the CyFluATG regimen is feasible in lower-risk MDS patients in terms of adequate engraftment and low NRM.

Background/Aims: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) surveillance and preemptive therapy is a widely-used strategy for preventing CMV disease in transplant recipients. However, there are limited data on the incidence and patterns of CMV disease during the preemptive period. Thus, we investigated the incidence and pattern of tissue-invasive CMV disease in CMV seropositive kidney transplantation (KT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) recipients during preemptive therapy. Methods: We prospectively identified patients with tissue-invasive CMV disease among 664 KT (90%) and 496 HCT (96%) recipients who were D+/R+ (both donor and recipient seropositive) during a 4-year period. Results: The incidence rates of CMV disease were 4.1/100 person-years (4%, 27/664) in KT recipients and 5.0/100 person-years (4%, 21/496) in HCT recipients. Twenty-six (96%) of the KT recipients with CMV disease had gastrointestinal CMV, whereas 17 (81%) of the HCT recipients had gastrointestinal CMV and 4 (19%) had CMV retinitis. Thus, CMV retinitis was more common among HCT recipients (p = 0.03). All 27 KT recipients with CMV disease suffered abrupt onset of CMV disease before or during preemptive therapy; 10 (48%) of the 21 HCT recipients with CMV disease were also classified in this way but the other 11 (52%) were classified as CMV disease following successful ganciclovir preemptive therapy (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The incidence of CMV disease was about 4% in both KT and HCT recipients during preemptive therapy. However, CMV retinitis and CMV disease as a relapsed infection were more frequently found among HCT recipients.

Aim We performed a phase II study to evaluate the efficacy of combination chemotherapy consisting of gemcitabine, dexamethasone and oxaliplatin (GemDOx) as a biweekly regimen and salvage therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Methods Gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2) and oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2) were administered intravenously on days 1 and 15, and dexamethasone (40 mg) was administered orally on days 1–4. Results Twenty-nine patients were enrolled, and most patients had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n = 18). The median age of the patients and median prior number of chemotherapy cycles were 53 (range, 26–74) years and 1 (range, 1–4) cycle, respectively. Only 17 (58.6%) and 9 (31.0%) patients completed two or more and four or more cycles, respectively, and the median number of received cycles was two (range, 1–8). Overall response rates were 27.6% (complete response in 13.8%) among intent-to-treat patients and 47.1% (complete response in 23.5%) among patients who had received at least two GemDOx cycles. Median progression-free survival and median overall survival were 3.9 and 20.5 months, respectively. The most-frequent grade 3 or 4 toxicity was neutropenia (22.9%), and no grade 3 or 4 peripheral neurotoxicity was noted. Conclusion GemDOx chemotherapy, therefore, showed modest activity against relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL, although toxicities were acceptable.

We performed a study on allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) from an HLA-haplo-identical familial donor (haploFD) using a busulfan-fludarabine-antithymocyte globulin conditioning regimen for severe aplastic anemia (sAA) and hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome. For the comparison between a haploFD and an alternative donor (AD; matched unrelated or partially matched donor) for sAA in adults, we collected haploFD data retrospectively and prospectively. Forty-eight AD cases were selected for the comparison with 16 haploFD cases. All transplantation outcomes except for extensive chronic graft versus host disease (GvHD) were similar. The frequencies of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (p = 1.000), acute GvHD (p = 0.769), grade 3/4 acute GvHD (p = 0.258), chronic GvHD (p = 0.173), extensive chronic GvHD (p = 0.099), primary neutrophil engraftment failure (p = 1.000), secondary graft failure (p = 1.000) and platelet engraftment failure (p = 0.505) were similar. Time to neutrophil engraftment was faster in haploFD (p = 0.003), while the cumulative incidence of platelet engraftment was similar (p = 0.505). Overall survival was also similar between AD and haploFD (p = 0.730). In conclusion, alloHCT from haploFD in sAA was comparable with alloHCT from AD, but extensive chronic GvHD seemed frequent in haploFD. Therefore alloHCT from haploFD could be an alternative approach for alloHCT from AD in adult sAA.

Background Elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has generally poor prognosis prognosis in accordance with their unfavorable clinical and biologic features. Hypomethylating agents have shown potential in the treatment of AML as well as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In this retrospective study, we compared the outcomes of elderly AML patients according to induction treatment options: decitabine versus intensive chemotherapy. We also tried to identify specific subsets of patients who are most likely to benefit from decitabine or intensive chemotherapy. Methods This study included elderly patients aged 65 years or older who received induction treatment with decitabine or intensive chemotherapy for newly diagnosed AML at a single institute. The endpoints for this study were overall survival (OS), response, and event-free survival (EFS). Response included complete remission (CR), CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi), and CR with partial hematologic recovery (CRh). Results A total of 107 patients, decitabine for 75 and intensive chemotherapy for 32, were analyzed. Decitabine was given as 20 mg/m2/day for 5 days every 4 weeks. Median 5 courses (range, 1-43) were delivered to the patients and 16 patients were still on decitabine treatment at the time of analysis. Intensive chemotherapy regimens included cytarabine plus daunoruribin (n=21) or idarubicin (n=10), and hyper-CVAD (n=1): 25 patients received one course and 7 received two courses for induction treatment. The rate for CR + CRi + CRh (CRR) was 38.6% (39 of 101 assessable patients). With a median follow-up duration of 14.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.0-22.8) among surviving patients, 79 patients died and 22 relapsed. The median OS and EFS were 12.3 months (95% CI, 10.0-14.7) and 4.1 months (95% CI, 2.5-5.7), respectively. Decitabine showed lower CRR (26.1% vs. 65.6, P Conclusion Decitabine showed similar OS to intensive chemotherapy despite of lower response rate in elderly AML patients. Clinical outcomes of specific subgroups seemed to be different according to induction treatment options. Further studies are warranted for selection of optimal treatment options for elderly AML patients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: Gilteritinib, a highly selective, potent FLT3/AXL inhibitor, showed antileukemic activity with favorable tolerability in a phase 1/2 trial of patients (pts) with FLT3mut+ relapsed/refractory AML (Perl AE, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2017). Gilteritinib plus azacitidine (AZA) synergistically induced apoptosis and inhibited growth in the MV4-11 cell line and in MV4-11 tumors (Ueno Y, et al. Blood. 2016). The safety, tolerability, and efficacy of gilteritinib alone, gilteritinib plus AZA, or AZA alone is being evaluated in pts with newly diagnosed FLT3mut+ AML ineligible for intensive induction chemotherapy; this abstract presents data from the Safety Cohort which evaluated only gilteritinib plus AZA. Methods: Adults with newly diagnosed FLT3mut+ (FLT3-ITD or FLT3-TKD) AML are being enrolled in this ongoing clinical trial (NCT02752035). Prior to initiation of the randomized portion of the study, the appropriate gilteritinib dose for combination therapy was assessed in a Safety Cohort. Patients enrolled in this cohort received escalating doses of oral gilteritinib (80 or 120 mg/day) on Days 1-28 in combination with subcutaneous or intravenous AZA (75 mg/m2/day) on Days 1-7. Observations of dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were collected through Cycle 1; treatment was continued in 28-day cycles until lack of clinical benefit or unacceptable toxicity. Safety and tolerability were the primary endpoints of the Safety Cohort; antileukemic response rates (ie, complete remission [CR], CR with incomplete platelet recovery [CRp], CR with incomplete hematological recovery [CRi], partial remission [PR], and overall response rate [ORR]) were also assessed. Results: A total of 15 adult pts (median age, 76 [range: 65-86]) were enrolled into the Safety Cohort (n=9, 80 mg gilteritinib; n=6, 120 mg gilteritinib); 14 pts were FLT3mut+ (ITD alone, n=10; TKD alone, n=3; ITD and TKD, n=1) and 1 pt had no FLT3 mutation. As of 25 June 2018, more than half (n=8/15; 56%, Figure) of the pts had a treatment duration of >6 mo, while 9 pts discontinued treatment (death, n=4; relapse; adverse event [AE]; physician decision; sponsor decision; subject withdrawal, n=1 each) and 6 pts remained on treatment. During the DLT observation period, 1 DLT (tumor lysis syndrome) was observed in a pt who received 80 mg gilteritinib plus AZA; no DLTs were reported in pts who received 120 mg gilteritinib plus AZA. One or more AEs were seen in all 15 pts; 12 (80%) experienced AEs considered at least possibly related to treatment. Adverse events occurring in ≥25% of pts were anemia (n=7), febrile neutropenia and nausea (n=6 each), increased ALT and AST, constipation, diarrhea, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and pyrexia (n=5 each), and decreased appetite, fatigue, increased blood creatinine, and hypocalcemia (n=4 each). Grade ≥3 AEs occurring in ≥25% of pts were febrile neutropenia (n=6), anemia and neutropenia (n=5 each), and thrombocytopenia (n=4). Serious AEs occurring in >2 pts were febrile neutropenia (n=5), and anemia and pyrexia (n=3 each). Of the 8 pts with fatal AEs, none of which were related to treatment, 3 occurred early in treatment: septic shock (Day 2), respiratory failure (Day 6), and cerebral hemorrhage in the setting of acute kidney injury and uremia (Day 17). None of the 13 pts with post-baseline lab data had any potentially clinically significant AST/ALT (>3 X ULN) and total bilirubin (>2 X ULN) values; none of the pts had a maximum post-baseline QTcF interval >500 msec. Across the Safety Cohort, a composite complete remission rate of 67% (n=10/15) was observed; 4 pts achieved a best overall response of CR and 6 achieved CRi (Figure). Two additional pts (13%) achieved a best overall response of PR, giving an ORR of 80%. One DLT from the 11 DLT evaluable pts (defined as pts who experienced a DLT, or in the absence of DLT, received at least 23 of 28 doses of gilteritinib and at least 5 of 7 doses of AZA during the DLT observation period) informed the decision to proceed to the randomized portion at a dose of 120 mg gilteritinib for the combination treatment arm. Conclusions: Gilteritinib and AZA were generally well tolerated with no unexpected AEs. This combination therapy induced antileukemic responses in newly diagnosed FLT3mut+ AML pts unfit to receive standard induction chemotherapy. Based on these results, pts are being enrolled into the randomized portion of the study with a dose of 120 mg gilteritinib for the combination treatment arm. Disclosures Wang: Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Jazz: Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy. Laribi:Amgen: Other: Personal fees; Takeda: Other: Grant and personal fees; Sandoz: Other: Grant; Novartis: Other: Grant and personal fees; Teva: Other: Grant; Gilead: Other: Personal fees; Hospira: Other: Grant; Roche: Other: Grant. Montesinos:Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Liu:Astellas Pharma: Employment. Rich:Astellas Pharma: Employment. Bahceci:Astellas Pharma: Employment.

We investigated the prognostic role of somatic mutations in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for de novo myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). We performed targeted deep sequencing analysis of 26 genes on bone marrow samples obtained within 6 weeks before HCT from 202 patients with de novo MDS. Overall, 76% of patients carried one or more somatic mutations, and TP53 mutation was present in 23 patients (11.4%). Overall survival (OS) at 5 years was 63.6%, cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was 18.6%, event-free survival (EFS) was 58.5%, and non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 22.9%. TP53 mutation was an independent risk factor for lower OS (41% vs. 67%; P = 0.001), higher CIR (49% vs. 15%; P = 0.001), and lower EFS (38% vs. 61%; P = 0.005), but not for NRM (13% vs. 24%). N-RAS mutation was an independent risk factor for higher CIR (HR, 5.91; P = 0.008). TP53 mutation did not have significant interactions with conditioning intensity or the occurrence of graft-versus-host disease with regard to post-transplant outcomes. In conclusion, TP53 mutation was significantly associated with poor outcomes after HCT for patients with de novo MDS, mainly due to a higher incidence of disease relapse.

Background Although allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only curative treatment option for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a substantial number of patients experience relapse. We reviewed the clinical outcomes of patients with MDS who relapsed after allogeneic HCT. Methods Thirty patients who experienced relapse or progression after allogeneic HCT for MDS between July 2000 and May 2016 were included in this retrospective analysis. Results The median time from HCT to relapse was 6.6 (range, 0.9-136.3) months. Donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) were administered to four patients: one achieved complete remission (CR) and survived disease free, while three did not respond to DLI and died. Hypomethylating agents were administered to seven patients: one who had stable disease continuously received decitabine, while six died without response to treatment. Six patients received AML-like intensive chemotherapy, and three achieved CR: two underwent second HCT and one DLI. One patient receiving second HCT survived without disease, but the other two relapsed and died. Three, four, and eight patients who did not respond to intensive chemotherapy, low-dose cytarabine, and best supportive care, respectively, died. One patient who underwent second HCT following cytogenetic relapse survived disease free. Median overall survival after relapse was 4.4 months, and relapse within 6 months after HCT was associated with shorter survival. Conclusion Outcomes of MDS patients relapsing after allogeneic HCT were disappointing. Some patients could be saved using DLI or second HCT.

Core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (CBF-AML) data in Asian countries has been rarely reported. We analyzed 392 patients with CBF-AML [281 with t(8;21), 111 with inv.(16)/t(16;16)] among data from 3041 patients with AML from the Korean AML Registry. Interestingly, del(9q) was less frequently detected in Korean than in German patients with t(8;21) (7.5% vs. 17%), and del(7q) was more frequently detected in Korean patients with inv(16). Overall survival (OS) was similar between patients in the first complete remission (CR) who received allogeneic (alloSCT) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for CBF-AML. OS of t(8;21) patients was poor when undergoing alloSCT in second/third CR, while OS of inv(16) patients in second/third CR was similar to that in first CR. Patients with > 3-log reduction of RUNX1/RUNX1T1 qPCR had improved 3-year event-free survival (EFS) than those without (73.2% vs. 50.3%). Patients with t(8;21) AML with D816 mutation of the c-Kit gene showed inferior EFS and OS. These poor outcomes might be overcome by alloSCT. Multivariate analysis for OS in patients with t(8;21) revealed older age, > 1 course of induction chemotherapy to achieve CR, loss of sex chromosome, del(7q), and second/third CR or not in CR before SCT as independent prognostic variables. Especially, del(7q) is the most powerful prediction factor of poor outcomes, especially in patients with t(8;21) (hazard ratio, 27.23; P