Search

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by malignant plasma cell infiltration of the bone marrow. In extramedullary multiple myeloma (EMD), a subclone of these cells migrates out of the bone marrow. Out of 4 985 MM patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2017 in the Czech Republic, we analyzed 234 secondary EMD patients to clarify risk factors of secondary EMD development. We found younger age [65 years; odds ratio (OR) 4·38, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2·46-7·80, P 0·0001], high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (5 μkat/l; OR 2·07, 95% CI: 1·51-2·84, P 0·0001), extensive osteolytic activity (OR 2·21, 95% CI: 1·54-3·15, P 0·001), and immunoglobulin A (IgA; OR 1·53, 95% CI: 1·11-2·11, P = 0·009) or the non-secretory type of MM (OR 2·83; 95% CI: 1·32-6·04, P = 0·007) at the time of MM diagnosis to be the main risk factors for secondary EMD development. Newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients with subsequent EMD had inferior median progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival when compared to NDMM patients without future EMD [mPFS: 13·8 months (95% CI: 11·4-16·3) vs 18·8 months (95% CI: 17·7-19·9), P = 0·006; mOS: 26·7 months (95% CI: 18·1-35·4) vs 58·7 months (95% CI: 54·8-62·6), P 0·001]. We found that NDMM patients with specific risk factors associated with secondary EMD development have a more aggressive disease course before secondary EMD develops.

In stress echocardiography (SE), dipyridamole (DIP) and dynamic stress (ExSE) are reported as being safer than dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE). We investigated whether these commonly used stressors cause myocardial injury, measured by high sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT).One hundred and thirty five patients (DSE n = 46, ExsE n = 46, DIP n = 43) with negative result of SE were studied. The exclusion criteria were known ischaemic heart disease (IHD), baseline wall motion abnormalities, left ventricle systolic dysfunction/regional wall motion abnormalities, septum/posterior wall ≥13 mm, diabetes/pre-diabetes, baseline hsTnT level ≥14 ng/L, baseline blood pressure ≥160/100 mmHg, peak pulmonary pressure ≥45mmHg, eGFR1ml/s/1.73mAll patients had low pre-test probabilities of having obstructive IHD. HsTnT increased in DSE, less so in ExSE, and was unchanged in the DIP group (∆hsTnT 9.4 [1.5-58.6], 1.1 [-0.9-15.7], -0.1 [-1.4-2.1] ng/L, respectively, p0.001). In DSE, the ∆hsTnT was associated with peak dobutamine dose (r = 0.30, p = 0.045), test length (r = 0.43, p = 0.003) and atropine use (p0.001). In ExSE, the hsTnT increase was more likely in females (p = 0.012) and the elderly (65 years) (r = 0.32, p = 0.03); no association was found between atropine use (p = 0.786) or test length and ∆hsTnT (r = 0.10, p = 0.530).DSE is associated with myocardial injury in patients with negative SE, no injury was observed in DIP and only mild case in ExSE. Whether myocardial injury is causative of the higher reported adverse event rates in DSE remains to be determined.

This study compared the results of nivolumab treatment in patients with pulmonary adenocarcinomas based upon previous chemotherapeutic regimens.The data source for this retrospective study was the Czech VILP registry of patients with nivolumab-treated adenocarcinomas in second and higher lines of treatment. In relation to objective response rate, progression-free interval, and overall survival, three comparisons of patient were made: A: Those treated in first line with cisplatin and pemetrexed versus carboplatin with paclitaxel or vinorelbine; B: treatment with cisplatin and pemetrexed versus carboplatin with paclitaxel/vinorelbine and bevacizumab; and C: treatment in previous lines with pemetrexed (first-line cisplatin and pemetrexed plus those treated in second line with pemetrexed) versus treatment with taxane (first-line carboplatin and paclitaxel only plus those treated with second-line docetaxel).We observed no differences in objective response rate or progression-free survival between patients treated with the stated chemotherapeutic regimens. We observed a trend towards better overall survival for patients treated with carboplatin plus taxanes or vinorelbine with/without bevacizumab.From our overall survival data, a chemotherapeutic regimen of carboplatin plus taxanes or vinorelbine with/without bevacizumab might be a better partner for immunotherapy than a cisplatin and pemetrexed-based one.

[Aim]: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ixazomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (IRd) in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in routine clinical practice. Patients & methods: Patient-level data from the global, observational INSIGHT MM and the Czech Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies were integrated and analyzed., [Results]: At data cut-off, 263 patients from 13 countries were included. Median time from diagnosis to start of IRd was 35.8 months; median duration of follow-up was 14.8 months. Overall response rate was 73%, median progression-free survival, 21.2 months and time-to-next therapy, 33.0 months. Ixazomib/lenalidomide dose reductions were required in 17%/36% of patients; 32%/30% of patients discontinued ixazomib/lenalidomide due to adverse events., [Conclusion]: The effectiveness and safety of IRd in routine clinical practice are comparable to those reported in TOURMALINE-MM1., This work was supported by Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

Introduction Risk stratification tools provide valuable information to inform treatment decisions. Existing algorithms for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) were based on patients with newly diagnosed disease, and these have not been validated in the relapsed setting or in routine clinical practice. We developed a risk stratification algorithm (RSA) for patients with MM at initiation of second-line (2L) treatment, based on data from the Czech Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies. Methods Predictors of overall survival (OS) at 2L treatment were identified using Cox proportional hazards models and backward selection. Risk scores were obtained by multiplying the hazard ratios for each predictor. The K-adaptive partitioning for survival (KAPS) algorithm defined four groups of stratification based on individual risk scores. Results Performance of the RSA was assessed using Nagelkerke’s R2 test and Harrell’s concordance index through Kaplan–Meier analysis of OS data. Prognostic groups were successfully defined based on real-world data. Use of a multiplicative score based on Cox modeling and KAPS to define cut-off values was effective. Conclusion Through innovative methods of risk assessment and collaboration between physicians and statisticians, the RSA was capable of stratifying patients at 2L treatment by survival expectations. This approach can be used to develop clinical decision-making tools in other disease areas to improve patient management. Funding Amgen Europe GmbH. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s40487-019-00100-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective: The treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) remains challenging. The outcomes in highly pretreated populations are unsatisfactory and there is urgent need for novel and safe therapeutic approaches. Recently, daratumumab has been approved for RRMM with promising results even in monotherapy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of single agent daratumumab outside a clinical trial. Patients and Methods: 14 patients with RRMM and significant pretreatment (median 4.5 previous lines) entered a specific healthcare program and received treatment with single agent daratumumab. They were followed for therapeutic response based on IMWG criteria, and incidence of adverse events. The data were collected using the Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies. Results: The overall response rate was 38.5%. 23.1% of patients reached very good partial response, 15.4% reached partial remission, 15.4% had minimal response, 38.5% had stable disease and 7.7% had progressive disease. The median progression free survival was 4.6 months and median overall survival was not achieved. The toxicities were mostly mild, only infectious complications and hematological toxicity reached grade III. Conclusion: We conclude that daratumumab has significant activity in highly pretreated RRMM even as a single agent, with an acceptable toxicity profile and survival impact.

Plasma cell leukaemia (PCL) is a rare and very aggressive plasma cell disorder. Preventing a dismal outcome of PCL requires early diagnosis with appropriate analytical tools. Therefore, the investigation of 33 patients with primary and secondary PCL was done when the quantity of circulating plasma cells (PCs) using flow cytometry (FC) and morphology assessment was evaluated. The phenotypic profile of the PCs was also analysed to determine if there is an association with clinical outcomes and to evaluate the prognostic value of analysed markers. Our results revealed that FC is an excellent method for identifying circulating PCs as a significantly higher number was identified by FC than by morphology (26 center dot 7% vs. 13 center dot 5%, P = 0 center dot 02). None of secondary PCL cases expressed CD19 or CD20. A low level of expression with similar positivity of CD27, CD28, CD81 and CD117 was found in both PCL groups. A decrease of CD44 expression was detected only in secondary PCL. Expression of CD56 was present in more than half of PCL cases as well as cytoplasmic nestin. A decreased level of platelets, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score of 2-3 and lack of CD20(+) PC were associated with a higher risk of death. FC could be incorporated in PCL diagnostics not only to determine the number of circulating PCs, but also to assess their phenotype profile and this information should be useful in patients' diagnosis and possible prognosis.

Light-chain (AL) amyloidosis (ALA) is a rare but fatal monoclonal gammopathy (MG) causing organ and tissue damage resulting from the deposition of misfolded immunoglobulin free light chains in the form of amyloid fibrils.1 In some cases, ALA coexists with multiple myeloma (MM) (ALA+MM), which is the second most common blood cancer and is caused by the proliferation of clonal plasma cells (PC).2 Due to insufficient knowledge of ALA and ALA+MM biology, therapeutic options have mirrored treatment regimens of MM, which focus on the elimination of clonal PC.3,4 We investigated the mutation and gene expression profiles in clonal aberrant PC (aPC) in order to better understand ALA and ALA+MM etiology and to clarify the molecular differences between individual MG diagnoses.

The definition of complete disease response (CR) in multiple myeloma (MM) continues to be reevaluated. The last widely accepted model of response assessment was proposed by the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) in 2016.1 Urine immunofixation (uIFE), one of the CR parameters, is being frequently omitted from CR evaluation in routine clinical practice. Patients with missing uIFE are then reported as having very good partial response (VGPR).2 It has been recently suggested in retrospective analysis by Lahuerta et al3 that patients with intact immunoglobulin myeloma (IIMM) who lack uIFE examination present with the very same prognosis as the patients with negative uIFE and therefore uIFE might not be necessary for CR definition in such patients.

Despite the high efficacy of current induction regimens, most multiple myeloma (MM) patients relapse over time. The link between changes in the immune system and the prognosis of the disease is still not entirely clear. Therefore, we analyzed whether the pattern of bone marrow (BM) lymphocytes during routine BM examination after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is related to disease prognosis or MRD negative complete remission. From 2009 to 2018, 98 MM patients underwent routine BM testing after the first ASCT. Using multi-parametric flow cytometry, twelve BM lymphocyte subtypes were analyzed. In 60% of patients who achieved a complete response (CR), MRD by flow cytometric analysis (sensitivity threshold 10-6) was evaluated. We found an association of relative proportion of BM lymphocyte subtypes with treatment response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity. Higher relative proportion of memory B cells was associated with inferior median PFS [HR 1.089 (95% CI: 1.023-1.160), p = 0.008] and median OS [HR 1.170 (95% CI: 1.074-1.274), p < 0.001]. In non-responding patients (minimal response and worse), higher proportion of memory B cells was found when compared to patients achieving CR [3.8% (range 0.5-35.0) vs. 1.0% (range 0.1-12.5); p = 0.001]. No significant association of BM lymphocyte subtypes proportion with MRD negative CR was found. Our results show that changes in BM lymphocyte subsets including memory B cells may have prognostic value in MM patients after ASCT.

The reason why a few myeloma cells egress from the bone marrow (BM) into peripheral blood (PB) remains unknown. Here, we investigated molecular hallmarks of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to identify the events leading to myeloma trafficking into the bloodstream. After using next-generation flow to isolate matched CTCs and BM tumor cells from 32 patients, we found high correlation in gene expression at single-cell and bulk levels (r ≥ 0.94, P = 10−16), with only 55 genes differentially expressed between CTCs and BM tumor cells. CTCs overexpressed genes involved in inflammation, hypoxia, or epithelial–mesenchymal transition, whereas genes related with proliferation were downregulated in CTCs. The cancer stem cell marker CD44 was overexpressed in CTCs, and its knockdown significantly reduced migration of MM cells towards SDF1-α and their adhesion to fibronectin. Approximately half (29/55) of genes differentially expressed in CTCs were prognostic in patients with newly-diagnosed myeloma (n = 553; CoMMpass). In a multivariate analysis including the R-ISS, overexpression of CENPF and LGALS1 was significantly associated with inferior survival. Altogether, these results help understanding the presence of CTCs in PB and suggest that hypoxic BM niches together with a pro-inflammatory microenvironment induce an arrest in proliferation, forcing tumor cells to circulate in PB and seek other BM niches to continue growing., This study was supported by the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red —Área de Oncología— del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERONC; CB16/12/00369, CB16/12/00489, and CB16/12/00400), Cancer Research UK, FCAECC and AIRC under the Accelerator Award Programme, Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer by ERA-NET TRANSCAN-2 Programme (AC17/00101), the Black Swan Research Initiative of the International Myeloma Foundation, the European Research Council (ERC) 2015 Starting Grant (MYELOMANEXT, 680200), the Czech Science Foundation through Project No. 19-25354Y, the European Regional Development Fund—Project ENOCH (No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000868), and the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic (15-29667A).

Background Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a rare and very aggressive plasma cell (PC) disorder characterized by the presence of circulating plasma cells (cPC) in peripheral blood (PB). Dismal outcome of PCL requires early diagnosis with appropriate analytical tools. Development of flow cytometry (FC) together with some newly analysed antigens may reveal some marker affecting the prognosis of PCL patients. Aim Analysis of phenotypic profile of cPC/PCs to find association with clinical outcomes and to evaluate the prognostic value of analyzed markers. Methods Total of 33 primary and secondary PCL patients were investigated. PCs quantity and phenotype profile was analysed by polychromatic FC in PB and bone marrow (BM). Results Flow cytometry is an excellent method for cPCs identification as a significantly higher number was identified by FC than by morphology. Thus FC should be incorporated as a diagnostic method for preventing late diagnosis of PCL. Although the phenotypic profile of both PCLs did not differ too much, with low level of CD19, CD20, CD27, CD28, CD81 and CD117 expression, some heterogeneously expressed antigens (CD44, CD56, CD200, nestin etc.) may contribute to identification of patients with later extramedullary involvement, high risk of progression and shortened survival. Conclusions FC should be incorporated in PCL diagnostics as not only exact method providing number of cPCs, which is surprisingly overcoming morphology assessment. Moreover, PCL phenotype profile could be connected to patient’s diagnosis and possible prognosis as well. Funding Supported by grant AZV NV18-03-00203.

Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous plasma cell (PC) malignancy. These malignant PC are dependent on the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. However, a subclone of PCs can escape the BM microenvironment and infiltrate soft tissues and organs in the so-called extramedullary disease (EMD). This subclone may also escape to peripheral blood; if there are more than 20% of circulating PC (cPC), the disease is reclassified as plasma cell leukemia (PCL). All cells in the BM microenvironment release exosomes. Exosomes are small membranous vesicles that originate from internal multivesicular bodies; they are found in all body fluids, including peripheral blood, breast milk, etc. Exosomes are important in intercellular communication, and they have been implicated in disease relapse, resistance to chemotherapy and many other processes important for tumorigenesis. They contain proteins and nucleic acids, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) - short non-coding RNA molecules that are involved in many physiological and pathological processes. Aims The aim of this work was to analyze expression of exosomal miRNAs in BM plasma samples of MM, EMD and PCL patients. Methods Exosomes were isolated using qEV columns. MiRNAs were isolated from exosomes using qEV original Size Exclusion Columns, following miRNA isolation using miRNeasy Micro Kit. For next generation sequencing (NGS), 8 MM, 7 EMD and 8 PCL samples were used. Results from NGS were validated on 40 MM, 25 EMD and 21 PCL samples by RT-qPCR using Taqman Advanced MiRNA Assays. Results NGS analysis showed 1128 different miRNAs that were present in analyzed samples. Out of these, 239 miRNAs were found in at least 8 samples and had more than 1 read per million; thus, they were included in subsequent analysis. Out of these miRNAs, there are 6 miRNAs (p Conclusions Using NGS, we showed that they are differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs between MM, EMD and PCL patients suggesting their role in pathogenesis of these diseases. This work was supported by AZV 17-29343A and AZV 18-003-00203.

IgM myeloma is a rare hematologic malignancy for which the clinicopathological features and patient outcomes have not been extensively studied. We carried out a multicenter retrospective study in patients with diagnosis of IgM myeloma defined by >10% marrow involvement by monoclonal plasma cells, presence of an IgM monoclonal paraproteinemia of any size, and anemia, renal dysfunction, hypercalcemia, lytic lesions and/or t(11;14) identified by FISH. A total of 134 patients from 20 centers were included in this analysis. The median age at diagnosis was 65.5 years with a male predominance (68%). Anemia, renal dysfunction, elevated calcium and skeletal lytic lesions were found in 37, 43, 19, and 70%, respectively. The median serum IgM level was 2,895 mgdL(-1) with 19% of patients presenting with levels >6,000 mgdL(-1). International Staging System (ISS) stages 1, 2, and 3 were seen in 40 (33%), 54 (44%), and 29 (24%) of patients, respectively. The malignant cells expressed CD20 (58%) and cyclin D1 (67%), and t(11;14) was the most common cytogenetic finding (39%). The median overall survival (OS) was 61 months. Higher ISS score was associated with worse survival (P=0.02). Patients with IgM myeloma present with similar characteristics and outcomes as patients with more common myeloma subtypes.

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a known precursor of more serious cancers, such as multiple myeloma (MM), Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (MW) and other lymphoproliferative disorders. Using 18F-FDG PET/CT, we aimed to evaluate its benefit in early detection of various accompanying disorders and illnesses in MGUS patients. We prospectively analyzed the diagnostic relevance of 18F-FDG PET/CT in 390 newly diagnosed MGUS patients. On 18F-FDG PET/CT scans, the presence of focal or diffuse areas of detectable increased tracer uptake was recorded in 37 (9.5%) MGUS patients. The most frequent pathology was lymphadenopathy (3.8%), followed by thyroid diseases (2.1%), rheumatic diseases (1.8%), and other solid malignancies (1.5%). These results have major implications for confirmed associations of MGUS with numerous malignant and non-malignant disorders. We believe that 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging in newly diagnosed MGUS patients may be useful in early detection of other serious pathologies, not only in predicting progression of MGUS to active MM, and should be strongly recommended if available.

Nowadays, bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, is widely used in treatment of newly diagnosed or relapsed multiple myeloma. The aim of this study was to analyze efficiency of bortezomib retreatment in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. From 2004 to 2016, 283 patients were retrospectively evaluated at all hematological centers in the Czech Republic. Bortezomib was administered at the standard dosing and in combined therapy with corticosteroids, chemotherapy or thalidomide. Before bortezomib retreatment, 61% of patients received previous lenalidomide treatment, 40.6% autologous transplantation, and median number of prior lines of therapy was three. In total, 21% of patients were refractory to the first bortezomib treatment. In bortezomib retreatment, overall response rate was 34.5%, median progression-free survival was 7.8 months (95% CI: 6.7-8.9), median duration of response was 10.5 months (95% CI: 8.0-13.0) and median overall survival was 20.3 months (95% CI: 17.9-22.7). Grade 3-4 adverse events included thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, anemia and infection. Neuropathy grade 2 or higher occurred in 19.4% of patients. We conclude that bortezomib retreatment is an effective and safe therapeutic alternative for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients.

Immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (ALA) is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by deposition of amyloid fibrils in various organs and tissues. The current paper is devoted to clarify if ALA has a unique gene expression profile and to its pathogenetic argumentation. The meta-analysis of ALA patients vs. healthy donors, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smoldering and multiple myeloma patients' cohorts have revealed molecular signature of ALA consists of 256 genes representing mostly ribosomal proteins and immunoglobulin regions. This signature appears pathogenetically supported and elucidates for the first time the role of ribosome dysfunction in ALA. In summary of our findings with literature overview, we hypothesize that ALA development is associated not only with changes in genes, coding amyloidogenic protein itself, but with post-transcriptional disbalance as well. Based on our data analysis in ALA, ribosome machinery is impaired and the affected link mainly involves translational initiation, elongation and co-translational protein folding.

The combination of lenalidomide and dexamethasone is the current gold standard for treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma. This study analyzes the efficiency of repeated lenalidomide treatment in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. A total of 41 patients were prospectively evaluated at the University Hospital Brno. Lenalidomide was administered at standard dosing and in combination with corticosteroids and/or chemotherapy. The maximum cumulative dose of lenalidomide was limited to 4,200 mg because of Czech health insurance rules. Before the second lenalidomide treatment, all patients were refractory to the last treatment; previously, 95% of patients had bortezomib treatment, 48% had autologous transplantation and the median number of prior therapy lines was three. A partial 14.2% or better response was achieved with the second lenalidomide treatment. The median progression-free survival was 4.8 months, and median overall survival was 11.9 months. Unfortunately, predicting risk factors in lenalidomide retreatment proved unsuccessful. Although our treatment results were significantly affected by limited Czech health care system coverage for lenalidomide, we established that its repeated treatment is an effective therapeutic alternative for heavily pretreated patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy characterized by focal lesions of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. These lesions contain subclones that directly influence survival of patients. Bone marrow biopsies are single‐site biopsies and thus cannot contain all information about the tumor. In contrast, liquid biopsies analyze circulating cells and molecules that are secreted from all sites of the tumor. Long noncoding RNA molecules are one class of these molecules. We performed a two‐phase biomarker study investigating lncRNA expression profiles in exosomes of peripheral blood serum of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) patients in comparison with healthy donors (HD). Surprisingly, this analysis revealed dysregulation of only one exosomal lncRNA PRINS in MM vs HD. Overall, MM and MGUS patients were distinguished from HD with sensitivity of 84.9% and specificity of 83.3%. Our study suggests a possible diagnostic role for exosomal lncRNA PRINS in monoclonal gammopathies patients.

We have performed a face to face comparison of all-oral triplet ixazomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (IRD) versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone (RD) in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in the routine clinical practice. The primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS), secondary end points included response rates and overall survival (OS).

It is known that cervical cancer develop from precancerous intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) which is characterized by series of genetic abnormalities. The progression of CIN to cervical carcinoma has been associated especially with the genomic integration of oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV) and gain of the human telomerase RNA gene hTERC (3q26) and MYC (8q24). In this study, cytology specimens of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical carcinoma from 74 Czech women were analyzed using the triple-color Cervical FISH Probe Kit designed for identification of HPV infected cells and copy number aberration of the hTERC and MYC genes. HPV-positivity exhibited 70% of patients with premalignant lesions (CIN I - CIN III, carcinoma in situ), chromosomal changes were found in 53.3% of cases - MYC amplification had 33.3% of women with CIN I - CIN III and 50% with carcinoma in situ. Amplification of hTERC was detected in 16.7% of patient with CIN I, in 50% with CIN II, in 58.3% with CIN III and in 66.7% with carcinoma in situ. Based on HPV-positivity and the occurrence of chromosomal aberrations, patients were divided into high-, intermediate- and low-risk group. Among women with cervical carcinomas, HPV infection was detected in 90.1% of specimens and chromosomal aberrations were found in 87.5% of samples. Amplification of MYC gene was detected in 25% and hTERC gene in 62.5% of patients. According to the histopathological grade of tumors, MYC gene amplification occurred more frequently in specimens of spinocellular carcinoma than adenocarcinoma (p=0.029). We found no association between the frequency of cytogenetic lesions and the incidence of lymphangiogenesis or lymph node metastases in cervical carcinoma patients. Simultaneous hTERC and MYC genes amplification was significantly more frequent in samples of cervical carcinomas than in premalignant lesions (p=0.008).In a cohort of 26 patients with cervical carcinoma we used oligo-based GGH+SNP microarray technique for the high resolution mapping of copy number changes of hTERC and MYC genes. We found that recurrent gain of genetic material in chromosome 3q26 area carrying hTERC gene of size 43.6 Mb between 3q25.1-3qter and duplication of 3q were the most common genomic identifications of amplified gene. In MYC locus array-CGH profiling identified duplication of 8q and trisomy 8 as frequent genomic changes.Our work confirmed that in cervical carcinoma gains of hTERC and MYC genes are specific genomic changes associated with developing of malignant phenotype. We also showed that in premalignant stages HPV-FISH assay can be used as an effective diagnostic procedure to identify patients carrying highly risking HPV infection and chromosomal aberrations associated with this malignancy. KEYWORDS: cervical cancer, cervical dysplasia, HPV infection, hTERC amplification, MYC amplification, FISH, array-CGH.

Immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL amyloidosis - ALA) is a monoclonal gammopathy characterized by presence of aberrant plasma cells producing amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chains. This leads to formation of amyloid fibrils in various organs and tissues, mainly in heart and kidney, and causes their dysfunction. As amyloid depositing in target organs is irreversible, there is a big effort to identify biomarker that could help to distinguish ALA from other monoclonal gammopathies in the early stages of disease, when amyloid deposits are not fatal yet. High throughput technologies bring new opportunities to modern cancer research as they enable to study disease within its complexity. Sophisticated methods such as next generation sequencing, gene expression profiling and circulating microRNA profiling are new approaches to study aberrant plasma cells from patients with light chain amyloidosis and related diseases. While generally known mutation in multiple myeloma patients (KRAS, NRAS, MYC, TP53) were not found in ALA, number of mutated genes is comparable. Transcriptome of ALA patients proves to be more similar to monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance patients, moreover level of circulating microRNA, that are known to correlate with heart damage, is increased in ALA patients, where heart damage in ALA typical symptom.Key words: amyloidosis - plasma cell - genome - transcriptome - microRNA.

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smouldering multiple myeloma (SMM) are premalignant stages of multiple myeloma (MM). MM is a malignancy of plasma cells, which is associated with a median overall survival of 5 to 7 years. MM accounts for approximately 10% of hematological malignancies.Descriptive analysis of data from 19 Czech centres collected in the Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies (RMG) was performed.Over the last 10 years of prospective collection of data, together with retrospectively recorded data on patients diagnosed before the registry establishment, data on 7,467 patients with either asymptomatic or symptomatic form of MM have been gathered. Validation criteria for the analysis were met by 2,506 MGUS patients, 400 SMM patients and 4,738 MM patients. The median duration of follow-up was 4.3 years in MGUS patients and 2.4 years in SMM patients. The overall risk of progression from MGUS to malignancy was 1.7% per year. The risk of progression from SMM to MM was highest in the 1st years after diagnosis: overall, this risk was 16.6% per year. The median duration of follow-up was 2.8 years in MM patients. The median overall survival from the diagnosis was 5.7 years. The median OS from treatment initiation/progression-free survival decreased from 60.5/21.0 months in the 1st line therapy to 34.3/12.4 months in the 2nd line therapy, 22.6/8.9 months in the 3rd line therapy and 13.8/5.8 months in the 4th or higher line therapies. Thanks to the availability of novel drugs for MM treatment in the Czech Republic, treatment strategies have changed dramatically over the last decade.RMG is a registry designated for the collection of data on diagnosis, treatment, treatment results and survival of patients with monoclonal gammopathies in the long-term follow-up. RMG is a valuable source of data from real clinical practice.Key words: registries - monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance - smouldering multiple myeloma - multiple myeloma - progression - treatment - survival.

ObjectivesLong non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that are not translated into proteins. They are involved in pathogenesis of many diseases including cancer and have a potential to serve as diagnostic and prognostic markers. We aimed to investigate lncRNA expression profiles in bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients in comparison to normal BMPCs of healthy donors (HD) in a three-phase biomarker study. MethodsExpression profile of 83 lncRNA was performed by RT2 lncRNA PCR Array (Qiagen), followed by quantitative real-time PCR using specific TaqMan non-coding RNA assays analyzing 84 newly diagnosed MM patients and 25 HD. ResultsOur analysis revealed dysregulation of two lncRNAs; NEAT1 (sensitivity of 55.0% and specificity of 79.0%) and UCA1 (sensitivity of 85.0% and specificity of 94.7%). UCA1 levels correlated with albumin and monoclonal immunoglobulin serum levels, cytogenetic aberrations, and survival of MM patients. ConclusionOur study suggests a possible prognostic impact of UCA1 expression levels on MM patients.

The objective of this study was to describe co-expression correlations of cell cycle regulatory genes in multiple myeloma (MM) and plasma cell leukemia (PCL). Our results highlight the presence of dynamic equilibrium between co-expression of activator and inhibitor gene sets. Moreover inhibitor set is more sensitive to the activator changes, not vice versa. We have shown that CDKN2A expression is associated with short-term survival in newly diagnosed MM patients (survival was 30.3 ± 3.9 months for 'low' expressed and 7.5 ± 5.6 months for 'high' expressed group, p0.0001). Moreover low-expression CDKN2A group showed time-to-progression benefit in newly diagnosed patients (remission was 20.8 ± 3.6 months for 'low' and 8.4 ± 2.7 months for 'high' expressed group, p0.0001) as well as in whole studied cohort of MM patients (remission was 20.8 ± 2.8 months for 'low' and 9.8 ± 1.1 months for 'high' expressed group, p0.0001). The overexpression of inhibitors can be explained as a compensatory reaction to growing "oncogenic stress".

Aims: Treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) in relapsed and refractory setting (RRMM) has been a challenge. The best outcomes have been observed in triplet combination of novel drugs. However, most combinations require weekly parenteral administration thus degrading patients´adherence to therapy, especially when treatment is scheduled "until progression". The introduction of fully oral triplet combination ixazomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (IRD) showed an outstanding efficacy in the Tourmaline-MM1 trial. Our aim is to determine the efficacy and safety of IRD regimen outside clinical trials. Patients and methods: A cohort of 127 RRMM patients from the Czech and Slovak Republic were treated with IRD regimen within a Named Patient Program between 2016 and 2018. The M/F ratio was 1.2:1 with median age 66 years (41-84). The representation of M-protein and light chain types as well as ISS stage was standard. The data for cytogenetics were recorded only at the time of diagnosis in 71% of patients with 15 patients having high-risk features - t(4;14), t(14;16) and del17, and 41 patients having standard risk features. In 34 patients we were not able to determine the risk status as at least one abnormality was missing and none was positive. The presence of extramedullary plasmocytoma was recorded in 15% of patients. Most patients received IRD for their 1st relapse (58.5%), followed by 2nd (23.7%) and 3rd relapse (7.6%) with significant portion of patients being treated in ≥4th relapse (10.1%). The pretreatment with individual drugs was as follows: bortezomib (BTZ) 94.5%, thalidomide (THAL) 40.9%, lenalidomide (LEN) 18.9% and carfilzomib 5.5%. 62.2% of patients underwent previous autologous stem cell transplant. Altogether 25.2% of patients were refractory to at least 1 drug with 18.9% being BTZ refractory and 7.9% LEN refractory. Data were analyzed from the Czech Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies. Data were described by absolute and relative frequencies of categorical variables and mean (standard deviation), median (minimum-maximum) of quantitative variables. Survival measures were plotted using Kaplan-Meier methodology at 95% confidence interval, log-rank test was used to estimate the statistical significance at P Results: The overall response rate to IRD regimen (≥ partial response, PR) was 67.1% with clinical benefit rate (≥ minimal response, MR) of 77.2%. The rate of individual responses was as follows: complete response (CR) in 11.4%, very good partial response (VGPR) in 16.5%, PR in 39.2%, MR in 10.1%, stable disease (SD) in 13.9% and progressive disease (PG) in 8.9%. The median overall survival was not reached after median follow up of 9.4 months. Median progression free survival (PFS) was 23.1 months. PFS was significantly decreasing with number of previous lines (not reached after 1 previous lines, 23.1 after 2 lines, 8.7 after 3 lines and 4.6 after ≥4 lines, p = 0,006). As expected, the best PFS increased with deeper therapeutic response (SD+PD = 4.1 months, MR = 9.0 months, PR = 15.1 months, VGPR = 13.2 months, and CR = median PFS not reached). There were limited information regarding the high risk features. Still, we confirmed adverse impact of the presence of extramedullary disease (PFS 5.5 vs 23.1 months, p = 0.001). Similarly, patients did worse when being pretreated by both proteasome inibitor and an IMiD versus solely proteasome inhibitor (PFS 10.0 vs 23.1 months, p = 0.001). The outcomes of high-risk cytogenetics were beyond statistical significance. Most toxicities were grade ≤2. Only hematological toxicity and infection reached grade 3 or higher, as follows: neutropenia in 35.1%, thrombocytopenia in 22.8%, anemia in 12.3% and infection in 19.3%. Conclusions: IRD regimen is very effective in RRMM. We confirmed its efficacy even in highly pretreated population (≥4 prior regimens) and in patients refractory to BTZ or LEN, which were exclusion criteria for the Tourmaline trial. The fully oral combination is well tolerated, with manageable side effects and easy management of dose modifications. Unlike the original trial our data show better results in patients with less pretreatment. The presence of extramedullary plasmocytoma deteriorates the prognosis of patients on IRD regimen. We thank to Takeda for enabling the Named Patient Program. With support of AZV 17-29343A, MH CZ - DRO (FNOl, 00098892) Disclosures Maisnar: Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Hajek:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding.

Introduction: Multiple myeloma patients over the age of 65 represent the majority of myeloma population. The main goal was to evaluate treatment outcomes in terms of overall survival for elderly patients based on initial choice of anti-myeloma drugs, and to find potential factors affecting survival. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective registry based analysis from the Registry of monoclonal gammopathies of the Czech Myeloma Group. Patients with multiple myeloma diagnosed between 2007-2016 over the age of 65 with symptomatic myeloma were included in the analysis. Basic demographic data and disease characteristics were obtained. The Kaplan-Meier estimates were completed by the Greenwood confidence interval. The log-rank test was used to estimate the statistical significance of the difference between the curves. The Cox proportional hazards model was performed to explore the univariate significance of risk factors. Results: Data from 1410 MM patients were obtained. Gender [HR 1.316 (1.124-1.541), p=0.001], age [above 75 vs. 66-75, HR 1.437 (1.221-1.692), p< 0.001], creatinine levels [at cutoff 152 µmol/L, HR 1.613 (1.365-1.905), p< 0.001] and ECOG performance status [0-1 vs. 2-4, 1.869 (1.594-2.191), p< 0.001] were found to significantly affect overall survival. Moreover these risk factors have cumulative effect on overall survival of the patients. Overall survival of patients regardless to above mentioned risk factors treated with upfront bortezomib (N = 880) was median OS 40.4 months (CI: 36.1-44.7), patients treated with upfront thalidomide (N = 370) had median OS 48.1 months (CI: 41.0-55.2), for lenalidomide (N = 64) median overall survival was 53.2 months (CI: 44.6-61.8) and for combination of bortezomib and thalidomide (N = 46) 32.2 months (CI: 26.6-37.8). When any of these risk factors was present the OS in each group shortened. In the group of patients with no risk factors (N = 255) the median OS for bortezomib (N = 126) was not reached, for thalidomide (N = 96) the median OS was 66.3 months (CI: 43.1-89.6), for lenalidomide (N = 17) 71.1 months (CI: 44.8-97.4) and for combination of bortezomib and thalidomide (N=8) was not reached. In the group of patients with 1 risk factor (N = 514) the median OS for bortezomib (N = 303) was 46.1 months (CI: 36.2-56.1), for thalidomide (N = 141) 56.2 months (CI: 47.5-64.9), for lenalidomide (N = 29) 49.0 months (CI: 9.7-88.2) and for combination of bortezomib and thalidomide (N=20) was not reached. In the group of patients with 2 risk factors (N = 420) the median OS for bortezomib (N = 288) was 34.0 months (CI: 24.7-43.4), for thalidomide (N = 87) 31.9 months (CI: 22.8-40.9), for lenalidomide (N = 14) 33.2 months (CI: 0.0-67.6) and for combination of bortezomib and thalidomide (N=20) 29.4 months (CI: 7.6-51.1). In the group of patients with 3-4 risk factors (N = 221) the median OS for bortezomib (N = 163) was 19.2 months (CI: 14.9-23.5), for thalidomide (N = 46) 18.9 months (CI: 13.0-24.7), for lenalidomide (N = 4) 6.1 months (CI: 0.0-63.0) and for combination of bortezomib and thalidomide (N=3) 14.3 months (CI:-). Conclusion: The overall survival of patients above the age of 65 shows promising results with the use of novel agents. The treatment outcomes seem to be generally affected by overall condition, age and gender of the patient rather than treatment modality used upfront. Figure. Figure. Disclosures Hajek: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Maisnar:Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy characterized by plasma cell (PC) infiltration of the bone marrow. Unfortunately, better imaging techniques convey multiple reports about increased incidence of the so-called extramedullary disease of MM (EM), an aggressive, mostly resistant entity with poor prognosis for patients. EM probably develops because of 'bone marrow escape' of PC subclone that migrates out of the BM infiltrating soft tissues losing dependence on the BM microenvironment, either partially or completely. There are two types of EM - primary, found at the time of MM diagnosis, and secondary, found at the time of MM relapse. However, there are very few reports about EM. Aims This study aims to analyze risk factors connected to EM development. Methods Data from the Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies (RMG) were analyzed. The RMG represents a database for collection of clinical data concerning diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of Czech MM and other monoclonal gammopathies patients. In total, data of 4985 MM patients were collected into the RMG database between 2007 and June 2017. Our analysis compared patients who developed EM at initiation of first or higher line of therapy with patients without EM during at least 5-year-long follow-up (patients who died earlier included). Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association of baseline characteristics at MM diagnosis with EM occurrence at first line and relapse, respectively. Results In total, 4985 MM patients data were collected into the RMG database between 2007 and 2017. Patients were treated with bortezomib, lenalidomide, thalidomide, pomalidomide, ixazomib and daratumumab. Regardless of treatment, EM patients responded worse than MM patients did to any form of treatment. While primary EM patients had similar PFS as MM patients, OS was significantly worse (48.7 vs 60.6 months, resp.). Secondary EM patients did even worse, with PFS 8.7 months and OS 23.8 months only. We found 543 MM patients (10.9%) who developed EM during the entire follow-up. Out of these EM patients, we found 309 patients who were diagnosed with primary EM at initiation of first line of therapy. At initiation of 2nd line of treatment, we found 111 secondary EM patients. At 3rd, 4th and 5th, we found 61, 39 and 23 EM patients, resp. Finally, 309 patients who developed EM at initiation of 1st line and 234 patients who developed EM at initiation of further treatments were compared to 2092 patients who did not develop EM during the entire course of the disease. Overall, occurrence of EM at 1st or higher lines of treatment was associated with younger age, male sex, low ISS, D-S substage A, low B2 microglobulin, low creatinine, high hemoglobin, elevated thrombocytes, other types of M-Ig than IgG and presence of bone lesions. For EM cases found only at initiation of 1st line (primary EM), we found association with high ECOG status, low LDH, low M-protein quantity and low % of plasma cells infiltration in the bone marrow. For EM cases found at MM relapse (secondary EM), we found association with high D-S stage, high LDH, high CRP, high Ca, del13q and gain1q. Conclusion EM remains an aggressive disease with poor prognosis regardless of use of novel drugs. Surprisingly, in our group of patients, most EM disease developed early in the course of the disease - more than 60% at first relapse. We analyzed risk factors connected to development of EM and found that LDH, hemoglobin, thrombocytes and M-Ig status were associated with EM development. We suggest that in such patients, PET/CT or whole body MRI should be performed regularly to ensure early detection of EM. Grant support: AZV 17-29343A. Disclosures Maisnar: BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Hajek:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

Background. The number of CTC predicts risk of transformation in smoldering MM and survival in active MM. Growing evidence suggests that as the tumor progresses and the microenvironment becomes hypoxic, clonal plasma cells (PC) constantly invade new regions of the bone marrow (BM) through induced systemic recirculation. Of note, the frequency of CTCs is typically low and thus, it is conceivable that the dissemination of MM depends on few tumor cells with unique features that induce them to egress the BM and spread the disease through peripheral blood (PB). This hypothesis has not been yet demonstrated because the transcriptional profile of CTCs in MM has not been investigated. Aim. To identify gene regulatory networks related to MM dissemination by comparing the transcriptional profile of CTCs with patient-matched BM clonal PCs. Methods. We used FACS to isolate CTCs and BM clonal PCs of paired PB and BM samples from 34 patients: 24 newly diagnosed MM, 9 relapsed MM and 1 MGUS. Transcriptomes were analyzed using Affymetrix arrays (n =31) and the BD WTA Precise assay was used for single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq, n =3). Data was analyzed using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Limma for bulk and Seurat for scRNAseq data. The prognostic value of deregulated genes (FDR 0.5) was investigated using a Cox-regression model in the CoMMpass dataset (n =553, IA11 release). The role of specific deregulated genes was evaluated by shRNA knockdown and blocking using a monoclonal antibody (mAb). Results. Transcriptomic profiling of patient matched CTCs and BM clonal PCs revealed a high correlation in gene expression (r =0.93; p =10-16). Only 45 genes emerged as significantly deregulated in CTCs, and GSEA unveiled biological functions related to inflammatory and interferon response (e.g. CCL5), signaling by IL-6/JAK/STAT3, IL-2/STAT5 and TNF via NFKB (CD44), the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMP3), mitotic spindle and G2M checkpoints (TOP2A), or E2F targets (BIRC5). A high correlation in gene expression was also observed by scRNAseq (r =0.9; p =10-16), with only 31 genes (e.g. MALAT1, B2M, RHOH, ENAM or DUSP5) differentially expressed (adj.p Conclusions. This is the first study analyzing the transcriptional profile of CTCs in MM. Our results reveal that gene expression of CTCs is almost identical to that of patient-matched BM clonal PCs, except for a few genes that are involved in interferon and inflammatory response, hypoxia, cell cycle and migration. Importantly, some of these genes are related to more aggressive disease and therefore, may represent novel therapeutic targets to overcome disease dissemination. Figure. Figure. Disclosures Rios: Amgen, Celgene, Janssen, and Takeda: Consultancy. Martinez-Lopez:Pfizer: Research Funding; Vivia: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Hajek:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. San-Miguel:Sanofi: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria.

OBJECTIVE:Subcutaneous (SC) application of bortezomib has been recently introduced as a new application route in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. We performed an analysis to compare the outcomes of bortezomib-based therapy in multiple myeloma (MM) patients treated using either intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (SC) route of administration. PATIENTS AND METHODS:During January 2012 through December 2013, we performed a retrospective analysis of 446 patients with MM treated with bortezomib-based regimens (either once weekly - 63% or twice weekly - 27%) in both, the first line setting, and in relapse, with separate analysis of patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation. We assessed the response rates and toxicity profiles in both, IV and SC route of bortezomib administration. RESULTS:The response rates in both IV and SC arm were similar with overall response rate 71.7% vs 70.7%, complete remissions in 13.9% vs 8.6%, very good partial remissions in 30.8% vs 34.5% and partial remissions in 27% vs 27.6%. The most frequent grade ≥ 3 toxicities were anemia, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia, with no significant differences between IV and SC group. There were no significant differences in the rate of peripheral neuropathy (PN). PN of any grade was present in 48% in the IV arm and in 41% in the SC arm. PN grade ≥ 2 was present in 20% vs 18% and PN grade ≥ 3 was present in 6% vs 4%. CONCLUSIONS:We conclude that subcutaneous application of bortezomib has similar therapeutic outcomes and toxicity profile as intravenous route of application. In our cohort there was no difference in the incidence of PN, suggesting that PN is dose dependent and might be reduced by lower intensity schemes rather than by the route of administration.

Alterations in the genome that lead to changes in DNA sequence copy number are characteristic features of solid tumors. We used CGH+SNP microarray and HPV-FISH techniques for detailed screening of copy number alterations (CNAs) in a cohort of 26 patients with cervical carcinoma (CC). This approach identified CNAs in 96.2% (25/26) of tumors. Array-CGH discovered CNAs in 73.1% (19/26) of samples, HPV-FISH experiments revealed CNAs in additional 23.1% (6/26) of samples. Common gains of genetic sequences were observed in 3q (50.0%), 1q (42.4%), 19q (23.1%), while losses were frequently found in 11q (30.8%), 4q (23.1%) and 13q (19.2%). Chromosomal regions involved in loss of heterozygosity were observed in 15.4% of samples in 8q21, 11q23, 14q21 and 18q12.2. Incidence of gain 3q was associated with HPV 16 and HPV 18 positive samples and simultaneous presence of gain 1q (P = 0.033). We did not found a correlation between incidence of CNAs identified by array-CGH and HPV strain infection and incidence of lymph node metastases. Subsequently, HPV-FISH was used for validation of array-CGH results in 23 patients for incidence of hTERC (3q26) and MYC (8q24) amplification. Using HPV-FISH, we found chromosomal lesions of hTERC in 87.0% and MYC in 65.2% of specimens. Our findings confirmed the important role of HPV infection and specific genomic alterations in the development of invasive cervical cancer. This study also indicates that CGH+SNP microarrays allow detecting genome-wide CNAs and copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity more precisely, however, it may be less sensitive than FISH in samples with low level clonal CNAs.

Introduction: Release of the aberrant plasma cells (PC) from the bone marrow (BM) and their presence in the peripheral blood (PB) is a maker of disease progression and worse survival in multiple myeloma (MM) (Nowakowski et al., 2005). Circulating plasma cells (cPCs) are able to survive without homing microenvironment, evade the original tumor and colonize other bone marrow niche. Detailed analysis of various surface proteins showed that cPCs display decreased levels of integrins, adhesion molecules N-CAM (CD56) and the stem cell factor receptor (Paiva et al., 2013). Comprehensive analysis of the genome-wide gene expression profiling that could provide deeper insight into the expression patterns of cPCs of MM is still lacking. Aims: To identify differentially expressed genes in paired samples of aberrant plasma cells from BM and PB and to describe potential biomarkers of cPCs in MM. Material and methods: Ten patients with multiple myeloma (seven new diagnoses and three relapses) have been included in the study after signing the informed consent form. Paired samples of aberrant plasma cells from bone marrow and peripheral blood were obtained from each patient. Aberrant plasma cells (aPCs) were sorted according to the immunophenotype as CD45dim/CD38+/CD19-/CD56-/+ cells. Gene expression profiling (GEP) was performed on paired samples using Affymetrix GeneChip Human Gene ST 1.0 array. RMA normalized data at gene level were analyzed using Wilcoxon paired test with Benjamini-Hochberg multiple testing correction. Results: The median infiltration of aberrant PC in the BM was 27.5% (range 1.1 - 93%) and 1.2% (range 0.19 - 2.8%) for cPCs in the PB. The median level of M-protein was 32.35 g/l (range 18.6 - 62.2 g/l). GEP analysis of paired BM and PB samples revealed 1001 significantly changed genes in cPCs (adjusted p-value Conclusion: The infiltration of aPCs in the bone marrow does not correlate with the amount of cPCs (p=0.16). Among differentially expressed genes, two surface markers upregulated in cPCs are of particular interest: CD44 and ADGRE5 (CD97). The CD44 antigen is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell-cell interactions, cell adhesion and migration. Moreover, CD44 contribute to lenalidomide resistance in multiple myeloma (Bjorklund et al., 2014). CD97 is encoded by ADGRE5 gene and belongs to the EGF-TM7 subgroup of adhesion G-protein-coupled receptors. The expression of CD97 has been linked to invasive behavior in thyroid and colorectal cancer. Moreover, higher CD97 expression levels have been detected in 54% (208/385) of primary AML samples based on flow cytometric analysis (Wobus et al., 2015). Nevertheless, neither ADGRE5 nor CD97 expression were described in plasma cell dyscrasia previously. Thus, despite non-systemic changes of gene expression at the whole transcriptome level, cPCs in MM likely represent distinct biological entity with specific expression profile underlying advanced PC malignant transformation. To confirm the results, flow cytometric analysis on the bigger cohort will be performed. Acknowledgment: This study was supported by Institutional Development Plan of University of Ostrava (IRP201550) and The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (Specific university research of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava) project no. SGS03/LF/2015-2016, Ministry of Health Czech Republic RVO-FNOs/2014/17P and RVO-FNOs/2016/21. Figure 1 Genes of interest differentially expressed in the bone marrow (BM) versus peripheral blood (PB) aberrant plasma cells. Figure 1. Genes of interest differentially expressed in the bone marrow (BM) versus peripheral blood (PB) aberrant plasma cells. Disclosures Hajek: BMS: Honoraria; Onyx: Consultancy; Novartis: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

Background Immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL amyloidosis) is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by deposition of amyloid fibrils in various organs and tissues, derived from monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains (LC), leading to organ dysfunction. Until now there is no systematic study of genomic expression of patients with AL amyloidosis compared to other monoclonal gammopathies. Aim of this study was to reveal genomic expression differences between AL amyloidosis patients versus healthy donors (ND), monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), smouldering myeloma (SMM) and multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Methods Gene expression profiling data from GEO database (GSE6477, GSE24128) comprised of ND (n=15), MGUS (n=21), SMM (n=24), MM (n=69) and AL (n=16) patients were used. To ensure the comparability between arrays and eliminate the batch effect, quantile normalization was performed. To identify the AL patients´ gene expression profile which significantly differs in comparison with ND, MGUS, SMM or MM patients, we applied SAM algorithm for 6588 selected genes that fulfilled the condition having standard deviation above the median. Genes with fold change ≥1.5 or ≤0.5 and false discovery rate >0.001 were considered as significant. Prediction analysis of microarrays (PAM) using nearest shrunken centroids and cross validation assay was carried out to identify the smallest subsets of genes that were able to accurately predict classes. Results Comparison of AL patients vs. ND revealed 229 changed genes, AL vs. MGUS 126 genes, AL vs. SMM 338 genes and AL vs. MM 110 genes, respectively. Out of them, the most significantly changed 100 genes from each comparison were further analysed. Some of the genes occurred repeatedly, thus only 256 of genes from all comparisons were unique. Using PAM algorithm we found the genes that have the best predictive power for differentiation AL patients from ND, MGUS, SMM and from MM patients was as followed: RPS6, RPS14, RPS17, RPLA18A, TMEM66, EIF3L, CCDC72, GLTSCR2, NDUFS6, DUSP1, IGLJ3, IGHM, IGKV1-5IGKC///IGKV1-5///IGKV1D-8 and IGHA1///IGHA2///IGHD///IGHG1///IGHG3///IGHG4///IGHM/// IGHV3-23///IGHV4-31///IGHV4-59. Gene expression changes are presented on Figure 1. Conclusion Based on offered meta-analysis, 16 genes representing mostly ribosomal proteins and immunoglobulin regions allow us to detect specific aberrant clone responsible for pre-amyloid production and can serve as candidates for further detailed study. Work was supported by grants IGA NT 12130, NT 14575 and NT 13190. Figure 1. Gene expression for the genes which best discriminate AL patients from ND, MGUS, SMM and MM patients Figure 1. Gene expression for the genes which best discriminate AL patients from ND, MGUS, SMM and MM patients Disclosures Hajek: Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria.