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Introduction and Objectives Since different PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography) scanners give different qualitative readings, a program for clinical trial qualification (CTQ) is mandatory to guarantee a reliable and reproducible use of PET/CT in prospective multi-centre clinical trials. Within this work we will show the results carried out in performing CTQ in Spain. Materials and Methods We set up, under the auspices of Grupo Espanol de Linfomas/Trasplante Autologo de Medula Osea (GELTAMO), a CTQ program consisting of the acquisition and analysis of 18 F uniformity and image quality phantoms for the reduction of inter-scanner variability (ISV). The ISV was estimated on background activity concentration (BAC) and sphere to background ratio (SBR) and defined as their 95% confidence level. Results Twenty-six out of 27 (96%) scanners fulfilled the CTQ requirements. The CTQ was fulfilled at the first round in 27% of the cases, while in 38%, 15% and 20%, two, three or more than three iterations, were required, respectively. The mean CTQ time was (1.8 ± 1.4) months (range: 0.3–4.6). The ISV in BAC and SBR were 20.3% and 67.7%. Conclusions The CTQ proven to be a reliable tool to reduce ISV. This enabled to set-up clinical trials in which PET/CT was used to evaluate different clinical endpoints.

espanolIntroduccion y objetivos Dado que los diferentes escaneres de PET/TC (tomografia por emision de positrones/tomografia computarizada) dan lecturas cualitativas diferentes, es obligatorio un programa de cualificacion de ensayos clinicos (CTQ) para garantizar un uso fiable y reproducible de la PET/TC en ensayos clinicos prospectivos multicentricos. Dentro de este trabajo mostraremos los resultados en la realizacion de CTQ en Espana. Materiales y metodos Hemos puesto en marcha, bajo los auspicios del Grupo Espanol de Linfomas/Trasplante Autologo de Medula Osea (GELTAMO), un programa de CTQ que consiste en la adquisicion y analisis de fantomas de uniformidad 18F y calidad de imagen para la reduccion de la variabilidad interescaner (ISV). La ISV se estimo sobre la concentracion de actividad de fondo (BAC) y la relacion esfera a fondo (SBR) y se definio como su intervalo de confianza (IC) del 95%. Resultados Veintiseis de los 27 escaneres (96%) cumplieron los requisitos de la CTQ. El CTQ se cumplio en la primera ronda en el 27% de los casos, mientras que en el 38%, 15% y 20% se requirieron dos, tres o mas de tres iteraciones, respectivamente. El tiempo medio de la CTQ fue de 1,8 ± 1,4 meses (rango: 0,3-4,6). El ISV en BAC y SBR fue 20,3 y 67,7%. Conclusiones El CTQ demostro ser una herramienta fiable para reducir la ISV. Esto permitio poner en marcha ensayos clinicos en los que se utilizo la PET/TC para evaluar diferentes criterios de valoracion clinica. EnglishIntroduction and objectives Since different PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography) scanners give different qualitative readings, a program for clinical trial qualification (CTQ) is mandatory to guarantee a reliable and reproducible use of PET/CT in prospective multi-centre clinical trials. Within this work we will show the results carried out in performing CTQ in Spain. Materials and methods We set up, under the auspices of Grupo Espanol de Linfomas/Trasplante Autologo de Medula Osea (GELTAMO), a CTQ program consisting of the acquisition and analysis of 18F uniformity and image quality phantoms for the reduction of inter-scanner variability (ISV). The ISV was estimated on background activity concentration (BAC) and sphere to background ratio (SBR) and defined as their 95% confidence level. Results Twenty-six out of 27 (96%) scanners fulfilled the CTQ requirements. The CTQ was fulfilled at the first round in 27% of the cases, while in 38%, 15% and 20%, two, three or more than three iterations, were required, respectively. The mean CTQ time was (1.8 ± 1.4) months (range: 0.3-4.6). The ISV in BAC and SBR were 20.3% and 67.7%. Conclusions The CTQ proven to be a reliable tool to reduce ISV. This enabled to set-up clinical trials in which PET/CT was used to evaluate different clinical endpoints.

Introduction:Recently there has been a renewal of therapeutic tools for the treatment of lymphoid neoplasms to increase the antitumor efficacy and reduce the toxicity generated by conventional chemotherapies, which adds to the intrinsic immunological dysfunction of the disease itself. To date, few data are published about infection risk of these new drugs, and the need for infectious prophylaxis is unknown. The aim of the study is to analyze the infectious complications in patients with LPD treated with monoclonal antibodies (obinutuzumab, ofatumumab, brentuximab, nivolumab and pembrolizumab), BTK inhibitors (ibrutinib, acalabrutinib) and PI3K inhibitors (idelalisib). Methods: Multicenter retrospective study in patients with LPD treated with targeted therapies (single agents or combination) in 18 Hematology centers in Spain, from the time of their commercial availability to March 2020. Patients in clinical trials were excluded as well as patients with active infections at the beginning of treatment. Results:During the study period, 380 patients were included.Baseline characteristics of the entire cohort are shown in Table 1.Median follow-up was 17.3 months (range 0-103), the longest follow-up corresponding to CLL patients (24 months, range 0-98) and the shortest to LBCL (5 months, range 0-25). Median exposure to target drugs was 8 months (range 0-72).Ibrutinib was administered to 219 patients(1 FL, 147 CLL, 27 MCL, 10 DLBCL, 1 TL and 32 WM, 1 HL),Brentuximab to 49(31 HL, 14 TL and 4 DLBCL) andIdelalisibto 35 patients (16 affected by chronic lymphocytic leukemia - CLL, 15 FL and 1 DLBCL, 1 WM, 1MCL, 1HL).Obinutuzumabcombinations were used in 10 (6 CLL, 3 FL, 1 MCL) and 5 HL patients (of which 4/5 underwent previous BMT) receivedNivolumab. A total number of 237 infectious events occurred in 148/380 patients (38.9%), 39% of which were grade 3 and 54/148 (36.4%) experienced 2 or more infective episodes: of those 54, 21 (38%) had underwent 3 or more lines of therapy and 28 (51%) had hypogammaglobulinemia. Hospitalization was required in 59.2% events. A bacterial cause of infection was reported in 40% of cases, and viral in 16%, including 11/237 (4,6%) SARS-CoV-2 infection. Invasive fungal infection (IFI) occurred in 3.3% (8/237). Noteworthy, no case of PJP was identified. Lung was the most frequent site of infection in 24% of cases (57/237) while the upper respiratory tract was involved in 17% of events (41/237). Urinary tract infections were diagnosed in 10% (24/237). Other sites involved were skin and soft tissue 7%, gastrointestinal tract 5,4%, bloodstream infections 3% and catheter related infections 2,5%. Considering drugs individually, 86 patients that receivedIbrutinib(39.2 %)experienced a total of 137 infectious episodes: 30% bacterial, 19% viral, 5% fungal and 45% clinical and image-based infections; the 17(34.6%of those who received Brentuximab, experienced a total of 16 infectious episodes: 56% bacterial, 37.5% viral infections and one catheter-related sepsis. Of those who receivedIdelalisib,18 (51.4%)experienced a total of 28 episodes: 42% bacterial, 14% viral and 7% fungal. Four patients treated withObinutuzumabcombinations (40%) experienced one infection during treatment (25% bacterial and 75% viral). Only one patient treated withNivolumabexperienced more than three infections, he was also under corticosteroid treatment. Focusing on IFI (Table 2): 7/8 infections were identified in CLL patients, 6 out 7 being on ibrutinib treatment and 1/7 on Idelalisib.Aspergilluswas the fungus most frequently isolated. The targeted drug was discontinued temporarily in 4 patients and indefinitely in 3. Twenty three (6%) patients died due to infection in our series. Conclusions: 1. We identified 38.7% infections in our LPD patients treated with targeted drugs, with a median drug-exposure time of 8 months (range 0-72), with a non-negligible incidence of bacterial infections. 2. The highest rates of infection were found in patients treated with with Idelalisib and Ibrutinib (51.4% and 39.2% respectively). 3. IFI (3.3%) occurred with low frequency, mostly in CLL patients during ibrutinib treatment, leading to its temporal discontinuation in most of the cases. 4. No case of PJP was identified in our cohort. 5. An analysis to determine risk factors for infection and the optimal monitoring and prophylaxis for these patients is ongoing. Disclosures Hernandez-Rivas: Janssen:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Abbvie:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Roche:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;AstraZeneca:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Gilead:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Celgene/BMS:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Rovi:Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.Lopez-Guillermo:novartis:Consultancy;celgene:Consultancy, Research Funding;roche:Consultancy, Research Funding;gilead:Consultancy, Research Funding.

Anti-cluster of differentiation 20 (CD20) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have shown promise in follicular lymphoma (FL) as post-induction therapy, by enhancing antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). However, cytotoxic cells are reduced after this treatment. We hypothesised that ex vivo expanded lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells administered to FL-remission patients are safe and improve anti-CD20 efficacy. This open, prospective, phase II, single-arm study assessed safety and efficacy of ex vivo expanded LAK cells in 20 FL-remission patients following rituximab maintenance. Mononuclear cells were obtained in odd rituximab cycles and stimulated with interleukin 2 (IL-2) for 8 weeks, after which >5 × 108 LAK cells were injected. Patients were followed-up for 5 years. At the end of maintenance, peripheral blood cells phenotype had not changed markedly. Natural killer, LAK and ADCC activities of mononuclear cells increased significantly after recombinant human IL-2 (rhIL-2) stimulation in all cycles. Rituximab significantly enhanced cytotoxic activity. No patients discontinued treatment. There were no treatment-related serious adverse events. Three patients had progressed by the end of follow-up. After a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 59.4 (43.8-70.9) months, 85% of patients remained progression free. No deaths occurred. Quality-of-life improved throughout the study. Post-induction LAK cells with rituximab seem safe in the long term. Larger studies are warranted to confirm efficacy.

Lymphomas are a large, heterogeneous group of neoplasms with well-defined characteristics, and this heterogeneity highlights the importance of epidemiological data. Knowledge of local epidemiology is essential to optimise resources, design clinical trials, and identify minority entities. Given there are few published epidemiological data on lymphoma in Spain, the Spanish Lymphoma and Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant Group created the RELINF project. The aim of this project is to determine the frequencies and distribution of lymphoid neoplasms in Spain and to analyse survival. We developed an online platform for the prospective collection of data on newly diagnosed cases of lymphoma in Spain between January 2014 and July 2018; 11,400 patients were registered. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) were the most frequent lymphomas in our series. Marginal B cell lymphoma frequency was higher than that reported in other studies, representing more than 11% of mature B cell lymphomas. Peripheral T cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) was the most common subtype of T cell lymphoma, and NK/T cell lymphomas were more frequent than expected (5.4% of total). Hodgkin's lymphoma accounted for 12% of lymphoproliferative syndromes. Overall survival was greater than 90% at 2 years for indolent B cell lymphomas, and approximately 60% for DLBCL, somewhat lower than that previously reported. Survival was poor for PTCL-NOS and angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma, as expected; however, it was somewhat better than that in other studies for anaplastic large cell anaplastic lymphoma kinase lymphomas. This is the first prospective registry to report the frequencies, distribution, and survival of lymphomas in Spain. The frequencies and survival data we report here are globally consistent with that reported in other Western countries. These updated frequencies and survival statistics are necessary for developing appropriate management strategies for neoplasias in the Spanish population.

Objective/Background: Patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) with early therapy failure (ETF) within 2 years of frontline therapy have poor overall survival (OS). We recently reported the results of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients from the Grupo Español de Linfomas y Trasplantes de Médula Ósea (GELTAMO) registry treated with rituximab prior to ASCT and with ETF after first-line immunochemotherapy, leading to 81% 5-year OS since ASCT. We explored whether ASCT is also an effective option in the pre-rituximab era—that is, in patients treated in induction and rescued only with chemotherapy. Methods: ETF was defined as relapse/progression within 2 years of starting first-line therapy. We identified two groups: the ETF cohort (n = 87) and the non-ETF cohort (n = 47 patients receiving ASCT but not experiencing ETF following first-line therapy). Results: There was a significant difference in 5-year progression-free survival between the ETF and non-ETF cohorts (43% vs. 57%, respectively; p = .048). Nevertheless, in patients with ETF with an interval from first relapse after primary treatment to ASCT of

Background: Freezing rate of second-generation cryoballoon (CB) is a biophysical parameter that could assist pulmonary vein isolation. The aim of this study is to assess freezing rate (time to reach –30°C ([TT-30C]) as an early predictor of acute pulmonary vein isolation using the CB. Methods: Biophysical data from CB freeze applications within a multicenter, nation-wide CB ablation registry were gathered. Successful application (SA), was defined as achieving durable intraprocedural vein isolation with time to isolation in under 60 s (SA-TTI

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is considered an indolent disorder with a relatively favourable course. With modern day treatments, long remissions are often achieved both in front-line and relapsed settings. However, a subset of patients has a more aggressive course and a poorer outcome. Both, PET-CT and minimal residual disease (MRD) evaluation by PCR defines groups of patients with different prognoses. MRD measurement by NGS is being studied to predict relapse prior to diagnostic imaging in large B cell lymphoma; however, it has never been used in FL. The aim of the present study is to validate a sensitive and standardizable approach to measure liquid Biopsy MRD (LiqBio-MRD) by NGS with >90% applicability and 2E-4 resolution, and to analyse its prognostic impact in FL patients. Firstly, the best source to identify genetic MRD markers was determined. Genomic DNA from paraffin embedded (FFPE) lymph node biopsies and/or cell free DNA (cfDNA) from peripheral blood (PB) was obtained from 29 FL cases at diagnosis and sequenced with a short length Ampliseq Custom Panel (Thermo-Fisher). This panel was designed to cover all coding regions of 56 lymphoma specific genes in FFPE and cfDNA samples. By applying this panel with an average depth of 700X, a total of 122 somatic mutations were detected in 37 baseline samples. 15 of these lymph node samples presented 65 mutations (average of 4 mutations per patient, rank 1-9), with a mean Variant Read Frequency (VRF) of 0.33 (0.06-0.77). On the other hand, the 21 cfDNA samples presented 71 mutations (average of 3 mutations per patient, rank 0-8), with a mean VRF of 0.21 (0.02-1.0). Notably, in 3 cases the mutations were only detected in the lymph node. Paired samples were available for 13 cases. Of the 72 somatic mutations identified in these cases, only 14 were present in both samples (Figure 1A, left). Besides the higher number of mutations in the lymph nodes, a mean decrease of 0.14 VRF was observed in cfDNA (0.21; 0.03-0.53) compared to lymph nodes (0.35; 0.09-0.76) (Figure 1A, Right). From the initial 29 FL cases, 16 had PB sequential samples available. Three patients were put under observation and the rest received an anthracycline based regimen plus R-maintenance. In treated patients, PET-CT was carried out at diagnosis and after 4 and 6 cycles of treatment. During follow-up, cfDNA was available after 4 (n=10) and 6 cycles of treatment (n=10). Median follow up was 18 months. To quantify LiqBio-MRD in the 31 follow-up samples, we defined an approach involving the sequencing of 12 NGS data points per mutation identified at diagnosis. Three of these data points were tumour sample replicates. The other 9 points were obtained from healthy control donor DNA. All LiqBio-MRD samples were sequenced with at least 100.000x and analysed applying the NGS-MRD algorithm described elsewhere (Onecha, E et al. Hematologica 2019). The mean mutation rate (noise) in controls for the studied mutations was 1.4E-5 (0 - 8E-5) below the targeted sensibility of 2E-4. The LOD was defined for every follow-up sample based on the initial amount of cfDNA used in the test. On average 39.6ng (13-66 ng) were used for cfDNA MRD monitoring. All somatic mutations were considered potential MRD markers (Figure 1B), however the degree of MRD in each follow-up sample was defined by the somatic mutation with higher VRF. MRD values were significantly lower in complete response (CR) cases compared to those with active disease (p=0.001, Figure 1C, left). Notably, MRD positivity in the interim or at the end of treatment resulted in significantly inferior PFS (median 12 months vs not reached, P = 0.09, Figure 1C, right). An extension of the cohort and clinical impact of LiqBio-MRD test will be presented at the meeting. Our results demonstrate for the first time that NGS based MRD quantification is feasible in Liquid Biopsies from FL. Despite the marked spatial genetic heterogeneity of FL, which is better identified in cfDNA, the dilution of the signal in these samples suggests the use of both; lymph node biopsies and cfDNA at diagnosis to identify all potential MRD markers. The lower degree of MRD in CR evaluations (according to the 2014 Lugano response assessment) and the existence of patients in CR with positive and negative MRD suggest the potential of our LiqBio-MRD test to prospectively identify patients with different outcome. Nevertheless, more patients and a longer follow-up are necessary to draw meaningful conclusions. Figure 1 Disclosures Heredia: Altum sequencing: Current Employment. Rufian:Altum sequencing: Current Employment. Carrillo:Altum sequencing: Current Employment. Wang:Hosea Precision Medical Technology Co., Ltd: Current Employment. Canales:Janssen: Honoraria; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Sandoz: Honoraria; Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria; Sandoz: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Roche: Honoraria; iQone: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Sandoz: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Roche: Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Sandoz: Speakers Bureau; Roche: Speakers Bureau. Martinez-López:Janssen, BMS, Sanofi, Novartis, Incyte, F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Amgen: Honoraria, Other: Advisory boards; Janssen, Novartis, BMS, Incyte: Consultancy; Hosea and Altum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Background Lymphoid neoplasms treatment has recently been renewed to increase antitumor efficacy and conventional chemotherapies toxicities. Limited data have been published about the infection risk associated with these new drugs, therefore this study analyzes the infectious complications in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases (LPD) treated with monoclonal antibodies (obinutuzumab, ofatumumab, brentuximab, nivolumab, or pembrolizumab), BTK inhibitors (ibrutinib and acalabrutinib), PI3K inhibitors (idelalisib) and BCL2 inhibitors (venetoclax). Methods Multicenter retrospective study of 458 LPD patients treated with targeted therapies in real‐life setting, in 18 Spanish institutions, from the time of their commercial availability to August 2020. Results Severe infections incidence was 23% during 17‐month median follow‐up; cumulative incidence was higher in the first 3–6 months of targeted drug treatment and then decreased. The most frequent etiology was bacterial (54%). Nine (6%) Invasive fungal infections (IFI) were observed, in its majority in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients treated predominantly with ibrutinib. Significant risk factors for severe infection were: severe lymphopenia (p = 0.009, OR 4.7, range 1.3–1.7), combined targeted treatment vs single agent treatment (p = 0.014 OR 2.2 range 1.1–4.2) and previous rituximab (p = 0.03 OR 1.8, range 1.05–3.3). Infection‐related mortality was 6%. In 22% of patients with severe infections, definitive discontinuation of the targeted drug was observed. Conclusion A high proportion of patients presented severe infections during follow‐up, with non‐negligible attributable mortality, but infection incidence is not superior to the one observed during the chemotherapy era. In selected cases with specific risk factors for infection, antimicrobial prophylaxis should be considered., Our data describe the infection risk associated with the use of targeted drugs in the treatment of lymphoproliferative diseases in real‐life setting and suggest some infection risk factors that could identify the need for antimicrobial prophylaxis in a selected group of patients.

The use of non‐pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Myocet®) in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been investigated in retrospective and single‐arm prospective studies. This was a prospective phase 2 trial of DLBCL patients ≥60 years old with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥55% randomized to standard R‐CHOP or investigational R‐COMP (with Myocet® instead of conventional doxorubicin). The primary end point was to evaluate the differences in subclinical cardiotoxicity, defined as decrease in LVEF to, The use of non‐pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Myocet®) in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been investigated in retrospective and single‐arm prospective studies. This prospective randomized phase 2 trial of RCOMP versus RCHOP in DLBCL patients ≥60 years and normal cardiac function demonstrated that R‐COMP is a feasible immunochemotherapy schedule for DLBCL patients ≥60 years, with similar efficacy to R‐CHOP. However, the use of non‐pegylated doxorubicin instead of conventional doxorubicin was not associated with less early cardiotoxicity, although some reduced cardiac safety signals were observed.

SummaryBackground BI 836826 is a chimeric mouse–human monoclonal antibody directed against human CD37, a transmembrane protein expressed on mature B lymphocytes. This open-label, phase I dose-escalation trial (NCT02624492) was conducted to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), safety/tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of BI 836826 in combination with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Methods Eligible patients received intravenous infusions of BI 836826 on day 8 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 plus oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2 on day 1, for up to six 14-day treatment cycles. Dose escalation followed the standard 3 + 3 design. Results Of 21 treated patients, 17 had relapsed/refractory DLBCL and four had follicular lymphoma transformed to DLBCL. BI 836826 dosing started at 25 mg and proceeded through 50 mg and 100 mg. Two dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) occurred during cycle 1, both grade 4 thrombocytopenia lasting > 7 days, affecting 1/6 evaluable patients (17%) in both the 50 mg and 100 mg cohorts. Due to early termination of the study, the MTD was not determined. The most common adverse events related to BI 836826 treatment were neutropenia (52%), thrombocytopenia (48%), and anemia (48%). Eight patients (38%) experienced BI 836826-related infusion-related reactions (two grade 3). Overall objective response rate was 38%, including two patients (10%) with complete remission and six patients (29%) with partial remission. Conclusions BI 836826 in combination with GemOx was generally well tolerated but did not exceed the MTD at doses up to 100 mg given every 14 days.

Background: Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a rare subtype of aggressive B-cell lymphoma. Most relapses occur within the first few months resulting in a dismal prognosis; therefore, it's important to identify primary chemorefractory patients at an early stage, to improve their prognosis. Our group have demonstrated that Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) detected by deep sequencing (DeepSeq) constitute a new non-invasive marker for monitoring response in follicular lymphoma (Jimenez-Ubieto A. et al. ASH 2020). CtDNA monitoring in PMBCL might help to better assess therapeutic response, correct false positive PET/CT results due to residual uptake of the mediastinum and define patients who will benefit from radiation therapy (RT). Here we analyzed the potential value of ctDNA monitoring in 11 PMBCL treated with R-DA-EPOCH between 2018-2020 in the Hospital 12 de Octubre. Methods: Genomic DNA from paraffin embedded (FFPE) lymph node biopsies were obtained from 11 PMBCL cases at diagnosis. Samples were sequenced with a short length Ampliseq Custom Panel (Thermo-Fisher) designed to cover all coding regions of 56 lymphoma specific genes with an average depth of 700x. After annotation and filtering, 5-8 somatic mutations previously described in lymphoma were selected to be screened in plasma samples. The plasma derived cfDNA was obtained from 8-16mL of peripheral blood collected in EDTA tubes and processed in less than 4h by column purification (QIAamp Circulating Nucleic Acid Kit, Qiagen). A total of 31 different plasma time-points were sequenced in triplicates. On average 78ng (9-224 ng) of cfDNA was used for the DeepSeq of the specific mutations selected in each patient. An average coverage of 236.000x per triplicate was obtained for each mutation. The detection cut-off of 1E-4 was defined based on the LOD obtained in healthy controls donors. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT scans were performed on a General Electric Discovery MI Scanner at basal, interim (after 4 cycles), end of induction (EOI) and after radiotherapy (RT). Results: The median age was 33 years and 63.6% were female. Most cases (81.8%) were diagnosed with stage I or II disease and 27.3% cases present with extranodal involvement. On interim PET, 4 patients reached Complete response (CR) and 7 Partial Response (PR, DS4). At EOI, the number of CR turned to 6/11 (55%). All patients in PR at EOI (n=5) and two patients in CR (DS3) with residual mass received RT consolidation (median dose 32Gy). After RT the rate of CR was 91% (10/11). One patient progressed to a classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). None of the patients in CR have relapsed after a median follow-up of 22 months. One patient died due to a mediastinal synovial sarcoma. A total of 125 somatic mutations were detected in the 11 baseline samples with a median of 8 per patient (rank 5-35). The three most frequently mutated genes were SOCS1 (73%), B2M (55%) and TNFAIP3 (46%). Despite the reduced size of our cohort, the mutational frequencies were comparable to the described by Mottok A. et al (Blood 2018, Figure 1A). The DeepSeq of six diagnosis plasma samples showed a lower Variant Read Frequency (VRF) in cfDNA. On those paired samples, 25/28 mutations were detected in plasma, with a median VRF of 2% (0-53%) vs 24% (5.5%-87%) in Lymph nodes (Figure 1B). The rest of the plasma samples corresponded to 1st cycle (n=5), 4th cycle (n=6), EOI (n=7) and after RT (n=5). After 1 cycle of chemotherapy 3/4 patients who reached CR at EOI had already undetectable ctDNA (Figure 1C). One patient with positive ctDNA after 1 cycle needed RT to convert to CR. All the CR evaluations by PET-TC who had available ctDNA data, presented undetectable ctDNA (n=9). In the EOI analysis all+ patients except the one who progressed to cHL had undetectable ctDNA. In the PR interim evaluations 2/5 had undetectable ctDNA and converted to CR at EOI. Of the three patients with detectable ctDNA, one progressed to cHL (Figure 1D) and 2 needed RT to convert to CR. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that disease monitoring using DeepSeq of plasma ctDNA is feasible in PMBCL. Regarding prediction of relapse, the positive predictive value of ctDNA was 100%. An early ctDNA analysis (even after only one R-DA-EPOCH cycle) was able to predict patients in need of RT. Despite the DeepSeq of ctDNA could be useful to disease monitoring to prevent relapse and toxicity reduction by selecting cases in need of RT, more patients are necessary to draw meaningful conclusions. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Martín-Muñoz: Altum sequencing: Current Employment. Dorado: Altum sequencing: Current Employment. Heredia: Altum sequencing: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Rufian: Altum sequencing: Current Employment. Canales: Incyte: Consultancy; iQone: Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy; Eusa Pharma: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sandoz: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Gilead/Kite: Consultancy, Honoraria. Juarez: Altum sequencing: Current Employment. Sanchez: Altum sequencing: Current Employment. López-Muñoz: Amgen: Consultancy. Ayala: Incyte Corporation: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria. Martínez-López: Janssen, BMS, Novartis, Incyte, Roche, GSK, Pfizer: Consultancy; Roche, Novartis, Incyte, Astellas, BMS: Research Funding. Barrio: Altum sequencing: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

BACKGROUND Patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), non-candidates for autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT), have few treatment options. Ibrutinib is an oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has shown increased antitumor activity in patients with DLBCL of different subtype from germinal center B-cell like (non-GCB). In the present phase II clinical trial (NCT02692248), we investigated the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of Ibrutinib with the R-GEMOX-D regimen (rituximab, gemcitabine, oxaliplatin and dexamethasone), in patients with non- GCB DLBCL. METHODS We included patients with histological diagnosis of non-GCB DLBCL (according to Hans algorithm), with relapsed or refractory disease after at least 1 line of immunochemotherapy and non-candidates for ASCT. Patients received an induction treatment consisting of 6 (in case of complete remission [CR] after cycle 4) or 8 (in case of partial response [PR] or stable disease after cycle 4) cycles of R-GEMOX-D at standard doses every 2 weeks, in combination with ibrutinib (560 mg daily), followed by a maintenance treatment with ibrutinib for a maximum of 2 years. The primary objective was to evaluate the overall response rate (ORR) after 4 cycles, and the secondary objectives were: CR rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and toxicity. Analyses were performed in the intention to treat population (data cut-off 10th April 2020). RESULTS Sixty-four patients (59.4% male) were included between March 2016 and November 2018. Median age was 67 (25-84) years. Patients had received a median of 2 previous lines of treatment; 56.3% were refractory ( Of the 64 patients who started study treatment, 44 and 35 patients, respectively, were evaluated for response after 4th cycle and at the end of induction. Twenty-four (37%) patients started maintenance with ibrutinib, 7 of whom continue or have completed it. Causes of withdrawal from the trial (n=57) were progression (n=40), adverse event (n=6), transplantation (n=5), withdrawal of consent (n=3) and other causes (n=3). ORR and CR rate after 4th cycle were 53.2% and 35.9%, respectively. Patients with relapsed disease had significantly higher ORR (67.9% vs 41.7%, p=0.037) and CR rate (57.1% vs 19.4%, p=0.002) than patients with refractory disease. At the end of induction, ORR and CR rate were 35.9% and 29.7%, respectively. After a median follow-up of 22 months (range: 1 to 39 months), the estimated 2-year PFS and OS were 21% and 25%, respectively (Figure 1A and 1B), being significantly better in patients with relapsed disease (Figure 1C and 1D). In the multivariate analysis, status of lymphoma at study entry significantly influenced PFS (HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.25-0.82; p=0.009) and OS (HR 0.51; 95% CI 0.27-0.94; p=0.0031) independently from the IPI and the number of previous treatment lines. The most frequent adverse events (AE) (present in at least 20% of patients) were thrombocytopenia (67.2%), diarrhea (51.6%), neutropenia (46.9%), anemia (37.5%), fatigue (34.4%), nausea (29.7%) and paresthesia (20.3%). The most frequent grade 3-5 AE (present in at least 10% of patients) were thrombocytopenia (46.9%), neutropenia (35.9%), diarrhea (15.6%) and anemia (14.1%). Three patients presented a grade 5 AE, two of them related (aspergillosis and pneumonia, respectively) and one unrelated (heart failure). CONCLUSIONS The combination of ibrutinib with R-GEMOX-D as salvage therapy for patients with non-GCB DLBCL is associated with high response rates, especially in relapsed patients. The vast majority of refractory patients progress very early, so this regimen could be considered as a bridge to other consolidation therapies. Biological studies analyzing cell of origin by gene expression profiling, minimal residual disease and mutational spectrum are in progress. Disclosures Abrisqueta: Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Giné:Janssen: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding. Grande:Janssen: Research Funding. Caballero:Roche: Other: travel; Gilead: Other: travel; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel; BMS: Other: travel; Takeda: Other: travel; Kite: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Martin Garcia-Sancho:Roche, Celgene, Janssen, Servier, Gilead: Honoraria; Celgene, Eusa Pharma, Gilead, iQuone, Kyowa Kirin, Roche, Morphosys: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Off-label use of a new combination in the context of a clinical trial. New combination (Ibrutinib + R-GEMOX)

Context: Ibrutinib is a first-in-class oral inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase, has been established as a standard-of-care (SOC) treatment for R/R MCL. The clinical benefits with ibrutinib has been demonstrated in multiple trials and real-world studies.1-3 Objective: To describe ibrutinib outcomes in real-world patients in Spain. Design: IBRORS is a retrospective multicentre observational study of patients with confirmed diagnosis of R/R MCL who were treated with ibrutinib from January 2016 to March 2019 (6 months prior to the start of the study). The primary end point was PFS. Disease characteristics, previous therapies used, response rates, and survival outcomes with ibrutinib were also evaluated. Patients or other participants: The analysis included 66 evaluable patients from 24 centres in Spain. Median age at diagnosis was 64.5 years (range 57-72), and 78.8% were male. Baseline comorbidities of interest include: hypertension (47%), dyslipidemia (36.4%), and cardiovascular disorders (21.2%). Interventions: Patients had a median of 2 prior lines of therapy (range 1-8). Among the pre-ibrutinib treatments used, the most common treatment was bendamustine plus rituximab in 20.7% of cases, followed by R-CHOP-like combinations in 19.3% and Hyper-CVAD in 16.4%. Results: With a median follow-up of 14.2 months after Ibrutinib initiation, Ibrutinib treatment led to an ORR of 67.8% with a complete response in 24 patients (36.4%) and partial response in 16 patients (24.2%). Median PFS was 20.0 months (95% CI, 8.8-31.1) and median OS was 32 months (95% CI, 22.6-41.3). Adverse events were reported in 43 patients (65.1%). Atrial fibrillation or associated cardiovascular diseases were reported in 2 patients and no major hemorrhages were reported. Conclusions: IBRORS provides information on the first real-world study of ibrutinib use in clinical practice in Spain. The results suggest that ibrutinib is mostly being used in first and second relapses. The data evaluated confirms the favorable adverse event profile and manageability of ibrutinib in real-world clinical practice. References: [1] Wang et al. Blood. 2015; 126:739-745. [2] Wang et al. NEJM. 2013; 369:507-16. [3] Le Gouill et al. EHA 2019, PS1264.

BACKGROUND Older adults with relapsed/refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (r/r ALL) are reported to have a poor prognosis and few therapeutic options. In the current study, the authors evaluated treatment with single-agent blinatumomab in adults aged ≥65 years with r/r ALL. METHODS A total of 261 adults with r/r ALL who were examined across two phase 2 studies received blinatumomab in cycles of 4-week continuous infusion and 2-week treatment-free intervals. The primary endpoint in each study was complete remission (CR) or CR with partial hematologic recovery (CRh) during the first 2 cycles. Data were pooled and analyzed according to patient age at screening (aged ≥65 years vs aged

To the editor: Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) present in most cases as localized disease and can be successfully treated with local therapies or antibiotics.[1][1][⇓][2][⇓][3]-[4][4] Moreover, patients with multicentric or extensive disease

3501 Background: In certain subsets of patients (pts) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the failure rate of standard R-CHOP treatment is high. Pts with high-risk disease (International Prognostic score [IPI] 3-5) have a particularly poor prognosis, with 3-y survival rates of ~62% with R-CHOP alone. The cereblon E3 ligase modulator avadomide (CC-122) showed activity in pts with relapsed or refractory DLBCL. We report results of avadomide plus R-CHOP in previously untreated pts with high-risk DLBCL. Methods: CC-122-DLBCL-002 (NCT03283202) is a phase 1/2 study of avadomide plus R-CHOP-21 in pts newly diagnosed with DLBCL not otherwise specified with IPI scores 3-5 who were aged ≥18 y. Pts received standard R-CHOP and escalating doses (1-3 mg) of oral avadomide for up to six 21-d cycles (Table). All pts received pegfilgrastim support. Primary objectives were to assess safety, tolerability, and complete response (CR) rate. Secondary objectives include evaluation of additional efficacy parameters (objective response rate [ORR], progression-free survival [PFS], and overall survival) and biomarkers. Results: As of July 30, 2019, 35 pts were enrolled in the phase 1 part of the study. Median age was 66 y (range, 20-75), 23 pts (66%) were aged > 60 y, 18 (51%) had an IPI score of 3, and 17 (49%) had an IPI score of 4-5. Thirty-two pts (91%) completed 6 cycles of treatment. Median relative total dose intensity of avadomide was 99% and the average relative dose intensity of R-CHOP was 95%. Six pts had dose-limiting toxicities: 1 pt had neutropenia and bacterial hepatic infection; 1 had pneumonia; 1 had febrile neutropenia (FN); 1 had FN and hypotension; 1 had FN due to skin infections; and 1 had sepsis. The recommended phase 2 dose was 3 mg 2/3 wk. Grade 3/4 adverse events in ≥10% of pts were neutropenia (54%), anemia (20%), leukopenia (20%), lymphopenia (14%), hypophosphatemia (14%), and FN (11%). Among 34 efficacy-evaluable pts, the ORR was 88% (n = 30/34), including a CR rate of 79% (n = 27/34) at the end of treatment. With a median follow-up of 10 mo, the 1-y PFS rate was 80% (95% CI, 58-92). Correlative analyses will be presented at the meeting. Conclusions: Avadomide plus R-CHOP was well-tolerated with no significant additive toxicities. The promising efficacy in this high-risk pt population warrants further evaluation of immunomodulatory drugs combined with immunochemotherapy for pts with previously untreated DLBCL. Clinical trial information: NCT03283202 . [Table: see text]

BACKGROUND: Initial results from the ongoing GALLIUM trial have shown that patients with follicular lymphoma have a longer progression-free survival after first-line immunochemotherapy with obinutuzumab than with rituximab. The aim of this secondary analysis was to evaluate the prognostic value of PET-CT responses after first-line immunochemotherapy in the GALLIUM study.METHODS: GALLIUM is an open-label, parallel-group randomised, phase 3 trial, which recruited previously untreated patients with CD20-positive follicular lymphoma (grades 1-3a; disease stage III/IV, or stage II with largest tumour diameter ≥7 cm) who were aged 18 years or older and met the criteria for needing treatment. Eligible patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive intravenous administration of obinutuzumab (1000 mg on days 1, 8, and 15 of cycle 1, then day 1 of subsequent cycles) or rituximab (375 mg/m2 on day 1 of each cycle), in six 21-day cycles with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (known as CHOP; oral administration) followed by two 21-day cycles of antibody alone, or eight 21-day cycles cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (known as CVP; oral administration), or six 28-day cycles with bendamustine, followed by maintenance antibody every 2 months for up to 2 years. The primary endpoint of the trial, investigator-assessed progression-free survival, has been reported previously. This secondary analysis reports PET and CT-based responses at end-of-induction therapy and explains their relation with progression-free and overall survival outcomes in patients with available scans. As per protocol, during the trial, PET scans (mandatory in the first 170 patients enrolled at sites with available PET facilities, and optional thereafter), acquired at baseline and end of induction (PET population), were assessed prospectively by investigators and an independent review committee (IRC) applying International Harmonisation Project (IHP) 2007 response criteria, and retrospectively by the IRC only applying current Lugano 2014 response criteria. IRC members (but not study investigators) were masked to treatment and clinical outcome when assessing response. The landmark analyses excluded patients who died or progressed (contrast enhanced CT-based assessment of progressive disease, or started next anti-lymphoma treatment) before or at end of induction. GALLIUM is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01332968.FINDINGS: 1202 patients were enrolled in GALLIUM between July 6, 2011, and Feb 4, 2014, of whom 595 were included in the PET population; 533 (IHP 2007; prospective analysis), and 508 (Lugano 2014; retrospective analysis) were analysed for progression-free survival (landmark analysis). At end of induction, 390 of 595 patients (65·5% [95% CI 61·6-69·4]) achieved PET complete response according to IHP 2007 criteria, and 450 (75·6% [95% CI 72·0-79·0]) obtained PET complete metabolic response according to Lugano 2014 criteria. With a median of 43·3 months of observation (IQR 36·2-51·8), 2·5-year progression-free survival from end of induction was 87·8% (95% CI 83·9-90·8) in PET complete responders and 72·0% (63·1-79·0) in non-complete responders according to IRC-assessed IHP 2007 criteria (hazard ratio [HR] 0·4, 95% CI 0·3-0·6, pINTERPRETATION: Our results suggest that PET is a better imaging modality than contrast-enhanced CT for response assessment after first-line immunochemotherapy in patients with follicular lymphoma. PET assessment according to Lugano 2014 response criteria provides a platform for investigation of response-adapted therapeutic approaches. Additional supportive data are welcomed.FUNDING: F Hoffmann-La Roche.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and checkpoint blockade therapy are immune-based salvage therapies for Hodgkin’s lymphoma; however, the use of programmed death 1 blocking agents in the allogeneic stem cell transplantation setting could augment the incidence of steroid refractory graft-versus-host disease. Few studies suggest that that nivolumab is safe in patients previously treated with an allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Likewise, there are very limited data on the use of nivolumab before allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Here, we report a case of fatal graft-versus-host disease in a patient who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation 26 days after the last administration of nivolumab. Careful monitoring and close clinical assessment of atypical presentation for graft-versus-host disease in these patients, interval of time from nivolumab administration to allogeneic stem cell transplantation, drug dosage adjustments or more effective allo prophilaxys should been evaluated in prospective clinical trial.

Bendamustine is an increasingly used hybrid alkylating agent that is active in lymphoid neoplasias via a novel mechanism of action. There are some pending questions about its use in clinical practice because of its developmental features. A consensus panel of several leading Spanish hematologists with broad experience in the clinical use of bendamustine has established recommendations for the management and treatment of hematological patients with bendamustine based on available clinical data and the experience of the participants. These recommendations address the dose and treatment regimen for different clinical indications, the management of toxicity, and support therapy. This article contains the conclusions of this consensus panel, which are intended to serve as guidelines for the use of bendamustine.

Introduction Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a heterogeneous entity, showing a highly variable outcome. In patients with DLBCL relapsed/refractory to first-line treatment with rituximab the usefulness of the revised International Prognostic Index (R-IPI) as a prognostic tool remains unexplored. Some biological parameters (B-cell lymphoma 6 [Bcl-6], Bcl-2, p53, and multiple myeloma 1 [MUM1]) and blood populations (lymphocyte and monocyte counts) have been described as International Prognostic Index-independent prognostic factors. The objective was to evaluate the R-IPI to predict the outcome of DLBCL patients at the time of relapse after a front-line treatment with chemotherapy and rituximab and to establish in this population the relationship between biological parameters and outcome. Patients and Methods We included patients with refractory/relapsed DLBCL after first-line treatment with rituximab-containing regimens; patients must have already finished a rescue treatment also including rituximab. Immunohistochemical assessment of Bcl-2, Bcl-6, p53, and MUM1 expression were undertaken in available biopsies. R-IPI factors were identified from the clinical data at diagnosis and at relapse. Response was assessed using National Cancer Institute-sponsored Working Group guidelines. Results R-IPI prognosis at relapse was not significantly associated with overall response rate (ORR) after Rituximab-chemotherapy rescue therapy. None of the immunohistochemical parameters analyzed correlated with rescue therapy results. In contrast, patients with absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) ≥ 1 × 10 9 /L at relapse were more likely to respond than patients with ALC 9 /L ( P = .05). Conclusion The R-IPI score calculated at relapse could not predict the ORR to second-line treatment. Lymphopenia is a simple and useful predictor for outcome in relapsed/refractory DLBCL and the only prognostic factor that in our hands could predict the overall response to a second-line treatment with rituximab and chemotherapy.

Summary Background No standard first-line systemic treatment for mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is available. In a phase 2 study we aimed to assess the safety and activity of a response-adapted combination of bendamustine plus rituximab as upfront treatment for this type of lymphoma. Methods In a multicentre, single-arm, non-randomised, phase 2 trial, we enrolled patients with MALT lymphoma at any site and stage and treated them with bendamustine (90 mg/m 2 on days 1 and 2) plus rituximab (375 mg/m 2 on day 1), every 4 weeks. Inclusion criteria were measurable or evaluable disease, age 18–85 years, and unequivocal active lymphoma; we also enrolled patients with MALT lymphoma arising in the stomach after failure of Helicobacter pylori eradication and primary cutaneous cases after failure of local therapies. Exclusion criteria included evidence of histological transformation, CNS involvement, and active hepatitis B or C virus or HIV infection. After three cycles, patients achieving complete response received one additional cycle (total four cycles) and those achieving partial response received three additional cycles (total six cycles). The primary endpoint was 2-year event-free survival. Analysis was by modified intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01015248. Findings 60 patients from 19 centres in Spain were enrolled between May 27, 2009, and May 23, 2011, and received treatment; 57 patients were evaluable for the primary endpoint. Only 14 (25%) patients needed more than four cycles of treatment. After a median follow-up of 43 months (IQR 37–51), median event-free survival was not reached. Event-free survival at 2 years was 93% (95% CI 84–97) and at 4 years was 88% (95% CI 74–95). The most frequently observed grade 3–4 adverse events were haematological: lymphopenia in 20 (33%) patients, neutropenia in 12 (20%) patients, and leucopenia in three (5%) patients. Grade 3–4 febrile neutropenia or infections were reported in three (5%) and four (7%) patients, respectively. Interpretation This response-adapted schedule of bendamustine plus rituximab appears to be an active and well tolerated first-line treatment for patients with MALT lymphoma. Funding Grupo Espanol de Linfomas/Trasplante de Medula Osea (GELTAMO), Mundipharma Spain, and Roche Pharma Spain.

Romiplostim, a thrombopoietin-receptor agonist (TPO-ra), is a highly effective option in primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), with 80–90% of patients achieving platelet responses after few weeks of treatment. The evidence showing remissions, that is, sustained platelet counts after romiplostim discontinuation, in patients with ITP refractory to immunosuppressive therapy is steadily increasing. However, there is a lack of guidelines or recommendations addressing how and when to taper romiplostim in clinical practice in patients maintaining elevated and stable platelet counts. Furthermore, given the high heterogeneity of ITP patients, no associated predictive factors have been currently identified. Here, we present 4 representative clinical cases of the daily clinical practice in Spain comprising newly diagnosed, persistent, and both splenectomized and nonsplenectomized chronic ITP patients treated with romiplostim, achieving and maintaining clinical remission (platelet count ≥ 50×109/L for 24 consecutive weeks in the absence of any treatment for ITP) after treatment tapering and discontinuation, without observed safety concerns. Prospective studies identifying clinical and biological predictive factors of sustained response are warranted.

High-dose chemotherapy supported by autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) has contributed to modify the natural history of follicular lymphoma (FL); however, an overall survival (OS) benefit has been demonstrated at relapse only after a rituximab-free chemotherapy regimen. A total of 655 patients with FL were reported to the Spanish GELTAMO (Grupo Espafiol de Linfomas y Trasplantes de Medula Osea) registry and underwent first ASCT between 1989 and 2007. A total of 203 patients underwent ASCT in first complete response (CR1), 174 in second complete response (CR2), 28 in third complete response (CR3), 140 in first partial response (PR1), 81 in subsequent PR, and 29 with resistant/refractory disease; 184 patients received rituximab before ASCT. With a median follow-up of 12 years from ASCT, median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 9.7 and 21.3 years, respectively. Actuarial 12-year PFS and OS were 63% (95% confidence interval [CI], 58%-68%) and 73% (95% CI, 68%-78%), respectively, for patients in CR (with a plateau in the curve beyond 15.9 years), 25% (95% CI, 19%-28%) and 49% (95% CI 42%-56%), respectively, for patients in PR, and 23% (95% CI, 8%-48%) and 28% (95% CI, 9%-45%), respectively, for patients with resistant/refractory disease = 2 or PR >= 2 who had received rituximab before ASCT (n = 90), 9-year PFS and OS were 61% (95% CI, 51%-73%) and 75% (95% CI, 65%-80%), respectively, with no relapses occurring beyond 5.1 years after ASCT. The cumulative incidence of second malignancies in the global series was 6.7% at 5 years and 12.8% at 10 years. This analysis strongly suggests that ASCT is a potentially curative option for eligible patients with FL. In the setting of relapse, it is of especial interest in pretransplantation rituximab-sensitive patients with FL. (C) 2017 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

The karyotype is an important predictor of outcome in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Rearrangements of the 11q23 region involving the KMT2A gene confer an unfavorable prognosis. Forty-six adult ALL patients from the PETHEMA Group treated with risk-adapted protocols, with t(v;11q23) were selected for this study. Complete response (CR) was attained in 38 patients; 25 remained in CR after consolidation. Twelve (48%) received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and 13 delayed intensification and maintenance. The 5-year CR duration probability was 37% (95% CI, 19%-55%). A trend for a longer CR duration was observed in patients undergoing HSCT vs. those receiving chemotherapy. The 5-year overall survival (OS) probability was 20% (95% CI, 5%-35%). The OS was better, albeit not significant, in patients with a MRD level< 0.1% after induction (39% [95% CI, 14%-64%] vs. 13% [95% CI, 0%-36%]). Specific treatment approaches are required to improve the outcome of patients with KMT2A-rearrangements.

We designed a phase II clinical trial including Y-90 ibritumomab-tiuxetan as part of a reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic stem cell transplantation (AlloSCT) in high-risk non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Clinical Trials Identifier: NCT00644371). Eligible patients had high-risk relapsed refractory aggressive lymphoma. The conditioning regimen consisted of rituximab 250 mg (days-21 and -14), Y-90 ibritumomab IV (.4 m Ci/kg, day -14), fludarabine 30 mg/m(2) i.v. (days-3 and -2) plus melphalan 70 mg/m2 i.v. (days-3 and -2) or 1 dose of melphalan and thiotepa 5 mg/kg (day-8). Donors were related. Eighteen patients were evaluable. At the time of transplantation, responses were complete remission (CR) (n = 7, 39%), partial remission (n = 6, 33%) or refractory disease (n = 4, 28%). Y-90-ibritumomab infusions were well tolerated, with no adverse reactions. Nonrelapse mortality at 1 year was 28%. Median follow-up was 46 (range, 39 to 55) months. Estimated 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 50%, and 4-year overall survival (OS) and PFS were both 44.4%. CR at the moment of AlloSCT had significant impact on PFS (71% versus 27%, P =.046) and OS (71% versus 27%, P=.047). Our results show that Y-90-ibritumomab-tiuxetan as a component of RIC for AlloSCT is feasible in patients with high-risk B cell lymphoma. Development of phase III clinical trials is needed to clarify the contribution of radioimmunotherapy to RIC AlloSCT. (C) 2017 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

BACKGROUND The karyotype is a predictor of outcomes in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The unfavorable prognostic significance of complex karyotype (CK) has been reported, whereas the prognostic relevance of monosomal karyotype (MK) has not been consistently evaluated. We aimed to assess the prognostic value of CK and MK in adults with ALL treated with risk-adapted protocols of the Spanish PETHEMA Group. METHODS The karyotypes of 881 adult ALL patients treated according to the protocols of the PETHEMA Group between 1993 and 2012 were centrally reviewed. CK and MK were assessed according to Moorman's criteria, and Breem's criteria, respectively. Specific analyses according to the risk groups and to the presence of t(9:22) were performed. RESULTS Of 364 evaluable patients 33 (9.2%) had CK, and 68 of 535 evaluable patients (12.8%) had MK. Complete remission rate, remission duration, and overall survival were not significantly different according to the presence of CK or MK in the whole series, according to the B or T lineage, in the high-risk group, or in patients with t(9;22), regardless of imatinib treatment, and in patients who received chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplantation CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that CK and MK were not associated with a worse prognosis in adult patients with ALL treated with risk-adapted or subtype-oriented protocols. In patients with Ph+ ALL, MK did not have an impact on prognosis irrespective of imatinib treatment. Cancer. © 0000 American Cancer Society Cancer 2014;120:3958–3964. © 2014 American Cancer Society.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a highly heterogeneous disease entity. Young patients with high-intermediate and high aa-IPI score seem to be good candidates to receive alternative treatments to standard RCHOP-21 including EPOCH-R,2 R-ACVBP+HDT-ASCT3 and upfront autologous stem cell transplantation. Other risk factors can be used to identify patients for the use of more doseintense regimens including bulky disease, interim PET positivity and, importantly, molecular profiles.

Background: MCL is a heterogeneous disease and the existence of indolent clinical forms is increasingly recognized although their biological ground is not fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to propose a frontline tailored treatment for indolent clinical forms with a chemo-free regimen, ibrutinib in combination with rituximab. In addition, an extensive genomic study was associated to gain biological insight into these clinical forms. Methods: This is a multicenter single-arm, open-label, phase II study with a two-stage design conducted in 14 Spanish GELTAMO sites (NCT02682641). Centralized histology, PET-CT review as well as minimal residual disease (MRD) studies (qPCR and NGS in peripheral blood [PB] and bone marrow [BM]) and biological studies are conducted. A total of 50 previously untreated MCL patients with indolent clinical forms are planned to be recruited, defined by the following criteria: no symptoms attributable to MCL, ECOG 0-1, stable disease without therapy need at least for 3 months, non-blastoid variants, Ki-67 Results: Forty patients (Gender M 29/ F 11; median age 65.7 years; low-risk MIPI 22% and intermediate/high MIPI 78%) were enrolled in the study up to data cut-off on 15 MAY 2019 (Consort diagram). The median observation time for the patients before treatment was of 7.6 months (range:3-107) and median follow-up was of 19 months. Efficacy data of the first 33 patients evaluable after 12 cycles of treatment are reported here, including two patients who were discontinued before cycle 12 due to related toxicity. A total of 27 patients achieved a response with an 82% overall response rate (ORR) and 75% CR. Among CR patients with evaluable MRD (N=23), the rate of undetectable MRD achieved after 12 cycles was 87%. Only 1 patient eventually became MRD positive at cycle 24, whereas 12 remained MRD negative and accordingly, nine of them discontinued ibrutinib as per protocol whereas 3 had interrupted treatment earlier because of intolerance. At data cut-off, all responding patients maintained the response with a median follow-up of 25 months (12-35). Only one patient progressed at one year of therapy. This particular case had shown intolerance to full-dose ibrutinib, received different salvage therapies and died of progressive disease. The estimated 15 month progression-free survival was 96% (CI95%: 89-100). Four patients withdrew the study because of serious adverse events, including cutaneous rash, severe aplastic anemia, pancreatic adenocarcinoma and lumbar fractures. Twenty-one additional G3 and G4 AEs related to Ibrutinib have been recorded including hematological toxicity in 7 patients, gastro-intestinal intolerance in 4 patients, arthralgias, atrial fibrillation and asthenia in one patient each. Conclusion: In indolent clinical forms of MCL frontline ibrutinib in combination with rituximab has a high efficacy, including undetectable MRD in the majority of cases, with a predictable toxicity profile. Figure Disclosures Gine: Roche: Other: Travel expenses, Research Funding; Gilead: Other: Travel expenses, Research Funding; Janssen: Other: Travel expenses, Research Funding. Martín:Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding; Teva: Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Expenses; Servier: Honoraria, Other: Travel Expenses; iQone: Consultancy; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding; Kiowa Kirin: Consultancy. Terol:Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy; Gilead: Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy. González-Barca:AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Kiowa: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celtrion: Consultancy; Takeda: Honoraria. Lopez-Guillermo:Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding.

620 Background: Activating B-type Raf kinase (BRAF) mutations, mostly missense V600E, occur in approximately 8% to 12% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). BRAF (V600E)mt is a strong predictor of a poor prognosis, with distinct clinical and pathological features. However, it is unknown whether this mutation is predictive of any treatment benefit in a real world setting. Methods: We conducted an observational, retrospective, multicentric study of patients with BRAF V600E-mt mCRC treated at nine university Spanish hospitals in NW Spain, belonging to GITuD (Galician Research Group on Digestive Tumors). Demographic, clinic and pathological characteristics, overall survival (OS) and first-line progression free survival (PFS) were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results: Data from 65 patients treated between November 2010 to June 2018 were recorded in this study. Median age was 62.8 years (range 30-83 years), 55.4 % female, 75.4% ECOG PS0-1, 49.2% right-sided, 35.2% high grade, 69.2% synchronous presentation, 66.2% primary tumor resection and median metastatic locations was 2 (range 1-5). With a median follow up of 64.6 months, median OS was 12.9 months (95% CI, 9.8-16.0 months) and first line PFS was 4.1 months (95% CI, 2.7-5.5 months). First line PFS according treatment: Bev+Triplet-CT/Bev+Doublet-CT/antiEGFR+Doublet-CT/Doublet-CT: 6.2 vs 4.8 vs 2.9 vs 2.1 months (p = 0.020). Bevacizumab based chemotherapy was associated with a prolonged first line PFS (median 5.0 vs. 2.1 months, HR, 0.406; 95% CI, 0.20-0.81; p = 0.005). Nevertheless, no statistical differences between bevacizumab based regimes, (Triplet-CT vs Doublet-CT (HR 0.830; 95% CI 0.4-1.9; p = 0.666)) or between Doublet-CT with or without a antiEGFR were found (HR 0.511; 95% CI 0.2-1.6; p = 0.223). Conclusions: Our study confirms the negative prognostic impact of BRAF V600Emt in mCRC and encourage the use of anti-angiogenic based chemotherapy in this subgroup of patients.

622 Background: Multiple studies have reported prognostic association of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLT) and albumin levels including patients with early and advanced metastatic colorectal cancer. However, it is unknown the prognostic impact in patients with BRAF (V600E) mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Methods: We conducted an observational, retrospective, multicentric study of patients with BRAF V600E-mt mCRC treated at nine university Spanish hospitals belonging to GITuD (Galician Research Group on Digestive Tumors). Demographic, clinic, pathological characteristics, overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) data were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Data from 65 pts. treated between November 2010 to June 2018 were recorded. Median age was 62.8 years (range 30-83), 55.4 % female, 75.4% ECOG PS0-1, 49.2% right-sided, 35.2% high grade, 69.2% synchronous presentation, 66.2% primary tumor resection and median metastatic locations was 2 (range 1-5). With a median follow up of 64.6 months, median OS was 12.9 months (95% CI, 9.8-16.0) and first line PFS was 4.1 months (95% CI, 2.7-5.5). NLR (HR 2.294; p = 0.004), PLR (HR 6.329; p = 0.028) and albumin levels (HR 2.575, p = 0.011) were independent prognostic factors for OS. Patients with higher NLR (> 3 vs. < 3): had a significantly lower OS 6.8 versus 17.5 months (HR 2.294; 95% CI 1.3-4.1, p = 0.004), which was also true for patients with higher PLR (> 200 vs. < 200): with OS 6.3 versus 14.5 months (HR 1.879; 95% CI 1.1-3.3, p = 0.028), while patients with low albumin had lower OS 6.8 versus 13.4 months (HR 2.575; 95% CI 1.2-5.5, p = 0.011). NLR was positively associated with PLR (p < 0.001). Neither NLR (p = 0.190) or PLR (p = 0.327) were associated with low albumin levels. A Systemic Inflammation Score (assigning one point for each factor) was predictive of survival: OS 0/1/2/3 factors were 17.7 versus 8.7 versus 9.7 versus 5.0 months (p < 0.001). Patients with Systemic Inflamation Score = 0 had significantly higher OS: 17.7 versus 8.2 months (HR 0.357; 95% CI 0.2-0.7, p = 0.001). Conclusions: NLR, PLR and albumin levels are significant prognostic factors in patients with BRAF V600E-mt mCRC.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors. The role of the HLA system in tumor antigen presentation could be involved in susceptibility and disease control. We analyzed the phenotypic frequencies of HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DRB1, and HLA-DQB1 in 250 DLBCLs, comparing them with 1940 healthy individuals. We also evaluated the influence of HLA polymorphisms on survival in those patients treated with curative intention using cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP)-like regimen without (n = 64, 26%) or with (n = 153, 61%) rituximab. DLBCL patients have a higher phenotypic frequency of HLA-DRB1*01 (29% vs 19.5%, P = .0008, Pc = .0104) and a lower frequency of HLA-C*03 (6.4% vs 17.9%, P < .0005, Pc = .007) compared with healthy individuals. Irrespective of the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index, those patients receiving a CHOP-like plus rituximab regimen and carrying the HLA-B44 supertype had worse 5-year progression-free (54% vs 71%, P = .019) and 5-year overall (71% vs 92%, P = .001) survival compared with patients without this supertype. Our data suggest that some HLA polymorphisms influence the development and outcome of DLBCL, allowing the identification of an extremely good-risk prognostic subgroup. However, these results are preliminary and need to be validated in order to exclude a possible population effect.

CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4), the receptor for macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC/CCL22) and thymus activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17), is expressed on tumor cells in approximately 30-65% of patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL).1 Mogamulizumab, a defucosylated, humanized, IgG1 monoclonal antibody directed against CCR4 has been approved in Japan for the treatment of CCR4-positive relapsed/refractory PTCL. Mogamulizumab demonstrated effectiveness [overall response rate (ORR) 34%] in a phase II study of 29 Japanese patients with relapsed CCR4-positive PTCL.2 We conducted a phase II study in patients with relapsed or refractory CCR4-positive PTCL at 15 European centers (clinicaltrials.gov identifier :01611142). All patients gave written informed consent prior to enrollment. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and in compliance with Good Clinical Practice guidelines. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee at each participating institution. The primary objective was to determine the best ORR of mogamulizumab. Secondary objectives included the duration of response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) as well as the safety and immunogenicity of mogamulizumab.

Background/Aims: Rituximab-cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) every 14 days seems to achieve better outcomes than R-CHOP every 21 days in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Currently, the standard regimen is R-CHOP every 21 days. Methods: This is a phase II clinical trial of treatment with 6 cycles of R-CHOP-14 with pegfilgrastim support in 2 populations of previously untreated DLBCL patients aged ≥65 years (n = 73) or Results: With a median follow-up of 63.7 months, the 5-year event-free survival rate was 53.8% in patients aged ≥65 years and 71.0% in patients aged Conclusion: In conclusion, the R-CHOP-14 regimen is feasible and very active, though it is more toxic in elderly patients mainly due to an increased incidence of infections. New strategies, such as new monoclonal antibodies or new targeted therapies, are needed to improve the outcomes of DLBCL patients.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a heterogeneous group of aggressive lymphomas that can be classified into three molecular subtypes by gene expression profiling (GEP): GCB, ABC and unclassified. Immunohistochemistry-based cell of origin (COO) classification, as a surrogate for GEP, using three available immunohistochemical algorithms was evaluated in TMA-arranged tissue samples from 297 patients with de novo DLBCL treated by chemoimmunotherapy (R-CHOP and R-CHOP-like regimens). Additionally, the prognostic impacts of MYC, BCL2, IRF4 and BCL6 abnormalities detected by FISH, the relationship between the immunohistochemical COO classification and the immunohistochemical expression of MYC, BCL2 and pSTAT3 proteins and clinical data were evaluated. In our series, non-GCB DLBCL patients had significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), as calculated using the Choi, Visco-Young and Hans algorithms, indicating that any of these algorithms would be appropriate for identifying patients who require alternative therapies to R-CHOP. Whilst MYC abnormalities had no impact on clinical outcome in the non-GCB subtype, those patients with isolated MYC rearrangements and a GCB-DLBCL phenotype had worse PFS and therefore might benefit from novel treatment approaches.

Bendamustine is a alkylating agent with a purine-like benzamidazole ring currently approved in Europe for indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma. Our aim was to analyze retrospectively the efficacy and toxicity of bendamustine in NHL and CLL in Spain in the bendamustine Compassionate Use Program. Patients with relapsed/refractory NHL or CLL were eligible. Any regimen containing bendamustine was eligible. 109 patients were included from 22 institutions. Forty-nine patients had indolent NHL, 18 aggressive NHL and 42 CLL, being 44 patients (40%) refractory to previous treatment. 63% of patients had adverse events grade 3-4, mainly hematological. Overall response rate (ORR) was 66%, complete responses 30%. ORR observed in refractory patients was 45%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 13 months. Outcome was influenced by histology, number of previous treatments, resistance to previous chemotherapy and type of response achieved with bendamustine. Alone or in combination, bendamustine shows a meaningful clinical antitumor activity in patients with relapsed or refractory NHL or CLL, with an acceptable toxicity profile.

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a disease of paradoxes-incurable but with a long natural history. We hypothesized that a combination of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells and monoclonal antibodies might provide a robust synergistic treatment and tested this hypothesis in a phase II clinical trial (NCT01329354). In this trial, in addition to R-CHOP, we alternated the administration of only rituximab with rituximab and autologous LAK cells that were expanded ex vivo. Our objective was to determine the in vitro capability of LAK cells generated from FL patients to produce cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines and to determine rituximab- and obinutuzumab-induced cytotoxicity via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity. We analyzed the LAK cell-induced cytotoxicity and rituximab (R)- and obinutuzumab (GA101)-induced ADCC activity. We show that LAK cells generated from FL patients induce cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines. R and GA101 enhance cytolysis through ADCC activity of LAK cells. Impaired LAK cell cytotoxicity and ADCC activity were detected in 50 % of patients. Percentage of NK cells in LAK infusions were correlated with the R- and GA101-induced ADCC. Our results indicate that the combination of R or GA101 and LAK cells should be an option as frontline maintenance therapy in patients with FL.

INTRODUCTION Cell free tumor DNA (cftDNA) based targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) is a novel tool that enables accurate and minimally invasive tumor genotyping. MATERIAL AND METHODS Here we have performed cftDNA targeted NGS for the molecular diagnosis of a series of 92 peripheral blood samples obtained at diagnosis in patients included in a phase II randomized clinical trial comparing standard RCHOP versus BRCAP as first line treatment in patients with poor IPI (aaIPI2-3 or aaIPI1 with high b2m, age 18-71, NCT01848132). Centralized histopathological review of diagnostic tissue samples confirmed the diagnosis: 83 DLBCL (68%, 55/81 GCB, 32%, 26/81 non-GCB, according to Hans immunohistochemical algorithm), 4 TCHRBCL, 3 PMBCL, 1 concurrent DLBCL and FL3A, 1 FL 3B. 7 out of 83 cases had DLBCL morphology and DH by FISH (6 MYC/BCL2 and 1 MYC/BCL6, all GCB-type by IHC). A targeted NGS approach using amplicon-based chemistry (Truseq, Illumina) that interrogates exonic regions of 35 relevant genes in DLBCL (1458 amplicons analyzed) was used for library generation from plasma derived DNA. Germline DNA from peripheral blood granulocytes from 89 out of 92 patients was sequenced in parallel and used as control DNA for variant calling. Only somatic variants with a read depth above 100 and Variant Allele Frequency > 5% were considered. RESULTS cftDNA concentration (hGE/mL) was associated with LDH levels (U/mL) at diagnosis. Mean cftDNA concentration was lower in patients with low LDH (U Mann whitney p= 0.005). Somatic mutations were identified in 74% (68 out of 92) patient plasma samples. 242 somatic mutations were considered after filtering. Mean of 3.6 mutations per patient. 10 genes were mutated in >10% of the patients, including: FAT2 (19.6%), ARID1A (18%), NOTCH1 (17.4%), NOTCH2 (15.2%), KMT2D (14.13%), SMARCA4 (14%), ATM (13%), EP300 (13%), EZH2 (13%), PLCG2 (13%). Recurrent mutations were found in EZH2 (2 patients). Mutations in BCR/TLR pathway genes were found in less than 10% of the cases (CARD11, 7.6%; MYD88, 4.4%; CD79A, 5.4%; CD79B, 1%; BTK, 4.4%). NOTCH1 mutations were found preferentially in GCB type DLBCL (12/55 GCB vs 1/26 nonGCB, Chi square p value DISCUSSION cftDNA targeted NGS captures the mutational profile in a significant fraction of DLBCL patients and enables tumor genotyping in the clinical trial setting. In contrast with previously published data mutations in NOTCH pathway, including NOTCH1, NOTCH2 and SGK1 were relatively frequent in our series of poor IPI patients, outnumbering the frequency of mutations in BCR/TLR pathway. NOTCH pathway mutations were also preferentially found in GCB-type DLBCL-NOS, PMBCL and 1 case of TCHRBCL. In summary cftDNA genotyping based on targeted NGS can provide potentially useful information for therapy selection in DLBCL patients. Disclosures Martín: Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses; Servier: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses. Gonzalez-Barca:Roche: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Consultancy; Celtrion: Consultancy. Montes-Moreno:TAKEDA: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy.

Background: We gathered data from multiple institutions on the cetuximab regimen of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Methods: 126 patients from 19 centers were included from July 2006 to July 2007 in this prospective non-controlled study. Irinotecan-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer patients with Karnofsky ≧70 received cetuximab 500 mg/m2 every 2 weeks (q2w) in combination with irinotecan 180 mg/m2 q2w until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was the progression-free rate at 12 weeks. Results: Median age was 65 years; 65.9% male; colon/rectum 64.3/34.1%; Karnofsky status ≤80/≧90% in 45.3/54.7% of the patients. The progression-free rate was 42.7 (95% CI 32.8–52.6) and 22.4% (95% CI 14.2–30.7) at 12 and 24 weeks, respectively. The main grade 3 or 4 toxicities were: diarrhea 13.5% and acne-like rash 10.3%. No grade 3 or 4 infusional or allergic reactions were reported. Conclusions: The progression-free rates confirm that cetuximab q2w in combination with irinotecan is an option, and is as active and safe as the standard weekly regimen.

A study was designed to assess the reliability of the serial detection of Aspergillus sp. DNA to diagnose invasive aspergillosis (IA) in patients with febrile neutropenia. Two blood and two serum samples were taken weekly from 83 patients. A total of 2,244 samples were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. Twelve (14.4%) patients were diagnosed with IA. Taking two consecutive positive results as the diagnostic criterion, PCR detected 11 cases, with 4 false positives, giving sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of 91.6%, 94.4%, 73.3%, and 98.5%, respectively. On analyzing in conjunction with high-resolution chest tomography (HRCT) and galactomannan (GM) testing, the combination of serial PCR and GM detected 100% of aspergillosis cases, with a positive predictive value of 75.1%. This diagnostic strategy presented, according to CART analysis, a receiver-operator curve with an area under the curve of 0.97 (95% confidence interval, 0.895 to 1.032; P < 0.01), with a relative risk of IA 6.92 times higher than the control population and with predictive success of 95.2%. As regards early diagnosis, the serial detection of Aspergillus DNA took on average 21 days less than HRCT and 68 days less than GM. The serial detection of Aspergillus DNA using real-time quantitative PCR has great diagnostic applicability, which increases when combined with GM quantification.

The aim of the project was to identify biological variables in high-clinical-risk patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), treated with risk-adapted therapies. The study was performed in a series of high-clinical-risk patients with DLBCL treated with MegaCHOP or MegaCHOP + IFE followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). An initial reduced set of diagnostic tumoral samples was studied by gene expression profiling and gene-set-enrichment analysis. A set of potential biomarkers extracted from this study was then explored in tissue microarrays containing paraffin-diagnostic tissue from 50 patients. The statistical analysis identified 17 immunohistochemical markers associated with the clinical endpoints. A subsequent multivariate analysis identified FoxP3+ T-reg cells as an independent predictor of failure-free survival. Bcl6 expression, CG/ABC subclasses and IPI were found not to predict survival in this series. The increased presence of regulatory T-cells as a marker of adverse outcome highlights specific components of the tumoral microenvironment in the pathogenesis and treatment response prediction for high-clinical-risk patients with DLBCL.