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We evaluated differences in density and 18F-FDG PET/MRI features of lytic bone lesions (LBLs) identified by whole-body low-dose CT (WB-LDCT) in patients affected by newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). In 18 MM patients, 135 unequivocal LBLs identified by WB-LDCT were characterized for inner density (negative or positive Hounsfield unit (HU)), where negative density (HU

The use of generic drugs after patent expiration of their originators is a relative novelty in the treatment of chronic cancer patients in Western countries. In this observational study we analyzed a cohort of 294 Italian chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated frontline with branded imatinib (Glivec®) for at least 6 months and then uniformly switched to generic imatinib upon requirement of health authorities in early 2017. Median age at diagnosis was 57 years (range 19-87). Sokal risk was low/intermediate/high in 55%, 32% and 8% of cases, respectively. Median duration of branded imatinib treatment was 7.4 years (range 0.5-16.7). At a median follow-up of 7.5 months after switch to generic imatinib, 17% of patients reported new or worsening side effects, but grade 3-4 non-hematological adverse events were rare. Six patients switched back to branded imatinib, with improvement in the side effect profile, and 4 pts moved to bosutinib or nilotinib for resistance/intolerance. The majority of patients were in major (26%) or deep molecular response (66%) at the time of switch. Molecular responses remained stable, improved or worsened in 61%, 25% and 14% of patients, respectively. We conclude that switch to generic imatinib for patients who have been receiving branded imatinib appears to be effective and safe. Molecular responses may continue to improve over time. Some patients experienced new or worsened side effects but less than 5% of the whole cohort needed to switch back to branded imatinib or move to other treatments. Savings were around 3 million Euros.

Patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) aged less than 60 years, who have not suffered a previous vascular event (low-risk patients), may develop thrombotic or hemorrhagic events. So far, it has not been possible to identify useful markers capable of predicting which of these patients are more likely to develop an event and therefore who needs to be treated. In the present study, we analysed the relationship between vascular complications and longitudinal blood counts of 136 low-risk ET patients taken over a sustained period of time (blood cells dynamism). After a median follow-up of 60 months, 45 out of 136 patients (33%) suffered 40 major thrombotic and 5 severe hemorrhagic complications. A total number of 5,781 blood counts were collected longitudinally. Thrombotic and hemorrhagic events were studied together (primary endpoint) but also separately (thrombotic alone = secondary endpoint; hemorrhagic alone = tertiary endpoint). The primary endpoint showed no significant association between platelet and WBC count at diagnosis and risk of any event (platelet, p = 0.797; WBC, p = 0.178), while Hb at baseline did show an association (p = 0.024). In the dynamic analysis with Cox regression model, where the blood count values were studied by time of follow-up, we observed that the risk for Hb was 1.49 (95% CI 1.13-1.97) for every increase of 1 g/dL, and that this risk then marginally decreased during follow-up. WBC was associated with an increased risk at baseline for every increase of 1 × 10(9)/L (hazard ratio (HR) 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.13, p = 0.034), the risk was stable during follow-up (HR 0.95, p = 0.187 at 60 months). Also, for each increment at baseline of 100 × 10(9) platelets/L, HR was increased by 1.08 (95% CI 0.97-1.22, p = 0.159) and decreases during follow-up. In conclusion, this study is the first to evaluate in ET low-risk patients, the risk of developing a thrombotic/hemorrhagic event considering blood counts over time. Overall our study shows that the risk changes over time. For example, the risk associated with WCC is not linear as previously reported. An interesting new finding is that PLT and even Hb contribute to the risk of developing vascular events. Future treatments should take into consideration these findings and aim to control all parameters over time. We believe this early study may help develop a dynamic analysis model to predict thrombosis in the single patient. Further studies are now warranted to further validate our findings.

Background. The therapeutic approach in thrombocythemic patients with Philadelphia negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (Ph- MPN), in order to result cost-effective (primum non nocere), is commonly driven by the risk factors considered in the gradually updated guidelines. However, no studies were addressed to evaluate if and how the real-life therapeutic approach changed in the last decades. Objective. To evaluate, in a large series of thrombocythemic patients with Ph- MPN, the impact of clinical and biological characteristics at diagnosis on the therapeutic approach adopted before and after the publication of the Italian guidelines for essential thrombocythemia therapy [1]. Methods. The analysis considered, in the patients of the Registro Italiano Trombocitemie (RIT), the clinical and biological characteristics at diagnosis, and the treatment ongoing after 3, 6, 12, and >12 months from diagnosis (antiplatelet alone [AntiPLT]; cytoreductive alone [CYT]; CYT+AntiPLT). Results. The analyzed patients were 2418, 914 (38%) males and 1504 (62%) females, with a diagnosis (PVSG or WHO criteria) performed before and after 2005 in 51% and 49% of cases, respectively. The rate of ongoing treatment with AntiPLT, CYT, and CYT+AntiPLT increased as follows: at 3rd month 16%, 12%, and 31%; at 12th month 17%, 14%, and 39%; after 12 months 19%, 16%, and 55%, respectively. Patients treated with CYT or CYT+AntiPLT did not significantly differ in their characteristics at diagnosis. The analysis of data at the 3rd month (initial phase) showed that: 1) CYT±AntiPLT treatment, ongoing in 43% of patients, was significantly related, in univariate analysis, to male gender, older age, prior thrombosis, higher thrombocytosis, leukocytosis, higher HCT level, CVRFs, comorbidities, symptoms, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and bone marrow fibrosis grade >0 (no relationship with JAK2 V617F mutation, and prior hemorrhage); in multivariate analysis, it was significantly related to age >60 y, age 40-60 y, prior thrombosis, PLT >1000 x109/L, PLT 700-1000 x109/L, symptoms, and comorbidities. 2) patients with standard high risk (age >60 y, and/or prior thrombosis, and/or PLT >1500 x109/L ) were receiving CYT±AntiPLT (59%), AntiPLT (7%), and no treatment (34%). 3) patients with standard low risk were receiving CYT±AntiPLT (22%), AntiPLT (27%), and no treatment (51%). Low risk patients receiving CYT±AntiPLT had age 40-60 y (73%), CVRFs (59%), symptoms (53%), comorbidities (42%), PLT 1000-1500 x109/L (35%), PLT 700-1000 x109/L (42%), JAK2 V617F mutation (30%), WBC >10 x109/L (22%). 4) in patients receiving CYT±AntiPLT, the initial cytoreductive drug and the median age were: hydroxycarbamide (80%, 68 y), anagrelide (6%, 49 y), interferon alpha (9%, 42 y), pipobroman (2%, 72 y), busulfan (3%, 70 y). The AntiPLT drug mostly used was low dose ASA (86-90% of cases, at any age). 5) Patients diagnosed after 2005, compared with those diagnosed before, showed a higher rate of CYT±AntiPLT treatment when at standard high risk ( 64% vs 53 % p Conclusion. The initial (within the 3rd month) therapeutic approach in the thrombocythemic Ph- MPN patients of the RIT was after 2005 relatively compliant with the 2004 Italian guidelines. In fact, the rate of CYT±AntiPLT treatment in patients with standard high risk was higher than before (64% vs 53%, p [1] Barbui T et al. Haematologica 2004; [2] Harrison C et al. NEJM 2005; [3] Gisslinger H et al. NEJM 2013; [4] Passamonti F et al. Blood 2012; [5] Barbui T et al. Blood 2012 *The RIT is a project of the GIMEMA Foundation Disclosures Gugliotta: Shire : Honoraria.

Background In essential thrombocythemia (ET) patients, history of thrombosis and age over 60 y are validated risk factors for occurrence of thrombosis during the follow-up. Leukocytosis, JAK2 V617F mutation, cardiovascular (CV) general risk factors, and male gender are candidate risk factors for thrombosis. The thrombocytosis, a constitutive abnormality in ET, is associated with both thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications. Aim To evaluate in a large cohort of ET patients the potential relationship between the thrombosis history and the main clinical and biological characteristics at diagnosis, i.e. before any interference of cytoreductive treatment. Methods A cohort of ET patients (PVSG or WHO criteria) of the Registro Italiano Trombocitemie (RIT) was retrospectively analyzed through logistic regression models. Results A total of 977 patients, 387 males and 590 females, presented at diagnosis: median age 56 y (43% with age >60 y), median PLT count 783 x 109/L (33% with low thrombocytosis, 10 x 109/L), median HCT 42.6% (high HCT: >47% in 24% of the males and >44% in 23% of the females), CV general risk factors in 69% of cases (one of smoking, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, CV disease, familiarity for thrombosis), bone marrow fibrosis grade 0 in 67% of cases, JAK2 V617F mutation in 56% of the 399 tested patients. The history of thrombosis (arterial in 74% of cases) was reported in 194 (19.9%) patients. The history of thrombosis in univariate analysis was significantly related to: age >60 y (p 0.001), male gender (p 0.009), CV general risk factors (p 0.002), low thrombocytosis (p 0.000), leukocytosis (p 0.003), high HCT (p 0.004), and JAK2 V617F mutation (p 0.008). No relationship was found with bone marrow fibrosis. In multivariate analysis a relationship was confirmed between thrombosis history and age >60 y (p 0.023), male gender (0.046), CV general risk factors (0.039), low thrombocytosis (p 0.004), leukocytosis (0.019), and JAK2 V617F mutation (p 0.033). The rate of thrombosis history in the patients without both low thrombocytosis and leukocytosis (11%, 49/428) resulted significantly lower (p 0.0001) than in the patients with leukocytosis (24%, 54/224), the patients with low thrombocytosis (27%, 71/266), and the patients with both low thrombocytosis and leukocytosis (34%, 20/59). Conclusion In this cohort of ET patients the rate of thrombosis history in multivariate analysis is significantly related to various clinical and biological characteristics at diagnosis, including low thrombocytosis (PLT 10 x 109/L), JAK2 V617F mutation, age >60 y, male gender, and CV general risk factors. Acknowledgment this study was partially supported by the GIMEMA Foundation (Promotor of the RIT) and by the AIL Foundation. Disclosures: Gugliotta: SHIRE Company: Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Abstract 2839 Patients affected by low-risk essenthial thrombocythosis (ET) may develope thrombotic/haemorragic events at a lower rate compared to high-risk ET patients. So far, it has not be possible to identify useful markers to predict which of these patients are more likely to have an event. Previous authors [Carobbio A et al, Blood 2007] have shown that leukocytosis at diagnosis is associated with a high hazard risk (HR) of developing a thrombotic event, while high platelets count is not. Subsequently other authors [Gangant N et al, Cancer 2009] have contradicted this findings and instead shown that in low-risk ET, the increase in leukocyte count over time correlates with thrombotic events [Passamonti F et al ISTH 2009]. For these reasons we decided to evaluate risk parameters in a dynamic manner with the aim of identifying those patients who are more likely to have an event and might benefit from preventive treatment. We performed a large multicentre retrospective study that included several North Italian Haemathology centres and a large Austrian university hospital. Patient data was analysed using random effect linear regression model and a dedicated Cox model with dynamic proportional risk. We studied 136 patients with low risk ET. Out of those, 45 had a thrombotic/haemorragic event and 91 never had an event (events included: stroke, TIA, IMA, PE, PAD, epystaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding). Overall, the median age was 42 years (IQR 20; range 18–60), the median Hb was 14.0 g/dL (IQR 2.3; range 4.4–18), the median WBC was 8.1 ×103/Â μL (IQR 3.3; range 3.3–23.8), the median PLT was 701 ×103/ÂL (IQR 404; range 206–1806). Gender was M 33% (n=45), F 67% (n=91); smokers were 24% (n=18/N=74); hypercholesterolemia was 18% (n=17/N=92). The FBCs of both groups were recorded from the date of diagnosis (entry time) and up to 3 years of follow up or to the development of a thrombotic/haemorragic event (exit time). A total number of 1294 FBCs were provided by the group with event and compared to a total of 4487 FBCs from the group without event. The follow-up Hb values showed a decreasing linear pattern linear from baseline values. The PLT-count showed a trend similar to Hb over the period of follow-up in both the group without events and in the group with events. The WBC showed a decrease during follow-up in the group with events and an increase in the group without events. Surprisingly, the risk of developing an adverse event after 60 months of follow-up was reduced by 20% for each increase of 1 g/dL Hb (p =0.007), was increased by 8% for each WBC increase of 1 103/uL (p =0.026) and was decreased by 6% for each PLT increase of 100 × 103 /uL (p =0.434). No differences were seen between venous or arterious thrombotic events (Log rank test, p=0.842). In conclusion, this study confirms that baseline FBCs values are not predictive of events within the ET low risk group. The emerging new finding is that the risk of developing an event is higher when Hb is reduced. This strongly suggests a protective role of Hb in the low-risk ET group. Previous studies have shown that red cells might store and generate nitric oxide (NO), a key endothelial modulator [Kim-Shapiro DB et al 2006]. The presence of NO would keep PLT in resting state, would reduce endothelial cell adhesion and in turn reduce thrombosis rate. However this needs to be confirmed. Disclosures: Steurer: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Pizzolo:Hoffmann-La Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria.

Background: the Registro Italiano Trombocitemia, that is a GIMEMA project, has been activated to registry Italian Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) patients, to improve the diagnosis appropriateness (WHO criteria), to verify the prognostic value of the clinical and biological parameters, to evaluate the compliance to the therapeutical Italian guidelines (1), and to create a network for activation of new studies. Objective: this analysis is mainly devoted to describe the ET patients registered in the RIT and to evaluate the therapeutic approach adopted in the 102 participating hematological centers. Material and methods: two thousand and fifteen ET patients have been registered after the written informed consent was obtained, and data validation by various expert panels is in progress. This preliminary report considers 1785 patients, diagnosed mainly (1078, 60.4%) since the publication in the year 2004 of the ET therapy Italian guidelines (1). Results: the patients, 678 (38%) males and 1107 (62%) females, showed at diagnosis: age 60.3 ± 16.8 years with higher values in males than in females (61.7 ± 15.3 vs. 59.4 ± 17.7, p Conclusion: in the analyzed patients of the ET Italian registry the diagnosis appropriateness resulted improved in the cases observed since the year 2004 respect those observed before, with an increase of bone marrow biopsies from 51% to 68% of patients. Moreover, in accord with the ET therapy Italian guidelines, the use of the cytoreductive drugs was less frequent in the patients diagnosed since the year 2004 than before (particularly for BUS, IFN, and ANA) and the more safe molecules IFN and ANA were preferentially deserved to the younger patients.