CML

A novel DNA-based test may prove useful for identifying which chronic myeloid leukemia patients with undetectable BCR-ABL1 transcripts can safely discontinue tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, according to Mary Alikian, Ph.D., of Hammersmith Hospital, London, and her colleagues.

The test can quantify very low levels of residual disease in peripheral blood samples from patients with CML in whom BCR-ABL1 transcripts were undetectable using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), the researchers reported in a study published online in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

©Jezperklauzen/ThinkStock

Their personalized DNA-based digital PCR method rapidly identifies t(9;22) fusion junctions using targeted next-generation sequencing and generates high-performance DNA-based hydrolysis probe assays that are specific to the unique molecular footprint of each patient’s CML clone. The researchers further enhanced the sensitivity of the DNA-based approach by optimizing the technique for use on a digital PCR (dPCR) platform, which provides absolute molecular quantification without the need for a standard curve. This approach avoids laborious breakpoint mapping and improves sensitivity.

The researchers successfully mapped genomic breakpoints in all samples from 32 patients with early-stage disease. Using DNA-based dPCR, disease was quantified in 46 follow-up samples from 6 of the 32 patients, including 36 samples that were in deep molecular remission.

Digital PCR for BCR-ABL1 DNA detected persistent disease in 81% of the molecular-remission samples, outperforming both RT-dPCR (25%) and DNA-based quantitative PCR (19%), the researchers reported (J Mol Diagn. 2016;18:176e189).

Of CML patients who achieve sustained undetectable BCR-ABL1 transcripts on TKI therapy, about 60% experience the return of detectable disease after stopping TKIs and have to restart treatment. An improved method of identifying patients with the lowest likelihood of relapse would allow safe withdrawal of TKI therapy for the 40% of patients who would remain disease free.

The researchers are currently investigating the impact of residual-disease level as assessed by dPCR at the time of treatment withdrawal on outcome within the UK-based DESTINY clinical trial (Deescalation and Stopping Treatment of Imatinib, Nilotinib or Sprycel in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia). “If validated in clinical trials of stopping TKI, the technique will permit a more personalized approach to recommendations for dose reduction or drug cessation in individual patients, ensuring that therapy is withdrawn only from patients with the highest likelihood of long-term remission,” they wrote.

Identifying genomic breakpoints as soon as CML is diagnosed would allow for the design and optimization of a patient-specific assay. Patients’ response to therapy would then be monitored via standard RT-qPCR until they have reached molecular response. Thereafter, routine monitoring would be augmented with DNA quantification by dPCR and would benefit from the publication of standardized guidelines, as with RT-qPCR.

In the future, it will therefore be important to explore not only whether the risk of relapse after withdrawal is a feature of the number of residual CML cells but also whether it relates to the degree of transcriptional activity in those cells, the researchers wrote. “We observed that 8% (3 of 36) of the samples were positive by RNA-based but negative by DNA-based methods. Conversely, in samples with detectable BCR-ABL1 DNA, there was heterogeneity in the detectability of transcript by RT-dPCR that appeared to be unrelated to the amount of BCR-ABL1 DNA detected. It should be borne in mind that RT and cDNA synthesis steps remain a potential source of variation affecting cDNA concentration, and therefore these results should be interpreted with caution.”

The researchers had no relevant disclosures. The study was supported by Leading Leukemia Research (LEUKA) charity grant 06/Q0406/47, the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Center Funding Scheme, and the Imperial College High Performance Computing Service.

[email protected]

On Twitter @maryjodales

A novel DNA-based test may prove useful for identifying which chronic myeloid leukemia patients with undetectable BCR-ABL1 transcripts can safely discontinue tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, according to Mary Alikian, Ph.D., of Hammersmith Hospital, London, and her colleagues.

The test can quantify very low levels of residual disease in peripheral blood samples from patients with CML in whom BCR-ABL1 transcripts were undetectable using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), the researchers reported in a study published online in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

©Jezperklauzen/ThinkStock

Their personalized DNA-based digital PCR method rapidly identifies t(9;22) fusion junctions using targeted next-generation sequencing and generates high-performance DNA-based hydrolysis probe assays that are specific to the unique molecular footprint of each patient’s CML clone. The researchers further enhanced the sensitivity of the DNA-based approach by optimizing the technique for use on a digital PCR (dPCR) platform, which provides absolute molecular quantification without the need for a standard curve. This approach avoids laborious breakpoint mapping and improves sensitivity.

The researchers successfully mapped genomic breakpoints in all samples from 32 patients with early-stage disease. Using DNA-based dPCR, disease was quantified in 46 follow-up samples from 6 of the 32 patients, including 36 samples that were in deep molecular remission.

Digital PCR for BCR-ABL1 DNA detected persistent disease in 81% of the molecular-remission samples, outperforming both RT-dPCR (25%) and DNA-based quantitative PCR (19%), the researchers reported (J Mol Diagn. 2016;18:176e189).

Of CML patients who achieve sustained undetectable BCR-ABL1 transcripts on TKI therapy, about 60% experience the return of detectable disease after stopping TKIs and have to restart treatment. An improved method of identifying patients with the lowest likelihood of relapse would allow safe withdrawal of TKI therapy for the 40% of patients who would remain disease free.

The researchers are currently investigating the impact of residual-disease level as assessed by dPCR at the time of treatment withdrawal on outcome within the UK-based DESTINY clinical trial (Deescalation and Stopping Treatment of Imatinib, Nilotinib or Sprycel in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia). “If validated in clinical trials of stopping TKI, the technique will permit a more personalized approach to recommendations for dose reduction or drug cessation in individual patients, ensuring that therapy is withdrawn only from patients with the highest likelihood of long-term remission,” they wrote.

Identifying genomic breakpoints as soon as CML is diagnosed would allow for the design and optimization of a patient-specific assay. Patients’ response to therapy would then be monitored via standard RT-qPCR until they have reached molecular response. Thereafter, routine monitoring would be augmented with DNA quantification by dPCR and would benefit from the publication of standardized guidelines, as with RT-qPCR.

In the future, it will therefore be important to explore not only whether the risk of relapse after withdrawal is a feature of the number of residual CML cells but also whether it relates to the degree of transcriptional activity in those cells, the researchers wrote. “We observed that 8% (3 of 36) of the samples were positive by RNA-based but negative by DNA-based methods. Conversely, in samples with detectable BCR-ABL1 DNA, there was heterogeneity in the detectability of transcript by RT-dPCR that appeared to be unrelated to the amount of BCR-ABL1 DNA detected. It should be borne in mind that RT and cDNA synthesis steps remain a potential source of variation affecting cDNA concentration, and therefore these results should be interpreted with caution.”

The researchers had no relevant disclosures. The study was supported by Leading Leukemia Research (LEUKA) charity grant 06/Q0406/47, the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Center Funding Scheme, and the Imperial College High Performance Computing Service.

[email protected]

On Twitter @maryjodales

A novel DNA-based test may prove useful for identifying which chronic myeloid leukemia patients with undetectable BCR-ABL1 transcripts can safely discontinue tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, according to Mary Alikian, Ph.D., of Hammersmith Hospital, London, and her colleagues.

The test can quantify very low levels of residual disease in peripheral blood samples from patients with CML in whom BCR-ABL1 transcripts were undetectable using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), the researchers reported in a study published online in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

©Jezperklauzen/ThinkStock

Their personalized DNA-based digital PCR method rapidly identifies t(9;22) fusion junctions using targeted next-generation sequencing and generates high-performance DNA-based hydrolysis probe assays that are specific to the unique molecular footprint of each patient’s CML clone. The researchers further enhanced the sensitivity of the DNA-based approach by optimizing the technique for use on a digital PCR (dPCR) platform, which provides absolute molecular quantification without the need for a standard curve. This approach avoids laborious breakpoint mapping and improves sensitivity.

The researchers successfully mapped genomic breakpoints in all samples from 32 patients with early-stage disease. Using DNA-based dPCR, disease was quantified in 46 follow-up samples from 6 of the 32 patients, including 36 samples that were in deep molecular remission.

Digital PCR for BCR-ABL1 DNA detected persistent disease in 81% of the molecular-remission samples, outperforming both RT-dPCR (25%) and DNA-based quantitative PCR (19%), the researchers reported (J Mol Diagn. 2016;18:176e189).

Of CML patients who achieve sustained undetectable BCR-ABL1 transcripts on TKI therapy, about 60% experience the return of detectable disease after stopping TKIs and have to restart treatment. An improved method of identifying patients with the lowest likelihood of relapse would allow safe withdrawal of TKI therapy for the 40% of patients who would remain disease free.

The researchers are currently investigating the impact of residual-disease level as assessed by dPCR at the time of treatment withdrawal on outcome within the UK-based DESTINY clinical trial (Deescalation and Stopping Treatment of Imatinib, Nilotinib or Sprycel in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia). “If validated in clinical trials of stopping TKI, the technique will permit a more personalized approach to recommendations for dose reduction or drug cessation in individual patients, ensuring that therapy is withdrawn only from patients with the highest likelihood of long-term remission,” they wrote.

Identifying genomic breakpoints as soon as CML is diagnosed would allow for the design and optimization of a patient-specific assay. Patients’ response to therapy would then be monitored via standard RT-qPCR until they have reached molecular response. Thereafter, routine monitoring would be augmented with DNA quantification by dPCR and would benefit from the publication of standardized guidelines, as with RT-qPCR.

In the future, it will therefore be important to explore not only whether the risk of relapse after withdrawal is a feature of the number of residual CML cells but also whether it relates to the degree of transcriptional activity in those cells, the researchers wrote. “We observed that 8% (3 of 36) of the samples were positive by RNA-based but negative by DNA-based methods. Conversely, in samples with detectable BCR-ABL1 DNA, there was heterogeneity in the detectability of transcript by RT-dPCR that appeared to be unrelated to the amount of BCR-ABL1 DNA detected. It should be borne in mind that RT and cDNA synthesis steps remain a potential source of variation affecting cDNA concentration, and therefore these results should be interpreted with caution.”

The researchers had no relevant disclosures. The study was supported by Leading Leukemia Research (LEUKA) charity grant 06/Q0406/47, the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Center Funding Scheme, and the Imperial College High Performance Computing Service.

[email protected]

On Twitter @maryjodales

PCR tubes

A new assay is more accurate than the current gold standard for detecting residual disease in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), according to a study published in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

Investigators found this test, a DNA-based digital PCR (dPCR) assay, could detect persistent disease in 81% of samples taken from CML patients who were in remission according to reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).

RT-qPCR is currently the most widely used method for monitoring residual disease in CML patients.

“If validated in clinical trials of stopping TKIs [tyrosine kinase inhibitors], this technique [the dPCR assay] will permit a more personalized approach to recommendations for dose reduction or drug cessation in individual patients, ensuring that therapy is withdrawn only from patients with the highest chance of long-term remission,” said investigator Jane F. Apperley, MD, PhD, of Imperial College London in the UK.

For this study, Dr Apperley and her colleagues compared the sensitivity of the dPCR assay to 3 other quantitative PCR methods currently used to measure residual CML—RT-qPCR, quantitative PCR (qPCR), and reverse transcriptase-digital PCR (RT-dPCR).

Thirty-six samples were taken from 6 patients with early CML who were thought to be in deep molecular remission, as indicated by RT-qPCR results.

Repeat analysis using dPCR with preamplification detected persistent disease in 81% of the samples. In comparison, the detection rate was 25% using RT-dPCR and 19% for qPCR.

“We conclude that dPCR for BCR-ABL1 DNA is the most sensitive available method of residual disease detection in CML and may prove useful in the management of TKI withdrawal,” Dr Apperley said.

She and her colleagues believe the new assay has the potential to dramatically impact CML management. They foresee that, immediately after CML diagnosis, the patient’s genomic breakpoints would be identified, enabling the design of a patient-specific assay.

The patient’s response to therapy would be monitored using standard RT-qPCR until reaching molecular remission. At that point, routine monitoring would be augmented with dPCR, allowing better-informed treatment decisions and improved patient management.

According to Dr Apperley, the new method improves on previous methodologies in 2 key areas. First, the dPCR platform provides greater sensitivity.

And second, dPCR is a DNA-based method that allows identification of BCR-ABL1 fusion junctions by targeted next-generation sequencing. This enables the rapid generation of high-performing DNA-based hydrolysis probe assays that are specific to the individual molecular footprint of each patient’s CML clone, although the number and location of fusion junctions may vary among patients.

“The technique we describe, with which we successfully mapped a disease-specific junction in all patients tested, is relatively simple, cost-effective, and suited to a high-throughput laboratory,” Dr Apperley concluded.

PCR tubes

A new assay is more accurate than the current gold standard for detecting residual disease in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), according to a study published in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

Investigators found this test, a DNA-based digital PCR (dPCR) assay, could detect persistent disease in 81% of samples taken from CML patients who were in remission according to reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).

RT-qPCR is currently the most widely used method for monitoring residual disease in CML patients.

“If validated in clinical trials of stopping TKIs [tyrosine kinase inhibitors], this technique [the dPCR assay] will permit a more personalized approach to recommendations for dose reduction or drug cessation in individual patients, ensuring that therapy is withdrawn only from patients with the highest chance of long-term remission,” said investigator Jane F. Apperley, MD, PhD, of Imperial College London in the UK.

For this study, Dr Apperley and her colleagues compared the sensitivity of the dPCR assay to 3 other quantitative PCR methods currently used to measure residual CML—RT-qPCR, quantitative PCR (qPCR), and reverse transcriptase-digital PCR (RT-dPCR).

Thirty-six samples were taken from 6 patients with early CML who were thought to be in deep molecular remission, as indicated by RT-qPCR results.

Repeat analysis using dPCR with preamplification detected persistent disease in 81% of the samples. In comparison, the detection rate was 25% using RT-dPCR and 19% for qPCR.

“We conclude that dPCR for BCR-ABL1 DNA is the most sensitive available method of residual disease detection in CML and may prove useful in the management of TKI withdrawal,” Dr Apperley said.

She and her colleagues believe the new assay has the potential to dramatically impact CML management. They foresee that, immediately after CML diagnosis, the patient’s genomic breakpoints would be identified, enabling the design of a patient-specific assay.

The patient’s response to therapy would be monitored using standard RT-qPCR until reaching molecular remission. At that point, routine monitoring would be augmented with dPCR, allowing better-informed treatment decisions and improved patient management.

According to Dr Apperley, the new method improves on previous methodologies in 2 key areas. First, the dPCR platform provides greater sensitivity.

And second, dPCR is a DNA-based method that allows identification of BCR-ABL1 fusion junctions by targeted next-generation sequencing. This enables the rapid generation of high-performing DNA-based hydrolysis probe assays that are specific to the individual molecular footprint of each patient’s CML clone, although the number and location of fusion junctions may vary among patients.

“The technique we describe, with which we successfully mapped a disease-specific junction in all patients tested, is relatively simple, cost-effective, and suited to a high-throughput laboratory,” Dr Apperley concluded.

PCR tubes

A new assay is more accurate than the current gold standard for detecting residual disease in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), according to a study published in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

Investigators found this test, a DNA-based digital PCR (dPCR) assay, could detect persistent disease in 81% of samples taken from CML patients who were in remission according to reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).

RT-qPCR is currently the most widely used method for monitoring residual disease in CML patients.

“If validated in clinical trials of stopping TKIs [tyrosine kinase inhibitors], this technique [the dPCR assay] will permit a more personalized approach to recommendations for dose reduction or drug cessation in individual patients, ensuring that therapy is withdrawn only from patients with the highest chance of long-term remission,” said investigator Jane F. Apperley, MD, PhD, of Imperial College London in the UK.

For this study, Dr Apperley and her colleagues compared the sensitivity of the dPCR assay to 3 other quantitative PCR methods currently used to measure residual CML—RT-qPCR, quantitative PCR (qPCR), and reverse transcriptase-digital PCR (RT-dPCR).

Thirty-six samples were taken from 6 patients with early CML who were thought to be in deep molecular remission, as indicated by RT-qPCR results.

Repeat analysis using dPCR with preamplification detected persistent disease in 81% of the samples. In comparison, the detection rate was 25% using RT-dPCR and 19% for qPCR.

“We conclude that dPCR for BCR-ABL1 DNA is the most sensitive available method of residual disease detection in CML and may prove useful in the management of TKI withdrawal,” Dr Apperley said.

She and her colleagues believe the new assay has the potential to dramatically impact CML management. They foresee that, immediately after CML diagnosis, the patient’s genomic breakpoints would be identified, enabling the design of a patient-specific assay.

The patient’s response to therapy would be monitored using standard RT-qPCR until reaching molecular remission. At that point, routine monitoring would be augmented with dPCR, allowing better-informed treatment decisions and improved patient management.

According to Dr Apperley, the new method improves on previous methodologies in 2 key areas. First, the dPCR platform provides greater sensitivity.

And second, dPCR is a DNA-based method that allows identification of BCR-ABL1 fusion junctions by targeted next-generation sequencing. This enables the rapid generation of high-performing DNA-based hydrolysis probe assays that are specific to the individual molecular footprint of each patient’s CML clone, although the number and location of fusion junctions may vary among patients.

“The technique we describe, with which we successfully mapped a disease-specific junction in all patients tested, is relatively simple, cost-effective, and suited to a high-throughput laboratory,” Dr Apperley concluded.

Patient consults pharmacist

Photo by Rhoda Baer

Sun Pharma has announced the US launch of imatinib mesylate tablets, which are a generic version of Novartis’s Gleevec, for indications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

As part of this launch, Sun Pharma has rolled out a savings card program. The goal is to provide greater access to imatinib mesylate tablets for patients who have commercial insurance, but their out-of-pocket cost may exceed an affordable amount.

Sun Pharma’s Imatinib Mesylate Savings Card will reduce patient’s co-payment to $10. The card will also offer patients an additional savings benefit of up to $700 for a 30-day fill to offset any additional out-of-pocket cost should they be required to meet their deductible or co-insurance.

Participating pharmacies across the US can use the patient’s card as part of this program.

Eligible patients can participate in Sun Pharma’s Imatinib Mesylate Savings Card program by registering at www.imatinibrx.com or by requesting a savings card from their oncologist. Sun Pharma will be supplying its Imatinib Mesylate Savings Cards to more than 4500 oncologists.

Sun Pharma has established a Hub service so patients can call and speak with a trained healthcare professional about imatinib mesylate. The number is 1-844-502-5950.

In addition, qualifying patients can receive Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate at no cost. Based on qualifications for applying and including a doctor’s prescription, the Hub service will determine if a patient is qualified to receive imatinib mesylate for free. Upon acceptance, the prescription will be processed and delivered to the qualifying patient at no cost.

Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate was approved by the FDA in December 2015 and was granted 180 days of marketing exclusivity from the time of its launch. The drug is available in 100 mg and 400 mg tablets.

It is approved to treat:

• Newly diagnosed adult and pediatric patients with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase
• Patients with Ph+ CML in blast crisis, accelerated phase, or in chronic phase after failure of interferon-alpha therapy
• Adults with relapsed or refractory Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia
• Adults with myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative diseases associated with PDGFR gene re-arrangements
• Adults with aggressive systemic mastocytosis without the D816V c-Kit mutation or with c-Kit mutational status unknown
• Adults with hypereosinophilic syndrome and/or chronic eosinophilic leukemia, including those who have the FIP1L1-PDGFRα fusion kinase
• Adult patients with unresectable, recurrent, and/or metastatic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.

Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate is not approved to treat patients with KIT (CD117)-positive unresectable and/or metastatic malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Patient consults pharmacist

Photo by Rhoda Baer

Sun Pharma has announced the US launch of imatinib mesylate tablets, which are a generic version of Novartis’s Gleevec, for indications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

As part of this launch, Sun Pharma has rolled out a savings card program. The goal is to provide greater access to imatinib mesylate tablets for patients who have commercial insurance, but their out-of-pocket cost may exceed an affordable amount.

Sun Pharma’s Imatinib Mesylate Savings Card will reduce patient’s co-payment to $10. The card will also offer patients an additional savings benefit of up to $700 for a 30-day fill to offset any additional out-of-pocket cost should they be required to meet their deductible or co-insurance.

Participating pharmacies across the US can use the patient’s card as part of this program.

Eligible patients can participate in Sun Pharma’s Imatinib Mesylate Savings Card program by registering at www.imatinibrx.com or by requesting a savings card from their oncologist. Sun Pharma will be supplying its Imatinib Mesylate Savings Cards to more than 4500 oncologists.

Sun Pharma has established a Hub service so patients can call and speak with a trained healthcare professional about imatinib mesylate. The number is 1-844-502-5950.

In addition, qualifying patients can receive Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate at no cost. Based on qualifications for applying and including a doctor’s prescription, the Hub service will determine if a patient is qualified to receive imatinib mesylate for free. Upon acceptance, the prescription will be processed and delivered to the qualifying patient at no cost.

Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate was approved by the FDA in December 2015 and was granted 180 days of marketing exclusivity from the time of its launch. The drug is available in 100 mg and 400 mg tablets.

It is approved to treat:

• Newly diagnosed adult and pediatric patients with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase
• Patients with Ph+ CML in blast crisis, accelerated phase, or in chronic phase after failure of interferon-alpha therapy
• Adults with relapsed or refractory Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia
• Adults with myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative diseases associated with PDGFR gene re-arrangements
• Adults with aggressive systemic mastocytosis without the D816V c-Kit mutation or with c-Kit mutational status unknown
• Adults with hypereosinophilic syndrome and/or chronic eosinophilic leukemia, including those who have the FIP1L1-PDGFRα fusion kinase
• Adult patients with unresectable, recurrent, and/or metastatic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.

Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate is not approved to treat patients with KIT (CD117)-positive unresectable and/or metastatic malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Patient consults pharmacist

Photo by Rhoda Baer

Sun Pharma has announced the US launch of imatinib mesylate tablets, which are a generic version of Novartis’s Gleevec, for indications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

As part of this launch, Sun Pharma has rolled out a savings card program. The goal is to provide greater access to imatinib mesylate tablets for patients who have commercial insurance, but their out-of-pocket cost may exceed an affordable amount.

Sun Pharma’s Imatinib Mesylate Savings Card will reduce patient’s co-payment to $10. The card will also offer patients an additional savings benefit of up to $700 for a 30-day fill to offset any additional out-of-pocket cost should they be required to meet their deductible or co-insurance.

Participating pharmacies across the US can use the patient’s card as part of this program.

Eligible patients can participate in Sun Pharma’s Imatinib Mesylate Savings Card program by registering at www.imatinibrx.com or by requesting a savings card from their oncologist. Sun Pharma will be supplying its Imatinib Mesylate Savings Cards to more than 4500 oncologists.

Sun Pharma has established a Hub service so patients can call and speak with a trained healthcare professional about imatinib mesylate. The number is 1-844-502-5950.

In addition, qualifying patients can receive Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate at no cost. Based on qualifications for applying and including a doctor’s prescription, the Hub service will determine if a patient is qualified to receive imatinib mesylate for free. Upon acceptance, the prescription will be processed and delivered to the qualifying patient at no cost.

Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate was approved by the FDA in December 2015 and was granted 180 days of marketing exclusivity from the time of its launch. The drug is available in 100 mg and 400 mg tablets.

It is approved to treat:

• Newly diagnosed adult and pediatric patients with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase
• Patients with Ph+ CML in blast crisis, accelerated phase, or in chronic phase after failure of interferon-alpha therapy
• Adults with relapsed or refractory Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia
• Adults with myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative diseases associated with PDGFR gene re-arrangements
• Adults with aggressive systemic mastocytosis without the D816V c-Kit mutation or with c-Kit mutational status unknown
• Adults with hypereosinophilic syndrome and/or chronic eosinophilic leukemia, including those who have the FIP1L1-PDGFRα fusion kinase
• Adult patients with unresectable, recurrent, and/or metastatic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.

Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate is not approved to treat patients with KIT (CD117)-positive unresectable and/or metastatic malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

The presence of KIR2DL5B was associated with lower rates of major molecular response (MMR), transformation-free survival, and event-free survival (but not overall survival) in patients with chronic phase–chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) treated with sequential imatinib/nilotinib, according to researchers.

Univariate analysis demonstrated a significant association between KIR2DL5B and achievement of a major molecular response, with hazard ratio 0.423 (95% CI, 0.262-0.682; P less than .001). Other KIR genotypes, KIR2DL2pos and KIR2DS3pos, were also associated with inferior achievement of MMR, probably because of their association with KIR2DL5B due to linkage disequilibrium among KIR genes, according to the investigators.

“Our findings suggest that even with the potent second-generation TKI [tyrosine kinase inhibitor] nilotinib, KIR genotypes, a predetermined genetic host factor, may still be one of the most discriminatory prognostic markers available at baseline,” wrote Dr. David T. Yeung of the department of genetics and molecular pathology, Centre for Cancer Biology and the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and colleagues (Blood 2015 Dec 17. doi:10.1182/blood-2015-07-655589).

Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) contribute to natural killer (NK) cell–mediated killing of tumor cells, in both activating and inhibitory roles. Normal cells are spared through actions of inhibitory KIRs. Although the mechanism underlying the association between KIR2DL5B and CP-CML treatment outcomes is still unclear, the gene encodes an inhibitory KIR receptor, the absence of which may increase efficiency of NK-mediated killing of leukemic stem cells, researchers suggested.

The Therapeutic Intensification in De Novo Leukaemia (TIDEL-II) study included 210 patients with CP-CML who were treated with imatinib initially, and nilotinib subsequently if predetermined molecular targets were not met. The KIR substudy included 148 patients with samples available for genotyping.

KIR genotype frequencies observed in this study were similar to other white populations reported in the Allele Frequency Database.

Early molecular response was also significantly associated with treatment outcomes, independent of KIR prognostic significance, and may add additional prognostic information, available 3 months after treatment commences.

“In contrast, KIR2DL5B can identify, at baseline, the 20% of patients with a transformation risk of [about] 10% over 2 years versus the 80% of patients with a transformation risk of less than 3%,” the authors wrote. They suggest that KIR2DL5B, combined with other predictive markers, may enable targeted early interventions to improve outcomes.

The presence of KIR2DL5B was associated with lower rates of major molecular response (MMR), transformation-free survival, and event-free survival (but not overall survival) in patients with chronic phase–chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) treated with sequential imatinib/nilotinib, according to researchers.

Univariate analysis demonstrated a significant association between KIR2DL5B and achievement of a major molecular response, with hazard ratio 0.423 (95% CI, 0.262-0.682; P less than .001). Other KIR genotypes, KIR2DL2pos and KIR2DS3pos, were also associated with inferior achievement of MMR, probably because of their association with KIR2DL5B due to linkage disequilibrium among KIR genes, according to the investigators.

“Our findings suggest that even with the potent second-generation TKI [tyrosine kinase inhibitor] nilotinib, KIR genotypes, a predetermined genetic host factor, may still be one of the most discriminatory prognostic markers available at baseline,” wrote Dr. David T. Yeung of the department of genetics and molecular pathology, Centre for Cancer Biology and the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and colleagues (Blood 2015 Dec 17. doi:10.1182/blood-2015-07-655589).

Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) contribute to natural killer (NK) cell–mediated killing of tumor cells, in both activating and inhibitory roles. Normal cells are spared through actions of inhibitory KIRs. Although the mechanism underlying the association between KIR2DL5B and CP-CML treatment outcomes is still unclear, the gene encodes an inhibitory KIR receptor, the absence of which may increase efficiency of NK-mediated killing of leukemic stem cells, researchers suggested.

The Therapeutic Intensification in De Novo Leukaemia (TIDEL-II) study included 210 patients with CP-CML who were treated with imatinib initially, and nilotinib subsequently if predetermined molecular targets were not met. The KIR substudy included 148 patients with samples available for genotyping.

KIR genotype frequencies observed in this study were similar to other white populations reported in the Allele Frequency Database.

Early molecular response was also significantly associated with treatment outcomes, independent of KIR prognostic significance, and may add additional prognostic information, available 3 months after treatment commences.

“In contrast, KIR2DL5B can identify, at baseline, the 20% of patients with a transformation risk of [about] 10% over 2 years versus the 80% of patients with a transformation risk of less than 3%,” the authors wrote. They suggest that KIR2DL5B, combined with other predictive markers, may enable targeted early interventions to improve outcomes.

The presence of KIR2DL5B was associated with lower rates of major molecular response (MMR), transformation-free survival, and event-free survival (but not overall survival) in patients with chronic phase–chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) treated with sequential imatinib/nilotinib, according to researchers.

Univariate analysis demonstrated a significant association between KIR2DL5B and achievement of a major molecular response, with hazard ratio 0.423 (95% CI, 0.262-0.682; P less than .001). Other KIR genotypes, KIR2DL2pos and KIR2DS3pos, were also associated with inferior achievement of MMR, probably because of their association with KIR2DL5B due to linkage disequilibrium among KIR genes, according to the investigators.

“Our findings suggest that even with the potent second-generation TKI [tyrosine kinase inhibitor] nilotinib, KIR genotypes, a predetermined genetic host factor, may still be one of the most discriminatory prognostic markers available at baseline,” wrote Dr. David T. Yeung of the department of genetics and molecular pathology, Centre for Cancer Biology and the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and colleagues (Blood 2015 Dec 17. doi:10.1182/blood-2015-07-655589).

Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) contribute to natural killer (NK) cell–mediated killing of tumor cells, in both activating and inhibitory roles. Normal cells are spared through actions of inhibitory KIRs. Although the mechanism underlying the association between KIR2DL5B and CP-CML treatment outcomes is still unclear, the gene encodes an inhibitory KIR receptor, the absence of which may increase efficiency of NK-mediated killing of leukemic stem cells, researchers suggested.

The Therapeutic Intensification in De Novo Leukaemia (TIDEL-II) study included 210 patients with CP-CML who were treated with imatinib initially, and nilotinib subsequently if predetermined molecular targets were not met. The KIR substudy included 148 patients with samples available for genotyping.

KIR genotype frequencies observed in this study were similar to other white populations reported in the Allele Frequency Database.

Early molecular response was also significantly associated with treatment outcomes, independent of KIR prognostic significance, and may add additional prognostic information, available 3 months after treatment commences.

“In contrast, KIR2DL5B can identify, at baseline, the 20% of patients with a transformation risk of [about] 10% over 2 years versus the 80% of patients with a transformation risk of less than 3%,” the authors wrote. They suggest that KIR2DL5B, combined with other predictive markers, may enable targeted early interventions to improve outcomes.

Treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) entails effective but mostly noncurative long-term use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that require proactive, rational approaches to minimizing cardiovascular toxicities, according to a recent review.

Survival rates of patients with newly diagnosed CML are about 90%, and in those with a complete cytogenetic response, survival is comparable to that of age-matched controls. Although second-generation TKIs have increased efficacy, survival rates are similar to those of imatinib, possibly due in part to mortality from non-CML causes.

TKIs used in CML therapy target BCR-ABL1, but their potencies vary against other kinases, including receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). The relationship between off-target activities and adverse events (AEs) remains unclear, and AE management is largely empirical, said Dr. Javid Moslehi of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn., and Dr. Michael Deininger, professor at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City.

“Reports of cardiovascular AEs with nilotinib, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) on dasatinib, and frequent cardiovascular AEs with ponatinib have caused a reassessment of the situation,” they noted.

“Given the high population frequency of cardiovascular disease and the increased frequency of vascular events with nilotinib and ponatinib, cardiovascular risk assessment and, if necessary, treatment need to be integrated into the management of patients with CML on TKIs,” they wrote (J Clin Onc. 2015 Dec 10. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.62.4718).

Retrospective studies have indicated that imatinib may have favorable metabolic and vascular effects, but prospective controlled trials are lacking. Defining the cardiovascular baseline risk of the specific CML population under study will be crucial in future studies.

Dasatinib was approved for front-line CML treatment based on superior cytogenic response rates, compared with imatinib, but in 2011 the Food and Drug Administration warned against cardiopulmonary risks and recommended that patients be evaluated for signs and symptoms of cardiopulmonary disease before and during dasatinib treatment. Results of DASISION (Dasatinib Versus Imatinib Study in Treatment-Naive CML Patients) showed that, at 36 months of follow-up, PAH was reported in 3% of patients on dasatinib and 0% on imatinib.

Nilotinib has shown superior efficacy to imatinib and was FDA approved for first-line therapy, with recommendations for arrhythmia monitoring and avoidance of QT interval–prolonging medications. There have been no subsequent reports of ventricular arrhythmias with nilotinib, but 36% of patients on nilotinib experienced hyperglycemia in the ENESTnd (Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials–Newly Diagnosed Patients) study, compared with 20% on imatinib. Nilotinib also has been associated with hyperlipidemia and increased body mass. Recent results point to vascular toxicity with nilotinib. At the 6-year follow-up of the ENESTnd study, 10% of patients on nilotinib 300 mg twice per day and 16% on nilotinib 400 mg twice per day had cardiovascular events, compared with 2.5% of patients taking imatinib 400 mg once per day. The dose-dependent increased risk implicates a drug-dependent process.

Ponatinib is the only clinical TKI active against the BCR-ABL1^T315I mutation. It is a potent inhibitor of numerous other kinases as well, including VEGF receptors. In the PACE (Ponatinib Ph-positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and CML Evaluation) study, 26% of patients on ponatinib developed hypertension, and traditional atherosclerosis risk factors (age, hypertension, and diabetes) predisposed patients to serious vascular AEs. Cardiovascular toxicity was shown to be dose dependent, and older patients with history of diabetes or ischemic events are the least tolerant of high dose intensity. A subset of patients will benefit from ponatinib, particularly those with BCR-ABL1^T315I, but leukemia-related and cardiovascular risks must both be assessed.

Dr. Moslehi reported financial ties with Novartis, ARIAD, Takeda/Millennium, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Acceleron Pharma. Dr. Deininger reported ties to Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Incyte, ARIAD, Pfizer, and Cellgene.

Treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) entails effective but mostly noncurative long-term use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that require proactive, rational approaches to minimizing cardiovascular toxicities, according to a recent review.

Survival rates of patients with newly diagnosed CML are about 90%, and in those with a complete cytogenetic response, survival is comparable to that of age-matched controls. Although second-generation TKIs have increased efficacy, survival rates are similar to those of imatinib, possibly due in part to mortality from non-CML causes.

TKIs used in CML therapy target BCR-ABL1, but their potencies vary against other kinases, including receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). The relationship between off-target activities and adverse events (AEs) remains unclear, and AE management is largely empirical, said Dr. Javid Moslehi of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn., and Dr. Michael Deininger, professor at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City.

“Reports of cardiovascular AEs with nilotinib, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) on dasatinib, and frequent cardiovascular AEs with ponatinib have caused a reassessment of the situation,” they noted.

“Given the high population frequency of cardiovascular disease and the increased frequency of vascular events with nilotinib and ponatinib, cardiovascular risk assessment and, if necessary, treatment need to be integrated into the management of patients with CML on TKIs,” they wrote (J Clin Onc. 2015 Dec 10. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.62.4718).

Retrospective studies have indicated that imatinib may have favorable metabolic and vascular effects, but prospective controlled trials are lacking. Defining the cardiovascular baseline risk of the specific CML population under study will be crucial in future studies.

Dasatinib was approved for front-line CML treatment based on superior cytogenic response rates, compared with imatinib, but in 2011 the Food and Drug Administration warned against cardiopulmonary risks and recommended that patients be evaluated for signs and symptoms of cardiopulmonary disease before and during dasatinib treatment. Results of DASISION (Dasatinib Versus Imatinib Study in Treatment-Naive CML Patients) showed that, at 36 months of follow-up, PAH was reported in 3% of patients on dasatinib and 0% on imatinib.

Nilotinib has shown superior efficacy to imatinib and was FDA approved for first-line therapy, with recommendations for arrhythmia monitoring and avoidance of QT interval–prolonging medications. There have been no subsequent reports of ventricular arrhythmias with nilotinib, but 36% of patients on nilotinib experienced hyperglycemia in the ENESTnd (Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials–Newly Diagnosed Patients) study, compared with 20% on imatinib. Nilotinib also has been associated with hyperlipidemia and increased body mass. Recent results point to vascular toxicity with nilotinib. At the 6-year follow-up of the ENESTnd study, 10% of patients on nilotinib 300 mg twice per day and 16% on nilotinib 400 mg twice per day had cardiovascular events, compared with 2.5% of patients taking imatinib 400 mg once per day. The dose-dependent increased risk implicates a drug-dependent process.

Ponatinib is the only clinical TKI active against the BCR-ABL1^T315I mutation. It is a potent inhibitor of numerous other kinases as well, including VEGF receptors. In the PACE (Ponatinib Ph-positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and CML Evaluation) study, 26% of patients on ponatinib developed hypertension, and traditional atherosclerosis risk factors (age, hypertension, and diabetes) predisposed patients to serious vascular AEs. Cardiovascular toxicity was shown to be dose dependent, and older patients with history of diabetes or ischemic events are the least tolerant of high dose intensity. A subset of patients will benefit from ponatinib, particularly those with BCR-ABL1^T315I, but leukemia-related and cardiovascular risks must both be assessed.

Dr. Moslehi reported financial ties with Novartis, ARIAD, Takeda/Millennium, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Acceleron Pharma. Dr. Deininger reported ties to Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Incyte, ARIAD, Pfizer, and Cellgene.

Treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) entails effective but mostly noncurative long-term use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that require proactive, rational approaches to minimizing cardiovascular toxicities, according to a recent review.

Survival rates of patients with newly diagnosed CML are about 90%, and in those with a complete cytogenetic response, survival is comparable to that of age-matched controls. Although second-generation TKIs have increased efficacy, survival rates are similar to those of imatinib, possibly due in part to mortality from non-CML causes.

TKIs used in CML therapy target BCR-ABL1, but their potencies vary against other kinases, including receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). The relationship between off-target activities and adverse events (AEs) remains unclear, and AE management is largely empirical, said Dr. Javid Moslehi of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn., and Dr. Michael Deininger, professor at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City.

“Reports of cardiovascular AEs with nilotinib, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) on dasatinib, and frequent cardiovascular AEs with ponatinib have caused a reassessment of the situation,” they noted.

“Given the high population frequency of cardiovascular disease and the increased frequency of vascular events with nilotinib and ponatinib, cardiovascular risk assessment and, if necessary, treatment need to be integrated into the management of patients with CML on TKIs,” they wrote (J Clin Onc. 2015 Dec 10. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.62.4718).

Retrospective studies have indicated that imatinib may have favorable metabolic and vascular effects, but prospective controlled trials are lacking. Defining the cardiovascular baseline risk of the specific CML population under study will be crucial in future studies.

Dasatinib was approved for front-line CML treatment based on superior cytogenic response rates, compared with imatinib, but in 2011 the Food and Drug Administration warned against cardiopulmonary risks and recommended that patients be evaluated for signs and symptoms of cardiopulmonary disease before and during dasatinib treatment. Results of DASISION (Dasatinib Versus Imatinib Study in Treatment-Naive CML Patients) showed that, at 36 months of follow-up, PAH was reported in 3% of patients on dasatinib and 0% on imatinib.

Nilotinib has shown superior efficacy to imatinib and was FDA approved for first-line therapy, with recommendations for arrhythmia monitoring and avoidance of QT interval–prolonging medications. There have been no subsequent reports of ventricular arrhythmias with nilotinib, but 36% of patients on nilotinib experienced hyperglycemia in the ENESTnd (Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials–Newly Diagnosed Patients) study, compared with 20% on imatinib. Nilotinib also has been associated with hyperlipidemia and increased body mass. Recent results point to vascular toxicity with nilotinib. At the 6-year follow-up of the ENESTnd study, 10% of patients on nilotinib 300 mg twice per day and 16% on nilotinib 400 mg twice per day had cardiovascular events, compared with 2.5% of patients taking imatinib 400 mg once per day. The dose-dependent increased risk implicates a drug-dependent process.

Ponatinib is the only clinical TKI active against the BCR-ABL1^T315I mutation. It is a potent inhibitor of numerous other kinases as well, including VEGF receptors. In the PACE (Ponatinib Ph-positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and CML Evaluation) study, 26% of patients on ponatinib developed hypertension, and traditional atherosclerosis risk factors (age, hypertension, and diabetes) predisposed patients to serious vascular AEs. Cardiovascular toxicity was shown to be dose dependent, and older patients with history of diabetes or ischemic events are the least tolerant of high dose intensity. A subset of patients will benefit from ponatinib, particularly those with BCR-ABL1^T315I, but leukemia-related and cardiovascular risks must both be assessed.

Dr. Moslehi reported financial ties with Novartis, ARIAD, Takeda/Millennium, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Acceleron Pharma. Dr. Deininger reported ties to Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Incyte, ARIAD, Pfizer, and Cellgene.

Exhibit hall at the 2015

ASH Annual Meeting

Photo courtesy of ASH

ORLANDO, FL—ABL001, an allosteric inhibitor of BCR-ABL1, has shown early evidence of single-agent activity in a multicenter, first-in-human, first-in-class trial of heavily treated patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that is resistant to or intolerant of prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), even at the lowest dose evaluated.

ABL001 and classical TKIs exhibit complementary mutation profiles, with ABL001 showing activity against TKI resistance mutations.

When combined with nilotinib in a mouse model of CML, ABL001 prevented the emergence of resistant disease even after treatment was discontinued.

“This produces a new therapeutic concept—that of allosteric inhibition,” said Oliver G. Ottmann, MD, of Cardiff University in the UK.

The ABL001 binding site is located in a region remote from the kinase domain and has the potential to combine with TKIs for greater pharmacologic control of BCR-ABL1.

“This obviously has the opportunity both for combining different treatments and for overcoming resistance to one or the other,” Dr Ottmann added.

Based on preliminary pharmacokinetic data and preclinical evidence, investigators proceeded to evaluate ABL001 in a phase 1 dose-escalation and dose-expansion study.

Their primary objective was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) in humans and the recommended dose for expansion (RDE). Secondary objectives were to evaluate the safety, tolerability, preliminary anti-CML activity, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile.

Dr Ottmann presented the findings during the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting as abstract 138.*

Study design

Patients received ABL001 orally as a single agent twice a day (BID) continuously until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, consent withdrawal, or death.

The dose-escalation schema followed a Bayesian logistic regression model based on dose-limiting toxicities during cycle 1. Doses ranged from 10 mg to 200 mg BID.

A subsequent dose-expansion phase was planned to augment the data generated in the dose-escalation phase and to include patients with Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia resistant or intolerant to prior TKI therapy.

Dr Ottmann noted that there were 2 protocol amendments. The first amendment was made to include a once-daily (QD) dosing of ABL001 at 120 mg and 200 mg. The second amendment was made to evaluate the combination of 40 mg of ABL001 BID with nilotinib at 300 mg BID.

Inclusion/exclusion criteria

Patients had to be at least 18 years old with CML in chronic or accelerated phase. They had to have failed at least 2 prior TKIs or be intolerant of TKIs. Their performance status had to be 0–2.

Patients were excluded from the trial if they had an absolute neutrophil count less than 500/mm³, a platelet count less than 50,000/mm³, bilirubin level more than 1.5 x the upper limit of normal (ULN) or more than 3.0 x ULN in patients with Gilberts syndrome.

Their aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase could not be above 3 x ULN, and creatinine could not be above 1.5 x ULN.

Patients were also excluded if they needed treatment with strong inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A4 or its substrates with narrow therapeutic index.

Patient demographics

Fifty-nine patients were enrolled on the trial at the time of the presentation and they had “typical” characteristics of patients at this stage, Dr Ottmann said.

Their median age was 56 (range, 23–78). Almost two-thirds (61%) were male and 39% female.

All but 1 patient had an ECOG performance status of 0, and patients had a median of 3.5 (range, 2–5) prior lines of therapy. Twenty-four patients (41%) had 2 prior TKIs, and 35 (59%) had 3 or more TKIs. Forty-five patients (76%) were resistant and 14 (24%) were intolerant to their prior TKI.

All but 1 patient had chronic phase CML, 18 (31%) were TKD nonmutated, 14 (24%) were mutated, and 17 (46%) were not evaluable.

Patient disposition

Of the 43 patients in the monotherapy BID cohort, 1 was treated at the 10 mg dose level, 5 at the 20 mg level, 12 at the 40 mg level, 12 at the 80 mg level, 8 at the 150 mg level, and 5 at the 200 mg level. They had a median duration of drug exposure ranging from 25 weeks to 67 weeks.

Of the 11 patients in the monotherapy QD group, 5 were treated at the 120 mg dose level and 6 at the 200 mg level. Their drug exposure was a median of 26 weeks for those receiving 120 mg and 9.8 weeks for those receiving the 200 mg dose.

And the 5 patients in the ABL001-plus-nilotinib group had a median of 6.3 weeks of drug exposure.

“We had a remarkably low rate of discontinuation to date,” Dr Ottmann pointed out.

Ten patients discontinued therapy, all in the monotherapy BID group, 1 at 10 mg, 2 at 40 mg, 2 at 80 mg, 3 at 150 mg, and 2 at 200 mg.

Seven patients discontinued for adverse events. Two patients withdrew consent, and 1 patient in the 40 mg group had disease progression, which is “quite remarkable in a phase 1,” Dr Ottmann said.

Pharmacokinetic profile

ABL001 is rapidly absorbed in a median of 2 to 3 hours, and there is a dose-proportional increase in exposure following single and repeated dosing.

The drug has an approximately 2-fold or lower accumulation on repeated dosing and a short elimination half-life of 5 to 6 hours.

Safety

“We have excellent tolerability,” Dr Ottmann said, with a small number of grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs).

Grade 3/4 AEs considered to be drug-related were mostly associated with hematologic suppression. Four patients (7%) had thrombocytopenia, 4 (7%) neutropenia, 3 (5%) anemia, 4 (7%) lipase increase, and 1 (2%) hypercholesterolemia.

AEs of all grades suspected of being related to the study drug and occurring in 5% or more of patients included thrombocytopenia (19%), neutropenia (15%), anemia (10%), nausea/vomiting/diarrhea (29%), arthralgia/myalgia (20%), rash (17%), fatigue (15%), lipase increase (14%), headache (14%), pruritus (10%), dry skin (7%), hypophosphatemia (7%), and acute pancreatitis (5%).

“The pancreatitis was reversible upon interruption or discontinuation of the drug,” Dr Ottmann explained.

There were 5 dose-limiting toxicities. Two patients had grade 3 lipase elevation in the 40 mg BID and 200 mg QD cohorts. One patient had grade 2 myalgia/arthralgia at 80 mg BID, 1 patient had a grade 3 acute coronary event at 150 mg BID, and 1 patient had a grade 3 bronchospasm at 200 mg BID.

No deaths occurred on the study, and the dose escalation is still ongoing.

Response

Twenty-nine patients with 3 months or more of follow-up were evaluable for response.

Twelve patients, who at baseline had hematologic relapse, achieved complete hematologic response within 2 months, and 8 who had cytogenetic relapse at baseline achieved a complete cytogenetic response within 3 to 6 months.

Of the 29 patients who had molecular relapse at baseline, 10 (34.5%) achieved a molecular response within 6 months, 7 (24.1%) had 1 log or more reduction in BCR-ABL1, 9 (31.0%) had less than a log reduction, and 3 (10.3%) had no reduction.

“The obvious question from the preclinical data,” Dr Ottmann said, “is do the mutations respond?”

And ABL001 has shown clinical activity across TKI-resistant mutations, such as V299L, F317L, and Y253H.

“So to conclude,” he said, “we have a new class, a new therapeutic category of drug, ABL001, which is quite well tolerated in extremely heavily treated patients with CML. We do consider this a promising approach.”

The trial was sponsored by Novartis.

*Data in the abstract differ from the presentation.

Exhibit hall at the 2015

ASH Annual Meeting

Photo courtesy of ASH

ORLANDO, FL—ABL001, an allosteric inhibitor of BCR-ABL1, has shown early evidence of single-agent activity in a multicenter, first-in-human, first-in-class trial of heavily treated patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that is resistant to or intolerant of prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), even at the lowest dose evaluated.

ABL001 and classical TKIs exhibit complementary mutation profiles, with ABL001 showing activity against TKI resistance mutations.

When combined with nilotinib in a mouse model of CML, ABL001 prevented the emergence of resistant disease even after treatment was discontinued.

“This produces a new therapeutic concept—that of allosteric inhibition,” said Oliver G. Ottmann, MD, of Cardiff University in the UK.

The ABL001 binding site is located in a region remote from the kinase domain and has the potential to combine with TKIs for greater pharmacologic control of BCR-ABL1.

“This obviously has the opportunity both for combining different treatments and for overcoming resistance to one or the other,” Dr Ottmann added.

Based on preliminary pharmacokinetic data and preclinical evidence, investigators proceeded to evaluate ABL001 in a phase 1 dose-escalation and dose-expansion study.

Their primary objective was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) in humans and the recommended dose for expansion (RDE). Secondary objectives were to evaluate the safety, tolerability, preliminary anti-CML activity, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile.

Dr Ottmann presented the findings during the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting as abstract 138.*

Study design

Patients received ABL001 orally as a single agent twice a day (BID) continuously until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, consent withdrawal, or death.

The dose-escalation schema followed a Bayesian logistic regression model based on dose-limiting toxicities during cycle 1. Doses ranged from 10 mg to 200 mg BID.

A subsequent dose-expansion phase was planned to augment the data generated in the dose-escalation phase and to include patients with Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia resistant or intolerant to prior TKI therapy.

Dr Ottmann noted that there were 2 protocol amendments. The first amendment was made to include a once-daily (QD) dosing of ABL001 at 120 mg and 200 mg. The second amendment was made to evaluate the combination of 40 mg of ABL001 BID with nilotinib at 300 mg BID.

Inclusion/exclusion criteria

Patients had to be at least 18 years old with CML in chronic or accelerated phase. They had to have failed at least 2 prior TKIs or be intolerant of TKIs. Their performance status had to be 0–2.

Patients were excluded from the trial if they had an absolute neutrophil count less than 500/mm³, a platelet count less than 50,000/mm³, bilirubin level more than 1.5 x the upper limit of normal (ULN) or more than 3.0 x ULN in patients with Gilberts syndrome.

Their aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase could not be above 3 x ULN, and creatinine could not be above 1.5 x ULN.

Patients were also excluded if they needed treatment with strong inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A4 or its substrates with narrow therapeutic index.

Patient demographics

Fifty-nine patients were enrolled on the trial at the time of the presentation and they had “typical” characteristics of patients at this stage, Dr Ottmann said.

Their median age was 56 (range, 23–78). Almost two-thirds (61%) were male and 39% female.

All but 1 patient had an ECOG performance status of 0, and patients had a median of 3.5 (range, 2–5) prior lines of therapy. Twenty-four patients (41%) had 2 prior TKIs, and 35 (59%) had 3 or more TKIs. Forty-five patients (76%) were resistant and 14 (24%) were intolerant to their prior TKI.

All but 1 patient had chronic phase CML, 18 (31%) were TKD nonmutated, 14 (24%) were mutated, and 17 (46%) were not evaluable.

Patient disposition

Of the 43 patients in the monotherapy BID cohort, 1 was treated at the 10 mg dose level, 5 at the 20 mg level, 12 at the 40 mg level, 12 at the 80 mg level, 8 at the 150 mg level, and 5 at the 200 mg level. They had a median duration of drug exposure ranging from 25 weeks to 67 weeks.

Of the 11 patients in the monotherapy QD group, 5 were treated at the 120 mg dose level and 6 at the 200 mg level. Their drug exposure was a median of 26 weeks for those receiving 120 mg and 9.8 weeks for those receiving the 200 mg dose.

And the 5 patients in the ABL001-plus-nilotinib group had a median of 6.3 weeks of drug exposure.

“We had a remarkably low rate of discontinuation to date,” Dr Ottmann pointed out.

Ten patients discontinued therapy, all in the monotherapy BID group, 1 at 10 mg, 2 at 40 mg, 2 at 80 mg, 3 at 150 mg, and 2 at 200 mg.

Seven patients discontinued for adverse events. Two patients withdrew consent, and 1 patient in the 40 mg group had disease progression, which is “quite remarkable in a phase 1,” Dr Ottmann said.

Pharmacokinetic profile

ABL001 is rapidly absorbed in a median of 2 to 3 hours, and there is a dose-proportional increase in exposure following single and repeated dosing.

The drug has an approximately 2-fold or lower accumulation on repeated dosing and a short elimination half-life of 5 to 6 hours.

Safety

“We have excellent tolerability,” Dr Ottmann said, with a small number of grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs).

Grade 3/4 AEs considered to be drug-related were mostly associated with hematologic suppression. Four patients (7%) had thrombocytopenia, 4 (7%) neutropenia, 3 (5%) anemia, 4 (7%) lipase increase, and 1 (2%) hypercholesterolemia.

AEs of all grades suspected of being related to the study drug and occurring in 5% or more of patients included thrombocytopenia (19%), neutropenia (15%), anemia (10%), nausea/vomiting/diarrhea (29%), arthralgia/myalgia (20%), rash (17%), fatigue (15%), lipase increase (14%), headache (14%), pruritus (10%), dry skin (7%), hypophosphatemia (7%), and acute pancreatitis (5%).

“The pancreatitis was reversible upon interruption or discontinuation of the drug,” Dr Ottmann explained.

There were 5 dose-limiting toxicities. Two patients had grade 3 lipase elevation in the 40 mg BID and 200 mg QD cohorts. One patient had grade 2 myalgia/arthralgia at 80 mg BID, 1 patient had a grade 3 acute coronary event at 150 mg BID, and 1 patient had a grade 3 bronchospasm at 200 mg BID.

No deaths occurred on the study, and the dose escalation is still ongoing.

Response

Twenty-nine patients with 3 months or more of follow-up were evaluable for response.

Twelve patients, who at baseline had hematologic relapse, achieved complete hematologic response within 2 months, and 8 who had cytogenetic relapse at baseline achieved a complete cytogenetic response within 3 to 6 months.

Of the 29 patients who had molecular relapse at baseline, 10 (34.5%) achieved a molecular response within 6 months, 7 (24.1%) had 1 log or more reduction in BCR-ABL1, 9 (31.0%) had less than a log reduction, and 3 (10.3%) had no reduction.

“The obvious question from the preclinical data,” Dr Ottmann said, “is do the mutations respond?”

And ABL001 has shown clinical activity across TKI-resistant mutations, such as V299L, F317L, and Y253H.

“So to conclude,” he said, “we have a new class, a new therapeutic category of drug, ABL001, which is quite well tolerated in extremely heavily treated patients with CML. We do consider this a promising approach.”

The trial was sponsored by Novartis.

*Data in the abstract differ from the presentation.

Exhibit hall at the 2015

ASH Annual Meeting

Photo courtesy of ASH

ORLANDO, FL—ABL001, an allosteric inhibitor of BCR-ABL1, has shown early evidence of single-agent activity in a multicenter, first-in-human, first-in-class trial of heavily treated patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that is resistant to or intolerant of prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), even at the lowest dose evaluated.

ABL001 and classical TKIs exhibit complementary mutation profiles, with ABL001 showing activity against TKI resistance mutations.

When combined with nilotinib in a mouse model of CML, ABL001 prevented the emergence of resistant disease even after treatment was discontinued.

“This produces a new therapeutic concept—that of allosteric inhibition,” said Oliver G. Ottmann, MD, of Cardiff University in the UK.

The ABL001 binding site is located in a region remote from the kinase domain and has the potential to combine with TKIs for greater pharmacologic control of BCR-ABL1.

“This obviously has the opportunity both for combining different treatments and for overcoming resistance to one or the other,” Dr Ottmann added.

Based on preliminary pharmacokinetic data and preclinical evidence, investigators proceeded to evaluate ABL001 in a phase 1 dose-escalation and dose-expansion study.

Their primary objective was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) in humans and the recommended dose for expansion (RDE). Secondary objectives were to evaluate the safety, tolerability, preliminary anti-CML activity, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile.

Dr Ottmann presented the findings during the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting as abstract 138.*

Study design

Patients received ABL001 orally as a single agent twice a day (BID) continuously until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, consent withdrawal, or death.

The dose-escalation schema followed a Bayesian logistic regression model based on dose-limiting toxicities during cycle 1. Doses ranged from 10 mg to 200 mg BID.

A subsequent dose-expansion phase was planned to augment the data generated in the dose-escalation phase and to include patients with Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia resistant or intolerant to prior TKI therapy.

Dr Ottmann noted that there were 2 protocol amendments. The first amendment was made to include a once-daily (QD) dosing of ABL001 at 120 mg and 200 mg. The second amendment was made to evaluate the combination of 40 mg of ABL001 BID with nilotinib at 300 mg BID.

Inclusion/exclusion criteria

Patients had to be at least 18 years old with CML in chronic or accelerated phase. They had to have failed at least 2 prior TKIs or be intolerant of TKIs. Their performance status had to be 0–2.

Patients were excluded from the trial if they had an absolute neutrophil count less than 500/mm³, a platelet count less than 50,000/mm³, bilirubin level more than 1.5 x the upper limit of normal (ULN) or more than 3.0 x ULN in patients with Gilberts syndrome.

Their aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase could not be above 3 x ULN, and creatinine could not be above 1.5 x ULN.

Patients were also excluded if they needed treatment with strong inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A4 or its substrates with narrow therapeutic index.

Patient demographics

Fifty-nine patients were enrolled on the trial at the time of the presentation and they had “typical” characteristics of patients at this stage, Dr Ottmann said.

Their median age was 56 (range, 23–78). Almost two-thirds (61%) were male and 39% female.

All but 1 patient had an ECOG performance status of 0, and patients had a median of 3.5 (range, 2–5) prior lines of therapy. Twenty-four patients (41%) had 2 prior TKIs, and 35 (59%) had 3 or more TKIs. Forty-five patients (76%) were resistant and 14 (24%) were intolerant to their prior TKI.

All but 1 patient had chronic phase CML, 18 (31%) were TKD nonmutated, 14 (24%) were mutated, and 17 (46%) were not evaluable.

Patient disposition

Of the 43 patients in the monotherapy BID cohort, 1 was treated at the 10 mg dose level, 5 at the 20 mg level, 12 at the 40 mg level, 12 at the 80 mg level, 8 at the 150 mg level, and 5 at the 200 mg level. They had a median duration of drug exposure ranging from 25 weeks to 67 weeks.

Of the 11 patients in the monotherapy QD group, 5 were treated at the 120 mg dose level and 6 at the 200 mg level. Their drug exposure was a median of 26 weeks for those receiving 120 mg and 9.8 weeks for those receiving the 200 mg dose.

And the 5 patients in the ABL001-plus-nilotinib group had a median of 6.3 weeks of drug exposure.

“We had a remarkably low rate of discontinuation to date,” Dr Ottmann pointed out.

Ten patients discontinued therapy, all in the monotherapy BID group, 1 at 10 mg, 2 at 40 mg, 2 at 80 mg, 3 at 150 mg, and 2 at 200 mg.

Seven patients discontinued for adverse events. Two patients withdrew consent, and 1 patient in the 40 mg group had disease progression, which is “quite remarkable in a phase 1,” Dr Ottmann said.

Pharmacokinetic profile

ABL001 is rapidly absorbed in a median of 2 to 3 hours, and there is a dose-proportional increase in exposure following single and repeated dosing.

The drug has an approximately 2-fold or lower accumulation on repeated dosing and a short elimination half-life of 5 to 6 hours.

Safety

“We have excellent tolerability,” Dr Ottmann said, with a small number of grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs).

Grade 3/4 AEs considered to be drug-related were mostly associated with hematologic suppression. Four patients (7%) had thrombocytopenia, 4 (7%) neutropenia, 3 (5%) anemia, 4 (7%) lipase increase, and 1 (2%) hypercholesterolemia.

AEs of all grades suspected of being related to the study drug and occurring in 5% or more of patients included thrombocytopenia (19%), neutropenia (15%), anemia (10%), nausea/vomiting/diarrhea (29%), arthralgia/myalgia (20%), rash (17%), fatigue (15%), lipase increase (14%), headache (14%), pruritus (10%), dry skin (7%), hypophosphatemia (7%), and acute pancreatitis (5%).

“The pancreatitis was reversible upon interruption or discontinuation of the drug,” Dr Ottmann explained.

There were 5 dose-limiting toxicities. Two patients had grade 3 lipase elevation in the 40 mg BID and 200 mg QD cohorts. One patient had grade 2 myalgia/arthralgia at 80 mg BID, 1 patient had a grade 3 acute coronary event at 150 mg BID, and 1 patient had a grade 3 bronchospasm at 200 mg BID.

No deaths occurred on the study, and the dose escalation is still ongoing.

Response

Twenty-nine patients with 3 months or more of follow-up were evaluable for response.

Twelve patients, who at baseline had hematologic relapse, achieved complete hematologic response within 2 months, and 8 who had cytogenetic relapse at baseline achieved a complete cytogenetic response within 3 to 6 months.

Of the 29 patients who had molecular relapse at baseline, 10 (34.5%) achieved a molecular response within 6 months, 7 (24.1%) had 1 log or more reduction in BCR-ABL1, 9 (31.0%) had less than a log reduction, and 3 (10.3%) had no reduction.

“The obvious question from the preclinical data,” Dr Ottmann said, “is do the mutations respond?”

And ABL001 has shown clinical activity across TKI-resistant mutations, such as V299L, F317L, and Y253H.

“So to conclude,” he said, “we have a new class, a new therapeutic category of drug, ABL001, which is quite well tolerated in extremely heavily treated patients with CML. We do consider this a promising approach.”

The trial was sponsored by Novartis.

*Data in the abstract differ from the presentation.

ORLANDO – Patients who undergo cytotoxic chemotherapy, even in the modern era, are at increased risk for developing myeloid neoplasms, based on data from a cohort of nearly 750,000 adults who were initially treated with chemotherapy and survived at least 1 year after diagnosis.

In the cohort, the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for treatment-related acute myeloid leukemia (tAML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was four times greater than would be expected in the general population, reported Lindsay M. Morton, Ph.D., of the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.

“We now demonstrate that there are elevated risks for treatment-related leukemia after treatment for a broad spectrum of first primary malignancies that are generally consistent with what we know about changing treatment practices,” she said at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

“The number of cancer survivors in the United States has increased dramatically, to reach nearly 14 million individuals today, and in just the next few years the number is expected to reach more than 18 million people, which means that the long-term health of this population is of great clinical importance as well as public health importance,” Dr. Morton emphasized.

The link between cytotoxic chemotherapy and leukemia risk has been known since the 1960s, with certain classes of agents carrying higher risks than others, including platinum-containing compounds, alkylating agents (for example, cyclophosphamide, melphalan, chlorambucil), topoisomerase II inhibitors (doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, etc.), and antimetabolites (5-fluorauracil, capecitabine, gemcitabine, et al.).

Treatment-related leukemias are associated with higher doses of these agents, and the trend in contemporary medicine is to use more of these agents upfront for the treatment of primary malignancies. Yet estimates of the risk of tAML, MDS, or other malignancies have been hard to come by because of the relative rarity of cases and the sporadic reports in the literature, Dr. Morton said.

The investigators previously reported that risk for tAML and other myeloid neoplasms changed over time, and showed that since the 1990s there was an uptick in risk for patients treated with chemotherapy for cancers of bone, joints, and endometrium, and since 2000 for patients treated with chemotherapy for cancers of the esophagus, cervix and prostate.

For example, risks for tAML were higher in the 1970s for patients with ovarian cancer treated with melphalan, a highly leukemogenic agent, but dropped somewhat with the switch to platinum-based agents. Similarly, women with breast cancer had a comparatively high risk with the use of melphalan, a decline in risk with the introduction of cyclophosphamide, and then an increase with the addition of anthracyclines and dose-dense regimens.

Risk update

To get a better idea of the magnitude of risk in the modern era, Dr. Morton and colleagues sifted through Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data to identify a cohort of 746,007 adults who were initially treated with chemotherapy and survived for at least 1 year following a diagnosis with a first primary malignancy from 2000 through 2012. They calculated SIRs based on variables that included age, race, sex, malignancy type and treatment period.

They looked at four categories of myeloid neoplasms as defined by World Health Organization criteria: AML/MDS, chronic myeloid leukemia, myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) negative for BCR-ABL (Philadelphia-negative), and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).

They found that 2,071 patients developed treatment-related AML/MDS, translating into a fourfold incidence compared with the general population (SIR 4.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.9-4.2), 106 were diagnosed with CMML

They also identified novel risk for tAML/MDS after chemotherapy by malignancy (see table).

The investigators found that breast cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and lung cancer were most commonly associated with tAML/MDS (SIRs 4.1, 7.3, and 4.1, respectively, all significant).

In addition, although the overall numbers of cases were small, the investigators noted “strikingly elevated” risks for cancers of bone (SIR 35.1, CI. 16.9-64.6). testes (15.6, CI, 9.2-24.6), and soft tissue (12.6, CI=7.7-19.4),

Risk for tAML/MD was more modestly elevated for cancers of the brain, ovaries, endometrium, cervix, and prostate, and for Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and multiple myeloma.

Adding radiotherapy to chemotherapy for cancers of the breast, lung, and stomach cancers showed a trend toward heightened tAML/MDS risk, but this was not significant.

An elevated risk for CMML was also seen after chemotherapy for lung cancer (SIR 2.5, CI, 1.3-4.4), breast cancer (1.8, CI, 1.3-2.5), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (2.1, CI, 1.2-3.4). There was elevated risk for CMML following chemotherapy for breast cancer (3.0, CI. 1.7-5.0) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (4.2, CI, 2.4-6.9).

There were no increased risks for other myeloproliferative neoplasms after chemotherapy for any first primary cancer, however.

“This reminds us that with new uses of standard agents and introduction of new agents, it’s critical to carefully weigh the risks and benefits of systemic therapy,” Dr. Morton said.

The investigators plan to quantify risks associated with specific drugs and doses, she added.

The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Morton reported no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.

ORLANDO – Patients who undergo cytotoxic chemotherapy, even in the modern era, are at increased risk for developing myeloid neoplasms, based on data from a cohort of nearly 750,000 adults who were initially treated with chemotherapy and survived at least 1 year after diagnosis.

In the cohort, the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for treatment-related acute myeloid leukemia (tAML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was four times greater than would be expected in the general population, reported Lindsay M. Morton, Ph.D., of the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.

“We now demonstrate that there are elevated risks for treatment-related leukemia after treatment for a broad spectrum of first primary malignancies that are generally consistent with what we know about changing treatment practices,” she said at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

“The number of cancer survivors in the United States has increased dramatically, to reach nearly 14 million individuals today, and in just the next few years the number is expected to reach more than 18 million people, which means that the long-term health of this population is of great clinical importance as well as public health importance,” Dr. Morton emphasized.

The link between cytotoxic chemotherapy and leukemia risk has been known since the 1960s, with certain classes of agents carrying higher risks than others, including platinum-containing compounds, alkylating agents (for example, cyclophosphamide, melphalan, chlorambucil), topoisomerase II inhibitors (doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, etc.), and antimetabolites (5-fluorauracil, capecitabine, gemcitabine, et al.).

Treatment-related leukemias are associated with higher doses of these agents, and the trend in contemporary medicine is to use more of these agents upfront for the treatment of primary malignancies. Yet estimates of the risk of tAML, MDS, or other malignancies have been hard to come by because of the relative rarity of cases and the sporadic reports in the literature, Dr. Morton said.

The investigators previously reported that risk for tAML and other myeloid neoplasms changed over time, and showed that since the 1990s there was an uptick in risk for patients treated with chemotherapy for cancers of bone, joints, and endometrium, and since 2000 for patients treated with chemotherapy for cancers of the esophagus, cervix and prostate.

For example, risks for tAML were higher in the 1970s for patients with ovarian cancer treated with melphalan, a highly leukemogenic agent, but dropped somewhat with the switch to platinum-based agents. Similarly, women with breast cancer had a comparatively high risk with the use of melphalan, a decline in risk with the introduction of cyclophosphamide, and then an increase with the addition of anthracyclines and dose-dense regimens.

Risk update

To get a better idea of the magnitude of risk in the modern era, Dr. Morton and colleagues sifted through Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data to identify a cohort of 746,007 adults who were initially treated with chemotherapy and survived for at least 1 year following a diagnosis with a first primary malignancy from 2000 through 2012. They calculated SIRs based on variables that included age, race, sex, malignancy type and treatment period.

They looked at four categories of myeloid neoplasms as defined by World Health Organization criteria: AML/MDS, chronic myeloid leukemia, myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) negative for BCR-ABL (Philadelphia-negative), and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).

They found that 2,071 patients developed treatment-related AML/MDS, translating into a fourfold incidence compared with the general population (SIR 4.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.9-4.2), 106 were diagnosed with CMML

They also identified novel risk for tAML/MDS after chemotherapy by malignancy (see table).

The investigators found that breast cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and lung cancer were most commonly associated with tAML/MDS (SIRs 4.1, 7.3, and 4.1, respectively, all significant).

In addition, although the overall numbers of cases were small, the investigators noted “strikingly elevated” risks for cancers of bone (SIR 35.1, CI. 16.9-64.6). testes (15.6, CI, 9.2-24.6), and soft tissue (12.6, CI=7.7-19.4),

Risk for tAML/MD was more modestly elevated for cancers of the brain, ovaries, endometrium, cervix, and prostate, and for Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and multiple myeloma.

Adding radiotherapy to chemotherapy for cancers of the breast, lung, and stomach cancers showed a trend toward heightened tAML/MDS risk, but this was not significant.

An elevated risk for CMML was also seen after chemotherapy for lung cancer (SIR 2.5, CI, 1.3-4.4), breast cancer (1.8, CI, 1.3-2.5), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (2.1, CI, 1.2-3.4). There was elevated risk for CMML following chemotherapy for breast cancer (3.0, CI. 1.7-5.0) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (4.2, CI, 2.4-6.9).

There were no increased risks for other myeloproliferative neoplasms after chemotherapy for any first primary cancer, however.

“This reminds us that with new uses of standard agents and introduction of new agents, it’s critical to carefully weigh the risks and benefits of systemic therapy,” Dr. Morton said.

The investigators plan to quantify risks associated with specific drugs and doses, she added.

The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Morton reported no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.

ORLANDO – Patients who undergo cytotoxic chemotherapy, even in the modern era, are at increased risk for developing myeloid neoplasms, based on data from a cohort of nearly 750,000 adults who were initially treated with chemotherapy and survived at least 1 year after diagnosis.

In the cohort, the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for treatment-related acute myeloid leukemia (tAML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was four times greater than would be expected in the general population, reported Lindsay M. Morton, Ph.D., of the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.

“We now demonstrate that there are elevated risks for treatment-related leukemia after treatment for a broad spectrum of first primary malignancies that are generally consistent with what we know about changing treatment practices,” she said at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

“The number of cancer survivors in the United States has increased dramatically, to reach nearly 14 million individuals today, and in just the next few years the number is expected to reach more than 18 million people, which means that the long-term health of this population is of great clinical importance as well as public health importance,” Dr. Morton emphasized.

The link between cytotoxic chemotherapy and leukemia risk has been known since the 1960s, with certain classes of agents carrying higher risks than others, including platinum-containing compounds, alkylating agents (for example, cyclophosphamide, melphalan, chlorambucil), topoisomerase II inhibitors (doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, etc.), and antimetabolites (5-fluorauracil, capecitabine, gemcitabine, et al.).

Treatment-related leukemias are associated with higher doses of these agents, and the trend in contemporary medicine is to use more of these agents upfront for the treatment of primary malignancies. Yet estimates of the risk of tAML, MDS, or other malignancies have been hard to come by because of the relative rarity of cases and the sporadic reports in the literature, Dr. Morton said.

The investigators previously reported that risk for tAML and other myeloid neoplasms changed over time, and showed that since the 1990s there was an uptick in risk for patients treated with chemotherapy for cancers of bone, joints, and endometrium, and since 2000 for patients treated with chemotherapy for cancers of the esophagus, cervix and prostate.

For example, risks for tAML were higher in the 1970s for patients with ovarian cancer treated with melphalan, a highly leukemogenic agent, but dropped somewhat with the switch to platinum-based agents. Similarly, women with breast cancer had a comparatively high risk with the use of melphalan, a decline in risk with the introduction of cyclophosphamide, and then an increase with the addition of anthracyclines and dose-dense regimens.

Risk update

To get a better idea of the magnitude of risk in the modern era, Dr. Morton and colleagues sifted through Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data to identify a cohort of 746,007 adults who were initially treated with chemotherapy and survived for at least 1 year following a diagnosis with a first primary malignancy from 2000 through 2012. They calculated SIRs based on variables that included age, race, sex, malignancy type and treatment period.

They looked at four categories of myeloid neoplasms as defined by World Health Organization criteria: AML/MDS, chronic myeloid leukemia, myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) negative for BCR-ABL (Philadelphia-negative), and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).

They found that 2,071 patients developed treatment-related AML/MDS, translating into a fourfold incidence compared with the general population (SIR 4.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.9-4.2), 106 were diagnosed with CMML

They also identified novel risk for tAML/MDS after chemotherapy by malignancy (see table).

The investigators found that breast cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and lung cancer were most commonly associated with tAML/MDS (SIRs 4.1, 7.3, and 4.1, respectively, all significant).

In addition, although the overall numbers of cases were small, the investigators noted “strikingly elevated” risks for cancers of bone (SIR 35.1, CI. 16.9-64.6). testes (15.6, CI, 9.2-24.6), and soft tissue (12.6, CI=7.7-19.4),

Risk for tAML/MD was more modestly elevated for cancers of the brain, ovaries, endometrium, cervix, and prostate, and for Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and multiple myeloma.

Adding radiotherapy to chemotherapy for cancers of the breast, lung, and stomach cancers showed a trend toward heightened tAML/MDS risk, but this was not significant.

An elevated risk for CMML was also seen after chemotherapy for lung cancer (SIR 2.5, CI, 1.3-4.4), breast cancer (1.8, CI, 1.3-2.5), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (2.1, CI, 1.2-3.4). There was elevated risk for CMML following chemotherapy for breast cancer (3.0, CI. 1.7-5.0) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (4.2, CI, 2.4-6.9).

There were no increased risks for other myeloproliferative neoplasms after chemotherapy for any first primary cancer, however.

“This reminds us that with new uses of standard agents and introduction of new agents, it’s critical to carefully weigh the risks and benefits of systemic therapy,” Dr. Morton said.

The investigators plan to quantify risks associated with specific drugs and doses, she added.

The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Morton reported no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.

Radotinib was associated with significantly higher complete cytogenetic responses and major molecular responses than imatinib was at a minimum 12 months of follow-up in a randomized, open-label, phase III clinical trialof patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia-chronic phase (CML-CP).

Radotinib, an investigational BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor developed by IL-YANG Pharmaceuticals, is approved in Korea for the treatment of CML-CP in patients who have failed prior TKIs.

Dr. Jae-Yong Kwak of Chonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea, and his colleagues randomized 241 patients to either radotinib 300 mg twice daily (n = 79), radotinib 400 mg twice daily (n = 81), or imatinib 400 mg once daily (n = 81). All three study groups were balanced in regard to baseline age, gender, race, and Sokal risk score.

At a minimum follow-up of 12 months, the proportions of patients receiving a study drug were 86% (69/79) in the radotinib 300 mg twice-daily group, 72% (58/81) in the radotinib 400 mg twice-daily group, and 82% (66/81) in the imatinib 400 mg once-daily group.

The rates of major molecular response at 12 months were significantly higher in patients receiving radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (52%, P = .0044) and radotinib 400 mg b.i.d. (46%, P = .0342), compared with imatinib (30%), Dr. Kwak reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Orlando.

Among responders, the median times to major molecular response were shorter on radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (5.7 months) and radotinib 400 mg b.i.d. (5.6 months) than on imatinib (8.2 months). The MR4.5 rates by 12 months were also higher for both radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (15%) and 400 mg b.i.d. (14%), compared with imatinib (9%). The complete cytogenetic response rates by 12 months were 91% for radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (P = .0120), compared with imatinib (77%). None of the patients in the study had progressed to accelerated phase or blast crisis at 12 months.

Drug discontinuation due to adverse events (AEs) or laboratory abnormalities occurred in 9% of patients on radotinib 300 mg b.i.d., 20% on radotinib 400 mg b.i.d., and 6% on imatinib.

The major side effects included grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia in 16% of patients receiving radotinib 300 mg b.i.d., 14% on radotinib 400 mg b.i.d., and 20% receiving imatinib. Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 19%, 24%, and 30% for radotinib 300 mg b.i.d., 400 mg b.i.d., and imatinib, respectively.

Overall, grade 3/4 nonlaboratory AEs were uncommon in all groups. The most common nonlaboratory AEs in the radotinib groups were skin rash (about 33% in both), nausea/vomiting (about 23% in both), headache (19% and 31%), and pruritus (19% and 30%). In the imatinib group, the most common adverse events were edema (35%), myalgia (28%), nausea/vomiting (27%), and skin rash (22%).

Dr. Kwak had no relevant disclosures. Some of his colleagues received research funding from IL-YANG Pharmaceutical Co. and Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

[email protected]

On Twitter @maryjodales

Radotinib was associated with significantly higher complete cytogenetic responses and major molecular responses than imatinib was at a minimum 12 months of follow-up in a randomized, open-label, phase III clinical trialof patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia-chronic phase (CML-CP).

Radotinib, an investigational BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor developed by IL-YANG Pharmaceuticals, is approved in Korea for the treatment of CML-CP in patients who have failed prior TKIs.

Dr. Jae-Yong Kwak of Chonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea, and his colleagues randomized 241 patients to either radotinib 300 mg twice daily (n = 79), radotinib 400 mg twice daily (n = 81), or imatinib 400 mg once daily (n = 81). All three study groups were balanced in regard to baseline age, gender, race, and Sokal risk score.

At a minimum follow-up of 12 months, the proportions of patients receiving a study drug were 86% (69/79) in the radotinib 300 mg twice-daily group, 72% (58/81) in the radotinib 400 mg twice-daily group, and 82% (66/81) in the imatinib 400 mg once-daily group.

The rates of major molecular response at 12 months were significantly higher in patients receiving radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (52%, P = .0044) and radotinib 400 mg b.i.d. (46%, P = .0342), compared with imatinib (30%), Dr. Kwak reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Orlando.

Among responders, the median times to major molecular response were shorter on radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (5.7 months) and radotinib 400 mg b.i.d. (5.6 months) than on imatinib (8.2 months). The MR4.5 rates by 12 months were also higher for both radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (15%) and 400 mg b.i.d. (14%), compared with imatinib (9%). The complete cytogenetic response rates by 12 months were 91% for radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (P = .0120), compared with imatinib (77%). None of the patients in the study had progressed to accelerated phase or blast crisis at 12 months.

Drug discontinuation due to adverse events (AEs) or laboratory abnormalities occurred in 9% of patients on radotinib 300 mg b.i.d., 20% on radotinib 400 mg b.i.d., and 6% on imatinib.

The major side effects included grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia in 16% of patients receiving radotinib 300 mg b.i.d., 14% on radotinib 400 mg b.i.d., and 20% receiving imatinib. Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 19%, 24%, and 30% for radotinib 300 mg b.i.d., 400 mg b.i.d., and imatinib, respectively.

Overall, grade 3/4 nonlaboratory AEs were uncommon in all groups. The most common nonlaboratory AEs in the radotinib groups were skin rash (about 33% in both), nausea/vomiting (about 23% in both), headache (19% and 31%), and pruritus (19% and 30%). In the imatinib group, the most common adverse events were edema (35%), myalgia (28%), nausea/vomiting (27%), and skin rash (22%).

Dr. Kwak had no relevant disclosures. Some of his colleagues received research funding from IL-YANG Pharmaceutical Co. and Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

[email protected]

On Twitter @maryjodales

Radotinib was associated with significantly higher complete cytogenetic responses and major molecular responses than imatinib was at a minimum 12 months of follow-up in a randomized, open-label, phase III clinical trialof patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia-chronic phase (CML-CP).

Radotinib, an investigational BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor developed by IL-YANG Pharmaceuticals, is approved in Korea for the treatment of CML-CP in patients who have failed prior TKIs.

Dr. Jae-Yong Kwak of Chonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea, and his colleagues randomized 241 patients to either radotinib 300 mg twice daily (n = 79), radotinib 400 mg twice daily (n = 81), or imatinib 400 mg once daily (n = 81). All three study groups were balanced in regard to baseline age, gender, race, and Sokal risk score.

At a minimum follow-up of 12 months, the proportions of patients receiving a study drug were 86% (69/79) in the radotinib 300 mg twice-daily group, 72% (58/81) in the radotinib 400 mg twice-daily group, and 82% (66/81) in the imatinib 400 mg once-daily group.

The rates of major molecular response at 12 months were significantly higher in patients receiving radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (52%, P = .0044) and radotinib 400 mg b.i.d. (46%, P = .0342), compared with imatinib (30%), Dr. Kwak reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Orlando.

Among responders, the median times to major molecular response were shorter on radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (5.7 months) and radotinib 400 mg b.i.d. (5.6 months) than on imatinib (8.2 months). The MR4.5 rates by 12 months were also higher for both radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (15%) and 400 mg b.i.d. (14%), compared with imatinib (9%). The complete cytogenetic response rates by 12 months were 91% for radotinib 300 mg b.i.d. (P = .0120), compared with imatinib (77%). None of the patients in the study had progressed to accelerated phase or blast crisis at 12 months.

Drug discontinuation due to adverse events (AEs) or laboratory abnormalities occurred in 9% of patients on radotinib 300 mg b.i.d., 20% on radotinib 400 mg b.i.d., and 6% on imatinib.

The major side effects included grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia in 16% of patients receiving radotinib 300 mg b.i.d., 14% on radotinib 400 mg b.i.d., and 20% receiving imatinib. Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 19%, 24%, and 30% for radotinib 300 mg b.i.d., 400 mg b.i.d., and imatinib, respectively.

Overall, grade 3/4 nonlaboratory AEs were uncommon in all groups. The most common nonlaboratory AEs in the radotinib groups were skin rash (about 33% in both), nausea/vomiting (about 23% in both), headache (19% and 31%), and pruritus (19% and 30%). In the imatinib group, the most common adverse events were edema (35%), myalgia (28%), nausea/vomiting (27%), and skin rash (22%).

Dr. Kwak had no relevant disclosures. Some of his colleagues received research funding from IL-YANG Pharmaceutical Co. and Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

[email protected]

On Twitter @maryjodales

ORLANDO – Age did not affect molecular response or the incidence of adverse reactions to nilotinib among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP), based on results from a subanalysis of the ENEST1st study.

The analysis of the ENEST1st study, reported by Dr. Francis J. Giles, compared outcomes for 1,089 newly diagnosed CML-CP patients, 19% were aged 65 years or older and 81% were younger than age 65 years. All patients had typical transcripts and were treated for 3 months or less with nilotinib 300 mg twice daily in the open-label study.

For those 65 years and older, Sokal risk scores were low in 4.5%, intermediate in 61.2%, and high in 23.4%, with missing data for 10.9%. For younger patients, Sokal risk scores were low in 42.1%, intermediate in 32%, and high in 16.9%, with missing data for 9.

At 18 months, there was an overall 38.4% rate (95% CI, 35.5%-41.3%) of MR4 grade molecular response, which was defined as BCR-ABL level of 0.01% or less on the International Scale or undetectable BCR-ABL in cDNA with at least 10,000 ABL transcripts.

The MR4 rate at 18 months did not significantly vary by age. For patients under age 65, the cumulative incidence of MR4 by 18 months was 48.8% (95% CI, 45.4% - 52.1%); among patients aged 65 and older, the incidence of MR4 was 48.3% (95% CI, 41.4% - 55.2%). The MR4.5 rate by 18 months was 32.5% in younger patients and 28.4% in older patients, reported Dr. Giles of the Institute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and his colleagues.

Based on Sokal score, the MR4 rate by 18 months in younger patients was 53.6% (low), 45.2% (intermediate), and 35.4% (high), respectively. For older patients, the MR4 rate by 18 months based on Sokal score was 44.4% (low), 49.6% (intermediate), and 44.7% (high).

Six patients (0.6%) progressed to accelerated phase/blast crisis (AP/BC) on study; 13 patients (1.2%) died by 24 months. The most common adverse events were rash (21.4%), pruritus (16.5%), and headache (15.2%).

Novartis is the sponsor of the ENEST1st study. Dr. Giles consults for and receives honoraria and research funding from Novartis.

[email protected]

On Twitter @maryjodales

ORLANDO – Age did not affect molecular response or the incidence of adverse reactions to nilotinib among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP), based on results from a subanalysis of the ENEST1st study.

The analysis of the ENEST1st study, reported by Dr. Francis J. Giles, compared outcomes for 1,089 newly diagnosed CML-CP patients, 19% were aged 65 years or older and 81% were younger than age 65 years. All patients had typical transcripts and were treated for 3 months or less with nilotinib 300 mg twice daily in the open-label study.

For those 65 years and older, Sokal risk scores were low in 4.5%, intermediate in 61.2%, and high in 23.4%, with missing data for 10.9%. For younger patients, Sokal risk scores were low in 42.1%, intermediate in 32%, and high in 16.9%, with missing data for 9.

At 18 months, there was an overall 38.4% rate (95% CI, 35.5%-41.3%) of MR4 grade molecular response, which was defined as BCR-ABL level of 0.01% or less on the International Scale or undetectable BCR-ABL in cDNA with at least 10,000 ABL transcripts.

The MR4 rate at 18 months did not significantly vary by age. For patients under age 65, the cumulative incidence of MR4 by 18 months was 48.8% (95% CI, 45.4% - 52.1%); among patients aged 65 and older, the incidence of MR4 was 48.3% (95% CI, 41.4% - 55.2%). The MR4.5 rate by 18 months was 32.5% in younger patients and 28.4% in older patients, reported Dr. Giles of the Institute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and his colleagues.

Based on Sokal score, the MR4 rate by 18 months in younger patients was 53.6% (low), 45.2% (intermediate), and 35.4% (high), respectively. For older patients, the MR4 rate by 18 months based on Sokal score was 44.4% (low), 49.6% (intermediate), and 44.7% (high).

Six patients (0.6%) progressed to accelerated phase/blast crisis (AP/BC) on study; 13 patients (1.2%) died by 24 months. The most common adverse events were rash (21.4%), pruritus (16.5%), and headache (15.2%).

Novartis is the sponsor of the ENEST1st study. Dr. Giles consults for and receives honoraria and research funding from Novartis.

[email protected]

On Twitter @maryjodales

ORLANDO – Age did not affect molecular response or the incidence of adverse reactions to nilotinib among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP), based on results from a subanalysis of the ENEST1st study.

The analysis of the ENEST1st study, reported by Dr. Francis J. Giles, compared outcomes for 1,089 newly diagnosed CML-CP patients, 19% were aged 65 years or older and 81% were younger than age 65 years. All patients had typical transcripts and were treated for 3 months or less with nilotinib 300 mg twice daily in the open-label study.

For those 65 years and older, Sokal risk scores were low in 4.5%, intermediate in 61.2%, and high in 23.4%, with missing data for 10.9%. For younger patients, Sokal risk scores were low in 42.1%, intermediate in 32%, and high in 16.9%, with missing data for 9.

At 18 months, there was an overall 38.4% rate (95% CI, 35.5%-41.3%) of MR4 grade molecular response, which was defined as BCR-ABL level of 0.01% or less on the International Scale or undetectable BCR-ABL in cDNA with at least 10,000 ABL transcripts.

The MR4 rate at 18 months did not significantly vary by age. For patients under age 65, the cumulative incidence of MR4 by 18 months was 48.8% (95% CI, 45.4% - 52.1%); among patients aged 65 and older, the incidence of MR4 was 48.3% (95% CI, 41.4% - 55.2%). The MR4.5 rate by 18 months was 32.5% in younger patients and 28.4% in older patients, reported Dr. Giles of the Institute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and his colleagues.

Based on Sokal score, the MR4 rate by 18 months in younger patients was 53.6% (low), 45.2% (intermediate), and 35.4% (high), respectively. For older patients, the MR4 rate by 18 months based on Sokal score was 44.4% (low), 49.6% (intermediate), and 44.7% (high).

Six patients (0.6%) progressed to accelerated phase/blast crisis (AP/BC) on study; 13 patients (1.2%) died by 24 months. The most common adverse events were rash (21.4%), pruritus (16.5%), and headache (15.2%).

Novartis is the sponsor of the ENEST1st study. Dr. Giles consults for and receives honoraria and research funding from Novartis.

[email protected]

On Twitter @maryjodales

ASH Annual Meeting attendees

Photo courtesy of ASH

ORLANDO, FL—Cases of musculoskeletal pain have been reported after patients stop taking tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

TKI discontinuation trials—notably, the STOP imatinib (STIM) trials and EURO-SKI trial—have been conducted to assess the feasibility of maintaining molecular remission once patients discontinue a TKI.

However, none of the studies collected low-grade events before or after patients discontinued TKI therapy.

So investigators collected data from the STIM2 study and EUROSKI trial and recorded all events from the time of TKI discontinuation.

They discovered that about 23% of patients who stopped TKI therapy experienced a withdrawal syndrome (WS) consisting largely of musculoskeletal pain, regardless of the TKI they were taking.

Philippe Rousselot, MD, PhD, of University of Versailles St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Versailles, France, discussed this finding at the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting as abstract 137.*

Dr Rousselot noted that investigators first reported the TKI WS in 2014 in CML patients enrolled on the EURO-SKI trial who were discontinuing imatinib (Richter et al, JCO 2014).

A team of French investigators undertook the current observational study to estimate the prevalence of the WS and to identify clinical factors associated with it.

They collected, prospectively, the adverse events from all 428 French patients who were enrolled in the STIM2 (n=204) and EURO-SKI (n=224) trials. And they compared patients who stopped taking TKIs and had a painful WS to those who stopped TKIs and did not have a painful syndrome.

Patient characteristics

Patient characteristics were well balanced between the STIM2 and EURO-SKI groups, with the exception of the median time on TKI before discontinuation. In the STIM2 group, patients were a median of 77.4 months on TKI therapy. In the EURO-SKI group, the median time on a TKI was 100.4 months (P<0.001).

In all, there were 208 male and 220 female patients included. They were a median age of 64 (range, 53–73) and 63 (range, 53–70) years in the STIM2 and EURO-SKI groups, respectively.

Sokal scores were also comparable between the cohorts, with most patients falling in the low and intermediate ranges.

Prevalence and characteristics of WS

Overall, 326 patients (76.2%) were without WS and 102 (23.8%) had WS. In the STIM2 cohort, 193 patients (86.2%) were without WS and 31 (13.8%) had WS. In the EURO-SKI cohort, 133 patients (65.2%) were without WS and 71 (34.8%) had WS.

“And these differences [between cohorts] are significant,” Dr Rousselot pointed out.

Investigators analyzed clinical characteristics of WS in 40 patients and determined that the median time from TKI discontinuation to WS was 21 days, and the median duration of WS was 7 months (range, 3–30).

Pain was located in the shoulder and spine for 67% of the patients and elsewhere in 33%. About two-thirds of patients (62.5%) experienced grade 1–2 pain, and 37.5% experienced grade 3–4 pain.

Nineteen patients resumed TKI therapy, “because of loss of MMR [major molecular response] or loss of clinical response,” Dr Rousselot said.

And the pain disappeared in 52.6% of them when they resumed TKI therapy. The median duration of TKI therapy before WS pain disappeared was 3 weeks.

Risk factors for WS

Investigators determined that CML duration, time on a TKI, and previous history of osteoarticular symptoms were risk factors for WS.

Patients without WS had CML for a shorter time—a mean of 8.7 ± 3.1 months, compared to 9.7 ± 3.8 for those with WS (P=0.02).

Patients without WS were also on a TKI for a shorter time—a median of 81.2 months (range, 61.2–108.0), compared to 97.3 months (range, 73.7–122.9) for those with WS (P<0.001).

Patients with a previous history of osteoarticular symptoms were more likely to experience WS—22.9%, compared to 9.8% without a previous history (P=0.002).

Most patients were receiving imatinib—323 without WS and 100 with WS. The 1 patient receiving dasatinib had no WS. And of the 4 patients receiving nilotinib, 2 had WS and 2 didn’t.

And so the type of TKI therapy—dasatinib, imatinib, or nilotinib—was not significant (P=0.42).

Investigators performed a multivariate analysis adjusted for gender, CML duration, and Sokal score, and 2 risk factors emerged: previous history of osteoarticular symptoms (relative risk: 2.08) and time on TKI (relative risk: 2.23).

Discussion

Dr Rousselot compared the Richter trial (Richter et al, JCO 2014) to the current study and noted that the Richter trial, with an enrollment of 50 patients, had a WS prevalence of 30%. But the current trial had a prevalence of 24%.

The difference in WS may be due to time on TKI, Dr Rousselot said, as patients in the Richter trial were on TKI treatment for a longer period of time.

“The time of onset is the same [in both trials],” Dr Rousselot said, as are the TKI used, location of pain, and duration of pain.

“So what we can say is [with] shorter TKI treatment . . . , we have a higher risk of molecular relapse but a lower risk of withdrawal syndrome.”

And with longer TKI treatment, the converse appears to be true. It reduces the risk of molecular relapse but raises the risk of withdrawal syndrome.

*Data in the abstract differ from the presentation.

ASH Annual Meeting attendees

Photo courtesy of ASH

ORLANDO, FL—Cases of musculoskeletal pain have been reported after patients stop taking tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

TKI discontinuation trials—notably, the STOP imatinib (STIM) trials and EURO-SKI trial—have been conducted to assess the feasibility of maintaining molecular remission once patients discontinue a TKI.

However, none of the studies collected low-grade events before or after patients discontinued TKI therapy.

So investigators collected data from the STIM2 study and EUROSKI trial and recorded all events from the time of TKI discontinuation.

They discovered that about 23% of patients who stopped TKI therapy experienced a withdrawal syndrome (WS) consisting largely of musculoskeletal pain, regardless of the TKI they were taking.

Philippe Rousselot, MD, PhD, of University of Versailles St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Versailles, France, discussed this finding at the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting as abstract 137.*

Dr Rousselot noted that investigators first reported the TKI WS in 2014 in CML patients enrolled on the EURO-SKI trial who were discontinuing imatinib (Richter et al, JCO 2014).

A team of French investigators undertook the current observational study to estimate the prevalence of the WS and to identify clinical factors associated with it.

They collected, prospectively, the adverse events from all 428 French patients who were enrolled in the STIM2 (n=204) and EURO-SKI (n=224) trials. And they compared patients who stopped taking TKIs and had a painful WS to those who stopped TKIs and did not have a painful syndrome.

Patient characteristics

Patient characteristics were well balanced between the STIM2 and EURO-SKI groups, with the exception of the median time on TKI before discontinuation. In the STIM2 group, patients were a median of 77.4 months on TKI therapy. In the EURO-SKI group, the median time on a TKI was 100.4 months (P<0.001).

In all, there were 208 male and 220 female patients included. They were a median age of 64 (range, 53–73) and 63 (range, 53–70) years in the STIM2 and EURO-SKI groups, respectively.

Sokal scores were also comparable between the cohorts, with most patients falling in the low and intermediate ranges.

Prevalence and characteristics of WS

Overall, 326 patients (76.2%) were without WS and 102 (23.8%) had WS. In the STIM2 cohort, 193 patients (86.2%) were without WS and 31 (13.8%) had WS. In the EURO-SKI cohort, 133 patients (65.2%) were without WS and 71 (34.8%) had WS.

“And these differences [between cohorts] are significant,” Dr Rousselot pointed out.

Investigators analyzed clinical characteristics of WS in 40 patients and determined that the median time from TKI discontinuation to WS was 21 days, and the median duration of WS was 7 months (range, 3–30).

Pain was located in the shoulder and spine for 67% of the patients and elsewhere in 33%. About two-thirds of patients (62.5%) experienced grade 1–2 pain, and 37.5% experienced grade 3–4 pain.

Nineteen patients resumed TKI therapy, “because of loss of MMR [major molecular response] or loss of clinical response,” Dr Rousselot said.

And the pain disappeared in 52.6% of them when they resumed TKI therapy. The median duration of TKI therapy before WS pain disappeared was 3 weeks.

Risk factors for WS

Investigators determined that CML duration, time on a TKI, and previous history of osteoarticular symptoms were risk factors for WS.

Patients without WS had CML for a shorter time—a mean of 8.7 ± 3.1 months, compared to 9.7 ± 3.8 for those with WS (P=0.02).

Patients without WS were also on a TKI for a shorter time—a median of 81.2 months (range, 61.2–108.0), compared to 97.3 months (range, 73.7–122.9) for those with WS (P<0.001).

Patients with a previous history of osteoarticular symptoms were more likely to experience WS—22.9%, compared to 9.8% without a previous history (P=0.002).

Most patients were receiving imatinib—323 without WS and 100 with WS. The 1 patient receiving dasatinib had no WS. And of the 4 patients receiving nilotinib, 2 had WS and 2 didn’t.

And so the type of TKI therapy—dasatinib, imatinib, or nilotinib—was not significant (P=0.42).

Investigators performed a multivariate analysis adjusted for gender, CML duration, and Sokal score, and 2 risk factors emerged: previous history of osteoarticular symptoms (relative risk: 2.08) and time on TKI (relative risk: 2.23).

Discussion

Dr Rousselot compared the Richter trial (Richter et al, JCO 2014) to the current study and noted that the Richter trial, with an enrollment of 50 patients, had a WS prevalence of 30%. But the current trial had a prevalence of 24%.

The difference in WS may be due to time on TKI, Dr Rousselot said, as patients in the Richter trial were on TKI treatment for a longer period of time.

“The time of onset is the same [in both trials],” Dr Rousselot said, as are the TKI used, location of pain, and duration of pain.

“So what we can say is [with] shorter TKI treatment . . . , we have a higher risk of molecular relapse but a lower risk of withdrawal syndrome.”

And with longer TKI treatment, the converse appears to be true. It reduces the risk of molecular relapse but raises the risk of withdrawal syndrome.

*Data in the abstract differ from the presentation.

ASH Annual Meeting attendees

Photo courtesy of ASH

ORLANDO, FL—Cases of musculoskeletal pain have been reported after patients stop taking tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

TKI discontinuation trials—notably, the STOP imatinib (STIM) trials and EURO-SKI trial—have been conducted to assess the feasibility of maintaining molecular remission once patients discontinue a TKI.

However, none of the studies collected low-grade events before or after patients discontinued TKI therapy.

So investigators collected data from the STIM2 study and EUROSKI trial and recorded all events from the time of TKI discontinuation.

They discovered that about 23% of patients who stopped TKI therapy experienced a withdrawal syndrome (WS) consisting largely of musculoskeletal pain, regardless of the TKI they were taking.

Philippe Rousselot, MD, PhD, of University of Versailles St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Versailles, France, discussed this finding at the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting as abstract 137.*

Dr Rousselot noted that investigators first reported the TKI WS in 2014 in CML patients enrolled on the EURO-SKI trial who were discontinuing imatinib (Richter et al, JCO 2014).

A team of French investigators undertook the current observational study to estimate the prevalence of the WS and to identify clinical factors associated with it.

They collected, prospectively, the adverse events from all 428 French patients who were enrolled in the STIM2 (n=204) and EURO-SKI (n=224) trials. And they compared patients who stopped taking TKIs and had a painful WS to those who stopped TKIs and did not have a painful syndrome.

Patient characteristics

Patient characteristics were well balanced between the STIM2 and EURO-SKI groups, with the exception of the median time on TKI before discontinuation. In the STIM2 group, patients were a median of 77.4 months on TKI therapy. In the EURO-SKI group, the median time on a TKI was 100.4 months (P<0.001).

In all, there were 208 male and 220 female patients included. They were a median age of 64 (range, 53–73) and 63 (range, 53–70) years in the STIM2 and EURO-SKI groups, respectively.

Sokal scores were also comparable between the cohorts, with most patients falling in the low and intermediate ranges.

Prevalence and characteristics of WS

Overall, 326 patients (76.2%) were without WS and 102 (23.8%) had WS. In the STIM2 cohort, 193 patients (86.2%) were without WS and 31 (13.8%) had WS. In the EURO-SKI cohort, 133 patients (65.2%) were without WS and 71 (34.8%) had WS.

“And these differences [between cohorts] are significant,” Dr Rousselot pointed out.

Investigators analyzed clinical characteristics of WS in 40 patients and determined that the median time from TKI discontinuation to WS was 21 days, and the median duration of WS was 7 months (range, 3–30).

Pain was located in the shoulder and spine for 67% of the patients and elsewhere in 33%. About two-thirds of patients (62.5%) experienced grade 1–2 pain, and 37.5% experienced grade 3–4 pain.

Nineteen patients resumed TKI therapy, “because of loss of MMR [major molecular response] or loss of clinical response,” Dr Rousselot said.

And the pain disappeared in 52.6% of them when they resumed TKI therapy. The median duration of TKI therapy before WS pain disappeared was 3 weeks.

Risk factors for WS

Investigators determined that CML duration, time on a TKI, and previous history of osteoarticular symptoms were risk factors for WS.

Patients without WS had CML for a shorter time—a mean of 8.7 ± 3.1 months, compared to 9.7 ± 3.8 for those with WS (P=0.02).

Patients without WS were also on a TKI for a shorter time—a median of 81.2 months (range, 61.2–108.0), compared to 97.3 months (range, 73.7–122.9) for those with WS (P<0.001).

Patients with a previous history of osteoarticular symptoms were more likely to experience WS—22.9%, compared to 9.8% without a previous history (P=0.002).

Most patients were receiving imatinib—323 without WS and 100 with WS. The 1 patient receiving dasatinib had no WS. And of the 4 patients receiving nilotinib, 2 had WS and 2 didn’t.

And so the type of TKI therapy—dasatinib, imatinib, or nilotinib—was not significant (P=0.42).

Investigators performed a multivariate analysis adjusted for gender, CML duration, and Sokal score, and 2 risk factors emerged: previous history of osteoarticular symptoms (relative risk: 2.08) and time on TKI (relative risk: 2.23).

Discussion

Dr Rousselot compared the Richter trial (Richter et al, JCO 2014) to the current study and noted that the Richter trial, with an enrollment of 50 patients, had a WS prevalence of 30%. But the current trial had a prevalence of 24%.

The difference in WS may be due to time on TKI, Dr Rousselot said, as patients in the Richter trial were on TKI treatment for a longer period of time.

“The time of onset is the same [in both trials],” Dr Rousselot said, as are the TKI used, location of pain, and duration of pain.

“So what we can say is [with] shorter TKI treatment . . . , we have a higher risk of molecular relapse but a lower risk of withdrawal syndrome.”

And with longer TKI treatment, the converse appears to be true. It reduces the risk of molecular relapse but raises the risk of withdrawal syndrome.

*Data in the abstract differ from the presentation.