Search

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a disease of older adults, with a median age at diagnosis of 67 years. Treatment in older adults with NHL is challenging. The aging process is associated with a decline in functional reserve that varies among individuals, and results in an increasing risk of treatment-related toxicity and mortality. Chronological age and performance status fail to capture the multidimensional and heterogeneous nature of the aging process. A geriatric assessment (GA) screens multiple geriatric domains and provides a more accurate assessment of functional reserve. Several abbreviated GA tools have been developed for use in oncology clinics and help identify patients at high risk for chemotherapy-related toxicity and mortality. In this review, we explore GA tools validated for use in patients with NHL. We discuss the evidence behind GA–guided treatment in NHL and present a suggested approach to assessing frailty in this patient population.

In this multi-institutional retrospective study, we examined characteristics and outcomes of 160 patients with high-grade B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (HGBL-NOS). This rare lymphoma category is defined by high-grade morphologic features, most commonly Burkitt-like, and lack of MYC rearrangements with BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements (so-called double-hit). Our results show that HGBL-NOS tumors are heterogeneous: 83% had a germinal center B-cell immunophenotype, 37% a dual expressor immunophenotype (MYC and BCL2 expression), 28% (single-hit) MYC rearrangement, 13% BCL2 rearrangement, and 11% BCL6 rearrangement. Most patients presented with stage 4 disease, a high serum lactate dehydrogenase, and other high-risk clinical factors. Most frequent first-line regimens included DA-EPOCH-R (43%), R-CHOP (33%), or other intensive chemotherapy programs (11%). We found no significant differences in the rates of complete response (CR, P=0.32), progression-free (PFS, P=0.82), or overall survival (OS, P=0.60) between these chemotherapy regimens. CR was attained by 69% of patients. PFS at 2 years was 55.2% (95%CI, 46.9-62.7), and OS was 68.1% (95%CI, 59.7-75.0). In a multivariable model, the main prognostic factors for PFS and OS were poor performance status, lactate dehydrogenase >3x upper limit of normal, and a dual expressor immunophenotype. Age >60 years or presence of MYC rearrangement were not prognostic, but patients with TP53 alterations had a dismal PFS (13% at 2 years). Presence of MYC rearrangement was not predictive of better PFS in patients treated with DA-EPOCH-R versus R-CHOP. Improvements in the diagnostic criteria and therapeutic approaches beyond dose-intense chemotherapy are needed to overcome the unfavorable prognosis of patients with HGBL-NOS.

Sixteen cycles of Brentuximab vedotin (BV) after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in high-risk relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (r/r cHL) demonstrated an improved 2-year progression free survival (PFS) over placebo. However, most patients are unable to complete all 16 cycles at full dose due to toxicity. This retrospective, multicenter study investigated the effect of cumulative maintenance BV dose on 2-year PFS. Data were collected from patients who received at least one cycle of BV maintenance after ASCT with one of the following high-risk features: primary refractory disease (PRD), extra-nodal disease (END), or relapse < 12 months (RL 75% of the planned total cumulative dose, cohort 2 with 51 – 75% of dose, and cohort 3 with ≤ 50% of dose. The primary outcome was 2-year PFS. A total of 118 patients were included. Fifty percent had PRD, 29% had RL

Neddylation is a sequential enzyme-based process which regulates the function of E3 Cullin-RING ligase (CRL) and thus degradation of substrate proteins. Here we show that CD8+ T cells are a direct target for therapeutically relevant anti-lymphoma activity of pevonedistat, a Nedd8-activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor. Pevonedistat-treated patient-derived CD8+ T cells upregulated TNFα and IFNγ and exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity. Pevonedistat induced CD8+ T-cell inflamed microenvironment and delayed tumor progression in A20 syngeneic lymphoma model. This anti-tumor effect lessened when CD8+ T cells lost the ability to engage tumors through MHC class I interactions, achieved either through CD8+ T-cell depletion or genetic knockout of B2M. Meanwhile, loss of UBE2M in tumor did not alter efficacy of pevonedistat. Concurrent blockade of NAE and PD-1 led to enhanced tumor immune infiltration, T-cell activation and chemokine expression and synergistically restricted tumor growth. shRNA-mediated knockdown of HIF-1α, a CRL substrate, abrogated the in vitro effects of pevonedistat, suggesting that NAE inhibition modulates T-cell function in HIF-1α-dependent manner. scRNA-Seq-based clinical analyses in lymphoma patients receiving pevonedistat therapy demonstrated upregulation of interferon response signatures in immune cells. Thus, targeting NAE enhances the inflammatory T-cell state, providing rationale for checkpoint blockade-based combination therapy.

Patients with B-lymphoid malignancies have been consistently identified as a population at high risk of severe COVID-19. Whether this is exclusively due to cancer-related deficits in humoral and cellular immunity, or whether risk of severe COVID-19 is increased by anticancer therapy, is uncertain. Using data derived from the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19), we show that patients treated for B-lymphoid malignancies have an increased risk of severe COVID-19 compared with control populations of patients with non–B-lymphoid malignancies. Among patients with B-lymphoid malignancies, those who received anticancer therapy within 12 months of COVID-19 diagnosis experienced increased COVID-19 severity compared with patients with non–recently treated B-lymphoid malignancies, after adjustment for cancer status and several other prognostic factors. Our findings suggest that patients recently treated for a B-lymphoid malignancy are at uniquely high risk for severe COVID-19.Significance:Our study suggests that recent therapy for a B-lymphoid malignancy is an independent risk factor for COVID-19 severity. These findings provide rationale to develop mitigation strategies targeted at the uniquely high-risk population of patients with recently treated B-lymphoid malignancies.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 171

Supplementary Figure from Patients Recently Treated for B-lymphoid Malignancies Show Increased Risk of Severe COVID-19

Purpose:Venetoclax-based therapy is a standard-of-care option in first-line and relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patient management following venetoclax discontinuation remains nonstandard and poorly understood.Experimental Design:To address this, we conducted a large international study to identify a cohort of 326 patients who discontinued venetoclax and have been subsequently treated. Coprimary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival for the post-venetoclax treatments stratified by treatment type [Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi), PI3K inhibitor (PI3Ki), and cellular therapies].Results:We identified patients with CLL who discontinued venetoclax in the first-line (4%) and relapsed/refractory settings (96%). Patients received a median of three therapies prior to venetoclax; 40% were BTKi naïve (n = 130), and 81% were idelalisib naïve (n = 263). ORR to BTKi was 84% (n = 44) in BTKi-naïve patients versus 54% (n = 30) in BTKi-exposed patients. We demonstrate therapy selection following venetoclax requires prior novel agent exposure consideration and discontinuation reasons.Conclusions:For BTKi-naïve patients, selection of covalently binding BTKis results in high ORR and durable remissions. For BTKi-exposed patients, covalent BTK inhibition is not effective in the setting of BTKi resistance. PI3Kis following venetoclax do not appear to result in durable remissions. We conclude that BTKi in naïve or previously responsive patients and cellular therapies following venetoclax may be the most effective strategies.See related commentary by Rogers, p. 3501

Supplemental Figure 2: Progression free survival of patients without prior BTKi exposure who had progressed on venetoclax and were then treated with BTKi.

Supplemental Figure 1: Overall survival of entire cohort from initiation of venetoclax.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is an uncommon malignancy of B-cell origin. Classical HL (cHL) and nodular lymphocyte–predominant HL are the 2 main types of HL. The cure rates for HL have increased so markedly with the advent of modern treatment options that overriding treatment considerations often relate to long-term toxicity. These NCCN Guidelines Insights discuss the recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines for HL focusing on (1) radiation therapy dose constraints in the management of patients with HL, and (2) the management of advanced-stage and relapsed or refractory cHL.

BACKGROUND: Ofatumumab is a humanized type 1 anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. Preclinical studies show improved complement-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) compared to rituximab in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We evaluated the safety and efficacy of combining ofatumumab with HyperCVAD/MA (O-HyperCVAD) in newly diagnosed MCL. STUDY DESIGN: In this single-arm phase II study, 37 patients were treated with the combination of O-HyperCVAD for 4 or 6 cycles, followed by high dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant (HDC-ASCT). Primary objectives were overall response rate (ORR) and complete response (CR) rate at the end of therapy. Secondary objectives included minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Median age was 60 years; ORR was 86% and 73% achieved a CR by modified Cheson criteria. The MRD negativity rate was 78% after 2 cycles of therapy, increasing to 96% at the end of induction; median PFS and OS were 45.5 months and 56 months respectively. Achieving a post-induction CR by both imaging and flow cytometry was associated with improved PFS and OS. Early MRD negativity (post-2 cycles) was also associated with an improved PFS but not OS. There were 3 deaths while on therapy, and grade 3 and 4 adverse events (AEs) were observed in 22% and 68% of the patients. CONCLUSION: The addition of ofatumumab to HyperCVAD/HD-MA led to high rates of MRD negativity by flow cytometry in patients with newly diagnosed MCL. Achieving a CR post-induction by both imaging and flow cytometry is associated with improved overall survival.

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are known to be at a higher risk of developing other primary cancers (OPC). Identifying latency and risk factors associated with OPCs in CLL is of interest as select patients may potentially benefit from early treatment of CLL with targeted therapies to improve immune surveillance. In this single-center retrospective study, 16.9% of 969 patients with CLL were diagnosed with an OPC. Interestingly, 44% of OPCs were diagnosed prior to the CLL diagnosis, including 30% that were diagnosed1 year prior. This included a majority of genitourinary cancers and melanoma skin cancers. Patients with CLL and an OPC were older than pts with no OPCs but no other risk factors for developing OPCs were identified. Our data suggest that not only are patients with CLL at higher risk of developing OPCs and warrant appropriate cancer surveillance, but the risk also precedes CLL diagnosis by several years.

To report the activity of venetoclax in patients with relapsed mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), we identified 81 patients treated with venetoclax monotherapy (n=50, 62%) or in combination with a BTK inhibitor (n=16, 20%), an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (n=11, 14%), or others at 12 US academic medical centers. Patients had high-risk disease features including Ki67 >30% (61%), blastoid/pleomorphic histology (29%), complex karyotype (34%), and TP53 alterations (49%), and received a median of 3 prior treatments including BTK inhibitors in 91%. Venetoclax alone or in combination resulted in an overall response rate (ORR) of 40% and median progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of 3.7 and 12.5 months, respectively. The receipt of ≤ 3 prior treatments was associated with higher odds of response to venetoclax in a univariable analysis. In a multivariable analysis, having a high-risk MIPI score prior to venetoclax and disease relapse or progression within 24 months of diagnosis were associated with inferior OS whereas the use of venetoclax in combination was associated with superior OS. Although most patients (61%) had low risk for tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), 12.3% of patients developed TLS despite the implementation of several mitigation strategies. In conclusion, venetoclax resulted in good ORR but short PFS in high-risk patients with MCL and may have a better role in earlier lines of treatment and/or in combination with other active agents. TLS remains an important risk in patients with MCL who initiate treatment with venetoclax.

The CORAL study highlighted the need to develop novel salvage regimens in relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) previously treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone. Carfilzomib (CFZ) can overcome rituximab chemotherapy resistance in lymphoma preclinical models by targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome system. We conducted an investigator initiated, single-center, open-label, prospective phase 1 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of CFZ in combination with rituximab, ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (C-R-ICE) in high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplant (HDC-ASCT) eligible patients with R/R DLBCL (NCT01959698). In the dose-escalation phase, 18 patients were enrolled at 6 dose levels with no dose-limiting toxicities noted. CFZ 45 mg/m2 was selected as the recommended dose for expansion. Eleven additional patients were enrolled in the dose-expansion phase. Overall response rate (ORR) was 66% (48% CR; 17% PR); 52% patients underwent HDC-ASCT. An ORR of 85% was observed in patients with nongerminal center B-cell–like (non-GCB) DLBCL compared with only 13% in those with GCB DLBCL. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 15.2 months (5.1 months, not reached [NR]), and median overall survival (OS) was 22.6 months (6.8 months, NR). Patients with non-GCB subtype had a significantly longer PFS (NR vs 6.6 months; P = .0001) and OS (NR vs 6.6 months; P = .001) than those with GCB subtype. C-R-ICE is well tolerated in patients with R/R DLBCL with toxicities comparable to rituximab, ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide therapy. Our data show that patients with non-GCB DLBCL benefit significantly from incorporating CFZ into second-line therapy and HDC-ASCT.

Most patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy (CAR-T) for aggressive B-cell lymphoma (B-NHL) will not experience a durable remission. There are several novel agents approved for the treatment relapsed, refractory aggressive B-NHL; however, it remains unclear how to sequence these therapies pre- and post-CAR-T (peri-CAR-T). We conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis for the purpose of describing peri-CAR-T practice patterns and survival predictors for patients receiving CD19-directed CAR-T. Patients (n=514) from thirteen centers treated with CAR-T for aggressive B-NHL between 2015-2021 were included. Clinical characteristics, CAR-T outcomes and treatment regimens administered pre- and post-CAR-T were collected. Survival curves were constructed using Kaplan Meier method. Multivariate Cox regression was used to determine the impact of variables on survival outcomes. For all patients receiving CAR-T, a greater number lines of therapy prior to CAR-T apheresis and receipt of bridging therapy were predictive of inferior progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). From time of CAR-T infusion, median PFS and OS were 7.6 and 25.6 months (n=514). From time of progression post-CAR-T (n=254), median OS was 5.5 months. The median PFS of treatments given in the first-line post-CAR-T failure (n=167) was just 2.8 months. Patients with refractory disease at day 30 had inferior OS and were less likely to receive subsequent treatment(s) compared to other patients with CAR-T failure. AlloHCT for select patients at any time following CAR-T failure (n=16) led to durable responses in over half at one-year. These data provide a benchmark for future clinical trials in patients with progression post-CAR-T, an unmet clinical need.

Following a similar report on multiple myeloma, Ghione and colleagues report the expected observation that patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) receiving anti-B cell therapies have markedly reduced antibody responses to COVID-19 immunization. Although there is no information regarding T-cell immunity, this suggests that while vaccination is certainly still recommended for this population, patients should be strongly encouraged to maintain social distancing precautions and should be revaccinated after an appropriate interval from the end of their antilymphoma therapy.

BACKGROUND: In patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, the effect of adding autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) to triplet therapy (lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone [RVD]), followed by lenalidomide maintenance therapy until disease progression, is unknown. METHODS: In this phase 3 trial, adults (18 to 65 years of age) with symptomatic myeloma received one cycle of RVD. We randomly assigned these patients, in a 1:1 ratio, to receive two additional RVD cycles plus stem-cell mobilization, followed by either five additional RVD cycles (the RVD-alone group) or high-dose melphalan plus ASCT followed by two additional RVD cycles (the transplantation group). Both groups received lenalidomide until disease progression, unacceptable side effects, or both. The primary end point was progression-free survival. RESULTS: Among 357 patients in the RVD-alone group and 365 in the transplantation group, at a median follow-up of 76.0 months, 328 events of disease progression or death occurred; the risk was 53% higher in the RVD-alone group than in the transplantation group (hazard ratio, 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23 to 1.91; P