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Pethema Group., [Simple Summary] The use of azacitidine (AZA) and decitabine (DEC) have allowed more elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients to be treated. However, scarcely any direct comparative data exist between both drugs. This study shows no significant differences in response rates or overall survival (OS) between upfront AZA and DEC treatment in a large retrospective with long-term follow-up cohort of AML patients. However, we identified for the first time the baseline characteristics of patients benefitting from AZA vs. DEC in terms of responses, 120-day mortality and OS. We also show differences in salvage treatment patterns and outcomes after failure to both hypomethylating agents in a real-life setting. Taken together, these findings could help to select the most appropriate hypomethylating agent in monotherapy., The hypomethylating agents, decitabine (DEC) and azacitidine (AZA), allowed more elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients to be treated. However, there are little direct comparative data on AZA and DEC. This multicenter retrospective study compared the outcomes of AZA and DEC in terms of response and overall survival (OS). Potential predictors associated with response and OS were also evaluated. A total of 626 AML patients were included (487 treated with AZA and 139 with DEC). Response rates were similar in both groups: CR was 18% with AZA vs. 23% with DEC (p = 0.20), CR/CRi was 20.5% vs. 25% (p = 0.27) and ORR was 32% vs. 39.5% (p = 0.12), respectively. Patients with leukocytes < 10 × 109/L, bone marrow blasts < 50% and ECOG ≥ 2 had higher ORR with DEC than with AZA. OS was similar in both groups: 10.4 months (95% CI: 9.2–11.7) vs. 8.8 months (95% CI: 6.7–11.0, p = 0.455), for AZA and DEC, respectively. Age (≥80 years), leukocytes (≥ 10 × 109/L), platelet count (

Genomics; T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia Genòmica; leucèmia limfoblàstica aguda de cèl·lules T Genómica; Leucemia linfoblástica aguda de células T Genetic information has been crucial to understand the pathogenesis of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) at diagnosis and at relapse, but still nowadays has a limited value in a clinical context. Few genetic markers are associated with the outcome of T-ALL patients, independently of measurable residual disease (MRD) status after therapy. In addition, the prognostic relevance of genetic features may be modulated by the specific treatment used. We analyzed the genetic profile of 145 T-ALL patients by targeted deep sequencing. Genomic information was integrated with the clinicalbiological and survival data of a subset of 116 adult patients enrolled in two consecutive MRD-oriented trials of the Spanish PETHEMA (Programa Español de Tratamientos en Hematología) group. Genetic analysis revealed a mutational profile defined by DNMT3A/ N/KRAS/ MSH2/ U2AF1 gene mutations that identified refractory/resistant patients. Mutations in the DMNT3A gene were also found in the non-leukemic cell fraction of patients with T-ALL, revealing a possible mutational-driven clonal hematopoiesis event to prime T-ALL in elderly. The prognostic impact of this adverse genetic profile was independent of MRD status on day +35 of induction therapy. The combined worse-outcome genetic signature and MRD on day +35 allowed risk stratification of T-ALL into standard or high-risk groups with significantly different 5- year overall survival (OS) of 52% (95% confidence interval: 37-67) and 17% (95% confidence interval: 1-33), respectively. These results confirm the relevance of the tumor genetic profile in predicting patient outcome in adult T-ALL and highlight the need for novel gene-targeted chemotherapeutic schedules to improve the OS of poor-prognosis T-ALL patients. This project was supported by the AECC (GC16173697BIGA); ISCIII (PI19/01828 and PI19/01183), co-funded by ERDF/ESF, "A way to make Europe"/"Investing in your future", CERCA/Generalitat de Catalunya SGR 2017 288 (GRC)/ “La Caixa”. C Gon-zález-Gil was supported by AGAUR grant (ref: 2020 FI_B2 00210).

© 2021 The Author(s)., The potential prognostic value of conventional karyotyping in adult T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) remains an open question. We hypothesized that a modified cytogenetic classification, based on the number and type of cytogenetic abnormalities, would allow the identification of high-risk adult T-ALL patients. Complex karyotype defined by the presence of ≥3 cytogenetic alterations identified T-ALL patients with poor prognosis in this study. Karyotypes with ≥3 abnormalities accounted for 16 % (22/139) of all evaluable karyotypes, corresponding to the largest poor prognosis cytogenetic subgroup of T-ALL identified so far. Patients carrying karyotypes with ≥3 cytogenetic alterations showed a significantly inferior response to therapy, and a poor outcome in terms of event-free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS) and cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), independently of other baseline characteristics and the end-induction minimal residual disease (MRD) level. Additional molecular analyses of patients carrying ≥3 cytogenetic alterations showed a unique molecular profile that could contribute to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of resistance and to evaluate novel targeted therapies (e.g. IL7R directed) with potential impact on outcome of adult T-ALL patients., This project was supported by the AECC (GC16173697BIGA); ISCIII (PI19/01828) co-funded by ERDF/ESF "A way to make Europe"/ "Investing in your future", CERCA/Generalitat de Catalunya SGR 2017 288 (GRC)/ “La Caixa” P. Barba was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III FIS16/01433 and PERIS 2018-2020 from Generalitat de Catalunya (BDNS357800).

The need for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in adults with Philadelphia chromosome–negative (Ph−) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with high-risk (HR) features and adequate measurable residual disease (MRD) clearance remains unclear. The aim of the ALL-HR-11 trial was to evaluate the outcomes of HR Ph− adult ALL patients following chemotherapy or allo-HSCT administered based on end-induction and consolidation MRD levels. Patients aged 15 to 60 years with HR-ALL in complete response (CR) and MRD levels (centrally assessed by 8-color flow cytometry)

Context: There is a debate regarding the impact of t(1;19) (q23;p13) in adult BCP ALL. While the MD Anderson group suggests it may be a low-risk subtype, the German, English, and French study groups have shown no differential outcome, and Italian and SWOG groups have reported poor outcomes. Objective: To analyze the frequency and clinical impact of t(1;19) in a series of adult BCP ALL patients (pts). Design & Patients: A review of 513 adult BCP ALL pts (15 to 60 years) diagnosed between 2003 and 2017 and treated with MRD-oriented protocols of the PETHEMA Group. Interventions: G-banding and FISH were performed on BM samples. Measurable residual disease (MRD) was centrally assessed by multi-parametric flow cytometry. Main Outcomes Measures: Complete response (CR), overall survival (OS) and cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), assessed by competing risk analysis. Results: Total of 26 pts with t(1;19)/TCF3-PBX1 (representing 5% of all BCP ALL). 9/23 (39%) cases showed isolated t(1;19) while 14/23 (61%) had additional chromosomal aberrations (ACA). Pts with t(1;19) were more likely to be female (73% vs 45%, p=0.006) and pre-B phenotype (63% vs 17%, p Conclusions: Although showing favorable initial treatment response, pts with t(1;19) experience a higher rate of relapse (especially those with ACA to t(1;19)) than the remaining BCP ALL pts, without differences in OS. A deeper genetic analysis may identify markers of poor outcome enabling a more precise risk stratification of t(1;19) pts.

INTRODUCTION The hypomethylating agents (HMAs), decitabine (DEC) and azacitidine (AZA), have made it possible to treat more elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Both HMAs have demonstrated efficacy in monotherapy and in combination with targeted therapies. However, there is little direct comparative data on AZA and DEC in first-line treatment, and we do not know which group of patients might benefit from each drug. Results of the full analysis set (FAS) were presented previously (Labrador J, et al. ASH 2020). Here, we report long-term clinical efficacy from prespecified patient subgroup analyses. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study to compare real-life clinical outcomes between AZA and DEC in patients with AML ineligible for intensive chemotherapy included in the PETHEMA registry, and analyzed clinical variables associated with response and overall survival (OS) between AZA and DEC. RESULTS A total of 626 patients were included for the FAS between 2006 and 2019. 487 (78%) received AZA and 139 (22%) received DEC. Baseline characteristics were comparable in both groups, except for the percentage of bone marrow blasts (44% vs. 34% in the DEC group compared to AZA, p=0.010). In the FAS, there was no difference in the CR, CR/CRi or ORR (CR/RCi + PR) rate: 18%, 20.5% and 32% with AZA vs. 23%, 25% and 39.5% with DEC (p=0.20, p=0.27 and p=0.12). In the subgroup analysis, DEC was associated with higher CR/CRi rate than AZA in patients with ECOG ≥ 2 (95% CI: 0.088 - 0.801), bone marrow blast count < 50% (95% CI: 0.293 - 0.965), secondary AML (95% CI: 0.223 - 0.918) and adverse cytogenetics (95% CI: 0.171 - 0.857) (Figure 1A). DEC was associated with higher ORR rate than AZA in patients with ECOG ≥ 2 (95% CI: 0.116 - 0.782), leukocytes < 10 x10 9/L (95% CI: 0.321 - 0.920) and bone marrow blasts < 50% (95% CI: 0.321 - 0.920) (Figure 1B) 120 days-mortality was 25.4% after AZA and 27.1% after DEC, p=0.70. Patients who did not achieve at least a PR had significantly higher 120-day mortality with both HMAs (OR 8.85 and 8.22 for AZA and DEC, respectively). In the subgroup analysis, patients with leukocytes ≥ 10 x10 9/L (95% CI: 1.069 - 4.157) and those with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 45 mL/min/1.73m 2 (95% CI: 1.249 - 4.664) had higher 120-day mortality with DEC than with AZA (Figure 1C) With a median follow-up of 12 months, median OS was 10.4 months (95% CI: 9.2 - 11.7) for AZA vs. 8.8 months (95% CI: 6.7 - 11.0) for DEC (p = 0.455). The subgroup analysis revealed that patients ≥ 80 years (95%: CI 1.005 - 2.341), with leukocytes ≥ 10 x10 9/L (95% CI 1.039 - 2.062), platelet count CONCLUSIONS Our study provides real-life data on the outcomes of AML patients treated with AZA compared to DEC in a large retrospective cohort with long-term follow-up. In addition, we identify for the first time some baseline characteristics that could benefit from AZA or DEC in terms of responses, 120-day mortality and OS. These findings could help us to choose the most appropriate HMA in monotherapy or for the development of new combinations. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures de la Fuente: Novartis: Research Funding; Abbie: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Tormo: Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Pérez-Simón: Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Montesinos: Forma Therapeutics: Consultancy; Tolero Pharmaceutical: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Glycomimetics: Consultancy; Agios: Consultancy; Stemline/Menarini: Consultancy; Teva: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.

INTRODUCTION The hypomethylating agents (HMAs), decitabine (DEC) and azacitidine (AZA), are a common choice for initial treatment in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, about 60% of patients are resistant and most will relapse after a complete response (including CR/CRi). Although relapse or refractoriness to HMAs is very common, very little is known about the therapeutic management of these relapsed or refractory AML (RR-AML) patients after HMAs. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study to describe and compare salvage treatment patterns and real-life clinical outcomes of those AML patients treated upfront with AZA or DEC included in the PETHEMA-AML Registry. RESULTS Between 2006 and 2019, we included 626 AML patients treated in first-line with HMAs, 487 (78%) received AZA and 139 (22%) received DEC. Overall response rate (CR/CRi+PR) was 33.7%, 32% in the AZA vs 39.5% in the DEC group (p=0.120). Patients treated with DEC had a higher median relapse free survival than those treated with AZA (25.6 vs. 17.5 months, p=0.027). No differences were observed in the overall survival between AZA and DEC. We observed 59.7% resistance after HMAs, 60% after AZA and 58.8% after DEC; and 6.5% had other type of response (< PR), 7.9% with AZA and 1.6% with DEC. In addition, 76/121 patients who achieved CR/CRi (62.8%) relapsed, 66/90 in the AZA group (73.3%) vs 10/31 in the DEC group (32.3%) (p=0.000). After relapse or resistance, 74.5% of patients received supportive care only (BSC), which included patients receiving transfusions and other supportive measures, including oral agents to control the white blood cell counts; 71.5% of patients in the AZA group and 84.3% of patients in DEC group (p= 0.004). No differences were observed in baseline characteristics at diagnosis of patients treated with BSC only, except for a higher proportion of patients with adverse cytogenetic risk in the AZA group (46.6% vs. 33.7%, p=0.039). Only 135 patients received a salvage therapy, 116 in the AZA group and 19 in the DEC group. Thirty-five out of 135 RR-AML treated patients (26%) continued receiving HMAs: 31 (26%) in the AZA group and 4 (22%) in the DEC group. In the AZA group, 19 (16%) patients continued with AZA and 12 (10%) switched to DEC, while in the DEC group 2 patients (11%) continued with DEC and 2 (11%) switched to AZA. Fifty-one patients (37.8%) received FLUGA (fludarabine and Ara-C), FLAG-IDA-Lite (fludarabine, Ara-C and idarubicin), Low-dose Ara-C or other non-intensive regimens, 43 patients (37%) in the AZA group and 8 (42%) in the DEC group. Other salvage therapies were administered in 34% of patients (33% in the AZA group and 37% in the DEC group). Salvage therapy was not available in 1% of patients. Response assessment was available in 113/135 of RR-AML treated patients, 98 in the AZA group and 15 in the DEC group. In the AZA group, 13.2% of the patients achieved a CR (n=13), 5.1% achieved CRi (n=5), 6.1% achieved a PR (n=6), 65.3% resistance (n=64) and 8.1% died (n=8). However, no patients in the decitabine group responded to salvage therapy, 86.7% resistance (n=13) and 13.3% died (n=2). If we exclude those patients who died before response was evaluated, the ORR (CR/CRi+PR) after salvage therapy was statistically significant between AZA (n=24/90, 26.7%) and DEC group (n=0/13, 0%), p=0.035. CONCLUSIONS This study shows and compares, for the first time to our knowledge, the patterns of salvage therapy in patients with RR-AML treated upfront with HMAs. Despite the similar response rate with both HMAs, the relapse free survival was lower after AZA. The absence of responses in patients with RR-AML initially treated with DEC could justify the similar OS between AZA and DEC observed. However, we should be very cautious due to the low number of RR-AML patients treated. Disclosures de la Fuente: BMS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Abbie: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Research Funding. Tormo: Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Pérez-Simón: Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Montesinos: Forma Therapeutics: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Stemline/Menarini: Consultancy; Teva: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Glycomimetics: Consultancy; Tolero Pharmaceutical: Consultancy; Agios: Consultancy; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.

Background: Genetic information has become critical to understand the development of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and to elucidate the origin of disease relapse. Several genetic markers, together with measurable residual disease (MRD), are considered strong predictors of patient outcome. However, the prognostic significance of genetic markers can varie according to treatment. Aim: We used targeted deep sequencing to analyze the genetic profile of 125 T-ALL patients enrolled in three consecutive MRD-oriented trials from the Spanish PETHEMA (Programa Español de Tratamientos en Hematología) group. Genomic information was analyzed together with the main clinical and biologic data in a subset of 111 patients with detailed clinical and outcome data to determine the prognostic significance for overall survival (OS) and cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR). Methods: Genetic mutations were detected using a custom gene panel and sequenced on a MiSeq platform. Alignment, variant calling, filtration and annotation of variants were done using standardized pipelines. OS curves were plotted by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. CIR was estimated using cumulative incidence functions by competing risks analysis. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to identify predictive factors for OS. Statistical significance was set at (two-sided) p-values Results: Recurrently mutated genes found in ≥4/125 patients involved transcription factor tumor suppressor genes (PTEN, BCL11B, RUNX1, GATA3, ETV6), epigenetic regulators (PHF6, DNMT3A, EP300, KMT2C, EZH2, TET2), DNA mismatch repair genes (MSH2), ribosomal (RPL5) and RNA splicing (U2AF1) genes, and genes involved in the RAS/MAPK (NRAS), WNT (FAT1, FAT3), IL7R-JAK-STAT (JAK3, JAK1, IL7R) and NOTCH1 signaling pathways, respectively. Mutations in the latest pathway (NOTCH1 & FBXW7) was found in 88/125 (70%) patients. Clinical-genetic correlations revealed that patients with mutations in JAK3, DNMT3A, N/KRAS, IL7R, MSH2 or in U2AF1 were associated with lower OS (vs unmutated patients). None of the mutated genes had impact on CIR. Upon grouping the mutated genes according to their functional role and potential biological impact on T-ALL, two gene signatures were defined. These included the aging gene signature (DNMT3A and U2AF1) characterized by mutations in genes identified in clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP); and the treatment resistance gene signature (JAK3, N/KRAS, IL7R and MSH2), defined by mutations in genes involved in resistance to the ALL therapy. Both clusters identified patients with poorer response to therapy (poorer blast clearance on day 14 of induction treatment and lower CR rates). Therefore, we considered together (worse outcome genetics [WOG] signature) for univariate and multivariate analyses. WOG and MRD level (0.1% cut-off) on day 35 after induction therapy (+35d MRD) showed significant prognostic impact in the univariable and multivariable analyses for OS (3y) with a hazard ratio (95% CI) of 2.4 (1.2; 4.8) and 2.7 (1.4; 5.1), respectively (Table 1). OS according to these two variables allowed risk stratification of T-ALL into low, intermediate- and high-risk (HR) patients with significantly different outcomes (p Conclusion: A genetic signature with independent prognostic significance of MRD has been identified in this cohort of patients included in MRD-oriented trials. This gene signature (WOG) together with MRD could help to improve risk-stratification of adult T-ALL patients and would be of interest in the search for new therapies for HR patients Funding: Support from AECC (GC16173697BIGA); ISCIII (PI19/01828 and PI19/01183), co-funded by ERDF/ESF, "A way to make Europe"/"Investing in your future", CERCA/Generalitat de Catalunya SGR 2017 288 (GRC)/ C González-Gil was supported by AGAUR grant (2020 FI_B2 00210). Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Diaz-Beyá: Jazz: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Mercadal: Gilead Sciences, Inc.: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Tormo: Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Barba: Amgen, Celgene, Gilead, Incyte, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche, Jazz Phar,aceuticals: Honoraria; Cqrlos III heqlth Institute, aSOCIACION espanola contra el cancer, PERIS: Research Funding. Maciejewski: Regeneron: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb/Celgene: Consultancy; Alexion: Consultancy. Ribera: ARIAD: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; AMGEN: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; TAKEDA: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; NOVARTIS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; SHIRE: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau.

Background Auto-SCT is the standard first-line treatment in patients with LA and good personal status. This procedure achieves haematological responses >70% with an average survival rate of more than 8 years. Depending on patient characteristics and hospital guidelines, prior chemotherapy (CT) is administered, usually with Bortezomib-based regimens. The main determinant of survival in LA is cardiac involvement. The subgroup of patients with cardiac involvement and an indication for Auto-SCT is at the highest risk of complications and mortality and should therefore be strictly selected. Objective Our objective is to review the experience in our center with Auto-SCT in patients with LA. Methods A retrospective descriptive study was conducted at the Son Espases University Hospital between November 2012 and June 2021. Pre- and post-SCT clinical-biological data, complications during transplantation and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed. Results Eleven patients with a median age of 59 years at the time of Auto-SCT (range 41-69) were included, of whom 7 were male (64%). Ten patients (90.9%) had renal involvement at diagnosis and 6 (54.5%) had cardiac involvement. According to the Mayo Clinic 2013 prognostic staging score, 6 patients (54.5%) had stage I, 3 patients (27.3%) had stage II and 2 patients (18.2%) had stage IIIb (18.2%). All patients received pre Auto-SCT CT with bortezomib-based regimens. The median pre Auto-SCT left ventricular ejection fraction was 58% (41-79 range). Pre Auto-SCT organ-based chemotherapy response was: 8/10 patients (80%) with renal response; 1/6 patients (16.7%) with cardiac response. Pre Auto-SCT haematological response was: 7 patients (63.6%) complete remission, 1 patient (9%) very good partial response, 1 patient (9%) partial response, 1 patient (9%) stable disease and 1 patient (9%) not assessable. The median number of CD34+ cells infused into Auto-SCT was 3.66×106/kg. 10 patients (90.9%) received G-CSF from day +5. 10 patients (90.9%) developed complications during transplantation, 7 of them requiring admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a median of 15 days of admission (range 1-24 days), mainly due to acute pulmonary edema - APE (85.7%). 3/7 patients requiring ICU admission passed away, leaving the Auto-SCT-related mortality rate at 27.3%. With a median follow-up of 36 months (range 5-90), a median PFS and an overall survival rate (OS) of 73% (95%CI 46-99) is observed. PFS and OS match because there are no progression events. Conclusions Patients with cardiac involvement prior to Auto-SCT have a high risk of morbidity and mortality, with APE being the main complication in our study. Multidisciplinary management of these patients during Auto-SCT is essential to avoid complications.

Background No standardized and widely accepted cytogenetic classification with prognostic impact for adult T-ALL has been proposed to date. Methods Patients with abnormal karyotypes (65/139, 47%) were classified according to the number of chromosomal alterations (Chun K. et al., 2009). Cohort 216 adults T-ALL patients/ NCT00853008 - NCT01540812 /PETHEMA cooperative group. Prognostic impact of karyotype on event-free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), and cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) were assessed. Additionally, next-generation sequencing (NGS) experiments were done. Results Greater than three cytogenetic abnormalities were associated with lower rates of both complete remission (CR, 77% vs. 94%; p=0.032) and minimal residual disease (MRD) level Conclusions Compared to BCP-ALL, a lower cut-off to define complex karyotypes based on the presence of ≥3 cytogenetic alterations allows the identification of T-ALL patients with poor prognosis. Interestingly, molecular analyses of patients carrying ≥3 cytogenetic alterations revealed a unique molecular profile that could contribute to understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of resistance and to evaluate novel targeted therapies (e.g. IL7R-directed) that might improve the response to treatment and outcome of adult T-ALL patients. Funding ISCIII (PI19/01828), co-funded by ERDF/ESF, “A way to make Europe”/”Investing in your future”.

[Background]: The treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in older adults and elderly patients is a challenge, and modern protocols include targeted therapy and immunotherapy in combination with attenuated or minimal chemotherapy. However, frail patients are excluded from these trials, and reports on the outcome of this subgroup of patients are scarce. Our objective was to analyze the outcome of unfit older adults and elderly patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative ALL included in a prospective trial (ALL-07FRAIL)., [Patients and Methods]: Older adults and elderly patients with Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) ≥ 4 were included. Induction therapy consisted of vincristine and dexamethasone, and maintenance therapy with mercaptopurine and methotrexate for 2 years., [Results]: Seventy-two patients with a median age of 67 years (range, 57-89 years) and a median CCI of 5 (range, 4-12) were included. The rates of early withdrawal, early death, resistance, and complete response (CR) were 5%, 10%, 31%, and 54%, respectively. Six patients with CR abandoned the study, 5 died in CR, and 23 relapsed (cumulative relapse incidence 75%). The medians of disease-free and overall survival (OS) were 6.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3-13.5 months) and 7.6 months (95% CI, 6.3-8.9 months), respectively. The most frequent toxic events were hematologic (neutropenia 77% and thrombocytopenia 54%, of grade III-IV in all cases). Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score but not the CCI had significant impact on OS., [Conclusion]: Complete remission with very attenuated chemotherapy can be attained in one-half of older or elderly infirm patients with ALL. These results suggest that some of these patients could benefit from the concomitant or subsequent use of immunotherapy and/or targeted therapy., This study was supported in part by the CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain and the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Badalona, Spain.

Introduction Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) has historically been one of the major causes of severe sepsis and death among neutropenic cancer patients. There has been a recent increase of multidrug-resistant PA (MDRPA) isolates that may determine a worse prognosis, particularly in immunosuppressed patients. The aim of this study is to establish the impact of antibiotic resistance on the outcome of neutropenic onco-haematological patients with PA bacteraemia, and to identify the risk factors for MDRPA bacteraemia and mortality. Methods and analysis This is a retrospective, observational, multicentre, international study. All episodes of PA bacteraemia occurring in neutropenic onco-haematological patients followed up at the participating centres from 1 January 2006 to 31 May 2018 will be retrospectively reviewed. The primary end point will be overall case-fatality rate within 30 days of onset of PA bacteraemia. The secondary end points will be to describe the following: the incidence and risk factors for multidrug-resistant and extremely drug-resistant PA bacteraemia (by comparing the episodes due to susceptible PA with those produced by MDRPA), the efficacy of ceftolozane/tazobactam, the rates of persistent bacteraemia and bacteraemia relapse and the risk factors for very early (48 hours), early (7 days) and overall (30 days) case-fatality rates. Ethics and dissemination The Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Bellvitge University Hospital approved the protocol of the study at the primary site. To protect personal privacy, identifying information of each patient in the electronic database will be encrypted. The processing of the patients’ personal data collected in the study will comply with the Spanish Data Protection Act of 1998 and with the European Directive on the privacy of data. All data collected, stored and processed will be anonymised. Results will be reported at conferences and in peer-reviewed publications.

PETHEMA And PALG Groups., Acute promyelocytic leukemia is infrequent among patients aged ≥75 years old, a population that is rarely eligible for clinical protocols. This study aims to analyze the treatment strategies and clinical outcomes of very old APL patients reported to the international PETHEMA registry. Between 1997 and 2017, among 2501 APL cases registered 120 were ≥75 years old. Treatment approaches were: AIDA regimen, 79 patients; ATRA alone, 23; 16, supportive care (SC) and 2, other strategies. Patients treated with AIDA were younger, had better ECOG and lower leukocytes. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 65% of AIDA-group vs. 45% in the ATRA-group, being infections followed by bleeding the most frequent causes of induction death. Patients in CR after AIDA showed 3-year DFS of 73%. Our real-life series of very old APL patients provides a reference basis for future treatment strategies aiming to improve clinical outcomes in this challenging population., This work was partially financed with FEDER Funds (CIBERONC (CB16/12/00284)).

About 25–35% of adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia show the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. Few series have evaluated the prognosis of additional cytogenetic alterations (ACA) to the Ph chromosome. We analyzed the frequency, type and prognostic significance ofACA in adults (18–60 years) treated in the ALL-Ph-08 trial. Fifty-two out of 74 patients (70%) showed ACA and 19 (26%) presented monosomies associated with t(9;22) (monosomal karyotype, MK). Similar complete response (CR) rate, CR duration, overall survival and event-free survival (EFS) were observed in patients with or without ACA, but patients with MK showed shorter CR duration and EFS than the remaining. On multivariate analysis, the only variable with prognostic impact for CR duration and EFS was the presence of MK (p = .003 and p = .036, respectively). Although ACA associated with the Ph chromosome are frequent, only monosomies were associated with poor prognosis in this group of patients.

Introduction: Recent studies have shown that young to middle-aged adults who receive a pediatric-inspired chemotherapy regimen for treatment of Ph-neg ALL do not appear to require an alloHSCT if they achieve good response on MRD testing after induction and/or consolidation therapy. Patients (pts) who are not good MRD responders achieve better outcomes with alloHSCT than their counterparts who do not receive alloHSCT. However, it is not clear if this approach can specifically apply to adult ALL pts with HR features at baseline. The aim of the prospective ALL-HR-11 trial (NCT01540812) from the Spanish PETHEMA Group was to evaluate response of HR Ph-neg adult ALL patients to a different post-induction therapy (chemotherapy or alloHSCT) according to MRD levels (centrally assessed by 8-color flow cytometry [FCM]) at the end of induction (week 5) and consolidation therapy (week 17).. Patients and methods: HR ALL included one or more of the following parameters at baseline: age 30-60y, WBC count >30x109/L for B-cell precursor ALL or >100x109/L for thymic T-ALL, pro-B, early or mature T-ALL, 11q23 or KMT2A rearrangements or complex karyotype. Induction therapy included vincristine, prednisone, daunorubicin and asparaginase (E coli native or PEG according to center availability) for 4 weeks (Induction-1). FLAG-Ida was administered as intensified induction (Induction-2) in pts not achieving CR or in those in CR with MRD≥0.1% at the end of induction. For pts in CR and MRD Results: On April 2019, 307 HR ALL pts were evaluable. Median (range) age was 40 (15-60) y, 192 were males, 211 precursor B-ALL and 96 T-ALL, with a median WBC count of 12.9 (0.2-564) x109/L. Results of Induction-1 (n=304, 3 on induction): therapy-related death: 12(4%), resistance: 39(13%), CR: 253(83%). MRD Conclusions: This trial, in which post-induction therapy was only based on MRD results assessed by FCM, suggests that avoiding alloHSCT does not hamper the outcome of HR Ph-neg adult ALL pts with adequate MRD response after induction and after consolidation. Better post-remission alternative therapies are specially needed for patients with poor MRD clearance. Supported by grants PI14/01971 FIS, Instituto Carlos III, and SGR225 (GRE), Spain. Disclosures Montesinos: Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Research support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Teva: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Research support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Research support, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Research support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Research support, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Research support; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Research support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Esteve:Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy.

Objectives Acute Myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease with high morbidity and mortality. These patients can be stratified into favorable, intermediate and adverse-risk groups based on their cytogenetic and molecular profile. We analyzed the outcomes of the intermediate risk patients in our center to evaluate the results and to report the differences between the intensity of the treatments, chemotherapy alone versus allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Methods A total of 53 patients diagnosed in Hospital Universitari Son Espases between 2012 and 2019 with AML, classified as intermediate risk disease (based on ELN 2017 criteria), and candidates to intensive treatment were analyzed. Results The median age at diagnosis was 61 years (range 17-74), 28 males and 25 females. Regarding the diagnosis, almost 50% were AML with mutated NPM1, AML with myelodysplasia-related changes and AML therapy-related. Thirty percent of the patients had FLT3-ITD mutation (78.6% of them with high ratio). Twenty eight percent had NPM1 mutation. The 75.5% received cytarabine and anthracycline induction chemotherapy and the remaining 24.5% received a combination of cytarabine, anthracycline plus etoposide. Twenty percent of the patients (11) died during the induction therapy, the main of them due to infections. Of the 42 patients alive, 36 (85.7%) achieved a complete remission, 4 a partial response (9.5 %) and 2 patients (4.8%) were refractory. All of the patients went under consolidation: 39 (73.5%) with chemotherapy alone and 14 (33 %) with SCT (4 of them immediately after salvage therapy without hematopoietic recovery). Three patients received a HLA identical sibling SCT (21.4%), 3 a matched unrelated donor (21.4%), 5 (35.7%) an haploidentical SCT, 1 patient (7.1%) a cord blood stem cell transplantation and 2 patients an autologous SCT (14.3%). The median follow-up of the whole group of patients was 22 months (2.6-86). The median overall survival (OS) was 18 months (CI 95%: 10-25) and the median progression free survival (PFS) was 9 months (CI 95%: 4- 14). Patients who went under transplantation achieved a PFS of 18.5 months compared with 7.8 months in no transplantation patients (p=0.159). Patients with non-mutated FLT3-ITD have a median PFS of 14 months compared with 7 months in patients with mutated FLT3-ITD (p=0.333). Excluding the patients who died during induction therapy, 11 patients with mutated FLT3-ITD went into consolidation therapy. Three received SCT and 8 chemotherapy alone. The median OS of the SCT group was 18.5 versus 13.6 months in the chemotherapy group (CI 95% 4.3-22.9; p=0.4). The median PFS of the SCT group was 6.17 months (CI 95% 2.06-10.3), similar to the chemotherapy group where was 7.6 months (CI 95% 5.03-10.66; p=0.7). Twenty-eight patients with non-mutated FLT3-ITD received consolidation therapy, 6 of them went into SCT. OS in the transplant group was 46.4 months (CI 95%: 44.6-48.2; p= 0.4) compared with 35.3 months (CI 95%: 11.7- 58.3; p=0.4) in the non-transplantation group. PFS of transplant group was 18.1 month (CI 95%: 9.5-26.22) superior to PFS in chemotherapy group that was 9.4 months (CI 4.65-14; p=0.7). Patients with mutated FLT3-ITD who did not received an FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) had a PFS of 6 months (0-13.8) compared with those that received an FLT3 TKI who did not reach the median survival rate. Conclusions Our outcomes are similar to the ones described in the literature. We confirm that patients with intermediate risk who underwent transplantation have better outcomes that the ones treated with chemotherapy alone. Moreover, we confirm that the prognosis is better in patients with non-mutated FLT3-ITD. SCT increase the OS in FLT 3-ITD mutated patients, although the PFS is similar in both groups (SCT vs chemotherapy), taking into account the small size of our sample and the short follow up period in many patients. The better outcome observed in FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitor treated patients indicates that this can be a promising therapy in AML patients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Objectives Within the laboratory protocols, used for the study of BCR-ABL resistance mutations in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with Imatinib, direct sequencing remains the reference method. Since the incidence of patients with a mutation-related loss of response is not very high, it is very useful in the routine laboratory to perform a fast pre-screening method. Design and methods With this in mind, we have designed a new technique, based on a single Real-Time FRET-based PCR, followed by a study of melting peaks. This new tool, developed in a LightCycler 2.0, combines four different fluorescence channels for the simultaneous detection, in a single close tube, of critical mutations within the ABL kinase domain. Results Assay evaluation performed on 33 samples, previously genotyped by sequentiation, resulted in full concordance of results. Conclusions This new methodology detects in a few steps the presence of critical mutations associated to Imatinib resistance.

Background: ETP-ALL was included as a provisional identity in the 2016 WHO classification of ALL. This subtype was first identified by Coustan-Smith et al. in 2009. However, this immunophenotype-based classification does not fully enclose all ETP-ALL cases identified by gene expression profile (GEP). Although early studies in small series of ETP-ALL suggested a very poor outcome for ETP ALL more recent and larger series have showed improvement in outcome treating children with a contemporary protocol based on chemotherapy schedules, or after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) in adults. Aim: To investigate the clinical and biological features of ETP-ALL cases in the Spanish cohort of adult T-cell ALL (T-ALL) patients and to assess the potential impact of high-risk therapy on their outcome. Method: One hundred eighty-five adults with T-ALL treated according to two consecutive MRD-oriented high-risk adult PETHEMA protocols -ALL-HR-2003 (NCT00853008) and ALL-HR-11 (NCT01540812; still ongoing)- were included in this study. The EGIL criteria were used to define the immunologic subtype of T-ALL after central review of immunophenotype reports, and the criteria proposed by Zuurbier et al. (Zuurbier L. et al. Haematologica 2014; 99:94-102) were used to define ETP-ALL. These later criteria consist of a combination of immunophenotypic markers (absence of CD1a-/CD4-/CD8-, cut-off 25%), that resemble those published by Coustan-Smith, with the advantage that include most ETP-ALL cases, as identified by GEP, avoiding the use of partial expression of CD5 marker to immuno-classify these patients. Results: Thirty-four out of 167 evaluable patients (20%) with T-ALL showed an ETP-ALL immunophenotype. Patients with ETP-ALL were older (mean 39 [SD 12] vs. 33 [12] yr; p=0.011), showed more frequently lymph node involvement (79% vs. 56%; p=0.021) and lower WBC counts at diagnosis (mean, 72 [155] vs. 97 [112] x109/L; p=0.004). At genetic level, ETP-ALL patients were associated with the absence of deletions in CDKN2A/B gene cluster (91% vs. 26%; p10% BM blasts on day+14) vs. 37% of non-ETP (p Conclusions: ETP-ALL accounts for 20% of adult T-ALL in the PETHEMA cohort and it is associated with a poorer initial response to treatment (lower CR rate, poorer MRD clearance) than the remaining T-ALL patients. Such poorer outcome is not overcome by allo-SCT in our series. Supported by grants from: Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer, AECC (GC16173697BIGA), Instituto Carlos III (PI14/01971 FI), 2017-SGR288 (GRC), CERCA Program from Generalitat de Catalunya, and "La Caixa" Foundation. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures Montesinos: Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.

Fundamento y objetivo La leucemia aguda linfoblastica (LAL) de fenotipo T incluye 4 subtipos inmunologicos: pro-T, pre-T, timica o cortical y madura. En algunos estudios, los subtipos LAL pro-T y maduro tienen un peor pronostico. El objetivo de este estudio ha sido describir las principales caracteristicas clinicas, los resultados del tratamiento y el pronostico de los subtipos inmunologicos de LAL-T en 81 pacientes adultos incluidos en 2 protocolos del grupo PETHEMA (LAL-96 y LAL-93). Pacientes y metodo Entre 1993 y 2003, se incluyo en 2 protocolos de PETHEMA a 81 pacientes adultos de 22 hospitales espanoles: LAL-96 para pacientes de riesgo estandar y LAL-93 para pacientes de alto riesgo. Se comparo los principales parametros clinicos y biologicos iniciales de cada subgrupo de LAL-T, asi como la rapidez en la respuesta al tratamiento, la tasa de remision completa, la supervivencia libre de enfermedad y la supervivencia global. Resultados De los 64 pacientes evaluables, la distribucion de los subtipos inmunologicos fue: 3 pro-T, 17 pre-T, 22 timica o cortical y 22 madura. Los pacientes con LAL-T madura presentaron afeccion inicial del sistema nervioso central y marcadores mieloides con mayor frecuencia que el resto de los pacientes. Los pacientes con LAL-T madura tuvieron una respuesta significativamente mas lenta al tratamiento que los que presentaban LAL-T pre-T y cortical, pero ello no se tradujo en diferencias significativas en la tasa de remision completa (el 77 frente al 94%) supervivencia libre de enfermedad (el 42 frente al 46%) y la supervivencia global (el 29 frente al 47%). Conclusiones Aunque los pacientes con LAL-T madura respondieron mas lentamente al tratamiento y su supervivencia tendio a ser mas corta, en el presente estudio no se encontraron diferencias estadisticamente significativas en el pronostico de los diferentes subtipos de LAL-T.

Therapeutic results in elderly patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) have been generally reported as less effective than for younger patients. Patients 60 years or older with APL who were enrolled in 2 successive multicenter PETHEMA studies received induction therapy with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and idarubicin, consolidation with 3 anthracycline monochemotherapy courses with or without ATRA, and maintenance with ATRA and low-dose chemotherapy. Eighty-seven of 104 patients achieved complete remission (84%). Eighty-six proceeded to consolidation therapy (2 withdrew after the first and second courses). Deaths in remission occurred during consolidation and maintenance therapy in 3 and 4 patients, respectively. One patient showed molecular persistence after consolidation and 5 had a relapse. The 6-year cumulative incidence of relapse, leukemia-free survival, and disease-free survival were 8.5%, 91%, and 79%, respectively. A significantly higher incidence of low-risk patients found among the elderly, as compared to younger patients, may partially account for the low relapse rate observed. This study confirms the high antileukemic efficacy, low toxicity, and high degree of compliance of protocols using ATRA and anthracycline monochemotherapy for induction and consolidation therapy in elderly patients. (C) 2004 by The American Society of Hematology.

© 2015 Barceló et al. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a premalignant proliferative disorder thatmay progress to multiplemyeloma, a malignant plasma cell neoplasia.We evaluated differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as an experimental tool for differentiating serum samples of MGUS patients from healthy individuals. DSC thermograms can be used for monitoring changes in the serum proteome associated with MGUS. MGUS patients showed great variability in serum thermogram characteristics, which depended on the IgG, IgA or IgM isotypes and/or the κ or λ light chains. Thermogram feature parameters distinguished patients with MGUS from healthy people. Serum samples, named as non-MGUS, were also collected frompatients with subjacent immunological pathologies who were discarded of having MGUS through serum immunofixation. They were used to verify the sensitivity of DSC for discriminating MGUS from related blood dyscrasias. Only some DSC thermogram feature parameters differentiated, to a lesser extent, between MGUS and non-MGUS individuals.We contemplate DSC as a tool for early diagnosis and monitoring of MGUS., BFU2010-15518 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation

Background. About 25-35% of adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) show the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. Their outcome has improved with the combination of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and chemotherapy, generally followed by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). However, few series have evaluated the prognostic value of the additional cytogenetic alterations (ACA) to the Ph chromosome, with contradictory results. The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency, type and prognostic significance of ACA to the Ph chromosome in young adults with Ph+ ALL treated with the ALL Ph-08 trial from the PETHEMA group. Patients and methods.Between 2008 and 2016, 95 patients with Ph+ ALL from 30 Spanish hospitals were included in the ALL Ph08 trial. This trial includes concurrent administration of imatinib (600 mg/d) and standard induction and consolidation chemotherapy, followed by alloHSCT (or autologous HSCT if alloHSCT not feasible) and maintenance chemotherapy with imatinib in cases of MRD persistence of reappearance after alloHSCT (Ribera et al, Br J Haematol 2012; 159: 78-81). The cytogenetic reports were centrally reviewed. Major molecular response (MMR) was defined as BCR-ABL/ABL ratio ²0.1% and complete molecular response (CMR) as BCR-ABL/ABL ratio ²0.01% or undetectable. Results. In 74 out of 95 patients the karyotype was evaluable after review (in the remaining 21 cases the diagnosis was carried out by FISH [n=9] or PCR [n=12]). The median age of the 74 patients was 39 years (limits 19-63) and 44 patients (59%) were males. The median WBC count was 17.6x109/L (limits 0.2-390) and 8 out of 66 evaluable patients had CNS involvement at diagnosis. The CR rate was achieved in 72/74 patients (97%) (1 patient did not achieve CR and 1 died during induction therapy). To date, 57 patients underwent to HSCT, of them 46 were in MMR, at least, at the time of HSCT. With a median follow-up of 1.89 years (limits 0.10-7.38) the probabilities of the CR duration, OS and EFS at 4 years were 69% (95%CI: 54%-84%), 39% (23%-55%) and 38% (23%-53%), respectively. Out of 74 patients, 52 (70%) showed at least one ACA and in the remaining 22 (30%) the t(9;22) was the only cytogenetic alteration. No clinical or biologic differences were observed on comparison of the two groups of patients. Twenty (27%) out of 73 evaluable patients showed trisomies and 19 (26%) monosomies. No differences in CR attainment were observed according the presence and type of ACA. The 4-yr. probability of CR duration in patients with t(9;22) and one or more monosomies (monosomal karyotype) vs. those without monosomies was 23% (95%CI: 0%;49%) vs. 88% (77%;99%) (p Conclusions. In young patients with Ph+ ALL treated within the ALL Ph08 trial, the frequency of ACA was high, being trisomies and monosomies shown in similar frequency. The monosomal karyotype was the most important unfavourable prognostic factor in this series of patients. Funded in part by grants PI10/01417 (FIS), RD12-0036-0029 from RTICC, Instituto Carlos III and RD14-SGR225(GRE), Generalitat de Catalunya. Figure Figure. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

A simplified method for cryopreservation was developed with 10% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as the sole cryoprotectant without rate-controlled freezing. This method produced high recovery rate for mononucleated cells (87%) and elevated trypan blue viability (90%). Autologous peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) and bone marrow cells with plasma and 10% DMSO were frozen and stored in a -80 degrees C mechanical freezer. Eleven patients with solid and hematological malignancies were transplanted with autologous bone marrow or PBSCs. The median number of infused mononuclear cells (MNC) and CD34+ cells were 3.63 x 10(8)/Kg and 4.80 x 10(6)/Kg, respectively. The median number of infused post-thawing CFU-GM was 20 x 10(4)/Kg. All patients showed a rapid and sustained engraftment. The mean times to reach a neutrophil count of 0.5 x 10(9)/L and a platelet count of 50 x 10(9)/L were 11 and 13 days, respectively. All patients are alive and 10 in unmaintained complete remission for 3-9 months after transplantation. These results show the efficacy of this simplified cryopreservation technique that will be useful for institutions without rate-controlled freezing facilities.

We report the long-term evaluation over 12 years of a simplified technique for stem-cell cryopreservation at -80 degrees C without rate-controlled freezing and with 5% (n=251) or 10% (n=47) DMSO as the sole cryoprotectant. Platelet recovery was greater in the 5% DMSO group while long-term hematological recovery did not differ. Factors influencing a faster hematological recovery were infusion of more than 2.7x10(6)/Kg of CD34+ cells, 10% DMSO cryopreservation and G-CSF. We confirm that the procedure is feasible with reduction in infusion-related toxicity from 60% using 5% DMSO. Differences in hematological reconstitution were not clinically significant if a minimum of 1.5x10(6)/Kg CD34+-cells were infused.

Introduction: Recent studies have shown that young to middle-aged adults who receive a pediatric-inspired chemotherapy regimen for treatment of Ph-neg ALL do not appear to require an alloHSCT if they achieve good response on MRD testing after induction therapy. Patients (pts) who are not good MRD responders achieve better outcomes with alloHSCT than their counterparts who do not receive alloHSCT. However, it is not clear if this approach can be translated to adult ALL pts with HR features at baseline. The aim of the prospective ALL-HR-11 trial from the Spanish PETHEMA Group was to evaluate the response to a differentiated post-induction therapy (chemotherapy or alloHSCT) according to MRD levels (assessed by 8-color, centrally-performed flow cytometry at the end of induction-week 5- and consolidation therapy-week 17-) in HR Ph-neg adult ALL patients. Patients and methods: HR ALL included one or more of the following parameters at baseline: age 30-60 yr, WBC count >30x109/L for B-cell precursor ALL or >100x109/L for thymic T-ALL, pro-B, early or mature T-ALL, 11q23 or MLL rearrangements or complex karyotype. Induction therapy included vincristine, prednisone, daunorubicin and asparaginase (E coli native or PEG according to center availability) for 4 weeks (Induction-1). FLAG-Ida was administered as intensified induction (Induction-2) in pts not achieving CR or those in CR with MRD≥0.1% at the end of induction. For pts in CR and MRD Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction: Relapses after front-line therapy for Burkitt lymphoma/leukemia (BL) are unfrequent, and there is scarce information about the best rescue strategy for these patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of relapse, salvage treatment and prognosis after relapse in patients with BL treated with two consecutive Spanish protocols. Patients and methods: Retrospective study of patients diagnosed with BL in 40 Spanish hospitals betwen January 1997 and October 2014 treated with first line chemotherapy according to protocols PETHEMA LAL-3/97 (specific chemotherapy without rituximab) and BURKIMAB (rituximab plus specific chemotherapy). The demographic, clinical and biological characteristics were collected at the time of diagnosis and at relapse, as well as the salvage treatment and outcomes. Results: 233 patients were diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma (n=150) or leukemia (n=83) and received first-line therapy according to PETHEMA LAL-3/97 (n=53) and BURKIMAB (n=180) protocols. Baseline characteristics at diagnosis are described in Table 1. A total of 26 patients relapsed, 11 (28%) treated with PETHEMA LAL-3/97 protocol and 15 (10%) with BURKIMAB protocol (p=0.009). The cumulative incidence of relapse at 10 years was 27% (95% CI, 12%-42%) in PETHEMA LAL-3/97 protocol vs.16% (95% CI, 4%-28%) in BURKIMAB protocol (p= 0.013) (Figure 1). Time to relapse was shorter in PETHEMA LAL-3/97 protocol (median of 3.7 months) vs. BURKIMAB protocol (6.3 months), but it was not significant (p=0.506). No differences were observed in relapse incidence between Burkitt leukemia and Burkitt lymphoma in PETHEMA LAL-3/97 protocol (6/31 vs. 5/22, p=1) and BURKIMAB protocol (7/41 vs. 8/107, p=0.124). Out of 15 patients in whom rescue treatment strategy was evaluable, 12 received chemotherapy with high-dose methotrexate and/or cytarabine (4 of the them followed response, CR in 2, followed by SCT in the 2 patients achieving PR [autologous in one and allogeneic SCT in the other]), and the remaining 3 patients received DA-EPOCH-R (n=1, achieving CR), R-ICE (n=1, no response) and paliative care (n=1). At the time of the analysis, only 3 patients are alive. Median overall survival after relapse was 3 months (95% CI, 0.9-5.1) for PETHEMA LAL-3/97 relapsed group and 3.6 months (95% CI, 0.1-7.1) for BURKIMAB relapsed patients group. Conclusions: Patients with Burkitt leukemia/lymphoma treated with specific immunochemotherapy have lower probability of relapse compared with those treated with specific chemotherapy without rituximab. In our series, the most frequent regimens administered for the treatment of relapsed patients were based in high-dose methotrexate and/or cytarabine. The prognosis of relapsed Burkitt leukemia/lymphoma is poor, independently of the type of rescue therapy. Supported by grants RD12/0036/0029 (RTICC, FEDER), Instituto Carlos III, Spain. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) includes 4 immunological subtypes: pro-T, pre-T, thymic or cortical and mature. In some studies, pro-T and mature subtypes have a poor prognosis. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics, the result of treatment and the prognosis of the immunological subtypes of T-cell ALL in 81 adult patients included in 2 protocols of the Spanish PETHEMA group (ALL-96 and ALL-93).Between 1993 and 2003, 81 adult patients from 22 Spanish hospitals were included in two PETHEMA protocols: ALL-96 for standard-risk patients, and ALL-93 for high- risk patients. The main clinical and biological parameters as well as the rate of response to treatment, the frequency of complete remission , disease free survival and overall survival were compared in each T-cell ALL subtype.Of the 64 evaluable patients the distribution of the immunological subtypes was: 3 pro-T, 17 pre-T, 22 thymic or cortical and 22 mature. Patients with mature T-ALL had higher frequency of central nervous system involvement and myeloid antigen expression than those of the remaining subgroups. Patients with mature T-cell ALL had a slow rate of response to treatment in comparison with patients wit pre-T and mature T-cell ALL but this did not translate to significant differences in frequency of complete remission (77% vs 94%), disease free survival (42% vs 46%) and overall survival (29% vs 47%).Although patients with mature T-cell ALL had a slow rate of response to treatment and their survival tended to be shorter, in the present study there were no statistically significant differences in the prognosis of the different subtypes of T-cell ALL.

Purpose To analyze the simultaneous combination of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and anthracycline monochemotherapy for children with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Patients and Methods Since November 1996, 66 children (younger than 18 years) with genetically proven APL received induction therapy with ATRA and idarubicin. Consolidation therapy consisted of three courses of anthracycline monochemotherapy. After November 1999, patients with intermediate and high risk of relapse received consolidation therapy with ATRA and slightly reinforced doses of idarubicin. Maintenance therapy consisted of ATRA and low-dose mercaptopurine and methotrexate. Results Thirty-nine girls (59%) and 27 boys (41%) were included in this study. The WBC count at presentation was more than 10 × 109/L in 26 patients (39%). Sixty-one children (92%) achieved complete remission (CR). Early deaths from hemorrhage and retinoic acid syndrome occurred in three patients and two patients, respectively. Toxicity was manageable during consolidation and maintenance therapy. No deaths in CR, clinical cardiomyotoxicity, or secondary malignancy occurred. Two patients had molecular persistence at the end of consolidation. Three clinical relapses and two molecular relapses were also observed. Apart from one molecular relapse, all these events occurred among children with hyperleukocytosis. The 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse was 17%, whereas disease-free and overall survival rates were 82% and 87%, respectively. Conclusion A high incidence of hyperleukocytosis in children with APL was confirmed. Besides low toxicity and a high degree of compliance, a risk-adapted therapy combining ATRA and anthracycline monochemotherapy showed an antileukemic efficacy comparable to those previously reported with other chemotherapy combinations in children.

Antonio Gutierrez,1,* Jose Rodriguez,1,* Jordi Martinez-Serra,1 Jordi Gines,2 Pilar Paredes,1 Florencia Garcia,3 Javier Vercher,4 Josep Balanzat,4 Raquel del Campo,5 Pilar Galan,6 Miguel Morey,1 Antonia Sampol,1,7 Andres Novo,1 Leyre Bento,1 Lucia García,1 Joan Bargay,5 Joan Besalduch1,7 1Service of Hematology, 2Service of Pharmacy, 3Service of Oncology, Son Espases University Hospital, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; 4Service of Hematology, Can Misses Hospital, Ibiza, Spain; 5Service of Hematology, Son Llatzer Hospital, Palma, Spain; 6Service of Hematology, Mateu Orfila Hospital, Menorca, Spain; 7Service of Hematology, Policlínica Miramar, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Palma (IdISPa), Palma, Spain *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Most Hodgkin lymphomas (HL) can be cured with current strategies. However, one-third of the cases do not respond or relapse and need salvage regimens. We report the results of a retrospective study using the gemcitabine and oxaliplatinum (GemOx) regimen.Methods: Patients who relapsed or failed to achieve complete response were eligible and received GemOx salvage therapy. To avoid selection bias and thus to overcome the retrospective nature of the study, all treated patients were included from the pharmacy database.Results: Between 2003–2013, 24 HL patients – relapsing (number [n]=12) or refractory (n=12) – were included, receiving a total of 26 induction treatments with GemOx. Mean previous regimens were 2.38 (42% relapsing after autologous transplantation). Median follow-up was 37 months, and 71% responded (38% of patients achieved complete response). The factors related to better progression-free survival were: B symptoms; response to GemOx; and consolidation with stem cell transplantation. Grades 1 and 2 neurological toxicity was present in 17% of patients. Hematological toxicity was common, with grades 3 and 4 neutropenia (25%) and thrombocytopenia (34%) observed. Progression-free survival was better in patients consolidated with stem cell transplantation. The peripheral blood stem cell collection after GemOx was successful for all candidates.Conclusion: 1) The GemOx regimen is effective in relapsed or refractory HL with manageable toxicity. 2) No mobilization failures were observed. 3) Consolidation after response is needed. 4) Its efficacy and favorable toxicity profile might make multiple administrations possible in several recurrences in HL.Keywords: gemcitabine, oxaliplatinum, GemOx, Hodgkin lymphoma, treatment

Background Hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) can be cryopreserved and stored below -120 degrees C in liquid nitrogen or at -80 degrees C in mechanical freezers. Study design and methods The feasibility of long-term storage of HPCs at -80 degrees C was investigated. The studies included a comparison of 5- and 10-percent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as cryoprotectant at various lengths of storage time. Mononuclear cell (MNC) recovery and viability and colony-forming unit-granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) and burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) recovery assays were performed. The peripheral blood HPCs of 24 consecutive patients included in the program of autologous transplantation were studied. Results The MNC viability decreased progressively with the length of time from cryopreservation, reaching 32 percent after 31 months of storage. The recovery rates of CFU-GM and BFU-E also decreased progressively with the duration of frozen storage, to 50 and 43.5 percent, respectively, after 12 months and to 0 percent (both) after 24 months. At 6 months of storage, MNC viability was 80 percent, and CFU-GM and BFU-E recovery was 63.5 and 80.5 percent, respectively. There were no differences between MNCs cryopreserved with 5- or 10-percent DMSO in terms of cell viability. There were no differences between CFU-GM recovery or BFU-E recovery from HPCs cryopreserved in 5- or 10-percent DMSO. Patients given HPCs stored in these conditions for periods ranging between 123 and 202 days showed a complete and rapid hematologic recovery. Conclusion HPCs can be cryopreserved at -80 degrees C with 5-percent DMSO and stored at -80 degrees C no longer than 6 months. A 5-percent DMSO concentration is comparable to a with 10-percent concentration in terms of recovery and MNC viability.

Background and objective ALL in elderly patients is associated with poor prognosis and many patients are not included in therapeutic trials. Consequently, the results of subtype-oriented protocols in elderly ALL are poorly known. We present the results of three prospective parallel subtype-oriented protocols from the Spanish PETHEMA group in ALL patients older than 55 years. Patients and Methods In 2008 three prospective phase II trials for ALL patients older than 55 yr with the Charlson Comorbidity Index ≤3 were activated: ALLOld07 (Ph-negative patients, NCT01366898, n=54), ALLOPh07 (Ph-positive patients, NCT01376427, n=48) and BURKIMAB08 (mature B-ALL, NCT00388193, n=18). The ALL0ld07 protocol included moderate-dose induction chemotherapy without genotoxic drugs, followed by consolidation and maintenance therapy for 2 years (Gökbuget et al, ASH 2008), the ALL OPh07 included imatinib and dexamethasone for induction followed by maintenance therapy with mercaptopurine and methotrexate and imatinib for 2 years, followed by imatinib for one additional year (Ribera et al, Br J Haematol 2012; 159: 485-488), and the BURKIMAB08 protocol included specific therapy for Burkitt’s lymphoma/leukemia together with rituximab (Ribera et al, Cancer 2013; 119:1660-8). The main outcomes (early death [ED], complete remission [CR], remission duration [RD] and overall survival [OS]) and toxicity (CTCAE v4.0) were compared. Results 40, 45 and 16 patients from ALLOld07, ALLOPh07 and BURKIMAB08, respectively, were evaluable for this study. Patients with mature B-ALL were more frequently male, with poorer general status, higher frequency of bulky disease and higher LDH serum levels, whereas no significant differences were observed on comparison of ALLOld07 and ALLOPh07 patients. The comparison of the main outcomes of the three trials is shown in Table 1. By multivariate analyses for RD the protocol and WBC count were identified as prognostic factors (BURKIMAB08 was considered as reference category), with HR [95%CI] of 6.8 [0.9-52.1], p=0.064, when compared with ALL Old07 and 3.1 [0.4-24.8], p=0.278 when compared with ALL OPh07, global p value=0.042, and HR [95%CI]: 1.004 [1-1.009], p=0.058 for the WBC count, respectively. The ECOG score was the only variable influencing OS (HR [95%CI]: 0.4 [0.2;0.8], p=0.003). Hematological toxicity in induction and consolidation as well as infections were significantly less frequent in ALLOPh07 than in other two trials, whereas renal toxicity was more frequent in BURKIMAB08. Conclusion Risk-adapted therapy in elderly patients with ALL was feasible and produced significantly different results in terms of CR duration, being the best for mature B-ALL and the poorest for Ph-negative ALL. Supported by the grants PI10/01417 from FIS and RD12-0036-0029 from Instituto Carlos III Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 845 Background: ATRA combined to anthracycline-based chemotherapy (CT) for induction and consolidation followed by prolonged maintenance is a standard treatment of newly diagnosed APL, but the outcome and prognostic factors in the elderly are less well established than in younger patients (pts). Methods: We performed a joint analysis of elderly pts included in two subsequent trials of the PETHEMA group (LPA96 and LPA99) and and on the French -Belgian-Swiss APL group (APL93 and APL2000). In the PETHEMA trials, pts received induction therapy with ATRA and idarubicin (Ida 12 mg/m2/d, d2,4,6,8), consolidation with 3 anthracycline monochemotherapy courses (2 with Ida and 1 with mitoxantrone, with ATRA and higher idarubicin dose for Sanz's int and high risk pts in LPA99 trial), and 2-year maintenance with intermittent ATRA and continuous low-dose CT (6MP + MTX). In APL 93 and 2000 trials: pts received induction therapy with ATRA and DNR (60mg/m2/d ×3d)+AraC, (200 mg/m2/d×7) followed by consolidation with a similar course and a final DNR (45 mg/m2/d × 3) + AraC (1-2 g/m2/12h × 8) course (omitted in pts >65y) and the same maintenance as in PETHEMA trials. Median follow up was 75 and 42 months in PETHEMA and APL trials, respectively. Results: 1575 consecutive newly diagnosed APL pts were enrolled in the 4 trials, including 1288 (81%), 105 (6.6%), 91 (5.7%) and 91 (5.7%) aged 70, respectively (ie 287 pts (18%) older than 60). CR rates in these age groups were 94.6%, 84.8%, 81.8% and 78.4% (p=0.0002). All failures were due to early death, except one due to resistant leukemia, in a younger adult. The 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse was 16.5%, 19.1% ,11.9% and 13.5% in pts 70, respectively (p= 0.63). The 5-year OS in these age groups was 85.8%, 68.7%, 63.8% and 56.4% (p70 years, respectively (p In pts >60 yrs, by multivariate analysis, early death was associated with increased WBC (p=0.046), and increased creatinine level (p=0.002). Higher CIR was associated with increased WBC (p=0.002) . In patients older than 60 years, age had no significant impact on CR rate and survival. Finally, no significant differences in outcome were seen between French Belgian Swiss and PETHEMA trials. Conclusion: In pts older than 60, classical APL treatment with ATRA combined to anthracycline based CT followed by prolonged maintenance gives no initial leukemic resistance and similar relapse rate as in younger pts, but significantly lower OS due to a higher incidence of early deaths and of deaths in CR compared with younger pts. Higher WBC counts are associated with an increased incidence of both early deaths and deaths in CR. Improvement in prognosis, therefore, requires better supportive care during induction treatment, while reduction of the amount of myelosuppressive drugs during post induction treatment may be required to reduce deaths in CR. Disclosures: Fenaux: CELGENE: Research Funding; AMGEN: Research Funding.

Background and aim Only 20-30% of elderly patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are enrolled in clinical trials because of co-morbid disorders or poor performance status. We present the results of treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph-) ALL patients over 55 yr treated in the PETHEMA ALL-96 trial. Patients and methods From 1996 to 2006, 33 patients > or = 55 yr with Ph- ALL were included. Induction therapy was vincristine, daunorubicin, prednisone, asparaginase, and cyclophosphamide over 5 weeks. Central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis involved triple intrathecal (IT) therapy, 14 doses over the first year. Consolidation-1 included mercaptopurine, methotrexate, teniposide and cytarabine, followed by one consolidation-2 cycle similar to the induction cycle. Maintenance consisted of mercaptopurine and methotrexate up to 2 yr in complete remission (CR) with monthly reinduction cycles (vincristine, prednisone and asparaginase) during the first year. Results Median (range) age was 65 yr (56-77). Phenotype (30 patients): early-pre-B 7, common/pre-B 18, T 5. Cytogenetics (28 patients): normal 12, complex 10, t(4;11) 2 and other 4. CR was achieved in 19/33 (57.6%) patients, early death occurred in 12 (36.4%) and 2 (6%) were resistant. Overall survival and disease-free survival probabilities (2 yr, 95% CI) were 39% (21%-57%) and 46% (22%-70%), respectively (median follow up of 24 months). Removal of asparaginase and cyclophosphamide from the induction decreased induction death (OR 0.119, CI 95% 0.022-0.637, P = 0.013) and increased survival (20% vs. 52%, P = 0.05). Conclusions The prognosis of elderly Ph- ALL patients is poor. In this study, less intensive induction decreased toxic death, allowing delivery of planned consolidation therapy and increased survival probability.

Current protocols for cryopreservation prior to autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT) are usually based on 10% DMSO as an intracellular cryoprotectant with or without HES as extracellular cryoprotectant. The toxic effects related to DMSO infusion are usually dose-related and mild but can be severe including blood pressure alterations and arrhythmia. HES is a relatively nontoxic drug but it is related with pruritus and nephrotoxicity. Cryopreservation is usually performed by controlled-rate methods, followed by storage in liquid nitrogen. These procedures are time consuming and require expensive devices. Ten years ago we described a simplified cryopreservation technique at −80°C without rate-controlled freezing followed by storage in the same mechanical freezer and with 5% or 10% DMSO concentrations as the sole cryoprotectant (without HES). We report now a long-term evaluation of our experience along 12 years. Between July 1993 and September 2004, we performed 297 consecutive APBSCT for patients with solid and hematologic malignancies. Grafts were cryopreserved using 10% (n=47) and 5% (n=250) DMSO. Biological data of grafts, hematologic recovery and clinical data of cases were recorded. Special monitoring of infusion-related toxicity (IRT) was done. The median storage times were 31 and 28 days for 5% and 10% DMSO groups (p=NS). Post-thaw nucleated cell viability was 85% and 85.5% for 5% and 10% DMSO groups (p=NS). Patients included in the 5% DMSO group received a higher number of mononuclear and CD34+ cells. Criopreservation time did not significantly influence viability or hematopoietic recovery inside the criopreservation period (203 days or less). Significant IRT was higher in the 10% DMSO group: 21.3% versus only 7.2% in the 5% DMSO group (p=0.002), including hypertension, bradycardia, tachycardia, chest tightness and abdominal pain. Mild IRT was more than double in the 10% DMSO group: 10.6% versus 4% in the 5% DMSO group (p=0.07). No severe toxicities or death-related to infusion have been noted. All patients showed a safe and sustained engraftment. Median time to 500 and 1000 neutrophil/microL was the same in the two groups (11 days). Median time to 20 and 50 platelets/L was higher in the 5% vs 10% DMSO group: 12 vs 11 (p=0.03) and 17 vs 13 (p60%. G-CSF administration from day +5 postransplant was also related with a faster neutrophil recovery. Transplantation-related mortality was 2.8% and 2.1% respectively for 5% and 10% DMSO groups (p=NS). Long-term clinical evaluation of autologous transplantation with blood stem cells cryopreserved with 5% or 10% DMSO at −80°C without rate-controlled freezing shows that these are feasible procedures with engraftment, hematologic reconstitution and outcomes comparable to standard rate-controlled freezing protocols. Significant and mild IRT were lower in the 5% DMSO group compared with the 10% DMSO group.

The simultaneous combination of ATRA and anthracycline-based chemotherapy has resulted in a major improvement in remission induction rate and long term survival in patients with APL. This benefit is mainly due to an increased antileukemic efficacy, leading to a virtual absence of leukemic resistance and to a favorable impact on the coagulopathy and on the retinoic acid (RA) syndrome. One of the most successful regimens for induction is the combination of ATRA plus idarubicin (AIDA). In this study we analyze the causes of induction failure observed in two consecutive studies using the AIDA regimen (PETHEMA LPA96 and LPA99). Treatment consisted of oral ATRA (45 mg/m2/d ) until complete hematological remission and idarubicin (12 mg/m2/d) iv on days 2, 4, 6 and 8. In the LPA99 study, the dose of idarubicin on day 8 was omitted for patients older than 70 years of age and all patients received prednisone (0.5 mg/kg/day po for 14 days) for RA syndrome prophylaxis, as well as tranexamic acid (100 mg/kg/day iv) if the platelet count was below 50 × 109/L, in an attempt to improve the control of coagulopathy. The whole series included 642 genetically diagnosed APL patients, 174 in LPA96 and 468 in LPA99 studies, respectively. There were no differences in patient characteristics at presentation between the two groups. Induction results were virtually identical for LPA96 and LPA99 studies with an overall CR rate of 91%. Fifty-two patients (8.4%) failed to achieve CR due to early death. Four additional patients were considered as “resistant” because of persistence of a variable proportion of atypical promyelocytes on days 30 to 41. The distribution of causes of early death was as follows: hemorrhage 30/52 (58%); infection 16/52 (31%); and RA syndrome 5/52 (10%). Mortality due to hemorrhage and infection was significantly different in patients >60 years than in younger patients (37.5% and 56% vs. 72% and 16%, respectively; p=0.01). Neither the addition of prednisone nor tranexamic acid in the LPA99 study had an impact in early death rate. With respect to the chronology of deaths due to hemorrhage, nearly a half (14/30; 47%) occurred during the first week of induction therapy. Central nervous system and pulmonary hemorrhage (17 and 11 patients, respectively) were the only documented sites of lethal bleeding. Univariate analysis showed that age older than 70 years, high WBC counts, clinical and/or laboratory signs of coagulopathy, and abnormally increased level of serum creatinine were associated with an increased risk of lethal bleeding. Multivariate analysis showed that only WBC > 10 × 109/l and serum creatinine > 1.4 mg/dl at presentation retained an independent predictive value of lethal bleeding. In conclusion, despite outcome improvement provided by modern ATRA plus chemotherapy combination, hemorrhagic death remains the primary cause of induction failure in APL. The prophylactic use of prednisone and tranexamic acid failed to reduce the rate of early deaths in newly diagnosed APL. In particular, our study shows that patients presenting with hyperleukocytosis or renal dysfunction are of increased risk of lethal bleeding and should be early managed with more aggressive supportive measures to prevent hemorrhagic death.